Witch Doctor

Classes: Barbarian •  Crusader •  Demon Hunter •  Monk •  Necromancer •  Witch Doctor •  Wizard

"He dispatched his opponent with terrifying precision, assaulting his victim's mind and body with elixirs and powders that evoked fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. As if these assaults were not enough, the witch doctor also had at his command the ability to summon undead creatures from the netherworld to rend the flesh from his enemy's body."- Abd al-Hazir

The Witch Doctor is a ritualistic voodoo fighter. Hailing from the deep jungles of Sanctuary, the Witch Doctor practices his dark arts. Meditating to access the "Unformed Land" he calls upon the spirits of the past to strike fear and horror in his adversaries. He is even able to reanimate the dead in both human and inhuman bodies to command. Time in the jungle has also allowed this tribalistic warrior to use powders and elixirs in the form of fire and poison to unleash upon the demons. While never doing much of the actual fighting themselves, the Witch Doctor is a formidable foe against the demons that have invaded his home with the spiritual aid of others.

Active Skills

Active Skills
	Poison Dart	Requires Level 1	Fires a deadly poison dart that deals direct Poison damage and additional Poison damage over X seconds.
	Summon Zombie Dog	Requires Level 1	The Witch Doctor summons a Zombie Dog to aid him. Can have up to X Zombie Dogs active at a time.
	Plague of Toads	Requires Level 2	Release a handful of toads that deal Poison damage to anything that steps on them.
	Grasp of the Dead	Requires Level 3	Hands reach out, slowing enemies and dealing damage per second for X seconds.
	Haunt	Requires Level 4	Haunt an enemy with a spirit, dealing Arcane damage over X seconds. If the target dies while being haunted, the spirit will automatically haunt another nearby target.
	Zombie Charger	Requires Level 5	A reckless, suicidal zombie charges forth, dealing Poison damage to all enemies in its way.
	Hex	Requires Level 6	Summon a Fetish Shaman that will hex enemies into chickens. Hexed enemies are unable to perform offensive actions and will take increased damage.
	Corpse Spiders	Requires Level 7	Summons spiders to attack nearby enemies.
	Horrify	Requires Level 8	Don a spectral mask that horrifies all nearby enemies, causing them to run in fear for X seconds.
	Firebats	Requires Level 9	A swarm of fiery bats burn enemies in front of you, dealing Fire damage per second.
	Firebomb	Requires Level 11	Lob an explosive skull that deals Fire damage to all enemies caught in the explosion.
	Spirit Walk	Requires Level 12	Enter the Spirit Realm, allowing unhindered movement for X seconds.
	Soul Harvest	Requires Level 14	Feed on the life force of nearby enemies. Increases spell damage for X seconds for every nearby enemy.
	Sacrifice	Requires Level 16	Causes a Zombie Dog to explode, dealing damage to all nearby enemies.
	Gargantuan	Requires Level 18	Summon a large Zombie follower to fight for you.
	Locust Swarm	Requires Level 19	A plague of locusts assaults the Witch Doctor's enemies, dealing damage per second and jumping to additional nearby targets.
	Spirit Barrage	Requires Level 21	A multitude of spirit bolts bombard enemies in the targeted area, dealing Arcane damage.
	Acid Cloud	Requires Level 22	Acid rains down, dealing initial Poison damage, followed by additional Poison damage per second to enemies who remain in the area.
	Mass Confusion	Requires Level 24	Incite paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for the Witch Doctor for X seconds.
	Big Bad Voodoo	Requires Level 25	???
	Wall of Zombies	Requires Level 27	Zombies erupt from the earth and attack nearby enemies.
	Fetish Army	Requires Level 29	Summon an army of Fetishes to fight by your side for X seconds.

Resource System

Mana: The Witch Doctor is the only class in Diablo III that currently uses Mana. Mana in Diablo III will act very similar to Mana in Diablo II.

Passive Skills

Because characters in the BlizzCon 2010 demo were already high enough level, exact level requirements for the lowest level traits are unknown at this stage.

Passive Skills
	Mana Regeneration	Requires Level 10	Regenerate 2% of maximum Mana per second.
	Mind and Body	Requires Level 10	Regenerate 20% HP per minute.
	Spiritual Attunement	Requires Level 10	Increase maximum Mana by 20%.
	Care of the Master	Requires Level 10	Increase the HP of pets by 60%.
	Quickening	Requires Level 10	Increase casting speed by 10%.
	Spirit Vessel	Requires Level 10	Health Globes provide 10% of maximum Mana when picked up.
	Aggression	Requires Level 12	Increases attack by 20%.
	Superior Skill	Requires Level 12	Increases precision by 20%.
	Expert Defense	Requires Level 12	Increases defense by 20%.
	Toughness	Requires Level 12	Increases vitality by 20%.
	Death Pact	Requires Level 18	When the Witch Doctor has under 35% HP, damage taken is reduced by 20%.
	Leader of the Pack	Requires Level 18	Increases damage dealt by Zombie Dogs by 6%.
	Ritual of Blood	Requires Level 18	30% of Mana costs for skills is taken from HP instead.
	Ferocity	Requires Level 24	Increases pet damage dealt by 40%.
	Plagued	Requires Level 24	Increases Animal and Plague skill damage by 20%.
	Rituals	Requires Level 24	Increases damage by 15% of HP.
	Zombie Master	Requires Level 24	Increases Zombie skill damage by 20%.

Lore

The Witch Doctor belongs to the Tribe of the Five Hills within the Teganze jungles. Many inhabitants of Sanctuary deny their existence, be it form the the tribes reclusiveness or the mere fact that people do not want to believe in these ritualistic inhabitants that will raise the dead from their graves. Through ritualistic and sacrificial ceremonies, the Witch Doctor enters the Mbwiru Eikura where they access their Gods in this unformed land. Believing that this alternate reality is the true nature of Sanctuary, the Witch Doctor draws their strength from this place.

"I came upon this rare display as I ventured deep into the interior of the dense Torajan jungles that cover the southern tip of the great eastern continent, in the vast area known as the Teganze, with the goal of seeking out the tribes that reside there. This area is extremely secluded, and heretofore unseen by foreign eyes. I was fortunate to befriend the witch doctor I saw in battle, and, through him, his tribe: the Tribe of the Five Hills.

The culture of the umbaru of the lower Teganze is fascinating and perplexing to those hailing from more civilized walks of life. For instance, the Tribe of the Five Hills frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley, but these are matters of ritual and not of conquest. I had heard tales that these wars are waged in order that the victors may replenish their supply of raw materials for the human sacrifices that their civilization revolves around, and when I timidly asked my hosts more about this topic, I must admit their laughter made me fear for my safety. However, through stumbled attempts at communication of such complex topics as what constitutes heroism and honor in their society, I gathered that only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice, much to my relief.

Upon further discussions with my hosts, I discovered that these tribes define themselves by their belief in the Mbwiru Eikura, which roughly translates to "The Unformed Land" (this is an imprecise translation, as this concept is completely foreign to our culture and language). This belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centered upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

The witch doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive this reality through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the Ghost Trance.

Alongside the primacy of the belief in the life force and the Unformed Land, the second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe. This idea, so foreign to our culture, struck me as something I wished to delve into much more deeply.

Unfortunately, there was intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident involving their most current war (inasmuch as I could discern in the ensuing bedlam), and the charged atmosphere warranted my quick departure before I could ask anything further of my hosts." - Abd al-Hazir

Development

The Witch Doctor was one of the two first classes to be unveiled with the announcement of Diablo III at the 2008 WWI. Along with the iconic Barbarian, the Witch Doctor was shown to showcase the diversity of the classes. Despite the Wizard being further in development, the Witch Doctor was shown to have a skills ranging from summoning the undead to casting pure horror in his victims. Soon after, many commented on the many similarities of this class's mechanics to the Necromancer of Diablo II. Blizzard responded by stating that the classes will definitely play differently and possibly leave room for the return of the Necromancer if they wanted to.

Although the Witch Doctor was one of the first classes shown, many of his skills were still going through a lot of change. Not only the looks of the skills but major mechanics were still being worked out. One original concepts for the class was that the Zombie Dog (then named mongrel) skill could have the summons be imbued with a poison or fire skill. However, through testing, they found this mechanic to not have much control and players rarely got the effect they wanted. They changed the system with the involvement of skill runes.

• Only the female Witch Doctor's voice was heard, and although it was not confirmed yet, it seems that she is voiced by Lani Minella, who voiced Adria the Witch and Wirt the Peglegged Boy in Diablo, and Blood Raven, The Countess, Andariel, Malah and the Ancients in Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. Her voice is also very reminiscent of that of Eve Brent, who voiced Akara in Diablo II.

• The Witch Doctor may be partially based off its Warcraft counterpart. Blizzard Entertainment has indeed admitted that they like to steal from themselves.

Media

Concept Art

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  The Ghost Trance

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  A well-equipped Witch Doctor

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  Tapping into the Mbwiru Eikura

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  The female Witch Doctor

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  A female Witch Doctor

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  Early concept art of the Witch Doctor

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  Different models for the female Witch Doctor

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  First preview of Witch Doctor Set

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  Second preview of Witch Doctor Set

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  Concept Art for Firebomb Skill

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  Larger Image for Witch Doctor

Screenshots

Act 1 Exterior

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Act 1 Interior

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Act 2 Exterior

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