Skills (Patch 1.14)

### **Skill changes**

A key focus of Patch 1.14 is to rebalance the entire catalogue of skills such that the majority of skills can be built around for end-game purposes. Decreasing the power disparity between build types is also a primary goal, notably the divide between casters and melee. Effort has been made to not completely sabotage the power of 'vanilla D2' god skills such as Blizzard, Blessed Hammer and Corpse Explosion. The goal of encouraging (classically under-represented) melee builds is not particularly noticeable when examining skill changes. Rather, the base damage for all weapons has been increased significantly (covered in the Item changes section further down this page) and new item properties (such as melee splash damage) created to increase the power of melee builds.

### **Class skills**

The class summaries below outline the most important skill changes to each class and links to individual skills provide detailed information for each skill.

#### **Amazon**

* Added skills: Ground Slam
* Removed skills: Impale
* Majorly reworked skills: None

The *Bow and Crossbows Skills* tree received considerable improvements to the utility of most skills, such as a massive increase to the damage conversion factor of Magic Arrow, Fire Arrow and Cold Arrow. The 75% attack damage penalty to Strafe and Multishot has been removed. The late game elemental bow skills Immolation Arrow and Freezing Arrow have had substantial damage increases, including a cooldown removal for the former.

The *Javelin and Spear Skills* tree has had significant rework in attempts to boost the power of melee Amazons. Ground Slam has replaced Impale and provides a mid-range AoE attack for mid-ranged spear wielding Amazons. The Poison based missile skills have also had their damages increased considerably.

The *Passive and Magic Skills* tree has undergone minor changes, most notably the removal of any prerequisites associated with Dodge, Avoid and Evade.

*Bow and Crossbow Skills*

* Magic Arrow (link to skill page with detailed information)
* Fire Arrow (link to skill page with detailed information)
* etc

*Javelin and Spear Skills*

* etc

*Passive and Magic Skills*

* etc

#### **Assassin**

* Added skills: Arcane Strike
* Removed skills: Tiger Strike
* Majorly reworked skills: None

*Martial Arts*

* Dragon Claw – Increased damage.
* Fists of Fire – Increased fire damage and attack rating bonus.
* Cobra Strike – Increased attack rating bonus,
* Claws of Thunder – Increased lightning damage and attack rating bonus.
* Blades of Ice – Increased cold damage and attack rating bonus.
* Phoenix Strike – Increased elemental damage and attack rating bonus.

*Shadow Disciplines*

* Claw Mastery – Increased damage, attack rating and critical strike bonuses.
* Venom – Increased poison damage and duration per level.

*Traps*

* Fire Blast – Increased fire damage.
* Blade Sentinel – Increased damage to 3/4 weapon damage.
* Shock Web – Increased lightning damage.
* Charged Bolt Sentry – Increased lightning damage.
* Wake of Fire – Increased fire damage.
* Blade Fury – Removed the 3/4 weapon damage penalty and increased damage.
* Lightning Sentry – Decreased lightning damage.
* Wake of Inferno – Increased fire damage.
* Death Sentry – Decreased lightning damage and corpse explosion damage.
* Blade Shield – Increased damage to 1/2 weapon damage.

#### **Barbarian**

* Added skills: Ethereal Throw
* Removed skills: Double Swing
* Majorly reworked skills: Battle Orders

*Warcries*

* Howl – Increased duration and flee distance.
* Find Potion – Increased chance of successful skill use.
* Shout – Decreased defense bonus.
* Taunt – Increased effectiveness of enemy debuff.
* Find Item – Increased chance of successful skill use.
* Grim Ward – Removed terror effect, added effect of reducing nearby enemy physical resistances.
* Battle Command – Decreased duration.

*Combat Masteries*

* All weapon masteries – Increased damage and attack rating bonuses.
* Increased Stamina – Increased stamina bonus,
* Increased Speed – Increased velocity bonus.

*Combat Skills*

* Bash – increased synergy bonus
* ~~Double Swing~~
* Ethereal Throw – Throw skill that deals magic damage to multiple enemies.
* Leap – Increased leap radius.
* Double Throw – Increased damage.
* Stun – Increased damage and effectiveness.
* Whirlwind – Increased damage.

#### **Druid**

*Elemental Skills*

* Firestorm – Increased fire damage and area of effect.
* Molten Boulder – Increased fire and physical damage.
* Arctic Blast – increased damage and decreased synergy bonus
* Fissure – Increased fire damage.
* Twister – Increased physical damage.
* Tornado – Increased physical damage.
* Hurricane – Increased cold damage, can be cast when shapeshifted.
* Armageddon – Increased fire and physical damage.

*Shape Shifting*

* Werewolf – Increased attack speed and stamina bonus, now has fixed duration.
* Lycanthropy – Added damage bonus, removed duration bonus.
* Werebear - Increased damage and defense bonus, now has fixed duration.
* Maul – Increased damage, attack rating bonus and stun duration.
* Feral Rage – Increased damage and attack rating bonuses.
* Fire Claws – Increased fire damage.
* Shockwave – Added 4/3 weapon damage.

*Summoning*

* Poison Creeper – increased damage and minion life.
* Oak Sage – Increased minion life.
* All animal summons can be active simultaneously.
* Summon Spirit Wolf – Increased damage, life and defense.
* Summon Dire Wolf – Increased damage, life and defense.
* Summon Bear – Increased damage, life and defense.
* Carrion Vine – Increased life steal and minion life.
* Heart of Wolverine – Increased damage and attack rating bonuses.
* Spirit of Barbs – Increased thorns effect and minion life.

#### **Necromancer**

*Summoning*

* Raise Skeleton – Increased damage, defense, and life.
* Skeleton Mastery – Increased damage and life bonuses.
* Skeleton Mage – Increased damage and life.

*Poison and Bone*

* Teeth – Increased magic damage.
* Bone Armor – Increased damage absorbed.
* Poison Dagger – Increased poison damage and attack rating bonus.
* Corpse Explosion – Reduced fire and physical damage.
* Poison Explosion – Increased poison damage.
* Bone Spear – Increased magic damage.
* Bone Spirit – Increased magic damage.

*Curses*

* Lower Resistance - Increased effectiveness.

#### **Paladin**

*Defensive Auras*

* Defiance – Increased defense bonus.
* Cleansing – Added increased maximum poison resistance (by 1% for every hard point) to aura effect and passive increased maximum poison resistance (1% for every 2 hard points).
* Meditation – Decreased mana recovery bonus, increased radius.

*Offensive Auras*

* Might – Increased damage bonus.
* Holy Fire – Increased fire damage.
* Thorns – Increased effectiveness.
* Concentration – Reduced damage bonus, added flat attack rating bonus.
* Holy Freeze – Increased cold damage.
* Sanctuary – Increased magic damage, added effectiveness to demons.
* Fanaticism – Increased damage and attack rating bonuses.

*Combat Skills*

* Sacrifice – Increased damage and attack rating bonus, decreased damage to self.
* Smite – Increased damage.
* Holy Bolt – Increased damage and heal effect, now damages all enemy types.
* Zeal – Increased damage and attack rating.
* Charge – Increased damage.
* Vengeance – Increased elemental damage and attack rating bonus.
* Blessed Hammer – Decreased magic damage.
* Conversion – Increased chance to convert.
* Fist of the Heavens – Eliminated casting delay.

#### **Sorceress**

*Cold Skills*

* ~~Frozen Armor~~
* Frigerate –Skill that adds cold damage and enemy defense reduction effect to weapons.
* Frost Nova – Increased cold damage.
* Shiver Armor – Increased defense bonus.
* Chilling Armor – Increased defense bonus.
* Blizzard – Decreased cold damage.

*Lightning Skills*

* Charged Bolt – Increased lightning damage.
* Static Field – Decreased effectiveness.
* Nova – Increased lighting damage.
* Lightning – Decreased lightning damage.
* Chain Lightning – Decreased lightning damage.
* Energy Shield – Reduced damage reduction ceiling.

*Fire Skills*

* Warmth – Reduced mana recovery bonus.
* Inferno – Increased fire damage.
* Fireball – Decreased fire damage.
* Fire Wall – Increased fire damage.
* Meteor – Decreased fire damage.
* Hydra – Increased fire damage.

### **Item skills**

(Brief description plus link to item skills page)