Mortar
Mortar is a Boss Modifier that spawns on Bosses and Champions in Diablo III. Mortar enemies emit a steady stream of high-arcing bombs, which auto-target any hero outside of melee range. The modifier is meant to be tough for ranged attackers, as a counter to all of the boss modifiers that are much more dangerous at melee range. There is a "dead zone" close to Mortar bosses that no bombs (are supposed to) fall in, thus making them safer in close... safer from the mortars, at least.
Ranged attackers need to learn to move after every shot, (if not more often) since Mortars are launched at the current location of the hero, and standing still is a sure way to get blasted by these projectiles.
The property shares to the Boss' minions, but which one is firing the mortars seems to alternate, so very seldom will a boss and minion be Mortaring at the same time. This is not true of Champions, where multiple incoming mortars from different Champions is not an uncommon sight.
Mortar
- Monster Level Minimum: 31
- Available to: Bosses and Champions.
- Damage Type: Fire.
- Additional Resistances: N/A.
Contents
Strategy
Mortar is one of the most divisive monster affixes in the game. It's largely irrelevant to melee attackers, since the "dead zone" around the monster spewing the mortars is large enough that anyone within melee range won't be hit by any of the explosions. That's the theory, anyway. There have been bugs with the affix shooting straight up at times and hitting heroes even in the dead zone, especially when the monsters were in a corner or blocked by something, such as Waller walls.
Even melee fighters can have problems with Mortar Champion packs, since if the enemies are spread out, the dead zone for one might be too far from the others and still be in their firing range.
Ranged Strategy
The real challenge of Mortar is for ranged attackers though, since the mortars directly target heroes who are not at close range. This can be defeated by moving in closer, and if a hero has enough hit points or defense to take a hit or two at close range, it can be better to stand right beside the boss and blast him with your best offensive attack. Many enemies, short of Inferno at least, deal more damage with the mortars than with their melee attack, especially if it's a weak monster type.
When you must stand at a distance though, it's all about having quick feet. Players must learn to move after every shot, and sometimes even more often than that, if there are Champions and multiple sources of mortar fire. Skills that auto-target or cover an AoE are very useful against Mortars, so you can cast one and keep running while the spell does damage and you avoid the mortars.
It's best to keep Mortar enemies above you on the screen or to the sides. Due to how Diablo III's isometric view works, you see less of the screen below your character than above, and have less time and distance to avoid incoming projectiles like Mortars. When in combat, try to sidestep and run in circles, rather than just in a straight line away from the enemies. This will keep the battle in one area and you can time your movements better when the monsters firing them are visible, plus it will let your AoE attacks hit multiple of the enemies at once.
Stuns and roots and other CC attacks are helpful, but not a panacea since the Mortars will keep emerging as long as the monster is alive, whether it's stunned or not.
Beta Display Bug
When Mortar was first enabled during the Diablo III Beta test there was an awesome display bug where the game showed huge pink squares instead of the proper explosion graphic for the mortars. The effect was the same, and this visual bug was fixed in a later patch, but it was fun to see while it lasted. Video example here.
At that point Mortar had no "dead zone" and would hit melee attackers, plus the targeting was random and even ranged attackers could stand and fire with little risk of one of the bombs happening to fly straight at them. Obviously, changes were made during development, not the least of which was raising the monster level required, so that Mortar isn't even available until Nightmare, in the final game.
Media
Mortar is best appreciated in action, since the arc of the bombs and the movement patterns of the character are what make these fights entertaining.
Poor image quality, but nice action with a Monk battling Desert Wasps with Illusionist, Mortar, Frozen, and Knockback. Note that the Illusion wasps do not cast Mortars. |
A Monk vs. skeleton archers with Vortex, Teleporter, Shielding, Mortar. This shows the dead zone nicely, with the Monk largely safe from all Mortars while near the enemies. |
Monsters of Diablo III[e] Beasts Beasts: Superunique Demons Demons: Superunique Humans Humans: Superunique Undead Undead: Superunique Objects Bosses Boss Mods Monster Info Fanmade |
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Beasts | Bat - Beast - Blood Hawk - Demonic Hellflyer - Electric Eel - Khazra - Lacuni - Lamprey - Quill Fiend - Rockworm - Sand Monster - Sand Shark - Sand Wasp - Scavenger - Spider - Spiderling - Swarm - Withermoth - Wood Wraith - |
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Demons |
Armored Destroyer - Dark Berserker - Deceiver - Fallen - Ghoul - Hellion - Thrall |
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Undead |
Accursed - Bone Reaver - Brigand - Dune Dervish - Ghost - Ghoul - Grotesque - Morlu Caster - Risen Dead - Skeleton - Skeleton Mage - Unburied - Wraith - Wretched Mother |
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Primary Quest Uniques |
Act One Bosses:
Araneae -
Skeleton King -
The Warden -
The Butcher
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Uniques Modifiers |
Strong CC (Limit 1): Knockback -- Nightmarish -- Vortex -- Jailer | ||||
Removed Modifiers |
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Act One Uniques | Araneae - Web Spit | Leoric - Summon Skeleton, Teleport Strike, Triple Cleave | The Butcher - Smash, Grappling Hook, Spear, Frenzy Charge | ||
Act Two Uniques | Maghda - Forcefield, Summoning Ritual, Punish, Moth Dust, Teleport. | Zoltan Kulle - Fiery Boulder, Time Bubble, Ceiling Collapse, Energy Twister,Vanish, Creepy Laugh | Belial - Phase One: Triple Fireball, Summon Vipers. Phase Two: Poison Meteors, Ground Pound, Lightning Strike, Lightning Breath. | ||
Act Three Uniques | Ghom - Acid Slime, Sneeze, Gas Cloud, Chomp. | Siegebreaker - Triple Hit, Charge, Leg Stomp, Grab and Throw. | Cydaea - Pain Bolts, Web Trap, Spider Pits. | Azmodan - Bellyflop, Laser Attack, Falling Corpses, Demon Gate, Pool of Destruction, Globe of Annihilation. | |
Act Four Uniques | Rakanoth - Cleave, Teleport Strike, Blade Strike, Volley, Summon Minion. | Izual - Frost Nova, Frozen, Summon Minions. | Diablo - Phase One: Claw Rip, Charge, Hell Spikes, Shadow Vanish Grab, Curse of Destruction, Ring of Fire, Ground Stomp, Curse of Anguish, Curse of Hatred. Phase Two: Shadow Clone. Phase Three: Overdrive, Lightning Breath. |
Monster Info |
Monsters Basics -
Bosses -
Boss Modifiers -
Champions -
Quest bosses -
Teeth of Diablo -
Fan-made monsters
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