Skills: Difference between revisions

Skills are the magical attacks unique to each character class in ''Diablo II''.  Skills are enabled by spending skill points, improve with more points, and the characters can find a wide variety of items too boost individual skills, whole skill trees, or every skill possessed by that character. Each character has 30 skills unique to their class, but a few of these skills can also be used by other classes if they have special equipment to enable those skills.

All five classes in D2C and all seven in D2X begin with the same 3 basic skills. '''Attack''', '''Throw''', and '''Unsummon'''.

These skills are not located in the skill trees, but are inherent skills all characters possess.  Additional skills are available right from the start, as soon as a character gains skill points from leveling up from quest rewards.  

All characters start with a basic weapon and shield of some sort. These do enough damage to deal with the first monsters encountered, but should be upgraded as soon as possible. There are two partial exceptions to this rule. Since the Sorceress and the Necromancer are very weak in combat, they begin the game with weapons that grant them a level one skill.

* Sorceress begin with a staff that grants +1 to the Fire Bolt skill.

[[Image:Skill-tree-asn1.jpg|thumb|300px|Assassin Shadow Disciplines]]All characters have 30 skills, sorted 10 each into 3 skill trees. These skills are unique; no two character classes share exactly the same skill, though many of the skills have at least partially overlapping functions. (For instance, all combat characters have skills that increase their damage and their attack rating, in various ways.)

Skills can be divided into two types; passive and active.

Active skills are ones that a player uses intentionally. They must be mapped to one of the mouse click button or a hotkey, and will only function when individually enabled. Most active skills are used in place of Attack, and enable your character to strike or shoot or throw or cast something at the monsters; something more effective than the default Attack skill would enable. Almost all active skills cost mana to use, of an amount that varies with the skill points.

Passive skills work all the time, and do not need to be actively selected. Each point in a passive skill will increase a character's chance to perform it, or boost the effect of the skill. Most passive skills work only in certain situations; the Barbarian's six weapon masteries, each of which boosts his damage, accuracy, and critical hit % with one type of weapon. Swords, maces, polearms, etc. The Amazon's Dodge gives her a chance to dodge attacks, but only melee strikes, and only when she's standing still. Avoid does the same but only works against ranged attacks, and Evade only kicks in when she's walking or running.

[[Image:Skills-left-click.jpg|thumb|left|Left skill options.]]

[[Image:Skills-right-click.jpg|thumb|Right skill options.]]

In effect, the synergies require specialized characters to play in mixed parties, while making other, more varied character builds ineffective. Player opinions differ widely as to whether this is a mark of progress, or a design failure.

[[category:basics]]