Difference between revisions of "Witch Doctor skills"

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Revision as of 14:47, 18 September 2011

This page lists the Witch Doctor skills, with information that was current as of August 2011. This page is a quick listing; follow the links to the individual skill pages for full discussion of every skill, including first hand reports, Blue quotes, runestone information, and numerous screenshots and other images.

All character skills have undergone considerable changes during development, with the biggest change coming before Blizzcon 2010, when skill trees and passive skills were removed from the skill listing and Traits were introduced. See the Witch Doctor skill archive for information about skill changes over time.

Useful skill links:

• Skills - General skill design and mechanics.
  • Active skills - Skills where effects are activated by the player.
  • Passive skills - Skills where effects are activated automatically, by the computer or by special events.
  • Signature skills - Skills that define characters.
• Mana -- The Witch Doctor's energy resource.
• Runestones - Their huge impact on changing skills can not be over-emphasized.
• Witch Doctor skill archive - Removed Witch Doctor skills.
• Witch Doctor traits -- Passive skills in Diablo III were called traits for a while before reverting back.

Active Skills

Click to the individual skill pages for more details about these skills including numbers, screenshots, runestone information, blue quotes, and much more.

Poison Dart

Poison Dart is a Physical Realm skill unlocked at Level 1.
The Witch Doctor uses a blowpipe to fire a poison dart. A fairly slow attack that's hugely improved by runestones.

Description: Fires a deadly poison dart that deals 46-67 poison damage and an additional 57 poison damage over 2 seconds.

Cost: 176 Mana

Summon Zombie Dogs

Summon Zombie Dog is a Support skill unlocked at Level 1.
Better known as "Mongrels," Zombie Dogs are the basic Witch Doctor pet, capable of tanking and fighting effectively, though they are not meant for a long life, and deal their best damage when Sacrificed.

Description: Summons 3 zombie dogs from the depths to fight by your side.

Cost: 176 Mana
Cooldown: 60 seconds

Plague of Toads

Plague of Toads is a Physical Realm skill unlocked at Level 2.
The Witch Doctor summons several toads that hop forward like living Charged Bolts and explode against enemies. Some dramatic runestone effects are known for this skill.

Description: Release a handful of toads that deal 71 - 99 Poison damage to enemies they come in contact with.

Cost: 211 Mana

Grasp of the Dead

Grasp of the Dead is a Support skill unlocked at Level 3.
A powerful curse, this one deals damage as well as slowing enemies for a short duration.

Description: Hands reach out from the ground slowing enemy movement by 50% and dealing 21 physical damage per second for 8 seconds.

Cost: 53 Mana
Cooldown: 8 seconds

Haunt

Haunt is a Spirit Realm skill unlocked at Level 4.
A ranged spell attack, this sics a ghostly entity upon the target, dealing DoT. The Haunt will seek a new target when its victim dies.

Description: Haunt an enemy with a spirit dealing 355 Arcane damage over 17 seconds. If the target dies, the spirit will automatically haunt another nearby enemy.

Cost: 106 Mana
You may have up to 3 Haunt effects active at once.

Zombie Charger

Zombie Charger is a Physical Realm skill unlocked at Level 5.
A zombie is summoned, which charges straight in the direction specified, melting into nothing and dealing poison damage to any targes along the way. A runestone can grant the infamous Zombie Bears effect.

Description: Call forth a reckless, suicidal zombie that deals 71 - 99 Poison damage to all enemies in its way.

Cost: 229 Mana

Hex

Hex is a Support skill unlocked at Level 6.
A curse of sorts, this one causes damage and blocks the afflicted's ability to attack.

Description: Summon a Fetish Shaman for 8 seconds that will hex enemies into chickens. Hexed enemies are unable to perform offensive actions and take 20% additional damage.

Cost: 176 Mana
Cooldown: 10 seconds

Corpse Spiders

Corpse Spiders is a Physical Realm skill unlocked at Level 7.
Spiders emerge from a rotting zombie corpse and launch themselves at nearby enemies, dealing poison damage with their swarming bites.

Description: Summon 4 spiders to attack nearby enemies for 7 - 21 physical damage.

Cost: 282 Mana

Horrify

Horrify is a Spirit Realm skill unlocked at Level 8.
A powerful curse, this one frightens nearby enemies into running away for a few seconds. The radius emanates from the Witch Doctor, not from the spot targeted when cast, so it only works on enemies who are very nearby.

Description: Don a spectral mask that horrifies all enemies within 12 yards, causing them to run in fear for 5 seconds.

Cooldown: 20 seconds

Firebats

Firebats is a Physical Realm skill unlocked at Level 9.
A short range spell attack, this sends flaming bats out in an Inferno-like spray, dealing damage to anything in their path.

Description: A swarm of fiery bats burn enemies in front of you for 57 - 85 Fire damage per second.

Cost: 352 Mana per second

Firebomb

Firebomb is a Physical Realm skill unlocked at Level 11.
Previously known as Skull of Flame, this is a ranged attack that's thrown like a grenade. It explodes on impact, dealing considerable fire damage. The projectile is a human skull, filled with an explosive liquid.

Description: Lob an explosive skull that deals 64 - 78 Fire damage to all enemies within 8 yards.

Cost: 264 Mana

Spirit Walk

Spirit Walk is a Spirit Realm skill unlocked at Level 12.
A powerful movement/escape skill, especially useful in the Battle Arena. The Witch Doctor leaves his physical body behind as a decoy and can run freely, invisible, for several seconds.

Description: Enter the spirit realm for 3 seconds. While in the spirit realm, your movement is unhindered.

Cost: 176 Mana
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Your link to the spirit realm will end if you cast any spell or your physical body sustains 50% of your maximum health in damage.

Soul Harvest

Soul Harvest is a Spirit Realm skill unlocked at Level 14.
A buff that increases the WD's spell damage based on how many enemies are nearby.

Description: Feed on the life force of up to 5 nearby enemies within 15 yards. Gain 126 Attack for each affected enemy. This effect lasts 30 seconds.

Cooldown: 15 seconds

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is a Support skill unlocked at Level 16.
This skill causes a Mongrel to detonate in a huge spray of purple and pink smoke, dealing physical damage to all nearby enemies.

Description: All of your zombie dogs explode, each dealing 107 - 178 physical damage to all enemies within 12 yards.

Gargantuan

Gargantuan is a Support skill unlocked at Level 18.
A large, powerful zombie pet that tanks for the Witch Doctor.

Description: Summon a large zombie follower to fight for you. The Gargantuan swings for 18 - 25 physical damage with every swing.

Cost: 528 Mana
Cooldown: 120 seconds

Locust Swarm

Locust Swarm is a Physical Realm skill unlocked at Level 19.
A ranged spell attack, this sends out a cloud of locusts that swarm over enemies, eating their flesh from the bones. Locusts will chain between nearby enemies, potentially consuming numerous targets per cast.

Description: Summon a plague of locusts to assault enemies, dealing 25 Poison damage per second for 3 seconds. The locusts will jump to additional nearby targets.

Cost: 352 Mana

Spirit Barrage

Spirit Barrage is a Spirit Realm skill unlocked at Level 21.
A DfA attack that's never yet been shown publicly. Acid Cloud covers a small radius, so presumably this one has a larger radius.

Description: Bombard a target with a spirit bolt that deals 36 - 71 physical damage.

Cost: 141 Mana

Acid Cloud

Acid Cloud is a Physical Realm skill unlocked at Level 22.
Originally a Wizard spell, this one was moved to the Witch Doctor to provide a DfA attack with a small radius that melts the flesh from the bones of anything in the targeted area.

Description: Acid falls down dealing an initial 57 - 78 Poison damage followed by 14 Poison damage per second to enemies who remain in the area.

Cost: 528 Mana

Mass Confusion

Mass Confusion is a Spirit Realm skill unlocked at Level 24.
A mind control spell that temporarily changes the alignment of some enemies.

Description: Incite paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for you for 8 seconds.

Cooldown: 60 seconds

Big Bad Voodoo

Big Bad Voodoo is a Support skill unlocked at Level 25.

Description: Summon a fetish to begin a ritual dance that increases the attack, casting and movement speeds of all allies in the area by 15% for 20 seconds.

Cooldown: 120 seconds

Wall of Zombies

Wall of Zombies is a Physical Realm skill unlocked at Level 27.
One of the showier Witch Doctor skills to be displayed in the early announcement, this one causes a wall of zombies to erupt from the earth. The WoZ blocks the progress of enemies as well as dealing physical damage to anything in range.

Description: A line of zombies emerge from the ground, attacking nearby enemies for 21 - 36 physical damage per second for 5 seconds.

Cost: 352 Mana

Fetish Army

Fetish Army is a Support skill unlocked at Level 29.
The Witch Doctor is able to summon Fetishes, versions of the monsters from Diablo II, to fight for him. Never yet publicly seen.

Description: Summon an army of Fetish creatures to fight by your side for 20 seconds. Dagger-wielding fetishes attack for 14 - 25 physical damage.

Cooldown: 120 seconds

Passive Skills

Passive skills replaced Traits during late game development in 2011. Many Traits were simply changed to passive skills, but some are all new. See the Witch Doctor traits page for a full list of those passives.

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Vermin

(Level 10)

Your Plague of Toads, Corpse Spiders, Locust Swarm and Firebats abilities do 20% more damage.

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Death Trance

(Level 28)

Reduce damage by 60% whenever you are below 25% of your maximum Life.

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Development

The Witch Doctor's skills and skill trees were first seen at BlizzCon 2008, with only a few skills enabled and many showing nothing more than vague descriptions in the skill tree. The listing was fleshed out at Blizzcon 2009, but most of his skills, especially the summoning ones, remained NYI. The current information was revealed at Blizzcon 2010, with the passive skills removed (see the Witch Doctor traits and a near-final skill listing.

A large number of the higher level WD spells have still never been shown publicly, in contrast to the skills of the Wizard and Barbarian, almost all of which have been shown off.

Removed Skills

• Pit of Fire
  
• Parasite
  

References

• Full Witch Doctor Skills
• Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report -- IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
• Witch Doctor Overview -- Diablo III 13th Sep 2011