Locust Swarm is a Physical Realm Witch Doctor skill unlocked at level 19, which sends forth a torrent of locusts which swarm over and devour anything they meet. The Locusts can chain from target to target, potentially consuming or damaging numerous targets in close proximity.
Contents
Background
The Witch Doctor sends a locust swarm to literally devour the flesh of his enemies.
Skill Effects
The following is a very quick list. See the Locust Swarm 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.
| Icon | Skill | Description |
|---|
|
Locust Swarm Physical Realm (Level 19) |
[e] Cost: 352 Mana Summon a plague of locusts to assault enemies, dealing 5% weapon damage per second as Poison for 3 seconds. The locusts will jump to additional nearby targets. |
 |
Diseased Swarm |
[e] Targets killed by the Locust Swarm leave behind a disease cloud that deals 50% weapon damage per second as Poison to enemies in the cloud. The cloud lasts 3 seconds. |
 |
Searing Locusts |
[e] Ignite the locusts with fire causing them to deal 110% weapon damage per second as Fire. |
 |
Devouring Swarm |
[e] Convert 40% of the damage done as Mana for you. |
 |
Pestilence |
[e] When the swarm jumps there is a 55% chance to jump to two targets instead of one. |
 |
Cloud of Insects |
[e] Increase the duration of the swarm to 10 seconds. |
Note: Information is based on a level 60 character and rank 7 runestones.
Skill Design
A really nice skill against packs of monsters, working like a disease that affects one monster and then the rest of the group. It can spread quite fast, so casting this spell just once is enough, and by the time it is done, you would have used a few other skills. Enemies who are killed by Locust Swarm leave behind a skeleton, a most pleasant visual effect.
Locust Swarm Video
A video of Locus Swarm in use can be seen below, courtesy of the DiabloInc You Tube channel.
Synergies
- No synergies with any of the passive skills are yet known.
Development
Locust Swarm premiered with Diablo III in the WWI 2008 gameplay video as a Tier II skill in the Plague Skill Tree (later renamed the Zombie Skill Tree). The first version of this skill could be cast on Mongrels, enhancing them with poison damage.
By BlizzCon 2009, Locust Swarm had been moved to Tier III in the Voodoo Skill Tree and could no longer be cast on Mongrels (renamed to Zombie Dogs). Flux discussed its utility:[1]
The skill isn’t that damaging, but the way the locusts can spread from target to target makes it fairly amusing to use in large crowds. This one might have long term viability, even if the damage is negligible in the end game, simply as a sort of poisonous AoE attack.
At BlizzCon 2010, Locust Swarm was still in the game (moved down to Tier 4), but wasn't one of the Witch Doctor's starting skills. Skill tiers were removed for the July 2011 Press Event, and Locust Swarm became a level 19 skill.
Previous Versions
See the Witch Doctor skill archive for more details on previous versions of Locust Swarm and other Witch Doctor skills.
Media
Locust Swarm can be seen in action on video here:
You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:
References
- BlizzCon 2008 Witch Doctor Gameplay Report
- BlizzCon 2009 Full Witch Doctor Skill Trees and Stats
- Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report -- IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
- Witch Doctor Active Skills -- Diablo III 13th Sep 2011
| Classes of the Diablo games |
Skills - Active skills - Skill runes - Passives - Resource - Movement ability [e] Barbarian Demon Hunter Monk Necromancer Witch Doctor Wizard Followers Other Classes Fan-made |
|---|
| The Barbarian | Fury - Barbarian Active Skills (Archive) | Barbarian Passive Skills (Archive) [e] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Primary Might |
Secondary Tactics |
Defensive Rage |
Pound of Flesh (10) |
Superstition (30) |
| (X) = the level at which the skill becomes unlocked. | |||||
| Barbarian skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Might Tactics Rage |
|---|
|
Bash |
Cleave |
Frenzy |
[e] |
|
Hammer of the Ancients |
Rend |
Seismic Slam |
Whirlwind |
[e] |
|
Ground Stomp |
Leap |
Sprint |
Ignore Pain |
[e] |
|
Ancient Spear |
Revenge |
Furious Charge |
Overpower |
[e] |
|
Weapon Throw |
Threatening Shout |
Battle Rage |
War Cry |
[e] |
|
Earthquake |
Call of the Ancients |
Wrath of the Berserker |
[e] |
| The Demon Hunter | Hatred/Discipline - Demon Hunter Active Skills (Archive) | Demon Hunter Passive Skills (Archive) [e] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Primary attribute:
|
Primary Hunting |
Secondary Devices |
Defensive Archery |
Tactical Advantage (10) |
Archery (30) |
| (X) = the level at which the skill becomes unlocked. | |||||
| Demon Hunter skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Hunting Devices Archery |
|---|
|
Hungering Arrow |
Entangling Shot |
Bola Shot |
Grenades |
[e] |
|
Impale |
Rapid Fire |
Chakram |
Elemental Arrow |
[e] |
|
Caltrops |
Smoke Screen |
Shadow Power |
[e] |
|
Vault |
Preparation |
Companion |
Marked for Death |
[e] |
|
Evasive Fire |
Fan of Knives |
Spike Trap |
Sentry |
[e] |
|
Strafe |
Multishot |
Cluster Arrow |
Rain of Vengeance |
[e] |
| Monk skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Techniques Focus Mantras |
|---|
|
Fists of Thunder |
Deadly Reach |
Crippling Wave |
Way of the Hundred Fists |
[e] |
|
Lashing Tail Kick |
Tempest Rush |
Wave of Light |
[e] |
|
Blinding Flash |
Breath of Heaven |
Serenity |
Inner Sanctuary |
[e] |
|
Dashing Strike |
Exploding Palm |
Sweeping Wind |
[e] |
|
Cyclone Strike |
Seven-Sided Strike |
Mystic Ally |
[e] |
|
Mantra of Evasion |
Mantra of Retribution |
Mantra of Healing |
Mantra of Conviction |
[e] |
| Necromancer skill categories: Primary Secondary Corpses Blood and Bone Reanimation Curses |
|---|
| Witch Doctor skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Terror Decay Voodoo |
|---|
|
Poison Dart - Rune effects |
Corpse Spiders |
Plague of Toads |
Firebomb |
[e] |
|
Grasp of the Dead |
Firebats |
Haunt |
Locust Swarm |
[e] |
|
Summon Zombie Dogs |
Horrify |
Spirit Walk |
Hex |
[e] |
|
Soul Harvest |
Sacrifice |
Mass Confusion |
[e] |
|
Zombie Charger |
Spirit Barrage |
Acid Cloud |
Wall of Zombies |
[e] |
|
Gargantuan |
Big Bad Voodoo |
Fetish Army |
[e] |
| The Wizard | Arcane Power - Wizard Active Skills (Archive) | Wizard Passive Skills (Archive) [e] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Primary attribute:
|
Primary Force |
Secondary Conjuration |
Defensive Mastery |
Blur (10) |
Conflagration (34) |
| (X) = the level at which the skill becomes unlocked. | |||||
| Wizard skill categories: Primary Secondary Defensive Force Conjuration Mastery |
|---|
|
Magic Missile |
Shock Pulse |
Spectral Blade |
Electrocute |
[e] |
|
Ray of Frost |
Arcane Orb |
Arcane Torrent |
Disintegrate |
[e] |
|
Frost Nova |
Diamond Skin |
Slow Time |
Teleport |
[e] |
|
Wave of Force |
Energy Twister |
Hydra |
Meteor |
Blizzard |
[e] |
|
Ice Armor |
Storm Armor |
Magic Weapon |
Familiar |
Energy Armor |
[e] |
|
Explosive Blast |
Mirror Image |
Archon |
[e] |
| Followers | Kormac the Templar | Lyndon the Scoundrel | Eirena the Enchantress [e] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Level 10: |
Level 5: Level 10: |
Level 15: |
Level 15: Level 20: |
Level 25: Level 30: | ||
| Diablo III Other Classes | Diablo II Classes | Diablo I Classes [e] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Archetypes: |
Archetype sub-types: |
Other classes: |
Diablo II: |
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| Fan-made Classes | Fan-made Skills [e] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
• Alchemist |
• Flagellant |
• Ranger |
Dragon Warrior Skills |
Aurian Mage Skill | |
| | |||||