Difference between revisions of "Haunt"

Revision as of 18:37, 25 March 2012

Haunt in action from the Beta.

Haunt is a Secondary Witch Doctor skill unlocked at level 12. Using it the WD fires a ghost at an enemy, dealing arcane damage over time. If the target dies the Haunt will jump to another nearby enemy.

Background

The Witch Doctor calls forth a malevolent spirit that deals damage to anything it possesses.

Skill Rune Effects

The following is a very quick summary. See the Haunt rune effects page for a more thorough description of rune effects, or any of the individual rune pages for numbers, screenshots, blue quotes, and much more.

<skill class="WitchDoctor">Haunt</skill>

Skill Design

This skill seems a pretty standard DoT spell, albeit being weak and working somewhat like a summon spell. However, if combined with other DoT effects, can cause the enemy to die rather quickly, as compared to casting Skull of Flame constantly to take out an enemy. It seems to last for quite a while when it finds an enemy, and multiplication should not be underestimated. Also, this skill doesn't seem to work like other summoning spells, as the spirit will vanish if no enemy is found.

Synergies

The following Witch Doctor passives provide a benefit to Haunt:

Skill	Unlocked	Description

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

27

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]
See:
Spirit spells

36

{{{desc}}}

Development

Haunt was first seen at BlizzCon 2009, where it was a Tier I skill in the Spirit Skill Tree. Flux was able to try it in the gameplay demo, but didn't find it very useful:[1]

Honestly, this skill was worthless in the Blizzcon build. Other attack skills did far more damage, far more quickly, and for less mana. This skill is it’s apparently meant to be used primarily to stop monster regeneration, and it will probably work against monsters that have immunities to fire or poison, the Witch Doctor’s main attack types. But it’s very odd that it’s placed in the first Tier, since it seems more like a support/specialty skill to use in the late game.

In 2010, it was moved to Tier 2 in the new tree-less system. Bashiok responded to complaints about the look of the skill (based on hardly being able to see it in a gameplay movie) by quoting one of the skill designers, Julian Love, in September 2010:[2]

Bashiok: Re: haunt, Julian wanted to pass along that the effect seen for the skill was “the most ridiculously temporary graphic ever.” It was never really intended to be shown in the state it was, so it’s all a bit embarrassing. But never fear as the skill itself is seeing an overhaul (technically and visually) to better deliver the concept of being haunted.

@Diablo: New witch doctor Haunt effect is looking… hauntier.—Diablo

Although it was available in the demo at BlizzCon 2010, no known reports mention using it.

Beta

Skill tiers were removed shortly before the beta started in September 2011, and Haunt became a level 4 skill. Flux played it again, and found it much improved over the BlizzCon 2009 version:[3]

Haunt is extremely effective in the beta; probably too strong for such a low level skill. The only thing it’s not great for is quickly killing bosses, or quickly finishing off a huge mob. The DoT works nicely on bosses, but it takes a while, and while Haunt wreaks havoc on packs of monsters, this too takes a while. You can only have three Haunts out at once, each of which will rehaunt other nearby enemies when the first target dies.

The skill system was once again overhauled for the Beta Patch 13 in February 2012, and Haunt was classified as a Primary skill and moved to level 9. It was moved up to level 11 in Beta Patch 14, and for Beta Patch 15, it was re-classified as a Secondary skill, moved to level 12, and buffed rather heavily.

Media

Haunt can be seen in action on video here:

Video: August 2011 Witch Doctor Skill Animations

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

References

BlizzCon 2009 Full Witch Doctor Skill Trees and Stats
Haunt Grows Ghostlier — Incgamers 4th Sep 2010
Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report — IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
Witch Doctor Beta Skills Mega-report: Part One — IncGamers 30th Sep 2011
Witch Doctor Active Skills — Blizzard's Official Diablo III Site

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer primary

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer secondary

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer corpses

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer bloodandbone

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer reanimation

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer curses

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:IconHaunt.png|left]]
-'''Haunt''' is a Spirit Realm [[Witch Doctor skill]] unlocked at [[clvl|level]] 4. Using it the WD fires a ghost at an enemy, dealing arcane damage over time. If the target dies the Haunt will jump to another nearby enemy.
+[[File:Haunt-zombies1.jpg|thumb|350px|Haunt in action from the [[Beta]].]]
+'''Haunt''' is a Secondary [[Witch Doctor skill]] unlocked at [[clvl|level]] 12. Using it the WD fires a ghost at an enemy, dealing arcane damage over time. If the target dies the Haunt will jump to another nearby enemy.
 <br><br>__TOC__
 ==Background==
-[[File:Haunt-zombies1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Haunt in action from the [[Beta]].]]
 The Witch Doctor calls forth a malevolent spirit that deals damage to anything it possesses.
-==Skillrune Effects==
+==Skill Rune Effects==
-The following is a very quick list. See the [[Haunt rune effects]] page for a more thorough summary of rune effects, or any of the individual rune pages for numbers, screenshots, blue quotes, and much more.
+The following is a very quick summary. See the [[Haunt rune effects]] page for a more thorough description of rune effects, or any of the individual rune pages for numbers, screenshots, blue quotes, and much more.
 <skill class="WitchDoctor">Haunt</skill>
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ==Skill Design==
 This skill seems a pretty standard DoT spell, albeit being weak and working somewhat like a summon spell. However, if combined with other DoT effects, can cause the enemy to die rather quickly, as compared to casting [[Skull of Flame]] constantly to take out an enemy. It seems to last for quite a while when it finds an enemy, and multiplication should not be underestimated. Also, this skill doesn't seem to work like other summoning spells, as the spirit will vanish if no enemy is found.
-A fan complained about the look of this skill, based on hardly being able to see it in a gameplay movie, and got a reply, in which Bashiok quoted one of the skill designers, [[Julian Love]], in September 2010:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/haunt-grows-ghostlier/]
-<blue>'''Bashiok:''' Re: haunt, Julian wanted to pass along that the effect seen for the skill was “the most ridiculously temporary graphic ever.” It was never really intended to be shown in the state it was, so it’s all a bit embarrassing. But never fear as the skill itself is seeing an overhaul (technically and visually) to better deliver the concept of being haunted.</blue>
-<br>
-<blue>'''@Diablo:'''   New witch doctor Haunt effect is looking… hauntier.—Diablo</blue>
-Despite this commentary, we've still never had a good look at the skill. If anyone saw or used it at Blizzcon 2010, where it was available in the First Tier, they didn't make any public comment on the graphics.
 ==Synergies==
-* No [[synergies]] with any of the [[passive skill]]s are yet known.
+The following [[Witch Doctor passives]] provide a benefit to Haunt:
+{{Passive skills header}}
+{{Witch Doctor Passive Pierce the Veil}}
+{{Witch Doctor Passive Rush of Essence}}
+==Development==
+Haunt was first seen at [[BlizzCon 2009]], where it was a Tier I skill in the [[Spirit Skill Tree]]. [[Flux]] was able to try it in the gameplay demo, but didn't find it very useful:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/full-witch-doctor-skills/]
-==Skill Rune Effects==
+<blockquote>''Honestly, this skill was worthless in the Blizzcon build. Other attack skills did far more damage, far more quickly, and for less mana. This skill is it’s apparently meant to be used primarily to stop monster regeneration, and it will probably work against monsters that have immunities to fire or poison, the Witch Doctor’s main attack types. But it’s very odd that it’s placed in the first Tier, since it seems more like a support/specialty skill to use in the late game.</blockquote>
-* No [[rune]] effects for Haunt are known.
+In 2010, it was moved to Tier 2 in the new tree-less system. [[Bashiok]] responded to complaints about the look of the skill (based on hardly being able to see it in a gameplay movie) by quoting one of the skill designers, [[Julian Love]], in September 2010:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/haunt-grows-ghostlier/]
+<blue><b>Bashiok:</b> Re: haunt, Julian wanted to pass along that the effect seen for the skill was “the most ridiculously temporary graphic ever.” It was never really intended to be shown in the state it was, so it’s all a bit embarrassing. But never fear as the skill itself is seeing an overhaul (technically and visually) to better deliver the concept of being haunted.</blue>
+<br>
+<blue><b>@Diablo:</b> New witch doctor Haunt effect is looking… hauntier.—Diablo</blue>
-==Development==
+Although it was available in the demo at [[BlizzCon 2010]], no known reports mention using it.
-Haunt was first seen at [[BlizzCon 2009]], where it was a Tier I skill in the [[Spirit Skill Tree]]. [[Flux]] was able to try it in the gameplay demo, but didn't find it very useful:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/full-witch-doctor-skills/]
-<blockquote>''Honestly, this skill was worthless in the Blizzcon build. Other attack skills did far more damage, far more quickly, and for less mana. This skill is it’s apparently meant to be used primarily to stop monster regeneration, and it will probably work against monsters that have immunities to fire or poison, the Witch Doctor’s main attack types. But it’s very odd that it’s placed in the first Tier, since it seems more like a support/specialty skill to use in the late game.</blockquote>
+===Beta===
+Skill tiers were removed shortly before the [[beta]] started in September 2011, and Haunt became a level 4 skill. [[Flux]] played it again, and found it much improved over the BlizzCon 2009 version:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/witch-doctor-beta-skills-mega-report]
-By 2010, it had been moved to Tier 2, but no known [[BlizzCon 2010]] reports mention using it. Skill tiers were removed for the [[July 2011 Press Event]], and Haunt became a level 4 skill.
+<blockquote>''Haunt is extremely effective in the beta; probably too strong for such a low level skill. The only thing it’s not great for is quickly killing bosses, or quickly finishing off a huge mob. The DoT works nicely on bosses, but it takes a while, and while Haunt wreaks havoc on packs of monsters, this too takes a while. You can only have three Haunts out at once, each of which will rehaunt other nearby enemies when the first target dies.</blockquote>
+The skill system was once again overhauled for the [[Beta Patch 13]] in February 2012, and Haunt was classified as a Primary skill and moved to level 9. It was moved up to level 11 in [[Beta Patch 14]], and for [[Beta Patch 15]], it was re-classified as a Secondary skill, moved to level 12, and [[buff]]ed rather heavily.
 ==Media==
+Haunt can be seen in action on video here:
 * [[Skill Animations Videos#Witch Doctor Video|Video: August 2011 Witch Doctor Skill Animations]]
@@ Line 59: / Line 60: @@
 </gallery>
 -->
 ==References==
 * [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/full-witch-doctor-skills/ BlizzCon 2009 Full Witch Doctor Skill Trees and Stats]
-* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/haunt-grows-ghostlier/ Haunt Grows Ghostlier] -- Incgamers 4th Sep 2010
+* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/haunt-grows-ghostlier/ Haunt Grows Ghostlier] — Incgamers 4th Sep 2010
-* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7960229#post7960229 Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report] -- IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
+* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7960229#post7960229 Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report] — IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
-* [http://us.battle.net/d3/en/class/witch-doctor/active/ Witch Doctor Active Skills] -- Diablo III 13th Sep 2011
+* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/witch-doctor-beta-skills-mega-report Witch Doctor Beta Skills Mega-report: Part One] — IncGamers 30th Sep 2011
+* [http://us.battle.net/d3/en/class/witch-doctor/active/ Witch Doctor Active Skills] — Blizzard's Official Diablo III Site

Fan-made Classes			Fan-made Skills [e]
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(U) = Unfinished				Untainted Skills • Divine Skill Tree