Druids of Diablo 4 have many options when it comes to tweaking their builds. Upgrading passive skills and optimizing Spirit boons is always important, but when it comes to maximizing your Druid's power, nothing is more essential than gear.
Weapons are by far the most important pieces of gear for any character, and Druids are no exception. Damage output is directly tied to your weapon no matter what build you use. Here are the best Druid weapons for a variety of builds, ranked by overall effectiveness.
Updated by Aaron Krull on July 31, 2023: removed the lowest-ranked entry and added in 'The Grandfather' to its rightful place in the list. Also refreshed links throughout to offer a more user-friendly experience.
10 Weapon With Lightning Dancer Aspect
Weapons with the Lightning Dancer Aspect cause Lightning Storm Critical Strikes to spawn Dancing Bolts that seek out enemies and deal further Lightning damage. Having ranged attacks that automatically go after your enemies is awesome. And Lightning Bolt can critically strike often enough with a good Storm build to make this worth it.
This Aspect is perfect for a pure Storm Druid build or a Storm/Earth hybrid caster. But these builds typically aren't quite as powerful as those that employ at least a few Shapeshifting skills. There just aren't as many Aspects that synergize with Storm skills.
9 Weapon With Aspect Of The Trampled Earth
Combining multiple Earth and Werebear-focused Aspects can lead to strong defenses and impressive DPS. The aspect of the Trampled Earth causes Trample to summon Landslide pillars during its duration and also makes Trample a Nature Magic and Earth skill.
This Aspect can pack a serious punch, but alone it won't make your Druid much better. You'll need several other Aspects to make this type of build work, so relatively it isn't quite as powerful as some others. But Landslide is the strongest Earth magic skill, and so this is definitely the strongest weapon specifically for mixing Earth and Werebear together.
8 The Grandfather
Unique items can only be found on World Tier 3 and higher. If you're lucky enough to find one, it might seriously change your build. The Grandfather is devastatingly powerful. In addition to providing a huge overall damage boost, it also increases Critical Strike damage by an enormous amount.
While this sword can pack a punch, it's also notably quite slow. This dramatically limits the Grandfather's usefulness for Druids. The only build that really benefits from Critical damage is the Werewolf Druid. They also need high attack speed in order to be effective, so the Grandfather just isn't ideal.
7 The Butcher's Cleaver
Diablo's classic villain makes his return yet again, and this time his weapon is a powerful unique item. Barbarians can use this as well, and it's amazing for either class. Critically Striking an enemy with The Butcher's Cleaver has a high chance of causing Fear and Slow for several seconds.
Unfortunately, this unique item is a random drop and not guaranteed to be dropped by The Butcher Boss himself. But he is rumored to have a higher drop chance for it on higher World Tiers. This legendary weapon also can't really compete with the more powerful Druid weapons.
6 Weapon With Nighthowler's Aspect
This weapon allows Druids to perform some side heals, a true rarity in Diablo 4. Nighthowler's Aspect causes Blood Howl to affect nearby Companions and Players and also increases Critical Strike Chance. It can be found in the Forbidden City, in Fractured Peaks.
The Critical Chance bonus is nice, but there are several much better Druid weapons. Generally speaking, most D4 players are capable of looking after themselves anyway. Everyone has access to potions, defensive skills, and evasive options.
5 Weapon With Aspect Of The Stampede
Whether building a small army or just using them for bonus protection, Companions add yet another layer of versatility to Druid builds. The Aspect of the Stampede makes Companion skills give an additional Companion and makes them all a bit stronger too.
Having additional pets to take some threats away can be extremely useful. But the damage bonus from this Aspect isn't outstanding. It can be much more useful when you combine it with others which modify your Companions.
4 Greatstaff Of The Crone
One of only two Druid-specific legendary weapons in the game, this staff is perfect for combining Storm magic and Werewolf skills. Claw becomes a Storm skill, and using it also casts Storm Strike with excellent bonus damage.
Mixing Storm and Werewolf skills is another build type with a lot of options because there are just so many aspects that go well with it. But this staff is a random drop, so finding it can take some luck. Claw is also a basic skill, so it isn't nearly as strong as others.
3 Weapon With Dire Wolf's Aspect
This legendary weapon introduces an entirely new form to your Shapeshifting repertoire. Instead of a Dire Wearbear, Grizzly Rage turns you into a Dire Werewolf. Gain Movement Speed and Spirit Cost Reduction instead of Damage Reduction. Best of all, Kills heal you for a portion of your Max Life.
Dire Werewolf form is extremely useful, allowing you to tear through most boss fights quickly and easily. Having another source of healing is very hard to overvalue in Diablo 4 as well. The remaining weapons on this list are simply better.
2 Weapon With Aspect Of The Alpha
Wolf Companions are great, but turning them into Werewolf Companions is just overpowered. This Aspect does exactly that. Werewolf Companions deal up to twice as much damage as Wolves and can also spread Rabies.
Werewolves are tough pets, so they can aggro for you in addition to causing high damage. But using their activated ability to target individual enemies is almost unfair. This weapon turns them into elite-killing machines.
1 Waxing Gibbous
For the ultimate Werewolf build, you'll need the most powerful Druid weapon of all. Waxing Gibbous grants Stealth for 2 seconds when you kill enemies with Shred. Attacking from Stealth grants Ambush, providing a brief timeframe during which all attacks are guaranteed Critical Strikes.
There's no cooldown on entering Stealth, so long as you keep killing enemies with Shred. Plus, Waxing Gibbous being a one-handed weapon, makes its attack speed very high, and you can also use an Aspect in your offhand. Aspects that can be used on weapons could instead be used on Amulets, Rings, or Gloves. So the Waxing Gibbous truly is the best Druid weapon.