Witch Doctor

The Witch Doctor is one of the new character classes for Diablo III. The Witch Doctor possesses several elements of previous Diablo II character classes, namely the Sorceress, Druid and Necromancer.

Lore

File:Witch Doctor 1.jpg|thumb|A Witch Doctor Most believe Witch Doctors to be figments of legend. In truth, the role of a Witch Doctor is a hallowed one in Umbaru society, though only a few men and women can ascend to the position for they must possess both a history of battle and a talent for communing with spirits. The latter ability belongs solely to those born with the touch of the Unformed Land. The Witch Doctors are finely attuned to this realm 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 of their homeland. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the "Ghost Trance.

File:Witchdoctortweak1a.jpg|thumb|left|A well-equipped Witch Doctor When a person dies, Witch Doctors feel what they suspect is the breath of life leaving their cooling body. And, when calamity or genocide sends hundreds to their graves at once, Witch Doctors can sense their trembling and shrieking from beyond. They cannot avoid hearing this—they must restore the balance between their world and the Unformed Land, or watch the torment of generations past for the rest of their lives...and forever after.

In recent times, Naziba|one of the most devout Witch Doctors rebelled against their spiritual leaders, believing they had succumbed to corruption. Although banished, the Witch Doctor maintained unwavering dedication to the spirits, and embarked on a journey outside the jungles of their homeland. No quarter would be given to foes, and the Witch Doctor remained steadfast in their quest for knowledge. Through the spirits, the Witch Doctor learnt of a Tyrael|falling star that would descend upon the West. Thus, the Witch Doctor followed.

Abilities

File:Witch Doctor 3.jpg|thumb|A Witch Doctor Witch Doctors are spiritual warriors who summon dead souls and crawling creatures to do their bidding. By surrounding themselves with a mix of conjured Gargantuan|zombies and Summon Zombie Dogs|vermin, Witch Doctors are free to assault their enemies with exploding skulls, acrid poison clouds, and wasting curses. Through their connection to the Unformed Land, Witch Doctors are able to tap into mana. Although some Witch Doctors avoid melee combat in favor of augmenting their pets and crippling their enemies from afar, they are also more than capable of slaying weakened foes with their own hands. This includes the use of Mojo (Diablo III)|mojos and enchanted Ceremonial Knife|ceremonial daggers. Unlike common knives, these blades are honed towards one purpose – human sacrifice – and so they are well-suited to ending lives.

Gameplay

File:EscudoWD.png|thumb|Witch Doctor icon The Witch Doctor is classified as a "dark class," or "pet class." Witch Doctors are able to summon pets to their side and cast delibitating abilities on their enemies. They draw on mana for their abilities. Unlike other class abilities in Diablo III, mana regenerates slowly, so Witch Doctors have to choose what abilities to cast with care. Pets are a good way to keep engaging enemies without the cost of using mana. An advantage of this skill system is that the mana pool allows the Witch Doctor to use multiple, powerful abilities over a short period before the mana is depleted.

Witch Doctors' have unique equipment through mojos, ceremonial knives, and Voodoo Mask|voodoo masks.

Skills

File:Witch-Doctor-Mana-Resource.gif|frame|All Witch Doctor skills are based on mana The Witch Doctor's specialized skill sets are categorized as "terror," "decay," and "voodoo."

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Development

"What I like the most about the witch doctor is I really felt like the team was unified in the vision for that character, so when I got to animate it, I had so much information to pull from that I felt it happened naturally."
—Nick Chilano, senior animator

File:Witch Doctor 2.jpg|Early concept art of the Witch Doctor|thumb It was quickly agreed during development that the Witch Doctor should be quirky, creepy, and a little scary. Feathers, body paint, and painted wood were settled on as the class's base materials. Developing the Witch Doctor's large mask was a turning point in its development, and remained an iconic component of the character design.

The Witch Doctor was not designed to be a replacement for the Necromancer. Developers have stated that if there was ever to be a playable Necromancer class for Diablo III, the presence of the Witch Doctor would not prevent them from implementing it. According to Jay Wilson, a key difference between the classes is that the Witch Doctor is more inclined to deal direct damage than the Necromancer, which aside from specific builds, was pet heavy.

Known Witch Doctors

File:Witch Doctor female.jpg|thumb|A female Witch Doctor

• Benu
• Edwasi
• Guwate'ka (elder priest)
• Naziba (player character of Diablo III)
• Zunimassa
• Zuwadza

Trivia

Template:Trivia File:YONT70D8E84D1336151755528.jpg|thumb|A Witch Doctor

• The Witch Doctor may be partially based on its http://www.wowwiki.com/Witch_Doctor Warcraft counterpart. Blizzard Entertainment has indeed admitted that they like to "steal from themselves." The class bears resemblance to real-world Voodoo practitioners, most likely Haitian, though the male character speaks with an African accent.

• The shaking hand of the male witch doctor might also be due to the cannibalistic tendencies of their culture. In the booklet with the game it mentions that fallen warriors are eaten for their strength, and medical knowledge confirms that one sign of cannibalism is in the shaking hands of the consumer. Note: The Female witch doctor's hands or any other body parts of hers do not shake as the males do.

• The Witch Doctor will appear in Heroes of the Storm.

References

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