Changes

Spectral Blade

432 bytes removed, 05:42, 4 April 2011

updated skillbox

==Background==

{{Skillbox~~|game= Diablo III~~D3

|portrait=Wiz-spectral-blade3.jpg

|portrait-width= 200px

~~|active= Active|ranks= 5~~Spectral Blade

|user= Wizard

|~~tree~~tier= ~~Tier~~ 1|clvl= 2

|description= Summons a spectral blade that strikes each enemy in front of the [[Wizard]] 3 times causing X-Y physical damage with each hit.

}}

Spectral Blade is used for [[Wizard]]s willing to meet their enemies toe to toe. It's a powerful [[melee]] spell that will kill most enemies early on.

This spell was tweaked since the [[Spectral Blade (BlizzCon 2008)|BlizzCon 2008 version]], when it did 1-6 damage per hit, but hit 1-3 times. That allowed a huge spread of damage, from 1-18, and the team must have found it worked better to keep this low level skill a bit more predictable in damage range.

As for the function, it had the same graphic, sound effect, and casting speed as it did last year. There was one noticeable change, though. This skill now does 3 hits every time, a modification that (seemed to) remove some of the technique out of using it. Last year, 3 hits were usually granted on point blank targets, while enemies at the edge of the skill’s range (who were generally not yet in melee range of the Wizard) were most likely to take just a single hit. I didn’t actually use this one much, with so many other, more interesting spells on offer, (and since I very seldom allowed enemies to get into melee range) so I can’t say if it really does always hit three times, but it was very effectively putting down almost anything I hit with it.

~~Also note that the level 1 and 2 values are projected, since "new" Wizards in the Blizzcon demo started off at level 12, with all 12 points already placed. Three of which were in this spell.~~

==Skill Rank Table==

[[Image:Wiz-spectral-blade1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Wizard cleaving some [[Zombie]]s.]]

~~==Skill Rank Table==~~

* '''Rank 1:''' 3 Hits with 1-2 physical damage per hit. (A)

* '''Rank 2:''' 3 Hits with 2-4 physical damage per hit. (A)

==[[Trait Synergies]]==

Spectral Blade benefits directly from the following [[Wizard traits]]:

* [[Glass Cannon]]: Increases damage done by spells and increases armor.

==~~[[Rune|~~Skill Rune]] Effects==

* Unknown rune: Increased damage.

* Unknown rune: Lowered Arcane Power cost.

<blockquote>''It’s not a spell that can be used machine gun style though, even if enemies are in range. There’s a short delay after each cast, a cool down that’s longer than the Wizard has with her projectile spells. As a result Spectral Blade doesn’t look like a real boss-killer. It also didn’t seem to stun or interrupt the attacking motion of monsters, the way melee attacks sometimes did, so it’s not a way to render targets helpless while you slash them to bits.</blockquote>

It was changed slightly in the [[BlizzCon 2009]] version, increasing the number of hits to always be 3, but lowering the damage per hit instead to even it out, removing some of the strategy involved in using it. [[Flux]] gave details:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/full-wizard-skill-trees/] <blockquote>''Last year, 3 hits were usually granted on point blank targets, while enemies at the edge of the skill’s range (who were generally not yet in melee range of the Wizard) were most likely to take just a single hit. I didn’t actually use this one much, with so many other, more interesting spells on offer, (and since I very seldom allowed enemies to get into melee range) so I can’t say if it really does always hit three times, but it was very effectively putting down almost anything I hit with it.</blockquote>

At [[BlizzCon 2010]], [[Flux]] found its short range to be a handicap:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/hands-on-from-blizzcon-mega-pvm-report-wizard]

MrFrye

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