Passive skills are skills that add bonuses, usually modifying other skills, that work all the time. They boost overall stats, or modify other skills, but are not used directly.
For instance, an active skill would be one that shot a Fireball. A passive skill would add say, +50% damage to all Fire Skills. Passive skills differ slightly from buffs, which can be very similar bonuses, but with a fixed duration.
In 2010 Blizzard announced that due to recent game changes, there were no longer any passive skills in the Diablo III skill trees. Passive skills remain in the game, but as was revealed at Blizzcon 2010, they are now accessed via the traits system. [1] [2]
See the various class traits pages for more details.
Description
Passive skills are not used directly for attacks, and tend to provide bonuses to numerous other skills, or add percentages to damage, to hit, defense, resistances, and other useful stats. Some effects also comes from passive skills, such as activating a bonus under special circumstances, such as a critical hit, or being hit.
Passive skills are often as or more important than some active skills, but usually receive less attention since they are not flashy or obvious in their effects. An example is making the possibility
Passive skills seldom possess synergistic properties. Passive skills are not signature skills.
Development
At BlizzCon 2008, there were far more passive than active skills in the three character trees, bit it changed in May 2009 and was shown with more detail at BlizzCon 2009.
- Read more about skill development.
Over time the number of passive skills were reduced, and as of Blizzcon 2009 there were about 35 skills for the Wizard, Witch Doctor, and Barbarian, with around a dozen of those passive.
The big change came in 2010, when the skill trees were completely overhauled, more active skills were introduced, and all of the passive skills were removed. Removed from the skill trees, not from the game, though Blizzard has yet to reveal where and how passive skills are implemented since the big change. A full reveal is promised for Blizzcon 2010.