Bash

Bash is a Barbarian skill unlocked at level 1, which hits targeted enemies for double damage and causes knockback.

Background

Diablo III Active Skill [e]
Bash
Used by:	Barbarian
Enabled at:	Clvl 1
Skill Description
Bash the enemy for X% of weapon damage. Causes Knockback.
Type:	Direct Damage
Resource Use:	Costs Fury
Skill Rune Effects
Alabaster rune:	Unknown
Crimson rune:	Unknown
Golden rune:	Unknown
Indigo rune:	Unknown
Obsidian rune:	Unknown

The Barbarian smites his foes with such force that it sends them toppling backwards.

Skill Design

This notorious Combat skill makes a return in Diablo 3, having the same basic functions as it did in Diablo II. However, this new version is not identical, hitting for 200% weapon damage at rank 1, making the skill a powerful single-target ability that will presumably scale well at higher levels.

Even though Bash scales with weapon damage, the Barbarian chooses a more simple weapon when executing the skill... his bare fist. The Barbarian rears back, winding up for the punch, and delivers a devastating blow to the target. Spamming Bash has become difficult, due to the Fury cost and the relatively long cast time (~1s).

Since spamming Bash has become hindersome, it can be safely assumed that this skill will no longer cause "Bash-locks", where a player repeatedly spams Bash, causing the enemy to be unable to retaliate. However, the knockback effect of this skill might help the player in other ways, for example, to stop the Cultist from becoming a big-ass demon, forcing him to restart the ritual/incantation (assumed).

Skill Rank Table

• Rank 1: Bash the enemy for 200% of weapon damage. Causes Knockback.
• Rank 2: Bash the enemy for 215% of weapon damage. Causes Knockback.
• Rank 3: Bash the enemy for 230% of weapon damage. Causes Knockback. (A)
• Rank 4: Bash the enemy for 245% of weapon damage. Causes Knockback. (A)
• Rank 5: Bash the enemy for 260% of weapon damage. Causes Knockback. (A)

(A) = Assumed

Synergies

Unknown.

Skill Rune Effects

Bash makes Zombie go boom.

• No rune effects for Bash are known.

A runed version of Bash has been seen in video here, but it's unclear what the effect is. Fire damage? Concussive blast?

Development

Bash was first seen at BlizzCon 2008, where it could be found at Tier I on the Juggernaut Skill Tree. Back then, it didn't use knockback at all, it only made the Barbarian dash forward, and hit with full weapon damage.

By BlizzCon 2009, knockback had been added, but otherwise the skill was pretty much the same. Flux had the opportunity to try it:[1]

It works much as it did in D2, but the animation is so cool that it’s a blast to use. When using Bash, the Barbarian positively winds up, twisting his upper body and leaning completely over, away from the monster, before uncoiling and extended into the strike like he’s driving a railroad spike. It’s quite an, “OMG he knocked the sauce out of that dude!” visual, and better yet, sometimes when you kill a monster with this, you literally knock their skeleton out of their flesh, sending the fully-articulated, blood-stained bones sliding across the screen, shuffleboard style, a drenching trail of blood in their wake. I laughed like a school girl every time it worked.

Anyone would.

For the BlizzCon 2010 demo, Bash was available for play, but was not one of the Barbarian's starting skills. Skill tiers were removed for the July 2011 Press Event, and Bash became a level 1 skill.

Previous Versions

See the Barbarian skill archive for more details on previous versions of Bash and other Barbarian skills.

In Other Games

This skill is an updated version of Diablo II's Barbarian skill Bash. That skill used knockback and was frequently used to "bash-lock" enemies in PvP.

Media

Bash can be seen in action on video here:

• Video: Blizzcon 2010 Rune Effects

You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:

• Diablo III screenshots and pictures
• Bash specific gallery contents

• 

  Bash with unknown rune.

References

• BlizzCon 2009 Full Barbarian Skill Trees and Stats
• JudgeHype.com July 2011 Press Event Coverage - The Barbarian (Translated by Zediono)