Wizard skills

This page lists all known Wizard skills, as of August 2011. Follow the links to the individual skill pages for full discussion of every skill, including first hand reports and screenshots.

Useful skill links:

• Skills - General skill design and mechanics.
  • Active skills - Skills where effects are activated by the player.
  • Passive skills - Skills where effects are activated automatically, by the computer or by special events.
  • Signature skills - Skills that define characters.
• Arcane Power - The Wizard's energy resource.
• Runestones - The huge skill customization and improvement system.
• Wizard skill archive - Removed Wizard skills.
• Wizard traits - Passive skills in Diablo III were called traits for a while before reverting back.

Active Skills

The skill tree, circa 2009. Skills no longer appear in anything like this format. Image by Muldric.

Click to the individual skill pages for more details about these skills including numbers, screenshots, runestone information, blue quotes, and much more.

Frost Nova

Frost Nova is available at level 1.
This defensive skill freezes all enemies in a ring around the player, stopping normal monsters and slowing bosses.

• Description: An explosion of ice freezes nearby enemies for X seconds and causes X-X cold damage. Cold damage chills enemies, slowing their movement and attack speed. Damage will break the freeze effect, but not the chill effect.

Magic Missile

Magic Missile is available at level 1.
Magic missiles are fast-moving, conjured projectiles that deal arcane damage.

• Description: Fires a missile of energy causing arcane damage.

Ice Armor

Ice Armor is available at level 2.

• Description: Surrounds the Wizard in a barrier of ice that increases armor by X%, freezes attackers for X seconds, and causes X-X cold damage. Cold damage chills enemies, slowing their movement and attack speed. You can only be affected by one armor spell at a time.

Shock Pulse

Shock Pulse is available at level 3.
This skill debuted in the beta build; it's thought to be a renamed version of Charged Bolt.

Wave of Force

Wave of Force is available at level 4.
A defensive skill that pushes back enemies and enemy projectiles. Works well when combined with Slow Time.

• Description: Causes a wave of pure force that causes a knockback to nearby enemies, repels projectiles and deals X-X physical damage.

Spectral Blade

Spectral Blade is available at level 5.
A magical melee attack, this hits nearby enemies for considerable physical damage.

• Description: Summons a spectral blade that strikes enemies in front of the Wizard X times causing X-X physical damage with each hit.

Electrocute

Electrocute is available at level 6.
A beam weapon, the bolt of lightning locks onto an enemy and deals steadily draining damage, as well as stunning and slowing the target. An excellent skill for hitting moving targets that might dodge projectiles.

• Description: Lightning arcs from the Wizard's fingertips towards an enemy dealing X-X lightning damage.

Magic Weapon

Magic Weapon is available at level 7.
A spell for the battle mage, this one imbues huge magical damage into the wizard's weapon.

• Description: Imbues the Wizard's weapon with magical energy, granting X-X increased damage.

Arcane Orb

Arcane Orb is available at level 8.
A projectile that moves slower than most such magical attacks, but that deals considerable arcane AoE damage upon impact and explosion.

• Description: An orb of pure energy that explodes on contact with enemies dealing X-X arcane damage to all enemies in the blast area.

Diamond Skin

Diamond Skin is available at level 9.
A powerful defensive skill, this absorbs considerable points from all types of damage for a short duration.

• Description: Turns the Wizard's skin to diamond for X seconds absorbing up to X damage from incoming attacks.

Energy Twister

Energy Twister is available at level 11.
Cast tornadoes of arcane damage that deal substantial damage to all they come into contact with. The tornadoes move semi-randomly, making this better against crowds than individuals.

• Description: Summon an energy twister that deals X arcane damage per second to everything in its path.

Disintegrate

Disintegrate is available at level 12.
A laser beam of doom, this instantly-hitting, long range attack deals considerable damage to everything in its path.

• Description: Emanate a beam of pure energy dealing X arcane damage per second and disintegrating enemies it kills.

Storm Armor

Storm Armor is available at level 13.
A fire and forget skill, this one shocks enemies with electrical bolts for the duration of effect, without requiring the Wizard to aim or target them.

• Description: Surround yourself in electrical energy. Electric bolts are automatically fired at attackers for X-X lightning damage.
  • The Wizard may only use one of the "armor" spells at a time.

Explosive Blast

Explosive Blast is available at level 14.
A physical damage attack that turns the Wizard into a time bomb. Click to arm the spell, run into a pack of enemies, and blow up amidst them.

• Description: Builds up energy around the Wizard that explodes after X seconds, causing X-X physical damage in a small radius.

Mirror Image

Mirror Image is available at level 15.
The Wizard creates multiple images of himself. These duplicates move and attack enemies in convincing fashion.

• Description: Creates an illusionary duplicate of the Wizard that lasts for X seconds and has X% of the caster's health.

Slow Time

Slow Time is available at level 16.
Slow time creates a bubble of protection around the location its cast in, slowing all enemy projectiles and the enemies themselves.

• Description: Warps space and time, slowing nearby monsters and projectiles for X seconds.

Teleport

Teleport is available at level 18.
Bamf instantly from one location to another. This skill carries a considerable cool down time in Diablo III, making it something best saved for emergency escapes.

• Description: Teleport instantly to the selected location.

Hydra

Hydra is available at level 19.
Summons a fiery, three-headed dragon that appears from the ground and assails enemies with bolts of flame. Runestone bonuses give great flexibility to this spell.

• Description: Creates a multi-headed hydra that attacks your enemies with bolts of fire, dealing X-X fire damage per attack for X seconds.

Ray of Frost

Ray of Frost is available at level 21.
A laser beam of cold damage, this one chills enemies, slowing them while dealing damage.

• Description: Project a beam of cold that deals X cold damage per second. Cold damage chills enemies, slowing their movement and attack speed.

Energy Armor

Energy Armor is available at level 22.
The classic protective skill (renamed from Energy Shield) returns, now trading Arcane Power for damage reduction.

• Description: A protective barrier that absorbs damage, draining arcane power in its place. Absorbs X% of all damage dealt to the Wizard.

Arcane Torrent

Arcane Torrent is available at level 23.
An arcane style of Meteor Storm, this spell hurls flaming rocks at the targeted spot, dealing AoE damage to anything in the vicinity.

• Description: Arcane meteorites pelt the targeted region dealing X-X arcane damage per second.

Meteor

Meteor is available at level 24.
The biggest damage of the death from above skills, this one lands a flaming stone on the targeted location, dealing huge fire damage and leaving a dangerous field of fire in the location for some time.

• Description: Summons a massive meteor from the sky that causes X-X fire damage to all enemies in the affected area. Also leaves a pool of fire that does X fire damage every second for X seconds.

Blizzard

Blizzard is available at level 26.
Another powerful AoE spell, this one drops damaging ice on a large section of the screen, chilling and injuring anything in the area.

• Description: Call down shards of ice to pelt an area dealing X-X cold damage per second for X seconds. Cold damage chills enemies, slowing their movement and attack speed.

Familiar

Familiar is available at level 27.
An assisting creature that boosts the Wizard's damage, without serving as a "tank" to distract their attacks.

• Description: Creates a companion that accompanies the Wizard, attacking enemies for X-X damage. This companion cannot be targeted or damaged by enemies.

Archon

Archon is available at level 29.
No description available.

Passive Skills

Passive skills replaced Traits during late game development in 2011. Many Traits were simply changed to passive skills, but some are all new. See the Wizard traits page for a full list of those passives.

Blur is a Wizard passive skill unlocked at Level 10, which reduces the damage taken from melee attacks.

Description

Name	Level	Description

<skill class="Wizard">Blur</skill>

Design

Most Wizards wish to kill from a distance and avoid ever taking melee damage. As such this passive seems more designed for emergency use, or for a battle mage.

Synergies

No synergies with any active skills or other Wizard passives are known.

Development

Passive skills have had a long and storied history. When Diablo III debuted at the WWI 2008, skill trees included passive skills, much like in Diablo II. In 2010, it was announced that passive skills had been renamed traits and separated out from active skills. At the July 2011 Press Event, Blizzard announced that passive skills were once again in the game, replacing the traits system. When traits were changed back to passive skills in early 2011, Blur was moved directly from a level 19 trait to a level 10 passive.

Beta

The beta started in September 2011, and Blur was moved to level 25. When passives were reorganized for Beta Patch 14, Blur was moved back to level 10.

Previous Versions

• Blur (trait) - As a trait.

See the traits page for more details on previous versions of this and many other passive skills.

References

• Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report — IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
• HardRock's Wizard Passive Skills — IncGamers 6th Sep 2011
• Wizard Passive Skills — Blizzard's Official Diablo III Site

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| | Drain Power | All basic attacks provide Template:Cyanize Arcane Power. | 10 | Wizard |-

Quickening is a skill rune effect in the Monk's Fists of Thunder combo skill.

Quickening is enabled at level 42, and increases the Monk's Spirit generation by enabling a gain of 15 Spirit with every Critical Hit landed while using this attack. The basic attack's effectiveness is not changed by this rune effect; just the Spirit generated by it. This effect will obviously become more effective for Monks with higher than normal critical hit %.

Name	Level	Description

<skill class="Monk">Fists of Thunder</skill> <skill class="Monk" rune="Quickening">Fists of Thunder</skill>

Screenshots and videos of this effect will be added post-release.

Trivia

Prior to the skill rune revision in November 2011, this effect was enabled by the Golden rune.

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| | Flight Before Fight | Increases run speed by Template:Cyanize when the Wizard is blocked in melee. | 13 | Wizard |-

Glass Cannon is a Wizard passive skill unlocked at Level 16, which increases all damage done by the Wizard while reducing armor and resistances.

Description

Name	Level	Description

<skill class="Wizard">Glass Cannon</skill>

Synergies

Glass Cannon gives a flat boost to damage done which means that every ability or attack that deals damage is affected by this passive skill.

Development

Passive skills have had a long and storied history. When Diablo III debuted at the WWI 2008, skill trees included passive skills, much like in Diablo II. In 2010, it was announced that passive skills had been renamed traits and separated out from active skills. At the July 2011 Press Event, Blizzard announced that passive skills were once again in the game, replacing the traits system. When traits were changed back to passive skills in early 2011, Glass Cannon was moved directly from a low-level trait to a level 13 passive.

Beta

The beta started in September 2011, but Glass Cannon didn't change. When passives were reorganized for Beta Patch 14, Glass Cannon was moved up to level 16.

Previous Versions

• Glass Cannon (trait) - As a trait.

See the traits page for more details on previous versions of this and many other passive skills.

References

• Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report — IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
• HardRock's Wizard Passive Skills — IncGamers 6th Sep 2011
• Wizard Passive Skills — Blizzard's Official Diablo III Site

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| | Aggression | Increases attack by Template:Cyanize. | 15 | Wizard |-

| | Superior Skill | Increases precision by Template:Cyanize. | 15 | Wizard |-

| | Expert Defense | Increases defense by Template:Cyanize. | 17 | Wizard |-

Astral Presence is a Wizard passive skill unlocked at Level 24, which increases maximum Arcane Power and Arcane Power regeneration.

Description

Name	Level	Description

<skill class="Wizard">Astral Presence</skill>

Synergies

No synergies with any active skills or other Wizard passives are known.

Development

Passive skills have had a long and storied history. When Diablo III debuted at the WWI 2008, skill trees included passive skills, much like in Diablo II. In 2010, it was announced that passive skills had been renamed traits and separated out from active skills. At the July 2011 Press Event, Blizzard announced that passive skills were once again in the game, replacing the traits system. Astral Presence was first revealed in the July 2011 Press Event as a level 20 passive.

Beta

When the beta started in September 2011, Astral Presence was dropped to level 19. For Beta Patch 13, it was dropped again to level 18. When passives were reorganized for Beta Patch 14, Astral Presence was moved up to level 24.

References

• Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report — IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
• HardRock's Wizard Passive Skills — IncGamers 6th Sep 2011
• Wizard Passive Skills — Blizzard's Official Diablo III Site

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Black Ice is a rune effect in Ray of Frost, an Offensive Wizard skill.

This rune effect creates ice puddles where monsters die from the attack. These patches of ice deal 193% weapon damage over three seconds to enemies that move through them. The ideal way to use this rune effect is to kill an enemy where others are going to have to stand, thus ensuring that the cold damage radiates to them all for the full three seconds.

Skill Rune Effects

Refer to the Ray of Frost rune effects article for thorough descriptions of all five rune effects in this skill, including screenshots, videos, strategy tips, and other related information.

Name	Level	Description

<skill class="Wizard">Ray of Frost</skill> <skill class="Wizard" rune="Black Ice">Ray of Frost</skill>

Media

Screenshots and movies will be added post-release.

Development

Prior to the skill revision in February 2012, this rune effect was enabled by the Alabaster Rune, granting the following effect with a level 7 runestone:

Black Ice

[e] Enemies who die leave a patch of ice on the ground that causes 385% weapon damage per second as Cold to enemies moving through it.

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Temporal Flux is a Wizard passive skill unlocked at Level 45, which adds a slowing effect to enemies the Wizard hits for Arcane spell damage.

Description

Name	Level	Description

<skill class="Wizard">Temporal Flux</skill>

Design

This seems like a hugely useful skill for any Wizard who uses much Arcane damage. Arcane's critical strike effect is silence, so having a way to also slow enemies with that spell type would be very effective.

Synergies

No synergies with any active skills or other Wizard passives are known.

Development

Passive skills have had a long and storied history. When Diablo III debuted at the WWI 2008, skill trees included passive skills, much like in Diablo II. In 2010, it was announced that passive skills had been renamed traits and separated out from active skills. At the July 2011 Press Event, Blizzard announced that passive skills were once again in the game, replacing the traits system. When traits were changed back to passive skills in early 2011, Temporal Flux was moved directly from a low-level trait to a level 21 passive.

Beta

When the beta started in September 2011, Temporal Flux was dropped to level 10. When passives were reorganized for Beta Patch 14, Temporal Flux was moved up to level 45.

Previous Versions

• Temporal Flux (trait) - As a trait.

See the traits page for more details on previous versions of this and many other passive skills.

References

• Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report — IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
• HardRock's Wizard Passive Skills — IncGamers 6th Sep 2011
• Wizard Passive Skills — Blizzard's Official Diablo III Site

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| | Piercing Attacks | Reduces the magical resistances of enemies by Template:Cyanize. | 25 | Wizard |-

| | Temporal Shift | Reduces cooldowns of skills by Template:Cyanize. | 26 | Wizard |-

Unstable Anomaly (previously named Unstable Energy) is a Wizard passive skill unlocked at Level 60, which causes knockback when the Wizard's health gets dangerously low.

Description

Name	Level	Description

<skill class="Wizard">Unstable Anomaly</skill>

Synergies

No synergies with any active skills or other Wizard passives are known.

Development

Passive skills have had a long and storied history. When Diablo III debuted at the WWI 2008, skill trees included passive skills, much like in Diablo II. In 2010, it was announced that passive skills had been renamed traits and separated out from active skills. At the July 2011 Press Event, Blizzard announced that passive skills were once again in the game, replacing the traits system. Unstable Anomaly (as Unstable Energy) was first revealed in the July 2011 Press Event as a level 28 passive.

Beta

When the beta started in September 2011, Unstable Energy was renamed Unstable Anomaly and move to level 30. When passives were reorganized for Beta Patch 14, Unstable Anomaly was moved up to level 60.

References

• Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report — 1st Aug 2011
• HardRock's Wizard Passive Skills — IncGamers 6th Sep 2011
• Wizard Passive Skills — Blizzard's Official Diablo III Site

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| | Knowledge is Power | Unknown. (Used to provide 25% extra Willpower, a stat that's not in the game anymore.) | 30 | Wizard |-

|}

Development

• See the Wizard skill archive for a full listing of skill changes over time.

July 2011 Press Event

The following skills were removed or renamed prior to the July 2011 Press Event:

• Charged Bolt
• Energy Shield - Renamed to Energy Armor

References

• Full Wizard Skill Trees
• Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report -- IncGamers 1st Aug 2011

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