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Summon Zombie Dogs

Summon Zombie Dogs

Active Skill · Defensive · Witch Doctor

  • 5 Runes
  • From level 4

Effect

Cooldown: 45 seconds

Summon 3 Zombie Dogs from the depths to fight by your side. Each dog deals 120% of your weapon damage as Physical per hit.

Runes

5 Runes

  • Rabid Dogs

    from level 12 · Poison damage

    Your Zombie Dogs gain an infectious bite that deals 120% of your weapon damage as Poison over 3 seconds.

  • Chilled to the Bone

    from level 19 · Cold damage

    Enemies who hit or are hit by your Zombie Dogs are Chilled for 3 seconds.

  • Life Link

    from level 28 · Physical damage

    Your Zombie Dogs absorb 10% of all damage done to you.

  • Burning Dogs

    from level 40 · Fire damage

    Your Zombie Dogs burst into flames, burning nearby enemies for 80% of your weapon damage as Fire every second.

  • Leeching Beasts

    from level 54 · Physical damage

    Your Zombie Dogs heal you for 100% of your Life On Hit with every attack.

The proc coefficient scales the chance of on-hit effects (e.g. legendary powers, gems, Life per Hit) for each hit of the skill. Game files, version 2.8.0.

Summon Zombie Dogs

Summon Zombie Dogs calls a small pack of fighting minions from the ground that attack enemies on their own and deal physical damage. The dogs act as a frontline, pull aggro, and form the basis of many Witch Doctor pet builds. They are also the necessary fuel for skills like Sacrifice.

The rune decides their role. Life Link is a strong survival pick because your dogs absorb part of the damage meant for you, effectively padding your health pool. For sustain, Leeching Beasts is popular, since the dogs heal you on every attack through life leech, ideal for building steady healing without landing hits yourself. If you want control or extra damage, Chilled to the Bone slows enemies while Rabid Dogs adds poison damage over time. The dogs thus serve as shield, healing source, and damage source all at once.

The pack and its runes

You summon 3 dogs, each hitting for 120% weapon damage, on a 45 second cooldown. Since the skill is available from level 4, the dogs are with you practically from the start.

  • Rabid Dogs (level 12): poison bite over 3 seconds.
  • Chilled to the Bone (level 19): chills enemies that hit or are hit by the dogs.
  • Life Link (level 28): the dogs absorb 10% of the damage done to you, the most common pick in practice.
  • Burning Dogs (level 40): a fire aura dealing 80% weapon damage per second.
  • Leeching Beasts (level 54): every attack heals you for your Life on Hit.

Helltooth Harness

The dogs are among the skills the Helltooth Harness set names. With 2 pieces, their hits afflict enemies with Necrosis, which slows and deals heavy damage over 10 seconds. The 4-piece bonus then cuts your damage taken by 60%, and the 6-piece bonus empowers the dogs after you cast Wall of Death. That turns them from a mere shield into a trigger for the set bonuses.

Zombie Dogs and Fierce Loyalty

Fierce Loyalty allows one extra dog and grants movement speed while one is summoned. Gruesome Feast and Pierce the Veil fill out the passives, while Soul Harvest, Horrify and Spirit Walk complete the active bar.

by eRnstl