Witch Doctor Helltooth Zombie Bears Build
Introduction
Reworked into a top tier Witch Doctor set in Patch 2.3, Helltooth puts a strong emphasis on spellcasting playstyles — 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 just below) variations.
Quick Reference
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 |
|---|
Soul Harvest
 Languish
Zombie Charger
 Zombie Bears
1
Summon Zombie Dogs
 Leeching Beasts
2
Spirit Walk
Severance
3
Wall of Death
 Wall of Zombies
4
Locust Swarm
 Pestilence
|
| Passive Skills |
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.
- Helm:
Helltooth Mask - Shoulders:
Helltooth Mantle - Gloves:
Helltooth Gauntlets - Chest:
Helltooth Tunic - Belt:
Captain Crimson's Silk Girdle - Pants:
Captain Crimson's Thrust - Boots:
Helltooth Greaves - Bracers:
Lakumba's Ornament - Amulet:
The Traveler's Pledge - Ring 1:
The Compass Rose - Ring 2:
Ring of Emptiness - Weapon (S24): Arioc's Needle
- Offhand:
Ursua's Trodden Effigy
For non-Seasonal play (where you do not have access to Ethereal weapons) throughout the duration of Season 24, the recommended weapon for this build is:
- Weapon (Off-Season):
Scrimshaw
Legendary Gems
- Legendary Gem 1:
Bane of the Trapped - Legendary Gem 2:
Gogok of Swiftness - Legendary Gem 3:
Bane of the Stricken
Kanai's Cube
- Weapon Slot:
Sacred Harvester - Armor Slot:
Aquila Cuirass - Jewelry Slot:
Ring of Royal Grandeur
Changelog
- 22 Jul. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 24.
- 22 Jul. 2021 (this page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
- 22 Jul. 2021 (gear page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
- 01 Apr. 2021 (this page): Added follower recommendation.
- 01 Apr. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 23.
- 01 Apr. 2021 (gear page): Added follower recommendation.
- 19 Nov. 2020 (gear page): Revision of item and legendary gem recommendations, alongside advice for Season 22 changes.
- 19 Nov. 2020 (this page): Revision of item, skill and passive recommendations, alongside advice for Season 22 changes.
- 19 Nov. 2020 (skills page): Revision of skill, rune and passive recommendations.
- 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 (gear page): Item recommendations adjusted to reflect the changes to Ring of Emptiness.
- 14 Mar. 2020 (skills page): Skill 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 (gear page): Reviewed for Season 19.
- 22 Nov. 2019 (this page): Reviewed for Season 19.
- 22 Nov. 2019 (skills page): Reviewed for Season 19.
- 23 Aug. 2019 (skills page): Reviewed and approved for Season 18.
- 23 Aug. 2019 (gear page): Reviewed and approved for Season 18.
- 23 Aug. 2019 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 18.
- 17 May 2019 (skills page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
- 17 May 2019 (this 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 (this page): Guide was revised with additional recommendations for Season 16.
- 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.
- 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.
More Witch Doctor Guides
Builds from Other Classes
Farming Guides
This build is presented to you by Deadset, one of the very few professional Diablo 3 players. Deadset regularly publishes video guides on Youtube and streams on Twitch, where you can see how this and other builds play out in practice.
- J. Allen Brack Game Maker's Notebook Interview From Just Before the Lawsuit
- Diablo 2: Resurrected Beta Timing Re-Confirmed
- An Alternate Easy Way to Farm Ethereals for the Feat of Strength
- Quick Reminder: How to Get Reusable Parts Quickly and Easily
- A Look at the Activision Blizzard Walkout Protest
- Activision Blizzard Employees' Response to Bobby Kotick's Statement
- Blizzard Offers Paid Time Off for Wednesday's Walkout Protest
- Activision Blizzard Employee Walkout Protest on Wednesday, July 28th