Diablo III Witch Doctor build - Inferno guide

Stat Allocation

Life is not important… at least in terms of Witch Doctor hit points. You get one shot! If you don’t, the amount of stats you allocated to health and resists instead of damage will undoubtedly cost you. Spirits both Walk and Vessel are your best friends! When upgrading your gear, focus on stats in the following order:

Weapon Damage increases the damage dealt by your skills. For example, Dire Bats deal 220 percent weapon damage to all enemies they touch during their 40 yards of travel. A high damage weapon is crucial to combat our infernal foes. More details on what weapon to look for are provided in the Gear section below. Damage increase can also be found on rings and amulets.

Intelligence is a direct increase to your damage and resistances. This stat can be found on every gear slot. There is no such thing as too much Intelligence. We recommend at least 1750 points.

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Mana Regeneration increases the rate at which your Mana replenishes per second. This ability is found on Witch Doctor only gear: voodoo masks, mojos, and ceremonial knives. Witch Doctor’s can easily regenerate 50 Mana per second by equipping all three items while the Spiritual Attunement passive is active.

Attack Speed increases the rate at which you attack or cast spells. You can find this stat on gloves, rings, amulets, and weapons. Note that bonus attack speed on a weapon is already factored into the weapon’s attacks per second. You’ll want to hit at least 1.7 attacks per second while the Enchantress’s Focus Mind is active.

Critical Hit Chance will increase your chance on landing a higher damage attack. You can find this stat on helms, gloves, bracers, off-hands, rings, and amulets. This is best paired with critical hit damage. Aim for at least 25 percent critical hit chance.

Critical Hit Damage will increase the amount of damage your critical strikes deal. You can find this stat on weapons, gloves, rings, and amulets. This is best paired with critical hit chance. Shoot for at least 100 percent critical hit damage.

Maximum Mana increases the amount your resource globe can hold. Witch Doctors can have well over 1000 Mana when pairing this stat with the Spiritual Attunement passive.

Crowd Control [CC] stats are found on almost every gear slot (chance to stun, fear, freeze, etc.). Although their chance to trigger is small, you will notice an improvement during your Inferno combat. The higher attack speed you have, the greater chance one will occur. Look for the [CC] indicator in the Gear section below on where to find these useful stats.

Life Regeneration – Some amount of life regeneration is useful when moving from battle to battle so you don’t have to expense a health potion each time you hit the red zone or Spirit Vessel pops.

Vitality – Fill up the red globe when you can, but do not invest in this over any damage stat. They are nice when paired together, but can be very costly. You will likely end up at around 20,000 life by accident, which is fine for completing Inferno. Do your best not to get hit more than once every 90 seconds.

Gear

You will end up with at least 30,000 base damage (likely much more) if you use the following gear upgrade guidelines. Note: The item descriptions below do not account for legendary or set items that may include stats not found on magic and rare gear slots.

Weapon
A one hander is key due to the increased attack speed. We recommend AT LEAST a 900 damage + ceremonial knife with Mana regeneration. If you have the gold/cash, go for higher damage, intelligence, and attack speed. If you are so lucky to get one with an open socket, throw an emerald in for bonus critical hit damage. You can shop for other weapons, but a ceremonial knife has high base attack speed and can include Mana regeneration. [CC] Any single crowd control stat is available here.

Offhand
The mojos can offer up to 400 to your maximum damage. High damage is the best stat to look for here, but Intelligence, Mana regeneration, max Mana, and critical hit chance are also great perks. Shields do not compare to the damage increase of a mojo, so don’t waste any time looking for one. [CC] Any single crowd control stat is available here.

Helm Look for a voodoo mask with Mana regeneration and high Intelligence (upwards to 200 is good). An open socket is a nice life percentage boost, but it is not necessary. [CC] Chance to fear on hit is available here.

Shoulders
Shoulders do not offer any offensive bonus aside from a primary stat. Look for around 150 intelligence. [CC] Chance to chill on hit is available here.

Chest
This armor slot has a chance to roll 3 open sockets. When searching on the auction house, look for 200 Intelligence since the search includes the added gem bonus.

Pants
This armor slot has a chance to roll 2 open sockets. When searching on the auction house, look for 175 Intelligence since the search includes the added gem bonus. [CC] Chance to slow on hit is available here.

Gloves Gloves are unique in that they can provide attack speed and critical hit damage. Pair these with around 150 Intelligence. Critical hit chance can also be found on this gear slot. [CC] Chance to stun on hit is available here.

Bracers Critical hit chance is a great stat to look for on bracers. Aim for at least 100 Intelligence. [CC] Chance to knockback on hit is available here.

Belt
Like shoulders, you will not find attack speed, critical hit chance, or damage on this item slot. Look for at least 100 Intelligence. [CC] Chance to freeze on hit is available here.

Boots Up to 12 percent movement speed can be found on boots. This is great for survivability and let’s you wander even faster when Spirit Walking. Look for at least 100 Intelligence. [CC] Chance to immobilize on hit is available here.

Rings / Amulet
Damage bonus and attack speed are unique to these item slots. Look for those first followed by Intelligence, critical hit chance and damage. An open socket is also welcome for added Intelligence. Aim for around 200 Intelligence on the amulet and 100 on each ring. [CC] Chance to blind on hit is available on amulets.