Witchdoctor vs Necro

[endomorphious]

The witchdoctor to me seems to be a character that could benefit from taking from the poison tree, ancestral/nature/totem spirits of various types (offering character buffs/resists?), and of course nature/healing. I really don't see this character replacing a necromancer. The whole concept of summoning the dead or communicating with the dead seems exceptionally alien to the witchdoctor beyond ancestral worship.

However, I could see the necro leaving behind the poison and curse tree for a more sinister focus. Should they go with the three tree system. Why not a bone, blood, and flesh focus. I'd like to see each tree have a lvl 30 golem native to that tree. Each tree would have its own summons and support spells. I would imagine each tree would be more balanced between summons and ranged spells. For example skeletons, bone wall, bone spirit, with the focus of the tree being a thorns like cumulative effect. Bone armor could have an Iron maiden like effect. The blood tree could have a focus on life drain and DOT bleeding effects. A flock of blood ravens or vampire bats as summons, the blood golem could steal life for the whole party. Etc Etc Etc.

I don't see the necro and witchdoctor as being mutually exclusive of each other. To encourage grouping I do think paladins should be elimenated and the "auras" be shared around various spells of all the classes. The Templar/cleric seems to me a much more fun class but goodness no more games with healer bots dice it up some please.

[AxlStrife]

*goes to take away the opened can of worms in your hands*

I'm not touching this with a 10-foot pole, simply because the two classes are so similar in so many ways. You have good speculation though, intriguing.

[DeadorK]

You definitely have good ideas for a Necromancer, but it's true. The Witch Doctor is a too similar.

[Glurin]

You definitely have good ideas for a Necromancer, but it's true. The Witch Doctor is a too similar.

I don't think so. We hardly know anything about how the WD is going to play. We know he has summons and a couple mind control type spells, plus one DoT and one area damage spell. There's at least fifty different ways that could turn out, depending on his other abilities.

To me, it seems as though the WD should play more like the druid did in D2. A caster with summons rather than a summoner with spells. It just seems to fit the character of a WD better that way IMO.

[AxlStrife]

I don't think so. We hardly know anything about how the WD is going to play. We know he has summons and a couple mind control type spells, plus one DoT and one area damage spell. There's at least fifty different ways that could turn out, depending on his other abilities.

To me, it seems as though the WD should play more like the druid did in D2. A caster with summons rather than a summoner with spells. It just seems to fit the character of a WD better that way IMO.

Making assumptions on known info is more reliable than making assumptions on what can be. What we know is what we saw on the game play video and the descriptive words Blizzard folk have used in regards to the Witch Doctor. What we saw was a Necro-resembling class so basing judgment on that is, for the time being, fine.

How the class as a whole will play will depend on the implementation of a skill tree. There are elements of various druid builds (mainly windy and summoner) and there are elements of Necro elements (summon, curse, poison-based damage spell), so it could definitely go either way.

[Glurin]

With so little known info those assumptions are most likely wrong though. You can't say that the pope is the same as Castro because they are both leaders and both old men. It just doesn't work. They are too dissimilar in nearly every other way.

[5zigen]

I don't think so. We hardly know anything about how the WD is going to play. We know he has summons and a couple mind control type spells, plus one DoT and one area damage spell. There's at least fifty different ways that could turn out, depending on his other abilities.

To me, it seems as though the WD should play more like the druid did in D2. A caster with summons rather than a summoner with spells. It just seems to fit the character of a WD better that way IMO.

I dont know. We have a great idea of how the WD is goin to play.

Basically, he's going to play like the Necromancer except instead of having to down a monster before CE he'll need to resummon after a CE.

He wont play anything like the druid because he doesnt have an aspect of the character dedicated to buffing (druid summoning) or melee combat (lycanthropy).

Instead we know he debuffs enemies (curses) which druids never did. He has CC w/ Zombie Wall (Bone wall v2.0) that the druid never had. And he has direct damage spells (Psn and Bone spells).

I dont know how it could be more similar unless they actually simply called him "necro 2.0".

This thread has been done to death though.

[AxlStrife]

With so little known info those assumptions are most likely wrong though. You can't say that the pope is the same as Castro because they are both leaders and both old men. It just doesn't work. They are too dissimilar in nearly every other way.

If it turns out to be wrong, so be it.

They are similar because they hail from roughly the same region, practice the same basic philosophies, and have shown similar play styles. The comparison would more likely be that of Mussolini and Hitler than the pope and Castro.

[ZombieKafka]

You guys do realize that idea of a zombie contrived from a Voodoo Concoction; brewed from datura puffer fish extract and various other materials right?..

http://horrorscififilms.suite101.com/article.cfm/real_life_zombies

I love the Necromancer, he was my first and favorite Character when Diablo 2 was launched. At the same time, I want Diablo 3, not Diablo 2.5. I'd rather see all new, authentic classes minus the caster class with the original spells. The Barbarian is the re-occurring character I can't fathom a reason for returning. If it wasn't for some interesting abilities and more crowd control type skills, I'd wish they'd scrap him. Remember, this game isn't that far along and we still don't know much. I bet the Witch Doctor is going to be a force of nature though. =D I think people are confusing a real voodoo Witch Doctor with the Shadow Hunter of Warcraft 3. Which was a powerful hero...