Diablo 4 Druid Build Deals Billions of Damage, Probably Fixed Soon

Blizzard has announced plans to remove the infamous “Shred Druid build” from Diablo 4 in an effort to restore game balance.

This build, one of the most powerful in Diablo 4, has allowed players to inflict massive amounts of damage, but it appears its reign may be coming to an end.

The Power of the Shred Druid Build

A few days ago, streamer Moxsy shared a clip of his Diablo 4 druid dealing over 1.8 billion damage in a single hit. This feat was made possible by his unique build, which focused on delivering massive critical hits with area-of-effect lightning damage.

The build, dubbed “Lightning Shred 2.0,” relied on the Waxing Gibbous axe to guarantee Shred criticals, reduce Shred Spirit cost, stack critical strike damage with abilities such as the Aspect of the Rampaging Werebeasts, and increase the percentage of damage that critical hits do. Paired with special gear, this build became incredibly powerful.

Blizzard’s Response

However, Blizzard has indicated that the days of the Shred Druid build in Diablo 4 are numbered. This build was not intentional and developers are currently exploring ways to modify it in the upcoming update.

While the build is not technically a bug in Diablo 4, it is an unintended exploit of the game mechanics that significantly impacts gameplay balance. Other builds can’t come close to matching this level of damage. Blizzard is aware of this and is considering removing some of the triggers that enable this exploit to prevent abuse. The exact changes to the build remain unclear at this time.

What’s Next for Diablo 4?

In addition to nerfing the Shred Druid build, Blizzard has other plans for Diablo 4. The game’s first season, Season of the Malignant, is set to debut on July 20, bringing additional content to the game. During a recent livestream, there were hints about a possible date for Season 2 of Diablo 4, with one image suggesting it could launch in October 2023.

Given Blizzard’s previous statement that each season of the action RPG would last around three months, this seems like a plausible start date.