Developers behind Path of Exile 2 keep giving us new classes with updates for their game and the December 2025 update is called The Last of the Druids and brings the Druid class and its various animal forms to the game to change the way you experience combat.
If you're a fan of dealing elemental magic damage from a distance while relying on brutal melee attacks, then Druid is likely for you, especially if you choose to rely primarily on the bear form he comes with. By learning how to manage your mana and rage, you will become incredibly powerful.
Build overview
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Disadvantages |
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If you're looking to get into Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids as one of the title roles, consider trying out the Druid class added with the massive December 2025 update. If you're a fan magic skills and tankingthis is probably the class for you.
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As a Druid, you have several forms with ka access a talisman that allows you to choose your form. With this talisman you will be able to easily switch between bear and werewolf forms, but keep in mind that you will have to upgrade the skills of each form separately as you level up, it might be best to focus on one over the other early on to make sure you're making the most powerful Druid possible.
You will have to be careful melee balancing and ranged combatwith your human form well versed in magical abilities that allow you to strike from afar before the bear form gets in close and deals massive damage after charging slower with tank-like attacks.
By default, you will have the highest strength skills of three closely related intelligence you amplify your bear form's melee abilities and your dexterity with ranged skills. Dexterity is the lowest of the bunch, but you can choose to upgrade it in the passive tree if you find yourself falling too far behind – dodging is a critical skill in Path of Exile 2 combat!
Domination
Due to the skill set assigned to druids in Path of Exile, we found it best to lean into Shamanic Dominion when he gets the chance.
As a shaman you will have a lot easier to drive Fury for your bear form, so if you lean heavily on that animal, it might be best to go with shamanic mastery to really hone those skills. As you learn to use your rampage and rampage abilities, you'll find Fury to be an invaluable resource, so having a way to easily maintain and regenerate it will prove useful.
Build Tips
Leveling Abilities and Gem Support
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Human form |
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Volcano |
This early skill gives you great coverage, places a volcano on the ground where you cast the skill, and spends a few seconds spewing magma that sticks to nearby enemies and burns them. |
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Ice Nova |
Shoot ice daggers in the area around your Druid to deal good ice damage and push enemies back |
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Time of need |
Occasionally heal your Druid and remove elemental effects. |
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Herald of Ice |
Freeze and shatter enemies to deal devastating damage. |
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Bear form |
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Maul |
This is the first gem you get, but it's valuable and provides a smooth transition that generates rage when it hits enemies. |
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Furious Slam |
Slam the ground in your bear form to create shockwaves that hit enemies around you, use Rage to increase the size and power of the waves. |
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Fury of the Mountain |
Punch the ground like a bear to create hot cracks in the ground in an arc around you. |
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Wild fury |
Build up your fury by attacking enemies, then unleash it in your bear form and start attacking in a frenzy. It will end if you transform back into a human during the activity. |
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A wild roar |
This is a war skill and you can get good Rage generation from it. |
Passive tree
When you first start the Bear Druid game, you will have access to Armor and Attack Damage node start things early. More will become available as you play, but this is a great place to start with a class that combines ranged and melee moves like the Druid in Path of Exile 2. You'll use accumulation fury scale your attacks so be prepared to be crazy!
While all your nodes will cross paths on the passive tree before long, starting to build armor and offense will help you with your bear form, especially the defensive buffs with your armor and early access to HP regeneration at the top of this node. Between the bear's slow tank form and prioritizing your attack stat, this and other armor can make or break your gaming experience.
You'll probably want to prioritize the nodes according to which form you use most often in battle your human form or bear form. With so much reliance on damage-dealing magic, human form can benefit from passive upgrades that improve spell power. Bear form, meanwhile, will do better with passive melee buffs, so balance the two carefully depending on your playstyle.
You will find plenty elemental damage buffs throughout the druid passive tree and perks that can mitigate the slowness you might encounter on a bear-sized animal form. As you reach further branches of the druid passive tree, you'll find plenty of ways to improve your craft and make certain elements much more powerful, which can affect what gear you use in the long run.
With so much fire damage for both human and bear form, you might want to upgrade this first.
You'll find plenty of benefits on the outer edges of the tree improve your skills with one type of weaponso find and work on the weapon you use most in your human form. Here, too, you have plenty of chances to improve your three basic skills – agility, intelligence and strength.
Device
The best gear for a Druid in Path of Exile 2 will largely depend on what kind of fight are you looking for. Since your bear form doesn't use weapons, you'll find that the best chance of adding new buffs to your build is armor used in bear formbecause it's really your only way to tweak the power of your moveset without switching weapons.
If you want to lean into magic However, for Druid you will find out rods of all sizes are usually your best bet. Every staff you will find wil; offer a new skillso you'll want to lean into weapons that provide skills using the elements you've leveled in the passive tree.
Poles allow you to do this attack with ranged magic before sweeping in to clean something up with your powerful bear form. It's a good idea to start fights with ranged attacks using your human form before going out as a bear to finish off any enemies that might stay.
Always look at the imbued weapon skill before putting it on your character. If you rely heavily on the skill that particular weapon gives you, you'll have to relearn how to use your new weapon pretty quickly.
Finally, when it comes to equipment, you will want so much elemental resistance and elemental buffs as you can on your clothing while using your shoes improve movement speedbecause your bear is a bit slow and clumsy.
