Passive skill

Passive skills are skills that add bonuses, usually modifying other skills, that work all the time. They boost overall stats, or modify other skills, but are not used directly.

For instance, an active skill would be one that shot a Fireball. A passive skill would add say, +50% damage to all Fire Skills. Passive skills differ slightly from buffs, which can be very similar bonuses, but with a fixed duration.

In 2010 Blizzard announced that due to recent game changes, there were no longer any passive skills in the Diablo III skill trees. Passive skills remained in the game, but as was revealed at BlizzCon 2010, they were accessed via the traits system. [1] [2]

In July 2011 Blizzard announced that the traits system had been revamped and turned back into a passive skills system.

See the various class skills pages for more details.

• Barbarian skills
• Demon Hunter skills
• Monk skills
• Witch Doctor skills
• Wizard skills

Description

Passive skills are not used directly for attacks, and tend to provide bonuses to numerous other skills, or add percentages to damage, to hit, defense, resistances, and other useful stats. Some effects also comes from passive skills, such as activating a bonus under special circumstances, such as a critical hit, or being hit.

Passive skills are often as or more important than some active skills, but usually receive less attention since they are not flashy or obvious in their effects. An example is making the possibility

Passive skills seldom possess synergistic properties. Passive skills are not signature skills.

Passive Skills Master List

An alphabetical listing of all known passive skills. There were 64 traits seen at the July 2011 Press Event, and 1 more was revealed shortly after. However, the passives list was completely overhauled for the beta.

Skill	Unlocked	Description

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

27

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]] See: Signature spell

55

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

30

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

24

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]] See: Rockets

55

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

20

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

20

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

24

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

10

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

60

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

45

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

25

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]] See: Mantras

20

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

10

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]] See: Spirit Generators

50

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

34

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

50

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

20

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

40

{{{desc}}}

Death Trance

(Level 28)

Reduce damage by 60% whenever you are below 25% of your maximum Life.

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

13

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

24

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]] See: Pets

45

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

10

{{{desc}}}

Fundamentals

(Level 17)

Increases the damage of your Basic Attack by 100%. Your Basic Attack restores 4 Hatred.

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]] See: Armor spell

40

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

16

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

45

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

16

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

40

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

27

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

27

{{{desc}}}

<skill subcat="Shouts" class="Barbarian">Inspiring Presence</skill>

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

50

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

58

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

13

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

20

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

35

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

30

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

45

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

30

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

35

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

27

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

10

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

10

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]] See: Signature spell

20

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

40

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

10

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]] See: Spirit spells

36

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

10

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

20

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

50

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

27

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

13

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

16

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

30

{{{desc}}}

<skill class="DemonHunter">Tactical Advantage</skill>

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

45

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

13

{{{desc}}}

<skill class="DemonHunter">Thrill of the Hunt</skill>

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

30

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

16

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

55

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

55

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

60

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

13

{{{desc}}}

Vermin

(Level 10)

Your Plague of Toads, Corpse Spiders, Locust Swarm and Firebats abilities do 20% more damage.

Virtuoso

(Level 17)

Increases the damage of your basic wand attack by 100%. Successful attacks with a wand generate 15 Arcane Power and heal you for 1% of your maximum Life.

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

40

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

16

{{{desc}}}

{{{icon}}}

[[{{{name}}}]]

24

{{{desc}}}

Development

At BlizzCon 2008, there were far more passive than active skills in the three character trees, bit it changed in May 2009 and was shown with more detail at BlizzCon 2009.

• Read more about skill development.

Over time the number of passive skills were reduced, and as of Blizzcon 2009 there were about 35 skills for the Wizard, Witch Doctor, and Barbarian, with around a dozen of those passive.

The first big change came in 2010, when the skill trees were completely overhauled, more active skills were introduced, and all of the passive skills were removed. Removed from the skill trees, not from the game, they were turned into the traits system.

The second big change came in July 2011, when passive skills were re-introduced into the game and the traits were removed.

References

• BlizzCon 2008
• Skill Tree Overhaul
• No more passive skills?
• Kastigar's Really Big Barb thread -- IncGamers 8th Sep 2011
• HardRock's Monk Passive Skills -- IncGamers 6th Sep 2011
• HardRock's Wizard Passive Skills -- IncGamers 6th Sep 2011
• HardRock's Demon Hunter Passive Skills -- IncGamers 6th Sep 2011
• HardRock's Witch Doctor Passive Skills -- IncGamers 6th 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