You have indeed accomplished greatness in the sanctuary of Diablo 3, but there is a good chance Inferno is still problematic for you and your minions. Together, you’ve dismissed countless demons, revealed exciting treasures, and grinded hours for gold and upgrades. Here is a guide to help you and your army of zombies cut out the corruption that still infects the land.
Note: This guide is based off of Patch 1.0.3 (the most current patch while writing this article). Recommended skills and stat allocations are likely to change in future patches.
Recommend Inferno Build
Note: Make sure elective mode is toggled on so you are not limited to one skill per category. To do this go to Options, select Gameplay, and toggle on Elective Mode.
Firebats
The Dire Bats rune sends a high damage, AOE flaming bat that can really pack a punch in Inferno. It travels a great distance and continues through enemies. This is your main offensive spell and should be promoted to the almighty left mouse click.
Grasp of the Dead
That very first skill you unlocked at level 2 is oh so important for your demonic decimation. Use the Unbreakable Grasp rune to slow enemies 80 percent. Once the grasp lets up, cast it again. Appoint this to your right mouse click.
Spirit Walk
Hands down, this is the best ability this class has access to. The increased movement speed and invulnerability will get you out of sudden danger. Use the Jaunt rune for three additional seconds of spirit time. Position your mortal body in a good spot before casting so enemies can’t break you out of spirit form.
Soul Harvest
Paired with Sprit Walk, this ability will consistently boost your damage with its Intelligence boost. Soul To Waste is our rune of choice, granting an additional 30 seconds of buff time. It’s amazing versus elite packs and decent in some boss encounters when you enter with a full 5 stack or the boss spawns adds for you to harvest from.
Big Bad Voodoo
This aura offers a 20 percent attack speed boost most effective against bosses or elite packs. We recommend using the Slam Dance rune for a 30 percent damage increase.
Fetish Army
The dagger wielding comedic companions are incredibly useful during elite encounters. They will engage the attention of your enemies allowing you to spam your Dire Bats. We prefer the Legion of Daggers rune for more board presence.
Passive Abilities
Vision Quest
The increased Mana regeneration enables you to infinitely cast Dire Bats when four of your spells are on cool down. It is encouraged that you are always using the 300 percent regeneration bonus during boss and elite encounters. You can cast Soul Harvest without an enemy nearby (you will keep your current stack) or even Spirit Walk without moving so you can trigger this key ability.
Spirit Vessel
Invulnerability! This is your get out of jail free card…. every 90 seconds. This is a Witch Doctor staple. A small cool down reduction to Spirit Walk and Soul Harvest are graciously included.
Spiritual Attunement
A 20 percent Maximum Mana increase keeps you from hitting rock bottom on your blue resource globe. This passive also grants 1 percent Mana regeneration per second.
Companion
In the Inferno world of Diablo 3, there is no such thing as enough crowd control. We recommend the Enchantress because of her mind controlling abilities and increased attack speed bonus. She can easily deal over 5k damage with a 1k + staff or sword. Stack as much Intelligence and attack speed as you can. Here is a recommended Enchantress progression build. Spells you should take are in bold:
[Charm] [Focused Push] – Charm is both an offensive and defensive spell. It can turn the allegiance of a foe every 25 seconds for a short period time. It is more consistent that Focused Push when it comes to controlling the fight.
[Reflects Missiles] [Powered Armor]– Powered Armor is a 15 percent armor buff that also slows attackers when you are struck. This is a decent defensive ability that remains active, where the Reflect Missile shield lasts just 5 seconds with a 20 second cool down.
[Disorient] [Erosion] – Disorient adds a second crowd control ability for our companion. It confuses multiple enemies every 45 seconds. Erosion is a good damage increase, but offers no control.
[Focused Mind] [Mass Control] – Focused Mind is a passive attack speed bonus that is always active as long as the Enchantress is alive. Although Mass Control is a very powerful crowd control spell, it’s cool down is too high at 60 seconds. The consistent attack speed boost is better here.
