Diablo Wiki - User contributions [en]

Template:Novels

2009-09-16T09:33:42Z

Agito: added an s on the word 'game'.

<noinclude>This template is made to clearly show that an article is about one of the [[Diablo novel]]s, and has spoiler warnings.

Place the template just under the introduction text. The template will place the Table of Content right above it.

</noinclude>
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'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a '''Diablo novel''', and may not be directly related to any of the games, but contains important [[lore]] information about the Diablo universe that is '''canon'''. 
'''SPOILER WARNING!''' ''This article contains spoilers about the Diablo universe and {{PAGENAME}}!''
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<includeonly>[[Category:Novels]]
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<noinclude>''In addition, this template will categorize articles that include it into [[:Category:Novels]].''
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The Idol of Rygnar

2009-09-13T07:38:07Z

Agito:

The Idol of Rygnar is a random quest present in [[Act II]] of the Diablo III demo showcased at PAX 2009.

==Background==
The quest is issued to you after talking to Poltahr, outside the entrance to the [[Lost Ruins]].

[[Image:Idol_of_rygnar_quest.jpg|left|thumb|600px|An off-screen still image of a Wizard player beginning the quest.]]
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

The quest requires the player to search through the dungeons of the [[Lost Ruins]] to help Poltahr find an item, eponymously named "The Idol of Rygnar".

==Reward==
You are rewarded with 8400 experience points and an item called [[Empire Runners|"Empire Runners"]].

==References==
*[http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=739806&page=3#30 DIII.net Forums - PAX 2009 Diablo 3 Gameplay pg 3, post 30]
*[http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/1017288p2.html GameSpy: BlizzCon '09: Hands-On with Diablo III - Page 2]

Wizard

2009-09-13T07:12:05Z

Agito: /* Wizard Skills */

The '''Wizard''' is a pure [[caster|spellcaster]], harnessing arcane and elemental magic to do her bidding. Similar to the [[Sorcerer]] and [[Sorceress]] of previous Diablo games.

==Background==
{{Classbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Wizards.jpg
|portrait-width= 200px
|name= Wizard
|classtype= official
|role= [[Caster]]
|attrib= [[Willpower]]

|skilltree1= [[Arcane Skill Tree]]
|skilltree2= [[Conjuration Skill Tree]]
|skilltree3= [[Storm Skill Tree]]

|origin= [[Xiansai]]
|affiliation= None. [[Vizjerei]] (former), [[Zann Esu]] (former)
|friends= None Known
|foes= [[Vizjerei]], [[Yshari Sanctum]], [[Valthek]]
}}
[[Image:Male Wizard2.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Male Wizard using [[Wave of Force]].]]
The word "wizard" is used derogatory for rogue [[Sorcerer]]s and magi that are dangerous to the world at large in the world of [[Sanctuary]].

The female Wizard character in [[Diablo III]] is from the island [[Xiansai]], an island to the far north with a culture similar to Asia in our world. [[Abd al-Hazir]] writes about a 'wizard' wreaking havoc in [[Caldeum]] in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0007|seventh entry]] of the [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir]].

This female 19 year old wizard was sent to the [[Zann Esu]] [[mage clan]], but later handed over to the powerful [[Vizjerei]] since she was a "rude and uncooperative student," that the smaller mage clan could not control. They hoped the harsh discipline at Vizjerei "would break her anarchic spirit." Yet even the Vizjerei instructors were unable to rein her in. She was continually being caught seeking out dangerous and forbidden magics without care for herself or anyone around her.

It was rumoured in Caldeum that she ventured into the infamous [[Bitter Depths]] below the [[Sanctum]], but the truth is she was caught in the [[Ancient Repositories]], where the most dangerous incantations are housed for the safety of the public.

[[Valthek]], a great Vizjerei mage confronted her and she attacked him. She somehow relied on trickery and deceit to render Valthek unconscious and then proceeded to flee the city immediately after the encounter. The extensive property damage was assumed to be the result of Valthek's magical prowess, not the young wizard.

[[Image:Male_Wizard.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Male Wizard Artwork]]
Abd al-Hazir is concerned about the young, rebellious and inexperienced wizard wandering the world, using magics she does not understand. He mentioned that certain schools of magic were too dangerous and "those wiser than you or I determined long ago [to forbid] their practice." Primal forces including time warps include the secrets he suspects she gathered from the Ancient Repositories.

"It is my honest hope that this self-styled wizard chooses never to return to Caldeum."

===The Male Wizard===
The above is mostly the background of the female Wizard. Since it's very specifically a woman, we don't know yet where the male version comes from, his background or motivations.

==Class Design==
The Wizard is an aggressive archetypal magic wielder founding his powers on the aggressive fierceness of the storm, the arcane and conjuration. Both the male and female wizards are rebellious, headstrong, impulsive, and brilliant. Too smart and arrogant to fit into the authority of the sorcerer schools of the [[mage clan]]s. Always on the top of their skills and even smarter than their teachers, cocky and self assured.

===Sorceress Redux?===
Some fans have criticized the Wizard for just being the [[Sorceress]] with a new look. [[Jay Wilson]] commented on that [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1 in an interview with 1up.com] in December 2008.

[[Image:Wiz-disintegrate1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Wizard using [[Disintegrate]].]]
::''I would respond, "Yeah, you're right; the Wizard is basically a reskinned Sorceress." What we couldn't do with the Sorceress very well was break into what I'd call the old-school pen-and-paper magic user. You know the old magic user who could do a variety of things, like conjure up animals out of midair or create clouds of fog and acid or control time or [[Disintegrate|disintegrate things]] or use death spells. They had this wide variety of magic that they could use compared to the more traditional elementalist -- which is what the Sorceress is, meaning fire, ice, and lightning -- who was just more limited. What we really wanted to do is break into this area, while if we just did the Sorceress again, we'd be like, "OK, you have to do fire, ice, and lightning, but where does disintegrate fit? Where does slow time fit in?" So we decided [that we'd] just take the same class mechanics, and [that we'd] change the basic concept and name and just have a throwback to that old-school magic user to give ourselves a broader range of magic skills. But there was never a huge desire to go away from the basic gameplay of the Sorceress; there's a lot of repeated skills, and that's intentional.''

==Attributes and Skills==
===Attributes===
====Starting Attributes====

*'''[[Life]]:''' 20
*'''[[Mana]]:''' 80


===Wizard Skills===
[[Image:D3_skilltree_wizardshot.jpg|thumb|left|150px|An off-screen still image of the Wizard's skill tree.]]
The [[wizard skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories:
* [[Storm_Skill_Tree|Storm]]
* [[Arcane_Skill_Tree|Arcane]]
* [[Conjuration_Skill_Tree|Conjuration]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.

====Arcane Skills====
[[Image:Wiz-slow-time1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Electrocute]] in a [[Slow Time]] bubble.]]
The [[Arcane_Skill_Tree|Arcane tree skills]] consists of many classical pen and paper RPGs, including time distortions, [[Disintegrate]], and other magical forces that are not related to elements like Fire, Ice, Lightning. This tree is also good at enhancing or manipulating other spells known by the Wizard.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
====Storm Skills====
[[Image:Wiz-frost-nova1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Frost Nova]]]]
The [[Storm_Skill_Tree|Storm tree skills]] specialize in the power of the heavens, enabling the wizard to wield electrical energy and casting forth the fierce cold of a blizzard accompanied by the harsh freezing wind. The storm elements also protect and enhance the armour and the power of a wizard.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Conjuration Skills====
[[Image:Wiz-spectral-blade1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Spectral Blade]]]]
The [[Conjuring_Skill_Tree|Conjuring tree skills]] summons in protection or offence from other planes of existence. This is where the classic [[Hydra]] spell is located, as well as the powerful [[meteor]]. The tree can also be used to increase or modify other spells, similarly to the Arcane tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Development==
The Wizard was the third [[class]] revealed by Blizzard, debuting at [[BlizzCon 2008]]. It's in essence a re-make of the [[Sorceress]], but with a slightly different set of skills.

In the [[GamesCom 2009 demo]], we saw the male version of the in-game wizard the first time.



==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Wizard Wizard-specific gallery contents]

<gallery>
Image:Ss71 hires.jpg|Female Wizard.
Image:Male_Wizard.jpg|Male Wizard.
Image:Wizard vs King Leoric.jpg|Wizard vs [[King Leoric]].
Image:Wizard disintegrate.jpg|Wizard casting [[Disintegrate]].
Image:Wiz-disintegrate2.jpg|[[disintegrate]] used on [[Zombie]]s.
Image:Skill_wizard_slowtime.jpg|[[Slow Time]] with [[Wave of Force]] to throw spells back at [[caster]]s.
Image:Wiz-slow-time1.jpg|Casting [[Electrocute]] out of a [[Slow Time]] bubble.
Image:Mana-orb1.jpg|[[Mana Globe]] in a [[Experience#Level_Up_Bonus|lvl-up]] explosion.
Image:Male_Wizard2.jpg|The male Wizard in the game.
</gallery>

==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0007|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0007: Wizard]]

{{Class navbox floor}}
{{Skill navbox}}

[[Category:Classes]]
[[Category:Basics]]

File:D3 skilltree wizardshot.jpg

2009-09-13T05:21:12Z

Agito:

A screenshot of a video taken at PAX 2009, showing the Wizard's skill tree.

File:D3 skilltree wizardshot.png

2009-09-13T05:20:20Z

Agito:

A screenshot taken from a video shot at PAX 2009 showing the Wizard's skill tree.

** Uploaded a smaller, version of the file here http://www.diablowiki.net/Image:D3_skilltree_wizardshot.jpg, would someone mind deleting this one? **

File:D3 skilltree wizardshot.jpg

2009-09-13T05:17:23Z

Agito:

File:Idol of rygnar quest.jpg

2009-09-13T05:13:50Z

Agito: Screenshot of a Wizard player receiving a new quest: "Idol of Rygnar"

Screenshot of a Wizard player receiving a new quest: "Idol of Rygnar"

File:D3 skilltree wizardshot.png

2009-09-13T04:57:01Z

Agito: A screenshot taken from a video shot at PAX 2009 showing the Wizard's skill tree.

A screenshot taken from a video shot at PAX 2009 showing the Wizard's skill tree.

User talk:Agito

2009-09-09T09:58:20Z

Agito:

==Thanks==
Thanks for the [[Arcane Orb]] fix. Is this your first edit in a wiki? --[[User:Leord|Leord]] 14:01, 6 August 2009 (CEST)

:i believe that was my second

::Correct, your first edit was [http://www.diablowiki.net/Special:Contributions/Agito?title=Shoulder_Armor&diff=prev&oldid=9996 here]. Also, when commenting on talk pages, please sign either by typing <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>, or by pressing [[image:button_sig.png]] The Magical Sign Button in a toolbar near you. --[[User:Vipermagi|Vipermagi]] 16:21, 29 August 2009 (CEST)

::Aha! Didn't see the message until now. :) Any chance we'll see more of you, or was it a one-off? --[[User:Leord|Leord]] 16:20, 8 September 2009 (CEST)

Hopefully I'll find more time to contribute - I prefer making corrections to existing contributions than make whole new articles and such --[[User:Agito|Agito]] 11:58, 9 September 2009 (CEST)

Diablo 3 Basics

2009-08-31T09:16:24Z

Agito: /* Skills */ hmm blizzcon 09 build reduced the number of skills per char.

This is the '''Diablo 3 Basics''' page, which is the main '''Fact Sheet''' of known '''Diablo III''' information. This much anticipated sequel to Diablo and Diablo II was announced at [[Blizzard]]'s [[WWI 2008]] in Paris, during 27-28 June 2008. Regardless if you just heard that Diablo III is announced, or if you have been following some of the {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news news]}}, this page should be able to get you up to date!

If you are looking for the '''Basics Section''' of the wiki, you can find that in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''.
[[Image:Diablo III Logo.jpg|frame|right]]

The game will feature a similar isometric view as its predecessor, but will be created completely in a 3D-environment.

==Introduction==
Diablo III, while featured completely in '''3D''' with a 3D environment, will follow closely in Diablo II's track by using the classic isometric view, fast gameplay and randomised content for high replayability. Some changes have been made in order to make the game faster and more flexible as well as making players choose and employ tactics rather than mindless mouseclicking. Besides taking well learned lessons from WoW, the developers have been inspired by games such as ''Zelda'' and ''God of War''. Regardless, the game will be possible to play with a mouse alone, if a player so wishes (but you would be a lot less efficient).

Remember that you as a newbie to Diablo can find more related articles in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''
 
 

== Character Classes ==
[[Image:Screenshot 8.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Barbarian]] hammering.]] [[Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Witch Doctor]] [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]].]]Blizzard have confirmed that the game will ship with '''five''' character [[class]]es. The following links detail the '''four''' classes that have been revealed:
* '''The [[Barbarian]]''' - The same character you played in [[Diablo II]], but with some [[Barbarian skills|new skills]], and backed with power of the [[ancient]]s.
** [[Barbarian skills]] - All known skills.
* '''The [[Monk]]''' - Not the same as in Diablo: Hellfire. A new martial arts specialist inspired by the [[Assassin]] and [[Paladin]] from Diablo II and the rogue from World of WarCraft.
** [[Monk skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Witch Doctor]]''' - A new class that comes from the jungle region of [[Taganzi]], and uses [[Witch Doctor skills|voodoo magic]] to do his bidding. One of his highlights is the [[Wall of Zombies]] spell.
** [[Witch Doctor skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Wizard]]''' - A new class that is a pure spell caster harnessing arcane and elemental magic to do her bidding. Very similar to the [[Sorcerer]] and [[Sorceress]] of previously Diablo games. One of the highlights is the [[Wizard_skills#Slow_Time|Slow Time]] spell which warps space and time, slowing nearby monsters and projectiles.
** [[Wizard skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Other classes]]''' - Speculation on the missing class.

New with Diablo III is the choice of gender for each class. Class creation is not as customizable as the characters in popular MMO [[World of WarCraft]], but the developers have made it possible to choose a '''male or female''' character of the class they prefer.

We have no word at all about the next class, like Jay hinted on the previous two ([[Monk]] and [[Wizard]]). Before the Wizard was released, he mentioned we would hate[http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom] it (possibly because it's so similar to Sorceress, but still different) and the next one, which turned out to be the Monk, we would love[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/]. Well, fans have loved both, so perhaps it doesn't really matter what Jay says.

===Maximum Character Level===
Has been tentatively announced as 100, though this is far from carved in stone as of yet. The most recent comment was by D3 Community Manager [[Bashiok]] in September, 2008:[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-level-cap-and-inventory/]

::The first and last thing said on it was in an interview with Jay at WWI when we first announced, and paraphrasing that: we will probably keep it about the same, level 99, but it always seemed like an arbitrary number to stop at so we may up it to 100.

 
 

== Skills ==
Several major changes are apparent in Diablo III; compared to Diablo II, each character class has more skills available to use (Diablo II had only a maximum of '''thirty''' skills per character). Also notable, is that Diablo III separates a character's skills into '''Tiers''' - some skills that exist on higher Tiers require the learning of a skill in a lower Tier; likewise, a higher Tier may require a certain number of skill points spent in a lower Tier to access any skills in it. Each Tier also is the same Tier across each skill tree. So far, there appears to be a maximum of exactly '''six''' Tiers for any given skill tree. (Tier I is level 1 to 4, Tier II begins at level 5, Tier III begins at level 10, Tier IV begins at level 15, Tier V begins at level 20, and Tier VI is level 25 and onwards).

So far, it is not known if each skill tree will have the same number of skills for each character class, as it were in Diablo II (each skill tree had exactly ten skills), but from inferring what has been revealed already, each skill tree has at least ten.

You can look further at the above known class [[skills]] (in the [[Diablo_3_Basics#Character_Classes|Character Classes section]] on this page) for detailed information about what has been revealed so far, but one big user interface (UI) change for character abilities is that skills are now accessed via a '''skill bar''', supplanting the functionality of the potion bar in Diablo II. It works similar to the skill bar in World of Warcraft (WoW), where more than two skills can be accessed without using the function hotkeys (F1, F2 etc). Read more about the [[potion]] changes below.

* A '''[[:Category:Skills|Full List of Skills]]''' of the class skills.
 
 

=== Skill Tree Respecs/Resets ===
In Diablo II, a character always had all their skills and stats as they were allocated. If you made any mistake, the only solution was to start over. There has not been a definite word on talent/skill respecs, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he didn't like that you were limited in the old system, and that regardless of how the skill system will look, respecs are probably going to be available.
 
 

=== Skill Runes ===
[[Rune]]s will work very different in Diablo III compared to {{iw|Rune Diablo II Runes}}, and is now part of the character customization. You will enter skill runes for your skills/spells, which will affect how the these work in the game. A multiplying rune might make your spell fire additional fireballs, another rune might make the blast radius bigger etc.
 
 

==Stats/Attributes==
'''It's no longer possible to choose where to enter your own stat points.''' They will be automatically assigned every time you level up. The customization that this brought in Diablo II is now going to be moved to itemization among other ways. Have a look what kind of secondary attributes are influenced by the initial stats/attributes '''[[Attributes#Strength|Strength]]''', '''[[Attributes#Dexterity|Dexterity]]''', '''[[Attributes#Vitality|Vitality]]''' and '''[[Attributes#Willpower|Willpower]]'''.
*The '''[[Attributes|full list of attributes]]''' shows how attributes and secondary attributes interact.
 
 

==Monsters==
[[Image:Goatmen surround a Siegebreaker.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Goatmen]] & [[Siegebreaker]].]]Diablo III will have a great array of '''[[monster]]s''', and they will employ more intelligent behaviour, and effects as well. There will be more 'mini-boss' encounters that make for more epic gameplay, an example is the [[Thousand Pounder]], who isn't really a [[boss]], but a unit type. Other 'effects' include skeletons with large shields that can block and protects archers, [[ghoul]]s that climb up sheer walls to attack you, or [[Grotesque]]s that explode into a hundred [[Lamprey]] monsters. We can expect many unique attack patterns and behaviours from the Diablo III monsters.

* '''The [[Monster|Monsters Article]]''' has much more information on the 35 known monsters.
* '''The [[:Category:Monsters|Full List of Monsters]]''' show what can currently be killed.
 
 

==Spectacular Deaths==
Diablo III promises to bring many different '''[[death|death animations]]''' for each killed enemy, as well as special death animations for [[critical hit]]s, and special fatalities by [[boss]] monsters when their hit would kill a player.

The '''[[death penalty]]''' will be a lot more lenient. People will no longer lose [[experience]] when dying. Naturally, if the [[Hardcore]] mode makes a return, a death will be permanent, but potentially possible for friends to loot the corpse. There will also be [[checkpoint]]s that automatically save the progress of a player, and when a character dies, he's transported to the nearest checkpoint.
 
 

==Items==
[[Image:Barbarian swing.jpg|thumb|right|[[Barbarian]] swinging two magical axes.]]While the [[Category:Items|item]] system won't be identical to that of Diablo II, it will be very similar. '''[[Items]]''' will drop randomly and have random attributes. Some of the things that definitely changed:
* [[Runes]] no longer attach to weapons, and 'rune words' are '''completely removed'''. They are instead used to enhance your skills/spells.
* The [[stash]] is in the game, bigger this time, and will be possible to expand further.
** The dev team is discussing potentially making it a shared stash between your characters, or adding a mail system.
* Items will now drop '''per character''', and be invisible to other characters. They are still [[trade]]able, but you will never go a run without loot again.
* [[Known Items Listing|The Full List of Items]] contain all known items.
* [[Potion]]s are drastically changed, with some sort of limits. If it's less gained health/mana, or if it has a [[cooldown]] is unknown, but the old potion system is replaced by [[Health Orb]]s and the belt is replaced by a [[skill]] bar.
* There will be some new trading system ''in addition to'' the old one, possibly like the WoW Auction House.
 
 

==NPCs==
[[Image:Cain-concept1.jpg|thumb|right|75px|[[Cain]]]]There is a small number of [[NPCs]] that are confirmed for Diablo III:
* [[Deckard Cain]] - Back to ask us to listen.
* [[Leah]] - Girl from the [[cinematic]]. Apparently located close to Deckard Cain, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Pablo DeSoto]] - Father of Leah. Close to his daughter, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Captain Rumford]] - This NPC was found in the small town area where new characters began the [[BlizzCon 2008]] demo.
* [[Mr. Meat Wagon]] - Unnamed NPC that dumped corpses unto a fire.
* [[Crying Ghost]] - First ever Quest NPC.
* [[Little Girl Ghost]] - Second ever Quest NPC.
* Speculated characters to appear in the game can be found on the [[NPC]] article.
 
 

==Locations==
[[Image:Sanctuary World Map.jpg|thumb|225px|[[world map|Sanctuary world map]], with locations noted.]]The [[world map]] of [[Sanctuary]] was actually released with the second Diablo game's manual, but a new and improved map has been made by Blizzard, outlining the continents and the major [[settlement]]s. Many of these locations will be re-visited in [[Diablo III]] including [[Tristram]]. Areas close by that were never visited in the previous games will also have a chance, like the [[Leoric Highlands]] and [[Westmarch]].

We have been shown detailed pictures of [[Skovos]] (the land of the [[Amazon]]s), as well as [[Caldeum]] and Tristram. Skovos is confirmed to be excluded from the game, but the level of detail they are putting in to the universe suggests either a big expansion pack, MMOs or a film.

Outdoor areas will be less randomised than dungeons, and the terrain will for the most part be static. Instead a lot of random scripted events will take place, some will even be really advanced. It can vary from an escort [[quest]], to a mouldy tome, or a big bad [[boss]] monster. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" outdoor locations.
 
 

==Dungeons==
The only known dungeon of the game so far is the [[Forgotten Tombs]], which is seen on the [[gameplay video]]. It seems to be located adjacent to the [[Leoric Highlands]], and probably close to [[Tristram]] as well. Dungeons will be almost completely randomized, increasing replayability in the game. As a dungeon is a lot easier to randomize, these will be made different each time, and outdoor locations slightly more static. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" dungeons.

<center>
<gallery>
Image:Screenshot 20.jpg|[[Dark Berserker]]s and a [[Grotesque]] in the [[Forgotten Tombs]].
Image:Screenshot 19.jpg|Several [[Walking Corpse]]s. [[Follower]]s can be seen as well.
Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|[[Witch Doctor]] who's [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]] some [[Walking Corpse]]s.
</gallery>
</center>
 
 

==Transportation==
Most transportation in Diablo III will be on foot, as there will be '''no mounts''' in the game. On the other hand, we've heard the [[D3 team]] talk about [[Waypoint]], so they will likely return, and there is also less running after a [[death]] due to [[checkpoint]]s.
 
 

==Easter Eggs==
While no Easter eggs have been confirmed, we can most likely expect some sort of surprise content in Diablo 3. However, it's not certain exactly what this will be. One thing is known and that is that all previous somewhat modern Blizzard games have had Easter eggs to some degree.
* Diablo II had its own [[Cow Level]].
* Blizzard have hinted at Easter eggs and secret levels.
 
 

===Cow Level===
The [[Cow Level]] is a very distinct piece of content in Diablo 2, but is as of yet unconfirmed for Diablo 3. Cows and Diablo have been closely linked in fan's minds since Diablo 1, and it's not unlikely that we'll get a secret Cow Level in Diablo 3 as well, even if it likely will be very different from the Diablo 2 version.
 
 

===Rainbow Level===
This is a rumour started by the [[art controversy]] (see below), and all the hub-hub about the colour in Diablo 3 that came after the announcement might inspire the dev team to make a rainbow level with unicorns and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carebear Carebears].
* [http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=708777 Rainbow Level forum thread]
 
 

==Art Changes==
Some fans were very upset that [[Diablo III]] is seemingly full of much more colour than the predecessor [[Diablo II]]. While the settings in general now include a lot more colour, Blizzard argues that Diablo II was more colourful than people remember. Some fans have also expressed fears that Diablo III will become too much like [[World of WarCraft]]. You can read more about concerns and responses here:
* '''[[Art controversy|Diablo III Art Controversy]]'''
 
 

==Story Line==
[[Image:Cinematic 10.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Mystical comet overlooking a settlement in the western part of [[Sanctuary]].]]The [[story line]] of the game takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved [[Sanctuary]] from the demonic onslaught in [[Diablo II]]. This has gone by largely unnoticed by the general population as most of those warriors who directly faced [[Hell]]'s armies (and were fortunate enough to survive) went mad from their experiences. Some people know that some sort of conflict took place, but for the most part the war against [[Diablo]] is a myth.

The [[Barbarian]]s gained their identity and cultural pride from protecting the Worldstone within [[Mount Arreat]]. To see it defiled by Baal and his minions, and then destroyed, tore out the heart of these proud people. They abandoned their homeland and became nomadic, wandering the lands of [[Sanctuary]] and pitching themselves into battle after battle in an effort to forget the pain of their shattered homeland.

What happened to [[Tyrael]] after he destroyed the [[Worldstone]] is unknown to everyone. Scholars like [[Deckard Cain]] anticipated a huge invasion of demonic forces as the protection from the [[High Heaven]]s and the [[Burning Hell]]s, but no invasion ever materialized. Cain has spent the last years trying to figure out what happened, and trying to prepare us for the inevitable onslaught.

We know from the [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=600 Diablo III cinematic] that a great comet of some importance is falling down on to the [[Tristram Cathedral]], and that some unlucky soul (if it's [[Leah]] or [[Cain]] isn't sure) is hit by it. [[Hell]]'s armies are amassing, and it isn't safe any more.
 
 

==Quests==
Not that much information is yet available in regards to [[quest]]s, but what is known is that the quest system will help players interact more with the '''[[lore]]''' of the game, but still be '''optional''', and not something you need to experience unless you so choose. [[Blizzard]] claim the quest system itself will be '''new'''. There will be the standard story-line quests, as well as optional random quests related to the game you are currently in and [[class]]-quests. The random quests will vary from game to game. The same [[location]] in the game might spawn a caravan needing protection, or a mouldy tome which contains a quest, or perhaps just a big bad [[monster]].
 
 

==Single Player and Multiplayer==
[[Image:Battle.net 2.0.jpg|right]]You will be able to play Diablo III both offline on your PC/Mac as well as online with friends. [[Jay Wilson]] has said on numerous occasions that the primary focus will be co-op multiplayer, but not excluding single player game. They want all the fans to meet up together as one community, and will make huge changes to the current setup. The preferred multiplayer system for [[Diablo III]] will be [[Battle.net 2.0]] and there will be '''NO LAN'''.

Besides the co-op, it will also be possible to fight versus other players.
 
 

===Battle.net 2.0===
Blizzard have promised very big changes in [[Battle.net 2.0]], and besides removing the [[LAN]] functionality, the idea is to encourage people to play online with [[Achievement]]s, handy friends/foes lists and community support. You can read more about confirmed Battle.net features here:
* [http://www.diii.net/articles/689867/definite-battlenet-20-features Definite Battle.net 2.0 Features]
 
 

===Player Killing===
[[PvP]] will be possible in [[Diablo III]], but not as it works in Diablo II. Players will no longer be victim of "unwanted PvP action".
 
 

==Other Changes==
Among the things that are not listed under their own headline, there are a few other things to highlight about Diablo III:
* The old {{iw|Mercenaries Diablo II Mercenaries}} are now called '''[[follower]]s''', and it's now possible to have more than one with you on your travels.
* Blizzard have not given a final decision if there will be a '''[[Hardcore]]''' mode in Diablo III or not, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he likes the idea and can't see any reasons why it should not be included.
* '''Corpses''' will no longer be left permanently. In the opening [[gameplay video]], the corpses stayed for just a few seconds before fading away, but was later increased to 20 seconds, and in the latest builds, there is no upper limit, but instead an upper limit of corpses (so older corpses fade out). The reason is that when the number of corpses amount, they will weigh down the PC running it significantly, since it retains physics from [[Havok]] while in the game.
* '''[[Chest]]s''' will no longer be locked.
 
 

==Release Information==
This is a collection of all information available pertaining to the release of Diablo. Including [[release date]], [[system requirements]], [[Beta Test|beta testing]], price/payment methods and age [[rating]].
 
 

=== Release Date ===
As usual, the [[Release Date|release date]] for any Blizzard production is kept under wraps for as long as possible. What is known is that [[Diablo III]] is ''behind'' [[StarCraft II]] in the development cycle. A StarCraft release for 2010 and a Diablo III release in '''2010/2011''' seems probable, and the [[BlizzCon 2008]]/[[BlizzCon 2009]] information also seems to indicate this.

Still, the level of polish makes it harder to estimate development time left. Any other dates or rumours are that -- rumours.
 
 

=== System Requirements ===
* Windows XP compatible
* Windows Vista compatible
* Mac OSX compatible
Read more on the [[Diablo III System Requirements]] page. Diablo III is made completely in 3D, using [[Havok]] physics engine, with a custom game engine made by [[Blizzard]]. The game is currently native to DirectX 9, and will not require DirectX 10 to run. The game will probably use a slightly higher level of system requirements than [[StarCraft II]], which also uses Havok & DirectX 9, and is the closest thing we can compare the game to. You can read more on StarCraft II's requirements and DirectX compatibilities as well as shader info here:
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/954/starcraft-2-graphics-requirements-confirmed Graphics Requirements Confirmed] - The most prominent part of the system requirements, the graphics requirements released from Blizzard document.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/675/starcraft-2-system-requirements StarCraft II System Requirements] - System requirements analyse from available information.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/735/kalos-chronicles Kalos' Chronicles] - Technical articles for StarCraft II.

Here is a Blizzard quote on the system specs: [http://ablegamers.com/Disabled-Gamers-News/AbleGamers-Interviews-the-Diablo-III-Team.html]
::'''''[[Jay Wilson]]:''' Currently we have no plans for specific DirectX 10 support. Right now are running a DirectX 9, and we run on a pretty broad range of systems, really fast. Overall, across-the-board Blizzard's goal is that all of our games support a broad range of systems. We don't jump up the system specs in any grand way. We have no intentions of being a high-end game, and certainly no intentions of being an exclusive DirectX 10 game at this time...''

::''We don't exactly know what the system specs are yet, but we'll try to keep them pretty low. We make a lot of decisions about what we do and do not put into our graphics, in order to keep the game running fast. One of the reasons why we talk a lot about art style, and how we focus a lot on art style, stylization of art over... when we do that it allows us to have a good looking game about falling back on technology, our technology does not have to carry us when we have such great art in the game.''

 
 

===Diablo Alpha Beta Testing===
As with the release date, a time for beta is currently unknown. General information on Blizzard beta tests can be seen on the '''[[Beta Test]]''' page.
 
 

===Retail Price===
The retail price for Diablo III is unknown and will be stated closer to release. It's likely that the game will be "boxed" (no monthly fees, just a one-off price) and priced similar to other AAA titles.
 
 

===Game Age Rating===
The '''[[rating]]''' of [[Diablo III]] is estimated to be aimed for gamers above the age of 15, while still trying to avoid USK 18+ in Germany, or other similar ratings that would severely hamper the sales of the game in that country. [[Blizzard]] are more likely to censor the game in affected countries than to avoid releasing it if the censorship is too harsh.
* '''America ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Software_Rating_Board ERSB])''' - "M" Mature Rating (player should be at least 17 years old). No law enforcement.
* '''Europe ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEGI PEGI])''' - 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). No law enforcement (for most countries).
* '''Germany ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unterhaltungssoftware_Selbstkontrolle USK])''' - USK 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). Law enforcement of USK.
* '''Read more''' in the '''[[rating]]s''' article.
 
 

===Copy Protection and DRM===
It's unknown what type of copy protection (DRM) will be used on Diablo III, but with the new Battle.net changes and new Battle.net accounts, the game will likely only use a very light form of copy protection since the license is associated with the account. Online play will most likely not require a DVD in the drive, and offline play is unknown.
 
 
 

==Who's in Charge?==
Naturally, [[Blizzard]] are the guys making Diablo III, but that isn't a surprise. The important people for this production is the relatively new Blizzard employee Diablo III Lead Designer [[Jay Wilson]], besides the regular team. For fans, you might want to keep a look out for [[Bashiok]], the new Diablo Community Manager and [[Leonard Boyarsky]] who is the Lead World Designer for Diablo III, and head of [[quest]]s & [[lore]] as well as designing the world of [[Sanctuary]].
 
 

==Expansions, MMO or Diablo Movie==
Whatever will come after [[Diablo III]] is unknown, but it seems apparent that Blizzard are confident [http://www.incgamers.com/Games/1935/features/90/Diablo-III-Inforview] that there '''WILL''' be expansions. They have mentioned that the story line will have a more "final" ending than in Diablo II, which possibly means to make it better for an expansion, or perhaps a future MMO or a [[Diablo movie]]. Regardless, [[Jay Wilson]] has said that there are lots of potential for expanding the universe. What types of media this will come in is unknown: books, comics, manga, expansions, games or a movie...

[[Mike Morhaime]] said that they would like to make '''Diablo III expansions annually'''[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/diablo-3-will-have-several-expansions], and confirming plans for multiple expansions for the game.
 
 

==Further Information==
You can follow the links to each specific section for further details on Diablo III development and information. You can also use one of the following links for further information:
* {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news Diablo III news]}} - The most coherent news listing for Diablo III.
* [[Media Coverage]] - All Interviews, Previews, Pictures, Videos and Articles from around the web.
* [[:Category:Basics|Diablo III Basics]] - A listing of articles with good information if you are new to Diablo III.
* [[Diablo III FAQ]] - Frequently Asked Questions
* [[Diablo 3 History]] - The history of Diablo III up until the announcement.

==References==
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-monk-skill-tree-discussion-and-status/ Full Monk Skill Tree Stats and Discussion ]
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/ Exclusive Jay Wilson Interview]
* [http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/080628.html Blizzard Press Release]
* [http://diabloiiikore.com Official News Release]
* [http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom Jay Wilson - Videogamer.com]

[[Category:Diablo III]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Diablo 3 Basics

2009-08-31T08:59:40Z

Agito: /* Skills */

This is the '''Diablo 3 Basics''' page, which is the main '''Fact Sheet''' of known '''Diablo III''' information. This much anticipated sequel to Diablo and Diablo II was announced at [[Blizzard]]'s [[WWI 2008]] in Paris, during 27-28 June 2008. Regardless if you just heard that Diablo III is announced, or if you have been following some of the {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news news]}}, this page should be able to get you up to date!

If you are looking for the '''Basics Section''' of the wiki, you can find that in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''.
[[Image:Diablo III Logo.jpg|frame|right]]

The game will feature a similar isometric view as its predecessor, but will be created completely in a 3D-environment.

==Introduction==
Diablo III, while featured completely in '''3D''' with a 3D environment, will follow closely in Diablo II's track by using the classic isometric view, fast gameplay and randomised content for high replayability. Some changes have been made in order to make the game faster and more flexible as well as making players choose and employ tactics rather than mindless mouseclicking. Besides taking well learned lessons from WoW, the developers have been inspired by games such as ''Zelda'' and ''God of War''. Regardless, the game will be possible to play with a mouse alone, if a player so wishes (but you would be a lot less efficient).

Remember that you as a newbie to Diablo can find more related articles in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''
 
 

== Character Classes ==
[[Image:Screenshot 8.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Barbarian]] hammering.]] [[Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Witch Doctor]] [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]].]]Blizzard have confirmed that the game will ship with '''five''' character [[class]]es. The following links detail the '''four''' classes that have been revealed:
* '''The [[Barbarian]]''' - The same character you played in [[Diablo II]], but with some [[Barbarian skills|new skills]], and backed with power of the [[ancient]]s.
** [[Barbarian skills]] - All known skills.
* '''The [[Monk]]''' - Not the same as in Diablo: Hellfire. A new martial arts specialist inspired by the [[Assassin]] and [[Paladin]] from Diablo II and the rogue from World of WarCraft.
** [[Monk skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Witch Doctor]]''' - A new class that comes from the jungle region of [[Taganzi]], and uses [[Witch Doctor skills|voodoo magic]] to do his bidding. One of his highlights is the [[Wall of Zombies]] spell.
** [[Witch Doctor skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Wizard]]''' - A new class that is a pure spell caster harnessing arcane and elemental magic to do her bidding. Very similar to the [[Sorcerer]] and [[Sorceress]] of previously Diablo games. One of the highlights is the [[Wizard_skills#Slow_Time|Slow Time]] spell which warps space and time, slowing nearby monsters and projectiles.
** [[Wizard skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Other classes]]''' - Speculation on the missing class.

New with Diablo III is the choice of gender for each class. Class creation is not as customizable as the characters in popular MMO [[World of WarCraft]], but the developers have made it possible to choose a '''male or female''' character of the class they prefer.

We have no word at all about the next class, like Jay hinted on the previous two ([[Monk]] and [[Wizard]]). Before the Wizard was released, he mentioned we would hate[http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom] it (possibly because it's so similar to Sorceress, but still different) and the next one, which turned out to be the Monk, we would love[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/]. Well, fans have loved both, so perhaps it doesn't really matter what Jay says.

===Maximum Character Level===
Has been tentatively announced as 100, though this is far from carved in stone as of yet. The most recent comment was by D3 Community Manager [[Bashiok]] in September, 2008:[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-level-cap-and-inventory/]

::The first and last thing said on it was in an interview with Jay at WWI when we first announced, and paraphrasing that: we will probably keep it about the same, level 99, but it always seemed like an arbitrary number to stop at so we may up it to 100.

 
 

== Skills ==
Several major changes are apparent in Diablo III; compared to Diablo II, each character class has many more skills available to use (Diablo II had only a maximum of '''thirty''' skills per character), while in a single skill tree in Diablo III can have in excess of '''eighteen'''. Also notable, is that Diablo III separates a skill tree into '''Tiers''' - some skills that exist on higher Tiers require the learning of a skill in a lower Tier; likewise, a higher Tier may require a certain number of skill points spent in a lower Tier to access any skills in it. So far, there appears to be a maximum of exactly '''six''' Tiers for any given skill tree (Tier I is level 1 to 4, Tier II begins at level 5, Tier III begins at level 10, Tier IV begins at level 15, Tier V begins at level 20, and Tier VI is level 25 and onwards).

So far, it is not known if each skill tree will have the same number of skills for each character class, as it were in Diablo II (each skill tree had exactly ten skills), but from inferring what has been revealed already, a single skill tree in Diablo III ''may'' have at least '''twenty''' skills. Take for instance, (as of Blizzcon 2008) the [[Wizard]]'s [[Conjuring Skill Tree]] - it has '''ninteen''' skills, distributed over '''four''' Tiers. Since there appears to be (at least for now anyway) a maximum of '''six''' Tiers, the lack of skills in the final two Tiers indicate that there are more yet to come. This is the same for the [[Wizard|Wizard's]] other skill trees, '''nineteen''' in the [[Arcane Skill Tree|Arcane]] & [[Storm Skill Tree]], across at least '''four''' Tiers, with the further two Tiers not yet implemented. Take note however, that as the game progresses in development, the current arrangement of skills may change (some may shift to a higher or lower Tier).

You can look further at the above known class [[skills]] (in the [[Diablo_3_Basics#Character_Classes|Character Classes section]] on this page) for detailed information about what has been revealed so far, but one big user interface (UI) change for character abilities is that skills are now accessed via a '''skill bar''', supplanting the functionality of the potion bar in Diablo II. It works similar to the skill bar in World of Warcraft (WoW), where more than two skills can be accessed without using the function hotkeys (F1, F2 etc). Read more about the [[potion]] changes below.

* A '''[[:Category:Skills|Full List of Skills]]''' of the class skills.
 
 

=== Skill Tree Respecs/Resets ===
In Diablo II, a character always had all their skills and stats as they were allocated. If you made any mistake, the only solution was to start over. There has not been a definite word on talent/skill respecs, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he didn't like that you were limited in the old system, and that regardless of how the skill system will look, respecs are probably going to be available.
 
 

=== Skill Runes ===
[[Rune]]s will work very different in Diablo III compared to {{iw|Rune Diablo II Runes}}, and is now part of the character customization. You will enter skill runes for your skills/spells, which will affect how the these work in the game. A multiplying rune might make your spell fire additional fireballs, another rune might make the blast radius bigger etc.
 
 

==Stats/Attributes==
'''It's no longer possible to choose where to enter your own stat points.''' They will be automatically assigned every time you level up. The customization that this brought in Diablo II is now going to be moved to itemization among other ways. Have a look what kind of secondary attributes are influenced by the initial stats/attributes '''[[Attributes#Strength|Strength]]''', '''[[Attributes#Dexterity|Dexterity]]''', '''[[Attributes#Vitality|Vitality]]''' and '''[[Attributes#Willpower|Willpower]]'''.
*The '''[[Attributes|full list of attributes]]''' shows how attributes and secondary attributes interact.
 
 

==Monsters==
[[Image:Goatmen surround a Siegebreaker.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Goatmen]] & [[Siegebreaker]].]]Diablo III will have a great array of '''[[monster]]s''', and they will employ more intelligent behaviour, and effects as well. There will be more 'mini-boss' encounters that make for more epic gameplay, an example is the [[Thousand Pounder]], who isn't really a [[boss]], but a unit type. Other 'effects' include skeletons with large shields that can block and protects archers, [[ghoul]]s that climb up sheer walls to attack you, or [[Grotesque]]s that explode into a hundred [[Lamprey]] monsters. We can expect many unique attack patterns and behaviours from the Diablo III monsters.

* '''The [[Monster|Monsters Article]]''' has much more information on the 35 known monsters.
* '''The [[:Category:Monsters|Full List of Monsters]]''' show what can currently be killed.
 
 

==Spectacular Deaths==
Diablo III promises to bring many different '''[[death|death animations]]''' for each killed enemy, as well as special death animations for [[critical hit]]s, and special fatalities by [[boss]] monsters when their hit would kill a player.

The '''[[death penalty]]''' will be a lot more lenient. People will no longer lose [[experience]] when dying. Naturally, if the [[Hardcore]] mode makes a return, a death will be permanent, but potentially possible for friends to loot the corpse. There will also be [[checkpoint]]s that automatically save the progress of a player, and when a character dies, he's transported to the nearest checkpoint.
 
 

==Items==
[[Image:Barbarian swing.jpg|thumb|right|[[Barbarian]] swinging two magical axes.]]While the [[Category:Items|item]] system won't be identical to that of Diablo II, it will be very similar. '''[[Items]]''' will drop randomly and have random attributes. Some of the things that definitely changed:
* [[Runes]] no longer attach to weapons, and 'rune words' are '''completely removed'''. They are instead used to enhance your skills/spells.
* The [[stash]] is in the game, bigger this time, and will be possible to expand further.
** The dev team is discussing potentially making it a shared stash between your characters, or adding a mail system.
* Items will now drop '''per character''', and be invisible to other characters. They are still [[trade]]able, but you will never go a run without loot again.
* [[Known Items Listing|The Full List of Items]] contain all known items.
* [[Potion]]s are drastically changed, with some sort of limits. If it's less gained health/mana, or if it has a [[cooldown]] is unknown, but the old potion system is replaced by [[Health Orb]]s and the belt is replaced by a [[skill]] bar.
* There will be some new trading system ''in addition to'' the old one, possibly like the WoW Auction House.
 
 

==NPCs==
[[Image:Cain-concept1.jpg|thumb|right|75px|[[Cain]]]]There is a small number of [[NPCs]] that are confirmed for Diablo III:
* [[Deckard Cain]] - Back to ask us to listen.
* [[Leah]] - Girl from the [[cinematic]]. Apparently located close to Deckard Cain, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Pablo DeSoto]] - Father of Leah. Close to his daughter, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Captain Rumford]] - This NPC was found in the small town area where new characters began the [[BlizzCon 2008]] demo.
* [[Mr. Meat Wagon]] - Unnamed NPC that dumped corpses unto a fire.
* [[Crying Ghost]] - First ever Quest NPC.
* [[Little Girl Ghost]] - Second ever Quest NPC.
* Speculated characters to appear in the game can be found on the [[NPC]] article.
 
 

==Locations==
[[Image:Sanctuary World Map.jpg|thumb|225px|[[world map|Sanctuary world map]], with locations noted.]]The [[world map]] of [[Sanctuary]] was actually released with the second Diablo game's manual, but a new and improved map has been made by Blizzard, outlining the continents and the major [[settlement]]s. Many of these locations will be re-visited in [[Diablo III]] including [[Tristram]]. Areas close by that were never visited in the previous games will also have a chance, like the [[Leoric Highlands]] and [[Westmarch]].

We have been shown detailed pictures of [[Skovos]] (the land of the [[Amazon]]s), as well as [[Caldeum]] and Tristram. Skovos is confirmed to be excluded from the game, but the level of detail they are putting in to the universe suggests either a big expansion pack, MMOs or a film.

Outdoor areas will be less randomised than dungeons, and the terrain will for the most part be static. Instead a lot of random scripted events will take place, some will even be really advanced. It can vary from an escort [[quest]], to a mouldy tome, or a big bad [[boss]] monster. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" outdoor locations.
 
 

==Dungeons==
The only known dungeon of the game so far is the [[Forgotten Tombs]], which is seen on the [[gameplay video]]. It seems to be located adjacent to the [[Leoric Highlands]], and probably close to [[Tristram]] as well. Dungeons will be almost completely randomized, increasing replayability in the game. As a dungeon is a lot easier to randomize, these will be made different each time, and outdoor locations slightly more static. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" dungeons.

<center>
<gallery>
Image:Screenshot 20.jpg|[[Dark Berserker]]s and a [[Grotesque]] in the [[Forgotten Tombs]].
Image:Screenshot 19.jpg|Several [[Walking Corpse]]s. [[Follower]]s can be seen as well.
Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|[[Witch Doctor]] who's [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]] some [[Walking Corpse]]s.
</gallery>
</center>
 
 

==Transportation==
Most transportation in Diablo III will be on foot, as there will be '''no mounts''' in the game. On the other hand, we've heard the [[D3 team]] talk about [[Waypoint]], so they will likely return, and there is also less running after a [[death]] due to [[checkpoint]]s.
 
 

==Easter Eggs==
While no Easter eggs have been confirmed, we can most likely expect some sort of surprise content in Diablo 3. However, it's not certain exactly what this will be. One thing is known and that is that all previous somewhat modern Blizzard games have had Easter eggs to some degree.
* Diablo II had its own [[Cow Level]].
* Blizzard have hinted at Easter eggs and secret levels.
 
 

===Cow Level===
The [[Cow Level]] is a very distinct piece of content in Diablo 2, but is as of yet unconfirmed for Diablo 3. Cows and Diablo have been closely linked in fan's minds since Diablo 1, and it's not unlikely that we'll get a secret Cow Level in Diablo 3 as well, even if it likely will be very different from the Diablo 2 version.
 
 

===Rainbow Level===
This is a rumour started by the [[art controversy]] (see below), and all the hub-hub about the colour in Diablo 3 that came after the announcement might inspire the dev team to make a rainbow level with unicorns and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carebear Carebears].
* [http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=708777 Rainbow Level forum thread]
 
 

==Art Changes==
Some fans were very upset that [[Diablo III]] is seemingly full of much more colour than the predecessor [[Diablo II]]. While the settings in general now include a lot more colour, Blizzard argues that Diablo II was more colourful than people remember. Some fans have also expressed fears that Diablo III will become too much like [[World of WarCraft]]. You can read more about concerns and responses here:
* '''[[Art controversy|Diablo III Art Controversy]]'''
 
 

==Story Line==
[[Image:Cinematic 10.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Mystical comet overlooking a settlement in the western part of [[Sanctuary]].]]The [[story line]] of the game takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved [[Sanctuary]] from the demonic onslaught in [[Diablo II]]. This has gone by largely unnoticed by the general population as most of those warriors who directly faced [[Hell]]'s armies (and were fortunate enough to survive) went mad from their experiences. Some people know that some sort of conflict took place, but for the most part the war against [[Diablo]] is a myth.

The [[Barbarian]]s gained their identity and cultural pride from protecting the Worldstone within [[Mount Arreat]]. To see it defiled by Baal and his minions, and then destroyed, tore out the heart of these proud people. They abandoned their homeland and became nomadic, wandering the lands of [[Sanctuary]] and pitching themselves into battle after battle in an effort to forget the pain of their shattered homeland.

What happened to [[Tyrael]] after he destroyed the [[Worldstone]] is unknown to everyone. Scholars like [[Deckard Cain]] anticipated a huge invasion of demonic forces as the protection from the [[High Heaven]]s and the [[Burning Hell]]s, but no invasion ever materialized. Cain has spent the last years trying to figure out what happened, and trying to prepare us for the inevitable onslaught.

We know from the [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=600 Diablo III cinematic] that a great comet of some importance is falling down on to the [[Tristram Cathedral]], and that some unlucky soul (if it's [[Leah]] or [[Cain]] isn't sure) is hit by it. [[Hell]]'s armies are amassing, and it isn't safe any more.
 
 

==Quests==
Not that much information is yet available in regards to [[quest]]s, but what is known is that the quest system will help players interact more with the '''[[lore]]''' of the game, but still be '''optional''', and not something you need to experience unless you so choose. [[Blizzard]] claim the quest system itself will be '''new'''. There will be the standard story-line quests, as well as optional random quests related to the game you are currently in and [[class]]-quests. The random quests will vary from game to game. The same [[location]] in the game might spawn a caravan needing protection, or a mouldy tome which contains a quest, or perhaps just a big bad [[monster]].
 
 

==Single Player and Multiplayer==
[[Image:Battle.net 2.0.jpg|right]]You will be able to play Diablo III both offline on your PC/Mac as well as online with friends. [[Jay Wilson]] has said on numerous occasions that the primary focus will be co-op multiplayer, but not excluding single player game. They want all the fans to meet up together as one community, and will make huge changes to the current setup. The preferred multiplayer system for [[Diablo III]] will be [[Battle.net 2.0]] and there will be '''NO LAN'''.

Besides the co-op, it will also be possible to fight versus other players.
 
 

===Battle.net 2.0===
Blizzard have promised very big changes in [[Battle.net 2.0]], and besides removing the [[LAN]] functionality, the idea is to encourage people to play online with [[Achievement]]s, handy friends/foes lists and community support. You can read more about confirmed Battle.net features here:
* [http://www.diii.net/articles/689867/definite-battlenet-20-features Definite Battle.net 2.0 Features]
 
 

===Player Killing===
[[PvP]] will be possible in [[Diablo III]], but not as it works in Diablo II. Players will no longer be victim of "unwanted PvP action".
 
 

==Other Changes==
Among the things that are not listed under their own headline, there are a few other things to highlight about Diablo III:
* The old {{iw|Mercenaries Diablo II Mercenaries}} are now called '''[[follower]]s''', and it's now possible to have more than one with you on your travels.
* Blizzard have not given a final decision if there will be a '''[[Hardcore]]''' mode in Diablo III or not, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he likes the idea and can't see any reasons why it should not be included.
* '''Corpses''' will no longer be left permanently. In the opening [[gameplay video]], the corpses stayed for just a few seconds before fading away, but was later increased to 20 seconds, and in the latest builds, there is no upper limit, but instead an upper limit of corpses (so older corpses fade out). The reason is that when the number of corpses amount, they will weigh down the PC running it significantly, since it retains physics from [[Havok]] while in the game.
* '''[[Chest]]s''' will no longer be locked.
 
 

==Release Information==
This is a collection of all information available pertaining to the release of Diablo. Including [[release date]], [[system requirements]], [[Beta Test|beta testing]], price/payment methods and age [[rating]].
 
 

=== Release Date ===
As usual, the [[Release Date|release date]] for any Blizzard production is kept under wraps for as long as possible. What is known is that [[Diablo III]] is ''behind'' [[StarCraft II]] in the development cycle. A StarCraft release for 2010 and a Diablo III release in '''2010/2011''' seems probable, and the [[BlizzCon 2008]]/[[BlizzCon 2009]] information also seems to indicate this.

Still, the level of polish makes it harder to estimate development time left. Any other dates or rumours are that -- rumours.
 
 

=== System Requirements ===
* Windows XP compatible
* Windows Vista compatible
* Mac OSX compatible
Read more on the [[Diablo III System Requirements]] page. Diablo III is made completely in 3D, using [[Havok]] physics engine, with a custom game engine made by [[Blizzard]]. The game is currently native to DirectX 9, and will not require DirectX 10 to run. The game will probably use a slightly higher level of system requirements than [[StarCraft II]], which also uses Havok & DirectX 9, and is the closest thing we can compare the game to. You can read more on StarCraft II's requirements and DirectX compatibilities as well as shader info here:
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/954/starcraft-2-graphics-requirements-confirmed Graphics Requirements Confirmed] - The most prominent part of the system requirements, the graphics requirements released from Blizzard document.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/675/starcraft-2-system-requirements StarCraft II System Requirements] - System requirements analyse from available information.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/735/kalos-chronicles Kalos' Chronicles] - Technical articles for StarCraft II.

Here is a Blizzard quote on the system specs: [http://ablegamers.com/Disabled-Gamers-News/AbleGamers-Interviews-the-Diablo-III-Team.html]
::'''''[[Jay Wilson]]:''' Currently we have no plans for specific DirectX 10 support. Right now are running a DirectX 9, and we run on a pretty broad range of systems, really fast. Overall, across-the-board Blizzard's goal is that all of our games support a broad range of systems. We don't jump up the system specs in any grand way. We have no intentions of being a high-end game, and certainly no intentions of being an exclusive DirectX 10 game at this time...''

::''We don't exactly know what the system specs are yet, but we'll try to keep them pretty low. We make a lot of decisions about what we do and do not put into our graphics, in order to keep the game running fast. One of the reasons why we talk a lot about art style, and how we focus a lot on art style, stylization of art over... when we do that it allows us to have a good looking game about falling back on technology, our technology does not have to carry us when we have such great art in the game.''

 
 

===Diablo Alpha Beta Testing===
As with the release date, a time for beta is currently unknown. General information on Blizzard beta tests can be seen on the '''[[Beta Test]]''' page.
 
 

===Retail Price===
The retail price for Diablo III is unknown and will be stated closer to release. It's likely that the game will be "boxed" (no monthly fees, just a one-off price) and priced similar to other AAA titles.
 
 

===Game Age Rating===
The '''[[rating]]''' of [[Diablo III]] is estimated to be aimed for gamers above the age of 15, while still trying to avoid USK 18+ in Germany, or other similar ratings that would severely hamper the sales of the game in that country. [[Blizzard]] are more likely to censor the game in affected countries than to avoid releasing it if the censorship is too harsh.
* '''America ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Software_Rating_Board ERSB])''' - "M" Mature Rating (player should be at least 17 years old). No law enforcement.
* '''Europe ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEGI PEGI])''' - 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). No law enforcement (for most countries).
* '''Germany ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unterhaltungssoftware_Selbstkontrolle USK])''' - USK 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). Law enforcement of USK.
* '''Read more''' in the '''[[rating]]s''' article.
 
 

===Copy Protection and DRM===
It's unknown what type of copy protection (DRM) will be used on Diablo III, but with the new Battle.net changes and new Battle.net accounts, the game will likely only use a very light form of copy protection since the license is associated with the account. Online play will most likely not require a DVD in the drive, and offline play is unknown.
 
 
 

==Who's in Charge?==
Naturally, [[Blizzard]] are the guys making Diablo III, but that isn't a surprise. The important people for this production is the relatively new Blizzard employee Diablo III Lead Designer [[Jay Wilson]], besides the regular team. For fans, you might want to keep a look out for [[Bashiok]], the new Diablo Community Manager and [[Leonard Boyarsky]] who is the Lead World Designer for Diablo III, and head of [[quest]]s & [[lore]] as well as designing the world of [[Sanctuary]].
 
 

==Expansions, MMO or Diablo Movie==
Whatever will come after [[Diablo III]] is unknown, but it seems apparent that Blizzard are confident [http://www.incgamers.com/Games/1935/features/90/Diablo-III-Inforview] that there '''WILL''' be expansions. They have mentioned that the story line will have a more "final" ending than in Diablo II, which possibly means to make it better for an expansion, or perhaps a future MMO or a [[Diablo movie]]. Regardless, [[Jay Wilson]] has said that there are lots of potential for expanding the universe. What types of media this will come in is unknown: books, comics, manga, expansions, games or a movie...

[[Mike Morhaime]] said that they would like to make '''Diablo III expansions annually'''[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/diablo-3-will-have-several-expansions], and confirming plans for multiple expansions for the game.
 
 

==Further Information==
You can follow the links to each specific section for further details on Diablo III development and information. You can also use one of the following links for further information:
* {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news Diablo III news]}} - The most coherent news listing for Diablo III.
* [[Media Coverage]] - All Interviews, Previews, Pictures, Videos and Articles from around the web.
* [[:Category:Basics|Diablo III Basics]] - A listing of articles with good information if you are new to Diablo III.
* [[Diablo III FAQ]] - Frequently Asked Questions
* [[Diablo 3 History]] - The history of Diablo III up until the announcement.

==References==
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-monk-skill-tree-discussion-and-status/ Full Monk Skill Tree Stats and Discussion ]
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/ Exclusive Jay Wilson Interview]
* [http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/080628.html Blizzard Press Release]
* [http://diabloiiikore.com Official News Release]
* [http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom Jay Wilson - Videogamer.com]

[[Category:Diablo III]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Diablo 3 Basics

2009-08-30T10:50:20Z

Agito: /* Skills */

This is the '''Diablo 3 Basics''' page, which is the main '''Fact Sheet''' of known '''Diablo III''' information. This much anticipated sequel to Diablo and Diablo II was announced at [[Blizzard]]'s [[WWI 2008]] in Paris, during 27-28 June 2008. Regardless if you just heard that Diablo III is announced, or if you have been following some of the {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news news]}}, this page should be able to get you up to date!

If you are looking for the '''Basics Section''' of the wiki, you can find that in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''.
[[Image:Diablo III Logo.jpg|frame|right]]

The game will feature a similar isometric view as its predecessor, but will be created completely in a 3D-environment.

==Introduction==
Diablo III, while featured completely in '''3D''' with a 3D environment, will follow closely in Diablo II's track by using the classic isometric view, fast gameplay and randomised content for high replayability. Some changes have been made in order to make the game faster and more flexible as well as making players choose and employ tactics rather than mindless mouseclicking. Besides taking well learned lessons from WoW, the developers have been inspired by games such as ''Zelda'' and ''God of War''. Regardless, the game will be possible to play with a mouse alone, if a player so wishes (but you would be a lot less efficient).

Remember that you as a newbie to Diablo can find more related articles in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''
 
 

== Character Classes ==
[[Image:Screenshot 8.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Barbarian]] hammering.]] [[Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Witch Doctor]] [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]].]]Blizzard have confirmed that the game will ship with '''five''' character [[class]]es. The following links detail the '''four''' classes that have been revealed:
* '''The [[Barbarian]]''' - The same character you played in [[Diablo II]], but with some [[Barbarian skills|new skills]], and backed with power of the [[ancient]]s.
** [[Barbarian skills]] - All known skills.
* '''The [[Monk]]''' - Not the same as in Diablo: Hellfire. A new martial arts specialist inspired by the [[Assassin]] and [[Paladin]] from Diablo II and the rogue from World of WarCraft.
** [[Monk skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Witch Doctor]]''' - A new class that comes from the jungle region of [[Taganzi]], and uses [[Witch Doctor skills|voodoo magic]] to do his bidding. One of his highlights is the [[Wall of Zombies]] spell.
** [[Witch Doctor skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Wizard]]''' - A new class that is a pure spell caster harnessing arcane and elemental magic to do her bidding. Very similar to the [[Sorcerer]] and [[Sorceress]] of previously Diablo games. One of the highlights is the [[Wizard_skills#Slow_Time|Slow Time]] spell which warps space and time, slowing nearby monsters and projectiles.
** [[Wizard skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Other classes]]''' - Speculation on the missing class.

New with Diablo III is the choice of gender for each class. Class creation is not as customizable as the characters in popular MMO [[World of WarCraft]], but the developers have made it possible to choose a '''male or female''' character of the class they prefer.

We have no word at all about the next class, like Jay hinted on the previous two ([[Monk]] and [[Wizard]]). Before the Wizard was released, he mentioned we would hate[http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom] it (possibly because it's so similar to Sorceress, but still different) and the next one, which turned out to be the Monk, we would love[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/]. Well, fans have loved both, so perhaps it doesn't really matter what Jay says.

===Maximum Character Level===
Has been tentatively announced as 100, though this is far from carved in stone as of yet. The most recent comment was by D3 Community Manager [[Bashiok]] in September, 2008:[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-level-cap-and-inventory/]

::The first and last thing said on it was in an interview with Jay at WWI when we first announced, and paraphrasing that: we will probably keep it about the same, level 99, but it always seemed like an arbitrary number to stop at so we may up it to 100.

 
 

== Skills ==
Several major changes are apparent in Diablo III; compared to Diablo II, each character class has many more skills available to use (Diablo II had only a maximum of '''thirty''' skills per character), while in a single skill tree in Diablo III can have in excess of '''eighteen'''. Also notable, is that Diablo III separates a skill tree into '''Tiers''' - some skills that exist on higher Tiers require the learning of a skill in a lower Tier; likewise, a higher Tier may require a certain number of skill points spent in a lower Tier to access any skills in it. So far, there appears to be a maximum of exactly '''six''' Tiers for any given skill tree (Tier I is level 1 to 4, Tier II begins at level 5, Tier III begins at level 10, Tier IV begins at level 15, Tier V begins at level 20, and Tier VI is level 25 and onwards).

So far, it is not known if each skill tree will have the same number of skills for each character class, as it were in Diablo II (each skill tree had exactly ten skills), but from inferring what has been revealed already, a single skill tree in Diablo III ''may'' have at least '''twenty''' skills. Take for instance, the [[Wizard]]'s [[Conjuring Skill Tree]] - it has '''ninteen''' skills, distributed over '''four''' Tiers. Since there appears to be (at least for now anyway) a maximum of '''six''' Tiers, the lack of skills in the final two Tiers indicate that there are more yet to come. This is the same for the [[Wizard|Wizard's]] other skill trees, '''nineteen''' in the [[Arcane Skill Tree|Arcane]] & [[Storm Skill Tree]], across at least '''four''' Tiers, with the further two Tiers not yet implemented. Take note however, that as the game progresses in development, the current arrangement of skills may change (some may shift to a higher or lower Tier).

You can look further at the above known class [[skills]] (in the [[Diablo_3_Basics#Character_Classes|Character Classes section]] on this page) for detailed information about what has been revealed so far, but one big user interface (UI) change for character abilities is that skills are now accessed via a '''skill bar''', supplanting the functionality of the potion bar in Diablo II. It works similar to the skill bar in World of Warcraft (WoW), where more than two skills can be accessed without using the function hotkeys (F1, F2 etc). Read more about the [[potion]] changes below.

* A '''[[:Category:Skills|Full List of Skills]]''' of the class skills.
 
 

=== Skill Tree Respecs/Resets ===
In Diablo II, a character always had all their skills and stats as they were allocated. If you made any mistake, the only solution was to start over. There has not been a definite word on talent/skill respecs, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he didn't like that you were limited in the old system, and that regardless of how the skill system will look, respecs are probably going to be available.
 
 

=== Skill Runes ===
[[Rune]]s will work very different in Diablo III compared to {{iw|Rune Diablo II Runes}}, and is now part of the character customization. You will enter skill runes for your skills/spells, which will affect how the these work in the game. A multiplying rune might make your spell fire additional fireballs, another rune might make the blast radius bigger etc.
 
 

==Stats/Attributes==
'''It's no longer possible to choose where to enter your own stat points.''' They will be automatically assigned every time you level up. The customization that this brought in Diablo II is now going to be moved to itemization among other ways. Have a look what kind of secondary attributes are influenced by the initial stats/attributes '''[[Attributes#Strength|Strength]]''', '''[[Attributes#Dexterity|Dexterity]]''', '''[[Attributes#Vitality|Vitality]]''' and '''[[Attributes#Willpower|Willpower]]'''.
*The '''[[Attributes|full list of attributes]]''' shows how attributes and secondary attributes interact.
 
 

==Monsters==
[[Image:Goatmen surround a Siegebreaker.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Goatmen]] & [[Siegebreaker]].]]Diablo III will have a great array of '''[[monster]]s''', and they will employ more intelligent behaviour, and effects as well. There will be more 'mini-boss' encounters that make for more epic gameplay, an example is the [[Thousand Pounder]], who isn't really a [[boss]], but a unit type. Other 'effects' include skeletons with large shields that can block and protects archers, [[ghoul]]s that climb up sheer walls to attack you, or [[Grotesque]]s that explode into a hundred [[Lamprey]] monsters. We can expect many unique attack patterns and behaviours from the Diablo III monsters.

* '''The [[Monster|Monsters Article]]''' has much more information on the 35 known monsters.
* '''The [[:Category:Monsters|Full List of Monsters]]''' show what can currently be killed.
 
 

==Spectacular Deaths==
Diablo III promises to bring many different '''[[death|death animations]]''' for each killed enemy, as well as special death animations for [[critical hit]]s, and special fatalities by [[boss]] monsters when their hit would kill a player.

The '''[[death penalty]]''' will be a lot more lenient. People will no longer lose [[experience]] when dying. Naturally, if the [[Hardcore]] mode makes a return, a death will be permanent, but potentially possible for friends to loot the corpse. There will also be [[checkpoint]]s that automatically save the progress of a player, and when a character dies, he's transported to the nearest checkpoint.
 
 

==Items==
[[Image:Barbarian swing.jpg|thumb|right|[[Barbarian]] swinging two magical axes.]]While the [[Category:Items|item]] system won't be identical to that of Diablo II, it will be very similar. '''[[Items]]''' will drop randomly and have random attributes. Some of the things that definitely changed:
* [[Runes]] no longer attach to weapons, and 'rune words' are '''completely removed'''. They are instead used to enhance your skills/spells.
* The [[stash]] is in the game, bigger this time, and will be possible to expand further.
** The dev team is discussing potentially making it a shared stash between your characters, or adding a mail system.
* Items will now drop '''per character''', and be invisible to other characters. They are still [[trade]]able, but you will never go a run without loot again.
* [[Known Items Listing|The Full List of Items]] contain all known items.
* [[Potion]]s are drastically changed, with some sort of limits. If it's less gained health/mana, or if it has a [[cooldown]] is unknown, but the old potion system is replaced by [[Health Orb]]s and the belt is replaced by a [[skill]] bar.
* There will be some new trading system ''in addition to'' the old one, possibly like the WoW Auction House.
 
 

==NPCs==
[[Image:Cain-concept1.jpg|thumb|right|75px|[[Cain]]]]There is a small number of [[NPCs]] that are confirmed for Diablo III:
* [[Deckard Cain]] - Back to ask us to listen.
* [[Leah]] - Girl from the [[cinematic]]. Apparently located close to Deckard Cain, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Pablo DeSoto]] - Father of Leah. Close to his daughter, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Captain Rumford]] - This NPC was found in the small town area where new characters began the [[BlizzCon 2008]] demo.
* [[Mr. Meat Wagon]] - Unnamed NPC that dumped corpses unto a fire.
* [[Crying Ghost]] - First ever Quest NPC.
* [[Little Girl Ghost]] - Second ever Quest NPC.
* Speculated characters to appear in the game can be found on the [[NPC]] article.
 
 

==Locations==
[[Image:Sanctuary World Map.jpg|thumb|225px|[[world map|Sanctuary world map]], with locations noted.]]The [[world map]] of [[Sanctuary]] was actually released with the second Diablo game's manual, but a new and improved map has been made by Blizzard, outlining the continents and the major [[settlement]]s. Many of these locations will be re-visited in [[Diablo III]] including [[Tristram]]. Areas close by that were never visited in the previous games will also have a chance, like the [[Leoric Highlands]] and [[Westmarch]].

We have been shown detailed pictures of [[Skovos]] (the land of the [[Amazon]]s), as well as [[Caldeum]] and Tristram. Skovos is confirmed to be excluded from the game, but the level of detail they are putting in to the universe suggests either a big expansion pack, MMOs or a film.

Outdoor areas will be less randomised than dungeons, and the terrain will for the most part be static. Instead a lot of random scripted events will take place, some will even be really advanced. It can vary from an escort [[quest]], to a mouldy tome, or a big bad [[boss]] monster. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" outdoor locations.
 
 

==Dungeons==
The only known dungeon of the game so far is the [[Forgotten Tombs]], which is seen on the [[gameplay video]]. It seems to be located adjacent to the [[Leoric Highlands]], and probably close to [[Tristram]] as well. Dungeons will be almost completely randomized, increasing replayability in the game. As a dungeon is a lot easier to randomize, these will be made different each time, and outdoor locations slightly more static. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" dungeons.

<center>
<gallery>
Image:Screenshot 20.jpg|[[Dark Berserker]]s and a [[Grotesque]] in the [[Forgotten Tombs]].
Image:Screenshot 19.jpg|Several [[Walking Corpse]]s. [[Follower]]s can be seen as well.
Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|[[Witch Doctor]] who's [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]] some [[Walking Corpse]]s.
</gallery>
</center>
 
 

==Transportation==
Most transportation in Diablo III will be on foot, as there will be '''no mounts''' in the game. On the other hand, we've heard the [[D3 team]] talk about [[Waypoint]], so they will likely return, and there is also less running after a [[death]] due to [[checkpoint]]s.
 
 

==Easter Eggs==
While no Easter eggs have been confirmed, we can most likely expect some sort of surprise content in Diablo 3. However, it's not certain exactly what this will be. One thing is known and that is that all previous somewhat modern Blizzard games have had Easter eggs to some degree.
* Diablo II had its own [[Cow Level]].
* Blizzard have hinted at Easter eggs and secret levels.
 
 

===Cow Level===
The [[Cow Level]] is a very distinct piece of content in Diablo 2, but is as of yet unconfirmed for Diablo 3. Cows and Diablo have been closely linked in fan's minds since Diablo 1, and it's not unlikely that we'll get a secret Cow Level in Diablo 3 as well, even if it likely will be very different from the Diablo 2 version.
 
 

===Rainbow Level===
This is a rumour started by the [[art controversy]] (see below), and all the hub-hub about the colour in Diablo 3 that came after the announcement might inspire the dev team to make a rainbow level with unicorns and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carebear Carebears].
* [http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=708777 Rainbow Level forum thread]
 
 

==Art Changes==
Some fans were very upset that [[Diablo III]] is seemingly full of much more colour than the predecessor [[Diablo II]]. While the settings in general now include a lot more colour, Blizzard argues that Diablo II was more colourful than people remember. Some fans have also expressed fears that Diablo III will become too much like [[World of WarCraft]]. You can read more about concerns and responses here:
* '''[[Art controversy|Diablo III Art Controversy]]'''
 
 

==Story Line==
[[Image:Cinematic 10.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Mystical comet overlooking a settlement in the western part of [[Sanctuary]].]]The [[story line]] of the game takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved [[Sanctuary]] from the demonic onslaught in [[Diablo II]]. This has gone by largely unnoticed by the general population as most of those warriors who directly faced [[Hell]]'s armies (and were fortunate enough to survive) went mad from their experiences. Some people know that some sort of conflict took place, but for the most part the war against [[Diablo]] is a myth.

The [[Barbarian]]s gained their identity and cultural pride from protecting the Worldstone within [[Mount Arreat]]. To see it defiled by Baal and his minions, and then destroyed, tore out the heart of these proud people. They abandoned their homeland and became nomadic, wandering the lands of [[Sanctuary]] and pitching themselves into battle after battle in an effort to forget the pain of their shattered homeland.

What happened to [[Tyrael]] after he destroyed the [[Worldstone]] is unknown to everyone. Scholars like [[Deckard Cain]] anticipated a huge invasion of demonic forces as the protection from the [[High Heaven]]s and the [[Burning Hell]]s, but no invasion ever materialized. Cain has spent the last years trying to figure out what happened, and trying to prepare us for the inevitable onslaught.

We know from the [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=600 Diablo III cinematic] that a great comet of some importance is falling down on to the [[Tristram Cathedral]], and that some unlucky soul (if it's [[Leah]] or [[Cain]] isn't sure) is hit by it. [[Hell]]'s armies are amassing, and it isn't safe any more.
 
 

==Quests==
Not that much information is yet available in regards to [[quest]]s, but what is known is that the quest system will help players interact more with the '''[[lore]]''' of the game, but still be '''optional''', and not something you need to experience unless you so choose. [[Blizzard]] claim the quest system itself will be '''new'''. There will be the standard story-line quests, as well as optional random quests related to the game you are currently in and [[class]]-quests. The random quests will vary from game to game. The same [[location]] in the game might spawn a caravan needing protection, or a mouldy tome which contains a quest, or perhaps just a big bad [[monster]].
 
 

==Single Player and Multiplayer==
[[Image:Battle.net 2.0.jpg|right]]You will be able to play Diablo III both offline on your PC/Mac as well as online with friends. [[Jay Wilson]] has said on numerous occasions that the primary focus will be co-op multiplayer, but not excluding single player game. They want all the fans to meet up together as one community, and will make huge changes to the current setup. The preferred multiplayer system for [[Diablo III]] will be [[Battle.net 2.0]] and there will be '''NO LAN'''.

Besides the co-op, it will also be possible to fight versus other players.
 
 

===Battle.net 2.0===
Blizzard have promised very big changes in [[Battle.net 2.0]], and besides removing the [[LAN]] functionality, the idea is to encourage people to play online with [[Achievement]]s, handy friends/foes lists and community support. You can read more about confirmed Battle.net features here:
* [http://www.diii.net/articles/689867/definite-battlenet-20-features Definite Battle.net 2.0 Features]
 
 

===Player Killing===
[[PvP]] will be possible in [[Diablo III]], but not as it works in Diablo II. Players will no longer be victim of "unwanted PvP action".
 
 

==Other Changes==
Among the things that are not listed under their own headline, there are a few other things to highlight about Diablo III:
* The old {{iw|Mercenaries Diablo II Mercenaries}} are now called '''[[follower]]s''', and it's now possible to have more than one with you on your travels.
* Blizzard have not given a final decision if there will be a '''[[Hardcore]]''' mode in Diablo III or not, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he likes the idea and can't see any reasons why it should not be included.
* '''Corpses''' will no longer be left permanently. In the opening [[gameplay video]], the corpses stayed for just a few seconds before fading away, but was later increased to 20 seconds, and in the latest builds, there is no upper limit, but instead an upper limit of corpses (so older corpses fade out). The reason is that when the number of corpses amount, they will weigh down the PC running it significantly, since it retains physics from [[Havok]] while in the game.
* '''[[Chest]]s''' will no longer be locked.
 
 

==Release Information==
This is a collection of all information available pertaining to the release of Diablo. Including [[release date]], [[system requirements]], [[Beta Test|beta testing]], price/payment methods and age [[rating]].
 
 

=== Release Date ===
As usual, the [[Release Date|release date]] for any Blizzard production is kept under wraps for as long as possible. What is known is that [[Diablo III]] is ''behind'' [[StarCraft II]] in the development cycle. A StarCraft release for 2010 and a Diablo III release in '''2010/2011''' seems probable, and the [[BlizzCon 2008]]/[[BlizzCon 2009]] information also seems to indicate this.

Still, the level of polish makes it harder to estimate development time left. Any other dates or rumours are that -- rumours.
 
 

=== System Requirements ===
* Windows XP compatible
* Windows Vista compatible
* Mac OSX compatible
Read more on the [[Diablo III System Requirements]] page. Diablo III is made completely in 3D, using [[Havok]] physics engine, with a custom game engine made by [[Blizzard]]. The game is currently native to DirectX 9, and will not require DirectX 10 to run. The game will probably use a slightly higher level of system requirements than [[StarCraft II]], which also uses Havok & DirectX 9, and is the closest thing we can compare the game to. You can read more on StarCraft II's requirements and DirectX compatibilities as well as shader info here:
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/954/starcraft-2-graphics-requirements-confirmed Graphics Requirements Confirmed] - The most prominent part of the system requirements, the graphics requirements released from Blizzard document.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/675/starcraft-2-system-requirements StarCraft II System Requirements] - System requirements analyse from available information.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/735/kalos-chronicles Kalos' Chronicles] - Technical articles for StarCraft II.

Here is a Blizzard quote on the system specs: [http://ablegamers.com/Disabled-Gamers-News/AbleGamers-Interviews-the-Diablo-III-Team.html]
::'''''[[Jay Wilson]]:''' Currently we have no plans for specific DirectX 10 support. Right now are running a DirectX 9, and we run on a pretty broad range of systems, really fast. Overall, across-the-board Blizzard's goal is that all of our games support a broad range of systems. We don't jump up the system specs in any grand way. We have no intentions of being a high-end game, and certainly no intentions of being an exclusive DirectX 10 game at this time...''

::''We don't exactly know what the system specs are yet, but we'll try to keep them pretty low. We make a lot of decisions about what we do and do not put into our graphics, in order to keep the game running fast. One of the reasons why we talk a lot about art style, and how we focus a lot on art style, stylization of art over... when we do that it allows us to have a good looking game about falling back on technology, our technology does not have to carry us when we have such great art in the game.''

 
 

===Diablo Alpha Beta Testing===
As with the release date, a time for beta is currently unknown. General information on Blizzard beta tests can be seen on the '''[[Beta Test]]''' page.
 
 

===Retail Price===
The retail price for Diablo III is unknown and will be stated closer to release. It's likely that the game will be "boxed" (no monthly fees, just a one-off price) and priced similar to other AAA titles.
 
 

===Game Age Rating===
The '''[[rating]]''' of [[Diablo III]] is estimated to be aimed for gamers above the age of 15, while still trying to avoid USK 18+ in Germany, or other similar ratings that would severely hamper the sales of the game in that country. [[Blizzard]] are more likely to censor the game in affected countries than to avoid releasing it if the censorship is too harsh.
* '''America ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Software_Rating_Board ERSB])''' - "M" Mature Rating (player should be at least 17 years old). No law enforcement.
* '''Europe ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEGI PEGI])''' - 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). No law enforcement (for most countries).
* '''Germany ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unterhaltungssoftware_Selbstkontrolle USK])''' - USK 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). Law enforcement of USK.
* '''Read more''' in the '''[[rating]]s''' article.
 
 

===Copy Protection and DRM===
It's unknown what type of copy protection (DRM) will be used on Diablo III, but with the new Battle.net changes and new Battle.net accounts, the game will likely only use a very light form of copy protection since the license is associated with the account. Online play will most likely not require a DVD in the drive, and offline play is unknown.
 
 
 

==Who's in Charge?==
Naturally, [[Blizzard]] are the guys making Diablo III, but that isn't a surprise. The important people for this production is the relatively new Blizzard employee Diablo III Lead Designer [[Jay Wilson]], besides the regular team. For fans, you might want to keep a look out for [[Bashiok]], the new Diablo Community Manager and [[Leonard Boyarsky]] who is the Lead World Designer for Diablo III, and head of [[quest]]s & [[lore]] as well as designing the world of [[Sanctuary]].
 
 

==Expansions, MMO or Diablo Movie==
Whatever will come after [[Diablo III]] is unknown, but it seems apparent that Blizzard are confident [http://www.incgamers.com/Games/1935/features/90/Diablo-III-Inforview] that there '''WILL''' be expansions. They have mentioned that the story line will have a more "final" ending than in Diablo II, which possibly means to make it better for an expansion, or perhaps a future MMO or a [[Diablo movie]]. Regardless, [[Jay Wilson]] has said that there are lots of potential for expanding the universe. What types of media this will come in is unknown: books, comics, manga, expansions, games or a movie...

[[Mike Morhaime]] said that they would like to make '''Diablo III expansions annually'''[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/diablo-3-will-have-several-expansions], and confirming plans for multiple expansions for the game.
 
 

==Further Information==
You can follow the links to each specific section for further details on Diablo III development and information. You can also use one of the following links for further information:
* {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news Diablo III news]}} - The most coherent news listing for Diablo III.
* [[Media Coverage]] - All Interviews, Previews, Pictures, Videos and Articles from around the web.
* [[:Category:Basics|Diablo III Basics]] - A listing of articles with good information if you are new to Diablo III.
* [[Diablo III FAQ]] - Frequently Asked Questions
* [[Diablo 3 History]] - The history of Diablo III up until the announcement.

==References==
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-monk-skill-tree-discussion-and-status/ Full Monk Skill Tree Stats and Discussion ]
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/ Exclusive Jay Wilson Interview]
* [http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/080628.html Blizzard Press Release]
* [http://diabloiiikore.com Official News Release]
* [http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom Jay Wilson - Videogamer.com]

[[Category:Diablo III]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Diablo 3 Basics

2009-08-30T10:28:00Z

Agito: /* Skills */

This is the '''Diablo 3 Basics''' page, which is the main '''Fact Sheet''' of known '''Diablo III''' information. This much anticipated sequel to Diablo and Diablo II was announced at [[Blizzard]]'s [[WWI 2008]] in Paris, during 27-28 June 2008. Regardless if you just heard that Diablo III is announced, or if you have been following some of the {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news news]}}, this page should be able to get you up to date!

If you are looking for the '''Basics Section''' of the wiki, you can find that in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''.
[[Image:Diablo III Logo.jpg|frame|right]]

The game will feature a similar isometric view as its predecessor, but will be created completely in a 3D-environment.

==Introduction==
Diablo III, while featured completely in '''3D''' with a 3D environment, will follow closely in Diablo II's track by using the classic isometric view, fast gameplay and randomised content for high replayability. Some changes have been made in order to make the game faster and more flexible as well as making players choose and employ tactics rather than mindless mouseclicking. Besides taking well learned lessons from WoW, the developers have been inspired by games such as ''Zelda'' and ''God of War''. Regardless, the game will be possible to play with a mouse alone, if a player so wishes (but you would be a lot less efficient).

Remember that you as a newbie to Diablo can find more related articles in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''
 
 

== Character Classes ==
[[Image:Screenshot 8.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Barbarian]] hammering.]] [[Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Witch Doctor]] [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]].]]Blizzard have confirmed that the game will ship with '''five''' character [[class]]es. The following links detail the '''four''' classes that have been revealed:
* '''The [[Barbarian]]''' - The same character you played in [[Diablo II]], but with some [[Barbarian skills|new skills]], and backed with power of the [[ancient]]s.
** [[Barbarian skills]] - All known skills.
* '''The [[Monk]]''' - Not the same as in Diablo: Hellfire. A new martial arts specialist inspired by the [[Assassin]] and [[Paladin]] from Diablo II and the rogue from World of WarCraft.
** [[Monk skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Witch Doctor]]''' - A new class that comes from the jungle region of [[Taganzi]], and uses [[Witch Doctor skills|voodoo magic]] to do his bidding. One of his highlights is the [[Wall of Zombies]] spell.
** [[Witch Doctor skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Wizard]]''' - A new class that is a pure spell caster harnessing arcane and elemental magic to do her bidding. Very similar to the [[Sorcerer]] and [[Sorceress]] of previously Diablo games. One of the highlights is the [[Wizard_skills#Slow_Time|Slow Time]] spell which warps space and time, slowing nearby monsters and projectiles.
** [[Wizard skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Other classes]]''' - Speculation on the missing class.

New with Diablo III is the choice of gender for each class. Class creation is not as customizable as the characters in popular MMO [[World of WarCraft]], but the developers have made it possible to choose a '''male or female''' character of the class they prefer.

We have no word at all about the next class, like Jay hinted on the previous two ([[Monk]] and [[Wizard]]). Before the Wizard was released, he mentioned we would hate[http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom] it (possibly because it's so similar to Sorceress, but still different) and the next one, which turned out to be the Monk, we would love[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/]. Well, fans have loved both, so perhaps it doesn't really matter what Jay says.

===Maximum Character Level===
Has been tentatively announced as 100, though this is far from carved in stone as of yet. The most recent comment was by D3 Community Manager [[Bashiok]] in September, 2008:[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-level-cap-and-inventory/]

::The first and last thing said on it was in an interview with Jay at WWI when we first announced, and paraphrasing that: we will probably keep it about the same, level 99, but it always seemed like an arbitrary number to stop at so we may up it to 100.

 
 

== Skills ==
Several major changes are apparent in Diablo III; compared to Diablo II, each character class has many more skills available to use (Diablo II had only a maximum of '''thirty''' skills per character), while in a single skill tree in Diablo III can have in excess of '''eighteen'''.

So far, it is not known if each skill tree will have the same number of skills for each character class, as it were in Diablo II (each skill tree had exactly ten skills), but from inferring what has been revealed already, a single skill tree ''may'' have more than '''twenty''' skills. Take for instance, the [[Wizard]]'s [[Conjuring Skill Tree]] - it has '''ninteen''' skills, distributed over '''four''' Tiers. There are a maximum of '''six''' Tiers, the skills in the final two Tiers have yet to be disclosed.

You can look further at the above known class [[skills]] (in the [[Diablo_3_Basics#Character_Classes|Character Classes section]] on this page) for detailed information about what has been revealed so far, but one big user interface (UI) change for character abilities is that skills are now accessed via '''skill bar''', supplanting the functionality of the potion bar in Diablo II. It works similar to the skill bar in World of Warcraft (WoW), where more than two skills can be accessed without using the function hotkeys (F1, F2 etc). Read more about the [[potion]] changes below.

* A '''[[:Category:Skills|Full List of Skills]]''' of the class skills.
 
 

=== Skill Tree Respecs/Resets ===
In Diablo II, a character always had all their skills and stats as they were allocated. If you made any mistake, the only solution was to start over. There has not been a definite word on talent/skill respecs, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he didn't like that you were limited in the old system, and that regardless of how the skill system will look, respecs are probably going to be available.
 
 

=== Skill Runes ===
[[Rune]]s will work very different in Diablo III compared to {{iw|Rune Diablo II Runes}}, and is now part of the character customization. You will enter skill runes for your skills/spells, which will affect how the these work in the game. A multiplying rune might make your spell fire additional fireballs, another rune might make the blast radius bigger etc.
 
 

==Stats/Attributes==
'''It's no longer possible to choose where to enter your own stat points.''' They will be automatically assigned every time you level up. The customization that this brought in Diablo II is now going to be moved to itemization among other ways. Have a look what kind of secondary attributes are influenced by the initial stats/attributes '''[[Attributes#Strength|Strength]]''', '''[[Attributes#Dexterity|Dexterity]]''', '''[[Attributes#Vitality|Vitality]]''' and '''[[Attributes#Willpower|Willpower]]'''.
*The '''[[Attributes|full list of attributes]]''' shows how attributes and secondary attributes interact.
 
 

==Monsters==
[[Image:Goatmen surround a Siegebreaker.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Goatmen]] & [[Siegebreaker]].]]Diablo III will have a great array of '''[[monster]]s''', and they will employ more intelligent behaviour, and effects as well. There will be more 'mini-boss' encounters that make for more epic gameplay, an example is the [[Thousand Pounder]], who isn't really a [[boss]], but a unit type. Other 'effects' include skeletons with large shields that can block and protects archers, [[ghoul]]s that climb up sheer walls to attack you, or [[Grotesque]]s that explode into a hundred [[Lamprey]] monsters. We can expect many unique attack patterns and behaviours from the Diablo III monsters.

* '''The [[Monster|Monsters Article]]''' has much more information on the 35 known monsters.
* '''The [[:Category:Monsters|Full List of Monsters]]''' show what can currently be killed.
 
 

==Spectacular Deaths==
Diablo III promises to bring many different '''[[death|death animations]]''' for each killed enemy, as well as special death animations for [[critical hit]]s, and special fatalities by [[boss]] monsters when their hit would kill a player.

The '''[[death penalty]]''' will be a lot more lenient. People will no longer lose [[experience]] when dying. Naturally, if the [[Hardcore]] mode makes a return, a death will be permanent, but potentially possible for friends to loot the corpse. There will also be [[checkpoint]]s that automatically save the progress of a player, and when a character dies, he's transported to the nearest checkpoint.
 
 

==Items==
[[Image:Barbarian swing.jpg|thumb|right|[[Barbarian]] swinging two magical axes.]]While the [[Category:Items|item]] system won't be identical to that of Diablo II, it will be very similar. '''[[Items]]''' will drop randomly and have random attributes. Some of the things that definitely changed:
* [[Runes]] no longer attach to weapons, and 'rune words' are '''completely removed'''. They are instead used to enhance your skills/spells.
* The [[stash]] is in the game, bigger this time, and will be possible to expand further.
** The dev team is discussing potentially making it a shared stash between your characters, or adding a mail system.
* Items will now drop '''per character''', and be invisible to other characters. They are still [[trade]]able, but you will never go a run without loot again.
* [[Known Items Listing|The Full List of Items]] contain all known items.
* [[Potion]]s are drastically changed, with some sort of limits. If it's less gained health/mana, or if it has a [[cooldown]] is unknown, but the old potion system is replaced by [[Health Orb]]s and the belt is replaced by a [[skill]] bar.
* There will be some new trading system ''in addition to'' the old one, possibly like the WoW Auction House.
 
 

==NPCs==
[[Image:Cain-concept1.jpg|thumb|right|75px|[[Cain]]]]There is a small number of [[NPCs]] that are confirmed for Diablo III:
* [[Deckard Cain]] - Back to ask us to listen.
* [[Leah]] - Girl from the [[cinematic]]. Apparently located close to Deckard Cain, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Pablo DeSoto]] - Father of Leah. Close to his daughter, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Captain Rumford]] - This NPC was found in the small town area where new characters began the [[BlizzCon 2008]] demo.
* [[Mr. Meat Wagon]] - Unnamed NPC that dumped corpses unto a fire.
* [[Crying Ghost]] - First ever Quest NPC.
* [[Little Girl Ghost]] - Second ever Quest NPC.
* Speculated characters to appear in the game can be found on the [[NPC]] article.
 
 

==Locations==
[[Image:Sanctuary World Map.jpg|thumb|225px|[[world map|Sanctuary world map]], with locations noted.]]The [[world map]] of [[Sanctuary]] was actually released with the second Diablo game's manual, but a new and improved map has been made by Blizzard, outlining the continents and the major [[settlement]]s. Many of these locations will be re-visited in [[Diablo III]] including [[Tristram]]. Areas close by that were never visited in the previous games will also have a chance, like the [[Leoric Highlands]] and [[Westmarch]].

We have been shown detailed pictures of [[Skovos]] (the land of the [[Amazon]]s), as well as [[Caldeum]] and Tristram. Skovos is confirmed to be excluded from the game, but the level of detail they are putting in to the universe suggests either a big expansion pack, MMOs or a film.

Outdoor areas will be less randomised than dungeons, and the terrain will for the most part be static. Instead a lot of random scripted events will take place, some will even be really advanced. It can vary from an escort [[quest]], to a mouldy tome, or a big bad [[boss]] monster. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" outdoor locations.
 
 

==Dungeons==
The only known dungeon of the game so far is the [[Forgotten Tombs]], which is seen on the [[gameplay video]]. It seems to be located adjacent to the [[Leoric Highlands]], and probably close to [[Tristram]] as well. Dungeons will be almost completely randomized, increasing replayability in the game. As a dungeon is a lot easier to randomize, these will be made different each time, and outdoor locations slightly more static. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" dungeons.

<center>
<gallery>
Image:Screenshot 20.jpg|[[Dark Berserker]]s and a [[Grotesque]] in the [[Forgotten Tombs]].
Image:Screenshot 19.jpg|Several [[Walking Corpse]]s. [[Follower]]s can be seen as well.
Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|[[Witch Doctor]] who's [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]] some [[Walking Corpse]]s.
</gallery>
</center>
 
 

==Transportation==
Most transportation in Diablo III will be on foot, as there will be '''no mounts''' in the game. On the other hand, we've heard the [[D3 team]] talk about [[Waypoint]], so they will likely return, and there is also less running after a [[death]] due to [[checkpoint]]s.
 
 

==Easter Eggs==
While no Easter eggs have been confirmed, we can most likely expect some sort of surprise content in Diablo 3. However, it's not certain exactly what this will be. One thing is known and that is that all previous somewhat modern Blizzard games have had Easter eggs to some degree.
* Diablo II had its own [[Cow Level]].
* Blizzard have hinted at Easter eggs and secret levels.
 
 

===Cow Level===
The [[Cow Level]] is a very distinct piece of content in Diablo 2, but is as of yet unconfirmed for Diablo 3. Cows and Diablo have been closely linked in fan's minds since Diablo 1, and it's not unlikely that we'll get a secret Cow Level in Diablo 3 as well, even if it likely will be very different from the Diablo 2 version.
 
 

===Rainbow Level===
This is a rumour started by the [[art controversy]] (see below), and all the hub-hub about the colour in Diablo 3 that came after the announcement might inspire the dev team to make a rainbow level with unicorns and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carebear Carebears].
* [http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=708777 Rainbow Level forum thread]
 
 

==Art Changes==
Some fans were very upset that [[Diablo III]] is seemingly full of much more colour than the predecessor [[Diablo II]]. While the settings in general now include a lot more colour, Blizzard argues that Diablo II was more colourful than people remember. Some fans have also expressed fears that Diablo III will become too much like [[World of WarCraft]]. You can read more about concerns and responses here:
* '''[[Art controversy|Diablo III Art Controversy]]'''
 
 

==Story Line==
[[Image:Cinematic 10.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Mystical comet overlooking a settlement in the western part of [[Sanctuary]].]]The [[story line]] of the game takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved [[Sanctuary]] from the demonic onslaught in [[Diablo II]]. This has gone by largely unnoticed by the general population as most of those warriors who directly faced [[Hell]]'s armies (and were fortunate enough to survive) went mad from their experiences. Some people know that some sort of conflict took place, but for the most part the war against [[Diablo]] is a myth.

The [[Barbarian]]s gained their identity and cultural pride from protecting the Worldstone within [[Mount Arreat]]. To see it defiled by Baal and his minions, and then destroyed, tore out the heart of these proud people. They abandoned their homeland and became nomadic, wandering the lands of [[Sanctuary]] and pitching themselves into battle after battle in an effort to forget the pain of their shattered homeland.

What happened to [[Tyrael]] after he destroyed the [[Worldstone]] is unknown to everyone. Scholars like [[Deckard Cain]] anticipated a huge invasion of demonic forces as the protection from the [[High Heaven]]s and the [[Burning Hell]]s, but no invasion ever materialized. Cain has spent the last years trying to figure out what happened, and trying to prepare us for the inevitable onslaught.

We know from the [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=600 Diablo III cinematic] that a great comet of some importance is falling down on to the [[Tristram Cathedral]], and that some unlucky soul (if it's [[Leah]] or [[Cain]] isn't sure) is hit by it. [[Hell]]'s armies are amassing, and it isn't safe any more.
 
 

==Quests==
Not that much information is yet available in regards to [[quest]]s, but what is known is that the quest system will help players interact more with the '''[[lore]]''' of the game, but still be '''optional''', and not something you need to experience unless you so choose. [[Blizzard]] claim the quest system itself will be '''new'''. There will be the standard story-line quests, as well as optional random quests related to the game you are currently in and [[class]]-quests. The random quests will vary from game to game. The same [[location]] in the game might spawn a caravan needing protection, or a mouldy tome which contains a quest, or perhaps just a big bad [[monster]].
 
 

==Single Player and Multiplayer==
[[Image:Battle.net 2.0.jpg|right]]You will be able to play Diablo III both offline on your PC/Mac as well as online with friends. [[Jay Wilson]] has said on numerous occasions that the primary focus will be co-op multiplayer, but not excluding single player game. They want all the fans to meet up together as one community, and will make huge changes to the current setup. The preferred multiplayer system for [[Diablo III]] will be [[Battle.net 2.0]] and there will be '''NO LAN'''.

Besides the co-op, it will also be possible to fight versus other players.
 
 

===Battle.net 2.0===
Blizzard have promised very big changes in [[Battle.net 2.0]], and besides removing the [[LAN]] functionality, the idea is to encourage people to play online with [[Achievement]]s, handy friends/foes lists and community support. You can read more about confirmed Battle.net features here:
* [http://www.diii.net/articles/689867/definite-battlenet-20-features Definite Battle.net 2.0 Features]
 
 

===Player Killing===
[[PvP]] will be possible in [[Diablo III]], but not as it works in Diablo II. Players will no longer be victim of "unwanted PvP action".
 
 

==Other Changes==
Among the things that are not listed under their own headline, there are a few other things to highlight about Diablo III:
* The old {{iw|Mercenaries Diablo II Mercenaries}} are now called '''[[follower]]s''', and it's now possible to have more than one with you on your travels.
* Blizzard have not given a final decision if there will be a '''[[Hardcore]]''' mode in Diablo III or not, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he likes the idea and can't see any reasons why it should not be included.
* '''Corpses''' will no longer be left permanently. In the opening [[gameplay video]], the corpses stayed for just a few seconds before fading away, but was later increased to 20 seconds, and in the latest builds, there is no upper limit, but instead an upper limit of corpses (so older corpses fade out). The reason is that when the number of corpses amount, they will weigh down the PC running it significantly, since it retains physics from [[Havok]] while in the game.
* '''[[Chest]]s''' will no longer be locked.
 
 

==Release Information==
This is a collection of all information available pertaining to the release of Diablo. Including [[release date]], [[system requirements]], [[Beta Test|beta testing]], price/payment methods and age [[rating]].
 
 

=== Release Date ===
As usual, the [[Release Date|release date]] for any Blizzard production is kept under wraps for as long as possible. What is known is that [[Diablo III]] is ''behind'' [[StarCraft II]] in the development cycle. A StarCraft release for 2010 and a Diablo III release in '''2010/2011''' seems probable, and the [[BlizzCon 2008]]/[[BlizzCon 2009]] information also seems to indicate this.

Still, the level of polish makes it harder to estimate development time left. Any other dates or rumours are that -- rumours.
 
 

=== System Requirements ===
* Windows XP compatible
* Windows Vista compatible
* Mac OSX compatible
Read more on the [[Diablo III System Requirements]] page. Diablo III is made completely in 3D, using [[Havok]] physics engine, with a custom game engine made by [[Blizzard]]. The game is currently native to DirectX 9, and will not require DirectX 10 to run. The game will probably use a slightly higher level of system requirements than [[StarCraft II]], which also uses Havok & DirectX 9, and is the closest thing we can compare the game to. You can read more on StarCraft II's requirements and DirectX compatibilities as well as shader info here:
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/954/starcraft-2-graphics-requirements-confirmed Graphics Requirements Confirmed] - The most prominent part of the system requirements, the graphics requirements released from Blizzard document.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/675/starcraft-2-system-requirements StarCraft II System Requirements] - System requirements analyse from available information.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/735/kalos-chronicles Kalos' Chronicles] - Technical articles for StarCraft II.

Here is a Blizzard quote on the system specs: [http://ablegamers.com/Disabled-Gamers-News/AbleGamers-Interviews-the-Diablo-III-Team.html]
::'''''[[Jay Wilson]]:''' Currently we have no plans for specific DirectX 10 support. Right now are running a DirectX 9, and we run on a pretty broad range of systems, really fast. Overall, across-the-board Blizzard's goal is that all of our games support a broad range of systems. We don't jump up the system specs in any grand way. We have no intentions of being a high-end game, and certainly no intentions of being an exclusive DirectX 10 game at this time...''

::''We don't exactly know what the system specs are yet, but we'll try to keep them pretty low. We make a lot of decisions about what we do and do not put into our graphics, in order to keep the game running fast. One of the reasons why we talk a lot about art style, and how we focus a lot on art style, stylization of art over... when we do that it allows us to have a good looking game about falling back on technology, our technology does not have to carry us when we have such great art in the game.''

 
 

===Diablo Alpha Beta Testing===
As with the release date, a time for beta is currently unknown. General information on Blizzard beta tests can be seen on the '''[[Beta Test]]''' page.
 
 

===Retail Price===
The retail price for Diablo III is unknown and will be stated closer to release. It's likely that the game will be "boxed" (no monthly fees, just a one-off price) and priced similar to other AAA titles.
 
 

===Game Age Rating===
The '''[[rating]]''' of [[Diablo III]] is estimated to be aimed for gamers above the age of 15, while still trying to avoid USK 18+ in Germany, or other similar ratings that would severely hamper the sales of the game in that country. [[Blizzard]] are more likely to censor the game in affected countries than to avoid releasing it if the censorship is too harsh.
* '''America ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Software_Rating_Board ERSB])''' - "M" Mature Rating (player should be at least 17 years old). No law enforcement.
* '''Europe ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEGI PEGI])''' - 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). No law enforcement (for most countries).
* '''Germany ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unterhaltungssoftware_Selbstkontrolle USK])''' - USK 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). Law enforcement of USK.
* '''Read more''' in the '''[[rating]]s''' article.
 
 

===Copy Protection and DRM===
It's unknown what type of copy protection (DRM) will be used on Diablo III, but with the new Battle.net changes and new Battle.net accounts, the game will likely only use a very light form of copy protection since the license is associated with the account. Online play will most likely not require a DVD in the drive, and offline play is unknown.
 
 
 

==Who's in Charge?==
Naturally, [[Blizzard]] are the guys making Diablo III, but that isn't a surprise. The important people for this production is the relatively new Blizzard employee Diablo III Lead Designer [[Jay Wilson]], besides the regular team. For fans, you might want to keep a look out for [[Bashiok]], the new Diablo Community Manager and [[Leonard Boyarsky]] who is the Lead World Designer for Diablo III, and head of [[quest]]s & [[lore]] as well as designing the world of [[Sanctuary]].
 
 

==Expansions, MMO or Diablo Movie==
Whatever will come after [[Diablo III]] is unknown, but it seems apparent that Blizzard are confident [http://www.incgamers.com/Games/1935/features/90/Diablo-III-Inforview] that there '''WILL''' be expansions. They have mentioned that the story line will have a more "final" ending than in Diablo II, which possibly means to make it better for an expansion, or perhaps a future MMO or a [[Diablo movie]]. Regardless, [[Jay Wilson]] has said that there are lots of potential for expanding the universe. What types of media this will come in is unknown: books, comics, manga, expansions, games or a movie...

[[Mike Morhaime]] said that they would like to make '''Diablo III expansions annually'''[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/diablo-3-will-have-several-expansions], and confirming plans for multiple expansions for the game.
 
 

==Further Information==
You can follow the links to each specific section for further details on Diablo III development and information. You can also use one of the following links for further information:
* {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news Diablo III news]}} - The most coherent news listing for Diablo III.
* [[Media Coverage]] - All Interviews, Previews, Pictures, Videos and Articles from around the web.
* [[:Category:Basics|Diablo III Basics]] - A listing of articles with good information if you are new to Diablo III.
* [[Diablo III FAQ]] - Frequently Asked Questions
* [[Diablo 3 History]] - The history of Diablo III up until the announcement.

==References==
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-monk-skill-tree-discussion-and-status/ Full Monk Skill Tree Stats and Discussion ]
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/ Exclusive Jay Wilson Interview]
* [http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/080628.html Blizzard Press Release]
* [http://diabloiiikore.com Official News Release]
* [http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom Jay Wilson - Videogamer.com]

[[Category:Diablo III]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Diablo 3 Basics

2009-08-30T09:45:17Z

Agito: /* Character Classes */

This is the '''Diablo 3 Basics''' page, which is the main '''Fact Sheet''' of known '''Diablo III''' information. This much anticipated sequel to Diablo and Diablo II was announced at [[Blizzard]]'s [[WWI 2008]] in Paris, during 27-28 June 2008. Regardless if you just heard that Diablo III is announced, or if you have been following some of the {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news news]}}, this page should be able to get you up to date!

If you are looking for the '''Basics Section''' of the wiki, you can find that in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''.
[[Image:Diablo III Logo.jpg|frame|right]]

The game will feature a similar isometric view as its predecessor, but will be created completely in a 3D-environment.

==Introduction==
Diablo III, while featured completely in '''3D''' with a 3D environment, will follow closely in Diablo II's track by using the classic isometric view, fast gameplay and randomised content for high replayability. Some changes have been made in order to make the game faster and more flexible as well as making players choose and employ tactics rather than mindless mouseclicking. Besides taking well learned lessons from WoW, the developers have been inspired by games such as ''Zelda'' and ''God of War''. Regardless, the game will be possible to play with a mouse alone, if a player so wishes (but you would be a lot less efficient).

Remember that you as a newbie to Diablo can find more related articles in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''
 
 

== Character Classes ==
[[Image:Screenshot 8.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Barbarian]] hammering.]] [[Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Witch Doctor]] [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]].]]Blizzard have confirmed that the game will ship with '''five''' character [[class]]es. The following links detail the '''four''' classes that have been revealed:
* '''The [[Barbarian]]''' - The same character you played in [[Diablo II]], but with some [[Barbarian skills|new skills]], and backed with power of the [[ancient]]s.
** [[Barbarian skills]] - All known skills.
* '''The [[Monk]]''' - Not the same as in Diablo: Hellfire. A new martial arts specialist inspired by the [[Assassin]] and [[Paladin]] from Diablo II and the rogue from World of WarCraft.
** [[Monk skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Witch Doctor]]''' - A new class that comes from the jungle region of [[Taganzi]], and uses [[Witch Doctor skills|voodoo magic]] to do his bidding. One of his highlights is the [[Wall of Zombies]] spell.
** [[Witch Doctor skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Wizard]]''' - A new class that is a pure spell caster harnessing arcane and elemental magic to do her bidding. Very similar to the [[Sorcerer]] and [[Sorceress]] of previously Diablo games. One of the highlights is the [[Wizard_skills#Slow_Time|Slow Time]] spell which warps space and time, slowing nearby monsters and projectiles.
** [[Wizard skills]] - All known Skills.
* '''The [[Other classes]]''' - Speculation on the missing class.

New with Diablo III is the choice of gender for each class. Class creation is not as customizable as the characters in popular MMO [[World of WarCraft]], but the developers have made it possible to choose a '''male or female''' character of the class they prefer.

We have no word at all about the next class, like Jay hinted on the previous two ([[Monk]] and [[Wizard]]). Before the Wizard was released, he mentioned we would hate[http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom] it (possibly because it's so similar to Sorceress, but still different) and the next one, which turned out to be the Monk, we would love[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/]. Well, fans have loved both, so perhaps it doesn't really matter what Jay says.

===Maximum Character Level===
Has been tentatively announced as 100, though this is far from carved in stone as of yet. The most recent comment was by D3 Community Manager [[Bashiok]] in September, 2008:[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-level-cap-and-inventory/]

::The first and last thing said on it was in an interview with Jay at WWI when we first announced, and paraphrasing that: we will probably keep it about the same, level 99, but it always seemed like an arbitrary number to stop at so we may up it to 100.

 
 

== Skills ==
You can look at the above known class [[skills]] for detailed information about what will be available, but one big general change for character abilities is that you now have a skill bar instead of a potion bar. It works similar to WoW, and more skills can now be accessed easily. Read more about the [[potion]] changes below.

* A '''[[:Category:Skills|Full List of Skills]]''' of the class skills.
 
 

=== Skill Tree Respecs/Resets ===
In Diablo II, a character always had all their skills and stats as they were allocated. If you made any mistake, the only solution was to start over. There has not been a definite word on talent/skill respecs, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he didn't like that you were limited in the old system, and that regardless of how the skill system will look, respecs are probably going to be available.
 
 

=== Skill Runes ===
[[Rune]]s will work very different in Diablo III compared to {{iw|Rune Diablo II Runes}}, and is now part of the character customization. You will enter skill runes for your skills/spells, which will affect how the these work in the game. A multiplying rune might make your spell fire additional fireballs, another rune might make the blast radius bigger etc.
 
 

==Stats/Attributes==
'''It's no longer possible to choose where to enter your own stat points.''' They will be automatically assigned every time you level up. The customization that this brought in Diablo II is now going to be moved to itemization among other ways. Have a look what kind of secondary attributes are influenced by the initial stats/attributes '''[[Attributes#Strength|Strength]]''', '''[[Attributes#Dexterity|Dexterity]]''', '''[[Attributes#Vitality|Vitality]]''' and '''[[Attributes#Willpower|Willpower]]'''.
*The '''[[Attributes|full list of attributes]]''' shows how attributes and secondary attributes interact.
 
 

==Monsters==
[[Image:Goatmen surround a Siegebreaker.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Goatmen]] & [[Siegebreaker]].]]Diablo III will have a great array of '''[[monster]]s''', and they will employ more intelligent behaviour, and effects as well. There will be more 'mini-boss' encounters that make for more epic gameplay, an example is the [[Thousand Pounder]], who isn't really a [[boss]], but a unit type. Other 'effects' include skeletons with large shields that can block and protects archers, [[ghoul]]s that climb up sheer walls to attack you, or [[Grotesque]]s that explode into a hundred [[Lamprey]] monsters. We can expect many unique attack patterns and behaviours from the Diablo III monsters.

* '''The [[Monster|Monsters Article]]''' has much more information on the 35 known monsters.
* '''The [[:Category:Monsters|Full List of Monsters]]''' show what can currently be killed.
 
 

==Spectacular Deaths==
Diablo III promises to bring many different '''[[death|death animations]]''' for each killed enemy, as well as special death animations for [[critical hit]]s, and special fatalities by [[boss]] monsters when their hit would kill a player.

The '''[[death penalty]]''' will be a lot more lenient. People will no longer lose [[experience]] when dying. Naturally, if the [[Hardcore]] mode makes a return, a death will be permanent, but potentially possible for friends to loot the corpse. There will also be [[checkpoint]]s that automatically save the progress of a player, and when a character dies, he's transported to the nearest checkpoint.
 
 

==Items==
[[Image:Barbarian swing.jpg|thumb|right|[[Barbarian]] swinging two magical axes.]]While the [[Category:Items|item]] system won't be identical to that of Diablo II, it will be very similar. '''[[Items]]''' will drop randomly and have random attributes. Some of the things that definitely changed:
* [[Runes]] no longer attach to weapons, and 'rune words' are '''completely removed'''. They are instead used to enhance your skills/spells.
* The [[stash]] is in the game, bigger this time, and will be possible to expand further.
** The dev team is discussing potentially making it a shared stash between your characters, or adding a mail system.
* Items will now drop '''per character''', and be invisible to other characters. They are still [[trade]]able, but you will never go a run without loot again.
* [[Known Items Listing|The Full List of Items]] contain all known items.
* [[Potion]]s are drastically changed, with some sort of limits. If it's less gained health/mana, or if it has a [[cooldown]] is unknown, but the old potion system is replaced by [[Health Orb]]s and the belt is replaced by a [[skill]] bar.
* There will be some new trading system ''in addition to'' the old one, possibly like the WoW Auction House.
 
 

==NPCs==
[[Image:Cain-concept1.jpg|thumb|right|75px|[[Cain]]]]There is a small number of [[NPCs]] that are confirmed for Diablo III:
* [[Deckard Cain]] - Back to ask us to listen.
* [[Leah]] - Girl from the [[cinematic]]. Apparently located close to Deckard Cain, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Pablo DeSoto]] - Father of Leah. Close to his daughter, likely in [[Tristram]].
* [[Captain Rumford]] - This NPC was found in the small town area where new characters began the [[BlizzCon 2008]] demo.
* [[Mr. Meat Wagon]] - Unnamed NPC that dumped corpses unto a fire.
* [[Crying Ghost]] - First ever Quest NPC.
* [[Little Girl Ghost]] - Second ever Quest NPC.
* Speculated characters to appear in the game can be found on the [[NPC]] article.
 
 

==Locations==
[[Image:Sanctuary World Map.jpg|thumb|225px|[[world map|Sanctuary world map]], with locations noted.]]The [[world map]] of [[Sanctuary]] was actually released with the second Diablo game's manual, but a new and improved map has been made by Blizzard, outlining the continents and the major [[settlement]]s. Many of these locations will be re-visited in [[Diablo III]] including [[Tristram]]. Areas close by that were never visited in the previous games will also have a chance, like the [[Leoric Highlands]] and [[Westmarch]].

We have been shown detailed pictures of [[Skovos]] (the land of the [[Amazon]]s), as well as [[Caldeum]] and Tristram. Skovos is confirmed to be excluded from the game, but the level of detail they are putting in to the universe suggests either a big expansion pack, MMOs or a film.

Outdoor areas will be less randomised than dungeons, and the terrain will for the most part be static. Instead a lot of random scripted events will take place, some will even be really advanced. It can vary from an escort [[quest]], to a mouldy tome, or a big bad [[boss]] monster. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" outdoor locations.
 
 

==Dungeons==
The only known dungeon of the game so far is the [[Forgotten Tombs]], which is seen on the [[gameplay video]]. It seems to be located adjacent to the [[Leoric Highlands]], and probably close to [[Tristram]] as well. Dungeons will be almost completely randomized, increasing replayability in the game. As a dungeon is a lot easier to randomize, these will be made different each time, and outdoor locations slightly more static. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" dungeons.

<center>
<gallery>
Image:Screenshot 20.jpg|[[Dark Berserker]]s and a [[Grotesque]] in the [[Forgotten Tombs]].
Image:Screenshot 19.jpg|Several [[Walking Corpse]]s. [[Follower]]s can be seen as well.
Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|[[Witch Doctor]] who's [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]] some [[Walking Corpse]]s.
</gallery>
</center>
 
 

==Transportation==
Most transportation in Diablo III will be on foot, as there will be '''no mounts''' in the game. On the other hand, we've heard the [[D3 team]] talk about [[Waypoint]], so they will likely return, and there is also less running after a [[death]] due to [[checkpoint]]s.
 
 

==Easter Eggs==
While no Easter eggs have been confirmed, we can most likely expect some sort of surprise content in Diablo 3. However, it's not certain exactly what this will be. One thing is known and that is that all previous somewhat modern Blizzard games have had Easter eggs to some degree.
* Diablo II had its own [[Cow Level]].
* Blizzard have hinted at Easter eggs and secret levels.
 
 

===Cow Level===
The [[Cow Level]] is a very distinct piece of content in Diablo 2, but is as of yet unconfirmed for Diablo 3. Cows and Diablo have been closely linked in fan's minds since Diablo 1, and it's not unlikely that we'll get a secret Cow Level in Diablo 3 as well, even if it likely will be very different from the Diablo 2 version.
 
 

===Rainbow Level===
This is a rumour started by the [[art controversy]] (see below), and all the hub-hub about the colour in Diablo 3 that came after the announcement might inspire the dev team to make a rainbow level with unicorns and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carebear Carebears].
* [http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=708777 Rainbow Level forum thread]
 
 

==Art Changes==
Some fans were very upset that [[Diablo III]] is seemingly full of much more colour than the predecessor [[Diablo II]]. While the settings in general now include a lot more colour, Blizzard argues that Diablo II was more colourful than people remember. Some fans have also expressed fears that Diablo III will become too much like [[World of WarCraft]]. You can read more about concerns and responses here:
* '''[[Art controversy|Diablo III Art Controversy]]'''
 
 

==Story Line==
[[Image:Cinematic 10.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Mystical comet overlooking a settlement in the western part of [[Sanctuary]].]]The [[story line]] of the game takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved [[Sanctuary]] from the demonic onslaught in [[Diablo II]]. This has gone by largely unnoticed by the general population as most of those warriors who directly faced [[Hell]]'s armies (and were fortunate enough to survive) went mad from their experiences. Some people know that some sort of conflict took place, but for the most part the war against [[Diablo]] is a myth.

The [[Barbarian]]s gained their identity and cultural pride from protecting the Worldstone within [[Mount Arreat]]. To see it defiled by Baal and his minions, and then destroyed, tore out the heart of these proud people. They abandoned their homeland and became nomadic, wandering the lands of [[Sanctuary]] and pitching themselves into battle after battle in an effort to forget the pain of their shattered homeland.

What happened to [[Tyrael]] after he destroyed the [[Worldstone]] is unknown to everyone. Scholars like [[Deckard Cain]] anticipated a huge invasion of demonic forces as the protection from the [[High Heaven]]s and the [[Burning Hell]]s, but no invasion ever materialized. Cain has spent the last years trying to figure out what happened, and trying to prepare us for the inevitable onslaught.

We know from the [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=600 Diablo III cinematic] that a great comet of some importance is falling down on to the [[Tristram Cathedral]], and that some unlucky soul (if it's [[Leah]] or [[Cain]] isn't sure) is hit by it. [[Hell]]'s armies are amassing, and it isn't safe any more.
 
 

==Quests==
Not that much information is yet available in regards to [[quest]]s, but what is known is that the quest system will help players interact more with the '''[[lore]]''' of the game, but still be '''optional''', and not something you need to experience unless you so choose. [[Blizzard]] claim the quest system itself will be '''new'''. There will be the standard story-line quests, as well as optional random quests related to the game you are currently in and [[class]]-quests. The random quests will vary from game to game. The same [[location]] in the game might spawn a caravan needing protection, or a mouldy tome which contains a quest, or perhaps just a big bad [[monster]].
 
 

==Single Player and Multiplayer==
[[Image:Battle.net 2.0.jpg|right]]You will be able to play Diablo III both offline on your PC/Mac as well as online with friends. [[Jay Wilson]] has said on numerous occasions that the primary focus will be co-op multiplayer, but not excluding single player game. They want all the fans to meet up together as one community, and will make huge changes to the current setup. The preferred multiplayer system for [[Diablo III]] will be [[Battle.net 2.0]] and there will be '''NO LAN'''.

Besides the co-op, it will also be possible to fight versus other players.
 
 

===Battle.net 2.0===
Blizzard have promised very big changes in [[Battle.net 2.0]], and besides removing the [[LAN]] functionality, the idea is to encourage people to play online with [[Achievement]]s, handy friends/foes lists and community support. You can read more about confirmed Battle.net features here:
* [http://www.diii.net/articles/689867/definite-battlenet-20-features Definite Battle.net 2.0 Features]
 
 

===Player Killing===
[[PvP]] will be possible in [[Diablo III]], but not as it works in Diablo II. Players will no longer be victim of "unwanted PvP action".
 
 

==Other Changes==
Among the things that are not listed under their own headline, there are a few other things to highlight about Diablo III:
* The old {{iw|Mercenaries Diablo II Mercenaries}} are now called '''[[follower]]s''', and it's now possible to have more than one with you on your travels.
* Blizzard have not given a final decision if there will be a '''[[Hardcore]]''' mode in Diablo III or not, but [[Jay Wilson]] has said that he likes the idea and can't see any reasons why it should not be included.
* '''Corpses''' will no longer be left permanently. In the opening [[gameplay video]], the corpses stayed for just a few seconds before fading away, but was later increased to 20 seconds, and in the latest builds, there is no upper limit, but instead an upper limit of corpses (so older corpses fade out). The reason is that when the number of corpses amount, they will weigh down the PC running it significantly, since it retains physics from [[Havok]] while in the game.
* '''[[Chest]]s''' will no longer be locked.
 
 

==Release Information==
This is a collection of all information available pertaining to the release of Diablo. Including [[release date]], [[system requirements]], [[Beta Test|beta testing]], price/payment methods and age [[rating]].
 
 

=== Release Date ===
As usual, the [[Release Date|release date]] for any Blizzard production is kept under wraps for as long as possible. What is known is that [[Diablo III]] is ''behind'' [[StarCraft II]] in the development cycle. A StarCraft release for 2010 and a Diablo III release in '''2010/2011''' seems probable, and the [[BlizzCon 2008]]/[[BlizzCon 2009]] information also seems to indicate this.

Still, the level of polish makes it harder to estimate development time left. Any other dates or rumours are that -- rumours.
 
 

=== System Requirements ===
* Windows XP compatible
* Windows Vista compatible
* Mac OSX compatible
Read more on the [[Diablo III System Requirements]] page. Diablo III is made completely in 3D, using [[Havok]] physics engine, with a custom game engine made by [[Blizzard]]. The game is currently native to DirectX 9, and will not require DirectX 10 to run. The game will probably use a slightly higher level of system requirements than [[StarCraft II]], which also uses Havok & DirectX 9, and is the closest thing we can compare the game to. You can read more on StarCraft II's requirements and DirectX compatibilities as well as shader info here:
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/954/starcraft-2-graphics-requirements-confirmed Graphics Requirements Confirmed] - The most prominent part of the system requirements, the graphics requirements released from Blizzard document.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/675/starcraft-2-system-requirements StarCraft II System Requirements] - System requirements analyse from available information.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/735/kalos-chronicles Kalos' Chronicles] - Technical articles for StarCraft II.

Here is a Blizzard quote on the system specs: [http://ablegamers.com/Disabled-Gamers-News/AbleGamers-Interviews-the-Diablo-III-Team.html]
::'''''[[Jay Wilson]]:''' Currently we have no plans for specific DirectX 10 support. Right now are running a DirectX 9, and we run on a pretty broad range of systems, really fast. Overall, across-the-board Blizzard's goal is that all of our games support a broad range of systems. We don't jump up the system specs in any grand way. We have no intentions of being a high-end game, and certainly no intentions of being an exclusive DirectX 10 game at this time...''

::''We don't exactly know what the system specs are yet, but we'll try to keep them pretty low. We make a lot of decisions about what we do and do not put into our graphics, in order to keep the game running fast. One of the reasons why we talk a lot about art style, and how we focus a lot on art style, stylization of art over... when we do that it allows us to have a good looking game about falling back on technology, our technology does not have to carry us when we have such great art in the game.''

 
 

===Diablo Alpha Beta Testing===
As with the release date, a time for beta is currently unknown. General information on Blizzard beta tests can be seen on the '''[[Beta Test]]''' page.
 
 

===Retail Price===
The retail price for Diablo III is unknown and will be stated closer to release. It's likely that the game will be "boxed" (no monthly fees, just a one-off price) and priced similar to other AAA titles.
 
 

===Game Age Rating===
The '''[[rating]]''' of [[Diablo III]] is estimated to be aimed for gamers above the age of 15, while still trying to avoid USK 18+ in Germany, or other similar ratings that would severely hamper the sales of the game in that country. [[Blizzard]] are more likely to censor the game in affected countries than to avoid releasing it if the censorship is too harsh.
* '''America ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Software_Rating_Board ERSB])''' - "M" Mature Rating (player should be at least 17 years old). No law enforcement.
* '''Europe ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEGI PEGI])''' - 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). No law enforcement (for most countries).
* '''Germany ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unterhaltungssoftware_Selbstkontrolle USK])''' - USK 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). Law enforcement of USK.
* '''Read more''' in the '''[[rating]]s''' article.
 
 

===Copy Protection and DRM===
It's unknown what type of copy protection (DRM) will be used on Diablo III, but with the new Battle.net changes and new Battle.net accounts, the game will likely only use a very light form of copy protection since the license is associated with the account. Online play will most likely not require a DVD in the drive, and offline play is unknown.
 
 
 

==Who's in Charge?==
Naturally, [[Blizzard]] are the guys making Diablo III, but that isn't a surprise. The important people for this production is the relatively new Blizzard employee Diablo III Lead Designer [[Jay Wilson]], besides the regular team. For fans, you might want to keep a look out for [[Bashiok]], the new Diablo Community Manager and [[Leonard Boyarsky]] who is the Lead World Designer for Diablo III, and head of [[quest]]s & [[lore]] as well as designing the world of [[Sanctuary]].
 
 

==Expansions, MMO or Diablo Movie==
Whatever will come after [[Diablo III]] is unknown, but it seems apparent that Blizzard are confident [http://www.incgamers.com/Games/1935/features/90/Diablo-III-Inforview] that there '''WILL''' be expansions. They have mentioned that the story line will have a more "final" ending than in Diablo II, which possibly means to make it better for an expansion, or perhaps a future MMO or a [[Diablo movie]]. Regardless, [[Jay Wilson]] has said that there are lots of potential for expanding the universe. What types of media this will come in is unknown: books, comics, manga, expansions, games or a movie...

[[Mike Morhaime]] said that they would like to make '''Diablo III expansions annually'''[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/diablo-3-will-have-several-expansions], and confirming plans for multiple expansions for the game.
 
 

==Further Information==
You can follow the links to each specific section for further details on Diablo III development and information. You can also use one of the following links for further information:
* {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news Diablo III news]}} - The most coherent news listing for Diablo III.
* [[Media Coverage]] - All Interviews, Previews, Pictures, Videos and Articles from around the web.
* [[:Category:Basics|Diablo III Basics]] - A listing of articles with good information if you are new to Diablo III.
* [[Diablo III FAQ]] - Frequently Asked Questions
* [[Diablo 3 History]] - The history of Diablo III up until the announcement.

==References==
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-monk-skill-tree-discussion-and-status/ Full Monk Skill Tree Stats and Discussion ]
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/ Exclusive Jay Wilson Interview]
* [http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/080628.html Blizzard Press Release]
* [http://diabloiiikore.com Official News Release]
* [http://www.diii.net/n/693870/jay-wilson-videogamercom Jay Wilson - Videogamer.com]

[[Category:Diablo III]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-30T09:34:18Z

Agito:

{{class_navbox}}
True to it's namesake, the Spirit Skill Tree for [[Witch Doctors|Witch Doctor]] enables them to manipulate the intangible spirits of enemies, conjure new ones to attack or fight for them, and even manipulate their own spirits.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
There are very few purely offensive skills here, several skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]].

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox spirit}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Voodoo Skill Tree

2009-08-30T09:30:22Z

Agito:

{{class_navbox}}
The Voodoo Skill Tree contains most of the offensive skills for the [[Witch Doctor]], supplementing some abilities in the [[Zombie Skill Tree]] with several skills that summon Fetishes.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
The Voodoo skill tree comprises most of the [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctor's]] offensive skills, in addition to a few summoning skills.

==Tier I==
===[[Skull of Flame]]===
* Lob a skull filled with fire dealing 4-5 fire damage to all enemies caught in the explosion.
===[[Jungle Fortitude]]===
* Increase your Vitality by 5% of your Strength, 5% of your Dexterity, and 5% of your Willpower.

==Tier II==
===[[Hex]]===
* Summon a Fetish caster to cast hexes on enemies for 6 seconds.
===[[Corpse Spiders]]===
* Summon 3 spiders to attack nearby enemies for 8-13 poison damage per hit.

==Tier III==
===[[Locust Swarm]]===
* Assault nearby foes with a swarm of locusts that spread to additional, nearby targets.
===[[Plague of Toads]]===
* Release a handful of toads that deal poison damage to anybody who steps on them.

==Tier IV==
===[[Pit of Fire]]===
* Call up to 4 Fetishes to bathe a region in fire.
===[[Firebats]]===
* Launch a swarm of bats, saturated in a fiery blaze to burn targeted enemies.

==Tier V==
===[[Acid Cloud]]===
* Detonate an bottle of acid in the air to damage enemies with the initial explosion and, over time for enemies who remain in it's area of effect.
===[[Blood Rites]]===
* Increase your spell damage by consuming health globes.

==Tier VI==
===[[Fetish Army]]===
* Summon an army of Fetishes to fight by your side.
 





[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox voodoo}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Voodoo Skill Tree

2009-08-30T09:29:32Z

Agito:

{{class_navbox}}
The Voodoo Skill Tree contains most of the offensive skills for the Witch Doctor, supplementing some skills in the [[Zombie Skill Tree]] with several skills that summon Fetishes.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
The Voodoo skill tree comprises most of the [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctor's]] offensive skills, in addition to a few summoning skills.

==Tier I==
===[[Skull of Flame]]===
* Lob a skull filled with fire dealing 4-5 fire damage to all enemies caught in the explosion.
===[[Jungle Fortitude]]===
* Increase your Vitality by 5% of your Strength, 5% of your Dexterity, and 5% of your Willpower.

==Tier II==
===[[Hex]]===
* Summon a Fetish caster to cast hexes on enemies for 6 seconds.
===[[Corpse Spiders]]===
* Summon 3 spiders to attack nearby enemies for 8-13 poison damage per hit.

==Tier III==
===[[Locust Swarm]]===
* Assault nearby foes with a swarm of locusts that spread to additional, nearby targets.
===[[Plague of Toads]]===
* Release a handful of toads that deal poison damage to anybody who steps on them.

==Tier IV==
===[[Pit of Fire]]===
* Call up to 4 Fetishes to bathe a region in fire.
===[[Firebats]]===
* Launch a swarm of bats, saturated in a fiery blaze to burn targeted enemies.

==Tier V==
===[[Acid Cloud]]===
* Detonate an bottle of acid in the air to damage enemies with the initial explosion and, over time for enemies who remain in it's area of effect.
===[[Blood Rites]]===
* Increase your spell damage by consuming health globes.

==Tier VI==
===[[Fetish Army]]===
* Summon an army of Fetishes to fight by your side.
 





[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox voodoo}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Zombie Skill Tree

2009-08-30T09:25:43Z

Agito: removed old content that was commented out.

{{class_navbox}}
Formerly known as the Plague Skill Tree, the Zombie Skill Tree is one of the three skill trees present for the Witch Doctor.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
Almost every Tier in this tree has at least one summoning skill. They are accompanied by various passive skills that help out both [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctors]] and their minions.

==Tier I==

===[[Summon Zombie Dog]]===
* Summon a pet Zombie Dog (formerly known as Mongrel).
===[[Mind and Body]]===
* A passive skill; regenerates mana and health.

==Tier II==
===[[Zombie Charger]]===
* Summon a reckless, enraged zombie from the ground to assault your enemies.
===[[Sacrifice]]===
* Detonate a nearby Zombie Dog in an explosion, dealing a % of the Zombie Dog’s health to monsters nearby.

==Tier III==
===[[Grasp of the Dead]]===
* Summon undead hands reach to out from the ground attacking all enemies within 8 yards of the targeted location.
===[[Unrelenting Assault]]===
* Enables one of your [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dogs]] to instantaneously resurrect itself upon its death.

==Tier IV==
===[[Gargantuan]]===
* Summons a large zombie follower to fight for you.
===[[Leader of the Pack]]===
* Increases spell damage by 1% for every [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dog]] under your command.

==Tier V==
===[[Parasite]]===
* Launch a parasite at an enemy dealing 3 damage per second. If the target dies while under the effects of the Parasite a Zombie Dog emerges from the slain body.
===[[Wall of Zombies]]===
* Zombies emerge from the ground and attack nearby monsters for 7 damage per second.

==Tier VI==
===[[Ferocity]]===
* Increases the health and damage of your Zombie Dogs and Gargantuan by 8%.

[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox zombie}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Summon Zombie Dogs

2009-08-30T09:21:19Z

Agito: /* Skill Design */

'''Summon Zombie Dog''' is a tier I [[skill]] in the [[Zombie Skill Tree]], which summons zombie dogs to do the Witch Doctor's bidding.

==Background==
{{Skillbox
|game= Diablo III


|active= Active
|name= Summon Zombie Dog
|ranks= 5
|user= Witch Doctor
|tree= Zombie
|description= Summon 1 level 12 zombie dog to aid you. Can have up to X zombie dogs at a time
|type= Summon
|quantity= Cast
|effect= Target
|school= Magical
|resource= Health
|cost= 10 health
|cast-time= Unknown
|cooldown= Unknown
|synergies= Unknown
}}
The Witch Doctor summons forth vicious undead lackeys to do his bidding.

==Skill Design==
Summon Zombie Dog is a the first summoning skill in the Zombie Tree, and is the back bone of early witch doctors specializing in this tree. They aren't very strong individually, but at higher levels and with other skills in this tree, they can swarm and destroy tough enemies with ease. It appears this skill costs [[Health]] instead of mana, possibly to enforce the player to use his dogs wisely at earlier levels. Earlier versions of this skill, allowed the dogs to be enchanted with [[Skull of Flame]] and [[Locust Swarm]], giving fire damage or poison damage, respectively.

This idea was scrapped, since the hassle of having attack skills enchant mongrels turned out to be a bother. What will the player want to enchant their dogs with, fire or poison? There weren't enough factors that helped the player decide. In a recent post by [[Bashiok]], he revealed that this idea will probably be turned into either passives or skill rune effects.

==Skill Rank Table==
(legend (A) = Assumed)

*Rank: 1/5
**Summon 1 level 12 zombie dog to aid you. Can have up to 1 zombie dogs at a time.
**Health Cost: 10 health
*Rank: 2/5
**Summon 1 level 12 zombie dog to aid you. Can have up to 2 zombie dogs at a time.
**Health Cost: 10 health
*Rank: 3/5
**Summon 1 level 12 zombie dog to aid you. Can have up to 3 zombie dogs at a time.
**Health Cost: 10 health
*Rank: 4/5
**Summon 1 level 12 zombie dog to aid you. Can have up to 4 zombie dogs at a time. (A)
**Health Cost: 10 health
*Rank: 5/5
**Summon 1 level 12 zombie dog to aid you. Can have up to 5 zombie dogs at a time. (A)
**Health Cost: 10 health

[[Image:Wd-mongrel3.jpg|thumb|right|We serve the Master...]]

==Synergies==
* None known.

==[[Rune|Skill Rune]] Effects==
* None known.

==Development==
''Summon Zombie Dog'' was seen in every Diablo 3 game demo to date, and was iterated, renamed and moved, judging from the latest demo. The Summon Zombie Dog was called Summon [[Mongrel]], was in the Voodoo skill tree and mongrels could be enchanted with [[Locust Swarm]] or [[Skull of Flame]].


==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Mongrel Zombie Dog-specific gallery contents]

==Related Articles==
*[[Zombie Skill Tree]]

==References==
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-witch-doctor-skills/ Full Witch Doctor Skill Trees and Stats]

{{Skill_navbox_zombie}}
{{Skill_navbox}}

Zombie Skill Tree

2009-08-30T01:47:50Z

Agito: /* Wall of Zombies */

{{class_navbox}}
The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
Almost every Tier in this tree has at least one summoning skill. They are accompanied by various passive skills that help out both [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctors]] and their minions.

==Tier I==

===[[Summon Zombie Dog]]===
* Summon a pet Zombie Dog (formerly known as Mongrel).
===[[Mind and Body]]===
* A passive skill; regenerates mana and health.

==Tier II==
===[[Zombie Charger]]===
* Summon a reckless, enraged zombie from the ground to assault your enemies.
===[[Sacrifice]]===
* Detonate a nearby Zombie Dog in an explosion, dealing a % of the Zombie Dog’s health to monsters nearby.

==Tier III==
===[[Grasp of the Dead]]===
* Summon undead hands reach to out from the ground attacking all enemies within 8 yards of the targeted location.
===[[Unrelenting Assault]]===
* Enables one of your [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dogs]] to instantaneously resurrect itself upon its death.

==Tier IV==
===[[Gargantuan]]===
* Summons a large zombie follower to fight for you.
===[[Leader of the Pack]]===
* Increases spell damage by 1% for every [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dog]] under your command.

==Tier V==
===[[Parasite]]===
* Launch a parasite at an enemy dealing 3 damage per second. If the target dies while under the effects of the Parasite a Zombie Dog emerges from the slain body.
===[[Wall of Zombies]]===
* Zombies emerge from the ground and attack nearby monsters for 7 damage per second.

==Tier VI==
===[[Ferocity]]===
* Increases the health and damage of your Zombie Dogs and Gargantuan by 8%.




[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox zombie}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Zombie Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:51:09Z

Agito: /* Overview */ old content is commented  out

{{class_navbox}}
The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
Almost every Tier in this tree has at least one summoning skill. They are accompanied by various passive skills that help out both [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctors]] and their minions.

==Tier I==

===[[Summon Zombie Dog]]===
* Summon a pet Zombie Dog (formerly known as Mongrel).
===[[Mind and Body]]===
* A passive skill; regenerates mana and health.

==Tier II==
===[[Zombie Charger]]===
* Summon a reckless, enraged zombie from the ground to assault your enemies.
===[[Sacrifice]]===
* Detonate a nearby Zombie Dog in an explosion, dealing a % of the Zombie Dog’s health to monsters nearby.

==Tier III==
===[[Grasp of the Dead]]===
* Summon undead hands reach to out from the ground attacking all enemies within 8 yards of the targeted location.
===[[Unrelenting Assault]]===
* Enables one of your [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dogs]] to instantaneously resurrect itself upon its death.

==Tier IV==
===[[Gargantuan]]===
* Summons a large zombie follower to fight for you.
===[[Leader of the Pack]]===
* Increases spell damage by 1% for every [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dog]] under your command.

==Tier V==
===[[Parasite]]===
* Launch a parasite at an enemy dealing 3 damage per second. If the target dies while under the effects of the Parasite a Zombie Dog emerges from the slain body.
===[[Wall of Zombies]]===
* Zombies emerge from the early and attack nearby monsters for 7 damage per second.

==Tier VI==
===[[Ferocity]]===
* Increases the health and damage of your Zombie Dogs and Gargantuan by 8%.




[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox zombie}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Voodoo Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:50:52Z

Agito: /* Overview */ old content is commented  out

{{class_navbox}}
The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
The Voodoo skill tree comprises most of the [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctor's]] offensive skills, in addition to a few summoning skills.

==Tier I==
===[[Skull of Flame]]===
* Lob a skull filled with fire dealing 4-5 fire damage to all enemies caught in the explosion.
===[[Jungle Fortitude]]===
* Increase your Vitality by 5% of your Strength, 5% of your Dexterity, and 5% of your Willpower.

==Tier II==
===[[Hex]]===
* Summon a Fetish caster to cast hexes on enemies for 6 seconds.
===[[Corpse Spiders]]===
* Summon 3 spiders to attack nearby enemies for 8-13 poison damage per hit.

==Tier III==
===[[Locust Swarm]]===
* Assault nearby foes with a swarm of locusts that spread to additional, nearby targets.
===[[Plague of Toads]]===
* Release a handful of toads that deal poison damage to anybody who steps on them.

==Tier IV==
===[[Pit of Fire]]===
* Call up to 4 Fetishes to bathe a region in fire.
===[[Firebats]]===
* Launch a swarm of bats, saturated in a fiery blaze to burn targeted enemies.

==Tier V==
===[[Acid Cloud]]===
* Detonate an bottle of acid in the air to damage enemies with the initial explosion and, over time for enemies who remain in it's area of effect.
===[[Blood Rites]]===
* Increase your spell damage by consuming health globes.

==Tier VI==
===[[Fetish Army]]===
* Summon an army of Fetishes to fight by your side.
 





[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox voodoo}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:50:20Z

Agito: /* Overview */ old content is commented  out

{{class_navbox}}
The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
There are very few purely offensive skills here, several skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]].

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill spirit}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Voodoo Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:47:28Z

Agito: /* Overview */

{{class_navbox}}
The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
The Voodoo skill tree comprises most of the [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctor's]] offensive skills, in addition to a few summoning skills

==Tier I==
===[[Skull of Flame]]===
* Lob a skull filled with fire dealing 4-5 fire damage to all enemies caught in the explosion.
===[[Jungle Fortitude]]===
* Increase your Vitality by 5% of your Strength, 5% of your Dexterity, and 5% of your Willpower.

==Tier II==
===[[Hex]]===
* Summon a Fetish caster to cast hexes on enemies for 6 seconds.
===[[Corpse Spiders]]===
* Summon 3 spiders to attack nearby enemies for 8-13 poison damage per hit.

==Tier III==
===[[Locust Swarm]]===
* Assault nearby foes with a swarm of locusts that spread to additional, nearby targets.
===[[Plague of Toads]]===
* Release a handful of toads that deal poison damage to anybody who steps on them.

==Tier IV==
===[[Pit of Fire]]===
* Call up to 4 Fetishes to bathe a region in fire.
===[[Firebats]]===
* Launch a swarm of bats, saturated in a fiery blaze to burn targeted enemies.

==Tier V==
===[[Acid Cloud]]===
* Detonate an bottle of acid in the air to damage enemies with the initial explosion and, over time for enemies who remain in it's area of effect.
===[[Blood Rites]]===
* Increase your spell damage by consuming health globes.

==Tier VI==
===[[Fetish Army]]===
* Summon an army of Fetishes to fight by your side.
 





[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox voodoo}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:47:24Z

Agito: /* Overview */

{{class_navbox}}
The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
There are very few purely offensive skills here, several skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]]. Also, unique for this tree, is that there are two skills in the final Tier (Tier VI).

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill spirit}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Zombie Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:46:52Z

Agito: /* Overview */

{{class_navbox}}
The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Overview==
Almost every Tier in this tree has at least one summoning skill. They are accompanied by various passive skills that both help [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctors]] and their minions.

==Tier I==

===[[Summon Zombie Dog]]===
* Summon a pet Zombie Dog (formerly known as Mongrel).
===[[Mind and Body]]===
* A passive skill; regenerates mana and health.

==Tier II==
===[[Zombie Charger]]===
* Summon a reckless, enraged zombie from the ground to assault your enemies.
===[[Sacrifice]]===
* Detonate a nearby Zombie Dog in an explosion, dealing a % of the Zombie Dog’s health to monsters nearby.

==Tier III==
===[[Grasp of the Dead]]===
* Summon undead hands reach to out from the ground attacking all enemies within 8 yards of the targeted location.
===[[Unrelenting Assault]]===
* Enables one of your [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dogs]] to instantaneously resurrect itself upon its death.

==Tier IV==
===[[Gargantuan]]===
* Summons a large zombie follower to fight for you.
===[[Leader of the Pack]]===
* Increases spell damage by 1% for every [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dog]] under your command.

==Tier V==
===[[Parasite]]===
* Launch a parasite at an enemy dealing 3 damage per second. If the target dies while under the effects of the Parasite a Zombie Dog emerges from the slain body.
===[[Wall of Zombies]]===
* Zombies emerge from the early and attack nearby monsters for 7 damage per second.

==Tier VI==
===[[Ferocity]]===
* Increases the health and damage of your Zombie Dogs and Gargantuan by 8%.




[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox zombie}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Witch Doctor

2009-08-29T07:42:27Z

Agito: /* Witch Doctor Skills */

The '''Witch Doctor''', abbreviated '''WD''', is a pure [[caster|spellcaster]], dealing with elemental magic, nature magic, necromancy and alchemy. The class has taken some inspiration from the [[Necromancer]] of [[Diablo II]].

==Background==
{{Classbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Witch_Doctors.jpg
|portrait-width= 205px
|name= Witch Doctor
|classtype= official
|role= [[Caster]], [[Summoner]]
|attrib= [[Willpower]] [[Mana]]

|skilltree1= [[Plague Skill Tree]]
|skilltree2= [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
|skilltree3= [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

|origin= [[Teganze]], [[Torajan|Torajan jungles]]
|affiliation= [[Tribe of the Five Hills]] 
|friends= None Known
|foes= [[Clan of the Seven Stones]], [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
}}The Witch Doctor comes from the an area of the [[Torajan]] jungles called [[Teganze]] on the southern tip of the great eastern continent, just southwest of [[Kurast]] (where {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Act_Three Act Three]}} took place in [[Diablo II]]). You can see it located on the [[World map]] close to Kurast.

The fearsome Witch Doctor of the [[umbaru]] is believed to be a legend by many, but [[Abd al-Hazir]] has seen them with his own eyes, documented in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|thirteenth entry]] of his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir|Writings]].

The Witch Doctor uses terrifying precision to assault his foe's mind and body with elixirs and powders evoking fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. He can also summon and control [[undead]] creatures from the netherworld to combat his enemies.

He and she comes from the Tribe of the Five Hills, who frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley as a ritual rather than conquest. The tribes use these wars to replenish their supply of human sacrifices their civilization revolves around. Only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice according to the code of heroism and honour of the tribes.

The tribes define themselves by their belief in the [[Mbwiru Eikura]], which roughly translates to "[[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]". Their belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centred upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

Witch Doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive it through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the [[Ghost Trance]].

The second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe.

Their most current war created an intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident, of which details are lacking, but might be the reason the Witch Doctor has travelled west to [[Tristram]].

==Class Design==
The Witch Doctor looks a bit like the top half of one of [[Diablo II]]'s {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer Shaman]}}, especially when outfitted in one of his oversized, colourful tribal masks. There is even a Flayer Shaman called {{iw|Witch_Doctor_Endugu Witch Doctor Endugu}}. Judging by the [[Witch Doctor skills|skills thus far demonstrated]], the WD fights a lot like a {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}, using cunning and guile, rather than direct physical attacks. Witch Doctors possess a number of mind control spells, the ability to summon and control [[undead]] servants, and a variety of direct damage [[elemental]] attacks.

[[Image:Wd-mongrel2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Simple [[Mongrel]] and fire-enhanced Mongrel, primary minion of the WD.]]
The [[D3 Team]] has described the Witch Doctor as old and grizzled and fanatical. His magic is not clean and easy, like the fire or lightning a {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} can produce with a snap of her fingers. Witch Doctors get dirty. They summon [[Wall of Zombies|walls of zombies]] that rip apart attacking enemies, they call forth undead demon hounds called [[Mongrel]]s that they can detonate to deal heavy damage to their enemies, and they fashion the skulls of the dead into explosive grenades. The D3 team discussed the Witch Doctor's design concepts in the [[WWI 2008: Denizens of Diablo Panel|Denizens of Diablo panel]] at the [[WWI 2008]].

::''For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to get a rich, voodoo vibe. We wanted to avoid straight up master-caster feel. He's not just conjuring things out of thin air. WDs don't just channel magic. They take real world objects and infuse them with voodoo magic. Our spell descriptions for the WD were like, "He's going to throw a shrunken head filled with a chemical concoction." Or "He's going to create insect swarms by blowing voodoo dust from his palms." Or "He's going to sprinkle dust in the air and cause illusions and frighten monsters away."''

The team felt that it wouldn't be a real Witch Doctor without [[zombies]]. They go together naturally, but they didn't want normal slow wandering zombies. They mashed the idea of Zombies with the Firewall of previous games and came up with [[Wall of Zombies|zombie wall]].

[[Leonard Boyarsky]] describes the Witch Doctor: [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/885172p1.html]

::''The Witch Doctor is angry, someone who's been broken by a life that's dealt a few too many hard knocks and not enough joy. This is someone tired of being smacked in the head, so he uses his mystical powers to get into the heads of others (and if that doesn't work, a swarm of locusts will get under their skin).''

===Necromancer Replacement?===
The WD is clearly {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}-like, in his mixture of summonings, mind control curses, and sub-mage quality magical attacks, but the [[D3 team]] does [[WWI_2008:_D3_Design_Fundamentals_Panel|not view the character as a replacement]] for the Necromancer.

::'''Q:''' Is the witch doctor a replacement or spiritual successor to the {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necro]}}? They seem to have rather similar skills.
::'''A:''' We don't view the Witch Doctor as a replacement. The Necromancer is a very cool char. We thought about him as a class and tried to see if we could improve on him, which is something we did with every class, and that led us to create the Witch Doctor. If we ever decided to make a Necromancer, the Witch Doctor wouldn't prevent us from doing so.

[[Jay Wilson]] commented further on this and detailed what makes the Witch Doctor different than the Necromancer in an interview with 1up.com in December 2008. [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1]

::We wanted to create a class whose pets were not his primary source of damage output. [...] Most Necromancer builds are very pet heavy. The pets do a lot of the damage, and a lot of mechanics are built around [[debuff]]ing the enemy so your pets can be better against them or taking advantage of the bodies your pets create by blowing them up with corpse explosion.

::The Witch Doctor's pets are more of a distraction -- they're his form of [[crowd control]]. [...] We wanted to have this general notion of a character who controlled all things slimy and gross, like zombies, bats, snakes, and spiders, but he didn't rely on them -- he just throws them out there. [...] Each element is like that, where it's another distraction while the source of primary damage is the Witch Doctor himself. This makes him play very differently than the Necromancer, which was intentional.

==Attributes and Skills==


===Witch Doctor Skills===
The [[Witch Doctor skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories:
* [[Zombie_Skill_Tree|Zombie]]
* [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit]]
* [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.

====Zombie Skills====
[[Image:Wd-locust-swarm1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Locust Swarm]]]]
The [[Zombie Skill Tree|Zombie tree skills]] are focused on spells that summon Zombie and Zombie-related monsters. Several passive skills were revealed in the Blizzcon 2009 build of the game, that augment the Witch Doctor's minions.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Spirit Skills====
[[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Soul Harvest]]]]
The [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit tree skills]] appear to be heavily focused on augmenting the Witch Doctor's own abilities, such as health & mana regeneration, and even staving off death by inducing invulnerability. So far there are very few offensive skills in this tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Voodoo Skills====
[[Image:Wd-zombie-wall1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Wall of Zombies]]]]
The [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo tree skills]] all focus more on the offensive aspects of the Witch Doctor; summoning Fetishes to fight, throwing acid on enemies or even summoning a whole army. Compared to the [[Spirit Skill Tree]], there are very few passive skills in this tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Development==
The Witch Doctor class was unveiled at [[WWI 2008]], together with the [[Barbarian]]. Besides a few name changes for spells, not much had changed for the Witch Doctor by mid June 2009.



==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Witch+Doctor Witch Doctor-specific gallery contents]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=doctor&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=546&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=546 Witch Doctor Screenshots].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=563&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=563 Witch Doctor Concept Art].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=550&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=550 Witch Doctor Wallpapers].

<gallery>
Image:Wd-1.jpg|Witch Doctor in game
Image:Wd-concept1.jpg|WD concept art
Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|[[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Firebats|Firebats]] unleashed.
Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|[[Skull of Flame]] animation shots.
Image:Wd-concept2.jpg|High quality concept
Image:Wd-concept3.jpg|Crazy WD
Image:Wd-concept4.jpg|Male WD concept
Image:Wd-concept5.jpg|Female clothing concepts
Image:Wd-concept6.jpg|Female WD hottie
Image:Wd-concept7.jpg|Male WD action
Image:Wd-concept8.jpg|Female sketches
Image:Witch_Doctors.jpg|Female and male WDs.
</gallery>

==Resources==
* [[Umbaru]]
* [[Tribe of the Five Hills]]
* [[Clan of the Seven Stones]]
* [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
* [[Khazra]]
* [[Torajan Jungles]]
* [[Teganze]]
* [[Mbwiru Eikura]] / [[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]
* [[Ghost Trance]]

==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013: The Witch Doctor]]
* [[Media Coverage|Diablo III Media Coverage Archive]] for all interviews, previews, pictures and more.

{{Class navbox floor}}
{{Skill navbox}}

[[Category:Classes]]
[[Category:Umbaru]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Lore]]

Witch Doctor

2009-08-29T07:41:32Z

Agito: /* Voodoo Skills */

The '''Witch Doctor''', abbreviated '''WD''', is a pure [[caster|spellcaster]], dealing with elemental magic, nature magic, necromancy and alchemy. The class has taken some inspiration from the [[Necromancer]] of [[Diablo II]].

==Background==
{{Classbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Witch_Doctors.jpg
|portrait-width= 205px
|name= Witch Doctor
|classtype= official
|role= [[Caster]], [[Summoner]]
|attrib= [[Willpower]] [[Mana]]

|skilltree1= [[Plague Skill Tree]]
|skilltree2= [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
|skilltree3= [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

|origin= [[Teganze]], [[Torajan|Torajan jungles]]
|affiliation= [[Tribe of the Five Hills]] 
|friends= None Known
|foes= [[Clan of the Seven Stones]], [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
}}The Witch Doctor comes from the an area of the [[Torajan]] jungles called [[Teganze]] on the southern tip of the great eastern continent, just southwest of [[Kurast]] (where {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Act_Three Act Three]}} took place in [[Diablo II]]). You can see it located on the [[World map]] close to Kurast.

The fearsome Witch Doctor of the [[umbaru]] is believed to be a legend by many, but [[Abd al-Hazir]] has seen them with his own eyes, documented in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|thirteenth entry]] of his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir|Writings]].

The Witch Doctor uses terrifying precision to assault his foe's mind and body with elixirs and powders evoking fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. He can also summon and control [[undead]] creatures from the netherworld to combat his enemies.

He and she comes from the Tribe of the Five Hills, who frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley as a ritual rather than conquest. The tribes use these wars to replenish their supply of human sacrifices their civilization revolves around. Only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice according to the code of heroism and honour of the tribes.

The tribes define themselves by their belief in the [[Mbwiru Eikura]], which roughly translates to "[[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]". Their belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centred upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

Witch Doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive it through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the [[Ghost Trance]].

The second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe.

Their most current war created an intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident, of which details are lacking, but might be the reason the Witch Doctor has travelled west to [[Tristram]].

==Class Design==
The Witch Doctor looks a bit like the top half of one of [[Diablo II]]'s {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer Shaman]}}, especially when outfitted in one of his oversized, colourful tribal masks. There is even a Flayer Shaman called {{iw|Witch_Doctor_Endugu Witch Doctor Endugu}}. Judging by the [[Witch Doctor skills|skills thus far demonstrated]], the WD fights a lot like a {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}, using cunning and guile, rather than direct physical attacks. Witch Doctors possess a number of mind control spells, the ability to summon and control [[undead]] servants, and a variety of direct damage [[elemental]] attacks.

[[Image:Wd-mongrel2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Simple [[Mongrel]] and fire-enhanced Mongrel, primary minion of the WD.]]
The [[D3 Team]] has described the Witch Doctor as old and grizzled and fanatical. His magic is not clean and easy, like the fire or lightning a {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} can produce with a snap of her fingers. Witch Doctors get dirty. They summon [[Wall of Zombies|walls of zombies]] that rip apart attacking enemies, they call forth undead demon hounds called [[Mongrel]]s that they can detonate to deal heavy damage to their enemies, and they fashion the skulls of the dead into explosive grenades. The D3 team discussed the Witch Doctor's design concepts in the [[WWI 2008: Denizens of Diablo Panel|Denizens of Diablo panel]] at the [[WWI 2008]].

::''For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to get a rich, voodoo vibe. We wanted to avoid straight up master-caster feel. He's not just conjuring things out of thin air. WDs don't just channel magic. They take real world objects and infuse them with voodoo magic. Our spell descriptions for the WD were like, "He's going to throw a shrunken head filled with a chemical concoction." Or "He's going to create insect swarms by blowing voodoo dust from his palms." Or "He's going to sprinkle dust in the air and cause illusions and frighten monsters away."''

The team felt that it wouldn't be a real Witch Doctor without [[zombies]]. They go together naturally, but they didn't want normal slow wandering zombies. They mashed the idea of Zombies with the Firewall of previous games and came up with [[Wall of Zombies|zombie wall]].

[[Leonard Boyarsky]] describes the Witch Doctor: [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/885172p1.html]

::''The Witch Doctor is angry, someone who's been broken by a life that's dealt a few too many hard knocks and not enough joy. This is someone tired of being smacked in the head, so he uses his mystical powers to get into the heads of others (and if that doesn't work, a swarm of locusts will get under their skin).''

===Necromancer Replacement?===
The WD is clearly {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}-like, in his mixture of summonings, mind control curses, and sub-mage quality magical attacks, but the [[D3 team]] does [[WWI_2008:_D3_Design_Fundamentals_Panel|not view the character as a replacement]] for the Necromancer.

::'''Q:''' Is the witch doctor a replacement or spiritual successor to the {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necro]}}? They seem to have rather similar skills.
::'''A:''' We don't view the Witch Doctor as a replacement. The Necromancer is a very cool char. We thought about him as a class and tried to see if we could improve on him, which is something we did with every class, and that led us to create the Witch Doctor. If we ever decided to make a Necromancer, the Witch Doctor wouldn't prevent us from doing so.

[[Jay Wilson]] commented further on this and detailed what makes the Witch Doctor different than the Necromancer in an interview with 1up.com in December 2008. [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1]

::We wanted to create a class whose pets were not his primary source of damage output. [...] Most Necromancer builds are very pet heavy. The pets do a lot of the damage, and a lot of mechanics are built around [[debuff]]ing the enemy so your pets can be better against them or taking advantage of the bodies your pets create by blowing them up with corpse explosion.

::The Witch Doctor's pets are more of a distraction -- they're his form of [[crowd control]]. [...] We wanted to have this general notion of a character who controlled all things slimy and gross, like zombies, bats, snakes, and spiders, but he didn't rely on them -- he just throws them out there. [...] Each element is like that, where it's another distraction while the source of primary damage is the Witch Doctor himself. This makes him play very differently than the Necromancer, which was intentional.

==Attributes and Skills==


===Witch Doctor Skills===
The [[Witch Doctor skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories:
* [[Zombie_Skill_Tree|Plague]]
* [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit]]
* [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.

====Zombie Skills====
[[Image:Wd-locust-swarm1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Locust Swarm]]]]
The [[Zombie Skill Tree|Zombie tree skills]] are focused on spells that summon Zombie and Zombie-related monsters. Several passive skills were revealed in the Blizzcon 2009 build of the game, that augment the Witch Doctor's minions.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Spirit Skills====
[[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Soul Harvest]]]]
The [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit tree skills]] appear to be heavily focused on augmenting the Witch Doctor's own abilities, such as health & mana regeneration, and even staving off death by inducing invulnerability. So far there are very few offensive skills in this tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Voodoo Skills====
[[Image:Wd-zombie-wall1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Wall of Zombies]]]]
The [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo tree skills]] all focus more on the offensive aspects of the Witch Doctor; summoning Fetishes to fight, throwing acid on enemies or even summoning a whole army. Compared to the [[Spirit Skill Tree]], there are very few passive skills in this tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Development==
The Witch Doctor class was unveiled at [[WWI 2008]], together with the [[Barbarian]]. Besides a few name changes for spells, not much had changed for the Witch Doctor by mid June 2009.



==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Witch+Doctor Witch Doctor-specific gallery contents]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=doctor&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=546&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=546 Witch Doctor Screenshots].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=563&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=563 Witch Doctor Concept Art].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=550&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=550 Witch Doctor Wallpapers].

<gallery>
Image:Wd-1.jpg|Witch Doctor in game
Image:Wd-concept1.jpg|WD concept art
Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|[[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Firebats|Firebats]] unleashed.
Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|[[Skull of Flame]] animation shots.
Image:Wd-concept2.jpg|High quality concept
Image:Wd-concept3.jpg|Crazy WD
Image:Wd-concept4.jpg|Male WD concept
Image:Wd-concept5.jpg|Female clothing concepts
Image:Wd-concept6.jpg|Female WD hottie
Image:Wd-concept7.jpg|Male WD action
Image:Wd-concept8.jpg|Female sketches
Image:Witch_Doctors.jpg|Female and male WDs.
</gallery>

==Resources==
* [[Umbaru]]
* [[Tribe of the Five Hills]]
* [[Clan of the Seven Stones]]
* [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
* [[Khazra]]
* [[Torajan Jungles]]
* [[Teganze]]
* [[Mbwiru Eikura]] / [[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]
* [[Ghost Trance]]

==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013: The Witch Doctor]]
* [[Media Coverage|Diablo III Media Coverage Archive]] for all interviews, previews, pictures and more.

{{Class navbox floor}}
{{Skill navbox}}

[[Category:Classes]]
[[Category:Umbaru]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Lore]]

Witch Doctor

2009-08-29T07:41:01Z

Agito: /* Voodoo Skills */

The '''Witch Doctor''', abbreviated '''WD''', is a pure [[caster|spellcaster]], dealing with elemental magic, nature magic, necromancy and alchemy. The class has taken some inspiration from the [[Necromancer]] of [[Diablo II]].

==Background==
{{Classbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Witch_Doctors.jpg
|portrait-width= 205px
|name= Witch Doctor
|classtype= official
|role= [[Caster]], [[Summoner]]
|attrib= [[Willpower]] [[Mana]]

|skilltree1= [[Plague Skill Tree]]
|skilltree2= [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
|skilltree3= [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

|origin= [[Teganze]], [[Torajan|Torajan jungles]]
|affiliation= [[Tribe of the Five Hills]] 
|friends= None Known
|foes= [[Clan of the Seven Stones]], [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
}}The Witch Doctor comes from the an area of the [[Torajan]] jungles called [[Teganze]] on the southern tip of the great eastern continent, just southwest of [[Kurast]] (where {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Act_Three Act Three]}} took place in [[Diablo II]]). You can see it located on the [[World map]] close to Kurast.

The fearsome Witch Doctor of the [[umbaru]] is believed to be a legend by many, but [[Abd al-Hazir]] has seen them with his own eyes, documented in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|thirteenth entry]] of his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir|Writings]].

The Witch Doctor uses terrifying precision to assault his foe's mind and body with elixirs and powders evoking fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. He can also summon and control [[undead]] creatures from the netherworld to combat his enemies.

He and she comes from the Tribe of the Five Hills, who frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley as a ritual rather than conquest. The tribes use these wars to replenish their supply of human sacrifices their civilization revolves around. Only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice according to the code of heroism and honour of the tribes.

The tribes define themselves by their belief in the [[Mbwiru Eikura]], which roughly translates to "[[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]". Their belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centred upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

Witch Doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive it through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the [[Ghost Trance]].

The second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe.

Their most current war created an intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident, of which details are lacking, but might be the reason the Witch Doctor has travelled west to [[Tristram]].

==Class Design==
The Witch Doctor looks a bit like the top half of one of [[Diablo II]]'s {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer Shaman]}}, especially when outfitted in one of his oversized, colourful tribal masks. There is even a Flayer Shaman called {{iw|Witch_Doctor_Endugu Witch Doctor Endugu}}. Judging by the [[Witch Doctor skills|skills thus far demonstrated]], the WD fights a lot like a {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}, using cunning and guile, rather than direct physical attacks. Witch Doctors possess a number of mind control spells, the ability to summon and control [[undead]] servants, and a variety of direct damage [[elemental]] attacks.

[[Image:Wd-mongrel2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Simple [[Mongrel]] and fire-enhanced Mongrel, primary minion of the WD.]]
The [[D3 Team]] has described the Witch Doctor as old and grizzled and fanatical. His magic is not clean and easy, like the fire or lightning a {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} can produce with a snap of her fingers. Witch Doctors get dirty. They summon [[Wall of Zombies|walls of zombies]] that rip apart attacking enemies, they call forth undead demon hounds called [[Mongrel]]s that they can detonate to deal heavy damage to their enemies, and they fashion the skulls of the dead into explosive grenades. The D3 team discussed the Witch Doctor's design concepts in the [[WWI 2008: Denizens of Diablo Panel|Denizens of Diablo panel]] at the [[WWI 2008]].

::''For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to get a rich, voodoo vibe. We wanted to avoid straight up master-caster feel. He's not just conjuring things out of thin air. WDs don't just channel magic. They take real world objects and infuse them with voodoo magic. Our spell descriptions for the WD were like, "He's going to throw a shrunken head filled with a chemical concoction." Or "He's going to create insect swarms by blowing voodoo dust from his palms." Or "He's going to sprinkle dust in the air and cause illusions and frighten monsters away."''

The team felt that it wouldn't be a real Witch Doctor without [[zombies]]. They go together naturally, but they didn't want normal slow wandering zombies. They mashed the idea of Zombies with the Firewall of previous games and came up with [[Wall of Zombies|zombie wall]].

[[Leonard Boyarsky]] describes the Witch Doctor: [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/885172p1.html]

::''The Witch Doctor is angry, someone who's been broken by a life that's dealt a few too many hard knocks and not enough joy. This is someone tired of being smacked in the head, so he uses his mystical powers to get into the heads of others (and if that doesn't work, a swarm of locusts will get under their skin).''

===Necromancer Replacement?===
The WD is clearly {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}-like, in his mixture of summonings, mind control curses, and sub-mage quality magical attacks, but the [[D3 team]] does [[WWI_2008:_D3_Design_Fundamentals_Panel|not view the character as a replacement]] for the Necromancer.

::'''Q:''' Is the witch doctor a replacement or spiritual successor to the {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necro]}}? They seem to have rather similar skills.
::'''A:''' We don't view the Witch Doctor as a replacement. The Necromancer is a very cool char. We thought about him as a class and tried to see if we could improve on him, which is something we did with every class, and that led us to create the Witch Doctor. If we ever decided to make a Necromancer, the Witch Doctor wouldn't prevent us from doing so.

[[Jay Wilson]] commented further on this and detailed what makes the Witch Doctor different than the Necromancer in an interview with 1up.com in December 2008. [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1]

::We wanted to create a class whose pets were not his primary source of damage output. [...] Most Necromancer builds are very pet heavy. The pets do a lot of the damage, and a lot of mechanics are built around [[debuff]]ing the enemy so your pets can be better against them or taking advantage of the bodies your pets create by blowing them up with corpse explosion.

::The Witch Doctor's pets are more of a distraction -- they're his form of [[crowd control]]. [...] We wanted to have this general notion of a character who controlled all things slimy and gross, like zombies, bats, snakes, and spiders, but he didn't rely on them -- he just throws them out there. [...] Each element is like that, where it's another distraction while the source of primary damage is the Witch Doctor himself. This makes him play very differently than the Necromancer, which was intentional.

==Attributes and Skills==


===Witch Doctor Skills===
The [[Witch Doctor skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories:
* [[Zombie_Skill_Tree|Plague]]
* [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit]]
* [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.

====Zombie Skills====
[[Image:Wd-locust-swarm1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Locust Swarm]]]]
The [[Zombie Skill Tree|Zombie tree skills]] are focused on spells that summon Zombie and Zombie-related monsters. Several passive skills were revealed in the Blizzcon 2009 build of the game, that augment the Witch Doctor's minions.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Spirit Skills====
[[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Soul Harvest]]]]
The [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit tree skills]] appear to be heavily focused on augmenting the Witch Doctor's own abilities, such as health & mana regeneration, and even staving off death by inducing invulnerability. So far there are very few offensive skills in this tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Voodoo Skills====
[[Image:Wd-zombie-wall1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Wall of Zombies]]]]
The [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo tree skills]] all focus more on the offensive aspects Witch Doctor; summoning Fetishes to fight, throwing acid on enemies or even summoning a whole army. Compared to the [[Spirit Skill Tree]], there are very few passive skills in this tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Development==
The Witch Doctor class was unveiled at [[WWI 2008]], together with the [[Barbarian]]. Besides a few name changes for spells, not much had changed for the Witch Doctor by mid June 2009.



==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Witch+Doctor Witch Doctor-specific gallery contents]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=doctor&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=546&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=546 Witch Doctor Screenshots].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=563&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=563 Witch Doctor Concept Art].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=550&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=550 Witch Doctor Wallpapers].

<gallery>
Image:Wd-1.jpg|Witch Doctor in game
Image:Wd-concept1.jpg|WD concept art
Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|[[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Firebats|Firebats]] unleashed.
Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|[[Skull of Flame]] animation shots.
Image:Wd-concept2.jpg|High quality concept
Image:Wd-concept3.jpg|Crazy WD
Image:Wd-concept4.jpg|Male WD concept
Image:Wd-concept5.jpg|Female clothing concepts
Image:Wd-concept6.jpg|Female WD hottie
Image:Wd-concept7.jpg|Male WD action
Image:Wd-concept8.jpg|Female sketches
Image:Witch_Doctors.jpg|Female and male WDs.
</gallery>

==Resources==
* [[Umbaru]]
* [[Tribe of the Five Hills]]
* [[Clan of the Seven Stones]]
* [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
* [[Khazra]]
* [[Torajan Jungles]]
* [[Teganze]]
* [[Mbwiru Eikura]] / [[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]
* [[Ghost Trance]]

==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013: The Witch Doctor]]
* [[Media Coverage|Diablo III Media Coverage Archive]] for all interviews, previews, pictures and more.

{{Class navbox floor}}
{{Skill navbox}}

[[Category:Classes]]
[[Category:Umbaru]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Lore]]

Witch Doctor

2009-08-29T07:38:17Z

Agito: /* Spirit Skills */

The '''Witch Doctor''', abbreviated '''WD''', is a pure [[caster|spellcaster]], dealing with elemental magic, nature magic, necromancy and alchemy. The class has taken some inspiration from the [[Necromancer]] of [[Diablo II]].

==Background==
{{Classbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Witch_Doctors.jpg
|portrait-width= 205px
|name= Witch Doctor
|classtype= official
|role= [[Caster]], [[Summoner]]
|attrib= [[Willpower]] [[Mana]]

|skilltree1= [[Plague Skill Tree]]
|skilltree2= [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
|skilltree3= [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

|origin= [[Teganze]], [[Torajan|Torajan jungles]]
|affiliation= [[Tribe of the Five Hills]] 
|friends= None Known
|foes= [[Clan of the Seven Stones]], [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
}}The Witch Doctor comes from the an area of the [[Torajan]] jungles called [[Teganze]] on the southern tip of the great eastern continent, just southwest of [[Kurast]] (where {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Act_Three Act Three]}} took place in [[Diablo II]]). You can see it located on the [[World map]] close to Kurast.

The fearsome Witch Doctor of the [[umbaru]] is believed to be a legend by many, but [[Abd al-Hazir]] has seen them with his own eyes, documented in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|thirteenth entry]] of his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir|Writings]].

The Witch Doctor uses terrifying precision to assault his foe's mind and body with elixirs and powders evoking fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. He can also summon and control [[undead]] creatures from the netherworld to combat his enemies.

He and she comes from the Tribe of the Five Hills, who frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley as a ritual rather than conquest. The tribes use these wars to replenish their supply of human sacrifices their civilization revolves around. Only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice according to the code of heroism and honour of the tribes.

The tribes define themselves by their belief in the [[Mbwiru Eikura]], which roughly translates to "[[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]". Their belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centred upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

Witch Doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive it through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the [[Ghost Trance]].

The second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe.

Their most current war created an intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident, of which details are lacking, but might be the reason the Witch Doctor has travelled west to [[Tristram]].

==Class Design==
The Witch Doctor looks a bit like the top half of one of [[Diablo II]]'s {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer Shaman]}}, especially when outfitted in one of his oversized, colourful tribal masks. There is even a Flayer Shaman called {{iw|Witch_Doctor_Endugu Witch Doctor Endugu}}. Judging by the [[Witch Doctor skills|skills thus far demonstrated]], the WD fights a lot like a {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}, using cunning and guile, rather than direct physical attacks. Witch Doctors possess a number of mind control spells, the ability to summon and control [[undead]] servants, and a variety of direct damage [[elemental]] attacks.

[[Image:Wd-mongrel2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Simple [[Mongrel]] and fire-enhanced Mongrel, primary minion of the WD.]]
The [[D3 Team]] has described the Witch Doctor as old and grizzled and fanatical. His magic is not clean and easy, like the fire or lightning a {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} can produce with a snap of her fingers. Witch Doctors get dirty. They summon [[Wall of Zombies|walls of zombies]] that rip apart attacking enemies, they call forth undead demon hounds called [[Mongrel]]s that they can detonate to deal heavy damage to their enemies, and they fashion the skulls of the dead into explosive grenades. The D3 team discussed the Witch Doctor's design concepts in the [[WWI 2008: Denizens of Diablo Panel|Denizens of Diablo panel]] at the [[WWI 2008]].

::''For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to get a rich, voodoo vibe. We wanted to avoid straight up master-caster feel. He's not just conjuring things out of thin air. WDs don't just channel magic. They take real world objects and infuse them with voodoo magic. Our spell descriptions for the WD were like, "He's going to throw a shrunken head filled with a chemical concoction." Or "He's going to create insect swarms by blowing voodoo dust from his palms." Or "He's going to sprinkle dust in the air and cause illusions and frighten monsters away."''

The team felt that it wouldn't be a real Witch Doctor without [[zombies]]. They go together naturally, but they didn't want normal slow wandering zombies. They mashed the idea of Zombies with the Firewall of previous games and came up with [[Wall of Zombies|zombie wall]].

[[Leonard Boyarsky]] describes the Witch Doctor: [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/885172p1.html]

::''The Witch Doctor is angry, someone who's been broken by a life that's dealt a few too many hard knocks and not enough joy. This is someone tired of being smacked in the head, so he uses his mystical powers to get into the heads of others (and if that doesn't work, a swarm of locusts will get under their skin).''

===Necromancer Replacement?===
The WD is clearly {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}-like, in his mixture of summonings, mind control curses, and sub-mage quality magical attacks, but the [[D3 team]] does [[WWI_2008:_D3_Design_Fundamentals_Panel|not view the character as a replacement]] for the Necromancer.

::'''Q:''' Is the witch doctor a replacement or spiritual successor to the {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necro]}}? They seem to have rather similar skills.
::'''A:''' We don't view the Witch Doctor as a replacement. The Necromancer is a very cool char. We thought about him as a class and tried to see if we could improve on him, which is something we did with every class, and that led us to create the Witch Doctor. If we ever decided to make a Necromancer, the Witch Doctor wouldn't prevent us from doing so.

[[Jay Wilson]] commented further on this and detailed what makes the Witch Doctor different than the Necromancer in an interview with 1up.com in December 2008. [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1]

::We wanted to create a class whose pets were not his primary source of damage output. [...] Most Necromancer builds are very pet heavy. The pets do a lot of the damage, and a lot of mechanics are built around [[debuff]]ing the enemy so your pets can be better against them or taking advantage of the bodies your pets create by blowing them up with corpse explosion.

::The Witch Doctor's pets are more of a distraction -- they're his form of [[crowd control]]. [...] We wanted to have this general notion of a character who controlled all things slimy and gross, like zombies, bats, snakes, and spiders, but he didn't rely on them -- he just throws them out there. [...] Each element is like that, where it's another distraction while the source of primary damage is the Witch Doctor himself. This makes him play very differently than the Necromancer, which was intentional.

==Attributes and Skills==


===Witch Doctor Skills===
The [[Witch Doctor skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories:
* [[Zombie_Skill_Tree|Plague]]
* [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit]]
* [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.

====Zombie Skills====
[[Image:Wd-locust-swarm1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Locust Swarm]]]]
The [[Zombie Skill Tree|Zombie tree skills]] are focused on spells that summon Zombie and Zombie-related monsters. Several passive skills were revealed in the Blizzcon 2009 build of the game, that augment the Witch Doctor's minions.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Spirit Skills====
[[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Soul Harvest]]]]
The [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit tree skills]] appear to be heavily focused on augmenting the Witch Doctor's own abilities, such as health & mana regeneration, and even staving off death by inducing invulnerability. So far there are very few offensive skills in this tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Voodoo Skills====
[[Image:Wd-zombie-wall1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Wall of Zombies]]]]
The [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo tree skills]] all focus more on the darker spectrum of the Witch Doctor. Bringing dead animals back from the grave to fight, or a terrifying wall of Zombies. No passive skills have yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor Voodoo skill tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Development==
The Witch Doctor class was unveiled at [[WWI 2008]], together with the [[Barbarian]]. Besides a few name changes for spells, not much had changed for the Witch Doctor by mid June 2009.



==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Witch+Doctor Witch Doctor-specific gallery contents]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=doctor&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=546&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=546 Witch Doctor Screenshots].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=563&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=563 Witch Doctor Concept Art].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=550&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=550 Witch Doctor Wallpapers].

<gallery>
Image:Wd-1.jpg|Witch Doctor in game
Image:Wd-concept1.jpg|WD concept art
Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|[[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Firebats|Firebats]] unleashed.
Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|[[Skull of Flame]] animation shots.
Image:Wd-concept2.jpg|High quality concept
Image:Wd-concept3.jpg|Crazy WD
Image:Wd-concept4.jpg|Male WD concept
Image:Wd-concept5.jpg|Female clothing concepts
Image:Wd-concept6.jpg|Female WD hottie
Image:Wd-concept7.jpg|Male WD action
Image:Wd-concept8.jpg|Female sketches
Image:Witch_Doctors.jpg|Female and male WDs.
</gallery>

==Resources==
* [[Umbaru]]
* [[Tribe of the Five Hills]]
* [[Clan of the Seven Stones]]
* [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
* [[Khazra]]
* [[Torajan Jungles]]
* [[Teganze]]
* [[Mbwiru Eikura]] / [[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]
* [[Ghost Trance]]

==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013: The Witch Doctor]]
* [[Media Coverage|Diablo III Media Coverage Archive]] for all interviews, previews, pictures and more.

{{Class navbox floor}}
{{Skill navbox}}

[[Category:Classes]]
[[Category:Umbaru]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Lore]]

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:34:35Z

Agito: /* Mass Confusion */

{{class_navbox}}
The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

=Overview=
There are very few purely offensive skills here, several skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]]. Also, unique for this tree, is that there are two skills in the final Tier (Tier VI).

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill spirit}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Witch Doctor skills

2009-08-29T07:26:10Z

Agito:

{{class_navbox}}

The Witch Doctor's skills and skill trees were first seen at Blizzcon 2008. The following Blizzcon in 2009 revealed each tree and their skills in much more detail; each tree now decked out the [[Witch Doctor]] with an array of passive and active skills. It also showed the Plague Skill Tree had been renamed to the [[Zombie Skill Tree]]. A caveat however, is that many skills were disabled for use, indicated by the text "Not Yet Implemented".

See the individual skill tree pages for coverage of each skill.

==Zombie Skill Tree==
See the [[Zombie Skill Tree]] for full information on these skills.
* Current available skills
** [[Zombie Skill Tree#Plague of Toads|Plague of Toads]]
** [[Zombie Skill Tree#Locust Swarm|Locust Swarm]]
** [[Zombie Skill Tree#Spider Statue|Spider Statue]]

==Spirit Skill Tree==
See the [[Spirit Skill Tree]] for full information on these skills.
* Current available skills
** [[Spirit Skill Tree#Skull of Flame|Skull of Flame]]
** [[Spirit Skill Tree#Soul Harvest|Soul Harvest]]
** [[Spirit Skill Tree#Firebats|Firebats]]
** [[Spirit Skill Tree#Mass Confusion|Mass Confusion]]

==Voodoo Skill Tree==
See the [[Voodoo Skill Tree]] for full information on these skills.
* Current available skills
** [[Voodoo Skill Tree#Summon Mongrel|Summon Mongrel]]
** [[Voodoo Skill Tree#Sacrifice|Sacrifice]]
** [[Voodoo Skill Tree#Horrify|Horrify]]
** [[Voodoo Skill Tree#Wall of Zombies|Wall of Zombies]]

{{Skill navbox}}

[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]
[[category:Featured articles]]

Witch Doctor

2009-08-29T07:25:26Z

Agito: /* Witch Doctor Skills */

The '''Witch Doctor''', abbreviated '''WD''', is a pure [[caster|spellcaster]], dealing with elemental magic, nature magic, necromancy and alchemy. The class has taken some inspiration from the [[Necromancer]] of [[Diablo II]].

==Background==
{{Classbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Witch_Doctors.jpg
|portrait-width= 205px
|name= Witch Doctor
|classtype= official
|role= [[Caster]], [[Summoner]]
|attrib= [[Willpower]] [[Mana]]

|skilltree1= [[Plague Skill Tree]]
|skilltree2= [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
|skilltree3= [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

|origin= [[Teganze]], [[Torajan|Torajan jungles]]
|affiliation= [[Tribe of the Five Hills]] 
|friends= None Known
|foes= [[Clan of the Seven Stones]], [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
}}The Witch Doctor comes from the an area of the [[Torajan]] jungles called [[Teganze]] on the southern tip of the great eastern continent, just southwest of [[Kurast]] (where {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Act_Three Act Three]}} took place in [[Diablo II]]). You can see it located on the [[World map]] close to Kurast.

The fearsome Witch Doctor of the [[umbaru]] is believed to be a legend by many, but [[Abd al-Hazir]] has seen them with his own eyes, documented in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|thirteenth entry]] of his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir|Writings]].

The Witch Doctor uses terrifying precision to assault his foe's mind and body with elixirs and powders evoking fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. He can also summon and control [[undead]] creatures from the netherworld to combat his enemies.

He and she comes from the Tribe of the Five Hills, who frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley as a ritual rather than conquest. The tribes use these wars to replenish their supply of human sacrifices their civilization revolves around. Only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice according to the code of heroism and honour of the tribes.

The tribes define themselves by their belief in the [[Mbwiru Eikura]], which roughly translates to "[[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]". Their belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centred upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

Witch Doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive it through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the [[Ghost Trance]].

The second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe.

Their most current war created an intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident, of which details are lacking, but might be the reason the Witch Doctor has travelled west to [[Tristram]].

==Class Design==
The Witch Doctor looks a bit like the top half of one of [[Diablo II]]'s {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer Shaman]}}, especially when outfitted in one of his oversized, colourful tribal masks. There is even a Flayer Shaman called {{iw|Witch_Doctor_Endugu Witch Doctor Endugu}}. Judging by the [[Witch Doctor skills|skills thus far demonstrated]], the WD fights a lot like a {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}, using cunning and guile, rather than direct physical attacks. Witch Doctors possess a number of mind control spells, the ability to summon and control [[undead]] servants, and a variety of direct damage [[elemental]] attacks.

[[Image:Wd-mongrel2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Simple [[Mongrel]] and fire-enhanced Mongrel, primary minion of the WD.]]
The [[D3 Team]] has described the Witch Doctor as old and grizzled and fanatical. His magic is not clean and easy, like the fire or lightning a {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} can produce with a snap of her fingers. Witch Doctors get dirty. They summon [[Wall of Zombies|walls of zombies]] that rip apart attacking enemies, they call forth undead demon hounds called [[Mongrel]]s that they can detonate to deal heavy damage to their enemies, and they fashion the skulls of the dead into explosive grenades. The D3 team discussed the Witch Doctor's design concepts in the [[WWI 2008: Denizens of Diablo Panel|Denizens of Diablo panel]] at the [[WWI 2008]].

::''For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to get a rich, voodoo vibe. We wanted to avoid straight up master-caster feel. He's not just conjuring things out of thin air. WDs don't just channel magic. They take real world objects and infuse them with voodoo magic. Our spell descriptions for the WD were like, "He's going to throw a shrunken head filled with a chemical concoction." Or "He's going to create insect swarms by blowing voodoo dust from his palms." Or "He's going to sprinkle dust in the air and cause illusions and frighten monsters away."''

The team felt that it wouldn't be a real Witch Doctor without [[zombies]]. They go together naturally, but they didn't want normal slow wandering zombies. They mashed the idea of Zombies with the Firewall of previous games and came up with [[Wall of Zombies|zombie wall]].

[[Leonard Boyarsky]] describes the Witch Doctor: [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/885172p1.html]

::''The Witch Doctor is angry, someone who's been broken by a life that's dealt a few too many hard knocks and not enough joy. This is someone tired of being smacked in the head, so he uses his mystical powers to get into the heads of others (and if that doesn't work, a swarm of locusts will get under their skin).''

===Necromancer Replacement?===
The WD is clearly {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}-like, in his mixture of summonings, mind control curses, and sub-mage quality magical attacks, but the [[D3 team]] does [[WWI_2008:_D3_Design_Fundamentals_Panel|not view the character as a replacement]] for the Necromancer.

::'''Q:''' Is the witch doctor a replacement or spiritual successor to the {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necro]}}? They seem to have rather similar skills.
::'''A:''' We don't view the Witch Doctor as a replacement. The Necromancer is a very cool char. We thought about him as a class and tried to see if we could improve on him, which is something we did with every class, and that led us to create the Witch Doctor. If we ever decided to make a Necromancer, the Witch Doctor wouldn't prevent us from doing so.

[[Jay Wilson]] commented further on this and detailed what makes the Witch Doctor different than the Necromancer in an interview with 1up.com in December 2008. [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1]

::We wanted to create a class whose pets were not his primary source of damage output. [...] Most Necromancer builds are very pet heavy. The pets do a lot of the damage, and a lot of mechanics are built around [[debuff]]ing the enemy so your pets can be better against them or taking advantage of the bodies your pets create by blowing them up with corpse explosion.

::The Witch Doctor's pets are more of a distraction -- they're his form of [[crowd control]]. [...] We wanted to have this general notion of a character who controlled all things slimy and gross, like zombies, bats, snakes, and spiders, but he didn't rely on them -- he just throws them out there. [...] Each element is like that, where it's another distraction while the source of primary damage is the Witch Doctor himself. This makes him play very differently than the Necromancer, which was intentional.

==Attributes and Skills==


===Witch Doctor Skills===
The [[Witch Doctor skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories:
* [[Zombie_Skill_Tree|Plague]]
* [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit]]
* [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.

====Zombie Skills====
[[Image:Wd-locust-swarm1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Locust Swarm]]]]
The [[Zombie Skill Tree|Zombie tree skills]] are focused on spells that summon Zombie and Zombie-related monsters. Several passive skills were revealed in the Blizzcon 2009 build of the game, that augment the Witch Doctor's minions.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Spirit Skills====
[[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Soul Harvest]]]]
The [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit tree skills]] will affect gameplay more direct than the Plague Skills. The Witch Doctor summons bats he turns to fire and sends on his enemies, sucking foes life energy out or makes them lose their minds. No passive skills have yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor Spirit skill tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
====Voodoo Skills====
[[Image:Wd-zombie-wall1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Wall of Zombies]]]]
The [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo tree skills]] all focus more on the darker spectrum of the Witch Doctor. Bringing dead animals back from the grave to fight, or a terrifying wall of Zombies. No passive skills have yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor Voodoo skill tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Development==
The Witch Doctor class was unveiled at [[WWI 2008]], together with the [[Barbarian]]. Besides a few name changes for spells, not much had changed for the Witch Doctor by mid June 2009.



==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Witch+Doctor Witch Doctor-specific gallery contents]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=doctor&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=546&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=546 Witch Doctor Screenshots].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=563&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=563 Witch Doctor Concept Art].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=550&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=550 Witch Doctor Wallpapers].

<gallery>
Image:Wd-1.jpg|Witch Doctor in game
Image:Wd-concept1.jpg|WD concept art
Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|[[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Firebats|Firebats]] unleashed.
Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|[[Skull of Flame]] animation shots.
Image:Wd-concept2.jpg|High quality concept
Image:Wd-concept3.jpg|Crazy WD
Image:Wd-concept4.jpg|Male WD concept
Image:Wd-concept5.jpg|Female clothing concepts
Image:Wd-concept6.jpg|Female WD hottie
Image:Wd-concept7.jpg|Male WD action
Image:Wd-concept8.jpg|Female sketches
Image:Witch_Doctors.jpg|Female and male WDs.
</gallery>

==Resources==
* [[Umbaru]]
* [[Tribe of the Five Hills]]
* [[Clan of the Seven Stones]]
* [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
* [[Khazra]]
* [[Torajan Jungles]]
* [[Teganze]]
* [[Mbwiru Eikura]] / [[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]
* [[Ghost Trance]]

==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013: The Witch Doctor]]
* [[Media Coverage|Diablo III Media Coverage Archive]] for all interviews, previews, pictures and more.

{{Class navbox floor}}
{{Skill navbox}}

[[Category:Classes]]
[[Category:Umbaru]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Lore]]

Witch Doctor

2009-08-29T07:24:43Z

Agito: /* Zombie Skills */

The '''Witch Doctor''', abbreviated '''WD''', is a pure [[caster|spellcaster]], dealing with elemental magic, nature magic, necromancy and alchemy. The class has taken some inspiration from the [[Necromancer]] of [[Diablo II]].

==Background==
{{Classbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Witch_Doctors.jpg
|portrait-width= 205px
|name= Witch Doctor
|classtype= official
|role= [[Caster]], [[Summoner]]
|attrib= [[Willpower]] [[Mana]]

|skilltree1= [[Plague Skill Tree]]
|skilltree2= [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
|skilltree3= [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

|origin= [[Teganze]], [[Torajan|Torajan jungles]]
|affiliation= [[Tribe of the Five Hills]] 
|friends= None Known
|foes= [[Clan of the Seven Stones]], [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
}}The Witch Doctor comes from the an area of the [[Torajan]] jungles called [[Teganze]] on the southern tip of the great eastern continent, just southwest of [[Kurast]] (where {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Act_Three Act Three]}} took place in [[Diablo II]]). You can see it located on the [[World map]] close to Kurast.

The fearsome Witch Doctor of the [[umbaru]] is believed to be a legend by many, but [[Abd al-Hazir]] has seen them with his own eyes, documented in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|thirteenth entry]] of his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir|Writings]].

The Witch Doctor uses terrifying precision to assault his foe's mind and body with elixirs and powders evoking fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. He can also summon and control [[undead]] creatures from the netherworld to combat his enemies.

He and she comes from the Tribe of the Five Hills, who frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley as a ritual rather than conquest. The tribes use these wars to replenish their supply of human sacrifices their civilization revolves around. Only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice according to the code of heroism and honour of the tribes.

The tribes define themselves by their belief in the [[Mbwiru Eikura]], which roughly translates to "[[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]". Their belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centred upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

Witch Doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive it through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the [[Ghost Trance]].

The second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe.

Their most current war created an intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident, of which details are lacking, but might be the reason the Witch Doctor has travelled west to [[Tristram]].

==Class Design==
The Witch Doctor looks a bit like the top half of one of [[Diablo II]]'s {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer Shaman]}}, especially when outfitted in one of his oversized, colourful tribal masks. There is even a Flayer Shaman called {{iw|Witch_Doctor_Endugu Witch Doctor Endugu}}. Judging by the [[Witch Doctor skills|skills thus far demonstrated]], the WD fights a lot like a {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}, using cunning and guile, rather than direct physical attacks. Witch Doctors possess a number of mind control spells, the ability to summon and control [[undead]] servants, and a variety of direct damage [[elemental]] attacks.

[[Image:Wd-mongrel2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Simple [[Mongrel]] and fire-enhanced Mongrel, primary minion of the WD.]]
The [[D3 Team]] has described the Witch Doctor as old and grizzled and fanatical. His magic is not clean and easy, like the fire or lightning a {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} can produce with a snap of her fingers. Witch Doctors get dirty. They summon [[Wall of Zombies|walls of zombies]] that rip apart attacking enemies, they call forth undead demon hounds called [[Mongrel]]s that they can detonate to deal heavy damage to their enemies, and they fashion the skulls of the dead into explosive grenades. The D3 team discussed the Witch Doctor's design concepts in the [[WWI 2008: Denizens of Diablo Panel|Denizens of Diablo panel]] at the [[WWI 2008]].

::''For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to get a rich, voodoo vibe. We wanted to avoid straight up master-caster feel. He's not just conjuring things out of thin air. WDs don't just channel magic. They take real world objects and infuse them with voodoo magic. Our spell descriptions for the WD were like, "He's going to throw a shrunken head filled with a chemical concoction." Or "He's going to create insect swarms by blowing voodoo dust from his palms." Or "He's going to sprinkle dust in the air and cause illusions and frighten monsters away."''

The team felt that it wouldn't be a real Witch Doctor without [[zombies]]. They go together naturally, but they didn't want normal slow wandering zombies. They mashed the idea of Zombies with the Firewall of previous games and came up with [[Wall of Zombies|zombie wall]].

[[Leonard Boyarsky]] describes the Witch Doctor: [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/885172p1.html]

::''The Witch Doctor is angry, someone who's been broken by a life that's dealt a few too many hard knocks and not enough joy. This is someone tired of being smacked in the head, so he uses his mystical powers to get into the heads of others (and if that doesn't work, a swarm of locusts will get under their skin).''

===Necromancer Replacement?===
The WD is clearly {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}-like, in his mixture of summonings, mind control curses, and sub-mage quality magical attacks, but the [[D3 team]] does [[WWI_2008:_D3_Design_Fundamentals_Panel|not view the character as a replacement]] for the Necromancer.

::'''Q:''' Is the witch doctor a replacement or spiritual successor to the {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necro]}}? They seem to have rather similar skills.
::'''A:''' We don't view the Witch Doctor as a replacement. The Necromancer is a very cool char. We thought about him as a class and tried to see if we could improve on him, which is something we did with every class, and that led us to create the Witch Doctor. If we ever decided to make a Necromancer, the Witch Doctor wouldn't prevent us from doing so.

[[Jay Wilson]] commented further on this and detailed what makes the Witch Doctor different than the Necromancer in an interview with 1up.com in December 2008. [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1]

::We wanted to create a class whose pets were not his primary source of damage output. [...] Most Necromancer builds are very pet heavy. The pets do a lot of the damage, and a lot of mechanics are built around [[debuff]]ing the enemy so your pets can be better against them or taking advantage of the bodies your pets create by blowing them up with corpse explosion.

::The Witch Doctor's pets are more of a distraction -- they're his form of [[crowd control]]. [...] We wanted to have this general notion of a character who controlled all things slimy and gross, like zombies, bats, snakes, and spiders, but he didn't rely on them -- he just throws them out there. [...] Each element is like that, where it's another distraction while the source of primary damage is the Witch Doctor himself. This makes him play very differently than the Necromancer, which was intentional.

==Attributes and Skills==


===Witch Doctor Skills===
The [[Witch Doctor skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories:
* [[Plague_Skill_Tree|Plague]]
* [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit]]
* [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.

====Zombie Skills====
[[Image:Wd-locust-swarm1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Locust Swarm]]]]
The [[Zombie Skill Tree|Zombie tree skills]] are focused on spells that summon Zombie and Zombie-related monsters. Several passive skills were revealed in the Blizzcon 2009 build of the game, that augment the Witch Doctor's minions.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Spirit Skills====
[[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Soul Harvest]]]]
The [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit tree skills]] will affect gameplay more direct than the Plague Skills. The Witch Doctor summons bats he turns to fire and sends on his enemies, sucking foes life energy out or makes them lose their minds. No passive skills have yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor Spirit skill tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
====Voodoo Skills====
[[Image:Wd-zombie-wall1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Wall of Zombies]]]]
The [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo tree skills]] all focus more on the darker spectrum of the Witch Doctor. Bringing dead animals back from the grave to fight, or a terrifying wall of Zombies. No passive skills have yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor Voodoo skill tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Development==
The Witch Doctor class was unveiled at [[WWI 2008]], together with the [[Barbarian]]. Besides a few name changes for spells, not much had changed for the Witch Doctor by mid June 2009.



==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Witch+Doctor Witch Doctor-specific gallery contents]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=doctor&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=546&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=546 Witch Doctor Screenshots].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=563&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=563 Witch Doctor Concept Art].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=550&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=550 Witch Doctor Wallpapers].

<gallery>
Image:Wd-1.jpg|Witch Doctor in game
Image:Wd-concept1.jpg|WD concept art
Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|[[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Firebats|Firebats]] unleashed.
Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|[[Skull of Flame]] animation shots.
Image:Wd-concept2.jpg|High quality concept
Image:Wd-concept3.jpg|Crazy WD
Image:Wd-concept4.jpg|Male WD concept
Image:Wd-concept5.jpg|Female clothing concepts
Image:Wd-concept6.jpg|Female WD hottie
Image:Wd-concept7.jpg|Male WD action
Image:Wd-concept8.jpg|Female sketches
Image:Witch_Doctors.jpg|Female and male WDs.
</gallery>

==Resources==
* [[Umbaru]]
* [[Tribe of the Five Hills]]
* [[Clan of the Seven Stones]]
* [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
* [[Khazra]]
* [[Torajan Jungles]]
* [[Teganze]]
* [[Mbwiru Eikura]] / [[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]
* [[Ghost Trance]]

==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013: The Witch Doctor]]
* [[Media Coverage|Diablo III Media Coverage Archive]] for all interviews, previews, pictures and more.

{{Class navbox floor}}
{{Skill navbox}}

[[Category:Classes]]
[[Category:Umbaru]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Lore]]

Zombie Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:22:43Z

Agito: /* Overview */ removed gender bias

{{class_navbox}}
The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

=Overview=
Almost every Tier in this tree has at least one summoning skill. They are accompanied by various passive skills that both help [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctors]] and their minions.

==Tier I==

===[[Summon Zombie Dog]]===
* Summon a pet Zombie Dog (formerly known as Mongrel).
===[[Mind and Body]]===
* A passive skill; regenerates mana and health.

==Tier II==
===[[Zombie Charger]]===
* Summon a reckless, enraged zombie from the ground to assault your enemies.
===[[Sacrifice]]===
* Detonate a nearby Zombie Dog in an explosion, dealing a % of the Zombie Dog’s health to monsters nearby.

==Tier III==
===[[Grasp of the Dead]]===
* Summon undead hands reach to out from the ground attacking all enemies within 8 yards of the targeted location.
===[[Unrelenting Assault]]===
* Enables one of your [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dogs]] to instantaneously resurrect itself upon its death.

==Tier IV==
===[[Gargantuan]]===
* Summons a large zombie follower to fight for you.
===[[Leader of the Pack]]===
* Increases spell damage by 1% for every [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dog]] under your command.

==Tier V==
===[[Parasite]]===
* Launch a parasite at an enemy dealing 3 damage per second. If the target dies while under the effects of the Parasite a Zombie Dog emerges from the slain body.
===[[Wall of Zombies]]===
* Zombies emerge from the early and attack nearby monsters for 7 damage per second.

==Tier VI==
===[[Ferocity]]===
* Increases the health and damage of your Zombie Dogs and Gargantuan by 8%.




[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox zombie}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Witch Doctor

2009-08-29T07:21:27Z

Agito: /* Plague Skills */

The '''Witch Doctor''', abbreviated '''WD''', is a pure [[caster|spellcaster]], dealing with elemental magic, nature magic, necromancy and alchemy. The class has taken some inspiration from the [[Necromancer]] of [[Diablo II]].

==Background==
{{Classbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Witch_Doctors.jpg
|portrait-width= 205px
|name= Witch Doctor
|classtype= official
|role= [[Caster]], [[Summoner]]
|attrib= [[Willpower]] [[Mana]]

|skilltree1= [[Plague Skill Tree]]
|skilltree2= [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
|skilltree3= [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

|origin= [[Teganze]], [[Torajan|Torajan jungles]]
|affiliation= [[Tribe of the Five Hills]] 
|friends= None Known
|foes= [[Clan of the Seven Stones]], [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
}}The Witch Doctor comes from the an area of the [[Torajan]] jungles called [[Teganze]] on the southern tip of the great eastern continent, just southwest of [[Kurast]] (where {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Act_Three Act Three]}} took place in [[Diablo II]]). You can see it located on the [[World map]] close to Kurast.

The fearsome Witch Doctor of the [[umbaru]] is believed to be a legend by many, but [[Abd al-Hazir]] has seen them with his own eyes, documented in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|thirteenth entry]] of his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir|Writings]].

The Witch Doctor uses terrifying precision to assault his foe's mind and body with elixirs and powders evoking fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. He can also summon and control [[undead]] creatures from the netherworld to combat his enemies.

He and she comes from the Tribe of the Five Hills, who frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley as a ritual rather than conquest. The tribes use these wars to replenish their supply of human sacrifices their civilization revolves around. Only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice according to the code of heroism and honour of the tribes.

The tribes define themselves by their belief in the [[Mbwiru Eikura]], which roughly translates to "[[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]". Their belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centred upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

Witch Doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive it through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the [[Ghost Trance]].

The second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe.

Their most current war created an intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident, of which details are lacking, but might be the reason the Witch Doctor has travelled west to [[Tristram]].

==Class Design==
The Witch Doctor looks a bit like the top half of one of [[Diablo II]]'s {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer Shaman]}}, especially when outfitted in one of his oversized, colourful tribal masks. There is even a Flayer Shaman called {{iw|Witch_Doctor_Endugu Witch Doctor Endugu}}. Judging by the [[Witch Doctor skills|skills thus far demonstrated]], the WD fights a lot like a {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}, using cunning and guile, rather than direct physical attacks. Witch Doctors possess a number of mind control spells, the ability to summon and control [[undead]] servants, and a variety of direct damage [[elemental]] attacks.

[[Image:Wd-mongrel2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Simple [[Mongrel]] and fire-enhanced Mongrel, primary minion of the WD.]]
The [[D3 Team]] has described the Witch Doctor as old and grizzled and fanatical. His magic is not clean and easy, like the fire or lightning a {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} can produce with a snap of her fingers. Witch Doctors get dirty. They summon [[Wall of Zombies|walls of zombies]] that rip apart attacking enemies, they call forth undead demon hounds called [[Mongrel]]s that they can detonate to deal heavy damage to their enemies, and they fashion the skulls of the dead into explosive grenades. The D3 team discussed the Witch Doctor's design concepts in the [[WWI 2008: Denizens of Diablo Panel|Denizens of Diablo panel]] at the [[WWI 2008]].

::''For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to get a rich, voodoo vibe. We wanted to avoid straight up master-caster feel. He's not just conjuring things out of thin air. WDs don't just channel magic. They take real world objects and infuse them with voodoo magic. Our spell descriptions for the WD were like, "He's going to throw a shrunken head filled with a chemical concoction." Or "He's going to create insect swarms by blowing voodoo dust from his palms." Or "He's going to sprinkle dust in the air and cause illusions and frighten monsters away."''

The team felt that it wouldn't be a real Witch Doctor without [[zombies]]. They go together naturally, but they didn't want normal slow wandering zombies. They mashed the idea of Zombies with the Firewall of previous games and came up with [[Wall of Zombies|zombie wall]].

[[Leonard Boyarsky]] describes the Witch Doctor: [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/885172p1.html]

::''The Witch Doctor is angry, someone who's been broken by a life that's dealt a few too many hard knocks and not enough joy. This is someone tired of being smacked in the head, so he uses his mystical powers to get into the heads of others (and if that doesn't work, a swarm of locusts will get under their skin).''

===Necromancer Replacement?===
The WD is clearly {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}-like, in his mixture of summonings, mind control curses, and sub-mage quality magical attacks, but the [[D3 team]] does [[WWI_2008:_D3_Design_Fundamentals_Panel|not view the character as a replacement]] for the Necromancer.

::'''Q:''' Is the witch doctor a replacement or spiritual successor to the {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necro]}}? They seem to have rather similar skills.
::'''A:''' We don't view the Witch Doctor as a replacement. The Necromancer is a very cool char. We thought about him as a class and tried to see if we could improve on him, which is something we did with every class, and that led us to create the Witch Doctor. If we ever decided to make a Necromancer, the Witch Doctor wouldn't prevent us from doing so.

[[Jay Wilson]] commented further on this and detailed what makes the Witch Doctor different than the Necromancer in an interview with 1up.com in December 2008. [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1]

::We wanted to create a class whose pets were not his primary source of damage output. [...] Most Necromancer builds are very pet heavy. The pets do a lot of the damage, and a lot of mechanics are built around [[debuff]]ing the enemy so your pets can be better against them or taking advantage of the bodies your pets create by blowing them up with corpse explosion.

::The Witch Doctor's pets are more of a distraction -- they're his form of [[crowd control]]. [...] We wanted to have this general notion of a character who controlled all things slimy and gross, like zombies, bats, snakes, and spiders, but he didn't rely on them -- he just throws them out there. [...] Each element is like that, where it's another distraction while the source of primary damage is the Witch Doctor himself. This makes him play very differently than the Necromancer, which was intentional.

==Attributes and Skills==


===Witch Doctor Skills===
The [[Witch Doctor skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories:
* [[Plague_Skill_Tree|Plague]]
* [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit]]
* [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.

====Zombie Skills====
[[Image:Wd-locust-swarm1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Locust Swarm]]]]
The [[Zombie Skill Tree|Zombie tree skills]] are focused on spells that spread plague-related effects such as a [[Locust Swarm]], [[Plague of Toads|toads]] and diseases. Several passive skills were revealed in the Blizzcon 2009 build of the game.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Spirit Skills====
[[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Soul Harvest]]]]
The [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit tree skills]] will affect gameplay more direct than the Plague Skills. The Witch Doctor summons bats he turns to fire and sends on his enemies, sucking foes life energy out or makes them lose their minds. No passive skills have yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor Spirit skill tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
====Voodoo Skills====
[[Image:Wd-zombie-wall1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Wall of Zombies]]]]
The [[Voodoo_Skill_Tree|Voodoo tree skills]] all focus more on the darker spectrum of the Witch Doctor. Bringing dead animals back from the grave to fight, or a terrifying wall of Zombies. No passive skills have yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor Voodoo skill tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Development==
The Witch Doctor class was unveiled at [[WWI 2008]], together with the [[Barbarian]]. Besides a few name changes for spells, not much had changed for the Witch Doctor by mid June 2009.



==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Witch+Doctor Witch Doctor-specific gallery contents]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=doctor&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=546&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=546 Witch Doctor Screenshots].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=563&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=563 Witch Doctor Concept Art].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=550&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=550 Witch Doctor Wallpapers].

<gallery>
Image:Wd-1.jpg|Witch Doctor in game
Image:Wd-concept1.jpg|WD concept art
Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|[[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Firebats|Firebats]] unleashed.
Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|[[Skull of Flame]] animation shots.
Image:Wd-concept2.jpg|High quality concept
Image:Wd-concept3.jpg|Crazy WD
Image:Wd-concept4.jpg|Male WD concept
Image:Wd-concept5.jpg|Female clothing concepts
Image:Wd-concept6.jpg|Female WD hottie
Image:Wd-concept7.jpg|Male WD action
Image:Wd-concept8.jpg|Female sketches
Image:Witch_Doctors.jpg|Female and male WDs.
</gallery>

==Resources==
* [[Umbaru]]
* [[Tribe of the Five Hills]]
* [[Clan of the Seven Stones]]
* [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]
* [[Khazra]]
* [[Torajan Jungles]]
* [[Teganze]]
* [[Mbwiru Eikura]] / [[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]
* [[Ghost Trance]]

==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013: The Witch Doctor]]
* [[Media Coverage|Diablo III Media Coverage Archive]] for all interviews, previews, pictures and more.

{{Class navbox floor}}
{{Skill navbox}}

[[Category:Classes]]
[[Category:Umbaru]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Lore]]

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:09:42Z

Agito: /* Mass Confusion */

{{class_navbox}}
The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

=Overview=
There are very few purely offensive skills here, several skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]]. Also, unique for this tree, is that there are two skills in the final Tier (Tier VI).

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill spirit}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Template:Skill spirit

2009-08-29T07:08:40Z

Agito:

{|align="center" class="navbox"
!colspan="6"| [[Spirit Skill Tree]] Navigation <nowiki>[</nowiki>[http://www.diablowiki.net/Template:Skill_navbox_zombie&action=edit e]<nowiki>]</nowiki>
|-
| '''[[Spirit Skill Tree#Tier I|Tier I]]''' 
• [[Haunt]] 
• [[Spirit Vessel]]

| '''[[Spirit Skill Tree#Tier II|Tier II]]''' 
• [[Soul Harvest]] 
• [[Rituals]] 

| '''[[Spirit Skill Tree#Tier III|Tier III]]''' 
• [[Spirit Sense]] 
• [[Horrify]] 

| '''[[Spirit Skill Tree#Tier IV|Tier IV]]''' 
• [[Spirit Barrage]] 
• [[Ritual of Blood]] 

| '''[[Zombie Skill Tree#Tier V|Tier V]]''' 
• [[Spirit Walk]] 
• [[Meditation]] 

| '''[[Spirit Skill Tree#Tier VI|Tier VI]]''' 
• [[Death Pact]] 
• [[Mass Confusion]]

|}
<noinclude>[[Category:Navboxes]]</noinclude>

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:04:06Z

Agito: /* Overview */

{{class_navbox}}
The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

=Overview=
There are very few purely offensive skills here, several skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]]. Also, unique for this tree, is that there are two skills in the final Tier (Tier VI).

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox}}

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:01:16Z

Agito:

{{class_navbox}}
The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

=Overview=
There are very few purely offensive skills here, a lot of skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]].

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox}}

Voodoo Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:01:10Z

Agito:

{{class_navbox}}
The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

=Overview=
The Voodoo skill tree comprises most of the [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctor's]] offensive skills, in addition to a few summoning skills

==Tier I==
===[[Skull of Flame]]===
* Lob a skull filled with fire dealing 4-5 fire damage to all enemies caught in the explosion.
===[[Jungle Fortitude]]===
* Increase your Vitality by 5% of your Strength, 5% of your Dexterity, and 5% of your Willpower.

==Tier II==
===[[Hex]]===
* Summon a Fetish caster to cast hexes on enemies for 6 seconds.
===[[Corpse Spiders]]===
* Summon 3 spiders to attack nearby enemies for 8-13 poison damage per hit.

==Tier III==
===[[Locust Swarm]]===
* Assault nearby foes with a swarm of locusts that spread to additional, nearby targets.
===[[Plague of Toads]]===
* Release a handful of toads that deal poison damage to anybody who steps on them.

==Tier IV==
===[[Pit of Fire]]===
* Call up to 4 Fetishes to bathe a region in fire.
===[[Firebats]]===
* Launch a swarm of bats, saturated in a fiery blaze to burn targeted enemies.

==Tier V==
===[[Acid Cloud]]===
* Detonate an bottle of acid in the air to damage enemies with the initial explosion and, over time for enemies who remain in it's area of effect.
===[[Blood Rites]]===
* Increase your spell damage by consuming health globes.

==Tier VI==
===[[Fetish Army]]===
* Summon an army of Fetishes to fight by your side.
 





[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox voodoo}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Zombie Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:01:08Z

Agito:

{{class_navbox}}
The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

=Overview=
Almost every Tier in this tree has at least one summoning skill. They are accompanied by various passive skills that both help the [[Witch Doctor]] and his minions.

==Tier I==

===[[Summon Zombie Dog]]===
* Summon a pet Zombie Dog (formerly known as Mongrel).
===[[Mind and Body]]===
* A passive skill; regenerates mana and health.

==Tier II==
===[[Zombie Charger]]===
* Summon a reckless, enraged zombie from the ground to assault your enemies.
===[[Sacrifice]]===
* Detonate a nearby Zombie Dog in an explosion, dealing a % of the Zombie Dog’s health to monsters nearby.

==Tier III==
===[[Grasp of the Dead]]===
* Summon undead hands reach to out from the ground attacking all enemies within 8 yards of the targeted location.
===[[Unrelenting Assault]]===
* Enables one of your [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dogs]] to instantaneously resurrect itself upon its death.

==Tier IV==
===[[Gargantuan]]===
* Summons a large zombie follower to fight for you.
===[[Leader of the Pack]]===
* Increases spell damage by 1% for every [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dog]] under your command.

==Tier V==
===[[Parasite]]===
* Launch a parasite at an enemy dealing 3 damage per second. If the target dies while under the effects of the Parasite a Zombie Dog emerges from the slain body.
===[[Wall of Zombies]]===
* Zombies emerge from the early and attack nearby monsters for 7 damage per second.

==Tier VI==
===[[Ferocity]]===
* Increases the health and damage of your Zombie Dogs and Gargantuan by 8%.




[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox zombie}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Voodoo Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:00:12Z

Agito: redundant

The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each. Only 11 WD skills were revealed at Blizzcon, (more than 55 each were shown for the Wizard and Barbarian) so our knowledge of this character's abilities is much less extensive. Furthermore, all 11 skills were active skills, so we know nothing of the WD's passives and masteries.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

{{class_navbox}}

=Overview=
The Voodoo skill tree comprises most of the [[Witch Doctor|Witch Doctor's]] offensive skills, in addition to a few summoning skills

==Tier I==
===[[Skull of Flame]]===
* Lob a skull filled with fire dealing 4-5 fire damage to all enemies caught in the explosion.
===[[Jungle Fortitude]]===
* Increase your Vitality by 5% of your Strength, 5% of your Dexterity, and 5% of your Willpower.

==Tier II==
===[[Hex]]===
* Summon a Fetish caster to cast hexes on enemies for 6 seconds.
===[[Corpse Spiders]]===
* Summon 3 spiders to attack nearby enemies for 8-13 poison damage per hit.

==Tier III==
===[[Locust Swarm]]===
* Assault nearby foes with a swarm of locusts that spread to additional, nearby targets.
===[[Plague of Toads]]===
* Release a handful of toads that deal poison damage to anybody who steps on them.

==Tier IV==
===[[Pit of Fire]]===
* Call up to 4 Fetishes to bathe a region in fire.
===[[Firebats]]===
* Launch a swarm of bats, saturated in a fiery blaze to burn targeted enemies.

==Tier V==
===[[Acid Cloud]]===
* Detonate an bottle of acid in the air to damage enemies with the initial explosion and, over time for enemies who remain in it's area of effect.
===[[Blood Rites]]===
* Increase your spell damage by consuming health globes.

==Tier VI==
===[[Fetish Army]]===
* Summon an army of Fetishes to fight by your side.
 





[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox voodoo}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Zombie Skill Tree

2009-08-29T07:00:08Z

Agito: redundant

The Witch Doctor has three skill trees, with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

{{class_navbox}}

=Overview=
Almost every Tier in this tree has at least one summoning skill. They are accompanied by various passive skills that both help the [[Witch Doctor]] and his minions.

==Tier I==

===[[Summon Zombie Dog]]===
* Summon a pet Zombie Dog (formerly known as Mongrel).
===[[Mind and Body]]===
* A passive skill; regenerates mana and health.

==Tier II==
===[[Zombie Charger]]===
* Summon a reckless, enraged zombie from the ground to assault your enemies.
===[[Sacrifice]]===
* Detonate a nearby Zombie Dog in an explosion, dealing a % of the Zombie Dog’s health to monsters nearby.

==Tier III==
===[[Grasp of the Dead]]===
* Summon undead hands reach to out from the ground attacking all enemies within 8 yards of the targeted location.
===[[Unrelenting Assault]]===
* Enables one of your [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dogs]] to instantaneously resurrect itself upon its death.

==Tier IV==
===[[Gargantuan]]===
* Summons a large zombie follower to fight for you.
===[[Leader of the Pack]]===
* Increases spell damage by 1% for every [[Summon Zombie Dog|Zombie Dog]] under your command.

==Tier V==
===[[Parasite]]===
* Launch a parasite at an enemy dealing 3 damage per second. If the target dies while under the effects of the Parasite a Zombie Dog emerges from the slain body.
===[[Wall of Zombies]]===
* Zombies emerge from the early and attack nearby monsters for 7 damage per second.

==Tier VI==
===[[Ferocity]]===
* Increases the health and damage of your Zombie Dogs and Gargantuan by 8%.




[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox zombie}}
{{Skill navbox}}

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T06:58:52Z

Agito: redundant

The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

{{class_navbox}}

=Overview=
There are very few purely offensive skills here, a lot of skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]].

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox}}

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T06:57:46Z

Agito:

The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each. Only 11 WD skills were revealed at Blizzcon, (more than 55 each were shown for the [[Wizard]] and [[Barbarian]]) so our knowledge of this character's abilities is much less extensive. Furthermore, all 11 skills were active skills, so we know nothing of the WD's passives and masteries.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

{{class_navbox}}

=Overview=
There are very few purely offensive skills here, a lot of skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]].

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox}}

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T06:57:09Z

Agito: /* Diablo III Skill Trees */

The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each. Only 11 WD skills were revealed at Blizzcon, (more than 55 each were shown for the [[Wizard]] and [[Barbarian]]) so our knowledge of this character's abilities is much less extensive. Furthermore, all 11 skills were active skills, so we know nothing of the WD's passives and masteries.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

=Overview=
There are very few purely offensive skills here, a lot of skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]].

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox}}

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T06:56:24Z

Agito: /* Projected Passive Skills */

The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each. Only 11 WD skills were revealed at Blizzcon, (more than 55 each were shown for the [[Wizard]] and [[Barbarian]]) so our knowledge of this character's abilities is much less extensive. Furthermore, all 11 skills were active skills, so we know nothing of the WD's passives and masteries.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Diablo III Skill Trees==

{{class_navbox}}Unlike the skill trees in [[Diablo II]], the trees in [[Diablo III]] are not focused on just one aspect of a character. All known D3 skill trees have a wide variety of skills, with more passive than active, and all allow for a variety of play styles.

All active skills in the BlizzCon build were capped at 1 skill point (or rank, as skill levels are called in D3), while most passives went up to 15 points. This will not be the case in the final game; active skills will allow more than 1 point, and passives may have different maximum ranks, to allow better game balancing. Know that skills will be modified, that some will be removed, that others will be added, and that the numbers are almost certain to change.

=Overview=
There are very few purely offensive skills here, a lot of skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]].

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox}}

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-08-29T06:56:00Z

Agito: /* Spirit Skill Tree */

The [[Witch Doctor]] has three '''skill trees''', with a variety of active and passive skills in each. Only 11 WD skills were revealed at Blizzcon, (more than 55 each were shown for the [[Wizard]] and [[Barbarian]]) so our knowledge of this character's abilities is much less extensive. Furthermore, all 11 skills were active skills, so we know nothing of the WD's passives and masteries.

The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:

* [[Zombie Skill Tree]]
* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]

==Diablo III Skill Trees==

{{class_navbox}}Unlike the skill trees in [[Diablo II]], the trees in [[Diablo III]] are not focused on just one aspect of a character. All known D3 skill trees have a wide variety of skills, with more passive than active, and all allow for a variety of play styles.

All active skills in the BlizzCon build were capped at 1 skill point (or rank, as skill levels are called in D3), while most passives went up to 15 points. This will not be the case in the final game; active skills will allow more than 1 point, and passives may have different maximum ranks, to allow better game balancing. Know that skills will be modified, that some will be removed, that others will be added, and that the numbers are almost certain to change.

=Overview=
There are very few purely offensive skills here, a lot of skills in this tree focus on enabling mana-regeneration abilities for the [[Witch Doctor]].

==Tier I==

===[[Haunt]]===
* Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabitatng a host than when roaming looking for one.
===[[Spirit Vessel]]===
* Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

==Tier II==
===[[Soul Harvest]]===
* Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
===[[Rituals]]===
* Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

==Tier III==
===[[Spirit Sense]]===
* Increase damage against targets with low-health by a percentage (%).
===[[Horrify]]===
* Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

==Tier IV==
===[[Spirit Barrage ]]===
* A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
===[[Ritual of Blood]]===
* Whilst active, a percentage (%) of all mana costs are paid for with health.

==Tier V==
===[[Spirit Walk]]===
* Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
===[[Meditation]]===
* Your spirit spells return a percentage (%) of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

==Tier VI==
===[[Death Pact]]===
* Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
===[[Mass Confusion]]===
* Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.



==Projected Passive Skills==
No passive skills have yet been revealed in this skill tree, but by comparing these skills to the known trees and skills for the Wizard and Barbarian, some educated guesses can be made.

Likely passives will provide boosts to fire damage, boosts to the duration or intensity of the mind control skill(s), and/or a boost to the % of [[life]]/[[mana]] returned from [[Soul Harvest]]. Others will increase skills yet to be revealed in this tree.

[[category:Witch Doctor]]
[[category:Skills]]

{{Skill navbox}}

Template:Skill navbox voodoo

2009-08-29T06:35:08Z

Agito:

{|align="center" class="navbox"
!colspan="6"| [[Voodoo Skill Tree|Voodoo Skills]] Navigation <nowiki>[</nowiki>[http://www.diablowiki.net/Template:Skill_navbox_voodoo&action=edit e]<nowiki>]</nowiki>
|-
| '''[[Voodoo_Skill_Tree#Tier_I|Tier I]]''' 
• [[Skull of Flame]] 
• [[Jungle Fortitude]]

| '''[[Voodoo Skill Tree#Tier II|Tier II]]''' 
• [[Hex]] 
• [[Corpse Spiders]]

| '''[[Voodoo Skill Tree#Tier III|Tier III]]''' 
• [[Locust Swarm]] 
• [[Plague of Toads]]

| '''[[Voodoo Skill Tree#Tier IV|Tier IV]]''' 
• [[Pit of Fire]] 
• [[Firebats]]

| '''[[Voodoo Skill Tree#Tier IV|Tier V]]''' 
• [[Acid Cloud]] 
• [[Blood Rites]]

| '''[[Voodoo Skill Tree#Tier IV|Tier V]]''' 
• [[Fetish Army]] 

|}
<noinclude>[[Category:Navboxes]]</noinclude>