Player Guidance for Melee-Focused Druid

Hi, all! 🙋‍♂️

Just started a Strixhaven campaign using 5.5e, and one of my players wanted to play against type, so I wanna empower the heck out of that! They're a bit on the inexperienced side, so I wanna shy them away a bit from multiclassing, just to make things easier on them.

Are there any really good subclasses for a melee-focused druid? TIA! 

If you are sticking to official content, the Moon Druid is about the only melee-oriented subclass (by Wildshaping into stronger beasts to attack). The rest primarily focus on spellcasting. If you are allowing third-party content, you could take a look at Circle of the Old Ways from the Crooked Moon part 1 book. Its features are based around buffing a Druid who is using Shillelagh and a Shield, giving them a nice array of buffs for a melee character in the form of things like extra AC, Extra Attack, extra damage to your attacks, and damage dealt back to melee attackers. It's a very nature-based melee attacker with a really cool bramble-and-thorn theme.

Perfect! Thank you! 

I just started playing a druid who took the Unbroken Circle subclass...It is made for a battle druid. You gain 2024 Shillelagh but can use any weapon you choose. Want a great weapon, go for it. I chose a Whip and use a shield. Great for me AC. I have 10 foot reach and stand behind my tanks which can help me concentrate on spells like spike growth or entangle. I get two attacks at 6th level and a +1 two damage and to hit which late scales to plus 2 and plus 3. at 10th level I can use one of my attacks as a cantrip and one as my weapon. Some of my Circle splls are excellent like Haste.

You can find it in The Griffins Saddlebag Book one. Its a simple class to play. Almost like a fighter with druid spells and wildshape.

Amazing. Thank you! Looks like my player has plenty of choices (and who knows how many more they'll have by the time they hit level 3?)!

I liked the circle of the sea cos I found it enjoyable to smash folks with the sea aura as a BA ... not the best melee option but it was fun

Spores Druid (which is WotC official) is very melee focused. Very.