Time: 2025-12-11 by mmojugg Game: Path of Exile 2 Guide Tags: Path of Exile 2 Druid
If you're gearing up for Path of Exile 2's Fate of the Vaal League in patch 0.4.0, The Last of the Druids, this Bear Druid using the Shaman ascendancy offers a reliable path from campaign to endgame. It delivers smooth mobility, sturdy defenses through armor stacking, and solid damage without heavy investment. Bookmark this page for ongoing updates as the meta evolves, and swing by our Path of Exile 2 Shop to grab Divine Orbs, Exalted Orbs, crafting currency, rare items, uniques, and more to accelerate your progress.
Bear form defines the Druid's primal fury in Path of Exile 2's 0.4.0 patch, transforming you into a hulking melee powerhouse via Animal Talismans—new two-handed weapons that unlock the full Bear kit on use. Rage is the lifeblood here: every 5 stacks grant escalating bonuses like more melee physical damage, attack speed, and movement speed, stacking up to 50-60+ with tree and Shaman investment for 90%+ multipliers. Maul's arc swipe generates 4 Rage per hit, fueling endless Rampage channels and Glory buildup for Walking Calamity's meteor apocalypse. This form excels in sustained brawls, with passive endurance charges in Bear state adding tankiness.
Bear Form Skill | Tags & Level | Key Mechanics & Stats (Level 13) |
|---|---|---|
Maul | Melee, Bear, Strike (Lvl 1) | Basic cleave swipe; +9 melee range; generates 4 Rage/hit; 110% attack speed; shapeshifts to Bear on cast if needed. |
Rampage | AoE, Melee, Bear, Slam, Duration, Channelling, Travel (Lvl 11) | Channel forward at near-sprint speed; repeated ground slams consume Rage; auto-clears packs non-stop. |
Ferocious Roar | Warcry, Bear (Lvl 7) | Instant Bear shift + Rage gain near enemies; empowers attacks to break armor; sockets human warcries (e.g., Infernal Cry for combust/fire conversion). |
Furious Slam | AoE, Melee, Bear, Slam | Dual-paw shockwave; enraged variant at high Rage for massive radius; stuns and overlaps with Volcano early. |
Walking Calamity | Attack, Shapeshift, Buff, AoE, Melee, Trigger, Fire, Duration (Lvl 13, 51 Str/51 Int, Talisman req.) | Build 20 Glory at max Rage; 10s buff: meteors every 0.05s (small: 149% AD, 0.8m radius; large every 20: 374% AD, 1.4m); 8m fall radius; +30% dmg gained as fire; +5 Rage/sec; phys-to-fire on meteors; ignited ground. |
Layer these for hybrid play: Maul/Rampage sustain, Roar buffs, Slam bursts, Calamity DoT-clears bosses.
Shaman cements Bear as a no-investment beast, obliterating Rage decay for permanent uptime on Rampage and Glory. Furious Wellspring's 6% max Rage/sec regen (scales to 20%+ via mana mods on rings) +7 max Rage ensures 50-60 stacks effortlessly, translating to 90%+ more damage via Berserk. No PoE1-style ramp-up struggles—hit cap in seconds, even SSF. Oracle tempts endgame with prophecy scaling, but Shaman's early Rage snowball crushes campaign/maps. Respec viable post-20 Div if needed.
Ascendancy Node | Unlock Order | Full Effects |
|---|---|---|
Druidic Champion | 1 | Every 2 Rage grants 1% more spell damage (Volcano synergy); pathing bonus. |
Furious Wellspring | 2 | No inherent Rage loss; 6% max Rage regen/sec; mana regen/reductions apply to Rage; +7 max Rage; non-attacks +5 Rage cost. |
Wisdom of the Maji | 3 | Extra modifiers on runes/idols; DPS ramp for talismans. |
Reactive Growth | 4 | 4% less elemental dmg taken per adaptation type (fire/cold/lightning/cold?); passive tank layers. |
Alt: Sacred Flow (40 Spirit/empty charm) for Spirit-hungry setups. |
Bear levels like a freight train: Hybrid Wolf Pounce (5s CD, marks for inc dmg via wolves, snappy leap) skips chaff while Bear damage stays hot—no form swaps needed. Acts 1-6: Furious Slam + double Volcano (Rage-boosted post-Champion). Lvl 11: Rampage unlocks speed. Lvl 13 (Act 10?): Walking Calamity. Vendor regex: "\d+% i.+mov|^+.*ills$|ck spe" grabs boots/skill levels/attack speed. Ngamahu's Chosen instant-max Rage for tough spots.
Progression Gems by Level | Core Setup & Rotation |
|---|---|
1-3 | Volcano (boss nuke) + Entangle + Lunar Assault (Wolf hybrid) + Furious Slam. Pounce gaps. |
3-5 | Add Shockwave Totem + Rolling Magma + Pounce + Wing Blast (Wyvern test). |
5-7 | Thunderstorm + Fury of the Mountain + Devour + Arctic Howl. |
7-9 | Ferocious Roar + Spell Totem + Cross Slash + Oil Barrage + Thrashing Vines. |
9-11 | Tornado + Rampage (clear king). |
11-13+ | Flame Breath + Lunar Blessing + Walking Calamity (meteors online). |
Rotation: Pounce → Volcano x2 → Furious Slam spam (enraged procs) → Roar refresh. 6-8 hour campaign SSF.
Rampage flips Bear's "slow" meta—channel for sprint-like traversal + auto-slams, consuming Rage for zero downtime packs. Polcirkeln (lvl 12 unique: chilled hits shatter as frozen) + Herald of Ice = screen-wide chains; Cold Attunement ensures consistency. Early: Rampage solo. Mid: HoI prolif. Late: Herald of Ash + ignite for fire pivot.
Rampage Supports (Priority) | Effect & Why It Shines |
|---|---|
Momentum | 40% more dmg after 2m travel—permanent in channel. |
Heft (Fist of War II) | 35% more melee phys; slam scaler. |
Cold Attunement | Chills for Polcirkeln/HoI; swap Fire post-campaign. |
Heavy Swing / Aftershocks II | 35% more phys / extra slams (test Rampage procs). |
Rapid Attacks II / Feast of War | Speed if clunky; ancestral boost every 4s (snapshots buffs). |
HoI Supports | Magnified / Cold Attunement / Elemental Armament |
0.4's anti-burst (initial DR) favors attrition: Stay alive 20-40s for Attrition's 1% more hit dmg/2s (up to 53% + cull at 34s presence). Maul → Glory stack → Calamity meteors overlap boss hitbox. Berserk: 40-60% inc Rage effect, but 0.1% max life loss/Rage/sec (built-in 0.2% phys leech/Rage offsets). Echoing Cry repeats Roar post-travel.
Full Rotation: Roar (Infernal socket: +49% dmg as fire) → Berserk/Attrition (30 Spirit) → Maul x5-10 (Rage/Glory) → Calamity (10s melt) → Furious Slam enraged finishers for culls.
Skill | Supports | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Maul | Rage II / Rapid Attacks I / Cold/Fire Attunement | Glory gen king. |
Walking Calamity | Fire Attunement / Elemental Armament II / Momentum / Fist of War II | Meteor DoT; Ataloi Bloodlaten for cost. |
Ferocious Roar | Echoing Cry | Warcry echo; travel for repeat. |
Spirits | Berserk (toggle) > Attrition (sustain) > HoI. |
Talismans dictate DPS—spam upgrades for phys/cold flats (+melee gems late). Armor bases everywhere: Roll "armor to ele dmg" (50% suffix). Rings: Mana regen (Rage scaler), phys leech, Polcirkeln. Tree (NW Druid start, 0.4 revamp): Life regen early → Singular Purpose/Crushing Verdict (2H) → Rage wheels (Vengeful Fury +11 on-hit) → Sigil of Ice → Battle Fervor/Light on Feet/Momentum (speed). Warrior path for extras. Mana leech > Blood Magic.
Gear Slot | Top Rolls |
|---|---|
Talisman | High phys/cold; +melee skills. |
Armor (All) | Max base armor; armor-to-ele (50%); resists/life. |
Rings | Mana regen (70%+); phys leech; Polcirkeln. |
Amulet/Gloves | +melee levels; str. |
This Bear Shaman Druid stands out in Fate of the Vaal League for its seamless blend of brute force, sustained mobility, and layered defenses, making it a top league starter that punches above its weight from campaign bosses to juiced T16s. Its Rage-centric engine turns every encounter into a momentum-building frenzy, where passive regeneration keeps you slamming without downtime.
Strengths | Details |
|---|---|
Exceptional Tankiness | Massive armor stacking on gear synergizes with Reactive Growth's adaptation layers (4% less elemental damage per type), shrugging off hits in high-tier content. Early T16 viability with basic rares. |
Blazing Clear Speed | Rampage channels near-sprint movement while auto-slamming packs; Polcirkeln + Herald of Ice turns chilled foes into shatter chains, obliterating screens effortlessly. |
Reliable Bossing | Walking Calamity's meteor barrage (149% small/374% large attack damage at level 13, with fire conversion) overlaps for melt; Berserk amps Rage effect by 40-59%, countering anti-burst timers via Attrition's ramping 1% more damage every 2s (up to 53% + cull). |
Smooth Leveling | Pounce hybrids gap-close without form swaps; Furious Slam + Volcano crushes acts. Low-gear scaling via talisman swaps. |
Budget Flexibility | 5-10 Div gets you mapping; scales infinitely with Rage caps (50-60+ for 90%+ more damage via Berserk). |
Weaknesses | Mitigations |
|---|---|
Initial Rage Tuning | Pre-Furious Wellspring (Act 3-4), monitor decay—use Maul spam and Ngamahu's Chosen for bursts. |
Rampage Speed Feel | Channeling locks out some actions; attack speed yields marginal gains—prioritize Momentum/Heft over Rapid Attacks unless testing proves otherwise. |
Spirit Reservations | Berserk/Attrition compete—toggle Berserk off for packs; Sacred Flow frees slots early. |
Passive Sustain: Furious Wellspring regens 6% max Rage/sec (scales with mana regen mods to 20%+), hitting cap effortlessly for Glory buildup.
Pack Clearing: Channel Rampage—forward dash slams ground continuously, consuming Rage for non-stop motion. Herald of Ice shatters via Polcirkeln chills; no manual aiming needed.
Rare/Boss Engagement: Ferocious Roar (socket Infernal Cry for combust) → Activate Berserk (leech offsets 0.1% life loss/Rage/sec) → Maul spam to max Glory → Walking Calamity unleashes 10s meteors + 5 Rage/sec regen → Furious Slam enraged finishers for culls.
Mobility Fallback: Pounce leaps packs, marking for increased damage (scales with nearby foes via generated wolves).
Cooldown Management: Echoing Cry repeats warcry effects post-travel; recast Rampage every 4s with Feast of War ancestral boosts.
This loop feels primal and rewarding—pure Bear rampage for 90% of playtime, with burst phases feeling like unleashing a natural disaster.
Absolutely—Pounce shines for early mobility, instantly marking targets for increased damage (amps with summoned wolves from nearby enemies) and snappy gap-closing on a 5s cooldown (CDR via supports/tree). It casts seamlessly with Bear talismans, no form exit required, perfect for acts and skipping chaff in maps.
The 0.1% max life loss per Rage/sec (while not actively losing Rage) is offset by its built-in 0.2% physical attack damage leeched as life per Rage—stack 50-60 Rage for full sustain on bosses. Roll phys leech on a ring/amulet for overkill; toggle off during clear to avoid drain. Pairs perfectly with armor tankiness.
Not strictly, but it's a game-changer for clear—enemies chilled by your hits shatter as if frozen, supercharging Herald of Ice explosions into chain reactions. Easy campaign drop (level 12 req), locks one ring slot early but pays off massively in speed and corpse-free screens.
Stick to Cold Attunement pre-maps for Polcirkeln/Herald of Ice consistency. Post-campaign (level 50+), pivot to Fire on Walking Calamity and Furious Slam—meteors convert to fire, enabling Herald of Ash + ignite prolif for boss melt and fire-leaning talismans. Test via weapon mods.
Marginally at best—it's a channeled ground-slam dash prioritizing movement over hits. Momentum (40% more dmg after 2m) and Heft/Fist of War (35% more melee phys) dominate; slot Rapid Attacks II only if it feels sluggish in testing (e.g., dense packs). Aftershocks may proc extra slams—verify in-game.
Shaman dominates league start and mid-maps with Furious Wellspring's infinite Rage uptime, enabling 90%+ damage multipliers. Respec to Oracle late (post-20 Div) if foresight buffs/prophecy scaling outpace—test after tree imports, as 0.4 Rage nodes favor Shaman hybrids.
Over 250 new nodes flood the Druid NW start—focus Rage wheels (Vengeful Fury +11 on-hit), 2H talisman clusters (Singular Purpose/Crushing Verdict), and Sigil of Ice/Fire. Warrior cross-paths for Battle Fervor speed; use PoB/Mobalytics live trackers for imports, as pre-0.4 trees are obsolete.
5-10 Divine Orbs unlocks T16s: High phys/cold talisman, Polcirkeln, resist-capped armor rares, mana regen rings. Hit 20 Div for +melee gem levels and Echoing Cry; 50+ Div adds uniques like Ngamahu's Chosen (instant max Rage) for Uber viability. Pure scaling—no chase uniques needed early.
Keep following MMOJUGG for more Fate of the Vaal updates and refined strategies.+
To assist Exiles in successfully advancing across the new continent of Wraeclast, we have compiled essential Boss Mastery Guides for every Act and Interlude in Path of Exile 2. Below is the complete list of Boss Mastery Guides:
Act 1 Boss | Act 2 Boss | Act 3 Boss | Act 4 Boss | Ogham Interlude | Kriar Interlude | Vastiri Interlude
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