Diablo Wiki - User contributions [en]

Traits

2012-05-13T17:43:33Z

Ltongues:

{{Archived|September 2010|[[Passive]]s}}

Traits and Passives have gone back and forth over Diablo 3's development but they are essentially the same thing, secondary skills that bolster the Active Skills. They are now called [[Passive]]s.

Details about Traits prior to its removal have been saved for posterity.

==Details==

'''Traits''' are a separate set of [[skills]], all of which are passive, that provide strong bonuses for the [[active skills]] and general character abilities. Characters do not earn enough points to use every trait, or even most traits. Choosing which traits to spend point in allows each character to specialize their play style in unique fashion.

Every trait in the game is described in its own wiki article. View them all on the Traits master list further down this page, or click to any of the individual class traits pages to see which are available.
* [[Barbarian traits]]
* [[Demon Hunter traits]]
* [[Monk traits]]
* [[Witch Doctor traits]]
* [[Wizard traits]]

==Overview==

[[image:Prismatic_cloak.png|right|thumbnail|400px|The Prismatic Cloak trait, shown as an example during BlizzCon 2010]]Traits implemented into the game during 2010, when all [[passive]] skills were removed from the skill trees. Many existing passive skills were (more or less) directly transformed into traits, while lots of others were added to fill character needs. Traits were first revealed during the Diablo 3 [[Gameplay Panel Blizzcon 2010|Gameplay Panel in Blizzcon 2010]] by [[Jay Wilson]]. Traits provide substantial bonuses to all active skills and stats, essentially allowing a player to upgrade a specific skill or playstyle which defines them and their build.

Jay explained the logic behind moving passive skills out of the skill trees and into a traits tree in an interview in the Blizzcon 2010 show program:<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-interview-blizzcon-program/ Jay Wilson Interview] - Blizzcon, 25/10/2010</ref>

<blue>The skill system has been totally revamped, and we’ve added an all-new traits system. The skill system we showed last year was fairly Diablo II-like. We knew at the time that the basic mechanics were sound, but we felt it was intimidating, and that it overly encouraged spreading your points around into as many different skills as possible instead of focusing on the skills that fit your play style. If you’ve spread your points into 30 different skills, then you’ve broken your character. The system wasn’t facilitating playing the game well.

We also moved passive skills into their own UI, and renamed them traits—because no matter how good a passive skill is, it’s hard to pass up picking an active skill instead. The traits tree allows us to expand the number of passives and focus on core character customization ideas like, “I want more health,” or “I want more damage.” It replaces attribute-point spending, which we didn’t consider to be a very good customization system because there was always a *correct* way to spend points. With traits, players will find there are a lot more choices to make that will be better balanced against one another, and will include flavorful or role-playing choices to cater to a broader group of players.</blue>

As of October 2010, trait points are awarded every other level (1, 3, 5, etc). There are about 30 traits per character, though this number may be reduced/condensed in further development. Traits can have 1, 3, or 5 points placed in them, with the number varying between traits.

Traits are not all unique to each character. About one-third of the traits are found on two or more classes, with a fair number spread across all five classes, though their Clvl requirements may vary between classes. Many traits are unique to individual classes, and have special bonuses that are only of use to that class.

==Traits Allow Customization==

The main goal of traits is to allow players to really customize the build of their character. This is accomplished by the large number of traits providing a lot of bonuses, and the fact that each trait makes a considerable difference. They're not just +1% minor passive bonuses; they're all big chunks of effect, usually +20% or more, per point.

Jay Wilson spoke to this fact in an interview from Blizzcon 2010.
<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-interview-jay-wilson-g4tv/ Jay Wilson Interview @ BlizzCon 2010] - IncGamers transcript of G4TV interview, October 25, 2010</ref>

::Jay Wilson: We wanted more customization, and we wanted customization that really spoke to the idea that, ‘I’m going to roleplay my character and focus in one area.’ Skills are really awesome, but when players think of who they are as a character, they don’t tend to think of, “I like to Whirlwind.’ They’ll use [[Whirlwind]] with their Barbarian, but it’s not how they define themselves. They think, ‘I’m a Barbarian who’s exceptionally strong or exceptionally tough!’ And that’s what traits are. The affect the core attributes of your character to let you customize and expand them.

::For the [[Barbarian]] we can focus on [[Inner Rage]], which really defines who he is. For the [[Wizard]] we can focus on something more magical in nature. So it’s a great opportunity to tell the player more about their character.

==Traits Master List==

An alphabetical listing of all known traits. There were 81 traits seen at Blizzcon 2010, though some of the highest level traits were not recorded, and the newly-revealed [[Demon Hunter]] class had only five traits. All of these traits are listed on the various class traits pages.

* [[Barbarian traits]]
* [[Demon Hunter traits]]
* [[Monk traits]]
* [[Witch Doctor traits]]
* [[Wizard traits]]

{| width="100%"
! Trait Name
! Effect/Bonus
! Available to
|-
| [[Anti-Magic Shield]]
| Reduces magical damage taken.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Arcane Channeling]]
| Increases the regeneration of her [[Arcane Power]].
| Wizard
|-
| [[Assassin]]
| Doubles the class' melee damage when equipped with a [[dagger]].
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Axe Murderer]]
| Increases the character's damage while wielding [[axes]].
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Bad Temper (trait)|Bad Temper]]
| Increases [[Fury]] generation and decreases Fury decay.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Ball of Lightning]]
| Creates ball of lightning that strikes nearby enemies.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Battering Ram]]
| Enables the Barbarian to resist the [[debuff]] dealt by various slowing effects.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Beast Hunter]]
| Enables bonus damage against all [[beast]] type monsters.
| Barbarian, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Black Ice (trait)|Black Ice]]
| Causes target frozen by the Wizard to take additional damage.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Blood Rites]]
| Enables the class to increase spell damage for a short time after hitting a [[health globe]].
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Blur (trait)|Blur]]
| Reduces the damage taken from melee attacks.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Brain Basher]]
| Grants increased damage while the character is wielding any type of [[mace]].
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Care of the Master (trait)|Care of the Master]]
| Increases the health of his summoned pets.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Conjured Armor]]
| Increases the Wizard's [[armor]] (defense), as well as boosting the effect of [[Ice Armor]] or [[Storm Armor]].
| Wizard
|-
| [[Cruelty (trait)|Cruelty]]
| Enables a character to increase their chance of dealing [[critical strike]]s during combat.
| Barbarian, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Death Pact (trait)|Death Pact]]
| Enables the class to take less damage when low on hit points.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Demonsbane]]
| Provides bonus damage to [[Demon]] type monsters.
| Barbarian, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Die by the Sword]]
| Enables those classes to boost their damage while wielding a [[sword]].
| Barbarian, Monk
|-
| [[Disbelief]]
| Reduces the damage taken from magical attacks.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Drain Power (trait)|Drain Power]]
| Transfers damage dealt to health and [[Arcane Power]], essentially giving the Wizard dual [[leech]] from spells, in Diablo II terms.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Energy Reserves]]
| Enables Arcane Power to regenerate when [[health orbs]] are consumed.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Expanded Mind]]
| Increases the class' [[Arcane Power]].
| Wizard
|-
| [[Ferocity (trait)|Ferocity]]
| Increase the damage done by the Witch Doctor's summoned pets.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Fetish Leader]]
| Increases the damage done by the class' various Fetish skills.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Fleet]]
| Increases the class' base movement speed.
| Monk
|-
| [[Flight Before Fight (trait)|Flight Before Fight]]
| Increase in movement speed when one of the Wizard's melee attacks is blocked.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Frenzied Attacks (trait)|Frenzied Attacks]]
| Enables class to deal more [[critical strike]]s and make them more damaging, while dual wielding weapons.
| Barbarian, Monk
|-
| [[Glass Cannon (trait)|Glass Cannon]]
| Increases spell damage while reducing armor.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Healer (trait)|Healer]]
| Enhances the amount of healing provided by the class' healing skills.
| Monk
|-
| [[Inner Rage]]
| Increases [[Fury]] gain and reduces Fury loss while attacking the same target.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Insane Courage (trait)|Insane Courage]]
| Enables the Barbarian to take less damage when his health is below 50%.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Intimidation (trait)|Intimidation]]
| Increases damage done to monsters as well as reducing vendor costs.
| Barbarian, Monk, Wizard
|-
| [[Iron Skin (trait)|Iron Skin]]
| Boosts the characters' armor.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Just...Stay...Dead!]]
| Provides bonus damage against undead type monsters.
| Barbarian, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Leader of the Pack (trait)|Leader of the Pack]]
| Adds damage to his pet [[Mongrels]].
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Legendary Might]]
| Boosts the character's [[strength]] by an unknown amount.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Lightning Reflexes]]
| Enables the character to increase her [[dexterity]].
| Demon Hunter
|-
| [[Lucky]]
| Allows character to find more gold from monster drops only.
| Barbarian, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Mana Regeneration (trait)|Mana Regeneration]]
| Regenerate mana at an increased rate.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Massive Blow]]
| Grants Barbarians using two-handed [[weapon]]s a chance of spontaneously striking all nearby enemies with any attack.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Meditation]]
| Regenerates some of the [[mana]] cost of spells cast.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Mind and Body (trait)|Mind and Body]]
| Regenerates [[health]].
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Natural Leader]]
| Unknown
| Barbarian, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Natural Resistance]]
| Adds resistance against all types of magical attack.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Penetrating Spells]]
| Reduces resistance of the Wizard's enemies.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Pig Sticker]]
| Increased damage to a Barbarian while wielding a [[polearm]] or [[spear]], or while throwing weapons.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Plagued (trait)|Plagued]]
| Increases the damage done by his various "Animal and Plague" skills.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Pound of Flesh (trait)|Pound of Flesh]]
| Increases the likelihood that a [[health globe]] will drop from a monster they kill.
| Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk
|-
| [[Power Surge]]
| Increases [[critical strike]] damage.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Precision_(Monk_trait)|Precision]]
| Increases the Monk's melee damage for each point in [[dexterity]].
| Wizard
|-
| [[Prismatic Cloak]]
| Increases the effect of [[Ice Armor]] and [[Storm Armor]], two defensive skills.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Quickening (trait)|Quickening]]
| Enables faster spell casting speed.
| Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Ranged Weapon Specialization]]
| Enables her to boost her weapon and skill damage while using ranged weapons ([[bows]] and [[crossbows]]).
| Demon Hunter
|-
| [[Rapid Strikes]]
| Increases the class' attack speed.
| Monk
|-
| [[Right-Handed]]
| Enhances skill damage when the character is wielding a weapon in their right hand. (Not using a two-handed weapon. See [[Staff Specialization]].)
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Ritual of Blood (trait)|Ritual of Blood]]
| Transfer 50% of mana costs to health, allowing for more spell-casting, with a slightly increased risk of death.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Rituals (trait)|Rituals]]
| Increases spell damage by a percentage of the character's [[Vitality]].
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Second Wind (trait)|Second Wind]]
| Steadily regenerates hit points.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Shield of Iron (trait)|Shield of Iron]]
| Improves the Barbarian's blocking when he has a shield equipped.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Shield Slam]]
| Chance to strike melee attackers with his shield, interrupting their attacks.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Sixth Sense]]
| Increases the class' chance to dodge attacks of all types.
| Monk
|-
| [[Slaughter (trait)|Slaughter]]
| Enables melee attacks to sometimes strike additional nearby targets.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Soul Split]]
| Defensive trait that enables the Wizard to automatically create a short-term decoy when her health drops below 50%.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Spirit Link]]
| Lessens damage taken by the Witch Doctor by redirecting a percentage of it to his summoned pets.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Spiritual Attunement (trait)|Spiritual Attunement]]
| Enables the class to increase their maximum [[mana]].
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Spirit Vessel (trait)|Spirit Vessel]]
| Enables the class to gain [[mana]] from each [[health globe]], whether the character gains any health or not.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Staff Specialization]]
| Boosts the damage done by spells while a character has a staff equipped.
| Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Superior Skill (trait)|Superior Skill]]
| Enables a character to boost their [[dexterity]].
| Barbarian, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Telekinesis]]
| Improves the Wizard's chance to dodge projectiles.
| Wizard
|-
| [[Temperature Control]]
| Reduce the damage the class takes from [[Lightning]], [[Fire]], and [[Cold]] damage. (But not [[Arcane]] or [[Poison]]/[[Disease]].)
| Monk
|-
| [[Temporal Flux (trait)|Temporal Flux]]
| Slowing effect to enemies who she hits for Arcane spell damage.
| Wizard
|-
| [[The Wall]]
| Reduces damage taken from melee attacks.
| Barbarian
|-
| [[Thunderous Blows]]
| Enhances their damage while wielding a two-handed melee weapon.
| Barbarian, Monk
|-
| [[Toughness (trait)|Toughness]]
| Increases a character's [[Vitality]].
| Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[True Spirit]]
| Increase the rate of [[spirit]] regeneration.
| Monk
|-
| [[Unbreakable Will]]
| Enables a character to boost their [[willpower]].
| Demon Hunter, Witch Doctor, Wizard
|-
| [[Unrelenting Assault]]
| Gives dead [[Mongrels]] a chance to spontaneously return to life.
| Witch Doctor
|-
| [[Wand Specialization]]
| Increases the damage done by spells and weapons when the Wizard is wielding a [[wand]].
| Wizard
|-
| [[Weak Spot (trait)|Weak Spot]]
| Enables them to increase their [[critical strike]] damage.
| Barbarian, Monk
|-
| [[Weapon Master]]
| Increases the damage done by spells and weapons when wielding a [[sword]], [[axe]], or [[mace]].
| Wizard
|-
| [[Zombie Master (trait)|Zombie Master]]
| Enhances the damage of his zombie type skills.
| Witch Doctor
|}

==References==

<references/>


[[category:skill archive]]

Low level duel

2012-05-13T15:43:07Z

Ltongues:

LLD or Low Level Dueling is the practice of [[PvP]] combat between characters at a pre-determined level. Some players also refer to Very Low Level dueling (vLLD) or Medium Level Dueling (MLD), with level limits varying from game to game, but always set based on some threshold of skills or equipment options.

The point of LLD is to level the playing field and limit player tactics. Some classes are better than others at higher levels, and high level dueling is incredibly expensive, in terms of the equipment required and the time that must be spent to level up characters, find gear, etc. LLD gives a fun PvP outlet that doesn't require a character with hundreds of hours of play time. (Though acquiring the gear for a successful LLD character is still a lengthy process.)

The most popular LLD threshold in Diablo II was at level 9, though the term was generally applied to any character up to level 30. Level 9 was the lowest level a character could be and engage in PvP, and that level worked well since there was a fairly wide variety of equipment available, and characters had enough hit points and mana to use some tactics, while the vast majority of game items were still out of reach.

==LLD Gear==

Though a quality LLD character doesn't require as much time to create as a max level dueler, serious LLD players put a great deal of effort into their creations. The trick is to find or create the best gear that can be used at a given Clvl. A normal Clvl 9 character who is using what they've found will have zero chance of winning a duel with a well-equipped LLD character, who will usually have been rushed all the way through Hell difficulty, to gain the quest rewards (more skill points and stat points) on all three difficulty levels.

LLD dueling is largely about equipment, and finding and assembling the best gear for a particular Clvl and skill is an enduring challenge to LLD players.

* [http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Guide:Low_Level_Dueling_Items_v1.10,_by_Jakotaco Huge v1.10 LLD equipment strategy guide].
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=629247 LLD item comparison thread].

The best LLD gear in Diablo II was generally the best item with a lot of sockets, since jewels (and to a lesser extent runes and gems) could provide the most bang for the buck, with a low Clvl requirement. This was especially true for Clvl 9 duelers, since armor, weapons, and helms with 3 or 4 sockets (especially when filled by Jewels with +damage) could vastly out perform any other equipment options.

==Diablo III LLD==

Nothing can yet be said about low level dueling in Diablo III, since we don't know enough about the equipment requirements or even the level requirements for playing in the Arena. The skill tiers are closer together at the low levels in D3 than they were in D2, so characters of even Clvl 10 will have far more skill options to choose from than low level chars did in D2.

* D2 skill tiers: 1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30.
* D3 skill tiers: 2, 3, 6, 10, 14, 20, 26.

[[Traits]] will probably prove to be a major factor in D3 LLD, since they have such substantial passive bonuses.

The D3 devs have talked about low level item requirements a bit, and said that [[Gems]] will not have any Clvl requirements at all and should be useful for twinking. That might be a shame for LLD, since as powerful as the mods should be on high level 14 gems, low level dueling might become entirely a battle of which character has more big gems in their equipment.

[[category:reference]]
[[category:PvP]]
[[category:Arena]]

Health Globe

2012-05-13T15:23:36Z

Ltongues:

[[File:Health-orbs3.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Two health orbs.]]
Health Globes (AKA Orbs) are red, floating globes of life energy that "[[drop]]" from slain monsters or spawn in certain locations (including in the [[Arena]]). Health globes are "used" when a character passes through or near one, and grant the same full bonus of healing (hit points) to all friendly characters and minions in the immediate vicinity. Each orb refills a character's health globe for a set percentage of their maximum hit points, with the same bonus granted whether a character uses the orb themselves or shares the benefit from a friendly player activating it.

Health globes are the main source of life replenishment in Diablo III. There are some hit point refilling bonuses on equipment (such as [[LAEK]]), but nothing like the omnipresent and overpowered life [[leech]] of Diablo II. There are also healing potions which grant instant life replenishment, but they are only for use in emergencies, since they have a considerable [[cool down]] time between uses.

During the early development of Diablo III, there were blue [[Mana Globe]]s as well as red Health Globes, but these were removed in mid-2009, and the classes were given skills that could enable them to gain mana from health globes. As only the [[Witch Doctor]] still uses mana, that is the only class with such a bonus, now granted by [[Witch Doctor traits|traits]].

==Game Mechanics==
Health gain varies with the type of health globe, but it is always some percentage (25%, 33%, 40%, etc) of a character's maximum hit points. The hit points are not added instantly, but fill up gradually, over a few seconds. Health globes are thus not an instant cure for death, so an embattled, near-dead character should drink a potion for the instant life boost, since they could still die to an attack taken right after using a health orb.

[[Image:Health Orb2.jpg|thumb|150px|Health orb.]]
Health globes only add hit points to a character's maximum life and provide no benefit or bonus above that level. A health globe has no effect when used by a character with full health, though Witch Doctors can receive a boost to their mana from a health globe, if they have enabled one of the [[traits]] that grants this bonus. A character with full health can still grant the full bonus to other characters though, so if a companion is low on health and stuck in combat, it's wise to use a health orb to assist them.

The healing effect of a health orb is shared by all friendly players and pets in the immediate area (a radius of perhaps 10 yards; characters who are at the far corners of the screen may not be close enough to benefit). Health orbs are community drops, unlike item drops in Diablo III; all players in the game see all health orbs when they appear, and they can be used by anyone.

Each health orb is consumed completely when used, vanishing from the world. Health orbs cannot be moved; rather, they simply float where they spawned. If no player uses one, however, they will remain floating there for some time, and can be returned to for a later health boost.

Health orbs come in various quality levels. The ones dropped by normal monsters are lower quality and will refill just 25% of a character's hit points. Other orbs will refill more; the ones that spawned in the [[Arena]] demo at Blizzcon 2010 were worth 40% of a character or minion's hit points, and Blizzard has hinted that there may even be 100% health orbs out there, dropped only by the most powerful monsters.[http://us.blizzard.com/diablo3/world/systems/health.xml]

<blue>More powerful health globes, capable of completely restoring your health even at death's door, might exist somewhere in the world of Sanctuary. Of course, that's probably wishful thinking.</blue>
 

==Gameplay and Challenge==
Health orbs are a major part of Diablo III's gameplay design. The [[D3 Team]] has worked to remove the easy ways of healing and escaping from trouble that were so common in Diablo II: no more can characters count life leech equipment, or belts full of potions that can be used instantly and repeatedly, or [[Town Portals]] for quick town returns. These changes allow the developers to make the game more consistently challenging unlike Diablo II, where the only way things were hard was if a monster could kill a character in an instant, and that wasn't hard, it was cheesy.

In Diablo III the goal is for a more consistently challenging play experience, and for players to have to stick it out in battles to earn a health globe, rather than just popping back to town. Jay Wilson spoke about this design philosophy in an interview from Blizzcon 2009. [http://pc.ign.com/articles/101/1017305p2.html]

<blue>We changed the health model, so that players don't rely on potions. Instead they can pick up health power-ups from enemies. It doesn't change the basic way the game plays, but it gives it a little bit more depth. You don't have one answer to healing in combat – "I'm in trouble, I hit a potion." Instead, "I'm in trouble, there's a health globe over there, and there's a 20-foot demon standing between me and it." That's a really interesting situation for the player, but it works with the same complexity of interface and gameplay that we had.
 
...We did put health potions back in, but they play a very different role. You can't spam them like you used to, you can only use them about once a map. The purpose of those is to take the edge off the loss of health. "I don't have health, or I've got half health, do I want to use a health potion, or do I want to risk it? Ooh, I've got 10% health, it's not even a decision." That's a really interesting decision, and it makes potion use a fun part of the game.</blue>

==Boss Battles==
Boss monsters drop health orbs during the battle, generally at set percentages of their hit points. For instance, once you knocked a monster down to 75% of its maximum life, it would drop a globe or globes. [[Jay Wilson]] commented on this in 2009, [http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/101/1017305p2.html] "[bosses] would drop health globes at percentages of their health. Rares in particular are almost guaranteed to drop about every 25%."

The Systems: Health page on the official Diablo III site used to include some hypothetical examples of how health globes might have to be utilized in a boss battle.

<blue>When you do battle with stronger foes like "rare" and "champion" monsters, you're likely to see medium-sized health globes emerge as they reach certain health percentages or are stripped of their defenses before death. Medium globes restore a sizable percentage of your health, and you'll need the extra boost to survive when dealing with these formidable enemies. 

Major boss fights make unique use of health globes. Each boss battle includes a custom-designed means of utilizing these globes to regain health. For example, in one fight, you might have to split your attention between weakening a dangerous boss and slaying its irritating but ultimately less-dangerous minions in order to get enough health globes to stay standing. In another fight, the boss itself might drop health globes when it takes damage, or you might have to hunt for hidden caches of globes in the midst of battle.</blue>

==Arena Health Orbs==

[[File:Health-orbs-tutorial-pvp1.jpg|thumb|300px|Health orb Arena sequence.]]
Health orbs appear in the Arena every so often, on pre-set points. There were four such points in the arena map seen at Blizzcon 2010, all located around the center of the arena. Orbs appeared there, always on all 4 spots, 30 seconds after the start of each round. (Assuming the round wasn't already over.)

Health orbs grabbed in the arena grant their full benefit (40% of max hit points) to all nearby members of the team, as well as minions. This dynamic can be seen in the three-shot series to the right, where the blue team Witch Doctor gets an orb that grants a health bonus to his Mongrels, as well as the blue team Barbarian.

Characters and minions need to be nearby to share in this health bonus; a character off the visible screen will not partake of the healing bonus.

Health Orbs were a strategic factor in the Arena matches; getting them was obviously a benefit, but it was also helpful to grab them even if you weren't low on health, simply to deny the heal to the enemy team.

That the health orb spawn points were right in the middle of the arena (at least on the one map available at Blizzcon 2010) forced the action into the center of the level. Many rounds ended with the last survivor of one team dodging attacks around the perimeter of the level, and while this could extend a round for some time, it was very seldom a way to win, since the pursuers tended to be in the middle and would therefore score some health orbs, while the character running for it had no chance to heal up as they hid.

Blizzard commented on this via @Diablo in April 2011.[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-on-synergies-health-orobs-in-the-arena-and-d1s-story/]

<blue>Will the health globes in the Arena be on a timer and set locations or will it be more random in their appearance? --Scyberdragon 
They’re on timers right now, which actually makes for interesting gameplay. If they were random you’d probably hover there. With set timers you can go off and game people a little more knowing that they won’t spawn again for X time. --Diablo</blue>

==Appearance==
[[Image:newhealthglobe.png|left|frame|2010 look.]]
The appearance of health globes has improved during development. They were initially just red orbs, like a huge drop of blood floating in the air. Over time this look was stylized, and health orbs now wear a golden frame, almost like a jewel setting or a crown on the top and bottom of the orb, a change that gives them a more oval shape.

==Health Globes and Mana==
[[Mana Globe]]s were removed in 2009, with some skills changed to give the Wizard and Witch Doctor mana from using health orbs. Once the Wizard's [[resource]] changed from mana, only the Witch Doctor continued to enjoy this benefit, which is triggered by points invested in the appropriate trait ([[Spirit Vessel (trait)|Spirit Vessel]], as of early 2011).

==Controversy==
If the developers have sketched out some lore for health orbs, they have not made it public. An in-game explanation for health orbs isn't essential, but after all, there were no such things in Diablo I or Diablo II.

There were some player complaints shortly after health globes were revealed, as some players felt they were cheesy; too reminiscent of "power-ups" as found in fighting games or other RPGs. The developers never wavered in their support of this gameplay mechanic though, and this issue seems to have been put to bed, in terms of player complaints.

==Development History==
The first Health Globe was shown at [[WWI 2008]] with the announcement of [[Diablo III]] and the [[Barbarian]]/[[Witch Doctor]]. It was originally just a floating red "blob", but has since received a graphics update (as of [[BlizzCon 2008]]) with a little golden crown on the top and bottom.

Health Globes as well as [[Mana globe]]s were present in the Blizzcon 2008 demo, where fans first got a chance to play the game.

By [[BlizzCon 2009]], the Mana Globes had been removed and the function of Health Globes had been modified a bit, with a few [[Wizard skills]] (such as [[Stability Control]]) and [[Witch Doctor skills]] (such as [[Spirit Vessel]]) modified to allow mana gains from the consumption of health globes.

This changed further in early 2010, when the Wizard's new resource, [[Instability]] was revealed. [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/monk-resource-system-complete/] This resource, later changed to [[Arcane Power]], was not affected by health globes. The Witch Doctor, on the other hand, continued to gain mana from health globes.

==Media==

<gallery>
Image:Health Orbs1.jpg|Two health orbs in early artwork.
</gallery>

==References==

<references/>
* [[Wizard Gameplay Blizzcon 2008]]
* [[GamesCom 2009 demo]]
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-wizard-skill-trees/ Full Wizard Skill Trees, Blizzcon 2009]
* [http://us.blizzard.com/diablo3/world/systems/health.xml Health Systems: Diablo3.com]
* [[Witch Doctor traits]]


[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Items]]
[[Category:Gameplay]]
[[Category:Controversies]]

Town Portal

2012-05-13T14:29:47Z

Ltongues:

[[File:Town-portal-belt1.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Town Portal on the interface.]]
The '''Town Portal''' returns in Diablo 3 (after numerous changes during development), with a slightly different function than it had in previous games.

The portal is now cast directly from a button on the [[belt interface]]; no scrolls or other reagents are required. There is no longer a portal cast in the dungeon; the character is transported directly to town, after a five second casting delay. If the character moves, casts another spell, or is damaged by attack during that time, the casting animation is cancelled; these features are designed to keep players from using Town Portal as an easy escape from danger.

The familiar blue Town Portal only appears in town, and players can run into their own portal (but not one from another player) to return directly to the spot they departed from. Town Portals are no longer required to move from town to the location of other players in the dungeon, since the in-game [[Banner]] system fills that function.

* Town Portals were out of the game for some time during development, and only returned in Beta Patch 10 in January 2012. See the [[Stone of Recall]] article for details about the pre-TP system.

==Development Cycle==

[[File:Stone-of-recall-tooltip1.jpg|thumb|400px|The Stone of Recall tooltip.]]
Diablo 3 initially featured [[town portal scroll]]s much the same as those in Diablo 1 and Diablo 2. During early development, the [[D3 Team]] decided that this feature was too easily exploited as an escape from danger, and removed it. Jay Wilson explained this decision in a 2010 interview.. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-interview-gamespot-au/ No Town Portal Scrolls] - Interview with Gamespot.Au, 21/8/2010</ref>

<blue>Town Portals are gone. We found them to be a crippling combat exploit. We found that while they had some cooperative uses, they tended to split players up a lot. As soon as players wanted to go back to town they did, and then they had to figure out how to get back to their party. We don’t want players to ever be split up.

But the big thing is that Town Portals were a combat exploit. When players can essentially portal out of any situation, it makes it almost impossible for the designers to create a game that’s challenging and compelling, or a world that you’re really immersed in. To replace the need for town portals we’ve added salvaging and we have a couple of other systems that we haven’t shown yet that help with that. The goal is for you to not really miss them. </blue>

For a time, players could only return to town via [[Waypoints]]. To ameliorate that travel difficulty, the designers introduced various features including [[NPC]] [[merchants]] located in the dungeons, as well as the [[Scroll of Wealth]] (which evolved into the [[Cauldron of Jordan]]) to allow instant item selling from anywhere, as well as the [[Nephalem Cube]] to facilitate salvaging of items from the dungeon.

Jay Wilson commented on this subject during an interview at Gamescom 2010: <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-interview-gamona/ Compensating for no Town Portal] - Interview with Gamona.De, 20/8/2010</ref>

<blue>We’ve put in several things to offset the lack of Town Portals. The most obvious are more frequent Waypoints. These give players more opportunities to return to go back to town. We’ve also added salvaging to let players break items down into small parts that stack up in your inventory. We’ve also added a Scroll of Wealth that allows you to sell items right on location.</blue>

Those other features remained in, but eventually the need for a speedy way to return to town became too pressing to ignore, and in 2011 the developers revealed that the Town Portal function was returning to the game in a new form. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/town-portals-return....-sorta/ Town Portal Returns] - Blizzard, 28/6/2011</ref>

<blue>We’ve always been trying to see if we can create a better system than town portals, making waypoints the main travel back to town mechanic. But, it’s looking like it’s just simply more fun and a quality-of-life-nicety to be able to jump back to town from anywhere even if waypoints are all over the place. Plus it’s not really that hard to avoid the few pitfalls that TPs in Diablo II had.</blue>

[[File:Town-portal-wizard1.jpg|thumb|400px|A [[Wizard]] returning to [[Tristram]].]]
The new system was called the [[Stone of Recall]], and its function was identical to the town portal system now in the game. A character clicked on their Stone of Recall and went into a casting animation. If they were uninterrupted by a monster or by moving or casting a spell, they would warp directly to town after about five seconds.

Unlike the Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 system, there was no blue portal created in the dungeon; characters were simply warped directly to town. In town a blue portal appeared, which would take the player back to the exact spot from which they'd departed, if they passed through it.

This system seemed to be the final design, until in early 2012 the developers revealed that the Stone of Recall, along with the Nephalem Cube and Cauldron of Jordan had all been removed from the game. The Stone of Recall changed the least, as a Town Portal icon, with an identical function to the Stone of Recall, was added to the belt interface.

{{Clear|left}}

==Blue Portals in Diablo 3==

There were numerous red portals in Diablo II, to take players between distant locations that weren't appropriate for Waypoint travel. There were also town portals cast by NPCs that players could not use, such as those the rescued Barbarian NPCs cast in Act Five.

These types of portals do not seem to be a feature in Diablo III, other than the ones players see in town, after returning via a town portal. Players can not cast blue portals in the dungeons for other players to use, and while the [[Barbarian]] cast such a portal for the use of [[Deckard Cain]] in the first gameplay movie, released with the June 2008 Diablo III announcement, that feature/function was evolved away from over the course of development.

==Spell Lore==

[[File:Sorportal.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Blue portal seen in Tristram.]]
[[File:Casting town portal.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A monk casts a portal back to town]]The Town Portal spell seems to be closely related to the [[Horadric]] [[Waypoint]] network, and work with similar magical components to the [[Teleport]] spell, however, it does not seem to require the same type of physical component as the runed stone of a Waypoint. The Brotherhood constructed numerous magical gateways between their mighty fortresses and settlements so that they could quickly concentrate their defences against any incursion by the [[Demon]]s. With but a thought, the Crusaders of the Light could transport themselves to predetermined destinations many leagues apart.

It's likely that there are Waypoints with additional magic infused into them to allow the use of a Town Portal spell to the vicinity of that Waypoint. A Waypoint located at a former Horadrim fortress or settlement site could be what enables Town Portal spells to bring you there. If this is the case, it might be possible for a [[Sorcerer]] with enough skill to use a similar spell to teleport directly to a Waypoint.

It could also be a completely different set of teleportation nodes, besides the actual Waypoint network, made specifically for retreating back to the nearest safe place, and nothing else.

Although the secret of creating these gateways as well as the Waypoints has been long lost, it is still possible to use the pathways that are already in place. A Portal opened by means of this spell will always take the caster to the location of the nearest gate and remain open long enough to bring the caster back to his point of origin. The [[Tristram Cathedral]] is built upon the remains of a Horadrim monastery, and has at least in the past harbored a portal gateway nearby.

==References==

<references/>

[[Category:Travel]]
[[category:interface]]

Nephalem Cube

2012-05-13T14:19:34Z

Ltongues:

{{Archived|January 2012|Removed from the game}}

Details about the Nephalem Cube prior to its removal have been saved for posterity.

[[File:Nephalem-cube-icon.jpg|left]]
The Nephalem Cube is no longer in Diablo III. It was removed in a major game system overhaul announced in January 2012, during the [[Diablo III Beta]] test.<ref name=progressreport>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-progress-report-2f Diablo 3 Progress Report] - Blizzard, 19/1/2011</ref>

When present, the cube was an interface object used for [[salvaging]] items into [[materials]]. It was introduced along with the [[Artisan]]s in late 2010, and while changing shape several times during development, it retained the same function until it was removed, along with the [[Cauldron of Jordan]] and [[Stone of Recall]] in an overhaul of the game [[interface]] and crafting/salvaging functions.

The salvaging function of the Nephalem Cube was transferred to Haedrig the [[Blacksmith]], as the option to salvage materials in the dungeon was removed from the game. Such salvaging in the field became less essential with the removal of "white" items from salvaging; when picking up just blue (magical) or better items, the inventory doesn't fill up nearly as quickly. This also necessitated a major overhaul of crafting recipes, as the white quality materials were removed from the game and the quantity of blue materials dropped as well.

==Official Removal Announcement==

[[Jay Wilson]] revealed the demise of the Nephalem Cube in a blog post in January 2012.<ref name=progressreport/>

<blue>So we’ve decided to remove the Cauldron of Jordan and Nephalem Cube. They were implemented to allow for salvaging and selling items when there was no quick and easy way to return to town. Now that the Stone of Recall exists, we found that keeping the Cauldron and Cube in the game detracted from the benefits of returning to town to sell items, salvage, craft, and interact with the townsfolk. It’s a good idea to break up combat so that players have a moment to evaluate their gear and crafting options before venturing back out. In addition, we’ve decided to just call it what it is and the Stone of Recall is now Town Portal, and is integrated directly onto the skill bar UI.
 
The Blacksmith artisan will now salvage items. With removal of the Cube we needed some mechanic in town that allowed you to salvage your items, and it just makes sense for the Blacksmith to offer it.</blue>

==Nephalem Cube Story Implications==

[[Image:Salvage_box2010.jpg|thumb|150px|The cube as of [[BlizzCon]] 2010.]]
While the cube has been removed from the game, speculation that it might tell us something about the story and plot of Diablo III continues.

The "Nephalem" were the first humans in Sanctuary. They came into being as the offspring of the mating between Inarius (an Angel) and Lilith (a demon), and according to the world lore, these early Nephalem had the potential to be stronger than angels or demons. The creation of the [[Worldstone]], a relic that largely kept the forces of the [[Burning Hells]] from entering into [[Sanctuary]], somehow also served to sap the natural powers of the Nephalem.

Much of the speculation about Diablo III's plot involves the destruction of the [[Worldstone]] by [[Tyrael]] twenty years before the time of Diablo III, and the changes that humans might be undergoing, as they regain some of their long lost Nephalem might.

Thus the fact that the salvage box is called the Nephalem Cube has (at least) two possible implications.

# The name might simply be a reference to the ancient days and the cube's original origin (created by the Nephalem ages ago).
# Or the box might have some connection to ongoing/upcoming events, as the Nephalem are reborn in modern man.

It's not clear how much fans would have even considered the second possibility, had not Bashiok pointed it out and termed it a spoiler. After all, the cube in Diablo II was named the {{iw|Horadric_Cube Horadric Cube}}, but it didn't herald any return or relevance of the ancient [[Horadric]] order in the game. It merely referred to the cube's ancient origin. Fans would likely have assumed the same of the Nephalem Cube, had not Diablo III's community manager suggested otherwise.

There is a three level dungeon in Act One (not found in the Beta test) called the Nephalem Caves; many fans speculated that perhaps the full game would send players on a quest to that dungeon, and that's where we would find the Nephalem Cube, along with additional story information about the Nephalem. Now that the cube is gone, it's not known if that dungeon will keep the same name and/or plot advancing function.

==RPG Parallels==
Salvaging is similar to ''World of Warcraft's''' Disenchanting, a Sub-skill of Enchanting.

It's also virtually identical to the ''Hellgate: London'' system that allowed players to break down items into their components, which could then be used in recipes to create new items.

<gallery>
File:Salvage-cube-hover.jpg|Original graphic and interface location
File:Nephcube.jpg|Early cube design tooltip.
File:Nephalem-cube-tooltip.jpeg|Nephalem Cube [[tooltip]] as seen during the beta test.
</gallery>

=References=


<references/>

Town Portal

2012-05-13T13:21:20Z

Ltongues:

[[File:Town-portal-belt1.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Town Portal on the interface.]]
The '''Town Portal''' returns in Diablo 3 (after numerous changes during development), with a slightly different function than it had in previous games.

The portal is now cast directly from a button on the [[belt interface]]; no scrolls or other reagents are required. There is no longer a portal cast in the dungeon; the character is transported directly to town, after a five second casting delay. If the character moves, casts another spell, or is damaged by attack during that time, the casting animation is cancelled; these features are designed to keep players from using Town Portal as an easy escape from danger.

The familiar blue Town Portal only appears in town, and players can run into their own portal (but not one from another player) to return directly to the spot they departed from. Town Portals are no longer required to move from town to the location of other players in the dungeon, since the in-game [[Banner]] system fills that function.

* Town Portals were out of the game for some time during development, and only returned in Beta Patch 10 in January 2012. See the [[Stone of Recall]] article for details about the pre-TP system.

==Development Cycle==

[[File:Stone-of-recall-tooltip1.jpg|thumb|400px|The Stone of Recall tooltip.]]
Diablo 3 initially featured [[town portal scroll]]s much the same as those in Diablo 1 and Diablo 2. During early development, the [[D3 Team]] decided that this feature was too easily exploited as an escape from danger, and removed it. Jay Wilson explained this decision in a 2010 interview.. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-interview-gamespot-au/ No Town Portal Scrolls] - Interview with Gamespot.Au, 21/8/2010</ref>

<blue>Town Portals are gone. We found them to be a crippling combat exploit. We found that while they had some cooperative uses, they tended to split players up a lot. As soon as players wanted to go back to town they did, and then they had to figure out how to get back to their party. We don’t want players to ever be split up.

But the big thing is that Town Portals were a combat exploit. When players can essentially portal out of any situation, it makes it almost impossible for the designers to create a game that’s challenging and compelling, or a world that you’re really immersed in. To replace the need for town portals we’ve added salvaging and we have a couple of other systems that we haven’t shown yet that help with that. The goal is for you to not really miss them. </blue>

For a time, players could only return to town via [[Waypoints]]. To ameliorate that travel difficulty, the designers introduced various features including [[NPC]] [[merchants]] located in the dungeons, as well as the [[Scroll of Wealth]] (which evolved into the [[Cauldron of Jordan]]) to allow instant item selling from anywhere, as well as the [[Nephalem Cube]] to facilitate salvaging of items from the dungeon.

Jay Wilson commented on this subject during an interview at Gamescom 2010: <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-interview-gamona/ Compensating for no Town Portal] - Interview with Gamona.De, 20/8/2010</ref>

<blue>We’ve put in several things to offset the lack of Town Portals. The most obvious are more frequent Waypoints. These give players more opportunities to return to go back to town. We’ve also added salvaging to let players break items down into small parts that stack up in your inventory. We’ve also added a Scroll of Wealth that allows you to sell items right on location.</blue>

Those other features remained in, but eventually the need for a speedy way to return to town became too pressing to ignore, and in 2011 the developers revealed that the Town Portal function was returning the to game in a new form. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/town-portals-return....-sorta/ Town Portal Returns] - Blizzard, 28/6/2011</ref>

<blue>We’ve always been trying to see if we can create a better system than town portals, making waypoints the main travel back to town mechanic. But, it’s looking like it’s just simply more fun and a quality-of-life-nicety to be able to jump back to town from anywhere even if waypoints are all over the place. Plus it’s not really that hard to avoid the few pitfalls that TPs in Diablo II had.</blue>

[[File:Town-portal-wizard1.jpg|thumb|400px|A [[Wizard]] returning to [[Tristram]].]]
The new system was called the [[Stone of Recall]], and its function was identical to the town portal system now in the game. A character clicked on their Stone of Recall and went into a casting animation. If they were uninterrupted by a monster or by moving or casting a spell, they would warp directly to town after about five seconds.

Unlike the Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 system, there was no blue portal created in the dungeon; characters were simply warped directly to town. In town a blue portal appeared, which would take the player back to the exact spot from which they'd departed, if they passed through it.

This system seemed to be the final design, until in early 2012 the developers revealed that the Stone of Recall, along with the Nephalem Cube and Cauldron of Jordan had all been removed from the game. The Stone of Recall changed the least, as a Town Portal icon, with an identical function to the Stone of Recall, was added to the belt interface.

{{Clear|left}}

==Blue Portals in Diablo 3==

There were numerous red portals in Diablo II, to take players between distant locations that weren't appropriate for Waypoint travel. There were also town portals cast by NPCs that players could not use, such as those the rescued Barbarian NPCs cast in Act Five.

These types of portals do not seem to be a feature in Diablo III, other than the ones players see in town, after returning via a town portal. Players can not cast blue portals in the dungeons for other players to use, and while the [[Barbarian]] cast such a portal for the use of [[Deckard Cain]] in the first gameplay movie, released with the June 2008 Diablo III announcement, that feature/function was evolved away from over the course of development.

==Spell Lore==

[[File:Sorportal.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Blue portal seen in Tristram.]]
[[File:Casting town portal.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A monk casts a portal back to town]]The Town Portal spell seems to be closely related to the [[Horadric]] [[Waypoint]] network, and work with similar magical components to the [[Teleport]] spell, however, it does not seem to require the same type of physical component as the runed stone of a Waypoint. The Brotherhood constructed numerous magical gateways between their mighty fortresses and settlements so that they could quickly concentrate their defences against any incursion by the [[Demon]]s. With but a thought, the Crusaders of the Light could transport themselves to predetermined destinations many leagues apart.

It's likely that there are Waypoints with additional magic infused into them to allow the use of a Town Portal spell to the vicinity of that Waypoint. A Waypoint located at a former Horadrim fortress or settlement site could be what enables Town Portal spells to bring you there. If this is the case, it might be possible for a [[Sorcerer]] with enough skill to use a similar spell to teleport directly to a Waypoint.

It could also be a completely different set of teleportation nodes, besides the actual Waypoint network, made specifically for retreating back to the nearest safe place, and nothing else.

Although the secret of creating these gateways as well as the Waypoints has been long lost, it is still possible to use the pathways that are already in place. A Portal opened by means of this spell will always take the caster to the location of the nearest gate and remain open long enough to bring the caster back to his point of origin. The [[Tristram Cathedral]] is built upon the remains of a Horadrim monastery, and has at least in the past harbored a portal gateway nearby.

==References==

<references/>

[[Category:Travel]]
[[category:interface]]