Skill Point Spending Strategies
Take a look at some common Skill Point Spending Strategies at
the Arreat
Summit.
Starting Skills
All 7 player character classes start with the same 2 basic skills - Attack and Throw.
"Attack" attacks with the equipped weapon (or weapons, in the case of the Barbarian.) "Throw" throws a throwing weapon.
Assassins, Druids and Necromancers also start with the "Unsummon" skill to destroy minions previously summoned by the player.
Sorceress' start with a Staff of +1 to Fire Bolt.
Necromancers start with a Wand with +1 to Raise Skeleton.
Number of Skills
Each character class may develop 30 more unique skills. These 30 additional skills are divided into 3 skill tabs (approximately 10 per tab). The skills in each tab are arranged into a Skill Tree -- much like a Tech-Tree in a real-time strategy game.
Passive and Active Skills
There are two general classes of skills - Passive and Active. Active skills require you to explicitly cast or use them. Passive skills are not cast, but have implicit or automatic effects. Masteries (a type of Passive skill) are in effect whenever the item or skill to which the Mastery applies is used. The Paladin's Auras (another type of Passive skill) are in effect whenever readied as the right mouse skill button. Aura skill button icons are golden.
All Active skills except Attack, Throw, Unsummon and Sacrifice use Mana. Most Passive skills do not use Mana. The Mana cost and other information about a skill is shown, when you move the cursor over the skill icon.
Red Skill Icons
When a Skill icon is red; the Skill cannot be used - either because of a lack of Mana, because an item that the skill requires is not equipped, because there is a Casting Delay, or because that skill cannot be used in town.
Additional Skill Points
You receive one extra skill point to distribute each time your character reaches another level of experience.
Some quests give extra skill points for a reward. These can only be used one time per difficulty level.
Skill Points from Items
Staves, Wands, Scepters and Class-specific items give from 1 to 3 extra skill points. You will receive the skill points only when you have the item or weapon equipped. These items will allow you to use skills that you have researched or spent a skill point. These bonus skill points do not allow you to advance down the skill tree unless you already have a point in that skill. So a item that gives +1 to Teeth for the Necromancer does not enable you to place one point into Corpse Explosion at level 6 until you put at least one point into Teeth.
Some Items give +1 to +2 to all class Skills. These items will only add skill points to those skills, which you already have at least one skill point. You cannot use these items to unlock all of your skills.
Some Unique and Set Items give +1 to +2 to all skills (not class specific). These items will also only give additional skill points to those skills that you already have at least one skill point.
Some Items give +1 to +3 to all Skill Tab Skills such as +1 to all Combat Skills (Paladin), or +3 to all Curses (Necromancer Curses). These items will only give +1 to +3 skill points in skills in that specific Skill Tab. These items will also only give additional skill points to those skills which you already have at least skill point. These items will not allow character classes use these skills if they don't normally have these skills available.
Skill Caps
There is a skill level cap of 20. You cannot put more than 20 Skill points into a specific skill. You can however raise a skill over the 20 skill point limit by using items that give +1 to +3 to skills, etc and the Barbarian Warcry Battle Command.
You can only put another skill point into a skill for each character level past the required level for that skill. For example if a skill requires your character to be level 6 you have to wait until your character is level 7 before you can put assign another skill point into that skill. You can however save up skill points and put one skill point into all of the skills that open up when your character reaches the next level in the skill tree (6, 12, 18, 24, 30). For example if you save all your skill points into level 6 you can put one point into each of the Level 6 skills.
Casting
Delay
Some skills have a Casting Delay. A Casting Delay is a period of time after a player has cast a spell during which the player cannot re-cast that spell. For example, after casting Blizzard you must wait a few seconds before you're able to cast another one. The delay differs between skills. Not all skills have a Casting Delay. There is nothing you can do to reduce or eliminate the Casting Delay. If the Skill Action Button becomes red after casting a spell and you have enough Mana to cast it, this means the Casting Delay is active.
Tip: While you're waiting through the Casting Delay you can switch to another spell and use it while you're waiting for the first skill to be available to cast again. Example: Cast a Fire Wall (Casting Delay), then quickly switch to Static Field (No Casting Delay), then switch back to Fire Wall again. Once you get your timing right you can constantly cast spells even with a Casting Delay on one or both of them. Some Casting Delays are connected, such as the Druid's Armageddon and Hurricane, so you may not be able to combine two of the same type of spell.
