Early access for Path of Exile 2 has been with us for over a year now, and like many players, I've poured an embarrassing amount of hours into experimenting across classes. But this league, The Last of the Druids, patch 0.4.0 released in mid-December 2025, has pulled me in harder than most. The full Druid rollout, new ascendancies, and shapeshifting reworks felt like Grinding Gear Games finally delivering the class they had been teasing for years. I rolled a Druid on day one and committed to seeing it through to endgame, and after 200 hours-mostly on a Wyvern-focused Shapeshifter, with some detours into Bear tanking-I've gained an appreciation for Path of Exile 2 Currency the class that goes beyond theorycrafting or ladder stats.



The Druid in POE 2 is about versatility, raw power, and a unique sense of flow in combat. Unlike other classes that often rely on linear skill combos, Druids reward adaptability, whether you're leaping into a pack of enemies as a ferocious Wyvern or tanking through a horde as a resilient Bear. The patch 0.4.0 reworks were pivotal. Shapeshifting mechanics now scale more smoothly with gear and passive tree investment, giving the player a tangible sense of progression. Transforming mid-combat no longer feels gimmicky-it feels like a natural extension of your skill rotation.



Wyvern Shapeshifter: Flight, Fire, and Frenzy



My primary Druid build has been the Wyvern Shapeshifter. There's something undeniably satisfying about darting around a battlefield, wings unfurled, and raining down fiery claw strikes or poison talons. This build emphasizes mobility and burst AoE damage, allowing for rapid temple clears and high-speed map progression.



Core Skills and Mechanics:



Wyvern Strike: A fast, high-damage melee attack that scales with shapeshifting level. In patch 0.4.0, its animation and hitbox refinements make it feel far more responsive than in early access builds.



Venomous Breath: AoE poison damage over time, perfect for clearing clusters while maintaining mobility.



Skyward Leap: Essential for repositioning, chasing down bosses, or escaping dangerous ground effects.



Strengths:



Insane clear speed and crowd control.



Fun factor is through the roof-combat feels cinematic and fluid.



Synergizes well with elemental or poison-focused gear.



Weaknesses:



Squishier than Bear builds, requiring precise dodging and awareness.



Energy management can be tricky during prolonged encounters if skills are spammed recklessly.



After 150 hours on this build, I've learned the subtle timing windows between Wyvern Strike combos and Breath rotations. Maximizing these interactions is the difference between trivializing a red map and wiping on a particularly dense temple floor.



Bear Tanking: Resilience Redefined



While the Wyvern is about speed and aggression, the Bear build explores the Druid's other dimension: tanking. Bear Druids are the immovable wall that makes soloing some of POE 2's toughest content entirely feasible. With patch 0.4.0 reworks, armor, health scaling, and passive synergy were improved to the point where Bear forms can survive sustained red map damage without relying on constant flasks or external buffs.



Core Skills and Mechanics:



Maul Slam: Slow but devastating melee attacks with knockback, perfect for controlling enemy movement.



Earthshaker Stomp: AoE stun and damage, giving the Bear control over multiple attackers.



Regenerative Roar: Passive healing over time, scaling with max health and armor stats.



Strengths:



Exceptional survivability and crowd control.



Can endure extended fights against Vaal monsters and temple bosses.



Works well in group content, drawing aggro while teammates deal damage.



Weaknesses:



Slower clear speed; map efficiency drops unless supplemented by minions or secondary AoE skills.



Less flashy than Wyvern, making gameplay feel methodical rather than cinematic.



Spending time on Bear builds gave me a real appreciation for defensive gameplay in POE 2. Understanding threat management, positioning, and stagger windows is crucial, and mastering these mechanics makes even some of the game's most punishing encounters feel manageable.



Shapeshifting: The Core of Druid Identity



Across both builds, shapeshifting is more than a mechanic-it's a statement of identity. Patch 0.4.0 adjusted how passive scaling and skill interactions work during transformations. Where early builds sometimes felt clunky or punitive, now every shift into Wyvern, Bear, or hybrid forms feels intentional and impactful.



Energy management, stance transitions, and form-specific skills all require attention, but the reward is enormous: a Druid who can fluidly move between high-damage burst, sustained tanking, and utility roles. It's rare in POE 2 to play a class that encourages both planning and improvisation simultaneously, but the Druid nails it.



Endgame Impressions



After 200 hours, reaching late-tier content with the Druid is both exhilarating and satisfying. Red maps, high-level temples, and new Vaal oversouls are challenging, but the Druid's flexibility allows for multiple solutions to each encounter. Wyvern forms excel at speedruns and damage, Bears shine in drawn-out fights, and hybrids let you toggle between the two depending on the situation.



Patch 0.4.0 didn't just tweak numbers-it gave Druids a proper voice in the meta. Whether solo or in a party, the class can contribute meaningfully without overshadowing others. For players like me, who enjoy mastering rotations, optimizing gear, and pushing content efficiently while maintaining a high fun factor, the Druid is a revelation.



Conclusion



The Last of the Druids has proven to be one of the most compelling updates in POE 2's early access. Over 200 hours, I've experienced the highs of Wyvern speed kills, the satisfaction of Bear survival mastery, and the joy of shapeshifting fluidly in combat. Patch 0.4.0 balances power, identity, and flexibility, creating a class that is both approachable for newcomers and
POE 2 Chaos Orbs  deeply rewarding for veterans. For anyone considering rolling a Druid, now is the time: the class is alive, dynamic, and fully realized in a way that early teasers never fully captured.