Hey fellow WDs!!
After a few days testing the class, here are my thoughts on the Witch Doctor in this patch so far…
-The Witch Doctor overall-
Damage
Thank you devs so much for seeing that the class is lacking in the damage department. The Shukrani triumph change was much appreciated and pointed in the right direction.
But the damage isn’t still there compared to other classes and if we take of the soul shards of this season from the equation the discrepancy is even bigger. We still need damage to barely compete with other classes as they stand right now.
Suggestion: Maybe increase the damage bonus from Shukrani Triumph from 100% to 200% or even 300%. In Great Right Guardian Fights the margin of time we use this item is so short that it wouldn’t make it broken.
Toughness
Again I want to thank you devs for changing Lakumba’s Ornament in a way that is so much smoother to use. I was able to face tank the Rift Guardian on GR130 with the help of the Templar heal without dieing or even being close to proc once using Mundunugu’s. Really nice change!
Suggestion: I don’t know… Maybe give another items a buff to be next to Lakumba’s and promote variety… Like Ukapian Serpent or Henry’s Perquisition for example?
Speed
Now we entering in a trick part… The class have a variety of dedicated weapons for builds and the new Shukrani’s Triumph legendary power makes the use of Echoing Fury or In-Geon a little difficult. But the problem with Shukrani’s is that it’s effect is interrupted by any cast you do 3 times, even non damaging ones. E.g.: If you use horrify-stalker or Soul Harvest-Soul to waste to increase your movement speed 3 times you go off of Spirit Walk very often which makes you lose speed. This makes T16 or even speed farm a bit clunky.
Suggestion: Allow only Damaging skills or runes to interrupt Shukrani’s Triumph effect. This will put us almost at GoD DH speed in bounties (I SAID ALMOST).
Big Bad Voodoo
Fantasy wise it should be the ultimate spell for Witch Doctors like Vengeance is for DH, Akarat Champion is for Crusader or Archon is for Wizards. And as the ultimate spell it should be a little more usable and not niche or build specific. It’s basically a Skill that it’s power gives you Attack and Movement speed. But a spell that gives you movement speed but is STATIONARY? Only when using 2p Mundunugu it is allowed to have it following you? What the purpose of this? It could benefit so much other builds or sets if it’s not stationary!
Suggestion: Make the ability to follow you a standard for the skill and give Mundunugu’s all the runes to compensate. Nothing game breaking for Mundunugu’s and it will make it usable for most of WD builds.
Pets
Before the update only creature spells could benefit from the Ring of Emptiness but couldn’t from Mask of Jeram and Tasker and Theo’s. Zombie dogs and Gargantuans on the other hand was allowed to benefit from Mask of Jeram and Tasker and Theo’s but not from the RoE.
After the update Zombie Dogs, Gargantuans, Horrific Mimics and spiders spawned by Arachyr 2p are allowed to benefit from this bonus or from Mask of Jeram and Tasker and Theo’s. But the WD have a plethora or creature skills that could be considered pets and benefit from the damage bonus from all these items and somehow still can’t.
emphasized text: let all the skills listed below to also benefit from both RoE and Mask of Jeram/Tasker and Theo’s:
• Bats
• Zombie Bears
• Toads
• Phantasms
• Manitou
This will further increase the variety of builds that the WD needs and the community wants.
Sets and Complimentary items
–Reserved for edit later–