Difference between revisions of "Charged Bolt"

Latest revision as of 21:47, 18 August 2011

This skill was removed from the game prior to the press event of July 2011. This is archived for future curiosity and reference. This page is not to be updated with current info; see the Wizard skills page for current skill information.

Charged Bolt is a Wizard Tier 1 skill unlocked at level 2, launching electric charges that travel randomly on the floor, dealing lightning damage.

Background[edit | edit source]

Diablo III Active Skill [e]

Charged Bolt
Used by:	Wizard
Enabled at:	Clvl 2
Skill Description
Launch a volley of 3 electric bolts that deal X-Y lightning damage each.
Type:	Direct Damage/AoE
Resource Use:	Costs Arcane Power
Skill Rune Effects
Alabaster rune:	Unknown
Crimson rune:	Unknown
Golden rune:	Unknown
Indigo rune:	Unknown
Obsidian rune:	Unknown

The true essence of Electromagnetism exists on the threshold of the Ethereal and the Physical Realms. While it is very efficient to transform Mana into electrical energy, it is extremely difficult to control. This spell calls into being multiple pockets of lightning which seem to have a will of their own.

The Wizard has not only the fancy illegal spells at her disposal. Charged Bolt, something even the newest of Vizjerei neonytes learn, is one of the few spells she picked up in actual classes at the old mage clan, or possibly at Zann Esu before they kicked her out.

Skill Design[edit | edit source]

The Wizard and her carpet.

The spell familiar from Diablo I and Diablo II returns in Diablo III. As previously, Charged Bolt send out a smattering of randomly-scattering charges, each of which deal minor damage to any enemy that passes over them. The strength of Charged Bolt comes not from the damage of each bolt, but from the carpeting effect of repeated casts, since it's a spell with very low mana cost. These can turn the floor into a field of death for any enemy without lightning immunity.

Skill Rank Table[edit | edit source]

Rank 1: 1-2 damage per bolt.
Rank 2: 2-4 damage per bolt. (A)
Rank 3: 3-6 damage per bolt. (A)
Rank 4: 4-8 damage per bolt. (A)
Rank 5: 5-10 damage per bolt. (A)

(A) = Assumed

Trait Synergies[edit | edit source]

Charged Bolt benefits directly from the following Wizard traits:

Glass Cannon: Increases damage done by spells and increases armor.
Intimidation: Increases damage done and reduces vendor costs.
Quickening: Increases spell casting speed.
Beast Hunter: Damage bonus against beasts.
Demonsbane: Damage bonus against Demons.
Just...Stay...Dead!: Damage bonus against undead.
Power Surge: Increase critical strike damage.
Penetrating Spells: Reduces the resistances of your target to your spells by 20%.

Note: The current trait list is very out-of-date and will no doubt be overhauled before game release.

Skill Rune Effects[edit | edit source]

No rune effects for Charged Bolt are known.

Development[edit | edit source]

Charged Bolt was first shown at BlizzCon 2008 when the Wizard debuted, where it was at Tier I on the Storm Skill Tree. Flux was able to try it out:[1]

Three little crackling bits of lightning are sent forth along the ground, where they zig and zag a bit, but move in a more or less straight line away from the Sorceress. I didn’t use this spell much, but it seemed to me that the bolts spread out quite a bit more than they did in D2, and that made it hard to hit anything in front of me with more than one bolt. That’s now how it looks in screenshots though, where the bolts seem to carpet the dungeon floor quite nicely. More testing will be required.

It was still in the game at BlizzCon 2009; there, it had a much lower mana cost, and significantly lower damage than in 2008, indicating the spell was intended to be used more for the "carpet effect" of previous games.

At BlizzCon 2010, it was still in the game but wasn't one of the Wizard's starting skills.

Previous Versions[edit | edit source]

See the Wizard skill archive for more details on previous versions of Charged Bolt and other Wizard skills.
Or see Charged Bolt (BlizzCon 2008) for the original version of this skill.

In Other Games[edit | edit source]

Charged Bolt was introduced in Diablo I, where it was, as it is now, a very cheap spell to cast multiple times in hopes of killing many enemies with a carpet of lightning. The spell calls in pockets of lightning that just crawls around randomly, in a general direction.

The second iteration of Charged Bolt was a Sorceress spell in Diablo II, and is basically identical in design. It's one of few Tier 1 spells in the skill trees that scale well even at higher levels, being quite useful at max level.

Media[edit | edit source]

Charged Bolt can be seen in action on video here:

Gameplay: Blizzcon 2008

You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:

Magic carpet of death.

References[edit | edit source]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Charged Bolt''' is a Tier 1 [[skill]] unlocked for the [[Wizard]] at level 2, launching electric charges that travel randomly on the floor, dealing [[lightning]] damage.
+<span style="color:red;">'''This skill was removed from the game prior to the press event of July 2011. This is archived for future curiosity and reference. This page is not to be updated with current info; see the [[Wizard skills]] page for current skill information.'''</span>
+'''Charged Bolt''' is a [[Wizard]] Tier 1 [[Wizard skills|skill]] unlocked at [[clvl|level]] 2, launching electric charges that travel randomly on the floor, dealing [[lightning]] damage.
 ==Background==
-{{Skillbox
+{{Skillbox D3
-|game= Diablo III
 |portrait= Wiz-charged-bolt1.jpg
 |portrait-width= 200px
-|active= Active
 |name= Charged Bolt
-|ranks= 5
 |user= Wizard
-|tree= Storm
+|tier= 1
+|clvl= 2
 |description= Launch a volley of 3 electric bolts that deal X-Y lightning damage each.
-|type= Direct Damage
+|type= Direct [[Damage]]/[[AoE]]
-|quantity= 1-2 damage
+|resource= Costs [[Arcane Power]]
-|effect= Random bolt
+|alabaster= Unknown
-|school= [[Lightning]]
+|crimson= Unknown
-|resource= [[Mana]]
+|golden= Unknown
-|cost= 2
+|indigo= Unknown
-|cast-time= Instant
+|obsidian= Unknown
-|duration= None
+|catexclude=
-|cooldown= 1.5 sec
-<!-- |synergies= Link them -->
-<!-- |req= Link it -->
-<!-- |prereq= Link it -->
-<!-- |catexclude= --> <!-- ONLY USE THIS IF THE SKILL IS FAN SKILL OR ARCHIVED -->
 }}
 The true essence of Electromagnetism exists on the threshold of the Ethereal and the Physical Realms. While it is very efficient to transform [[Mana]] into electrical energy, it is extremely difficult to control. This [[spell]] calls into being multiple pockets of lightning which seem to have a will of their own.
 The [[Wizard]] has not only the fancy illegal spells at her disposal. Charged Bolt, something even the newest of [[Vizjerei]] [[neonyte]]s learn, is one of the few spells she picked up in actual classes at the old [[mage clan]], or possibly at [[Zann Esu]] before they kicked her out.
 ==Skill Design==
-[[Image:Wiz-charged-bolt1.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Wizard and her carpet.]]The spell familiar from [[Diablo I]] and [[Diablo II]] returns in [[Diablo III]]. As previously, Charged Bolt send out a smattering of randomly-scattering charges, each of which deal minor damage to any enemy that passes over them. The strength of Charged Bolt comes not from the damage of each bolt, but from the carpeting effect of repeated casts, since it's a spell with very low [[mana]] cost. These can turn the floor into a field of death for any enemy without lightning immunity.
+[[Image:Wiz-charged-bolt1.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Wizard and her carpet.]]
+The spell familiar from [[Diablo I]] and [[Diablo II]] returns in [[Diablo III]]. As previously, Charged Bolt send out a smattering of randomly-scattering charges, each of which deal minor damage to any enemy that passes over them. The strength of Charged Bolt comes not from the damage of each bolt, but from the carpeting effect of repeated casts, since it's a spell with very low [[mana]] cost. These can turn the floor into a field of death for any enemy without lightning immunity.
-The spell summons three little crackling bits of lightning that zig and zag a bit, but move in a more or less straight line away from the [[Wizard]]. It seemed that the bolts spread out quite a bit more than they did in D2, and that made it hard to hit anything in front of me with more than one bolt.[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/wizard-gameplay-report/P2/] That's not how it looks in more recent screenshots though, where the bolts seem to carpet the dungeon floor quite nicely. More testing will be required.
-At [[BlizzCon 2009]] the damage had been lowered from 1-8 to 1-2, but the mana had also gone down significantly (to 2). Using this spell together with high spell crit would likely [[stun]] enemies a lot, considering lightning [[critical hit|crits]] now stun targets.
+{{clear-left}}
 ==Skill Rank Table==
 * '''Rank 1:''' 1-2 damage per bolt.
-* '''Rank 2:''' 2-4 damage per bolt. (projected)
+* '''Rank 2:''' 2-4 damage per bolt. (A)
-* '''Rank 3:''' 3-6 damage per bolt. (projected)
+* '''Rank 3:''' 3-6 damage per bolt. (A)
-* '''Rank 4:''' 4-8 damage per bolt. (projected)
+* '''Rank 4:''' 4-8 damage per bolt. (A)
-* '''Rank 5:''' 5-10 damage per bolt. (projected)
+* '''Rank 5:''' 5-10 damage per bolt. (A)
+(A) = Assumed
-==Synergies==
-Charged Bolt benefits directly from the following traits:
-* [[Glass Cannon]]: Increases damage done by spells and increases armor.
+==Trait Synergies==
-* [[Intimidation]]: Increases damage done and reduces vendor costs.
+Charged Bolt benefits directly from the following [[Wizard traits]]:
-* [[Quickening]]: Increases spell casting speed.
+* [[Glass Cannon (trait)|Glass Cannon]]: Increases damage done by spells and increases armor.
+* [[Intimidation (trait)|Intimidation]]: Increases damage done and reduces vendor costs.
+* [[Quickening (trait)|Quickening]]: Increases spell casting speed.
 * [[Beast Hunter]]: Damage bonus against beasts.
 * [[Demonsbane]]: Damage bonus against Demons.
@@ Line 60: / Line 54: @@
 * [[Power Surge]]: Increase critical strike damage.
 * [[Penetrating Spells]]: Reduces the resistances of your target to your spells by 20%.
+'''Note:''' The current [[trait]] list is very out-of-date and will no doubt be overhauled before game release.
+==Skill Rune Effects==
+* No [[rune]] effects for Charged Bolt are known.
-==[[Rune|Skill Rune]] Effects==
-* None known.
 ==Development==
-{{iw|D1_Spellbooks#Charged_Bolt Charged Bolt}} was introduced in [[Diablo I]], where it was, as it is now, a very cheap spell to cast multiple times in hopes of killing many enemies with a carpet of lightning. The [[Diablo I Manual]] describes "true essence of Electromagnetism exists on the threshold of the Ethereal and the Physical Realms. While it is very efficient to transform [[Mana]] into electrical energy, it is extremely difficult to control." The spell calls in pockets of lightning that just crawls around randomly, in a general direction.
+'''Charged Bolt''' was first shown at [[BlizzCon 2008]] when the [[Wizard]] debuted, where it was at Tier I on the [[Storm Skill Tree]]. [[Flux]] was able to try it out:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/wizard-gameplay-report/P2/]
+<blockquote>''Three little crackling bits of lightning are sent forth along the ground, where they zig and zag a bit, but move in a more or less straight line away from the Sorceress. I didn’t use this spell much, but it seemed to me that the bolts spread out quite a bit more than they did in D2, and that made it hard to hit anything in front of me with more than one bolt. That’s now how it looks in screenshots though, where the bolts seem to carpet the dungeon floor quite nicely. More testing will be required.''</blockquote>
+It was still in the game at [[BlizzCon 2009]]; there, it had a much lower mana cost, and significantly lower damage than in 2008, indicating the spell was intended to be used more for the "carpet effect" of previous games.
-This first version of the spell increased number of charges as well as damage when higher levels of the spell have been found.
+At [[BlizzCon 2010]], it was still in the game but wasn't one of the Wizard's starting skills.
-The second iteration of {{iw|Sorceress_Lightning_Spells#Charged_Bolt Charged Bolt}} was a [[Sorceress]] spell in [[Diablo II]], and is basically identical in design. It's one of few Tier 1 spells in the skill trees that scale well even at higher levels, being quite useful at max level.
+===Previous Versions===
+See the [[Wizard skill archive]] for more details on previous versions of Charged Bolt and other Wizard skills.<br>
+Or see [[Charged Bolt (BlizzCon 2008)]] for the original version of this skill.
-The [[Diablo 3]] version of the Charged Bolt was first shown at [[BlizzCon 2008]], and was still in the game by [[BlizzCon 2009|2009]]. In 2008 it had a much higher mana cost, and significantly higher damage than in 2009, indicating the spell is now more used for the "carpet effect" of previous games. It's is assumed to still be available in Blizzard's internal game build today.
+===In Other Games===
+{{iw|D1_Spellbooks#Charged_Bolt Charged Bolt}} was introduced in [[Diablo I]], where it was, as it is now, a very cheap spell to cast multiple times in hopes of killing many enemies with a carpet of lightning. The spell calls in pockets of lightning that just crawls around randomly, in a general direction.
-'''Previous Versions:'''
+The second iteration of {{iw|Charged_Bolt Charged Bolt}} was a {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} spell in [[Diablo II]], and is basically identical in design. It's one of few Tier 1 spells in the skill trees that scale well even at higher levels, being quite useful at max level.
-* [[Charged Bolt (BlizzCon 2008)]]
@@ Line 81: / Line 85: @@
 <!--
 ==Trivia==
-''Hide this section unless there really is some trivia about the skill. Add the skill to the [[:Category:Easter Eggs|Easter Eggs]] category as well if the article contains Easter
+''Hide this section unless there really is some trivia about the skill. Add the skill to the [[:Category:Easter Eggs|Easter Eggs]] category as well if the article contains Easter Egg information.''
+-->
+==Media==
+Charged Bolt can be seen in action on video here:
+* [[Gameplay: Blizzcon 2008]]
-Egg information.''
+You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:
--->
+* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/ Diablo III screenshots and pictures]
+* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/search.php?keywords=Charged+Bolt&cat=all '''Charged Bolt''' specific gallery contents]
-==Media==
-You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
-* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
-* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Charged+Bolt Charged Bolt-specific gallery contents]
-<!--
 <gallery>
-Image:Diablo_III_Logo.jpg|Skill use 1
+Image:Wiz-charged-bolt1.jpg|Magic carpet of death.
-Image:Diablo_III_Logo.jpg|Skill use 2
-Image:Diablo_III_Logo.jpg|Skill use 2
-Image:Diablo_III_Logo.jpg|Skill use 3
 </gallery>
--->
+<!--
 ==Related Articles==
-* {{iw|D1_Spellbooks#Charged_Bolt Diablo I Charged Bolt}}
+-->
-* {{iw|Sorceress_Lightning_Spells#Charged_Bolt Diablo II Charged Bolt}}
 ==References==
-* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-wizard-skill-trees/ Full Wizard Skill Trees]
 * [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/wizard-gameplay-report/P2/ BlizzCon 2008 Wizard Gameplay Report]
-* [[Diablo II Manual]]
+* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-wizard-skill-trees/ BlizzCon 2009 Full Wizard Skill Trees]
-* [[Diablo I Manual]]
+{{Slave navbox Diablo III|Wizard}}
-{{Slave navbox Diablo III|Wizard}}
+[[category:Wizard skill archive]]
+[[category:Archives]]
+[[category:skill archive]]

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