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I’ve been spending a lot of time with Season 7’s Witchcraft Powers and I have to say it’s been the most fun I’ve had with a season since Diablo 4 was launched. It’s like Blizzard took the Vampiric Powers and juiced them. These powers are overt and meaningful, so much so that I’ve been able to shore up weaknesses in builds I’m trying. I actually want to run more than one build this season!
Build Diversity Has Never Been Better
Vampiric Powers were a neat idea, and I did like that system, but none of the powers made an impact on what skills I chose for my build. Witchcraft Powers, on the other hand, have been the complete opposite.
What it comes down to is Vampiric Powers were focused on utility, whereas Witchcraft Powers cover the entire spectrum. They’re broken up into three groups: damage, defensive, and utility (like healing and resource regeneration). And unlike Vampiric Powers, there is no Pact system—you just pick and choose what you want to use.
I love this system a thousand times more. It took my Lightning Storm Druid, a build that tends to struggle with single-target damage, and strengthened its massive weakness with Witchcraft Powers like Breath of the Coven and Aura Specialization.
Many of the Witchcraft Powers are like this. Let’s say you’re struggling with healing. Go with Aura if Siphoning and The Cycle and you’ll get a bunch of healing passively. Need more crowd control to trigger passives? Try the Aura of Lament or Misfortune, then pair it with Breath of the Coven to trigger bonus attack speed.
It isn’t just my skills Witchcraft Powers are affecting; it’s my skill tree, too. For Druid’s, they have Neurotoxin and Envenom, granting crowd control and critical strike damage against poisoned enemies. Well, it just so happens there are several Witchcraft Powers that deal poison damage passively, so I took it, even though I don’t have any poison skills.
The opposite is true, too. I’ve been able to remove skill points from my tree and place them elsewhere because a Witchcraft Power granted a bonus that was similar or even better.
It Encourages You to Make Alts
I rarely ever make alts during an active season. It’s definitely easier with the boosts to XP gain and whatnot, but it’s still a big commitment. There’s still that very weak period early on that you don’t shake until you’ve got a decent leveling build and a couple solid items.
However, Witchcraft Powers were exactly what I needed to sweeten the experience a little more. Whenever you unlock said powers on one character, it’s available to all of your Seasonal characters. And since they’re so strong, it makes leveling much more fun as opposed to relying solely on Aspects of Power I unlocked with my main character.
It’s reminiscent of the Gem of Ease from Diablo 3, which completely removed an item’s level requirement. You give that item to a level 1 alt, and they’d run around like a child with a nuke. It was not only fun but a sweet reward for players who put in the hours to max out the gem.
I Love Witchcraft Powers, But I Want More
My biggest gripe with Witchcraft Powers in Diablo 4 is that it’s a temporary system. I know some Vampiric Powers were converted to Legendary Aspects, but it pales in comparison to the system itself. I’d hate to see the potential of Witchcraft Powers be gutted.
My wish is to see the powers fully integrated into the base game, full stop. It’s an engaging mechanic that has me asking if the effect is useful as opposed to whatever’s going to boost my damage. Ultimately, it’s the kind of system that loosens the reigns on meta builds and would usher in a new era of build creation in Diablo 4.
