Acid Cloud

Acid Cloud is a Witch Doctor skill unlocked at level 19. This skill is a DfA attack, spilling poison damage on any enemies in the targeted location. It leaves behind a toxic puddle that deals DoT and AoE as well.

Background

Diablo III Active Skill [e]
Acid Cloud
Used by:	Witch Doctor
Enabled at:	Clvl 19
Skill Description
Acid rains down dealing initial poison damage followed by poison damage per second to nearby enemies who remain in the area.
Type:	DfA/DoT/AoE
Resource Use:	Costs Mana
Skill Rune Effects
Alabaster rune:	The witch doctor belches forth a directional pool of acid.
Crimson rune:	Causes immediate damage instead of a damage over time effect.
Golden rune:	Afflicts enemies with a disease effect that deals damage over time.
Indigo rune:	Increases area-of-effect radius.
Obsidian rune:	Spawns slimes that attack nearby enemies.

The Witch Doctor creates a rain of acid over a small radius, dealing poison damage, plus poison damage to anything in the vicinity of the resulting toxic puddle.

Skill Design

Acid on skellies!

This skill opens a hole in the air, pouring poison out on whomever is under it at the time. Pools of poison stay on the floor for about ten seconds after, damaging enemies. The green goo from the poison looks a lot like the remains of the Witch Doctor's Plague of Toads.

If you ever hated the acid dogs from Diablo I, now you can wreak that acidic pain on others!

This spell was originally one of the Wizard's. It was switched to the Witch Doctor during early development.

Skill Rank Table

• Rank 1: 1-5 initial poison damage, 5-10 damage per second.
• Rank 2: 2-6 initial poison damage, 10-15 damage per second. (A)
• Rank 3: 3-7 initial poison damage, 15-20 damage per second. (A)
• Rank 4: 4-8 initial poison damage, 20-25 damage per second. (A)
• Rank 5: 5-9 initial poison damage, 25-30 damage per second. (A)

(A) = Assumed

Synergies

• No synergies with any of the passive skills are yet known.

Skill Rune Effects

Acid Cloud showing every runed version.

• Alabaster Rune - The witch doctor belches forth a directional pool of acid.
• Crimson Rune - Causes immediate damage instead of a damage over time effect.
• Golden Rune - Afflicts enemies with a disease effect that deals damage over time.
• Indigo Rune - Increases area-of-effect radius.
• Obsidian Rune - Spawns slimes that attack nearby enemies.

The video below demonstrates these runes' effects.

Development

Acid Cloud was first seen at BlizzCon 2008 as a Tier III Wizard skill in the Conjuring Skill Tree. By BlizzCon 2009, Acid Cloud had been moved to the Witch Doctor's Voodoo Skill Tree, to the delight of many who thought using this skill was out of character for the Wizard. This move was alluded to by Bashiok shortly before the BlizzCon event. Flux shared his thoughts on this skill:[1]

It’s an interesting description, and a pity we couldn’t see this one in action, to see just how the thrown bottle, explosion, and acid cloud was handled. So how long is the delay between the initial explosion and then start of the acid rain? Would a fast monster take only the 1-5 damage, and move out of the area before the more painful DoT Aoe began?

Skill tiers were removed for the July 2011 Press Event, and Acid Cloud became a level 19 skill.

Previous Versions

• Acid Cloud when it was a Wizard skill

Media

Acid Cloud can be seen in action on video here:

• Runestone effects on Acid Cloud

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

• Diablo III screenshots and pictures
• Acid Cloud specific gallery contents

• 

  Zoom of the Acid Cloud.

• 

  Wizard Acid Cloud on Skeletons.

• 

  Acid pools on the floor.

• 

  Acid Cloud with all rune effects.

References

• BlizzCon 2008 Wizard Gameplay Report
• BlizzCon 2009 Full Witch Doctor Skill Trees and Stats
• JudgeHype.com July 2011 Press Event Coverage - The Witch Doctor (Translated by Zediono)