GameBanshee Forums

I'm planning on starting a new game as one. Does anyone have some advice or good tactic's to use with this class since I have never played as a druid. And should I be Totemic or maybe an Avenger or Shapeshifter?

I'd pick a Shapeshifter if I were to be a a Druid kit. They're awesome once they get Greater Werewolf. And even when in werewolf form your healing spells will be cast when resting IIRC, so you could actually just walk around in werewolf form all day and have an NPC do all the talking so you don't have to switch back and forth unless you need to cast a spell. And also being as they can't wear armor I think it'd be the most challenging.

I found that the trouble with shapeshifters is that their claws only hit like +1 weapons. In greater werewolfform, they hit like +3, but by this time a lot of the weapons you bought or found are more powerful.
Still, this thing keeps the kit from being too powerful and that's always good. I'm not much of a powergamer.

I played through with a Totemic Druid, and to be honest, it is my favorite Druid kit. Others may say Avenger, which is also pretty good, too. I wouldn't reccomend a ShapeShifter, the werewolf thing may sound tempting, but it's really not a whole lot of fun if you're looking for the RP style of the game. I'd go with Totemic, using scimitars and magical spells, but we all have our opinions.

Originally posted by Coot
I found that the trouble with shapeshifters is that their claws only hit like +1 weapons. In greater werewolfform, they hit like +3, but by this time a lot of the weapons you bought or found are more powerful.
Still, this thing keeps the kit from being too powerful and that's always good. I'm not much of a powergamer.

Actually, the "paws" of both the werewolf and the greater werewolf forms are +2 weapons - the same paws used by the Brown Bear. The abysmal THACO of the greater werewolf form keep it far from over-powered.

i always turn jahiera via sk into totemic druid/fighter as soon as i get her...

spirit animals are quite nice, they are good fodder, even in tob, where i then use devas and planetars....

but shapeshifters i dont like much, due to armor limits, and once you get to watchers keep, you now have access to a lot of very good equipment, so the advantage to shapeshifting is almost nulled out....

in fact, imho, the armor advantage makes the kit a liability...

cernd is such an ass...

even jahiera as a shapeshifter fighter, with g whirlwind, the g werewolf form does LESS damage than spectral brand and ixl spike...

I have played through the series with a totomic druid and HIGHLY recomend it. The spirit animals are, straight up great, especially in earlier levels.

The avenger kit I've played around with, and I think the -2 to str and const are rather annoying... best used as a fighter/druid imported from BG 1. Then the program lets you miss the penalties...

I happen to be playing a totemic druid right now
I'm level 14 by now, so I think I'v seen almost all of what the kit offers in good and bad things.

Imo, these are:

Good:
1) You get these extra summons. The spirit animals are immune to poison and electricity, resistant to other stuff, have many hit points, many attacks, exceptional strength, do extra damage of various types (the snake poison opponents... the others... do some mysterious kind of magic damage), and stay around for quite a long time (not as long as fire elementals maybe, but certainly more than Mordekainen's Swords)...
2) The listed "disadvantage" for the kit (cannot shapeshift) is not a real disadvantage IMHO! Who really needs to shapeshift into a bear? (And if you really need a bear, you can always summon one)
3) You can use your ability (Summon Spirit Animal) and your spells in the same fight, thing that the other kits (Shapeshifters and Avengers) can't do very easily. I'm assuming that if your pc is a spellcaster, you party will need you to cast spells! Leave the fighting to the fighters, then!

Bad:
1) Spirit Animals don't "upgrade" with levels, so they become pretty useless against the very powerful foes you meet late in the game.
2) The only other bad things I found about that kit is the same for all druids: you level up very fast until level 12, then begin to level up slower and slower until you nearly stop dead in you tracks at level 14. (You need 3000000 xp to get to level 15... and you know... that's beyond SoA experience cap!)
And finally... druids' stronghold is plain useless from any point of view

I found the kit definitely worth trying anyway: sure lots of fun at lower level, the spirit pets can kill almost anything you can find in Irenicus' dungeon by themselves
You just have to sit there and watch.
How nice!