Patch 0.4.0 hit and the first thing I did was test the Wyvern Druid because everyone kept whispering it was “free.” Yeah… it kind of is. You grab the Wyvern Talisman early, start stacking Power Charges, and suddenly the campaign feels like it’s on rails. If you’re still scraping for upgrades, it’s hard not to notice how often people point newbies toward u4gm poe 2 when they want to smooth out that awkward midgame gearing wall.

How the Clear Actually Works

The whole build lives and dies by charges, and Rend is the reason. It’s a cone swipe with lightning riding on top of physical damage, but the real trick is the Area of Effect scaling. At low charges it’s “fine.” At max charges, it’s a screen-wide delete button. You’ll feel it the moment you step into denser zones: you aren’t aiming so much as you’re pointing your character in a direction and watching packs vanish. Don’t overthink it—keep charges up and keep moving. That’s the rhythm.

Staying Alive Without Babysitting Your Bar

Most melee-ish builds in this patch have a little panic moment when things spike. This one doesn’t, mostly because of Devour. You tap it near corpses and it hands you 3 Power Charges plus a chunky Energy Shield refill. It’s not “nice sustain,” it’s more like a reset switch you can press constantly. The loop ends up super simple: Pounce into a pack, Rend a couple times, then Devour and you’re topped off again. You’ll catch yourself playing riskier because it keeps bailing you out, and honestly, it usually can.

Bossing: Don’t Spam, Time It

For rares and bosses, the mistake I see is people tunnel-vision on Rend and forget their utility. Wing Blast isn’t just extra damage—it’s control. Watch for that big stun threshold moment and use it to steal a safe window. Then layer Oil Barrage when the boss is pinned or committed to an animation. A lot of folks treat it like a rage dump, but with charge scaling it turns into steady pressure that keeps ticking while you reposition. It’s not flashy planning. It’s just clean, repeatable fights.

Links, Tree Direction, and the Real Cost

You’ll want a proper 6-link once maps start biting. Rend likes Added Lightning and Multistrike because it makes the build feel snappy instead of clunky. Devour with Efficacy helps the cadence, which matters more than people admit. On the tree, early physical nodes still do work, then you pivot into the Oracle side for those Foresight bursts that keep your damage and safety feeling “on” more often than “off.” If you’re trying to rush higher tiers, the usual shortcut is buying upgrades outright; just don’t do the classic thing where you blow everything on one shiny item and forget basics like resists and ES. If you do choose to top up, weave poe 2 currency into your plan as a way to finish the last few pieces, not as a replacement for building smart.