Witch Doctor Helltooth Zombie Bears Build

Last updated on Feb 22, 2023 at 17:00 by Deadset 4 comments
Build Variations Updated for Season 28, Patch 2.7.5 Main Build Solo Greater Rift Progression Nephalem Rift Farming
1.

Introduction

One of the most versatile sets in the Witch Doctor arsenal, the Helltooth enables numerous spellcasting builds in the endgame — and along with a few helpful legendaries, brings back the vanilla darling Zombie Bears build. This bursty, AoE playstyle is available in both Greater Rift solo progression (the present guide) and speed farming (see link above) variations.

2.

Quick Reference

2.1.

Skill Setup

The basic skill setup of the Helltooth Zombie Bears Witch Doctor is displayed below. Read the dedicated Skills page for detailed information on choices, alternatives and build customization.

Active Skills
Left Mouse Button Soul Harvest Icon Soul Harvest Languish Languish Right Mouse Button Zombie Charger Icon Zombie Charger Zombie Bears Zombie Bears 1 Piranhas Icon Piranhas Piranhado Piranhado 2 Spirit Walk Icon Spirit Walk Jaunt Jaunt 3 Wall of Death Icon Wall of Death Communing with Spirits Communing with Spirits 4 Locust Swarm Icon Locust Swarm Pestilence Pestilence
Passive Skills
2.2.

Gear Setup

The required gear setup for the Helltooth Zombie Bears Witch Doctor is listed below. Check the Gear page for detailed information on choices, alternatives, gemming, Kanai's Cube and Paragon distribution.

2.2.1.

Season 28: Altar of Rites

Season 28 comes with the theme of the Altar of Rites — a powerful new account-wide and Season-specific progression system that brings tremendous offensive and defensive buffs to every seasonal character. For virtually all builds and players of all skill levels — from casual to advanced — we recommend progressing through the Altar tree using the path outlined below. The suggested path is geared towards maximum quality of life first, then amplifying damage, and then mopping up the tree with defensive and edge case utility nodes.

Note that while they require reaching them with a Seal, Legendary Potion Powers are not part of the Seal cost system; Potions unlock with a separate resource called Primordial Ashes, obtained from salvaging Legendary or Set items of Primal (red bordered) quality. Upgrade them as soon as possible, and in the order shown below (courtesy of Caleko's Altar of Rites planner).

Altar of Rites Planner

You can read more on the Altar of Rites, Seals and Legendary Potion Powers in our dedicated Altar of Rites Mechanics guide.

2.3.

Legendary Gems

2.4.

Kanai's Cube

3.

Changelog

  • 22 Feb. 2023 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 28.
  • 22 Feb. 2023 (this page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
  • 22 Feb. 2023 (gear page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
  • 26 Aug. 2022 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 27.
  • 26 Aug. 2022 (gear page): Added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
  • 26 Aug. 2022 (this page): Added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
  • 14 Apr. 2022 (skills page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 14 Apr. 2022 (this page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 14 Apr. 2022 (gear page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 06 Dec. 2021 (gear page): Enriched the guide and added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 06 Dec. 2021 (this page): Enriched the guide and added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 06 Dec. 2021 (skills page): Revised and enriched the guide.
  • 22 Jul. 2021 (this page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
  • 22 Jul. 2021 (gear page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
  • 22 Jul. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 24.
  • 01 Apr. 2021 (gear page): Added follower recommendation.
  • 01 Apr. 2021 (this page): Added follower recommendation.
  • 01 Apr. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 23.
  • 19 Nov. 2020 (gear page): Revision of item and legendary gem recommendations, alongside advice for Season 22 changes.
  • 19 Nov. 2020 (skills page): Revision of skill, rune and passive recommendations.
  • 19 Nov. 2020 (this page): Revision of item, skill and passive recommendations, alongside advice for Season 22 changes.
  • 01 Jul. 2020 (skills page): No changes required for Season 21.
  • 01 Jul. 2020 (this page): No changes required for Season 21.
  • 01 Jul. 2020 (gear page): No changes required for Season 21.
  • 14 Mar. 2020 (skills page): Skill recommendations adjusted to reflect the changes to Ring of Emptiness.
  • 14 Mar. 2020 (gear page): Item recommendations adjusted to reflect the changes to Ring of Emptiness.
  • 14 Mar. 2020 (this page): Guide adjusted to reflect the changes to Ring of Emptiness.
  • 22 Nov. 2019 (skills page): Reviewed for Season 19.
  • 22 Nov. 2019 (gear page): Reviewed for Season 19.
  • 22 Nov. 2019 (this page): Reviewed for Season 19.
  • 23 Aug. 2019 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 18.
  • 23 Aug. 2019 (skills page): Reviewed and approved for Season 18.
  • 23 Aug. 2019 (gear page): Reviewed and approved for Season 18.
  • 17 May 2019 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
  • 17 May 2019 (skills page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
  • 17 May 2019 (gear page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
  • 18 Jan. 2019 (gear page): Added suggestions for the baseline Ring of Royal Grandeur for Seasonal characters.
  • 18 Jan. 2019 (skills page): Information was reviewed and approved for Season 16 with no changes required.
  • 18 Jan. 2019 (this page): Guide was revised with additional recommendations for Season 16.
  • 20 Sep. 2018 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 15.
  • 14 Jun. 2018 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 14.
  • 27 Oct. 2017 (this page): No changes necessary for Patch 2.6.1.
  • 29 Jun. 2017 (this page): Updated for 2.6 and moved to new format.
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