Class-Specific Weapons

Numerous types of weapons (but not armor) are restricted to certain classes in Diablo III. The developers have given two reasons for this limitation. They want weapons to be appropriate for the classes that can use them, and it would be a huge amount of more work to make animations for every item on every character, and as seldom as some classes would use some item types, the development time is better spent working on other aspects of the game.

Who Can't Use What?

This list is incomplete and subject to change as the game's development continues. It was compiled from various developer comments and from what fans have observed in the playable demos. See the weapons page for a full list of weapon types in Diablo III.

• Barbs can’t use orbs, fists, wands, daggers, 1H short staves, or 2H staves.
• Monks can’t use orbs, 2H axes, 2H swords, or 1H staves. (Shields were out previously, but one was used in the Artisan Video.)
• Wizards can’t use fists, 2H swords, 1H axes, or 2H staves.
• Witch Doctors can’t use orbs, fists, 1H axes, 2H swords or 2H staves.

Only Wizards can use orbs. Only Monks can use fists (and 2H staves?) Only Monks and Barbs can dual wield weapons. We don’t know about crossbows or bows or throwing items yet. Might be that only the fifth character can use them at all?

Armor is not similarly limited, and all characters can use different types of armor.[1] (Each type of armor will look different and appropriate on each class.)

Explanations

The developers and their proxies have spoken about this issue at length. The most detailed explanations came from Diablo III Community Manager Bashiok in a pair of posts in July 2009[2][3], and another long one in March 2010[4].

July 2009:[5]

Bashiok: we do now have some restrictions on weapon types usable by each class. It’s been part of the game for a while now. Allowing every class to use every weapon type was actually going to require a huge amount of time and effort and it would have meant cutting out or cutting into other features. We evaluated really how often people would want to have their class holding a weapon type that (traditionally) contradicted their class-style versus that work going in to other features - specifically having a lot more skills and a lot more skill-rune effects.

July 2009: [6]

Bashiok: The list of what weapon types are or aren’t allowed for each class aren’t final and could change. They’re fairly logical choices and what is most commonly seen as closely tied to the hero archetypes. In our current game the wizard can’t wield a two-handed sword for instance, but can still use a one handed sword and shield if so desired.

March 2010:[7]

Bashiok: It’s important to note that we aren’t going to just slap on animations. We’ll do it right or we won’t do it. There is some overlap in weapon animations, but generally every weapon needs a full range of adaptation to the character. We can’t animate a 1h sword and then equip a 1h axe and be happy with it being wielded in the same manner. In addition we don’t want weapons disappearing whenever the hero does anything but a basic attack, so they have to be animated into emotes, idles, and a lot of skills and abilities. Every weapon. Some people noticed weapons disappear during some of the monk abilities. We don’t like that. Most of that was due to time constraints to get that demo finished. Again there is some overlap - staves share a lot of the same animation with the other 2h weapons, but to dismiss it as “just animate it and slap it on and it works!” is seriously oversimplifying our processes. Maybe some other games do it that way.

Evolution and Changes

The list of what can and can't be used continues to evolve. Monks could not use shields[8] as of March 2010, but by August of that year the Monk was seen using one in the Artisan Video.

Like, whoa…whoa…whoa….a shield is not a class specific item. A shield is something that any sane person would carry into battle, regardless of gender or class…and it’s quite an unreasonable restriction if you ask me.

Bashiok: Bruce Lee would not use a shield, and neither would the monk.

Expect additional changes as development continues, and quite likely there will be more such changes in expansion packs as well.