Summary
- Druids are flexible and survivable classes in cRPGs with unique powers and access to natural spells.
- RPGs like Grim Dawn allow players to channel nature's wrath through storm powers as a druid.
- In games like Baldur's Gate 3, druids can choose between different druidic archetypes, such as nature magic or shapeshifting.
One with nature and all it contains, the druid is the primal embodiment of the world, manifest in the body of a mortal. Unlike the fire, air, earth, or water-wielding elementalist, druids connect more deeply with the animals and plants of the natural world, with some even able to assume their forms in battle. Druids seek balance in all things, standing as guardians of the wilderness and rejecting the encroachments of metal and technology.
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With their wild powers, druids are the ultimate stoics, capable of living entire lifetimes without contact with human civilization. Naturally (pun intended), they have been featured in many tabletop games and, more importantly, great cRPGs, to the delight of wilderness lovers, shape-shifter fans, and isolationist curmudgeons alike. These games allow druid enthusiasts to fully embrace their fantasy of communing with wild beasts and ancient trees.
Pillars of Eternity
The Devout Shapeshifting Followers Of The Wild Hunt
Pillars of Eternity
- The druidic draw: druids are one of the most flexible and survivable classes
True to the stereotype, druids in Pillars of Eternity tend to be loners. Depending on their choice of druid subclass, players can take their druid down the road of healer, esoteric spellcasting worshipers of Galawain (the father of monsters), living storms and summoners of nature spirits, or flexible shape-shifter via the lifegiver, the ancient, the fury, and the shape-shifter subclasses, respectively.
Druids, known to many folk as a kind of wild magician, have access to natural spells that can corrode, hobble, and poison their foes. They generally fill the role of the healer and front-line area-of-effect spellcaster with a mix of melee talent, thanks to their ability to turn into an animal of their choosing once per combat.
Diablo 2 (Lords Of Destruction)
Master Of Might, Natural Disaster, And Wild Beasts
Diablo 2
- The druidic draw: roleplay a hardcore survivalist with the ability to shift into the shape of a supernatural predator
Druids are typically presented as neutral characters in all ways. This is true for the druid introduced in Diablo 2's expansion, "Lords of Destruction," as they are well-balanced for survivability, up-front damage dealing, and spellcasting. However, they are far from free-spirited peace lovers, as their weapons of choice include massive, cleaving axes and crushing mauls.
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Their combat abilities are also enhanced by their ability to shift into their wolf or bear form, and druids are bolstered by their allies of nature, including plants and spirits. These gifts were borne from necessity, as their homeland, Scosglen, is so dangerous that only those willing to cut off pieces of their humanity a slice at a time to see one more sunrise could ever hope to survive.
Grim Dawn
Channeling All Of Nature's Anger Through A Storm Of Axe Blows
Grim Dawn
- Combine the shaman's nature powers with the arcanist to gain official "druid" status or experiment with other combinations using the shaman as a base
The "shaman" mastery in Grim Dawn arguably captures the essence of the unstoppable hermit with powers of nature's wrath and all her insidious poisons and traps. However, the druid, created by pairing the shaman with the arcanist (a scholar of destructive ice and fire magic), completes the package.
Players gain proficiency with massive weapons and command over storms and thunderbolts from the druid's shaman side as they fight with summoned allies and place down totems of natural destruction to obliterate the massive hoards of enemies swarming to take them down.
Guild Wars 2 (Heart Of Thorns)
One With The Beautiful And Deadly Maguuma Jungle
Guild Wars 2
- The druidic draw: commune with the stars and celestial bodies to heal allies and overpower enemies with waves of natural power
Once a ranger hits level 80 and saves up enough hero points in Guild Wars 2's first expansion, "Heart of Thorns," they gain access to the druid elite specialization. Along with the usual ranger utilities (bows, axes, greatswords, pets), they gain the ability to wield staves, cast glyph spells, and channel astral forces to heal allies or infect enemies with conditions.
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Their astral avatar form alters their glyph skills, giving them access to even more action-packed abilities so long as they channel the power of the stars. Although the elite specialization trait changes their class symbol and profession skills, druids are free to continue using any of their other ranger skills, and their pet of choice will continue to be ever-present.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
The Shapeshifting Keepers Of The Wild
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
- The druidic draw: choose a domain of nature to control or fight by the side of a chosen animal familiar
True to their roots in the Pathfinder tabletop system, druids in Pathfinder: Kingmaker are versatile spellcasters and shape-shifters who can adapt to nearly any situation by tapping into the primal forces of nature. With access to a bounty of nature-based spells, they can heal allies, summon wild creatures, and control the battlefield with entangling vines or devastating weather effects.
During character creation in Kingmaker, druids choose their dominion specialty from the classical elements or a favored type of animal to fight alongside them in battle. As part of their vow to protect nature, druids view metal weaponry like iron shields and armor as forbidden.
Baldur's Gate 3
Embracing The Natural Spheres Of Influence
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- The druidic draw: choose between nature magic, shapeshifting, or dark mushroom abilities
The popular tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons popularized the concept of the druid as a class, and as one of the most iconic adaptations of the pen-and-paper RPG, it's no surprise that the druid is a playable class in Baldur's Gate series. In Baldur's Gate 3, druids can hone in on one aspect of the archetype as they gain more experience in the world.
With the Circle of the Land subclass, druids gain a suite of nature-themed magical spells. The Circle of the Moon grants powerful wild shapes, such as a bear, raven, or elemental, for the druid to assume. The Circle of the Spores augments the druid with a symbiotic fungus, allowing them to sense the thoughts of living creatures, infect foes with blight, and even raise and command the dead.
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