With the Diablo 4 beta period in the rearview mirror, fans have had time to reflect on the performance (or underperformance) of the five in-game classes. The consensus was that the Druid—along with the Barbarian—ranked as the worst of the available options in Diablo 4, with either the Necromancer or Sorcerer sitting atop the competition as the best.
Whether for its woeful survivability or lackluster damage, players like Asmongold criticized the Druid for its weak early-game state. While it has been speculated that the Druid is designed as a late-game character that is expected to struggle in the early stages of Diablo 4, fans were not satisfied with an explanation. Luckily, whatever the case with the Druid, Diablo 4 players should expect that the class will benefit from general balancing changes before the game's launch.
Melee Builds Struggled in the Diablo 4 Beta
The Druid was not alone in its underperformance during the Diablo 4 beta. In the closed beta—before the Druid and Necromancer were available—fans noted that the Barbarian was by far the weakest class of the three choices, and, rather quickly, Blizzard acknowledged the need to buff the Barbarian. The Druid is due for a similar treatment for almost exactly the same diagnosis. Despite being touted as a bulky, durable class, the Druid has major survivability problems in practice.
There's no question that certain Druid builds and item combinations can bolster the Druid to a fairly good spot, but its in-built issues expose themselves when facing off against Diablo 4's bosses. Without a dependable source of potions, the Druid dies more quickly than almost any other class. Even the Rogue, which one might expect to dish out more damage but be comparatively more squishy, fares better than the Druid due to its evasion and dodge mechanics.
The majority of Druid builds rely on staying in melee range which means unless a player is extremely diligent they're going to soak up a lot of damage. The same is true of the Barbarian, and it's the primary issue related to their underperformance in the beta. In late-game, the melee classes' health pools should grow to the point where their durability becomes more evident, but in the early game, melee classes are destined to fall to the lower rung of any Diablo 4 tier list.
Druid's Spirit Boons Were Not Available During Beta
Since the Druid and the Barbarian are the consensus worst performers in the beta, it makes sense to look for factors that would affect both the Druid and the Barbarian classes in Diablo 4. One massive factor that has often been overlooked in the criticism of these classes is that both had a component of their class locked behind an inaccessible quest. While the Rogue also had their upgrades partially locked behind level barriers, they were still able to unlock one of the three Specializations, which proved to be a massive boost to damage on important skills.
The Necromancer equivalent, Book of the Dead, is responsible for unlocking the Necromancer's army of summonable skeletons—arguably the most powerful feature of the class. Since players were unable to access the Spirit Boon component of Druids, it's difficult to argue that the class ever saw its true potential, even in early-game scenarios. In the full release, Druid players should be able to complete the requisite quest at level 15 and unlock Spirit Boons which should massively increase the class's effectiveness.
With a few minor buffs and the full availability of their skills, Druids will likely rise to be on par with the other classes. Their underperformance in the beta was undeniable, but most of their issues are relatively straightforward fixes.
Diablo 4 will be available June 6th for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.