Diablo Wiki - User contributions [en]

Hydra Rune

2009-04-02T22:18:45Z

Saviorik: /* Witch Doctor: Skull of Flame */

Hydra Runes are one of the types of runes found in Diablo III. See the [[rune]]s page for more information about skill runes in Diablo III. Other than their name and the fact that they are socketed, Diablo III's skill runes have little in common with the item {{iw|runes runes}} found in Diablo II.

==Hydra Rune Function==
[[Image:Rune-minor-hydra1.jpg|frame]]
Each type of rune has the same function, a function that is modified by the quality of the rune. This is a minor hydra rune, with "minor" being a modification of hydra rune. There are multiple quality levels of runes, five or six as of Blizzcon 2008, though exactly how many there will be has not yet finalized. (These can be thought of as similar to the five qualities of {{iw|gems gems}} found in Diablo II.)

Hydra runes were previously known as "multistrike" runes, a name that was a bit less picturesque, but that made the function more obvious. Hydras, besides being a Sorceress skill in Diablo II, were [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra multi-headed dragons] of Greek mythology, creatures capable of regrowing two heads in the place of each head that was chopped off. The connection of that concept to the multi-striking rune seems fairly clear.

==Hydra Rune Skill Effects==

A few examples have yet been given for how specific skills are affected by runes socketed into them. Since each rune is (as best we know) going to work with every active skill, the hydra rune will (presumably) add a similar bonus to every other active skill in the game. Multiple impacts to melee hits, multiple charges to lightning spells, etc.

All of these functions are subject to modification or change during the continuing development process.

===Witch Doctor: Skull of Flame===

A hydra rune adds extra bounces to the [[Witch Doctor]]'s thrown [[Skull of Flame]] spell. This one was shown at a presentation at [[BlizzCon 2008]] (October 08. --Was still named Multistrike rune), and the rune caused each thrown Skull of Flame to bounce several times, dealing additional explosive fire damage each time. Nothing is known about how many bounces this rune would add with each quality level, if each hit deals the full or somewhat reduced damage, if there are additional mana costs, etc. All those issues will be resolved with further play testing.

[[Image:skullofflame_multistrike.jpg|center]]

===Wizard: Mirror Image===

When a hydra rune is socketed in the [[Wizard]]'s [[Mirror Image]] skill, the number of duplicates created is increased. (October 2008.)

===Wizard: Teleport===

A hydra rune added to the [[Teleport]] skill causes a temporary duplicate of the Wizard to be created when the Wizard teleports. The duplicate draws enemy attention for as long as it persists. (October 2008. --Was still named Multistrike rune)
[[Image:teleport_multistrike.jpg|center]]

===Wizard: Electrocute===

This skill is boosted considerably with a hydra rune, turning it into a sort of chain lightning, with the sizzling bolt hopping to lock onto and cook additional targets. (October 2008. --Was still named Multistrike rune)
[[Image:electrocute_multistrike.jpg|center]]

[[category:runes]]

Hydra Rune

2009-04-02T22:17:51Z

Saviorik: /* Wizard: Electrocute */

Hydra Runes are one of the types of runes found in Diablo III. See the [[rune]]s page for more information about skill runes in Diablo III. Other than their name and the fact that they are socketed, Diablo III's skill runes have little in common with the item {{iw|runes runes}} found in Diablo II.

==Hydra Rune Function==
[[Image:Rune-minor-hydra1.jpg|frame]]
Each type of rune has the same function, a function that is modified by the quality of the rune. This is a minor hydra rune, with "minor" being a modification of hydra rune. There are multiple quality levels of runes, five or six as of Blizzcon 2008, though exactly how many there will be has not yet finalized. (These can be thought of as similar to the five qualities of {{iw|gems gems}} found in Diablo II.)

Hydra runes were previously known as "multistrike" runes, a name that was a bit less picturesque, but that made the function more obvious. Hydras, besides being a Sorceress skill in Diablo II, were [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra multi-headed dragons] of Greek mythology, creatures capable of regrowing two heads in the place of each head that was chopped off. The connection of that concept to the multi-striking rune seems fairly clear.

==Hydra Rune Skill Effects==

A few examples have yet been given for how specific skills are affected by runes socketed into them. Since each rune is (as best we know) going to work with every active skill, the hydra rune will (presumably) add a similar bonus to every other active skill in the game. Multiple impacts to melee hits, multiple charges to lightning spells, etc.

All of these functions are subject to modification or change during the continuing development process.

===Witch Doctor: Skull of Flame===

A hydra rune adds extra bounces to the [[Witch Doctor]]'s thrown [[Skull of Flame]] spell. This one was shown at a presentation at [[BlizzCon 2008]] (October), and the rune caused each thrown Skull of Flame to bounce several times, dealing additional explosive fire damage each time. Nothing is known about how many bounces this rune would add with each quality level, if each hit deals the full or somewhat reduced damage, if there are additional mana costs, etc. All those issues will be resolved with further play testing.

[[Image:skullofflame_multistrike.jpg|center]]

===Wizard: Mirror Image===

When a hydra rune is socketed in the [[Wizard]]'s [[Mirror Image]] skill, the number of duplicates created is increased. (October 2008.)

===Wizard: Teleport===

A hydra rune added to the [[Teleport]] skill causes a temporary duplicate of the Wizard to be created when the Wizard teleports. The duplicate draws enemy attention for as long as it persists. (October 2008. --Was still named Multistrike rune)
[[Image:teleport_multistrike.jpg|center]]

===Wizard: Electrocute===

This skill is boosted considerably with a hydra rune, turning it into a sort of chain lightning, with the sizzling bolt hopping to lock onto and cook additional targets. (October 2008. --Was still named Multistrike rune)
[[Image:electrocute_multistrike.jpg|center]]

[[category:runes]]

Hydra Rune

2009-04-02T22:17:31Z

Saviorik: /* Wizard: Electrocute */

Hydra Runes are one of the types of runes found in Diablo III. See the [[rune]]s page for more information about skill runes in Diablo III. Other than their name and the fact that they are socketed, Diablo III's skill runes have little in common with the item {{iw|runes runes}} found in Diablo II.

==Hydra Rune Function==
[[Image:Rune-minor-hydra1.jpg|frame]]
Each type of rune has the same function, a function that is modified by the quality of the rune. This is a minor hydra rune, with "minor" being a modification of hydra rune. There are multiple quality levels of runes, five or six as of Blizzcon 2008, though exactly how many there will be has not yet finalized. (These can be thought of as similar to the five qualities of {{iw|gems gems}} found in Diablo II.)

Hydra runes were previously known as "multistrike" runes, a name that was a bit less picturesque, but that made the function more obvious. Hydras, besides being a Sorceress skill in Diablo II, were [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra multi-headed dragons] of Greek mythology, creatures capable of regrowing two heads in the place of each head that was chopped off. The connection of that concept to the multi-striking rune seems fairly clear.

==Hydra Rune Skill Effects==

A few examples have yet been given for how specific skills are affected by runes socketed into them. Since each rune is (as best we know) going to work with every active skill, the hydra rune will (presumably) add a similar bonus to every other active skill in the game. Multiple impacts to melee hits, multiple charges to lightning spells, etc.

All of these functions are subject to modification or change during the continuing development process.

===Witch Doctor: Skull of Flame===

A hydra rune adds extra bounces to the [[Witch Doctor]]'s thrown [[Skull of Flame]] spell. This one was shown at a presentation at [[BlizzCon 2008]] (October), and the rune caused each thrown Skull of Flame to bounce several times, dealing additional explosive fire damage each time. Nothing is known about how many bounces this rune would add with each quality level, if each hit deals the full or somewhat reduced damage, if there are additional mana costs, etc. All those issues will be resolved with further play testing.

[[Image:skullofflame_multistrike.jpg|center]]

===Wizard: Mirror Image===

When a hydra rune is socketed in the [[Wizard]]'s [[Mirror Image]] skill, the number of duplicates created is increased. (October 2008.)

===Wizard: Teleport===

A hydra rune added to the [[Teleport]] skill causes a temporary duplicate of the Wizard to be created when the Wizard teleports. The duplicate draws enemy attention for as long as it persists. (October 2008. --Was still named Multistrike rune)
[[Image:teleport_multistrike.jpg|center]]

===Wizard: Electrocute===

This skill is boosted considerably with a hydra rune, turning it into a sort of chain lightning, with the sizzling bolt hopping to lock onto and cook additional targets. (October 2008. --Was still named Multistrike rune.)
[[Image:electrocute_multistrike.jpg|center]]

[[category:runes]]

Hydra Rune

2009-04-02T22:16:49Z

Saviorik: /* Wizard: Teleport */

Hydra Runes are one of the types of runes found in Diablo III. See the [[rune]]s page for more information about skill runes in Diablo III. Other than their name and the fact that they are socketed, Diablo III's skill runes have little in common with the item {{iw|runes runes}} found in Diablo II.

==Hydra Rune Function==
[[Image:Rune-minor-hydra1.jpg|frame]]
Each type of rune has the same function, a function that is modified by the quality of the rune. This is a minor hydra rune, with "minor" being a modification of hydra rune. There are multiple quality levels of runes, five or six as of Blizzcon 2008, though exactly how many there will be has not yet finalized. (These can be thought of as similar to the five qualities of {{iw|gems gems}} found in Diablo II.)

Hydra runes were previously known as "multistrike" runes, a name that was a bit less picturesque, but that made the function more obvious. Hydras, besides being a Sorceress skill in Diablo II, were [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra multi-headed dragons] of Greek mythology, creatures capable of regrowing two heads in the place of each head that was chopped off. The connection of that concept to the multi-striking rune seems fairly clear.

==Hydra Rune Skill Effects==

A few examples have yet been given for how specific skills are affected by runes socketed into them. Since each rune is (as best we know) going to work with every active skill, the hydra rune will (presumably) add a similar bonus to every other active skill in the game. Multiple impacts to melee hits, multiple charges to lightning spells, etc.

All of these functions are subject to modification or change during the continuing development process.

===Witch Doctor: Skull of Flame===

A hydra rune adds extra bounces to the [[Witch Doctor]]'s thrown [[Skull of Flame]] spell. This one was shown at a presentation at [[BlizzCon 2008]] (October), and the rune caused each thrown Skull of Flame to bounce several times, dealing additional explosive fire damage each time. Nothing is known about how many bounces this rune would add with each quality level, if each hit deals the full or somewhat reduced damage, if there are additional mana costs, etc. All those issues will be resolved with further play testing.

[[Image:skullofflame_multistrike.jpg|center]]

===Wizard: Mirror Image===

When a hydra rune is socketed in the [[Wizard]]'s [[Mirror Image]] skill, the number of duplicates created is increased. (October 2008.)

===Wizard: Teleport===

A hydra rune added to the [[Teleport]] skill causes a temporary duplicate of the Wizard to be created when the Wizard teleports. The duplicate draws enemy attention for as long as it persists. (October 2008. --Was still named Multistrike rune)
[[Image:teleport_multistrike.jpg|center]]

===Wizard: Electrocute===

This skill is boosted considerably with a hydra rune, turning it into a sort of chain lightning, with the sizzling bolt hopping to lock onto and cook additional targets. (October 2008.)
[[Image:electrocute_multistrike.jpg|center]]

[[category:runes]]

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-04-02T22:13:05Z

Saviorik: /* Soul Harvest */

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:

* [[Plague 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.

==Spirit Skill Tree==

===Skull of Flame===

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb_icon.gif|left|Firebomb Skill Icon]]This skill (formerly known as Firebomb) allows the Witch Doctor to lob a sort of fire grenade projectile, like a molotov cocktail, to any spot on the screen. The burning skull tumbles end over end in mid-air, and explodes with a burst of flame when it lands, dealing fire damage to anything in the immediate vicinity. It also sets targets aflame, and they take continued damage from the fire for several seconds. There are fires left burning on the ground after a firebomb detonates, but these do not seem to deal damage to, or set fire to, targets that walk through them.

During BlizzCon 2008's Diablo 3 Class Design Panel where shown some ways to improve firebomb through the use of [[skill rune]]s.
* A [[Hydra Rune]] (named multi-strike before) causes the flaming skull to bounce on the ground like a rock on a pond, bounding and creating multiple explosions as it skips.
* A [[Force Rune]] (named power before) boosts the damage, and creates a firewall-like effect where patches of flame are left on the ground, scorching all monsters in the vicinity.

Like several other Witch Doctor spells, the flames from this one will spread to the Mongrels, adding fire damage to their attacks.

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|frame|center|Sequence of Witch Doctor casting Skull of Flame.]]

During the [[WWI_2008:_Denizens_of_Diablo_Panel#Witch_Doctor:_Firebomb|Denizens of Diablo]] panel at the 2008 WWI event, the D3 team spoke at length about the development of the Firebomb skill and how it's one of the skills that best describes what makes the Witch Doctor tick. A partial quote:

:Originally it was a sort of fireball spell; when cast it traveled in a direct line from the WD to the target and would hit anything in the path. It exploded nicely. Explosions are cool. Everyone likes them.

:Problem was, not really problem, but we've all seen that kind of Fireball spell before. The artists came back said we didn't imagine him that way. We saw Firebomb as more of a physical magic. Like concocting some alchemical recipe in a skull and hurling that, and it explodes.

:Once it was a physical projectile designers liked that. It became a physical thing to throw, could go over walls. Become different tactics and use. Great example of how art and design can work together to iterate to make cool skill.

===Mass Confusion===
This curse-like mind control attack summons a blue spirit wherever the WD targets it. The spirit confuses some of the monsters in range, causing an aqua colored orb to appear over their heads. Confused monsters seem to lose their AI, and they mill around more than usual. They may also attack, or be attacked by, other monsters. They are not the WD's minions though, and are not under his control, so he can kill confused monsters just like any other monster.

===Soul Harvest===
[[Image:Icon-soul-harvest.jpg|left]][[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|right|300px|Soul Harvest]]
This skill creates a nova-like ring of blue smoke around the Witch Doctor. All targets within the ring are damaged, and if the damage is enough to kill them, their souls (white/blue ghosts) swirl into the air, then down into the witch doctor, where they add to his or her mana. The radius of the skill is not very large, so monsters need to be nearly in melee range to be affected.

This is a useful tool to finish off multiple weak enemies, and to replenish the Witch Doctor's mana in the process. It's not a very cost-effective spell to use as a regular attack, since the damage isn't very high, and the WD has other skills that can hit multiple enemies at once for more damage, and at a lower mana cost.

===Firebats===
[[Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|thumb|300px|Firebats]]
This inferno-like spell shoots forth a spray of flaming bats that scorch any monsters in range. The spell keeps firing for as long as the mouse button is depressed, and it can be aimed in any direction by moving the mouse. The screenshot here shows the range; it goes that far, and no further. Click to see [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1989 the full screenshot].

The bat animation is very nice, with a sort of swirling tornado of them appearing above the Witch Doctor, then funneling down and out into combat. The bats are not on fire overhead, and are only ignited as they pass the WD's hands and strike the monsters. The WD in the image to the right has just released the mouse button, since the bats are still flying out and burning, but there aren't any visible flying down from overhead. There's a nice sound effect with this one as well, as the bats screech and chitter, with a burning, crackling sound over the top of their cries.

If you like bats, don't think of them as being incinerated in agony; think of them as eager volunteers to help the Witch Doctor rid Sanctuary of evil.

==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]]

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-04-02T22:12:26Z

Saviorik: /* Soul Harvest */

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:

* [[Plague 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.

==Spirit Skill Tree==

===Skull of Flame===

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb_icon.gif|left|Firebomb Skill Icon]]This skill (formerly known as Firebomb) allows the Witch Doctor to lob a sort of fire grenade projectile, like a molotov cocktail, to any spot on the screen. The burning skull tumbles end over end in mid-air, and explodes with a burst of flame when it lands, dealing fire damage to anything in the immediate vicinity. It also sets targets aflame, and they take continued damage from the fire for several seconds. There are fires left burning on the ground after a firebomb detonates, but these do not seem to deal damage to, or set fire to, targets that walk through them.

During BlizzCon 2008's Diablo 3 Class Design Panel where shown some ways to improve firebomb through the use of [[skill rune]]s.
* A [[Hydra Rune]] (named multi-strike before) causes the flaming skull to bounce on the ground like a rock on a pond, bounding and creating multiple explosions as it skips.
* A [[Force Rune]] (named power before) boosts the damage, and creates a firewall-like effect where patches of flame are left on the ground, scorching all monsters in the vicinity.

Like several other Witch Doctor spells, the flames from this one will spread to the Mongrels, adding fire damage to their attacks.

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|frame|center|Sequence of Witch Doctor casting Skull of Flame.]]

During the [[WWI_2008:_Denizens_of_Diablo_Panel#Witch_Doctor:_Firebomb|Denizens of Diablo]] panel at the 2008 WWI event, the D3 team spoke at length about the development of the Firebomb skill and how it's one of the skills that best describes what makes the Witch Doctor tick. A partial quote:

:Originally it was a sort of fireball spell; when cast it traveled in a direct line from the WD to the target and would hit anything in the path. It exploded nicely. Explosions are cool. Everyone likes them.

:Problem was, not really problem, but we've all seen that kind of Fireball spell before. The artists came back said we didn't imagine him that way. We saw Firebomb as more of a physical magic. Like concocting some alchemical recipe in a skull and hurling that, and it explodes.

:Once it was a physical projectile designers liked that. It became a physical thing to throw, could go over walls. Become different tactics and use. Great example of how art and design can work together to iterate to make cool skill.

===Mass Confusion===
This curse-like mind control attack summons a blue spirit wherever the WD targets it. The spirit confuses some of the monsters in range, causing an aqua colored orb to appear over their heads. Confused monsters seem to lose their AI, and they mill around more than usual. They may also attack, or be attacked by, other monsters. They are not the WD's minions though, and are not under his control, so he can kill confused monsters just like any other monster.

===Soul Harvest===
[[Image:Icon-soul-harvest.jpg|left]][[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|300px|Soul Harvest]]
This skill creates a nova-like ring of blue smoke around the Witch Doctor. All targets within the ring are damaged, and if the damage is enough to kill them, their souls (white/blue ghosts) swirl into the air, then down into the witch doctor, where they add to his or her mana. The radius of the skill is not very large, so monsters need to be nearly in melee range to be affected.

This is a useful tool to finish off multiple weak enemies, and to replenish the Witch Doctor's mana in the process. It's not a very cost-effective spell to use as a regular attack, since the damage isn't very high, and the WD has other skills that can hit multiple enemies at once for more damage, and at a lower mana cost.

===Firebats===
[[Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|thumb|300px|Firebats]]
This inferno-like spell shoots forth a spray of flaming bats that scorch any monsters in range. The spell keeps firing for as long as the mouse button is depressed, and it can be aimed in any direction by moving the mouse. The screenshot here shows the range; it goes that far, and no further. Click to see [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1989 the full screenshot].

The bat animation is very nice, with a sort of swirling tornado of them appearing above the Witch Doctor, then funneling down and out into combat. The bats are not on fire overhead, and are only ignited as they pass the WD's hands and strike the monsters. The WD in the image to the right has just released the mouse button, since the bats are still flying out and burning, but there aren't any visible flying down from overhead. There's a nice sound effect with this one as well, as the bats screech and chitter, with a burning, crackling sound over the top of their cries.

If you like bats, don't think of them as being incinerated in agony; think of them as eager volunteers to help the Witch Doctor rid Sanctuary of evil.

==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]]

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-04-02T22:11:25Z

Saviorik: /* Soul Harvest */

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:

* [[Plague 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.

==Spirit Skill Tree==

===Skull of Flame===

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb_icon.gif|left|Firebomb Skill Icon]]This skill (formerly known as Firebomb) allows the Witch Doctor to lob a sort of fire grenade projectile, like a molotov cocktail, to any spot on the screen. The burning skull tumbles end over end in mid-air, and explodes with a burst of flame when it lands, dealing fire damage to anything in the immediate vicinity. It also sets targets aflame, and they take continued damage from the fire for several seconds. There are fires left burning on the ground after a firebomb detonates, but these do not seem to deal damage to, or set fire to, targets that walk through them.

During BlizzCon 2008's Diablo 3 Class Design Panel where shown some ways to improve firebomb through the use of [[skill rune]]s.
* A [[Hydra Rune]] (named multi-strike before) causes the flaming skull to bounce on the ground like a rock on a pond, bounding and creating multiple explosions as it skips.
* A [[Force Rune]] (named power before) boosts the damage, and creates a firewall-like effect where patches of flame are left on the ground, scorching all monsters in the vicinity.

Like several other Witch Doctor spells, the flames from this one will spread to the Mongrels, adding fire damage to their attacks.

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|frame|center|Sequence of Witch Doctor casting Skull of Flame.]]

During the [[WWI_2008:_Denizens_of_Diablo_Panel#Witch_Doctor:_Firebomb|Denizens of Diablo]] panel at the 2008 WWI event, the D3 team spoke at length about the development of the Firebomb skill and how it's one of the skills that best describes what makes the Witch Doctor tick. A partial quote:

:Originally it was a sort of fireball spell; when cast it traveled in a direct line from the WD to the target and would hit anything in the path. It exploded nicely. Explosions are cool. Everyone likes them.

:Problem was, not really problem, but we've all seen that kind of Fireball spell before. The artists came back said we didn't imagine him that way. We saw Firebomb as more of a physical magic. Like concocting some alchemical recipe in a skull and hurling that, and it explodes.

:Once it was a physical projectile designers liked that. It became a physical thing to throw, could go over walls. Become different tactics and use. Great example of how art and design can work together to iterate to make cool skill.

===Mass Confusion===
This curse-like mind control attack summons a blue spirit wherever the WD targets it. The spirit confuses some of the monsters in range, causing an aqua colored orb to appear over their heads. Confused monsters seem to lose their AI, and they mill around more than usual. They may also attack, or be attacked by, other monsters. They are not the WD's minions though, and are not under his control, so he can kill confused monsters just like any other monster.

===Soul Harvest===
[[Image:Icon-soul-harvest.jpg|left]][[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb]Soul Harvest]
This skill creates a nova-like ring of blue smoke around the Witch Doctor. All targets within the ring are damaged, and if the damage is enough to kill them, their souls (white/blue ghosts) swirl into the air, then down into the witch doctor, where they add to his or her mana. The radius of the skill is not very large, so monsters need to be nearly in melee range to be affected.

This is a useful tool to finish off multiple weak enemies, and to replenish the Witch Doctor's mana in the process. It's not a very cost-effective spell to use as a regular attack, since the damage isn't very high, and the WD has other skills that can hit multiple enemies at once for more damage, and at a lower mana cost.

===Firebats===
[[Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|thumb|300px|Firebats]]
This inferno-like spell shoots forth a spray of flaming bats that scorch any monsters in range. The spell keeps firing for as long as the mouse button is depressed, and it can be aimed in any direction by moving the mouse. The screenshot here shows the range; it goes that far, and no further. Click to see [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1989 the full screenshot].

The bat animation is very nice, with a sort of swirling tornado of them appearing above the Witch Doctor, then funneling down and out into combat. The bats are not on fire overhead, and are only ignited as they pass the WD's hands and strike the monsters. The WD in the image to the right has just released the mouse button, since the bats are still flying out and burning, but there aren't any visible flying down from overhead. There's a nice sound effect with this one as well, as the bats screech and chitter, with a burning, crackling sound over the top of their cries.

If you like bats, don't think of them as being incinerated in agony; think of them as eager volunteers to help the Witch Doctor rid Sanctuary of evil.

==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]]

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-04-02T22:10:49Z

Saviorik: /* Soul Harvest */

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:

* [[Plague 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.

==Spirit Skill Tree==

===Skull of Flame===

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb_icon.gif|left|Firebomb Skill Icon]]This skill (formerly known as Firebomb) allows the Witch Doctor to lob a sort of fire grenade projectile, like a molotov cocktail, to any spot on the screen. The burning skull tumbles end over end in mid-air, and explodes with a burst of flame when it lands, dealing fire damage to anything in the immediate vicinity. It also sets targets aflame, and they take continued damage from the fire for several seconds. There are fires left burning on the ground after a firebomb detonates, but these do not seem to deal damage to, or set fire to, targets that walk through them.

During BlizzCon 2008's Diablo 3 Class Design Panel where shown some ways to improve firebomb through the use of [[skill rune]]s.
* A [[Hydra Rune]] (named multi-strike before) causes the flaming skull to bounce on the ground like a rock on a pond, bounding and creating multiple explosions as it skips.
* A [[Force Rune]] (named power before) boosts the damage, and creates a firewall-like effect where patches of flame are left on the ground, scorching all monsters in the vicinity.

Like several other Witch Doctor spells, the flames from this one will spread to the Mongrels, adding fire damage to their attacks.

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|frame|center|Sequence of Witch Doctor casting Skull of Flame.]]

During the [[WWI_2008:_Denizens_of_Diablo_Panel#Witch_Doctor:_Firebomb|Denizens of Diablo]] panel at the 2008 WWI event, the D3 team spoke at length about the development of the Firebomb skill and how it's one of the skills that best describes what makes the Witch Doctor tick. A partial quote:

:Originally it was a sort of fireball spell; when cast it traveled in a direct line from the WD to the target and would hit anything in the path. It exploded nicely. Explosions are cool. Everyone likes them.

:Problem was, not really problem, but we've all seen that kind of Fireball spell before. The artists came back said we didn't imagine him that way. We saw Firebomb as more of a physical magic. Like concocting some alchemical recipe in a skull and hurling that, and it explodes.

:Once it was a physical projectile designers liked that. It became a physical thing to throw, could go over walls. Become different tactics and use. Great example of how art and design can work together to iterate to make cool skill.

===Mass Confusion===
This curse-like mind control attack summons a blue spirit wherever the WD targets it. The spirit confuses some of the monsters in range, causing an aqua colored orb to appear over their heads. Confused monsters seem to lose their AI, and they mill around more than usual. They may also attack, or be attacked by, other monsters. They are not the WD's minions though, and are not under his control, so he can kill confused monsters just like any other monster.

===Soul Harvest===
[[Image:Icon-soul-harvest.jpg|left]][[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb]]
This skill creates a nova-like ring of blue smoke around the Witch Doctor. All targets within the ring are damaged, and if the damage is enough to kill them, their souls (white/blue ghosts) swirl into the air, then down into the witch doctor, where they add to his or her mana. The radius of the skill is not very large, so monsters need to be nearly in melee range to be affected.

This is a useful tool to finish off multiple weak enemies, and to replenish the Witch Doctor's mana in the process. It's not a very cost-effective spell to use as a regular attack, since the damage isn't very high, and the WD has other skills that can hit multiple enemies at once for more damage, and at a lower mana cost.

===Firebats===
[[Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|thumb|300px|Firebats]]
This inferno-like spell shoots forth a spray of flaming bats that scorch any monsters in range. The spell keeps firing for as long as the mouse button is depressed, and it can be aimed in any direction by moving the mouse. The screenshot here shows the range; it goes that far, and no further. Click to see [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1989 the full screenshot].

The bat animation is very nice, with a sort of swirling tornado of them appearing above the Witch Doctor, then funneling down and out into combat. The bats are not on fire overhead, and are only ignited as they pass the WD's hands and strike the monsters. The WD in the image to the right has just released the mouse button, since the bats are still flying out and burning, but there aren't any visible flying down from overhead. There's a nice sound effect with this one as well, as the bats screech and chitter, with a burning, crackling sound over the top of their cries.

If you like bats, don't think of them as being incinerated in agony; think of them as eager volunteers to help the Witch Doctor rid Sanctuary of evil.

==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]]

Spirit Skill Tree

2009-04-02T22:09:15Z

Saviorik: /* Firebats */

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:

* [[Plague 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.

==Spirit Skill Tree==

===Skull of Flame===

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb_icon.gif|left|Firebomb Skill Icon]]This skill (formerly known as Firebomb) allows the Witch Doctor to lob a sort of fire grenade projectile, like a molotov cocktail, to any spot on the screen. The burning skull tumbles end over end in mid-air, and explodes with a burst of flame when it lands, dealing fire damage to anything in the immediate vicinity. It also sets targets aflame, and they take continued damage from the fire for several seconds. There are fires left burning on the ground after a firebomb detonates, but these do not seem to deal damage to, or set fire to, targets that walk through them.

During BlizzCon 2008's Diablo 3 Class Design Panel where shown some ways to improve firebomb through the use of [[skill rune]]s.
* A [[Hydra Rune]] (named multi-strike before) causes the flaming skull to bounce on the ground like a rock on a pond, bounding and creating multiple explosions as it skips.
* A [[Force Rune]] (named power before) boosts the damage, and creates a firewall-like effect where patches of flame are left on the ground, scorching all monsters in the vicinity.

Like several other Witch Doctor spells, the flames from this one will spread to the Mongrels, adding fire damage to their attacks.

[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|frame|center|Sequence of Witch Doctor casting Skull of Flame.]]

During the [[WWI_2008:_Denizens_of_Diablo_Panel#Witch_Doctor:_Firebomb|Denizens of Diablo]] panel at the 2008 WWI event, the D3 team spoke at length about the development of the Firebomb skill and how it's one of the skills that best describes what makes the Witch Doctor tick. A partial quote:

:Originally it was a sort of fireball spell; when cast it traveled in a direct line from the WD to the target and would hit anything in the path. It exploded nicely. Explosions are cool. Everyone likes them.

:Problem was, not really problem, but we've all seen that kind of Fireball spell before. The artists came back said we didn't imagine him that way. We saw Firebomb as more of a physical magic. Like concocting some alchemical recipe in a skull and hurling that, and it explodes.

:Once it was a physical projectile designers liked that. It became a physical thing to throw, could go over walls. Become different tactics and use. Great example of how art and design can work together to iterate to make cool skill.

===Mass Confusion===
This curse-like mind control attack summons a blue spirit wherever the WD targets it. The spirit confuses some of the monsters in range, causing an aqua colored orb to appear over their heads. Confused monsters seem to lose their AI, and they mill around more than usual. They may also attack, or be attacked by, other monsters. They are not the WD's minions though, and are not under his control, so he can kill confused monsters just like any other monster.

===Soul Harvest===
[[Image:Icon-soul-harvest.jpg|left]][[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb]]
This skill creates a nova-like ring of blue smoke around the WD. All targets within the ring are damaged, and if the damage is enough to kill them, their souls (white/blue ghosts) swirl into the air, then down into the witch doctor, where they add to his mana. The radius of the skill is not very large, so monsters need to be nearly in melee range to be affected.

This is a useful tool to finish off multiple weak enemies, and to replenish the Witch Doctor's mana in the process. It's not a very cost-effective spell to use as a regular attack, since the damage isn't very high, and the WD has other skills that can hit multiple enemies at once for more damage, and at a lower mana cost.

===Firebats===
[[Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|thumb|300px|Firebats]]
This inferno-like spell shoots forth a spray of flaming bats that scorch any monsters in range. The spell keeps firing for as long as the mouse button is depressed, and it can be aimed in any direction by moving the mouse. The screenshot here shows the range; it goes that far, and no further. Click to see [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1989 the full screenshot].

The bat animation is very nice, with a sort of swirling tornado of them appearing above the Witch Doctor, then funneling down and out into combat. The bats are not on fire overhead, and are only ignited as they pass the WD's hands and strike the monsters. The WD in the image to the right has just released the mouse button, since the bats are still flying out and burning, but there aren't any visible flying down from overhead. There's a nice sound effect with this one as well, as the bats screech and chitter, with a burning, crackling sound over the top of their cries.

If you like bats, don't think of them as being incinerated in agony; think of them as eager volunteers to help the Witch Doctor rid Sanctuary of evil.

==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

2009-04-02T22:07:58Z

Saviorik: /* Signature Skills */

Each of the character [[class]]es in [[Diablo III]] have a set of class '''skills'''. There are a lot of skills for each character; more than 50 were shown for the Wizard and Barbarian at Blizzcon in October, 2008. Skills are roughly grouped by type and are slotted into three skill trees... though this arrangement is subject to change during ongoing development.

While "skills" is the official name, players often refer to "skills" as "spells," "talents," "abilities," and other such terms. These are just synonyms, and are frequently interchangeable in use.

==Known Skills==
We know a fair number of skills from seeing them in demonstrations, and from taking notes of them at Blizzcon in October 2008. More than 50 skills are known for the Barbarian and Wizard, while fewer of the Witch Doctor's skills have yet been revealed. Click to the appropriate pages to learn the names and functions of all known skills.

* [[Barbarian skills]]
* [[Witch Doctor skills]]
* [[Wizard skills]]

==Active and Passive Skills==

Diablo III skills are either "active" or "passive." There are many more passive skills than active skills. At Blizzcon in October 2008 (a very preliminary build of the game), each skill tree was set up in tiers, with 4 or 5 skills per tier. On each tier, one or two were active and the rest were passive.

Active skills are used by clicking their icon, and are generally direct attacks; things like [[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Soul_Harvest|Soul Harvest]], [[Battlemaster_Skill_Tree#Hammer_of_the_Ancients|Hammer of the Ancients]], or [[Arcane_Skill_Tree#Magic_Missile|Magic Missile]]. Active skills attack, cast a protective armor, stun monsters, etc.

Passive skills grant the character some sort of bonus that is always in effect. Passive skills do not need to be cast to activate them; they give a bonus all the time, as soon as points are placed into them. These are skills and spells like [[Arcane_Skill_Tree#Efficient_Magics|Efficient Magics]] or [[Battlemaster_Skill_Tree#Power_of_the_Battlemaster|Power of the Battlemaster]]. (No passive Witch Doctor skills have yet been named.) Passive skills boost the damage of other spells, lower the mana cost of casting them, increase their duration, etc. Passive skills were often called "masteries" in Diablo II, and that term is still applicable to many of them in Diablo III.

==Signature Skills==

Skills lie at the core of the characters and propel all combat in Diablo III. For the D3 Team, the skills literally define the character. The team sets out to create what they call "[[WWI_2008:_Denizens_of_Diablo_Panel#Signature_Skills|signature skills]]" -- click that link to read much more about this topic from a panel discussion from the WWI in Paris, when Diablo III was announced. Signature skills are active skills that are very distinctive and evocative of the character. For instance, the design goal of the Diablo III Barbarian is to make a huge, powerful, thundering brute of a melee fighter. So his signature skills are things that crush hordes of enemies in front of him, shake the entire screen, rip holes in the earth, etc. Wizards are deadly, reckless mages, so their signature skills are spells that wreak massive havoc upon monsters with fire, cold, and other elements.

Passive skills are never "signature skills." Even though passive skills can be essential and powerful, they're not visually impressive enough to be named a "signature skill."

==Skills Define Characters==

D3 Lead Designer Jay Wilson discussed how skills drive game development, and vice versa, in a December 2008 [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1 interview with 1up.com].

::'''1UP: In creating this game, would you say that the character classes and their powers drive the rest of the game, or are their powers created as a result -- or solution -- to problems presented by the game?'''

::'''JW:''' Probably the best way to describe it is that initially, when we're doing skills for a class, we're not thinking anything except "what makes this class awesome? Why do I care about this guy?" Then you say, "Because he can hit the ground and create a small localized earthquake that destroys everything in front of him." That sounds pretty awesome; that sounds like a guy that I'd want to play. So early on, that's really our fixation: What is going to make this class sing? But that only really drives the first half-dozen skills. After that, we start getting into what mechanics have we put in the game that we want this class to take advantage of. For example, with the Wizard, we gave her a passive skill that causes enemies to drop mana orbs -- just like health orbs. So that's a mana-recovery mechanic for her; it plays into her resource and plays into the health-orb system.

::So there, we just said, "We need a recovery mechanism for her -- what would work? Well, we can give her something similar that we already give for health." But then that doesn't mean anything for the Barbarian since he uses a completely different resource. For him, we tend to focus on skills that make him play in a way that's interesting. His "fury resource" is designed to drive the player forward, like a Barbarian, because he's very tough and is a close-quarters combatant. He wants to move forward, because the mechanic is "I have a lot of fury, which helps me deliver a lot of damage, but I'm going to lose it just sitting around." It makes him very aggressive, which is what we wanted out of the character. So that was driven by [the concept of] how do we want this guy to play. Very aggressively, and hence we built this mechanic.

::And lastly, [there's] the monster design. As we get further and further into the game, our goal is to make monsters that we can't figure out how the player can defeat [with the existing skills] and give the player the tools they need to defeat them. So the design of the monsters has a direct relationship to the design of the classes. That's kind of an ongoing thing; we [decide] "Let's create a monster that has really debilitating rooting attacks that just get you stuck when you encounter them." Then we see that this really screws with the Barbarian, so we give him a skill that lets him break out of roots so that he can counter that. Those things are interesting and allow for the player to have a broader, deeper character. On the other hand, we don't want to go too far -- a lot of mechanics of World of WarCraft are based heavily on control, and we want to make sure that Diablo 3 stays mostly a combat game based mostly on attacks.

[[Category:Skills]]
[[category:basics]]

Skill

2009-04-02T22:04:38Z

Saviorik: /* Active and Passive Skills */

Each of the character [[class]]es in [[Diablo III]] have a set of class '''skills'''. There are a lot of skills for each character; more than 50 were shown for the Wizard and Barbarian at Blizzcon in October, 2008. Skills are roughly grouped by type and are slotted into three skill trees... though this arrangement is subject to change during ongoing development.

While "skills" is the official name, players often refer to "skills" as "spells," "talents," "abilities," and other such terms. These are just synonyms, and are frequently interchangeable in use.

==Known Skills==
We know a fair number of skills from seeing them in demonstrations, and from taking notes of them at Blizzcon in October 2008. More than 50 skills are known for the Barbarian and Wizard, while fewer of the Witch Doctor's skills have yet been revealed. Click to the appropriate pages to learn the names and functions of all known skills.

* [[Barbarian skills]]
* [[Witch Doctor skills]]
* [[Wizard skills]]

==Active and Passive Skills==

Diablo III skills are either "active" or "passive." There are many more passive skills than active skills. At Blizzcon in October 2008 (a very preliminary build of the game), each skill tree was set up in tiers, with 4 or 5 skills per tier. On each tier, one or two were active and the rest were passive.

Active skills are used by clicking their icon, and are generally direct attacks; things like [[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Soul_Harvest|Soul Harvest]], [[Battlemaster_Skill_Tree#Hammer_of_the_Ancients|Hammer of the Ancients]], or [[Arcane_Skill_Tree#Magic_Missile|Magic Missile]]. Active skills attack, cast a protective armor, stun monsters, etc.

Passive skills grant the character some sort of bonus that is always in effect. Passive skills do not need to be cast to activate them; they give a bonus all the time, as soon as points are placed into them. These are skills and spells like [[Arcane_Skill_Tree#Efficient_Magics|Efficient Magics]] or [[Battlemaster_Skill_Tree#Power_of_the_Battlemaster|Power of the Battlemaster]]. (No passive Witch Doctor skills have yet been named.) Passive skills boost the damage of other spells, lower the mana cost of casting them, increase their duration, etc. Passive skills were often called "masteries" in Diablo II, and that term is still applicable to many of them in Diablo III.

==Signature Skills==

Skills lie at the core of the characters and propel all combat in Diablo III. For the D3 Team, the skills literally define the character. The team sets out to create what they call "[[WWI_2008:_Denizens_of_Diablo_Panel#Signature_Skills|signature skills]]" -- click that link to read much more about this topic from a panel discussion from the WWI in Paris, when Diablo III was announced. Signature skills are active skills that are very distinctive and evocative of the character. For instance, the design goal of the Diablo III Barbarian is to make a huge, powerful, thundering brute of a melee fighter. So his signature skills are things that crush hordes of enemies in front of him, shake the entire screen, rip holes in the earth, etc. Wizards are deadly, reckless mages, so their signature skills are spells that wreak massive havoc upon monsters with fire, cold, and other elements.

Passive skills are never "signature skills" since even though passive skills are essential, they're not sexy or visually impressive. A passive that adds 20% to your character's damage is going to be noticeable and very useful while you're playing, but it's hard to put into a gameplay movie that will impress casual fans.

==Skills Define Characters==

D3 Lead Designer Jay Wilson discussed how skills drive game development, and vice versa, in a December 2008 [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1 interview with 1up.com].

::'''1UP: In creating this game, would you say that the character classes and their powers drive the rest of the game, or are their powers created as a result -- or solution -- to problems presented by the game?'''

::'''JW:''' Probably the best way to describe it is that initially, when we're doing skills for a class, we're not thinking anything except "what makes this class awesome? Why do I care about this guy?" Then you say, "Because he can hit the ground and create a small localized earthquake that destroys everything in front of him." That sounds pretty awesome; that sounds like a guy that I'd want to play. So early on, that's really our fixation: What is going to make this class sing? But that only really drives the first half-dozen skills. After that, we start getting into what mechanics have we put in the game that we want this class to take advantage of. For example, with the Wizard, we gave her a passive skill that causes enemies to drop mana orbs -- just like health orbs. So that's a mana-recovery mechanic for her; it plays into her resource and plays into the health-orb system.

::So there, we just said, "We need a recovery mechanism for her -- what would work? Well, we can give her something similar that we already give for health." But then that doesn't mean anything for the Barbarian since he uses a completely different resource. For him, we tend to focus on skills that make him play in a way that's interesting. His "fury resource" is designed to drive the player forward, like a Barbarian, because he's very tough and is a close-quarters combatant. He wants to move forward, because the mechanic is "I have a lot of fury, which helps me deliver a lot of damage, but I'm going to lose it just sitting around." It makes him very aggressive, which is what we wanted out of the character. So that was driven by [the concept of] how do we want this guy to play. Very aggressively, and hence we built this mechanic.

::And lastly, [there's] the monster design. As we get further and further into the game, our goal is to make monsters that we can't figure out how the player can defeat [with the existing skills] and give the player the tools they need to defeat them. So the design of the monsters has a direct relationship to the design of the classes. That's kind of an ongoing thing; we [decide] "Let's create a monster that has really debilitating rooting attacks that just get you stuck when you encounter them." Then we see that this really screws with the Barbarian, so we give him a skill that lets him break out of roots so that he can counter that. Those things are interesting and allow for the player to have a broader, deeper character. On the other hand, we don't want to go too far -- a lot of mechanics of World of WarCraft are based heavily on control, and we want to make sure that Diablo 3 stays mostly a combat game based mostly on attacks.

[[Category:Skills]]
[[category:basics]]