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{{class_navbox}}[[Image:Wd-1.jpg|thumb|150px|Male Witch Doctor.]]The '''Witch Doctor''' is a new character type in ''Diablo III''. Hailing from the [[Torajan]] Jungles, southwest of [[Kurast]] in the region called [[Taganzi]], the Witch Doctor looks a bit like the top half of one of D2[[Diablo II]]'s {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer Shaman]}}, especially when outfitted in one of his oversized, colourful tribal masks. 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.

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 {{wl[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/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]].

The WD is clearly :Q: Is the witch doctor a replacement or spiritual successor to the {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer NecromancerNecro]-like, in his mixture of summonings, mind control curses, and sub-mage quality magical attacks, but the D3 team [[WWI_2008}}? They seem to have rather similar skills.:A:_D3_Design_Fundamentals_Panel|does not We don't view the character Witch Doctor as a replacement]] for . 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.

The Witch Doctor class comes from the jungles of [[Torajan]], an area just southwest of [[Kurast]], where Act Three took place in [http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/ Diablo II]. ([http://www.diii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=716 D3 world map].)Their society and culture is detailed on the [http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/characters/witchdoctor.xml Blizzard WD page], from which the following excerpt was taken: :Upon further discussions with my hosts, I discovered that these tribes define themselves by their belief in the [[Mbwiru Eikura]], which roughly translates to "[[Unformed Land|The Unformed Land]]" (this is an imprecise translation, as this concept is completely foreign to our culture and language). This belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centered upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

:The witch doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive this reality 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]].