Best PoE 2 Druid Builds for 0.5.5 Forbidden Rites

Patch 0.5.5, The Forbidden Rites, went live on 4 September 2026. These 3 Druid builds are current for it.

Build	Main skills	Best for
Plant Oracle	Entangle, Volcano	League start and leveling
Grim Pillars totem Oracle	Grim Pillars, Spell Totem	League start into maps
Walking Calamity bear Shaman	Walking Calamity, Maul	Melee in bear form

The Druid joined the game in patch 0.4. It has 2 ascendancies, Oracle and Shaman. Oracle carries 2 of the 3 builds.

Pick Plant Oracle for your 1st Druid. It plays from level 1 to endgame.

Plant Oracle clears with Entangle. Volcano and Frost Bomb handle bosses while you level. It is the Druid league starter for 0.5.5.

Skill	Support gems	When
Entangle	Zenith I	Level 1, main skill
Contagion	Magnified Area I	Act 1, clear with Entangle
Volcano	Burgeon I	Act 1, boss damage
Frost Bomb	None	Act 1, boss damage
Bonestorm	Burgeon I	Level 14, replaces Volcano
Ravenous Swarm	Corrosion	Campaign
Thunderstorm	Cast on Critical	After Forced Outcome

Ascendancy: Forced Outcome. With it, Cast on Critical fires Thunderstorm for you.

Keystone: Blackflame Covenant.

Gear: + to level of physical spell skills and all spell skills is the top stat. Then spell damage, cast speed, life and resistances. Wear armour or energy shield bases.

Stack cold resistance before the Act 1 boss.

This Oracle plays through totems. Spell Totem casts Grim Pillars for you.

Skill	Support gem
Grim Pillars	Spell Totem
Bone Cage	Spell Cascade

Bonestorm, Entangle and Thunderstorm add damage. Frost Bomb, Contagion, Ravenous Swarm and Elemental Weakness fill the other slots.

Keystone: Ancestral Bond.

Gear: + to level of spell skills, spell damage and cast speed. Then life, resistances, armour and energy shield.

Leveling: play the plant skills through Act 1. Totems come online in Act 2, around level 14. The build works as a league starter.

The Shaman plays the Druid's bear form. Walking Calamity clears packs as you walk. Maul and Furious Slam hit up close.

Skill	When
Maul	Act 1, bear attack
Furious Slam	Act 1, bear slam
Pounce	Act 1, jump into packs
Herald of Ash	Campaign clear
Savage Fury	Campaign onward
Walking Calamity	Main skill for maps

Fury of the Mountain, Ferocious Roar, Ancestral Cry and Shockwave Totem round out the bar.

Ascendancy: Reactive Growth and Avatar of Evolution.

Gear: armour with Armour applies to Elemental Damage on every piece. Then life and capped resistances. Fury of the King and Lavianga's Spirits are the key uniques.

This route follows Plant Oracle from level 1 to maps.

1. Level 1: take Entangle as your 1st skill gem.
2. Act 1: add Contagion for clear. Use Volcano and Frost Bomb on bosses.
3. Act 1 boss: stack cold resistance before the fight.
4. Level 14: swap Volcano for Bonestorm, or place your 1st Grim Pillars totems.
5. 1st ascendancy: Oracle for plants and totems, Shaman for the bear.
6. Maps: finish the build from the tables above.

Bear players start with Maul and Furious Slam, Pounce to move and Herald of Ash for clear.

Each ascendancy trial clear gives 2 points, so 4 clears give all 8. The Trial of the Sekhemas opens in Act 2 and the Trial of Chaos in Act 3.

Oracle grades S on 1 league starter tier list and A on the other. Shaman grades A on both.

Ascendancy	Grade	Plays
Oracle	S	Spells, plants and totems. It reveals new paths on the passive tree.
Shaman	A	Bear form, rage and elemental storms.

A 3rd Druid ascendancy has no announcement yet. Path of Exile 2 launches 1.0 on 11 December 2026.

Next reads: the PoE 2 builds guide, the PoE 2 tier list, the PoE 2 classes guide and the PoE 2 campaign guide.

All PoE 2 services sit on the Path of Exile 2 page.