The Druid's Wild Shape feature helps them excel in nearly any party role. Need to go on a stealthy reconnaissance mission? Turn into a spider. Need to rush into the heat of battle? Turn into a bear. Need to scout ahead for the party? Turn into an eagle.
Druids saw changes to Wild Shape in the new Player's Handbook, and the updated Monster Manual expands their shape-shifting options with over 90 Beast stat blocks! While this article won't cover them all, we outline some standout choices for various adventuring scenarios.
New Beasts, New Wild Shape Rules
In the new Player's Handbook, Druids saw some notable changes to their Wild Shape feature, including:
Action Economy. Shape-shifting into an animal with Wild Shape now takes a Bonus Action.
Known Forms. A Druid begins with four known Beast forms and can change one of these forms whenever they finish a Long Rest. The number of known forms increases with Druid level.
Swim Speed. Druids can now assume the form of Beasts with a Swim Speed at any level.
Temporary Hit Points. When Druids use Wild Shape, they no longer adopt their Beast form's Hit Point total. Instead, when they use Wild Shape, they gain a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to their Druid level. Because Wild Shape is no longer limited by the Beast form's Hit Points, a Druid's Wild Shape only ends early if the Druid has the Incapacitated condition, dies, or uses Wild Shape again.
More Uses. The number of Wild Shape uses increases to 3 at level 6 and 4 at level 17. Druids regain one expended use after finishing a Short Rest and all expended uses after finishing a Long Rest.
Circle of the Moon. The Circle of the Moon subclass has been reworked, improving its survivability and damage-dealing capabilities while in using Wild Shape.
How Wild Shape Works
New to shape-shifting into animals? It's recommended to read over the Druid's Wild Shape ability before diving into this article. That way, you'll know how this feature works, the criteria for choosing Beast forms, and what features are affected by assuming a Wild Shape form.
Combat Options

Need to let your claws, teeth, or…tongue do the talking? Here are some Beasts that will help you unleash your wild side on your enemies.
CR: 1/4
- Giant Bat: The Giant Bat has a Fly Speed of 60 feet and, thanks to its Large size, can airlift Small or Medium allies into the heart of battle—and its Blindsight with a range of 120 feet make it perfect for a nighttime ambush!
- Wolf: The Wolf is a reliable choice at CR 1/4. The potential Advantage on attack rolls offered by Pack Tactics is always welcome, and the Wolf can knock their target Prone on a hit, setting up your allies to make melee attack rolls against it with Advantage.
CR: 1/2
- Ape: The Ape has a Climb Speed, which you can use to easily reposition yourself out of your enemies' reach. The Ape is also one of the few Beast options with a ranged attack option, enabling them to make an attack at a target up to 25 feet away (or up to 50 feet away with Disadvantage).
- Black Bear: The Black Bear's Multiattack make it a great choice for a Druid looking to dive into the fray and shred their enemies, and its Darkvision combined with Climb and Swim Speed allow it to fight in nearly any natural terrain.
- Crocodile: If you want to control the battlefield by imposing the Restrained condition on your enemies, the Crocodile is a great choice! The Restrained condition not only gives a creature Disadvantage on all attack rolls, but it also means that all attack rolls targeting the creature are made with Advantage.
- Reef Shark: If you need to fight underwater at this CR, the Reef Shark is a solid pick. On top of a vicious Bite attack, it has Pack Tactics to help gain Advantage on attack rolls and Blindsight out to 30 feet, which can help in the murky depths!
CR 1

- Brown Bear: The Brown Bear is a bigger, badder version of the Black Bear. It deals more damage and knocks Large or smaller targets Prone when it hits with its Claw attack.
- Dire Wolf: The Dire Wolf is a bigger, faster, higher AC version of the regular Wolf, and boasts a stronger Bite!
- Giant Octopus: If you need to fight underwater, the Giant Octopus can impose the Grappled and Restrained conditions on a target, making it a great option for crowd control. If the combat starts going poorly or you simply need to reposition, you can use the Ink Cloud Reaction to make an area Heavily Obscured and move after taking damage.
- Giant Toad: With the Giant Toad, you gobble down up to Medium-sized targets! Creatures swallowed by a Giant Toad have the Blinded and Restrained conditions and take Acid damage and the end of each of the toad's turns, making it a solid crowd control option.
- Lion: The Lion has Multiattack, allowing it to use Roar to potentially impose the Frightened condition on an opponent and attack with Rend in the same turn (or simply make two attacks).
CR 2
- Allosaurus: The Allosaurus is like a smaller, faster version of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. If this predatory dinosaur moves 30+ feet straight toward a Large or smaller creature before hitting it with its Claws attack, it can knock the target Prone and make an extra Bite attack against it.
- Giant Boar and Rhinoceros: These two options are quite similar in that they're both Large Beasts that can Gore an opponent and deal extra damage if they charge at least 20 feet toward the target first. If you are at or below half of your total Hit Points, the Giant Boar's Bloodied Fury trait will grant you Advantage on melee attack rolls. But if you aren't injured yet, you may prefer the Rhino's Gore attack for its greater damage and higher attack bonus.
- Giant Constrictor Snake: The Giant Constrictor Snake is your first opportunity to grapple a Large creature while in Wild Shape. Time to hold that Beholder or Owlbear in place!
- Hunter Shark: The Hunter Shark is a good swimming option for this CR. Its Bite attack can be made with Advantage if the target doesn't have all its Hit Points, and it boasts Blindsight with a range of 60 feet.
- Saber-Toothed Tiger: The Saber-Toothed Tiger is a formidable predator. This massive feline has the Multiattack action, and it can use Nimble Escape to Disengage or Hide as a Bonus Action.
CR 3

- Ankylosaurus: This massive, heavily armored dinosaur is able to knock even Huge targets Prone!
- Giant Scorpion: The Giant Scorpion can attack three times with its Multiattack, deal Poison damage with its stinger, grapple up to two Large creatures at a time, and has Blindsight with a range of 60 feet.
- Killer Whale: The aquatic options keep getting bigger! The Killer Whale is faster than the Hunter Shark and deals more damage on a Bite, but keep in mind the Hunter Shark has Advantage on attack rolls against targets that don't have all its Hit Points.
CR 4
- Hippopotamus: A new addition to the Monster Manual, the Hippopotamus's appeal is pretty straightforward—Bite twice, deal impressive damage. It's also a suitable underwater option because it has a Swim Speed of 30 feet and can hold its breath for 10 minutes.
CR 5
- Giant Crocodile: This Huge Beast is a menace on the battlefield. With its Multiattack, you can use its Tail attack to knock a Large or smaller target Prone, then make a Bite attack with Advantage to impose the Grappled and Restrained conditions on a hit.
- Giant Shark: The Giant Shark deals as much damage per bite as the Killer Whale, it can attack twice using Multiattack, and it has Advantage on attack rolls against targets that don't have all their Hit Points, making it an absolute terror beneath the waves.
- Triceratops: The Triceratops picks up where the Giant Boar and the Rhinoceros leave off. Like them, the Triceratops can deal extra damage and knock its target Prone if it moves 20+ feet straight toward its target before it hits with its Gore attack. But the Triceratops also gets Multiattack, allowing it to attack twice per turn instead of once, and deals more damage overall.
CR 6
- Giant Squid: The Giant Squid is the highest CR Beast with a Swim Speed a Circle of the Moon Druid can choose from the new Monster Manual. It can impose the Grappled condition on up to two targets at a time, pull Grappled targets closer, and its Bite attack deals devastating damage. It is extremely fast, with a Swim Speed of 80 feet, and can use its Ink Cloud Reaction to heavily obscure an area and move up to its Swim Speed after taking damage.
Exploration Options

These forms below make for excellent scouts or transports, but keep in mind that your time in Beast form is limited! Each use of Wild Shape lasts a number of hours equal to half your Druid level.
Once you reach level 6, you'll be able to expend three uses of Wild Shape to travel for 9 hours per day before you need a Short Rest to continue.
CR 0 - 1/4

- Cat (CR 0): Cats are a great Beast form to scout in. These Tiny felines have +4 to Dexterity (Stealth) checks and +3 to Wisdom (Perception) checks, Darkvision with a range of 60 feet, a 40-foot Climb Speed, and its jump distance is determined using its Dexterity rather than its Strength.
- Camel (CR 1/8): The Camel is a transportation or draft animal better suited for nighttime travel than some other options because it has Darkvision with a range of 60 feet. Camels also have a Speed of 50 feet, which is faster than Draft Horses but not quite as fast as Riding Horses or Warhorses.
- Giant Badger (CR 1/4): Giant Badgers have a natural aptitude for underground exploration. When it's time to dig your way to your next destination, you can use the Giant Badger's Burrow Speed and Darkvision to infiltrate and navigate tunnels. If you stumble into any nasty insects or monsters on the way, the Giant Badger also has Resistance to Poison damage.
- Eagle (CR 0) or Hawk (CR 0): The Eagle and Hawk are great options for exploration during the daytime, with a 60-foot Fly Speed and +6 to Wisdom (Perception) checks. I personally prefer the Hawk for its slightly higher Dexterity, but you may prefer the Eagle for its slightly higher Strength, Constitution, and damage.
- Octopus (CR 0): If you're exploring underwater, the enigmatic Octopus can maneuver through a space as narrow as 1 inch. Additionally, it can use its Ink Cloud Reaction to make an area Heavily Obscured and move up to its Swim Speed after taking damage, allowing for quick getaways.
- Owl (CR 0): The Owl is well-suited to nighttime scouting, with a 60-foot Fly Speed, and Darkvision with a range of 120 feet. Its Flyby trait helps it flee an enemy's reach if it gets ambushed. The Owl's +5 bonus to Wisdom (Perception) and Dexterity (Stealth) checks can keep you hidden from your enemies while you spy on them.
- Rat (CR 0): Another prolific infiltrator! The Rat has +2 to Wisdom (Perception) checks and Darkvision with a range of 30 feet, appears innocuous in most settings, and doesn't provoke Opportunity Attacks if someone decides to try to catch you!
- Riding Horse (CR 1/4): The Riding Horse can carry an ally or two through tough terrain in between adventures, or help quickly ferry a message. If you need to move lots of equipment rather than people, you may want to go with the Draft Horse (CR 1/4) instead. When you can Wild Shape into creatures of CR 1/2, you may want to consider the Warhorse (CR 1/2), as it moves just as quickly as the Riding Horse but with strength of the Draft Horse (and a stronger attack).
- Spider (CR 0): While many wish they could be a fly on the wall of their enemies' conversations, Druids can be a spider in the corner! Beyond being able to fit into all the nooks and crannies of an enemy's lair, these arachnids have the Spider Climb trait, allowing them to walk up walls and upside down along ceilings.
CR 1/2
- Giant Goat: For when you need to pull nearly as much weight as a Draft Horse, but you want Darkvision or a Climb Speed—or you simply want to be the goat.
- Giant Seahorse: The Giant Seahorse is an agile underwater creature. Its 40-foot Swim Speed is better than the Reef Shark's 30 feet, and it can use its Bubble Dash Bonus Action to move up to half its Swim Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
CR 1
- Tiger: While the Lion excels at combat, the Tiger is well-suited for exploration. The Tiger has +7 to Dexterity(Stealth) checks, also boasts a Darkvision with a range of 60 feet, and if it gets caught in a tough spot, it can use Nimble Escape to take the Disengage or Hide action as a Bonus Action.
CR 4 - 6
- Elephant (CR 4) or Mammoth (CR 6): When you're this big, you can carry the whole party! Granted, you'll be (much) easier to spot, but a pachyderm is probably a better ambush deterrent than, say, a horse.
Reskinning Beast Stat Blocks

There are millions of animal species on earth, and possibly a comparable number in your fantasy setting. The stat blocks in the new Monster Manual provide a wide variety of Beasts that you can easily use to represent other similar creatures.
For example, the Panther stat block can also represent a mountain lion, while the Giant Goat stat block might represent a buffalo.
Be sure to ask your Dungeon Master before reskinning one stat block as another!
Wild Shaping Your Future
The new Monster Manual is a veritable zoo full of Beasts to inspire your Wild Shapes.
Whether you want to soar through the skies, explore the darkest depths, or be the elephant in the room, you'll find a stat block waiting for you. When you've selected your Known Forms and are ready to roll some dice—fly, swim, gallop, or slither over to the Character Builder and get your Druid suited up for some wild adventure!

Damen Cook (@damen_joseph) is a lifelong fantasy reader, writer, and gamer. If he woke up tomorrow in Faerûn, he would bolt through the nearest fey crossing and drink from every stream and eat fruit from every tree in the Feywild until he found that sweet, sweet wild magic.
"The Circle of the Moon subclass has been reworked, improving its survivability and damage-dealing capabilities while in using Wild Shape."
Old Circle of the Moon could turn into an Elemental at level 10. Not to mention 2014 Druid got unlimited Wildshape uses at level 20.
The 2024 Druid is but a shadow of its former self.
…
Does this mean the ‘class’ 101 articles are coming back? Like from the days when James was still on staff? Please let this be true!
Great article, didn’t even realize that squid were that high CR! Makes me think next time I join an aquatic campaign Druid is the way to go (the shark and killer whale stat blocks are terrifying, super fun to play!)
I am really disappointed with many things in the druid 2024.
A. Let's start with wildshape because it's here.
1. No attacking using wisdom / spell modifier . Actually if you really wanted to be great just say druids can always use wisdom modfier for unarmed attacks and your wild shape attacks count as unarmed strikes . 1' it make all shapes scale nicely like how the heck a level 9 druid expect to attack and hit with a +5 giant scorpion it's really dumb 2' would work nicely as a monk dip for no/nearly any class vip nicely with a monk dip .
2. Beast DC not replaced with your spellcasting DC making many beasts at higher levels have laughable DC saves to avoid their things. Check (1.1') .
3. Instead of expanding the beast list by adding owlbear and other magical beasts in a magical fantasy world to the druid . Instead they REMOVE few iconic beasts like giant eagle giant owl giant elk . Like what the heck ? The fact not giving druids much CR 2 and 3 in the phb is crazy in the first place.
4. No spell casting as beasts like for real how do you expect a player to just lose access to half their class just because they use a feature . Imagine saying a barberian when raging cant use weapons or making hunters mark concentration a core requirement for ranger removing all their other concentration spells ... (Mandatory *** at ranger) . And don't tell me about moon druids not a single spell in that leat is a bonus action so you just don't act as a beast it's the same as bonus action shift cast spell and bonus action shift next turn . Very frustrating. (Side note cure wounds should been a bonus action because. Lesser restoration and healing hand became bonus action and it wouldn't be too broken because the deffrient between cure wounds and healing word would been the range . And fount of moon night would been nice as a bonus action with a 1d6 upcasting because gosh why did you ignore it's upcasting for no resone) .. happy thoughts. Locking a character main feature because they are using one of their features is completely unacceptable and never been fun. A simple fix could been you use a wildshape whenever you cast a spell and at level 5 you could substatude wildshape with 1level spell and then would been much shorter reach to get full spellcasting at level 12 or something.
5. Speaking of which why level 5 wildshape resurgence need to not have ANY wildshape . Like what would it matter . Instead it actually limit a class like the circle of sea to use their capstone more often than not because they won't be able to gain other wildshape. And the bard for example doesn't require them to not have non bardic dice.
6. I really mess elemental wildshape tbh it was Soo cool it was epic and made me feel like a master druid of the elements .
7. Forgot that point there is no beast / companion support items at all in the DMG and that's a tirrble thing . Like even magical wraps estate unarmed attacks spessficly (that would been working for the druid if the beast attacks counted as unarmed strikes) but the beast ranger for example and many of the summon spells get ignored and lose much botuncy later
B. Spells.
The spell collection of the druid was largely ignored to look at an buff . Tsunami still a minute to cast and storm of vengeance buff is so laughable that it feel like an insult and shape change still iant a bonus action so the player get to immediately use the spell rather than risk it gone by the time it go to them. And many more.
C. Warden, Weapons and shileilegh
Ok so you give option of Warden that is great. Nice . You can use martial weapons. What would be the use of that if you can't use the weapon. A druid need to invest in wisdom and unlike cleric who can focus on buffs and ignore dex and gain heavy armor to focus on str druid can't do that. And then not giving the option to true strike or make shileilegh work with all weapons is rather ... Ugh . once more frustrating to say the least. Oh and moon druid and later spore druid would certainly would loved to have an extra attack feature same for the war cleric tbh.
In conclusion I say you not for the writer to the article but for wotc devs you certainly didn't have time and option to explore more after the ogl crises The druid was so close of being something great and amazing but boy it didn't get enough time to cook. Same for ranger . Same for warlock. Ranger specially got gutted and got the worst front imo.
I do not understand the complain about druid class it is probably second best spellcaster after Wizard.
I don't see it either. I'll even go further- they are better than wizards in terms of versatility. Full caster, plus all the flexibility wild shape gives you? If you focus on skills during character creation- say, human and a background with the skilled feat- you've got a character that contributes in every situation. social, exploration, land/sea/air mobility, buff, heal, melee and ranged combat, all covered.
Oh, and regarding the article- don't forget beast shape damage resistances for moon druids! Polar bear (cold), fire beetle (fire) and giant badger (poison). Situational, but useful.
As for anyone worried about a moon druid not having a specific item to boost "to hit" chance- we don't need it with the ability gain advantage on the roll (pack tactics, or our moon step at level 10). Regarding Tsunami and Storm of Vengeance- Their range is 1 mile and area massive! Use them to soften up a whole camp (or army) of enemies that don't even know a fight is happening, and you won't be disappointed.
As for casting, just cast first then wild shape. Opening with a concentration spell is usually a good idea, and Druids have a nice variety- particularly summons. Moon druids can add wisdom bonus to concentration saves, so getting into melee really doesn't have to create the anxiety it does for some players. And with high speed on several beast forms, you can hang back round one anyway, then run in for round 2 attacks.
Great article, I believe actually playing the new druid would change people's mind or at least alleviate some of the white board criticisms. I'm in a campaign currently going 1 to 20th level and currently at level 7; no issues so far. I was using old beasts and switched to new ones once released. If you can, get some handwraps to boost accuracy a bit
me, having nerd moment.
i know for game purposes that Allosaurus is just smaller Tyrannosaurus. But as a Dino nerd i take offence to that. Allosaurus was much more than that, not only was it a highly successfull predator that dominated its envirment. they had wider jaw gape then most Theropods and their teeth where like stake knifes. it should grant every victim a bleed effect. Also likely faster than T. rex. the family of Allosauroid also includes the charcharodontosaurs, large theropods like giganotosaurus and achrocanthosaurus.
also Panther is not a species of great cat. panther is what one call either a Jaguar or leopard that is afflicted by melanisim, making them black. Panther is thefamily name for large cats Like Panther Leo is Lions.
The fact that every high level beast with a flight speed was turned into a Celestial is a travesty. For a feature that’s meant to be able to do anything, you’d better not waste your time trying to make a bird Druid, at all. And even other forms with the new rules aren’t much better.
Druids are excellent spellcasters, decent melee combatants, and exceptional supporters, but each of those things require making synergistic choices, and none of them synergize with Wild Shape. It’s a sad failure of design when half of the Druid’s subclasses effectively give up wild shape permanently for starry form or wrath of the sea. It’s the class feature that is meant to make them iconic, and it is instead a functionally niche bit of utility at best, no matter which Circle you take.
since the release of 2024 Druid, I’ve used wildshape to turn into a tiny spider one time, and none of my players have used wildshape for anything other than flavor, unless it was to fuel a subclass feature. It’s comical how uninteresting, frustrating, and underpowered the wildshape feature has become.
Owl is actually the most broken Wild Shape in the game. Turn 1 Conjure Woodland Beings and bonus action Wildshape into an Owl then move 60 ft without provoking opportunity attacks dealing 5d8 Force Damage to potentially every enemy in combat. As a Tiny Creature you can even mount your allies to trigger it again with their movement on their turn.
It’s 2025
You can use the same trick with other forms as well- the spell itself allows you disengage as a bonus action. Lots of fun! It reminds me of a good point, though- lower level wild shapes stay more useful at higher levels than they did in 2014 rules, with temp HP coming from your level, and using your own base HP.
But a "non-moon" druid could always use Wildshape defensively by safely flying away as an owl, or taking cover under or behind something as any tiny beast. A lot of players forget that range and cover, not just AC and HP, matter for defense. Wildshape gives you many options for speed and smaller size. The extra wild shape slots in 2024 rules make it easier for any subclass of druid to shift one turn, escape/take cover, then reemerge and shift back- all while keeping actions free to attack!
I get that is an issue, but it's not improved by the changes they made. They actually push you more into that kind of gimmick by taking away high-level combat beast with a flying speed. Now, if I want to be a meaningful birdruid, I have to rely on broken spell interactions, movement rules, and exploiting the system instead of making a beak/slash attack and disengaging. Instead of playing as a bird, I have to play as a spellcaster with extra gimmicks to change the rules of my spells, and if I wanted that, I would play a sorcerer.
It was released in 2024.
Hello! When will we get an update on SRD 5.2's progress?
I am being confused by the higher CR critters being shown here when the Wildshape chart shows that the highest CR a druid can use is 1. Am I missing something in the rules?
This takes into consideration the Circle of the Moon Druid Subclass.
Thank you. I didn't delve too deep into the subclasses.
for the author- Thank you for this, i have a new druid at a high tier play druid, IF you have links for a similar article or reference for barbarians! I would have to buy you a dinner some time.
as for the overall article the creative detail and principal application of the primary feature of this class, is AMAZINZG this is truly what I would hope to see in similar key features of play for our classes this provides such opportunity and depth for play for druids :)
Can we still become dinosaurs? I really like the infinite dinosaur mount hack.
Yes, but the rules are considered 2024 due to when the player's handbook went out. Most of the rules were implemented in 2025, yes, but they are still called 2024