Tactics on the battlefield | Witch Doctor Diablo III Guide
Last update: 01 February 2017
Playing as a Witch Doctor is not always a piece of cake. You must spend a lot of time running and once you've advanced to higher difficulty levels you must invest in items which allow the main character to regenerate life and mana points easily. Just like in other character classes that prefer ranged attacks you should also practice a tactic called kiting - moving around the battlefield quickly and avoiding enemy attacks whenever possible.
On all difficulty levels except for Inferno my tactic of playing as the Witch Doctor with the build described earlier in the text looked pretty much the same. Each time I've encountered a group of enemy units I casted Soul Harvest in order to increase the damage inflicted by the main character. I then moved back to a safe distance, allowing my zombie dogs and other summoned creatures to stop enemies from going after me. The next step was to start attacking enemies with Poison Dart and Firebats skills. Each time it was getting more dangerous near my character I was using the Spirit Walk ability to pull away even further from the battlefield in order to give my active skills plenty of time to recharge. This defensive skill isn't your only choice when you want to escape. Horrify + Stalker (21) combination also worked very well, however only on lower difficulty levels, because enemies from higher levels are often resistant to these types of charms.
Each time I encountered a boss when playing as a Witch Doctor I switched Gargantuan with Hex + Hedge Magic (26) in order to receive an additional source for health regeneration. When going against bosses it's also a good idea to mix Summon Zombie Dogs skill with Leeching Beasts rune so that the summoned creatures can last longer. It's worth mentioning that a good source for Life regeneration is the Haunt + Consuming Spirit (18) combo.
During your journeys it's best to modify your build depending on the current situation on the battlefield. When moving in tight corridors you should consider using the Wall of Zombies + Pile On (49) combination. Encounters with groups of smaller monsters in acts III and IV are on the other hand good moments to test Mass Confusion + Paranoia (46), Grasp of the Dead + Rain of Corpses (53) and (in early parts of the game) Plague of Toads + Rain of Toads (35) combos. What's interesting is that Grasp of the Dead skill is still very useful on the Inferno difficulty setting, especially with a rune which slows down enemy units, allowing other players in the game to have a breathing moment.
Once you've finished the game on Normal and advanced to Nightmare you should start equipping your Witch Doctor not only with items which increase his Intelligence (DPS and resistances) but also his Vitality (number of Life points). Make sure to keep all objects which allow you to regenerate your health and energy quickly, add bonuses to damage (rings, mojos) and improve your skills. The shaman may feel like a fragile character at the beginning of the game, but as the game progresses he becomes a true demon killing machine, especially with raised resistances and faster mana regeneration.
Last but not least, let's talk about playing as a Witch Doctor in multiplayer. When you're exploring the world in co-operation with other players you should be using two skills as often as possible: Hex + Hedge Magic (26) and Big Bad Voodoo (all runes for this skill will do the job). The first recommended skill is a healing one and it's extremely helpful when going against stronger monsters. The second recommended skill offers similar bonuses, however it can also be used to increase attack speed and damage inflicted by other players from the group.