Difference between revisions of "Spirit Skill Tree"

Latest revision as of 04:00, 3 May 2012

The Spirit skill tree is a Witch Doctor skill tree true to its namesake, manipulating the intangible spirits of enemies, conjure new ones to attack or fight for the Witch Doctor or even manipulate the Witch Doctor's spirit.

Useful skill links:

Skills - General skill design and mechanics.
Witch Doctor skills - Witch Doctor-specific skill design.
- Zombie Skill Tree - Zombie skills.
- Spirit Skill Tree - Spirit skills.
- Voodoo Skill Tree - Voodoo skills.
Witch Doctor skill archive - Removed Witch Doctor skills.

Archived Article [e]
Spirit Skill Tree is an archived article about material previously included in Diablo 3. However, it has been removed or the article contains outdated facts. The information is stored in Diablo Wiki for posterity. Please note: Links in this article lead to both updated and archived material.

This article was last up to date:

BlizzCon 2009

Updated version of this article is:

NoneCurrent information can be found at:

Witch Doctor skills

BlizzCon 2010

Witch Doctor's Spirit skill tree as of BlizzCon 2009.

Spirit skills[edit | edit source]

The Spirit tree focuses on mana regeneration, crowd control, and being more adept at surviving. Like any skill tree focusing on any element of gameplay, it cannot be called a skill tree if it doesn't have signature skills that can actually kill. Luckily for us, the Spirit tree has a few cool skills that makes enemies easy to kill, like Haunt, Soul Harvest and Mass Confusion.

Tier I[edit | edit source]

Haunt
- Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabiting a host than when searching for one.
Spirit Vessel
- Replenishes your mana when consuming a health globe.

Tier II[edit | edit source]

Soul Harvest
- Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your mana.
Rituals
- Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your vitality.

Tier III[edit | edit source]

Spirit Sense
- Increase damage against targets with low health by X% percentage.
Horrify
- Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.

Tier IV[edit | edit source]

Spirit Barrage
- A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
Ritual of Blood
- Whilst active, X% of all mana costs are paid for with health.

Tier V[edit | edit source]

Spirit Walk
- Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
Meditation
- Your spirit spells return X% of their mana cost over 10 seconds.

Tier VI[edit | edit source]

Death Pact
- Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
Mass Confusion
- Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the Witch Doctor for a period of time.

References[edit | edit source]

Full Witch Doctor Skill Tree Stats and Discussion

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-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 '''Spirit skill tree''' is a [[Witch Doctor]] skill tree true to its namesake, manipulating the intangible spirits of enemies, conjure new ones to attack or fight for the Witch Doctor or even manipulate the Witch Doctor's spirit.
-The Witch Doctor's tree skill trees are:
-* [[Plague Skill Tree]]
+'''Useful skill links:'''
-* [[Spirit Skill Tree]]
+* [[Skill]]s - General skill design and mechanics.
-* [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]
+* [[Witch Doctor skills]] - Witch Doctor-specific skill design.
+** [[Zombie Skill Tree]] - Zombie skills.
+** [[Spirit Skill Tree]] - Spirit skills.
+** [[Voodoo Skill Tree]] - Voodoo skills.
+* [[Witch Doctor skill archive]] - Removed Witch Doctor skills.
-==Diablo III Skill Trees==
+{{Archive|[[BlizzCon 2009]]|None|[[Witch Doctor skills]]; skill trees were removed prior to [[BlizzCon 2010]]}}
-{{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.
+[[Image:Skill-tree-blizzcon09-spirit-muldric.jpg|frame|Witch Doctor's Spirit skill tree as of [[BlizzCon 2009]].]]
+==Spirit skills==
+The Spirit tree focuses on [[mana]] regeneration, [[crowd control]], and being more adept at surviving. Like any skill tree focusing on any element of gameplay, it cannot be called a skill tree if it doesn't have [[signature skills]] that can actually kill. Luckily for us, the Spirit tree has a few cool skills that makes enemies easy to kill, like Haunt, Soul Harvest and Mass Confusion.
-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.
+===Tier I===
+* '''[[Haunt]]'''
+** Launch a Spirit to invade the bodies of your enemies, causing sustained damage over time; the spirit lasts longer when inhabiting a host than when searching for one.
+* '''[[Spirit Vessel (skill)|Spirit Vessel]]'''
+** Replenishes your [[mana]] when consuming a [[health globe]].
-==Spirit Skill Tree==
-===Skull of Flame===
+===Tier II===
-[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb_icon.gif|left|Firebomb Skill Icon]]The [[Skull of Flame]] (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.
+* '''[[Soul Harvest]]'''
+** Draw out the life of enemies to replenish your [[mana]].
+* '''[[Rituals (skill)|Rituals]]'''
+** Increase your spell power by a percentage (%) of your [[vitality]].
-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.
+===Tier III===
+* '''[[Spirit Sense]]'''
+** Increase damage against targets with low [[health]] by X% percentage.
+* '''[[Horrify]]'''
+** Don a spectral mask that horrifies enemies, causing them to run away from you.
-[[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:
+===Tier IV===
+* '''[[Spirit Barrage]]'''
+** A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in targeted areas.
+* '''[[Ritual of Blood (skill)|Ritual of Blood]]'''
+** Whilst active, X% of all [[mana]] costs are paid for with [[health]].
-: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.
+===Tier V===
+* '''[[Spirit Walk]]'''
+** Traverse your physical body into the spirit realm, allowing unhindered movement for a time.
+* '''[[Meditation]]'''
+** Your spirit spells return X% of their [[mana]] cost over 10 seconds.
-: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.
+===Tier VI===
+* '''[[Death Pact (skill)|Death Pact]]'''
+** Induce momentary invulnerability whenever you are reduced to 10% of your maximum [[health]]. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
+* '''[[Mass Confusion]]'''
+** Induce paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the [[Witch Doctor]] for a period of time.
-===Mass Confusion===
-[[Image:Skill_witchdoctor_massconfusion.png|frame|right|Mass Confusion being cast on [[Goatman|Goatmen]].]]
-This curse-like mind control attack summons a blue spirit wherever the [[Witch Doctor]] targets it. The spirit confuses some of the [[monster]]s in range, causing an aqua coloured 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===
+==References==
-[[Image:Icon-soul-harvest.jpg|left]][[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Soul Harvest]]
+* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-witch-doctor-skills/ Full Witch Doctor Skill Tree Stats and Discussion]
-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 [[monster]]s 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.
+{{skills navbox 2009|Spirit}}
-===Firebats===
+[[category:Skill archive]]
-[[Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|thumb|300px|Firebats!]]
+[[category:Witch Doctor skill archive]]
-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].
+[[category:Spirit skills]]
-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]]