Firebomb

Firebomb is a Physical Realm Witch Doctor skill unlocked at level 11. This skill (formerly called Skull of Flame) is a projectile that's thrown like a grenade. It bursts upon impact, dealing fire damage to the target and anything in the immediate vicinity.

Background

Firebomb in action

The Witch Doctor lobs a burning skull filled with combustibles at his enemies, which explodes violently when it breaks upon them.

Skill Effects

The following is a very quick list. See the Firebomb rune effects page for a more thorough summary of rune effects, or any of the individual rune pages for numbers, screenshots, blue quotes, and much more.

Icon	Skill	Description

Firebomb Physical Realm (Level 11)

[e] Cost: 264 Mana Lob an explosive skull that deals 130% weapon damage as Fire to all enemies within 8 yards.

Conflagration

[e] In addition to the base explosion, create a larger blast that deals an additional 104% weapon damage as Fire to all enemies within 28 yards.

Roll the Bones

[e] Allows the skull to bounce up to 2 times. The first hit deals 182% weapon damage as Fire, and each bounce reduces the damage by 15%.

Fire Pit

[e] Leaves behind a pool of fire that deals 40% weapon damage per second as Fire for 3 seconds.

Pyrogeist

[e] Create a column of flame that spews fire at the closest enemy for 64% weapon damage as Fire. The column lasts 3 seconds.

Flash Fire

[e] Rather than exploding for area damage, each Firebomb can bounce up to 8 additional targets. Damage is reduced by 20% per bounce.

Note: Information is based on a level 60 character and rank 7 runestones.

Skill Design

This skill is quite useful, since it has good damage, nice range, and a very small cooldown. This makes Firebomb a good crowd control spell, especially in narrow corridors where enemies can be trapped in a hail of fire.

Upon explosion, the flames briefly form the shape of a large, menacing humanoid creature.

Firebomb Video

A video of Firebomb in use can be seen below, courtesy of the DiabloInc You Tube channel.

I don't want Volcano insurance!

Synergies

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

Development

Firebomb was originally called Skull of Flame and was introduced in the WWI 2008 gameplay video. At the time, the skill was at Tier I in the Spirit Skill Tree. At BlizzCon 2009, Firebomb was located in the Voodoo Skill Tree but seemed otherwise unchanged. Flux found it to be very useful:[1]

Skulls can actually be thrown too far, in some exploitative ways. Several times I saw a pack of Fallen or other monsters on some ledge way of in the distance, in a location I was supposed to have to walk way down around some boulders and along narrow ledges and paths to reach. Yet I could freely hurl my firebombs to those locations, with perfect accuracy, and was able to kill enemies who had no way to fight back. Naturally, I did so whenever possible, if only to watch the Fallen scurry around.

By BlizzCon 2010, (after skill trees were eliminated) Firebomb had been moved way down the skill system, to Tier 5. It was one of the Witch Doctor's preset skills in the Battle Arena demo.

Skill tiers were removed for the July 2011 Press Event, and Firebomb became a level 11 skill.

Previous Versions

See the Witch Doctor skill archive for more details on previous versions of Firebomb (or Skull of Flame) and other Witch Doctor skills.

Media

Firebomb can be seen in action on video here:

• Gameplay: July 2011
• Video: August 2011 Witch Doctor Skill Animations

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

• Diablo III screenshots and pictures
• Firebomb specific gallery contents

• 

  Lobbest thou thy holy hand grenade...

• 

  A throw against Ghouls.

• 

  Explosion. Note the character that appears.

• 

  Another throw, against Wraiths.

• 

  Skull of Flame explosion in Tristram, killing Scavengers.

References

• BlizzCon 2008 Witch Doctor Gameplay Report
• BlizzCon 2009 Full Witch Doctor Skill Trees and Stats
• BlizzCon 2010 PvP Hands-on Report
• Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report -- IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
• Witch Doctor Active Skills -- Diablo III 13th Sep 2011

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer primary

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer secondary

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer corpses

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer bloodandbone

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer reanimation

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer curses