Passive skill slot tooltip.
Passive skill slots are unlocked at character level 10, 20, and 30. Once a slot is unlocked, players can select one passive skill to enable via that slot. There are around 16 passive skills per class (the number varies), with a new one enabled almost every level from 10 until 30, when all passive skills are available.
Each of the 3 slots can have one passive skill assigned to it, granting a huge variety of different bonuses. Passive skills can be switched freely, especially since the removal of the Nephalem Altar, though there is a 30 second cooldown each time a skill is changed.
A Witch Doctor selects a passive skill.
In Diablo III, all passive skills are truly passive, offering bonuses such as increased weapon or spell damage, movement or attack rate, minion effectiveness, healing rate, and dozens of other things. None are ever active bonuses though, such as skills you actually cast or active for some duration.
- See the Passive Skills article for a full listing.
Passive Skill ChronologyEdit
The implementation of skills, passive and active, changed repeatedly during Diablo III's development. The earliest system was much like Diablo II's, with skill trees that intermingled passive and active skills. This system soon changed with passive skills renamed traits and moved into their own interface. Traits could be fed 1, 3, or 5 points, and characters earned a new trait point every other level up, then later in development, every third level up.
The current and probably final system was implemented in late 2011, and present during the beta test. It has these skills once again called Passives, and accessed via a parallel skill interface. Only three passive skills can ever be used, and there are no passive skill points; these skills are either enabled, or not.
- See the Passive skills article, or the traits article for more chronological details about the evolution of this game feature.
Pop up tooltip notification at Clvl 10.
| Classes of the Diablo games |
Skills - Active skills - Skill runes - Passives - Resource - Movement ability [e] Barbarian Demon Hunter Monk Necromancer Witch Doctor Wizard Followers Other Classes Fan-made |
|---|
| The Barbarian | Fury - Barbarian Active Skills (Archive) | Barbarian Passive Skills (Archive) [e] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Primary Might |
Secondary Tactics |
Defensive Rage |
Pound of Flesh (10) |
Superstition (30) |
| (X) = the level at which the skill becomes unlocked. | |||||
| Barbarian skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Might Tactics Rage |
|---|
|
Bash |
Cleave |
Frenzy |
[e] |
|
Hammer of the Ancients |
Rend |
Seismic Slam |
Whirlwind |
[e] |
|
Ground Stomp |
Leap |
Sprint |
Ignore Pain |
[e] |
|
Ancient Spear |
Revenge |
Furious Charge |
Overpower |
[e] |
|
Weapon Throw |
Threatening Shout |
Battle Rage |
War Cry |
[e] |
|
Earthquake |
Call of the Ancients |
Wrath of the Berserker |
[e] |
| The Demon Hunter | Hatred/Discipline - Demon Hunter Active Skills (Archive) | Demon Hunter Passive Skills (Archive) [e] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Primary attribute:
|
Primary Hunting |
Secondary Devices |
Defensive Archery |
Tactical Advantage (10) |
Archery (30) |
| (X) = the level at which the skill becomes unlocked. | |||||
| Demon Hunter skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Hunting Devices Archery |
|---|
|
Hungering Arrow |
Entangling Shot |
Bola Shot |
Grenades |
[e] |
|
Impale |
Rapid Fire |
Chakram |
Elemental Arrow |
[e] |
|
Caltrops |
Smoke Screen |
Shadow Power |
[e] |
|
Vault |
Preparation |
Companion |
Marked for Death |
[e] |
|
Evasive Fire |
Fan of Knives |
Spike Trap |
Sentry |
[e] |
|
Strafe |
Multishot |
Cluster Arrow |
Rain of Vengeance |
[e] |
| Monk skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Techniques Focus Mantras |
|---|
|
Fists of Thunder |
Deadly Reach |
Crippling Wave |
Way of the Hundred Fists |
[e] |
|
Lashing Tail Kick |
Tempest Rush |
Wave of Light |
[e] |
|
Blinding Flash |
Breath of Heaven |
Serenity |
Inner Sanctuary |
[e] |
|
Dashing Strike |
Exploding Palm |
Sweeping Wind |
[e] |
|
Cyclone Strike |
Seven-Sided Strike |
Mystic Ally |
[e] |
|
Mantra of Evasion |
Mantra of Retribution |
Mantra of Healing |
Mantra of Conviction |
[e] |
| Necromancer skill categories: Primary Secondary Corpses Blood and Bone Reanimation Curses |
|---|
| Witch Doctor skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Terror Decay Voodoo |
|---|
|
Poison Dart - Rune effects |
Corpse Spiders |
Plague of Toads |
Firebomb |
[e] |
|
Grasp of the Dead |
Firebats |
Haunt |
Locust Swarm |
[e] |
|
Summon Zombie Dogs |
Horrify |
Spirit Walk |
Hex |
[e] |
|
Soul Harvest |
Sacrifice |
Mass Confusion |
[e] |
|
Zombie Charger |
Spirit Barrage |
Acid Cloud |
Wall of Zombies |
[e] |
|
Gargantuan |
Big Bad Voodoo |
Fetish Army |
[e] |
| The Wizard | Arcane Power - Wizard Active Skills (Archive) | Wizard Passive Skills (Archive) [e] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Primary attribute:
|
Primary Force |
Secondary Conjuration |
Defensive Mastery |
Blur (10) |
Conflagration (34) |
| (X) = the level at which the skill becomes unlocked. | |||||
| Wizard skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Force Conjuration Mastery |
|---|
|
Magic Missile |
Shock Pulse |
Spectral Blade |
Electrocute |
[e] |
|
Ray of Frost |
Arcane Orb |
Arcane Torrent |
Disintegrate |
[e] |
|
Frost Nova |
Diamond Skin |
Slow Time |
Teleport |
[e] |
|
Wave of Force |
Energy Twister |
Hydra |
Meteor |
Blizzard |
[e] |
|
Ice Armor |
Storm Armor |
Magic Weapon |
Familiar |
Energy Armor |
[e] |
|
Explosive Blast |
Mirror Image |
Archon |
[e] |
| Followers | Kormac the Templar | Lyndon the Scoundrel | Eirena the Enchantress [e] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Level 10: |
Level 5: Level 10: |
Level 15: |
Level 15: Level 20: |
Level 25: Level 30: | ||
| Diablo III Other Classes | Diablo II Classes | Diablo I Classes [e] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Archetypes: |
Archetype sub-types: |
Other classes: |
Diablo II: |
|||
| Fan-made Classes | Fan-made Skills [e] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
• Alchemist |
• Flagellant |
• Ranger |
Dragon Warrior Skills |
Aurian Mage Skill | |
| | |||||