U4GM guide Wyvern Cleave Druid leveling to Uber melts

I hadn't looked at the ladders since the December 12 launch, and then I saw people raving about Wyvern Cleave Druid and figured I'd give it a fair shake. If you're already browsing PoE 2 Currency or just trying to stretch what you've got, this is the kind of build that makes you feel like every upgrade actually matters. I'm on Barricade's setup and sitting at 93, and it doesn't play like the usual "hold one button and pray" thing. It's more like steering a heavy machine: fast when you're on beat, awkward when you aren't, and brutally effective once it clicks.

How the mapping loop really feels

Most of your time is spent in Wyvern form, and the map rhythm is simple on paper: Pounce in, stun the pack through Opening Move, then spam Rend until the screen goes quiet. The splash from Tribal Fury does a ton of hidden work, and Herald of Ash is basically your janitor, burning down whatever you didn't fully connect with. You'll notice pretty quickly that attack speed isn't "nice to have," it's the difference between feeling smooth and feeling stuck in molasses. When it's dialed in, you're flying through juicy T17s and barely stopping to think.

Bossing is a different button dance

Bosses are where people either fall in love with the build or drop it. You don't just swap skills and win. You build your charges with Wing Blast, keep your positioning tight, and then channel Empowered Oil Barrage when the window's there. The ramp is wild, but it punishes panic. If you fire it off at the wrong time, you'll feel it. If you line it up after a clean pattern read, the health bar just disappears in chunks, and it's honestly kind of funny.

Getting past the rough early acts

Early Druid can feel like you're made of paper. Acts 1 through 6 were mostly Rend plus Life Leech for me, and I focused on staying alive rather than pretending I was some speedrunner. Cloak of Flame is the first big "oh, thank goodness" moment because that phys taken as fire takes the edge off a lot of random deaths. Around Act 7, once you've got the Hooded One Rage stuff online, the whole character starts behaving. From there, prioritize a real weapon setup: high physical DPS axes or maces, then stack attack speed anywhere you can get away with it.

Why people say it "prints" in endgame

Once you're settled, the build's a strong all-rounder for Essences and Delirium because you clear fast and you don't fold the second something looks at you. Reactive Growth helps you roll with elemental pressure, and Soul Tether makes overleech feel like a safety net as long as you're still playing the game and not standing in nonsense. The chase items are still the chase items, sure, but even the mid-tier upgrades feel meaningful. And if you're the type who'd rather skip the endless grind and just get back to mapping, grabbing cheap poe 2 currency can be the difference between stalling out and actually finishing the setup.