Recently, I started playing Diablo III again, this time choosing the Witch Doctor class. I had heard many people say, “This class is too powerful,” and “Enemies run away when they see you,” but I didn’t believe them. I thought, “It’s just summoning a bunch of minions to fight, how hard can it be?”
But when I started playing, it really wasn’t that powerful at all.
I created a new character and started on the easiest difficulty level, Torment 1.I quickly learned my first summoning skill: Summon Zombie Hounds. The system gave me three dogs that would run over and bite enemies, but they were slow and did little damage, looking more like three lazy guard dogs. They could handle small monsters, but when they encountered elite monsters, they couldn’t even get close.
At that time, I thought this class was a bit weak.
Slowly discovering that skill combinations are the key
I didn’t give up and continued to level up. At level 4, I learned Grip of the Dead. This skill isn’t a summon, but it’s very useful—when you press it, all enemies in a large area slow down, as if they were stuck in mud.
Now my three dogs could finally catch up with the enemies. Although they still weren’t very good at fighting, at least they weren’t left behind.This made me realize for the first time, “Oh, using skills together makes a difference.”
Later, at level 9, I learned Fire Bats. This is a skill that you have to hold down to activate. Bats will fly around you and bite nearby enemies. The visual effect is cool, and it does more damage than dogs. I started to rely on it for most of my damage.
But I still thought to myself: I want the feeling of having “a large group of minions fighting alongside me,” not just using skills myself!
The moment that really excited me came
When I reached level 18, I finally unlocked the Giant Beast summon. This isn’t a minion, but a huge monster that stomps around and can knock enemies flying with a single punch.
There’s only one of them, and it can’t be duplicated, but it’s really powerful! It charges into enemy crowds on its own and beats them to a pulp. With it, I finally felt like a “leader” with a big bodyguard by my side.
But the problem remained: aside from the giant beast, I still didn’t have enough minions. The fire bats were summoned by me, and I only had three dogs, so the battle scenes still felt too quiet.
Until I reached around level 25 and learned the Summon Fetish Army skill—wow, the entire game changed!
With a single press, seven or eight small monsters burst out of the ground, wielding small knives and slashing wildly in all directions. They were fast, aggressive, and quickly filled the battlefield. Watching them surround a large enemy and unleash a barrage of attacks was an exhilarating experience that sent shivers down my spine.
But I soon discovered a problem: this skill had a long cooldown time, taking almost a minute before it could be used again. After defeating a wave of small monsters, my minions were all gone, and I was left alone again.
This made me feel really bad—I had just tasted the thrill of being the “boss,” but now my team was scattered again.
Finding passive skills was the real game-changer
I wasn’t willing to give up, so I started researching the “passive skills” in the character panel. After flipping through them, I discovered two skills that would change my fate:
The first was Zombie Tamer. This skill increased the number of zombie dogs I had from three to four, which doesn’t sound like much, but it makes a huge difference in actual combat. It also makes my giant beast stronger, with higher attack power and more health.
The second one was even more powerful—Fetishist Flatterer. This skill was magical:
Every time I used skills like Fire Bats or Poison Darts, there was a certain chance to automatically summon a new fetishist minion! And this summoning had no cooldown—as long as I kept using skills, the minions would keep appearing.
What does this mean?
I no longer need to wait for the “Summon Army” skill. As long as I keep using Fire Bat or Poison Dart, the minions around me will keep increasing in number until they are all defeated!
My combat style has completely changed
Since then, I have adjusted my tactics:
- First, use Grip of the Dead to immobilize a group of monsters so they cannot move.
- Then use Fire Bat or Poison Dart to deal damage while triggering the passive effect to summon new minions.
- My four dogs attack from the front, the giant beast smashes in the middle, and the newly summoned minions finish off the enemies from the back.
- The longer the battle lasts, the more minions surround me, and the chaos intensifies—the enemies can’t withstand the pressure.
Sometimes I stand in the distance and watch as a group of minions surround an elite monster, swords flashing and health bars dropping rapidly—I don’t even have to lift a finger, and the battle is over.
It doesn’t feel like “I’m fighting monsters,” but rather “my army is sweeping the battlefield.”
Why is the Witch Doctor so terrifying?
Now I finally understand why everyone says the Witch Doctor is “terrifying.”
It’s not about how strong it is on its own, but about its “the more you fight, the more you get” mechanism.
You might start with just a few minions, but as long as you hold your position and keep dealing damage, your army will grow like a snowball. The more enemies there are, the longer the battle lasts, the more obvious your advantage becomes.
And these minions aren’t just decorations—they can actually fight. Especially when you have better gear and higher skill levels, their damage output is also very high.
By the end of the game, I walked into a room and before I even made a move, the enemies were already surrounded by my dogs, beasts, and seven or eight fetishists. A few seconds later, they were all wiped out. I just stood there without moving.
Summary: Playing the Witch Doctor requires some patience
The Witch Doctor class is really weak in the early game. If you only play for a short while and give up, you’ll think it’s slow and weak.
But if you’re willing to level up to 25, unlock the key passive skills, and equip the right gear, it becomes incredibly powerful.
It doesn’t blast enemies with a single spell like a mage or pick off targets from a distance like a hunter.
It’s about “slowly building an advantage” and overwhelming opponents with numbers.
So my advice for new players is:
Don’t rush to switch classes. First, level up your skills, unlock the “Loyal Flatterer” passive, and try out the sustained summoning playstyle.
When you see a horde of minions fighting for you, you’ll understand—
This isn’t just a game character; you’re commanding an army of monsters that never surrender.