Bard/Cleric/Shaman — D4 AoE Moat & AA Farm (DDD Swarm)
D4 personal-instance swarm-kite farm — Bard primary, all-WIS gear, Denon's Desperate Dirge pack melts. Evasive + Empowering↔Recovery. Self-reported ~20 motes + ~13 AA/hr. Not a boss kit.
Bard
Cleric
ShamanOverview
Compiled from a creator moat-farm stream (creator unconfirmed) during the August 2026 patch era. Attribution: Community Builds — no account owns this entry. Compiled guide, not an official write-up. Primary: Bard (stated).
AoE moat + AA farming in D4 personal instances. Swarm-kite style: an alternative to the Befallen level-restart mote grind that does not require leveling alts down. Race: Unknown. Patch era: August 2026.
Variations named on camera (not seeded — no how-played given): Bard / Enchanter / Wizard, Bard / Wizard / Druid, Shadow Knight / Bard / Wizard.
Stances & Invocations
Stance
Evasive
95% chance to evade all incoming attacks. Every point evaded costs 2 endurance, reduced by Strategy skill. Evasion fails without endurance or while feigning death.
Ranger, Monk, Bard, Rogue, Beastlord
Invocation
Empowering
Damage effects +20% (+10% per additional non-hybrid casting class) for 20% more mana. Healing effects +10% (+5% per class) for 10% more mana.
Cleric, Druid, Shaman, Necromancer, Wizard, Magician, Enchanter
Recovery
Mana regen doubled and spells cost 5% less mana. Out-of-combat regen unaffected; the regen modifier stays active out of combat even when the invocation isn't.
Cleric, Paladin, Ranger, Shadow Knight, Druid, Bard, Shaman, Necromancer, Wizard, Magician, Enchanter, Beastlord
Evasive always while swarm-kiting. Bounce Empowering (Denon's crits; Cleric/Shaman unlock) ↔ Recovery (mana regen + −5% Denon's cost).
Key Abilities
Bard
| # | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denon's Desperate Dirge SONG | L43 AoE nuke — pack melt engine (DDD) |
| 2 | Evasive stance ABILITY | Always on while swarm-kiting |
| 3 | Recovery ABILITY | Double mana regen, −5% Denon's cost — bounce with Empowering |
Cleric
| # | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Empowering ABILITY | Bigger Denon's crits — bounce with Recovery; unlocked via Cleric/Shaman |
Shaman
| # | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feign Death (Sky ring click) ABILITY | Shaman Plane of Sky ring — panic button on bad pulls / golems |
Targets
| Target | Zone | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Zone farm | Personal instances | D4 AoE moat + AA farm — swarm-kite 5–10 packs; alternative to Befallen level-restart mote grind |
Playstyle Notes
All-wisdom gear at level 50. Round up 5–10 mobs, drop Denon's Desperate Dirge (L43 AoE nuke) to melt the pack, med, repeat. Sit in Evasive stance always; bounce between Empowering (bigger Denon's crits — available via Cleric/Shaman in the trio) and Recovery (double mana regen, −5% Denon's cost). Feign Death from the Shaman Plane of Sky ring click is the panic button when a pull goes wrong or a golem gets grabbed.
Self-reported average run: ~20 motes + ~13 AA per hour. Not a boss build — swap loadouts for raid day.
Gear Notes
| Item | Source | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Ethereal mist set pieces | Dropped | Wisdom / mana focus — stated loadout |
| Lustrous russet greaves | Dropped | Stated loadout |
| Lustrous russet boots | Dropped | Stated loadout |
| Slime Blood of Cazic gloves | Dropped | Stated loadout |
| Garudon | Dropped | Plane of Sky caster piece |
| Baton of Sky | Dropped | Plane of Sky caster piece |
| Aegis of the Wind | Dropped | Plane of Sky — Aegis/Hammer of the Wind (stated) |
| Hammer of the Wind | Dropped | Plane of Sky — Aegis/Hammer of the Wind (stated) |
Pros & Cons
- No alt-leveling required
- Chill "dad camp" pace
- Strong AA/hour (self-reported ~20 motes + ~13 AA/hr)
- Cannot boss with this loadout — swap for raid day
- Mana-gated — must med between pulls
- Denon's Desperate Dirge (DDD) is polarizing / possible nerf target
I disagree that this build isn't a 'boss' build. I fast kill all the bosses with this guild. D0-D2 I can pretty much DDD them all down if they aren't too magic resist and even if they are Malo + overchannel still lets you get ~2800 hits on DDD which can still crit in the ~8k range. And if you can't purley DDD them down you've got Odium, EB, Word of Divine, and you're melee+puma grinding them at around 350-400dps.
And don't forget about bard charm for a 200dps pet in certain instances.