S-TIER | BUILD DRUIDE BONESTORM ORACLE LEVELING (@SpudTheKing) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

This Druid Shaman build by Spud The King is one of the most powerful leveling experiences in Path of Exile 2 0.5. The author himself describes it as « broken » and « feels like cheating » — and for good reason: it combines multiple damage amplifiers (Shock, Bleed, Poison, Stun, Impale, Lightning) to achieve disproportionate power from Act 1 onwards, without relying on gear RNG.

The gameplay revolves around two distinct phases. For pack clearing, you chain Entangle and Thunderstorm (Acts 1-2), then add Thrashing Vines from Act 3 onwards to shred entire screens in seconds. For bosses, Bonestorm becomes your sole DPS source, amplified by Wing Blast (to stun bosses and generate power charges) and the Wyvern’s basic attack (which adds lightning damage).

The core of the build is an endgame tech that multiplies damage by 4: you insert a Lesser Storm Rune into your weapon to add lightning damage gain, then link Bonestorm with Living Lightning. Each Bonestorm projectile then creates lightning minions that instantly consume Impale stacks, transforming what is essentially a DoT skill into a devastating burst. The result is a smooth and comfortable leveling experience all the way to endgame, with a comfortable margin against bosses.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Skill Gem Setup by Step

This build offers 5 progression steps from leveling to the final build. Select a step to see the corresponding gem setup.

Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4 Interludes

Act 1

7 skills • 15 gemmes

Déchirure

Drain de manaMana Drain

Essaim voraceRavenous Swarm

OrageThunderstorm

Tempête d'ossementsBonestorm

EnchevêtrementEntangle

Coup d'aileWing Blast

Act 2

7 skills • 17 gemmes

Déchirure

Déflagration d'ossementsBone Blast

OrageThunderstorm

Tempête d'ossementsBonestorm

EnchevêtrementEntangle

Coup d'aileWing Blast

Essaim voraceRavenous Swarm

Act 3

9 skills • 22 gemmes

Déchirure

Déflagration d'ossementsBone Blast

Lianes cinglantesThrashing Vines

Présence accablanteOverwhelming Presence

OrageThunderstorm

Tempête d'ossementsBonestorm

EnchevêtrementEntangle

Coup d'aileWing Blast

Essaim voraceRavenous Swarm

Act 4

9 skills • 25 gemmes

Déchirure

Déflagration d'ossementsBone Blast

Lianes cinglantesThrashing Vines

Présence accablanteOverwhelming Presence

OrageThunderstorm

Tempête d'ossementsBonestorm

EnchevêtrementEntangle

Coup d'aileWing Blast

Essaim voraceRavenous Swarm

Interludes

9 skills • 25 gemmes

Déchirure

Déflagration d'ossementsBone Blast

Lianes cinglantesThrashing Vines

Présence accablanteOverwhelming Presence

OrageThunderstorm

Tempête d'ossementsBonestorm

EnchevêtrementEntangle

Coup d'aileWing Blast

Essaim voraceRavenous Swarm

Recommended Equipment

• Main weapon (Wand 1H): absolutely prioritize « + level to all spell skills » or « + level to all physical spell skills ». From level 36 onwards, a +3 spell skills wand will hold until level 55 without needing an upgrade.
• Lesser Storm Rune: insert into the wand to add « gain damage as lightning damage ». This is what activates the entire Living Lightning → Impale chain. Guaranteed reward from the friendly quest in Act 1.
• Focus (offhand): if using a 1H weapon, pick a Focus with « +2 level to all spell skills » to further boost your gems.
• Weapon Set 2 — basic Talisman: no need to upgrade it. Only used to transform into Bear Form to tank bosses and use Bear Attacks.
• Amulet (Act 4+): combine Liquid Emotions Envy + Paranoia dropped by the Act 4 mini-boss to gain +critical hit chance. Since Bonestorm fires dozens of projectiles, crits apply everywhere.
• Armor: prioritize maximum life on all slots. Resistances are useful but secondary during leveling.

Gameplay Tips

• Guaranteed skill gems: Abandoned Camp (Act 1, uncut skill gem lvl 1), Grim Jungle hut (uncut support gem), mushroom king boss (level 3), executioner victim (level 5). Don’t miss them.
• Boss rotation: maintain Bonestorm + cast Wing Blast when the yellow stun bar fills up → power charges + guaranteed stun. Follow up with a basic Wyvern attack for lightning damage.
• Clear rotation: Entangle on a pack → Thunderstorm on top → keep running. The Living Lightning minions and debuff propagation clear the pack without any further input.
• Act 4 speedrun: drop Thunderstorm, Thrashing Vines and Entangle. Just run to gain XP and reach the mini-boss that drops the Liquid Emotions for the critical amulet.
• Ascendancy is swappable: the current Mobalytics build is Shaman, but the author recommends Oracle in his video for the « secret passives » notes. You can switch ascendancy later with no penalty.

Bonestorm + Living Lightning + Impale Combo

This is the core tech that makes this build « broken ». Rend Bonestorm is a physical channeling skill that fires numerous projectiles. Each hit generates Impale stacks on the target, storing 30% bonus damage. To release those stacks, you need to deal damage again — that’s where the combo comes in.

By linking Bonestorm with Living Lightning and equipping the Lesser Storm Rune (gain damage as lightning damage), each projectile becomes a lightning trigger that spawns lightning minions. These minions automatically attack the target and consume the Impale stacks within a few frames, effectively quadrupling your damage output. The only requirement: have a source of lightning damage (the rune is enough).

The visual result is spectacular: you channel Bonestorm for 2-3 seconds and bosses disappear before they even have a chance to use their mechanics.

Lesser Storm Rune Setup: +50% free damage

The Lesser Storm Rune is the trigger for the previous combo. It is obtained as a reward from the « Friendly » quest in Act 1 (unlocks the smithing table). Inserted into the wand, it adds a « gain damage as lightning damage » that turns every physical skill or spell into an additional source of lightning damage.

The optimal timing to insert it: wait until you have a wand +2 or +3 level to all (physical) spell skills that you plan to keep for several levels. There is no point socketing a weapon you will replace in 5 levels. Once the rune is in place, you can activate the support swap on Bonestorm: remove Zenith I, add Living Lightning + Burgeon I.

Burgeon I is a support that increases damage the longer you hold down the skill button. Combined with the channeling of Bonestorm, it is an additional damage multiplier on bosses.

Shaman vs Oracle Ascendancy: Which to Choose?

The current Mobalytics builder uses Shaman, which provides solid bonuses to elemental skills and survivability. It is a safe choice for leveling, especially if it is your first run.

Spud The King recommends Oracle in his video, mainly for a single node: the ability to take « secret passives » on the passive tree. These hidden passives unlock very powerful notables for spell/physical damage builds. The advantage becomes most visible in endgame, but during leveling you will not fully exploit its potential.

Good news: the Ascendancy is changeable in Path of Exile 2. You can start as Shaman for safety, then switch to Oracle when you move into endgame. The final decision depends on your playstyle: Shaman if you want comfort, Oracle if you want to push DPS to the maximum.

Liquid Emotions Act 4: The Critical Amulet

Act 4 contains a trick that few players exploit. An optional mini-boss there drops « Liquid Emotions » — consumables tied to the Delirium mechanic that can be infused into an amulet. The winning combination for this build is Envy + Paranoia, which provides a large amount of critical hit chance on the amulet.

Why is this massive? Bonestorm fires many projectiles per second. With a high critical hit chance, the majority of projectiles will crit, and each crit triggers the damage amplified by Impale, Bleed and Lightning. This is the final upgrade that transforms the build from « very good leveling » into « boss melt in 2 seconds ».

Practical tip: do not rush to finish Act 4. Take the necessary detours to spawn the mini-boss and farm the emotions. The amulet crafted this way can be kept all the way into endgame.

Skill Tree