Some minor Witch Doctor points -- From the footage.

[larcat]

So far we have seen three presumptive skill paths for the witch doctor ---

1) Summoning/Necromancy. Mongrels/Wall of Zombies/Plague of Locusts.
2) Elemental. Fireballs.
3) Curses/Shamanism. The fear spell.

This makes me think the witch doctor isn't simply the necro redux, but rather a hybrid druid/necromancer.

If thats the case, Shapeshifting and Bone magic are both missing. Bone magic could easily go under Summoning, But shifting not so much.

Look at the fear footage, and the fireball footage in that same clip.

There is a big zombie-looking version of the witch doctor above him when he uses fear, and it sticks there for a while growling at monsters.

When he throws the fireballs, there is a fire-elemental looking thing that flashes for a moment at the end of the animation.

Here's betting that the shapeshifting equivilent is turning into those two things at the end of the respective trees, and there being one more possible shift.

Makes sense, the hint of the graphics is there, and it would finish the druid/necro hybrid.

[pantherus]

Why does there need to be Shapeshifting and Bone Magic?

Why does the WD need to do it?

"hybrid" does not mean a complete compilation of the two classes - and D3 does not HAVE to copy ANY aspect of those classes at all.

[stillman]

Agree there.

I realize there are megaclasses or chr archtypes that tend to get used in RPGs, but I don't think Blizzard said, "Ok boys, this WD will be summoner-necro and that's that."

I would guess Blizzard might even want to avoid doing this because so many fans-being experts of the old d2 classes-would easily see what they're doing and acuse Blizzard of copying their own ideas and splashing some new colors on in a poor attempt to trick us.

I'm hoping the WD will be as original as possible. He has that lobbed fireball spell so you could even class him as part sorc. But the fireball is unlike those in the previous games: it won't hit the first thing in it's path, but instead will go over the heads of monsters to hit a specific target far away.

Maybe he'll even have some melee to him (this was suggested on the Blizzard website as the scholar witnessed surpirising ferocity of WDs in battle). I think it would be nice if he had some tricks from all the classes just to make him more versatile than the zon was, but that's just my hope.

[nicro tower]

I agree with the fact that Witch doctors shouldn't be a compilation of necro and druid. In lore, both the Cult of Rathma and the druids were not very open about sharing their secrets, so I'd find it unbelievable if some savage somehow managed to pry secrets from both groups and combine them...

[ill logic]

There are archetypes that Blizzard wants to hit, eg. "pet class," but these archetypes are not valuably described as being the prior classes we have experience with.

If you do, you fall into the mistake made by the OP. That is, expecting WDs to shapeshift and have bone spells. It's absurd really.

To any and all who are going to say this, don't think of D3 classes as class hybrids. It leads to ridiculous results. An assassin was not a paladin/sorc.

But sidestepping the question of whether new classes should be seen as hybrids or revamps, for a moment, even if the WD were a hybrid of druid and nec inevitably some skills would likely be missing. Is there any particular reason why shapeshifting and bone skills should be represented in WDs, apart from their hypothetically hybrid natures?

Originally Posted by stillman

I would guess Blizzard might even want to avoid doing this because so many fans-being experts of the old d2 classes-would easily see what they're doing and acuse Blizzard of copying their own ideas and splashing some new colors on in a poor attempt to trick us.

Well, apparently they don't worry that fans will accuse them of taking ideas from WoW.

I'm hoping the WD will be as original as possible. He has that lobbed fireball spell so you could even class him as part sorc. But the fireball is unlike those in the previous games: it won't hit the first thing in it's path, but instead will go over the heads of monsters to hit a specific target far away.

That's because the WD is part Assassin

/sarcasm

Originally Posted by nicro tower

I agree with the fact that Witch doctors shouldn't be a compilation of necro and druid. In lore, both the Cult of Rathma and the druids were not very open about sharing their secrets, so I'd find it unbelievable if some savage somehow managed to pry secrets from both groups and combine them...

I agree they shouldn't. But do you think he couldn't accomplish that just because he's a "savage?"

[nicro tower]

I used the word savage mainly to distance the Witch Doctor from the Necromancer, as I believe they both hail from the jungles of the Kurast province area (yes I forgot what it was called). If not, then they wouldn't have had any/very little contact at all.

[Funkopotamus]

I kind of see him as a summoner/caster druid with a necromancer flare.

[Wirt]

@Lapla,

Why do you even think the WD will have three skill paths/trees? It might be one big tree per class, or there might not even be a tree at all.

Blizzard did not confirm anything on how skills are organized within a class IMO. Please point me to the source if anything about it was confirmed by Blizzard.

Wirt

[Naja]

I've always maintained that the Witch Doctor is really a new take on the Warlock, from World of Warcraft.

His skills emphasize summoning demonic creatures, direct damage fire/disease spells, and crowd control.

The major difference is appearance and backstory. The stereotypical "pact with darkness" gothic theme vs. the tribal leader.