Druids Are AMAZING: A 5e D&D Druid Guide - Levels 1-5

Many have asked me in previous videos why I love Druid so much. Well here is the answer. I'm taking you through Druid levels 1 -5 and explain in detail why I love this class so damn much.
Sorry for the delay in uploads. This video ballooned in length and the script kept getting longer and longer. Finally I had to just publish the video.
SPELLS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE WISDOM:
Guidance
Druidcraft
Mold Earth
Detect Magic
Goodberry
Healing Word
Speak with Animals
Barkskin
Enhance Ability
Healing Spirit
Heat Metal
Lesser Restoration
Locate Animals or Plants
Locate Object
Pass without Trace
Spike Growth
Conjure Animals
Dispel Magic
Meld into Stone
Plant Growth
Protection from Energy
Speak with Plants
Water Walk
COMBAT TIPS
1. Stay in the Midline
2. Worry about Frontline and Midline enemies. Your backline and strikers should be dealing with the enemy backline
3. Heal unconscious allies and don't try preventative healing. You're just as effective at 1 hit point as at 100 hit points
00:00 Where Are All The Druids?
00:42 A Druid's Role and Ability Scores
02:09 Spellcasting
02:48 Wildshape Tips
5:20 Race
7:07 Gear
8:17 Combat Tips
12:11 Druid Cantrips
14:09 1st Level Spells
16:08 2nd Level Spells
19:21 Plant Growth RANT
23:22 Wrapping Up Druid
#dungeonsanddragons5e #ttrpg #dungeonsanddragons #dnd5e #DnDBuilds #DnDAdvice #rpg #dnd5e #dndcharacter #tierlist #DnDTierlist #Dragon #DruidDnD #Druid #CircleOfStars #Druid5e #DruidGuide

[@enterthedungeon]

Druid is my favorite class so obviously this video is going to be biased. These are the tips are give to all the new Druid players. If you play the class and like it, tell me what you think in the comments below!

[@colindement3217]

You said every race is good, but is a hill dwarf good

[@enterthedungeon]

@@colindement3217 yes, hill dwarf is good. A natural boost to wisdom is never bad. Additional is also useful if you’re keeping your Druid in the middle of the fray. If you’re circle of the moon, it also helps provide that additional health buffer in case your wildshape goes down.

[@horseblinderson4747]

Hill dwarfs get +1 to go per die, I'm thinking that should translate into wildshape also. Might not be the full 10~ or whatever you'd get when you're not but still throwing 2-5 hps on a wildshape isn't bad. They also get the crafting supplies and +1 wis as well as the weapon traing, might need to thematically make a stone hammer on a yew or holy haft to take advantage of it but would be a good character hook. You also could pick up a silver sickle off the circle +1,2,3 to save DC and spell attack which is amazing but he's correct most druid stuff of mention that you'd want to use isn't hitched to your wisdom score. You can also take advantage of chef feet and rousing speach to raise temp hit points. Anyway happy questing

[@Exxeron-ob3tv]

Ran a game years ago where a remote halfling village resided in a small valley that was under the protection of a level 18 druid. The party inadvertently brought a demon down on the village that wiped out the residents and then remade them as undead. The druid wiped out all the undead, several summoned demons, and the party (about lv 13-14) barely escaped the with their lives. I, frankly, hadn't realized how powerful the druid was until things started spiraling a bit out of control... lol. That session totally revamped my perspective on the class.

[@SuperSpartan3000]

Can't wear breastplate or any other metal armour

[@dimbulb6443]

As a Druid, I casted Spike Growth behind a mob of ennemies in a corridor. My Cleric then Casted Gust of Wind. The cumulative damage was quite nice haha…

[@Pixelkip]

that sounds like a blast xD

[@InnocentOnPaper]

I'm a Druid/Cleric double class so thanks for the idea!

[@thekinginyellowmessiahofha6308]

Jesus that seems really violent and horrible. Imagine being a goblin or whatever and getting thrown back into a spike and impaled in terrified agony. Awesome.

[@andresromero5409]

@@InnocentOnPaperyou dont need to be a cleric to cast gust of wind, its in the druid spell list, unfortunately, both are concentration, so you need friends to deploye it, but you can have undead and animals crushing your enemies tough

[@professorm6861]

My Druid cast spike growth and then the next turn I use thorn whip to pull then 10 feet closer and then my paladin friend use thunderous smite to push them in the spike growth again 😂

[@tiradentes4525]

Here go my little contribution as a Druid player: -Scorpions can stay days without breathing and a full year without eating. -Spider are insane on infiltration. So if u are by yourself P.W.Trace + shape into a spider and if u have a friend that can make u invisible, go G.W.Spider with P.W.Trace means a +17 on stealth. And remeber, spiders can freely move on walls or upsidedown. -As a druid u can ""fly"" at level 3, its expensive, but you can: Use the summon beast spell for a flying creature, then turn into a small creature and climb into it or ask the bird to "keep u at its beak". I S2 Druids!

[@spyder1775]

or hop on the wizaed/warlocks flying famiiliar and drop in like as a fucking elephants

[@WitherBossEntity]

Even without the +17 stealth, an enemy spotting you wouldn't (usually) know it's a druid, just a harmless spider :-)

[@michaelthomasen2190]

You wouldn’t be able to ask a summoned beast to do anything while in beast form. It obeys verbal commands or takes the dodge action. You could use a wild companion though, as you are able to communicate telepatically with it :-)

[@FowaDeLuz]

Important note: Any time you want to use wildshape to turn into a creature that doesn't have a stat block, it's up to your GM to make one and determine what it can and can't do. If you are planning on trying to do something tricky, you should absolutely check with your GM first to see what they think of your idea. Also, despite having proficiency in medium armor, you can't actually use a breastplate as they only come in metal. That said, trying to find something that's not metal but sufficiently durable to have one crafted from can make a nice campaign side objective.

[@natashasurvivallady8021]

I love the load-out tactic! it's one of the most useful pieces of advice for prepared spell lists I've heard to date

[@coolguy010]

As a druid, speak with animals and plants is amazing! I was able to speak with trees in a cursed forest that could tell me which trees were cursed, and I was able to speak with giant moles that helped me find my way out of a tunnel. These spells have endless possibilities and are really slept on

[@tribaltalker1608]

I used to think that the 5e Druid was underwhelming but now I realise it is powerful but complex to run well. A skilled player can make this class shine.

[@Kitty-nq6dc]

This has been my favorite Druid video. Great content. One suggestion, the music sounds pretty loud and your voice is quiet. I think if you raise the volume of your voice and lower the volume of the music, it will be more accessible.

[@deloradalton]

I second this ! I loved the music but felt it could have been a better balance

[@adamcarr1387]

We once had to take care of a baby, it needed milk, every druid has seen a cow (cr 1/4 beast) before. And that's how the druid got milked.

[@VivixenvVT]

But.... did they turn into a cow BEFOREHAND??

[@WitherBossEntity]

For cantrips, also consider Magic Stone instead of Produce Flame. It has double the range (or quadruple if you have a sling and attack with disadvantage), the damage is higher (1d8 vs wis mod + 1d6) bevore first level, combining it with the crusher feat is fun (push an enemy through Spike Growth or into another AoE, push them off a bridge at range... remember, you can push them in an arbitrary direction, not just away from you. Also, it's a half-feat that gives con) and if you've got any NPCs following you that want to fight but are untrained/too squishy for melee, or maybe you have a gang of skeletons (Circle of Spores gets Anime Dead), you can hand the stones out to them and still have your main action free.

[@MattLathrum]

anime dead, hmm...

[@mylazyeyedesignandillustra3109]

Thorn whipping and Theunderwaving into spiked growth or moon beam or flaming sphere is amazing. So surprised he didn’t mention thorn whip.

[@Randomdudefromtheinternet]

Fun fact: Squirrels are the most common reason for blackouts, it was a single squirrel who caused a city-wide blackout in New York, now imagine that focused in espionage and sabotage. And DMs reward creativity, I used a moon druid once, turned into a giant spider, if we needed to cross a big obstacle, the ranger will tie some of the silk so I could tight rope and build a bridge, make a platform above a whole camp, really fun stuff.

[@daschwick6676]

Our party recently figured out some great synergy with Water Walk, Sleet Storm, and Blind Fighting fighting style. Water Walk allows our paladin to move through the Sleet Storm without facing difficult terrain, and no falling prone. He has blindfighting, so all his attacks in the storm are made with advantage (he can see his enemy, they can't see him). He saves his spell slots for smites, so he doesn't have to worry about the concentration check. This combo completely shuts down ground-based caster enemies -- heavy obscurity and a concentration check against your spell save DC is soooo underappreciated!

[@kevinbarber2795]

This is an amazing video! I can’t believe Druid is the least played! I have a great idea about a dwarf Druid character I want to play that found a calling in nature and helps is mountain-home people with his skills. He saved his home from an orc army by warning them in time before it arrived.

[@Ciastekboi]

Druid is jack of all trades if I ever saw one in 5e. Good video my guy

[@Birk98012]

Cast Spike growth on enemy and then walk around it the rest of the time casting thorn whip and pulling them 10 ft back to the center 4d4+1d6 every turn

[@undeadbunny8307]

I play for 12 years 3.5... and I always pick druid, I am now playing 5.0 and I still play a Kalasthar druid circle of dreams, it is my favorite class and always will be.

[@stephanshaw6201]

My first character isva level 3 druid, I chose it cause I've always loved druids in history & mythology. I've been struggling with him a bit, I was told they are very versatile & stuff, but this is the first time I found something that actually helps me with the class, I'm playing a Spores druid & I'm very much into the whole one with nature, & death, so speak with animals, healing word & healing spirit I always have prepared it's good to know I madevthe right call there, druids will stay my favorite cause of the control spells😅 but Thanks for the guide & I can't wait to see more,

[@stephanshaw6201]

Update I've found that booming blade paires beautifully with shillelagh & in my opinion it makes it better than primal savagery

[@flickerr.6775]

@@stephanshaw6201 nice! Btw, I find it so bs that GFB and BB aren't on Druid spell list. Like, its fire and thunder, natural elements and elements that you can see on many good druid spells

[@stephanshaw6201]

@@flickerr.6775 yeah I agree like we got thunderclap 🤣🙏

[@TristanChicklowski]

best class video i have seen. So excited as i'm going to run a 2 person campaign for my daughter and her friend. She's going Circle of Shepherd, to call animals and fey, and her friend is going Circle of moon, to become animals and dinosaurs! And with this video, they will really know how to think about the growth of the druids! thanks!

[@oliverneville5012]

Excellent video on a criminally underrated class!

[@dasaf.2382]

Hey just a suggestion, for volume mixing the music could be quieter to make hearing the narration much easier. Great video, thanks :)

[@Theutcast]

As a person with problems understanding and learning, this was the best video I have found so far about dnd. You explained everything very well and helped with my understanding of what can actually be done as a druid. You are going on the top of my list of content creators. Thank you

[@enterthedungeon]

I'm glad this video could help. Thank you for commenting!

[@quaremoritor]

guys guys it hit me just as i was watching this video… but just imagine a dhampir druid who gets by just by wildshaping into a mosquito and go biting just anyone

[@colbyrackler3915]

love call lightning, because it just summons a storm cloud and as an action call lightning down for every single round after that. You can even use that action as a wolf running around the enemy. Super versatile class. Might even be the most versatile, right next to cleric.

[@KuMiis]

Once i found my self trapped and about t be captured. As a spore druid i had feint death prepared for shenanigans. I cast it through familiar and with a touch of dm leniency, i staged my suicide and was left for dead.. this class truly allows for some very creative combos

[@grife7121]

Thank you for this! I am a massive Druid fan and it is nice to see the class getting some love.

[@MrDarkweaver]

I present the Ghostwise Halfling as possibly the best choice for a race for a Druid, especially a Moon Druid, if it's allowed by the GM as some won't allow subraces from setting specific material. For those lucky enough to be allowed there are 4 good reasons why it's a great choice. 1 - Halfling Luck. Who doesn't love to be able to reroll 1's? 2 - Halflings have advantage on saves vs. being Frightened. If you are in melee combat, being able to have advantage on a save that makes you run away can't be bad. 3 - +2 to DEX and +1 WIS are nice stat boosts, as it means you can wear medium armour, and still get a +2 AC bonus from your DEX if you put your 12 from Standard Array in there. 4 - Silent Speech. Being able to reply to party mates who are talking to you when you are in Wildshape from lvl 1 can be extremely helpful. Communication as a Moon Druid when in Wildshape is one of the bigger problems you regularly face, being able to talk to someone else whilst Wildshaped is really useful. Plus the other outside combat utility of being able to say things with your friends in private, even when in conversation with others, that they cannot hear can be very useful. Some feats to consider as a Druid as well, especially as Ghostwise Moon Druid. 1 - Fey Touched, gives you access to the Bless spell, which you can cast on yourself and others before you WIldshape, one of the best buff spells in they game, and it'll give you +1 to WIS, and Misty Step as an option when not Wildshaped. 2 - Telekenetic, gives a +1 to WIS and you can cast Spike Growth in an area and use your bonus action to shove someone into or around inside it, whilst in Wildshape form. Or climbing up a castle wall as a Giant Spider, then booping the guard off the wall with a Telekenetic shove. 3 - Warcaster, for a variety of obvious reasons. There are many others, but those three are always on my list of feats to take if I can as a Druid.

[@ryannickell485]

This was a great video! I really appreciate your time and effort going into this. I have a whole table of new players and this will be recommended to anyone wanting to play a druid. I only wish you had a similar video for other classes. Thank you again.

[@galactickim]

Super fantastic video, thank you. I recently created a half-orc druid, this has given me so many ideas. So excited!

[@unodos2647]

I’m playing my first Druid-a spore Druid Rn so this is super helpful!

[@enterthedungeon]

Working on a Spore Druid subclass video right now. If should be out in the near future so look out for it!

[@unodos2647]

@@enterthedungeon awesome

[@iwonka]

This is a fantastic video, full of so many great tips and ideas and eye opening insights. Brilliant. Thank you!! I am jusst creating a druid and trying to figure out y spells and cantrips.. So excited to get it going now. And I can promise you I will be getting Plant Growth at lvl 3 :) THANK YOU!

[@jcf7401]

Playing a druid for the first time in the campaign we're starting this weekend. This video makes me feel a lot more excited about it

[@bucherfreak03]

Thank you so much for this Video! It's the first Video I found, which is really helpful in building a druid and does not keeep that class low the hole time. I am going to play my first D&D 5e game (played other ttrpgs before) and my DM recomend that class to what I wanted to play. I am new to the 5e ruling so I searched the internet for tipps in case of spells and equpiment and that helped so much! I am now really exidet to play that again!

[@elijabutterfly6154]

I am so thankful for this video. It is my first time playing DnD and i couldn't resist to play a druid. ...I know it is not a easy start but I love the roleplay and the battlefield manipulation you can do. Thank you for the great guides.

[@hollykopacek3105]

thankyou so much for going into wildshape! I'm playing a level 4 druid and cannot figure out how to play as good as i hear druids can be played! I'm hyped for my next session to test this stuff out!

[@SevenDos]

Wow, that was so incredibly clearly explained. Can't wait to try some of this.

[@kwaksea]

Sweet, good to see good druid content. While playing Super Mario with Produce Flame and Fist of North Star with Primal Savagery sounds like lots of fun, but playing Indiana Jones with Thorn Whip would be useful as well since, as far as I know no other cantrip can do what Thorn Whip does. To me, Speaking with Plant asks too much cost for what it does: in case of Speaking with Animal, that is 1st lv spell and for Shepherd Druid, they get unlimited version.

[@enterthedungeon]

There is a secondary effect that I’m going to talk about at higher levels. Speak with plants also allows: “You can also turn difficult terrain caused by plant growth (such as thickets and undergrowth) into ordinary terrain that lasts for the duration. Or you can turn ordinary terrain where plants are present into difficult terrain that lasts for the duration, causing vines and branches to hinder pursuers, for example. Plants might be able to perform other tasks on your behalf, at the GM's discretion. The spell doesn't enable plants to uproot themselves and move about, but they can freely move branches, tendrils, and stalks.” So it’s a lot of added versatility. I’d also advise caution on Thorn Whip. It’s actually pretty rare to want to pull an enemy closer. Usually if you’re hanging out on the midline, you don’t need the Thorn Whip pull. But if you’re getting into a lot of situations where the enemies are trying to run or just out of reach, Thorn Whip is a great pick.

[@srmillard]

Thank you for this video. I just created a Druid as my 1st character after a 40 year hiatus. This video is the best Druid primer on YT

[@x0Vinny0x]

This is THE most intuitive video I've seen.

[@jhonstockings2989]

Dang, after you mentioned all of this it opened up like another class worth of featrues in the Druid, Thanks!

[@rotekaiserin]

Super helpful! I'm hyped for my wildfire druid now! :D

[@Marxnchill]

I chose Druid as a newb 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ thank you for the info! So far I’m finding my choice actually quite handy and I’ve given the final blow for our first 3 sessions!

[@horsekateer]

Incredible video, love the channel, this music is INSANE 😂

[@BryantCobarrubias]

My DM used Plant Growth on us last month. Holy crap it is super powerful. It locked down half the party for the entire encounter.

[@enterthedungeon]

Just carry a bag of seeds around and you can do the same!

[@thef0restfairy391]

My favorite class forever 💚

[@angelalewis3645]

I’m probably going to play a Harengon Druid in an upcoming game. This video is awesome. Thanks!

[@redshirtwookiee]

I am going to be playing a halfling druid in a week and I'm so excited to try out the wild shape (we're starting at 3rd level) I took Circle of the Moon so I'm really excited to show up to the first encounter as a Dire wolf and wreck every enemy's shit. 😀Thanks for the video! I'm really looking forward to playing a druid for the first time!

[@killswitchgaming7333]

Thanks for doing this I'm around seventeen now and I've been wanting to get more into the D and D when I thought the druid look cool and then I took a look into how it plays and I want to get a guide in this help me choose so thanks

[@Randomdudefromtheinternet]

I think you can cast Primal Savagery through your Wild Companion, turning it into a good ranged spell, and if you get the actual Find Familiar spell through multiclassing or feats, you could theoretically give your familiar a wild shape.

[@troyyrob]

You should do a subclass guide! I feel like everyone sings praises of Moon, Stars, and Shepherd but where is the love for the Land and Dreams Druids? I am playing a level 7 Dreams Druid right now, and it has been awesome having 7 free 'improved healing words' per day, and what amounts to a budget version of Leomund's Tiny Hut every night. (My DM luckily treats it basically like Leomund's Tiny Hut because she is not a malevolent DM.) Once we hit level 10, I will have 5 free Misty Steps a day, and level 14 gets me a free casting of Dream (which is budget sending), Scrying, or Teleportation Circle every short or long rest without needing the super pricey components. I think the strength of the Dreams Druid is being an endurance/utility caster. With Balm of the Summer Court, I don't have to waste prep slots or spell slots on healing, so I can prepare a larger slew of spells to handle other problems the party may face. I am Variant Human, so I also added Fey Touched at creation and Shadow Touched at level 4 to get me 4 additional spells I can cast for free once a day without needing to use slots. (That takes my current daily total of free spell or spell-like abilities to 12.)

[@enterthedungeon]

That is the plan! Controversial opinion but Dream and Land > Shepherd. Lots of Druid subclass talk is white room theory crafting IMO and hasn't been observed in game, in multiple campaigns, over a long period of time, and for all the levels. There is a lot of nuance to the Druid subclasses that cannot always be observed as easily. Thanks for commenting and I hope you stick around the channel! We need more people talking about Druids in the comments. May your campaign go well friend.

[@troyyrob]

@@enterthedungeon Thanks for the kind words! Subscribing now!

[@user-hn1xu5sn8p]

New to dnd, what is a circle and do I get them at level 1?

[@TPixelAdventures]

@@user-hn1xu5sn8p you'll need to read the Class guide in your Player's Handbook a bit more, friend. Druids (and most other classes) get their class abilities at Lv2 and Lv3, then advancements at milestone levels like 5/7/10/etc

[@user-ec2vz1mw4x]

thank you very nice info you put out.. this will realy help my play. thanks again.

[@jcadence4761]

Great vid, thank you!

[@jonathanmorphew6786]

I'm going to be playing a druid with spirit guardians thanks to a background. Very much looking forward to it

[@flickerr.6775]

The best overview video Ive seen

[@PockyKitty89]

Druid is by far my favourite class ❤ My last Druid was a Changeling, it was amazing.

[@scottmcley5111]

Playing a Stars Druid right now with the Elven Accuracy feat. Hit a hobgoblin for 40 damage with a critical from Guiding Bolt. Druids can be blasters too!

[@theDreadedBlur]

Playing a Harengon druid named Dash for my first time, I love her. We just milestoned to level 2 and she is motivated to the Circle of Spores.

[@BobGrimminger]

I think one should be careful taking the advice in this video. Some of it is quite DM dependent, such as particular abilities for animals that don’t appear in their stat-blocks.

[@camdonturley13]

A percentage of it yeah, but… meh. Most of it i found to be sound advice

[@andrewkitsune5457]

Druid is my favorite I love manipulating the battlefield at higher levels and summoning animals and using another spell to see through their eyes and use their senses to scout ahead when in a dungeon or gathering information.

[@dimbulb6443]

Healing word has saved my barbarian and fighter so often xD

[@shannadaul6438]

Session Zero is coming up for me, and I decided on a druid. A couple good tips I picked up with researching is bark skin transfers to wild shape as well (going from, say, AC 11 to AC 16 with concentration) but not other damage dealing spells like moonbeam going at the same time, like your tip. Also, conjure animals is *broken*! 8 giant wolf spiders, giant centipedes or elk (etc) to add to the battlefield... But it does depend on the DM. 😅. They might roll and give you 8 cats! 😂

[@eliinthewolverinestate6729]

Druidcraft is one of my favorites. Find an acorn make a holy symbol spell focus druid claw. Armed and unarmed and holy/sacred weapon. Druidcraft can be used to almost kit a druid out. Make a highlander style backpack. Need a weapon use druidcraft. With the right skills one can craft vinearmor or armor of the druid. Finally a good use for weaving skill. I like lessor vigor in 3.5. Of course I mostly play a bard or druid or both. Decided I would go elemental druid with air elemental companion. The tip about fall damage on the squirrel is awesome. Espically if one can get floating weapon. I like live plant based armored and can always upgrade with awaken spell. Blinding spittle is a great retro attack for plant armor. Companion plant armor anyone? Elemental druids can turn and command elementals like a cleric with undead. Musical weapon instruments make great wondrous items. Put a whistle on the dagger hilt so you can summon it. Unseen servant to blow the whistle in case it gets stuck.

[@sandmanlives3]

Thank you for this.

[@dantemuniztorres6691]

Great vídeo!!

[@eridan7326]

Lizardfolk for the AC bonus + natural bite outside of shapeshift that benefits from magic damage, not good, not awfull if your not so worried about wisdom / spellcasting dependent.

[@ayokunmiolatunde6932]

I'd love to see you do a video on what a spell load out would look like. I really like that concept but I'm have trouble with figuring out the nitty gritty. I feel like doing an example one at lvl 5 would be good. Also really love this vids.

[@ryanedgerton1982]

Here's a link to the Google Sheet I made for my Druid spell loadouts, Lv1 thru Lv3, with bonus Wild Shape quickref. For context, I'm playing a Firbolg (so no need for Disguise Self or Detect Magic) with a backstory as a traveling healer, thus why my spells are set up the way they are. Hope it helps! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-R1Au5_CGS19N9cXPf3sPcnZMoiWtttPQ-Kuw-wPk_0/edit?usp=sharing

[@ayokunmiolatunde6932]

@@ryanedgerton1982 thanks I really appreciate it lol

[@calspencer5862]

I picked a half-orc Druid for my next campaign thinking it would be a funny pairing, seeing as most half-orcs are played as barbarians… I never expected to hear that they’re actually a great option as druids lmao

[@dylanmiley5642]

I enjoyed the vid, I think you had a lot of useful and insightful content and commentary. One feedback I have tho is that the music that you put over the spell description section was a bit overpowering and distracting. My recommendation is to either put the music ~6dB lower in the mix or choose more ambient ethereal music. In either case, your content is supported by the music but still remains the audio focal point.

[@RayPoreon]

When it comes to cantrips, I'd say that shillelagh is better at levels 1-4 than primal savagery but it should be swapped out at level 4 with the rules in tasha's cauldron. Oddly enough, it's a spell that's better on ranger if they're doing a weird 'caster ranger' build. Another thing to note is that there are means to ignore difficult terrain for the players. Ranger features are the obvious one, but you also have the mobile feat, the ring of free action, leaping, flight and climb speeds(depends on the terrain).

[@MrMrcollymore]

Annnnnnnnnnnnd I subbed. Great video.

[@Tarotlynx]

You're quite right. Way back in 3.0, I realized half-orcs have no wisdom penalty, unlike intelligence and charisma, so I created orc druids who turned to nature as an escape from discrimination. My first orc druid wasn't barbaric at all (I don't play orcs that way), nor stupid or savage. The party didn't know what to make of her - until they discovered she was a master of medicine and healing magic, refusing to fight but more than pulling her weight by keeping the party alive and functioning. Scimitars are a scream. :) Druids are excellent healers, and can outshine clerics if you know secrets like I do. But they're not bound to gods unless we want to be. Pharika, God of Affliction, perhaps. Druids don't rely only on faith. They know herbalism and actual medicine, so unlike clerics, we know what we're doing. Cure Wounds is fair, but Healing Word keeps you out of battle, as where with Cure Wounds, you have to touch someone. And if you think these spells are fair for healing, you should've seen the 3.0/5 regeneration-based spells. Those were fun and should return, but for druids only. And if you go the healer route, learn to scribe scrolls constantly. The emergency backup supply will keep a party functioning when the silly little cleric's channeling powers are exhausted. Goodberry isn't only about healing, but that would be enough. It's also an emergency food supply. Why does everyone forget that? Don't waste your wildshape on battle. Use it to spy, scout, escape, and a great number of other things. Even initially, when you can't swim or fly, you can be invisible by becoming a chameleon. It works. Trust me. Talk to animals. They know secrets no one else knows. I discovered this secret years ago when I was playing a druid who was playing vet to an injured horse the party wanted to buy. I used Speak w/Animals to ask the horse why it was showing starvation symptoms and he basically told me of a band of slavers who were mistreating him and the other horses. Of course, I told the party's paladin at once . . . Summoning animals, or better, is a fine defense should you wish to stay out of battle and heal, which I do, because I get lost in combat. As for summonings, don't overlook snakes and scorpions. They can get through the battle and straight to the strongest foes. Let them handle the battle for you, especially since you can get eight flying snakes. Isn't it delightful?Talk to animals. They know secrets no one else knows. And the magic. It's incredible. All you need is to ask your DM to let you learn Counterspell or Spell Turning, and you're a fine match against any other caster. Then there's druidic. It's a language only you and other druids, and sometimes animals, know. You can say mean and nasty things about anyone, including the cleric or the undisciplined sorcerer and no one will ever know. Oh, and druids should be scribing spells anyway. Because you never know when you'll need Spider Climb, or, as he said, Plant Growth, or Reincarnate, Healing Word, Dispel Magic, or any other spell. It creates an option for using spells you won't normally prepare, so why wouldn't you be making scrolls?

[@tristanlesage8164]

Considering how strongly you feel about Entangle and Spike Growth, I'm surprised you didn't mention the Lotusden Halfling from Explorer's Guide to Wildemount as a good race for druids ;) I am starting a new campaign on Wednesday, playing a Lotusden Halfling Circle of the Wildfire Druid and I am excited! The campaign starts at 5th level, and I instinctively took most of the spells you mentioned, although I really thought you'd mention Faerie Fire

[@enterthedungeon]

I like Faerie Fire but I also feel it’s a standard Druid pick. It’s an amazing spell especially if your DM doesn’t use flanking rules. However, I tried to pick spells that I’ve seen many Druids overlook. And tbh I forgot about Lotusden. For pure battlefield control, it’s probably the best subclass

[@ericpeterson8732]

Wildemount is not used at most tables.

[@duffmanzee]

Cant belive you didnt mention thorn whip dragging enemys thru spike growth is dirty

[@Goatchaser]

Let's go! I've been waiting for this video. Are you breaking it up into 4 videos?

[@enterthedungeon]

Druid is loaded very early on. There will probably be a video for levels 5-15 and then another for 16-20 with another video dedicated to the subclasses

[@brettshull2141]

I am ready for the 5-15 video. Thanks for your work! I just subscribed.

[@titusjames4912]

It's my first campaign and I just made a druid. This otta be fun.

[@blakebyles2159]

By far the best explainer video for beginners I've found so far. I'm being ambitious and potentially quite naive by playing my first campaign as a Halfling Druid/Rogue. Would you have any suggestions for a build around that multiclass? My character is using their background in the natural magical world to benefit their new Rogue life on the run: stealth and infiltration, thievery and the odd assassination. Your enthusiasm for the plant-based attacks and animal-based actions has tempted me to stay in Druid for a few more levels than I expected.

[@ADT1995]

Okay I'm going to comment beforehand and then add to it. Mostly for the algorithm in case I forget to comment since some of this video I will be listening to while driving to work and if I wait until the end I won't be able to comment For my initial comment: thank you, I've played most other classes and having seen mid level druids in play I've been wanting to use a druid for a while (I main as wizards and bards and very much appreciate the polymorph spell for both utility and combat, and being able to do this without expending a spell slot sounds like a really good time), but I have no idea what to do in early levels in combat situations aside from entangle and wild shaping. I'm looking forward to advice from an expert in the class (I consider myself a veteran in DnD overall, but a total newbie when it comes to druids in particular, I've DMed for them before but never played one above 3rd level) So battlefield manipulation and damage mitigation are why I love bards and wizards so much, (fun fact as a player I've never used a spell for fireball, I've cast it through an item plenty of times but I like to save my actual spell slots for hypnotic pattern, slow, sleet storm,, fear, dispel magic fly and tongues). Raw DPS isn't why I play casters I'm already looking at spells like entangle and plant growth I definitely overlooked heat metal, as a Bard I have it. Prepared but rarely cast it, but Moon druid makes an excellent case for it

[@Crimson-1997]

Druid is my favourite class

[@scottb7115]

Druid is by far my favorite class lol

[@robertsilvermyst7325]

Shifters are amazing druids. The shift on top of wildshape really bolsters what you can do.

[@andresromero5409]

druids are power!, my favorite class in 5e is the druid, even when i think the wizard is the most powerful class in the game, i cant count the times i wish i had a druid spell when im playing any class. As you said, you dont even have to worry about your wisdom score (of course its still important), even when you are playing as battlefield controller you have an arsenal of choices to debuff your enemys without a saving throw (you can even deal with legendary resistance), all the conjure spells are great for utility and combat and you are the one who has the most powerful ones. Unfortunately, a lot of your high level spells dont get to compete with the wizard spells, but what you acquired from level 1-10 they scale great, so dont worry about it, you are still in the race

[@bransonS]

Yes druid are so busted from level 2 onward. I'm surprised to learn they aren't a popular choice given there crazy power and versatility. Thanks for your overview and sharing your experiences.

[@Fae2705]

Druid supremacy! Let's go! I love sorcerer too but Druidic Is number one bae!

[@fancyowl2897]

I enjoyed what little I've played of druid. I'd have enjoyed playing more, but sadly that campaign ended after 2 or 3 sessions and I haven't been able to find another to join in on afterwards. Would love to, but my work schedule and timezone make that very difficult :P

[@wanderingrandomer]

I chose a Druid for my first ever DnD game, just because it fit the fantasy theme to me. Probably a mistake for someone still learning the game, given how complicated it is. But it's great to know I have the potential to break my DM!

[@ryanedgerton1982]

Following up: how did the DM-breaking go?

[@Bam31415]

Really good guide. I've played my first Shepherd Druid to 9th lvl, I love the class and find it awesome. The advice is really good, though I have some different ideas. I use a different attack cantrip setup. It's more limited on damage, though the difference is pretty small and favour staying at range. IMO Frostbite is worthwile for its range and Thorn Whip is the best druid attack cantrip for its reliability (can be used in/from melee, magical piercing is very rarely resisted) and the occasional use of it's pull effect. You skip the new Summon Beast at 2nd lvl, which seems really strong if you have the material component. At 3rd lvl Conjure Animals is just a crazy strong option, it requires you to run it well practically, but it's just amazing. Looking forward to your thoughts on higher levels. :-)

[@enterthedungeon]

Both those are good cantrips. Frostbite is great just a little less consistent than I personally like. Thorn Whip is a great cantrip that I am going to be talking about in the next video. I think it is best picked up as cantrip 3 or 4 due to its low starting damage (1d6 just doesn't cut it most of the time and that 10ft pull is a bit situational at low levels IMO). However, once it begins doing 2d6+, the damage starts to be more competitive and higher level frontline class really benefit from the pull. Also yes, I did skip all the summoning spells. They are great but I am also a DM. I HATE the summoning spells. They slow down combats significantly with so many extra creatures acting. The spells are incredible but I cannot bring myself to recommend them. Forgive my weakness. Thank you for commenting and I hope you stick around the channel!

[@Bam31415]

Yeah, I agree that Frostbite is very hit or miss. I pick it because of the range as it will allow an attack in instances where I would otherwise be out of range. Your thoughts on Thorn Whip also make perfect sense as damage resistances are less common at lower levels. I've tended to deprioritize my personal damage, to focus on control, summoning and support. I largely find I don't need to fill that role as long as I "druid well". As to summoning I get what you mean. It's very powerful, but it puts a lot on player and DM to run smooth. Were it a single player computer RPG it would be played and upcast more. As is it requires good planning, communication and at times houserules. The content is very much appreciated as it is solid and sensible. I'll compare to Treeantmonk in that I know what you say and I understand why. I might not agree with every detail, but It's well argued. So I can think through it and apply it to my own game and understanding.

[@enterthedungeon]

@@Bam31415 that’s all I think we can take from Dnd creators on KZbin. Every table and player is different. What one person says we have to adapt to our own situation

[@Bam31415]

Yeah, every table is different so the need is for clear and tidy arguments so you know why people think the way they do so that they can compare and adapt to their table.

[@SmokeSolo1975]

Druids are so good at survival. In my current campaign we have 150 refugees that need feeding and looking after. With a mixture of multiple goodberrys, and plant growth to turn land more fertile he is able to feed everyone especially using outlander back ground. Also as a badger he can make a giant badger set for everyone to find protection in.

[@n.m.fergus]

I just started playing DnD with my friends, and I decided to be a Tortle Druid with Circle of Stars lol. High wisdom, 17 AC from natural armour, and it just fits well lol.

[@kristian1475]

Thanks for a great video! How do you know if you can cast a spell while in wild shape?

[@rainbowskyrunner]

Watching this gives me an awesome idea for a Druid Monk multi-class. A “Druonk” I think it would be awesome to be a Tabaxi Druid Circle of The Moon and Monk Way of The Drunken Master. Starting off Druid for the first 2 lvls and then switching to Monk till getting the Drunken Master subclass. Or if you started at lvl 5 or above just starting with 2 lvls Moon Druids and 3 lvls Monk having both sub classes of the combo. It is already powerful at lvl5 because you have the ability to wildshape into an Ape while still retaining all the benefits of being a Drunken Master Monk. Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, Step of The Wind, Deflect Missiles and Drunken Technique. You can also cast Shillelagh on a staff (maybe on a staff that is both your Druid spell casting focus and also your monk dedicated weapon) to make your attacks with Wis instead of Str or Dex. But it only gets way more powerful as you get to higher lvls. You could at lvl 13 if you went up to Monk Lvl 6 and then took five more in Druid you could become a Giant Ape with reach and Stunning Strike as well as Primal Strike and both Quickened Healing and Combat wildshape features as healing while you are wildshaped. Oh and slow fall and Extra Attack. If you went heavy Druid till lvl13 instead you could become an Earth Elemental or a Giant Ape instead of a regular Ape. If I went heavy Monk I would probably actually go with other Monk options that really are even more powerful like Shadow Monk for Teleportation or Astral Monk for Wis instead of Str on grapple checks (Grappler Gorilla) plus reach or The Way of the Open Hand and a telescoping staff for some Son Wu Kong style flavor and massive utility in your attacks. I think the coolest by far would be Way of The Ascendant Dragon cause of the Draconic Strike and the Breath of the Dragon and the wings unfurled features being not only kinda OP when combined with wildshape, but also it is just so epically metal to walk into a dragon den as a cat person and just transform into a Eagle (or a Hummingbird 😂) and fly straight at it Breathing Acid or Lightning down on it and then flying away like a mystical avian dive-bomber. Or to go bare knuckle toe to toe with an Earth Elemental as an Ape and punch it with lightning dmg stunning strike before just obliterating it with a breath attack. 😌🤌🏾 Perfect

[@garthodowd6846]

Greetings all, this is a fantastic video as its done from experience, not just reading dry stats. I'm looking at playing a COD Druid but then multiclassing into a Fey wanderer Ranger to really push that Fey goodness.. How should I split the classes? I'm also looking at Wood Elf so I can use a longbow, how does that affect being a Druid? Thanks!

[@Bloodxbeast666]

Lizardfolk wildfire druid here! Nautral armor, max wisdom and high con and a shield makes it hard for enemies to attack AND able to sling spells all over the place. It's great! Lmao

[@enterthedungeon]

My first Druid was a lizardfolk so I get it! Such a fun race

[@ThePi314Man]

I've been saying since I started playing 5e that Druids are overpowered. Glad someone else gets it.

[@WilliamRoop-xt6rp]

By 4th level, a druid can spend most of the day as a beast. If you are traveling, 2 times of 2 hours as a horse or elk allows 4 hours of movement. Short rest and repeat. Do it twice more and you end up being in travel mode (4x4 plus 4 hours) 20 hours...

[@crowsenpai5625]

If you want to focus healing, Goodberry is easily the most efficient healing spell with the only downside is it doesn’t work in combat, but for a single 1 level spell you get a guaranteed 10 hp worth of healing than can be distributed as needed, as well as since the berries last a full 24 hours before going inert, at the end of a day, you can spend all your remaining spell slots to make as many berries as you can and save them for the next adventuring day. Use of this makes sure you can enter every fight at or near full at low levels. *BUT* With only 1 level of multiclass, you can kick this spell into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE! Life clerics get the class feature at level 1 Disciple of Life: “Starting at 1st level, your healing spells are more effective. Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell's level.” 2+spell level isn’t much for most spells, but goodberry is unique where each of your ten berries are individual healing sources, so EACH BERRY benefits from this effect so instead of 1hp per berry, it becomes 4hp! A 400% increase on healing to a whopping 40 hp for a single level spell, which makes this viable at far higher levels, even potentially in combat. And all this is possible at level 2.

[@billmcdonald5063]

My druid in the underdark first cast wall of fire on a bunch of drow when they detected our lies, we were polymorphed into drow. They Levitate then i cast rock to mud on the ceiling. Squashed drow. All area effect spells. No saves or magic resistance. This was AD&D 1/2e

[@dangalvan2484]

Me, watching this video a year later after creating my first character, that was a Tabaxi circle of the Moon druid: Nice! I did some things right!

[@J0EKICKASSS]

We were fighting a Ghost or something with an aging affect attack. I quickly wildshaped into a tortoise as a reaction and the aging affect didn’t hurt me. (DM’s rule of cool lol)

[@resilientfarmsanddesignstu1702]

This is how I run Druids in my campaign. First, I ascribe to the school that limits Druidic shapeshifting powers to creatures that they have personally encountered. And by encountered, I mean interacted with and studied not just seen. They must know the creature intimately to transform into one. Having said that, I also assume that they have encountered several such creatures in the past from their childhood who live in the area of the world where they grew up. The PC and I then discuss their back history and agree upon a list of those creatures. Most, but perhaps not all, of these creatures, should be those that are commonly encountered in the area. Second, the Druid’s magic is derived from Nature. As they are most attuned to the ecological environments of their place of birth, their spells reflect that ecosystem. Both the kind, and the strength of spells are so affected. Thus a Druid from a water world landscape will have Druidic spells that effect the ecosystem components that prevail in that ecosystem and will not have spells that effect the ecosystem components that prevail in a desert ecosystem for example and vice versa. The strength of their spells is likewise affected. While in or near their homeland, their spells are more powerful, when far from their homeland, they are less powerful. When on or proximal to the ocean or another such water body (even if far from their home water world), the spells of a Druid who comes from a water world will be more powerful. When in the midst of a desert, less powerful - except in the oasis, where they are again more powerful. Such a Druid is not however powerless in the desert as wind is abundant in both ocean and desert ecosystems. Where water energy is concentrated, such as near flowing water, crashing waves, waterfalls, rapids etc., water spell-casting and shape-shifting power is greater. Where sand dunes are actively forming, or on the tops of cliffs and mountains or in constricted areas or during windy weather windy spells are more powerful. This is not to say that wind cannot be summoned on a calm day, it is however more difficult, takes more effort and takes longer to summon as it is not already present in the environment in that time and place. Only by spending time in other ecosystems can a Druid obtain more mastery over the ecosystems that prevail in those areas. Thus they are encouraged to venture into the unknown to gain experience and competence but are advised to do so with caution as they will be vulnerable while they are learning. While slightly more complex, this leads to a far more interesting, challenging, satisfying and I would say, realistic experience for the Druid as PC and for their party.

[@paulh3892]

Really solid video, but aren’t Druid’s unable to wear metal for their magic to work? I don’t think a breastplate would work unless it was crafted out of tough hide etc

[@wilfredofigueroa7970]

Druids can wear metal if they want they just won't. Like a vegetarian can eat meat but won't. No penalty to there powers

[@horseblinderson4747]

Make one, use a displacer skin on a chitin shell from an umber hulk or cave Fisher or something to make the plate,,, bam displacement half plate non metal shouldn't impose disadvantage to stealth made out of hide covered finger nail material from the carapace of a large stealth predator

[@ericpeterson8732]

@@wilfredofigueroa7970 True, but many people ignore that prohibition just to get a +1 or +2 to their AC. If it says they WON'T, then they DON'T. But in 1 D&D, I hope they finally either drop the prohibition or give it a mechanical consequence like they did in previous editions. It's the only to prevent Iron Druid from happening.

[@TheRedneckGamer1979]

For druids race playing one of the Fey races imo is super thematic and fun, a Satyr druid can be kind of hilarious, multiclasses well with bard, of course there is the notorious moon druid barbarian multiclass but thats something that not only the DM but the rest of the players need to be on board for since the DM will have to balance against your character at that point which can become very problematic.