Diablo 4: Best Tank [Definitive Guide]

Our pick for the best tank class is none other than the Druid class. This class stands out as a shapeshifter and wielder of the elements, capable of transforming into a bear or wolf and even summoning wolves. While other classes may engage in strategic battles, attempting to avoid taking hits, the Druid sets itself apart by fearlessly charging into the frontline, mercilessly mauling enemies without concern for its own HP bar.

Druid Skills And Game Plan

The primary focus lies in maintaining the spirit gauge. A Druid with efficient spirit recovery becomes virtually unstoppable, effortlessly eliminating hordes of enemies. Even when not engaged in decimating swarms of foes, the Druid can withstand boss hits for extended periods while regaining HP.

Diablo 4, as an ARPG, focuses on self-sustenance and doesn’t rely on team play as much as other RPGs, which would have a dedicated healer class. Hence, even tank build or self-heal builds focus on the damage dealt. One could say the player doesn’t need to worry about enemies dealing damage when the enemies in question are dead.

Let us take a quick look at the skills being used and their description and then discuss how the skills are supposed to be implemented in one’s playstyle.

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Active Abilities

Skills	Type	Skill Description	Point Allocation	Upgrades
Earth Spike	Active	Generate Spirit: 8 Lucky Hit Chance: 26% Sunder the earth, impaling the first enemy hit for 16% damage.	3	Enhanced Earth Spike
Pulverize	Active	Spirit Cost: 35 Lucky Hit Chance: 25% Shapeshift into a Werebear and slam the ground, dealing 50% damage to surrounding enemies.	5/5	Enhanced Pulverize, Primal Pulverize
Earthen Bulwark	Active	Cooldown: 16 seconds Lucky Hit Chance: 50% Rocks surround you for 3 seconds, granting a Barrier that absorbs 45% of your Base Life in damage.	1/5	Enhanced Earthen Bulwark, Preserving Earthen Bulwark
Debilitating Roar	Active	Cooldown: 22 seconds Shapeshift into a Werebear and bellow a mighty roar, reducing Nearby enemies’ damage dealt by 50% for 4 seconds.	3/5	Enhanced Debilitating Roar, Innate Debilitating Roar
Hurricane	Active	Cooldown: 20 seconds Lucky Hit Chance: 33% Form a hurricane around you that deals 97% damage to surrounding enemies over 8 seconds.	1/5	Enhanced Hurricane, Natural Hurricane
Grizzly Rage	Active	Cooldown: 60 seconds Shapeshift into Dire Werebear for 12 seconds, gaining 20% bonus damage and 20% damage reduction. The damage bonus is increased by 3% each second in this form. Kills extend the duration by 1 second up to 10 additional seconds.	1/1	Prime Grizzly Rage, Supreme Grizzly Rage

Earth Spike

The basic skill Earth Spike isn’t too important in the grand scheme of the build and acts simply as a way to recover more spirit. However, it does benefit from further buffs and bonuses players receive later, like an increase in earth damage skills makes this stronger, and upgrading this skill makes it stun enemies, which for boss-type enemies is pretty useful.

Pulverize

Perhaps one of the single most overpowered skills in the game. Pulverize makes Druid slams the ground, causing a wave of AOE damage that does ludicrous damage. This skill uses spirit and has no cooldown, so players can repeatedly slam the ground and run through armies upon armies of foes. Indeed, there isn’t anything like yelling “Hulk smash” and going on a rampage in a small area.

Furthermore, items are essential in aiding this skill to its full potential. Especially items like the core ring Mother’s Embrace, which refunds 35% of the resources when a core skill hits 5 or more targets. In addition, other items that give more spirit on kills are also excellent when talking about Pulverize spam. These items give you the opportunity to truly be an unstoppable force.

Earthen Bulwark

This is one of the skills that make this build work as the Diablo 4 best tank. Firstly, the skill provides a barrier for the player, which absorbs 45% of the player’s base hp in damage. Additionally, this skill, when paired with the upgrades, not only makes the player unstoppable but also applies fortify on the player, further reducing the incoming damage.

Debilitating Roar

This is another skill that aids in the tank aspect of the build. This ability shapeshifts you into a werebear, and, as the name suggests, Druid lets out a mighty roar reducing incoming damage by 50% for 4 seconds. At an initial glance, 4 seconds don’t sound like much, but other than boss fights, fights won’t usually last that long.

Hurricane

Ever find yourself in sticky situations? Hurricane is the skill you need. The skill summons, as the name suggests, a hurricane around the player that does damage to enemies. However, the real use of this ability involves the upgrades.

Firstly, the Enhanced hurricane slows enemies for 25% for 2 seconds every time they get hit, which is great if you’re building items that do extra damage to enemies with impaired movement.

Furthermore, when considering the second upgrade, you have two options, one that reduces incoming damage, which would be understandable in a tank build; however, the alternative option, Natural Hurricane, is too good of a skill to pass up. It makes enemies vulnerable for 3 seconds at a 15% chance. This, paired with pulverize, can wipe out high-level dungeon mobs with ease.

Grizzly Rage

Finally, Grizzly Rage is arguably the most essential skill for a werebear Druid build. Firstly, it lets the player turn into a werebear for 12 seconds, granting them a 20% bonus damage and 20% damage reduction. Moreover, the damage increases by 3% every second the skill is active, resulting in a potential damage bonus of around 56% by the end of the skill’s duration. Additionally, it’s worth noting that every kill the Druid gets in this state extends the duration by 1 second, with a maximum extension of 10 seconds. This means that the skill can have an impressive uptime of 22 seconds, offering a remarkable total damage bonus of 86%.

Moreover, the upgrades for Grizzly Rage add to the fun and power of the skill. With one upgrade, the player becomes unstoppable during Grizzly Rage, rendering movement-impairing skills ineffective against them. On the other hand, the second upgrade allows the Druid to gain 8% of their Base HP as a fortify every second Grizzly Rage is active. Considering the skill’s uptime of 22 seconds, this results in an impressive total of 176% of their base HP as fortify.

Non-Active Skill Tree Point Allocation

Core Passives

Skill	Effects	Points Allocated
Heart of the Wild	Maximum spirit is increased by 3.	1
Wild Impulses	Your Core skills cost 5% more Spirit but deal 10% increased damage.	3
Abundance	Basic skills generate 10% more Spirit.	1
Predatory Instinct	The critical strike chance against Close enemies is increased by 3%	3
Iron Fur	You gain a 3% Damage Reduction while in Werebear form. This bonus persists for 3 seconds after leaving Werebear form.	3

Wrath Passives

Skill	Effects	Point Allocation
Mending	While in Werebear form, you receive 5% additional Healing from all sources.	3
Provocation	When you remain in Werebear form for at least 25 seconds, your next Skill will Overpower you.	3
Crushing Earth	Earth skills deal 5% increased damage to Slowed, Stunned, Immobilized, or Knocked Back enemies.	3
SafeGuard	Critical Strikes with Earth skills Fortify you for 2% Base Life.	3
Stone Guard	While you have Fortify for over 50% of your maximum HP, your Earth Skills deal 4% increased damage.	3

Ultimate Passives

Skill	Effects	Points Allocated
Defiance	Nature Magic skills deal 4% increased damage to Elites.	3
Circle Of Life	Nature Magic skills that consume Spirit restore 1% of your maximum HP.	3
Natural Disaster	Your Earth skills deal 4% increased damage to vulnerable enemies. Your Storm skills deal 4% increased damage to enemies that are Stunned, Immobilized, or Knocked Back.	1
Resonance	Nature Magic skills deal 2% increased damage. Triple this bonus if an Earth skill is the next skill cast after a Storm skill or a Storm skill is the next skill cast after an Earth skill.	3

Key Passive

Earthen Might-Effects

• Lucky Hit: Damaging enemies with Earth Skills have up to a 5% chance to: Restore all of your Spirit
• Cause your attacks to be guaranteed Critical Strikes for 5 seconds
• This chance is increased by: 
• 10% for Critical Strikes
• 10% if the target is Stunned, Immobilized, or Knocked Back

Points Allocated: 1

Armor

When discussing the Diablo 4 Best Tank, it is crucial to take armor into consideration, as it plays a significant role in determining how well a Druid can handle high-level bosses and dungeons. To provide a comprehensive understanding, let’s examine a table showcasing the armor, aspects, and rings players should aim for in the end game.

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Loadout

Item	Type	Effects
Vasily’s Prayer	Helm	+Damage while Shapeshifted +Lightning Resistance +Maximum Life +Spirit On Kill Unique Effect: Your Earth Skills are now also Werebear Skills and fortify you for [x].
Insatiable Fury	Chest Armor	+Physical Damage +Overpower Damage +Damage Reduction while Fortified +Armor While in Werebear form Unique Effect: Werebear form is now your true form, and you gain +2 Ranks to all Werebear Skills.
Aspect of the Ursine Horror	Gloves	Pulverize is now also an Earth Skill. After casting Pulverize, tectonic spikes continue to deal [X] damage over 2 seconds.
Temerity	Pants	+Potion Charges +Potion Drop Rate +Lucky Hit: Chance to Heal +Healing +Your potion also briefly grants movement speed Unique Effect: Effects that Heal you beyond 100% Life grant you a barrier up to [40 – 80%] of your maximum HP that lasts for 8 seconds.
Aspect of Quicksand	Boots	Damage from earth skills slow enemies hit by 25-50% for 5 seconds.
Shockwave Aspect	Weapon	Pulverize Creates a shockwave that travels forward, dealing 60-100% of its damage to targets in the same path.
Crashstone Aspect	Amulet	Earth Skills deal 40-50% more critical strike damage to crowd-controlled enemies.
Aspect of the Rampaging Werebeast	Ring 1	The duration of Grizzly Rage is increased by 1-5 seconds. In addition, while Grizzly Rage is active, Critical strikes increase your Critical Strike Damage by 10% for the duration.
Mother’s Embrace	Ring 2	+Fire Resistance +Cold Resistance +Critical Strike Chance +Critical Strike Damage +Overpower Damage +Core Skill Damage If a Core Skill hits 5 or more enemies, 20 – 40% of the Resource cost is refunded.

Final Thoughts

The Druid class is not only highly versatile but also a delightful class to play. Throughout this article, we have explored the reasons why, in our view, it stands out as our pick for Diablo 4 Best Tank.

To summarize, we recommend opting for the werebear shapeshifter build on the Druid. This particular build showcases an impressive health pool and a wide array of defensive skills that render the character virtually unstoppable. When it comes to dealing damage, the Pulverize spam ability proves to be highly effective, effortlessly eliminating non-boss enemies. With this, we conclude our discussion on the Diablo 4 best tank. We would love to hear about your experiences and how you are enjoying the game so far.

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