[Top 10] D&D Best Druid Wild Shapes

Updated:

01 Jul 2023

10. Draft Horse - CR ¼

Draft horses aren’t good for battle, so don’t use them for that. In fact, the draft horse is basically useless in battle. So then, what’s so important about this Wild Shape? Well, if you’re a kind druid that wants to literally support your party, you can carry more weight and increase your traveling pace.

Strengths: Great for speedy travel or if you and your party did something to get chased out of town, running away as a draft horse is a good option.

Choose the Draft Horse if…

You want to help your party carry a heavy load or even injured or exhausted party members. Druids are usually able to heal their allies, but there are tough situations and sometimes your companions do something stupid and get hurt at the worst possible time – like when there's no way to heal them. As a draft horse, you’ll be able to carry them until they’re able to be healed.
This large beast can also traverse the land at a very speedy pace. If you have been separated from your party and don’t have any teleportation abilities, you can use the Wild Shape of the draft horse to find your way back to the group.
Now, the draft horse may not be your go to creature for battling, but that doesn’t mean it's defenseless. It can use its hooves as a melee weapon and can cause a bit of bludgeoning damage to one target.

Draft Horse Details: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_SRD:Draft_Horse

9. Velociraptor - CR ¼

The velociraptor may be classified as a tiny creature in size, but this little guy can really cause some damage if the enemy isn’t careful. A druid that chooses the velociraptor as their wild shape can use the skills of this ancient creature to slash and bite their targets.

Strengths: It’s a good Wild Shape that’s offered early in the game. Great at teamwork, its allies become part of its pack and it’s willing to do what it takes to keep them safe.

Choose Velociraptor if…

You want to use the Pack Tactics ability, if a member of your team is within five feet of an enemy and about to get wacked, it’ll trigger the pack mentality of this creature.With the desire to keep your friends safe, this will give you advantage on attack rolls.
Pounce on a target by rushing twenty feet at them and smashing them with a hit. The target must succeed on a strength saving throw or be knocked prone. This will give you a bonus action to take a bite out of them.

Velociraptor Details: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Velociraptor_(5e_Creature)

8. Dire Wolf - CR 1

The dire wolf is a versatile Wild Shape that can benefit both the druid and their party. Similar to the velociraptor, they value working in packs and their skills make them a good team player.

Strengths: The dire wolf has a proficiency bonus of plus two points and has a high AC of fourteen. It also has a high amount of hit points, making it a good choice for a druid who wants to do a little fighting while in their Wild Shape.

Choose Dire Wolf if…

You want to have an advantage on Wisdom checks. A Perception check with the advantage of the powerful nose and ears of a dire wolf can be used to pick up on danger that other party members might not be able to sense.
The dire wolf also has the Pack Tactics advantage. This only works if one of your party members is within five feet of an enemy. In order to protect your buddy, you get an attack roll advantage.
The jaw of a dire wolf is not to be messed with, especially if you add that Pack Tactics advantage into the attack roll. Their bite can cause an enemy to be knocked prone if they fail a DC saving throw.

Dire Wolf Details: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_SRD:Dire_Wolf

7. Giant Octopus - CR 1

Who doesn’t like a few wiggly tentacles throwing them around? Even though a druid can’t use a Wild Shape with swimming ability until level four, this is one of the best to choose. Despite its low AC, it has a good amount of hit points and other skills to make up for it.

Strengths: The giant octopus comes with darkvision and a swimming speed of sixty feet. The octopus may be considered a sea creature, but it's perfectly capable of being on land, although with a time limit. This Wild Shape is a great choice for some underwater play or above water battling.

Choose the Giant Octopus if…

You want to breathe underwater. It's a valuable skill to have. You never know when you need to do some deep sea investigating for your party. Just because you’re a sea creature, doesn’t mean you’ll be confined to the sea, you’ll be able to hold your breath on land but only for an hour.
You can use your tentacles as a melee attack weapon that not only causes bludgeoning damage, but can cause grappling as well. The downside to grappling a creature, is that despite having multiple tentacles you can only do this to one enemy at a time.
The ink cloud skill only works if you’re underwater. You’ll spew out ink in a twenty foot radius which only lasts for a minute. Once you use this skill, you can use dash as a bonus action for a quick escape.

Giant Octopus Details: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_SRD:Giant_Octopus

6. Giant Constrictor Snake - CR 2

A druid who chooses to use their Wild Shape ability to change into the giant constrictor snake is a great asset in battle. This snake can swim as fast as it’s walking speed, making it difficult for any target to get away no matter the terrain. Sadly, it has a low AC but it makes up for it in so many different ways.

Strengths: This huge beast has a good amount of hit and attack points making them sturdy in battle. The blindsight ability will keep any enemies from sneaking up on you. Using the giant constrictor will give you the opportunity to survey both land and sea.

Choose the Giant Constrictor Snake if…

You want heightened senses with your blindsight ability so are less likely to be surprised or ambushed. The Giant Constrictor Snake can perceive an enemy approaching them within ten feet.
One of two of its melee weapons are its teeth, this big boy can really cause some damage with a bite. If the attack lands, the target will suffer 2d6 plus 4 of piercing damage.
The second of its melee weapons is its ability to construct, it is Giant Constrictor after all. This beast will give its enemies a hug tight enough to possibly kill them. If this attack is successful, not only will the target suffer damage, but they will also be grappled.

Giant Constrictor Snake Details: https://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/SRD5:Giant_Constrictor_Snake

5. Giant Spider - CR 1

This big cutie is quite the adversary and it has plenty of skills a druid might need to utilize. It may not have the highest AC or hit points but its poisons and web skills make up for that.

Strengths: The poisons of the giant spider can leave a target paralyzed. Their webs can not only sense the exact location of anyone who stumbles into, but they can also use their webs as a ranged attack weapon.

Choose the Giant Spider if…

You want to climb seemingly impossible surfaces, even upside down without needing to do an ability check. If you and your party are lost in a cave, you can use this skill to climb around and scout the area.
The bite attack of a giant spider is a bit more deadly than others. Not only does it cause piercing damage, but if the target fails at a Constitution Saving Throw then they’ll be infected by your poison. Even if they succeed in that Constitution Saving Throw, they’ll still suffer poison damage but only half. What makes this even better, is that if the target hits zero hit points, they will paralyzed for the next hour -- even if they’ve recovered their full amount of hp.
Another way this Wild Shape can immobilize their prey is by using their webbing as a ranged weapon. Their web has a range of thirty to sixty feet and as long as the target fails a Strength Check, they’ll be unable to move.

Giant Spider Details: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_SRD:Giant_Spider

4. Quetzalcoatlus - CR 2

The quetzalcoatlus is a funky looking creature and a druid that uses it as its Wild Shape can really have some fun. It can be used to fly and survey the land from the sky or it can be used to carry a few extra items the party can’t hold. These guys are also huge, think giraffe type huge so they’re not the best at hiding but they’re good at being tall.

Strengths: The quetzalcoatlus has a high amount of hit points, making it difficult to knock out in battle. The multiattack ability is great to peck away at those pesky little enemies quickly. They have the ability of flight, which can definitely come in handy if you’re in a party where no one has wings.

Choose Quetzalcoatlus if…

You want an advantage on Perception checks that involve sight or smell. A creature as tall as the quetzalcoatlus definitely has the edge on spotting a threat from a distance.
The quetzalcoatlus does have a bite ability, and if the target is small enough, it can be grappled. In addition to biting, they have the multi attack ability, this allows them to bite twice.
The swallow skill is definitely a unique and fun skill, if a small creature is bitten and grappled, they can be swallowed. This poor creature will be blinded and restrained, but can not be attacked by anyone. Every turn they 7 (3d4) acid damage. The only way to escape, other than die, is to give the quetzalcoatlus eight or more points of damage in a single turn. This will upset the quetzalcoatlus, who will have to succeed on a Constitution saving throw. If they fail the throw, and the enemy is regurgitated, the enemy falls prone.

Quetzalcoathlus Details: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus_(5e_Creature)

3. Giant Crocodile - CR 5

The giant crocodile is a tank of a Wild Shape to choose. It’s better suited for battle than travel, as its swimming speed is faster than its walking speed. This Wild Shape is one of the strongest out there.

Strengths: Its natural armor is an AC of fourteen and it has a good amount of hit points. It’s a quick swimmer and with that added stealth is a sneaky beast despite its size. Its jaw and tail are excellent weapons and with the use of the multi attack ability can be quite deadly.

Choose the Giant Crocodile if…

Multi Attack is one of the best skills you can use. Nothing is better than getting two attacks in one turn. You can use your enormous jaws to bite an enemy, which will lead to them being grappled.
Its tail has a reach of ten feet and can cause bludgeoning damage to one target. If the hit lands and the target is a creature, it must succeed on a saving throw or it will be knocked prone.

Giant Crocodile: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_SRD:Giant_Crocodile

2. Giant Scorpion - CR 3

The giant scorpion is a fantastic Wild Shape to use when exploring those dark caves or poorly lit dungeons. Its massive size and its poison ability makes it intimidating to anyone that dares to challenge it in battle.

Strengths: This large beast can make up to three attacks in one turn and with its sixty foot range of blindsight being in the dark or battling hard see enemies are not a problem. It also had a plus two in perception and a passive perception of nine.

Choose the Giant Scorpion if…

You want to attack three times in one turn, and you can use this for each of your turns. The multi attack ability for the Giant Scorpion lets you attack once with each claw, then once with your stinger.
This beast can use both of its claws to grapple, all it has to do is land a hit with one of those massive pincers and the target will be stuck. That is, unless the enemy can succeed on an escape attempt and even if they do, they still don’t stand a chance at surviving a battle with you.
Like all scorpions, this one can sting and inject poisons into a target within five feet. This will not only cause piercing damage, but poison damage as well.

Giant Scorpion Details: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_SRD:Giant_Scorpion

1. Mammoth - CR 6

This has to be one of the strongest Wild Shapes a druid can use and it is nearly unstoppable. It is the only CR 6 creature. The mammoth has high hit points and can provide massive damage to any enemy.

Strengths: The mammoth has extremely high hit points and a speed of forty feet. It has a chance of knocking enemies prone and with its plus ten added to a landed attack roll, this big beast can take down just about anyone.

Choose Mammoth if…

You want to use the Trampling Charge ability to knock an enemy prone, then give them a good stomping in one turn. All you have to do is find a target, move twenty feet toward them and give them a good goring. If the target doesn’t succeed on a Strength Saving Throw, you can smoosh them.
Those long horns aren’t there just to make the mammoth look good, no, they are dangerous weapons. Gore is a great attack, it not only sounds cool but it is cool. It has a reach of ten feet and when it lands, don’t forget to add that plus ten to your damage roll.
Stomp is an amusing attack, use your big feet to squish your target. This can only be used on a prone creature and has a span of five feet, but despite those limitations it's still a great move.

Mammoth Details: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_SRD:Mammoth