The beta Wizard

Since I finished leveling my Wizard to level 13, two patches were released, one of them wiping all characters in the process. Now the beta is in patch 18 but not much has changed between patch 16 and now so this Wizard overview remains relevant, but I was forced to start a brand new Wizard thanks to the character wipe. It's a shame because my previous one was really well equipped.

The Wizard is, essentially, the direct descendant of Diablo 2's Sorceress. Many spells are similar but there are plenty of new ones as well. If you liked D2's Sorceress, you'll most likely feel at home with the Wizard, although the resource system differs.

I picked (and will pick in the full game) a female Wizard. She's cute beyond words. I already concluded that the male looks too juvenile and inexperienced, barely a whelp, while the female is more like his older sister.

The Wizard uses a different resource than the Sorceress in Diablo 2, namely Arcane Power. Arcane Power (AP) is a purple swirly-sparkly plasma thing and also the fastest recharging resource in Diablo 3. You start with 100 AP and a later passive skill gives you another 20. From what I can tell, you can't go higher than that, but there are ways in which to boost regeneration rate, including items and other skills.

While the Wizard is somewhat constrained by her Arcane Power, because powerful spells tend to use a lot of it, she can switch to her primary skills which are free to cast, while AP recharges.

Read my quick primer on how skill slots work in Diablo 3, if you don't know that already.

Next is a review of all the skills and runes in the beta, broken down by skill slot, with the usual disclaimer that these are my own opinions and tastes.

Primary (left mouse - slot unlocked at level 1)
Lv 1 - Magic Missile
This is first spell you start the game with. It does 110% weapon damage as Arcane. Early on this is your bread-and-butter skill but I found myself using it even later at level 13 when I was fighting the Skeleton King. For that encounter, this is the best primary skill because it allows you to stay at range and it also gets a rune, making it more powerful than the other primary skills.
    Lv 6 - Rune - Charged Blast
Your first rune at level 6 will improve Magic Missile so that it now does 143% damage. No reason not to use it.
    Lv 13 - Rune - Split
At level 13 Magic Missile gets its second rune which makes it slightly more powerful and also gives it a little bit of an AoE. This rune splits your missile into 3 missiles which hit for 50% damage each. Since the trajectories of the 3 are very tight, in many cases you will hit the same monster with a salvo, for a total of 150% damage. This rune is definitely worth it if you like Magic Missile.
Lv 3 - Shock Pulse
Shock Pulse is the direct descendant of Diablo 2's Charged Bolt. Here, it doesn't work so well. You fire 3 bolts but the range is short (about half the screen) and the bolts are chaotic. Even the skill tooltip mentions "medium range" and "unpredictable". The only way this spell felt useful was for firing it at point-blank range, where all 3 bolts had the chance to hit.
    Lv 9 - Rune - Explosive Bolts
This rune attempts to make Shock Pulse better but the skill was crappy to begin with so it won't help a lot if monsters who die explode for additional AoE damage since they are so hard to kill anyway with this skill. I guess this skill could be made to work by getting lots of items with high attack speed increase and spamming the crap out of this skill. Even then, it brings you uncomfortably close to the action.
Lv 11 - Spectral Blade
I never understood the point of Spectral Blade in Diablo 2 and I was prepared to dismiss it in Diablo 3, yet I find myself really liking this skill. This is a short range skill which hits the monsters in front of you for 135% damage. You don't use your weapon directly, but instead a series of "spectral blades" slash the air in front. This spell is pretty good for finishing off stragglers or smashing objects. I can see myself using it even at higher levels, with caution. In the beta, once you get some good equipment, you can go all melee-wizard and kill everything in hand-to-hand combat. Well, except for the Skeleton King. That's the only place where I switch back to Magic Missile so I can take him comfortably at range.

Secondary (right mouse - slot unlocked at level 2)
Lv 2 - Ray of Frost
Ray of Frost is one cool spell and you get it very early as your first secondary spell, at level 2. It projects a beam of frost that damages the target for 215% weapon damage, also slowing it by 30% for 3 seconds. Since you are vulnerable early on, this spell will get a lot of use. The only downside is that it can burn through your Arcane Power quickly if you keep the mouse button pressed. I found that it's best to use it in short burts. What's interesting is that at level 28 you get a rune which allows you to cast this spell for free.
    Lv 7 - Rune - Numb
This rune simply increases the slowing down effect of Ray of Frost from 30% to 60%.
Lv 5 - Arcane Orb
One of the most used spells in the beta arrives early, at level 5. Arcane Orb does 175% weapon damage to all monsters in a 10 yard radius from the point of impact. It's a very potent spell but the high Arcane Power cost means that you can't fire it more than 3 times before your Arcane Power is entirely depleted. Another thing to watch out for is that the orb doesn't move very fast so you will have to "lead" moving targets if you want to hit them. In the beta, Arcane Orb is my secondary spell of choice. I just love AoE.
    Lv 11 - Rune - Obliteration
This rune makes Arcane Orb even deadlier, increasing the damage to 228%. It also turns the orb red, from light purple.
Lv 12 - Arcane Torrent
Either Arcane Torrent sucks or else I couldn't get the hang of it. This spell reminds me a lot of Arcane Missiles from WoW because it fires a few missiles that deal 175% damage to all enemies at the point of impact. While the animation is pretty cool, with the missiles arcing out from your fingers and speeding towards the target, the range is medium and the aim is imprecise. Besides, the length of the animation means that it takes a precious second or two before the missiles hit. Sorry but I just didn't like this spell. Arcane Orb is a lot more predictable and does more damage thanks to the rune.

Defensive ("1" key - slot unlocked at level 4)
Lv 4 - Frost Nova
As your first defensive skill, at level 4 you get Frost Nova, another great spell. This used to deal damage in addition to freezing all nearby enemies for 3 seconds but Blizzard has removed the damage component. Nonetheless, this spell is really cool because you can wade into a group of monsters, freeze them and then blast them with Arcane Orb. They won't even know what hit them. Oh, there's a 12 second cooldown.
    Lv 12 - Rune - Shatter
This rune improves Frost Nova by causing monsters killed while frozen to have a 50% change of releasing additional Frost Novas. This is pretty nifty for creating a chain effect of destruction but in the beta you won't be able to see the effect a lot in action because monsters die so quickly, very often on the first hit, once you are well equipped.
 Lv 8 - Diamond Skin
Diamond Skin is another defensive skill that you can choose to use instead of Frost Nova and it acts like an energy shield which absorbs a set amount of damage for 6 seconds. I've seen people using it to "tank" with their Wizard, in concert with Spectral Blade. It can certainly be used to that effect if you so choose. Just remember that Diamond Skill doesn't last indefinitely, and when it expires you will find yourself vulnerable again.

Force ("2" key - slot unlocked at level 9)
Lv 9 - Wave of Force
At level 9 your 4th skill slot is unlocked and you get one of the most awesome Wizard spells. Wave of Force does a massive 200% weapon damage to enemies all around you, knocking them back AND slowing them down by 60%. It has a 15 second cooldown so you can't spam it, unfortunately. I just love this spell! It works especially well in concert with Frost Nova. Gather a bunch of monsters, freeze them and then blast them with Wave of Force. It's buckets of fun!
Lv 13 - Energy Twister
Energy Twister is one of those skills that feel pointless, useless, badly designed or all of the above. You fire a mini-tornado which spins randomly across the screen and fizzes out midway, dealing damage to monsters it hits, IF it hits. This spell is so random, not to mention costly, that it constitutes pure masochism to use it. Maybe runes can make it better but in the beta it is truly pointless.

Passive Skills (1st slot unlocked at level 10)
Level 10 is for passive skills. Yay!
Lv 10 - Blur
This one decreases melee damage you take. Fairly pointless at this level and I'm not sure I'd take it even later, outside of PvP because a Wizard is supposed to stay at range. If you get hit by melee enemies, you're not doing it right. I'm sure I will swallow my words in Hell/Inferno but we'll see.
Lv 10 - Power Hungry
Here's a very nifty passive. This one allows you to gain Arcane Power when you're healed by a health globe. Pretty cool. Since Arcane Power can be a problem if you like to blast away with costly spells, this passive allows you to recover your resource more quickly.
Lv 13 - Evocation
This passive reduces your cooldowns by 15% but I'm not sure how useful it is. The only spells that can use it are Frost Nova, Wave of Force and Diamond Skin. However the reduction is very small, meaning that you'll gain a couple of seconds which doesn't seem enough. I would just skip this one and keep Power Hungry.

Next, I will talk about my level progression from 1-13.

Level Progression

Level 1
Magic Missile is the only spell at your disposal. Luckily it doesn't cost anything to cast so knock yourself out using it.

Level 2
Ray of Frost is the cool skill which comes immediately at level 2. Use it whenever you have Arcane Power. Remember, shorts bursts are better.

Level 3
Shock Pulse is your second primary skill. My advice? Skip it.

Level 4
Frost Nova, woohoo! Use it whenever it's off cooldown, when you're surrounded by monsters and when you're in dire straits or trying to escape.

Level 5
Arcane Orb can replace Ray of Frost if you wish. I suggest doing so. You can now take out huge groups of monsters with a couple of blasts.

Level 6
Rune your Magic Missile with Charged Blast.

Level 7
If you are still using Ray of Frost, now's the time to rune it with Numb.

Level 8
You can choose to replace Frost Nova with Diamond Skin. If you want to go melee-Wizard, it's not a bad idea.

Level 9
You get your 4th skill slot as well as Wave of Force. You will love this new spell with a passion, if you're anything like me.
You also get Explosive Bolts which augments your Shock Pulse. Skip it.

Level 10
A couple of new passives become available. Choose Power Hungry.

Level 11
Arcane Orb is now awesomer thanks to Obliteration.

Level 12
A new skill, Arcane Torrent. Skip it.
Shatter enhances Frost Nova. Equip it.

Level 13
Energy Twister, the most useless spell in the beta. Ignore it.
You also get Evocation as a passive but I suggest keeping Power Hungry.


This concludes my discussion of the Wizard in Diablo 3's beta (patch 16, subject to change in future patches or the final game). Here's my level 13 build. Though I run primarily with Spectral Blade, I switch to Arcane Missile for the Skeleton King fight so I can stay safely at range.

If played recklessly, the Wizard can be seen as a glass canon but in the beta it's hard to judge how effective or fragile it will be since it's fairly easy to out-level and out-gear all the monsters. Once the Wizard becomes powerful like that, she will rip through her enemies like a screaming banshee. But that's valid for all classes, in the beta. The Wizard was a lot of fun to play and, once again, because I love ranged classes so much, I will have a hard time choosing between her and the Witch Doctor, of course, after I get tired of the Demon Hunter.

Also read:
The beta Demon Hunter
The beta Witch Doctor
The beta Monk
The beta Barbarian

The beta Monk

When the Monk class was revealed I thought "This isn't my type". In the beta, so far, the Monk has been a lot more fun than I anticipated. Diablo 3 only has 2 melee classes (pending an expansion) but I like the Monk more than the Barbarian. I was even considering making it my main in the full game but at heart I am a ranged player, through and through.

The Monk is Diablo 3's Bruce Lee. (S)he has access to a wide range of skills using fists, feet, elbows and other body parts. But fear not, the Monk can equip weapons just like any other class and the damage it deals is based on the DPS of those weapons.

When I rethought my choice of genders, I firmly settled on the male. In patch 15 I played a male Monk to 13 and after the patch 16 character wipe I decided to try a female. For some reason I don't enjoy playing the female as much as I liked the male. There's no rationale behind this but I felt that the male had more "impact".

This class review would have been out sooner, had it not been for the patch 16 character reset. It forced me to play the class again from scratch, just to experience the new skills and runes. Although the changes aren't that big, with a couple of runes swapped for their higher level counterparts, it does make the class perform subtly differently.

The Monk uses Spirit as a resource. Spirit appears as a swirly, milky liquid which might give the wrong connotation but it is what it is. You start with 150 Spirit and there's a passive skill (at just level 13) which adds another 100 to your pool. Spirit doesn't recharge on its own, neither does it deplete. Instead, it is replenished by using the Monk's primary offensive skills. All other skills (secondary, defensive and so on) consume Spirit. In other words you build Spirit with your primary skills and use it for more powerful skills and abilities.

Read my quick primer on how skill slots work in Diablo 3, if you don't know that already.

Next is a review of all the skills and runes in the beta, broken down by skill slot, with the usual disclaimer that these are my own opinions and tastes.


Primary (left mouse - slot unlocked at level 1)
Lv 1 - Fists of Thunder
You start the game with this skill. It's pretty straightforward: each hit generates 6 Spirit and does 110% weapon damage in the form of Lightning. Like most of the Monk's primary skills, this one has a special effect on the third strike. In this case, the effect is to deal damage to all enemies in front of you, also knocking them back a few yards. This is a very solid primary skill which is just as good at level 13 as it is at level 1.
    Lv 6 - Rune - Thunderclap
This rune used to be higher level before patch 16 but now it has been swapped with Bounding Light which is now level 52. Thunderclap improves Fists of Thunder a lot. Now you will teleport a short distance to your target and hit them, also dealing 35% AoE Lightning damage to targets around you in a 6 yard radius. Believe me when I tell you that this rune makes Fists of Thunder an amazing skill, one that I am still using at level 13 and I have a feeling I'll be using at much higher levels.
Lv 3 - Deadly Reach
At level 3 you get the chance to try another primary skill. Deadly Reach projects beams of "force" as you hit for 110% weapon damage. Each third hit extends 25 yards in front. The first hit projects 1 beam, the second 2 beams and the third 3 beams. Each beam can hit a different monster. So this skill has a moderate AoE effect. I find it great for smashing objects such as urns and barrels. This skill also generates 6 Spirit per hit.
    Lv 9 - Rune - Piercing Trident
At level 9, Deadly Reach is enhanced by the Piercing Trident rune. This rune simply "increases the area of effect of the second and third strikes". I haven't really noticed a big difference here but in the beta this is the only rune for this skill so you might as well grab it.
Lv 11 - Crippling Wave
In addition to generating 6 Spirit per hit, Crippling Wave does some AoE damage in the form of a sweeping attack which hits monsters in front of your character for 110% weapon damage. Each third hit strikes all the monsters around you, slowing them down by 30% and also slows their attacks by 20% for 3 seconds. Though I wasn't impressed by this skill, I can imagine that it will come in handy at higher difficulty levels where you need to keep enemies under control, with as many debuffs as possible.

Secondary (right mouse - slot unlocked at level 2)
Lv 2 - Lashing Tail Kick
My favorite secondary skill comes very early, at level 2. This is, by far, my favorite way of spending Spirit. The Monk spin-kicks all enemies in a 360 degree circle for a healthy 200% weapon damage and knocks them back across the screen. It's actually funny to see those monsters flung like rag dolls. I'm afraid that the effect might be too much and Blizzard will tone it down at some point. In the meantime I'm gonna enjoy it, especially since the cost is comparatively low, only 30 Spirit. With a full Spirit bulb you can do 5 of these kicks in a row for a total potential damage of 1000%. This skill is best used when surrounded by monsters, so you can hit as many of them as possible. I like wading into huge groups of monsters and unleashing a couple of "tail kicks". This skill works equally well on bosses such as the Skeleton King as a Spirit spender because each hit does 200% damage to single monsters or multiple ones, regardless.
    Lv 7 - Rune - Vulture Claw Kick
Wait, does Lashing Tail Kick even need a rune? Of course it does. This rune that you get at level 7 makes an awesome skill even awesomer. It converts the damage to Fire and ups it to 220% weapon damage.
Lv 5 - Tempest Rush
Now here's a skill that took me a while to understand. This is a channeled skill, meaning that for best results you need to hold the mouse button pressed while you are using it. It causes your character to dash around the screen (guided by the mouse, of course) and knock back all the enemies in its path, slowing them down by 60% for 2 seconds and dealing 50% weapon damage to them. I'm trying to find a purpose for this skill but I simply can't justify the high Spirit cost. Lashing Tail Kick does a ton more damage and it also knocks back enemies, but whatever, try Tempest Rush and use it if you like it. It's an interesting concept but I have a feeling it is very situational and not very useful in most cases.
    Lv 11 - Rune - Northern Breeze
Tempest Rush gets a rune. Yay. The rune reduces the cost of the skill somewhat. While you're channeling it, instead of using 10 Spirit, it uses only 8. Is that on a per second basis? Maybe.
Lv 12 - Wave of Light
Another visually impressive skill which failed to impress me. You might have seen this used in gameplay videos. The visual is rather striking because the Monk calls down a giant "bell" thing which slams down in front of him and does 215% weapon damage as Holy, presumably in a small radius, as well as an additional 45% damage to all enemies in a line. As I said, this is a weird skill. I've seen very few Monks use it and personally I dislike it because of the "line" aspect which requires you to be very careful with positioning, before using this skill. You don't want to waste it by having that damage go in a direction where there aren't any enemies. Apart from that, the cost is prohibitive: at 75 Spirit you can only use it twice in a row before you run out dry. Once again, I think Lashing Tail Kick is a much better (and waaay cheaper) choice.

Defensive ("1" key - slot unlocked at level 4)
Lv 4 - Blinding Flash
The Monk's first defensive spell, which comes at level 4, can be very useful. This is a debuff which blinds enemies in a 20 yard radius and makes them wonder around in confusion for 3 seconds. The cost is low (10 Spirit) but there's a 15 second cooldown. This is a good spell to use whenever you are surrounded and in danger, or whenever you want to take as little damage as possible when charging into a group of monsters.
    Lv 12 - Rune - Self Reflection
This rune increases Blinding Flash's duration from 3 to 4 seconds. Nothing major here but you might as well grab that 1 extra second.
 Lv 8 - Breath of Heaven
The Monk is the only class in Diablo 3 which can actively heal herself (and her allies within 12 yards) and Breath of Heaven is the skill which accomplishes this. I tend to prefer this over Blinding Flash and it gets a fair amount of usage. Not only can you use this in a support role, whenever a nearby ally is low on health, but you can use it as a third healing option (apart from healing orbs and potions). This skill has a 15 second cooldown and a 25 Spirit cost.

Techniques ("2" key - slot unlocked at level 9)
Lv 9 - Dashing Strike
Dashing Strike is like a WoW Warrior's Charge. You charge at the target (for 25 Spirit) and root them in place for 1 second, while dealing 100% weapon damage. I find the Spirit cost to be a bit steep but this skill allows me to instantly position myself in the middle of a large group of monsters where I can unleash destruction with Lashing Tail Kick. It is also very useful for killing ranged enemies or for catching up with that pesky Treasure Goblin. I'm pretty sure it will also be very popular in PvP.
Lv 13 - Exploding Palm
Exploding Palm is a DoT skill, which does 220% weapon damage to the target, over 3 seconds. If the target dies during this time, it will explode and damage nearby monsters for 30% of the target's maximum life. This one is interesting but also a bit situational. It will obviously work best if used on monsters with a lot of health (such as champions, rares, bosses and so on) which are also surrounded by lots of minions. Even then, you will have to refresh the spell until the monster dies. I haven't found anything to hint that the DoT is over so I'm always worried that I might refresh it too early or too late. At 40 Spirit, it is also rather costly so I find myself circling back to Lashing Tail Kick which does more AoE (and the same amount of single-target) damage but costs less. Now, of course, it is hard to judge the true merits of this skill because it is un-runed. The proper rune could transform it into something much more useful.

Passive Skills (1st slot unlocked at level 10)
Level 10 can't come quickly enough because this is where each class gets access to its first 2 passive skills.
Lv 10 - Fleet Footed
The Monk starts with an excellent passive. Fleet Footed gives a flat 10% increase in movement speed. I do believe this stacks with other movement enhancements. This passive is so good that it overshadows the rest of the ones available in the beta. It makes the Monk feel very quick on her feet.
Lv 10 - Resolve
This passive is hard to quantify because you can't exactly measure the damage that monsters do, but from the looks of it, it is a permanent 25% damage reduction, because you are kicking ass constantly, right? This is a very solid passive which will be invaluable in Inferno but in the beta I just don't die on my Monk so it is irrelevant.
Lv 13 - Exalted Soul
Another solid passive, Exalted Soul simply increases your maximum Spirit by 100 for a total of 250. Depending on your style of play, this can allow you to use Spirit-intensive skills more often.

Next, I will talk about my level progression from 1-13.

Level Progression

Level 1
You start with Fists of Thunder. Use it and learn to love it.

Level 2
Lashing Tail Kick becomes the first secondary skill.

Level 3
Deadly Reach is another primary skill. I suggest sticking with Fists of Thunder.

Level 4
Defensive skills are unlocked, and the first one is Blinding Flash. No other choice but to use it, especially since it's a very solid skill.

Level 5
Tempest Rush is now available as a secondary skill. I suggest ignoring it.

Level 6
Ah, runes finally. Thunderclap enhances Fists of Thunder. Your bread-and-butter gets some jam to go with it.

Level 7
Another rune becomes available. Vulture Claw Kick improves Lashing Tail Kick and makes it awesomer.

Level 8
Breath of Heaven is your second defensive skill. If you like healing yourself (and others) grab it instead of Blinding Flash.

Level 9
The 4th skill slot is unlocked and it can be filled with a technique called Dashing Strike.
The Piercing Trident rune which improves Deadly Reach also becomes available.

Level 10
Passives are in the house. You have a choice between Fleet Footed and Resolve. I suggest the former.

Level 11
The 3rd primary skill, Crippling Wave, is available.
Another rune, Northern Breeze, enhances Tempest Rush.

Level 12
Another secondary skill is unlocked: Wave of Light. Yawn.

Level 13
Finally, at the beta level cap, you get the Exploding Palm technique which could replace Dashing Strike. Whatever.
Another passive, Exalted Soul, is unlocked.


This concludes my discussion of the Monk in Diablo 3's beta (patch 16, subject to change in future patches or the final game). My level 13 Monk beta build is simple and fun. Exploding Palm is something that I don't use very often but I can easily replace with Dashing Strike, the overall effect being negligible. The Monk is a lot of fun to play and it trumps the Barbarian in my mind. It will most likely be the first melee class I try in the full game. I have a feeling that the Monk will be particularly well suited to Inferno, with very high Dexterity which will give it tons of Dodge and also the various debuffs that it can apply to targets.


Also read:
The beta Demon Hunter
The beta Witch Doctor
The beta Wizard
The beta Barbarian

5-man groups are a reality...

...of sorts.

You know how in Diablo 3 you can only have 4 people maximum in a group, right? Well, it turns out that there's a bug of some sort in beta patch 16 which occasionally allows a 5th person to join the group. Check out this screenshot that I took yesterday evening. Sorry for blurring the names but I don't want to disclose anyone's character's names.

There I was chillin' out on my female Monk with 3 other random people, when all of a sudden a 5th person, the level 1 Barbarian at the bottom, joins the group. Luckily I was quick enough to take a screenshot before he was automatically booted from the group.

Thing is, this wasn't an isolated incident. It actually happened twice last night, in different groups. The second time I wasn't quick enough to save a screenshot.

This is something that, to me, never happened before patch 16. My suspicion is that there are so many people in the beta now (Blizzard just invited an additional 275K players into the beta) that occasionally the system hiccups.

If you were hoping that 5-man groups had become a reality, I'm sorry to disappoint. It's unlikely that Blizzard will increase group size. As it is, with so many skill and spell effects, not to mention summons and minions, the screen can sometimes become chaotic.

Has this happened to you recently? Have you ever found yourself in a 5-man group?