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'''Skills''' are what all abilities the character [[class]]es in [[Diablo III]] have are called. A skill includes regular physical abilities like [[Cleave]] or a magical [[spell]] like [[disintegrateDisintegrate]]. While '''skills''' is the official name, players often refer to them as '''spells''', '''talents''', '''abilities''', and other similar terms. These are just synonyms, and are frequently interchangeable in use.

[[Respecs]] will be available to change skill points after after they're placed, and [[runestones]] can be socketed into skills, greatly modifying their formseffects.

<u>'''Useful Essential skill links:'''</u>* '''[[Rune|Skill rune]]s'''* '''[[Barbarian skills]]''' - [[Barbarian]]-specific Their effects are more important than the base skill design, in most cases.** '''[[Barbarian traitsskills]].** [[Barbarian skill archivetraits]] - Removed Barbarian skills.* '''[[Demon Hunter skills]]''' - Monk-specific skill design.** '''[[Demon Hunter traits]].* '''[[Monk skills]]''' - Monk-specific skill design.** '''[[Monk traits]].** [[Monk skill archive]] - Removed Monk skills.* '''[[Wizard skills]]''' - [[Wizard]]-specific skill design.** '''[[Wizard traits]].** [[Wizard skill archive]] - Removed Wizard skills.* '''[[Witch Doctor skills]]''' - Witch Doctor-specific skill design.** '''[[Witch Doctor traits]].** [[Witch Doctor skill archive]] - Removed Witch Doctor skills.* '''[[Signature skill]]s''' - Skills that define characters.* '''[[Active skill]]s''' - Skills where effects are activated by the player.* '''[[Passive skill]]s''' - Skills where effects are activated automatically, by the computer or by special events.

==Known SkillsSkill Points== We know a fair number of skills from seeing them in demonstrations, and from taking notes of them at BlizzCon in October [[BlizzCon 2008|2008]] and [[BlizzCon 2009|2009]]. More than 30 skills each are known for the [[Barbarian]], [[Wizard]] and [[Witch Doctor]], while fewer of the [[Monk]]'s skills have yet been revealed. Click to the appropriate pages in the links above to learn the names and functions of all known skills.  ==Traits== [[Traits]] were introduced into the game in 2010. They function chiefly as a replacement for passive skills, which are no longer in the skill menu. Character earn a trait point every other level up (each odd-numbered level), and have a wide variety of traits to choose from. Like skills, traits have no pre-reqs other than Clvl. Unlike skills, traits are not all available at a fairly low level; new traits are available every 4th level, and they proceed almost all the way to the max level, with blocks of traits available at level 1, 3, 5, and so on, up to much higher levels. Later blocks of traits come online at Clvl 39, 43, 47, 51, and 55. As of Blizzcon 2010 there were more than 30 traits per character, a fairly bewildering number that the developers said was likely to be decreased and refocused through further development.  ==How Many Skills?== There will be around 25 skills per character in Diablo 3, all [[active]]. Passive skills were found in the [[skill tree]]s in earlier versions of the game but they were removed during 2010 development.

Before the rearranging and removal of passive skillsSkills are enabled by adding points to them, in much the team was planning to have about 35 skills per character, same fashion as [[Jay Wilson]] detailed in an October 2009 interview: Diablo II. Skill points are earned by leveling up, with the first point awarded at level 2<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jaydiablo-wilson-exclusive-fullawakens/ Bashiok forum post] -transcript/ Jay Wilson Interview @ DiiiBattle.net] - IncGamers, October 2009November 4, 2010</ref>and subsequent points at each level up to the maximum level of 60. There will probably be additional points awarded as quest rewards, though this has not yet been confirmed.

There are a number of major changes to using skill points in Diablo III::'''''Diii.net: '''We saw 30* There are no skill pre-35 skills for the Wizard (30), Barbarian (35), and Witch Doctor (34), at Blizzcon. Can you give us an idea how close requisites other than Clvl; players never need spend a skill point simply to the final enable another skill trees those .** There are?::'''Jay Wilson: '''In terms of no skill synergies. No skills directly boost the number effect of other skills, that’s about right. In terms (Though many [[traits]] do.)* Characters can only place points in a set amount of the skill tree we’re um..skills. we’re still playing around This amount rises with the actual layouts Clvl, to a maximum of skill trees and the working seven.* The maximum number of the skill system. The skills for the Wizard and Barbarian their points in a skill trees were very solidis capped at 5 to start with. We like their skillsThis cap will ultimate rise to 15 or 20, though there are a few still missing. Especially for with the Wizardnumber tied to Clvl, difficulty level, there of possibly quest rewards.* There are no [[Passive skills we didn’t put into her tree that we’re still defining, especially at ]] in the high end[[skill trees]]. The same for the BarbarianOnly [[active skills]]; we’ve got a few passive skills on are now [[traits]], thus every skill point spent adds directly to one of the way for him. But for the most part, the content of those trees is more or less correct"click this to kill monsters" skills.

With the redesigned non-tree [[skill trees]], as of October 2010 at Blizzcon there are no skill prerequisites at all, other than the Clvl requirement for each tier of skills. These are set at Character level 2, 3, 6, 10, 14, 20, and 26.

Only 7 skills can have points placed in them at one time, in Diablo III. This fact was revealed via the @Diablo twitter feed in late-September, 2010. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-on-skills-party-help-and-beta-confirmation/ @Diablo] - IncGamers, September 2010</ref> ::Bash said U can only have 7 skills at a time, does that mean I can’t have skill points in an 8th skill or U can only have 7 on UI?—TheEliminator:::You can spend into seven skills at a time, total. These are active skills and don’t include passives.—Diablo--Diablo

This issue is further complicaed by limits the game places on how quickly new One additional skill slot becomes active at each tier. Hence a Clvl 3-5 character can only have 2 skills may be enabled. From what players saw at Blizzcon 2010, one even though she has more of the seven than two points to spend in skills . At Clvl 6 a third skill slot becomes available active, allowing a player to put points into at each select and start using a third skill. At Clvl 10 the fourth skill tier; 2slot becomes active, 3and so on until a Clvl 26+ character can use up to the maximum of 7 skills. (There are 7 skill hotkeys, 61-4, 10RMB, 14LMB, 20, 26Tab. )

This is a better way to play ===Maximum Points in terms of building character strength, and fits with the [[D3 Team]]'s design goal of directing players to play wisely. Since there are [[respec]]s, it's not a big deal, since players can easily switch points out of lower level skills to higher level ones if they so desire.Skill===

It's not yet been made clear how many skill points can be placed into the skills, or how quickly points may be added to the skills. Characters could add one per level in Diablo 2, but many other RPGs have different limits, sometimes allowing points only every 3rd or 5th level up. This technique allows for skills to gain much more benefit per level, making them ultimately more powerful. Skills are initially capped at 5 points, in Diablo III. No demo characters, PvM or PvP, have ever had any way to add more than 5 points to a skill. Despite that, the developers have made it known that the max point in skills will be higher, most likely 15or 20.

This seems seemed the simplest method of doing things, with players able to move up to level 10 skills on Nightmare, and level 15 on Hell. (Plus potential +skill mods from item bonuses.) It might create some interesting strategy as well, with characters wanting to hurry to the next difficulty level in order to unlock their next five skill points. (That was not the case in Diablo 2, where untwinked/unrushed characters could find better gear and score bigger experience doing [[Baal]] runs from 30-45 or so, rather than moving up to Nightmare.)

==Traits== [[Jay WilsonTraits]] revealed were introduced into the game in 2010. They function chiefly as a replacement for passive skills, which are no longer in the key skill designer guys menu. Traits bonuses are considerable, much larger than most passive skill bonuses were in Diablo 2. The team designed them that way on purpose, to make the Daiblo points spent in traits feel very impactful and important. Typical bonuses are +20% or 25% to attributes or weapon damage, along with dozens of other interesting bonuses. Characters earn a trait point every other level up (each odd-numbered level, starting at 3 team ), and have a wide variety of traits to choose from. It's not known if trait points will also be awarded by quests or other bonuses, but it seems a safe bet.Like skills, traits have no pre-reqs other than Clvl. Unlike skills, traits are <u>not</u> all available at a fairly low level; new traits are available every 4th level, 3, 7, 11, and so on, all the way up to 55.  This is a key difference between skills and traits; while characters should have access to all of their skills by the time they complete normal difficulty, the highest level traits won't become available until nearly the [[end game]]. Traits are arranged in a traits window, accessed through a tab in the skills window. Traits can have from 1-5 points placed in them, though the max caps vary; some allow just 1 point, others 3, others 5. As of Blizzcon 2010 there were more than 30 traits per character, a bewildering variety of choices that the developers said was likely to be decreased and refocused through further development.  ==How Many Skills?== There will be around 25 skills per character in Diablo 3, all [[active]]. Passive skills were found in the [[skill tree]]s in earlier versions of the game but they were all removed during 2010 development, and almost all of them were repurposed into [[traits]]. Prior to the 2010 revision, the plan was for was planning to have about 35 skills per character, a mixture of passive and active skills, as [[Jay Wilson]] detailed in an October 2009 interview. : <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-exclusive-full-transcript / Jay Wilson Interview @ Diii.net] - IncGamers, October 20102009</ref>

::'''''Diii.net: '''We saw 30-35 skills for the Wizard (30), Barbarian (35), and Witch Doctor (34), at Blizzcon. Can you place your heads into give us an idea how close to the lion’s jaws and name the 3 of you who work on skillsfinal skill trees those are?::'''Jay Wilson:''' Myself, [[Wyatt Cheng]]In terms of the number of skills, that’s about right. In terms of the skill tree we’re um... we’re still playing around with the actual layouts of skill trees and the working of the skill system. The skills for the Wizard and [[Julian Love]]Barbarian their skill trees were very solid. We like their skills, our lead technical artistthough there are a few still missing. Oh actually 4Especially for the Wizard, there are skills we didn’t put into her tree that we’re still defining, especially at the high end. [[Chris Haga]] does The same for the Barbarian; we’ve got a lot few skills on the way for him. But for the most part, the content of skill work as wellthose trees is more or less correct.