Choose Gear With Hybrid Scaling in Mind

One of the biggest mistakes new Druid players make is stacking only melee stats or Path of Exile 2 Currency only spell stats.

Best Gear Stats to Prioritize

% Physical Damage (great for Bear and Wolf forms)
Attack Speed
Elemental Damage (for Human Form spellcasting)
Critical Strike Chance & Multiplier
Life on Hit / Regeneration
Armor and Evasion hybrid rolls

Look out for early Uniques introduced in Patch 0.4.0, as several new Path of Exile 2 Items directly enhance shapeshifting and Nature Energy.

Don't Neglect Defensive Layers

PoE 2's incoming damage can be punishing, especially in Acts 5-8. Druids tend to be melee-oriented, so your defenses need to be strong.

Recommended Defensive Tools

Bear Form's innate DR for high-damage encounters.
Armor stacking from the new heavy hybrid gear.
Life regeneration, which scales very well with nature-themed passives.
Resistances, which now play a bigger role in mitigating spellburst hits.

The Druid excels when balancing damage and protection rather than poe2 trade site rushing pure offense.