Witch Doctor skills

The Witch Doctor Skill Tree as seen in Blizzcon 2009. Skill are no longer presented in this fashion. Image by Muldric.

This page lists the Witch Doctor skills, with information that was current as of October 2010. 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.

Essential skill links:

• Skills - General skill design and mechanics.
• Witch Doctor traits -- Passive bonuses and other character modifications.
• Mana -- The Witch Doctor's energy resource.
• Witch Doctor skill archive - Removed Witch Doctor skills.
• Runestones - Their huge impact on changing skills can not be over-emphasized.
• Signature skills - Skills that define characters.
• 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.

Contents

Tier One Skills

All abilities in this tier are unlocked at Clvl 2. Click to the individual skill pages for more details about these skills including numbers, screenshots, runestone information, blue quotes, and much more.

Summon Zombie Dog

Summon Zombie Dog
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: The Witch Doctor summons a level X zombie dog to aid him. Can have up to X zombie dogs out at a time.

Plague of Toads

Plague of Toads
The Witch Doctor summons several toads that hop out to splatter and die against enemies, like living amphibian Charged Bolts. Some amazing runestone effects are known for this skill.

• Description: Release a handful of toads that deal X-X poison damage to anybody who steps on them.

Tier Two Skills

All abilities in this tier are unlocked at Clvl 3. Click to the individual skill pages for more details about these skills including numbers, screenshots, runestone information, blue quotes, and much more.

Zombie Charger

Zombie Charger
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: A reckless, suicidal zombie deals X-X poison damage to all enemies in its way.

Corpse Spiders

Corpse Spiders
Spiders emerge from a rotting zombie corpse and launch themselves at nearby enemies, dealing poison damage with their swarming bites.

• Description: Summon X spiders to attack nearby enemies.

Haunt

Haunt
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 X arcane damage over X seconds. If the target dies, the spirit will automatically haunt another nearby target.

Tier Three Skills

All abilities in this tier are unlocked at Clvl 6. 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
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 X-X poison damage and an additional X-X poison damage over X seconds.

Grasp of the Dead

Grasp of the Dead
A powerful curse, this one deals damage as well as slowing enemies for a short duration.

• Description: Hands reach out, slowing enemies by X% and dealing X-X damage per second for X seconds.

Hex

Hex
A curse of sorts, this one causes damage and blocks the afflicted's ability to attack.

• Description: Summon a fetish shaman for X seconds that will hex enemies into chickens. Hexed enemies are unable to perform offensive actions and will take X% additional damage.

Sacrifice

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

• Description: A nearby zombie dog explodes, dealing X damage to all enemies within X yards.

Soul Harvest

Soul Harvest
A buff that increases the WD's spell damage based on how many enemies are nearby.

• Description: Feed on the life force of nearby enemies. Gain X% increased spell damage per enemy within X feet for X seconds.

Tier Four Skills

All abilities in this tier are unlocked at Clvl 10. Click to the individual skill pages for more details about these skills including numbers, screenshots, runestone information, blue quotes, and much more.

Firebats

Firebats
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 X fire damage per second.

Locust Swarm

Locust Swarm
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: A plague of locusts assault enemies dealing X damage per second over X seconds. The locusts will jump to additional nearby targets.

Tier Five Skills

All abilities in this tier are unlocked at Clvl 2. Click to the individual skill pages for more details about these skills including numbers, screenshots, runestone information, blue quotes, and much more.

Acid Cloud

Acid Cloud
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 rains down dealing an initial X-X poison damage followed by X-X poison damage per second to nearby enemies who remain in the area.

Firebomb

Firebomb
Previously known as Skull of Flame, this is a ranged attack that's thrown like a grenade. It deals 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 X-X fire damage to all enemies caught in the explosion.

Horrify

Horrify
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 X feet, causing them to run in fear for X seconds.

Wall of Zombies

Wall of Zombies
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: Zombies erupt from the earth and attack nearby enemies for X damage per second.

Tier Six Skills

All abilities in this tier are unlocked at Clvl 20. Click to the individual skill pages for more details about these skills including numbers, screenshots, runestone information, blue quotes, and much more.

Gargantuan

Gargantuan
A large, powerful zombie pet that tanks for the Witch Doctor.

• Description: Summon a large level X zombie follower to fight for you.

Mass Confusion

Mass Confusion
A mind control spell that temporarily changes the alignment of some enemies.

• Description: Incite paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the Witch Doctor for X seconds.

Pit of Fire

Pit of Fire
Summoned Fetish pets circle up and create a ring of flames, burning all enemies in the vicinity. Never yet seen publicly.

• Description: A gang of fetishes go tribal, causing X-X fire damage to all enemies caught in their ceremony.

Spirit Walk

Spirit Walk
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, allowing unhindered movement for X seconds.

Tier Seven Skills

All abilities in this tier are unlocked at Clvl 26. Click to the individual skill pages for more details about these skills including numbers, screenshots, runestone information, blue quotes, and much more.

Fetish Army

Fetish Army
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 X seconds.

Parasite

Parasite
A spell attack that spawns a Zombie Dog. It's not known what the Parasite looks like, or how this spell might interact with the regular Zombie Dog skill, in terms of the max number a Witch Doctor can control at a given time.

• Description: Launch a parasite at an enemy, dealing X damage over X seconds. If a target dies while under the effects of parasite, a zombie dog emerges from the slain body.

Spirit Barrage

Spirit Barrage
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: A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in the targeted area. Each bolt deals X-X arcane damage.

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.

References

• Full Witch Doctor Skills