Overview Of Magic Spells for Player Characters In Diablo: Level One Spells in the Classic PC Game, Diablo

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Level One Spells - Descriptions

Level 1 spells in Diablo are considered to be the weakest ones in the game and are only really effective against lower level enemies. Characters’ beginning skills – Repair Item (Warrior), Find/Remove Traps (Rogue) and Recharge Staves (Sorcerer) are considered Level 1 spells, even though they are not magical.

Item Repair (Warrior’s skill)

This skill can be used on an item to repair it, but the item’s maximum durability decreases as a result. As your characters level goes up, the loss in duration decreases. Griswold can repair items without loss of durability back to the item’s maximum durability score for a fee.

Recharge Staves (Sorcerer’s Skill)

This skill can be used to recharges the spell charges of staves. Like the Warrior with the Item Repair skill, the maximum amount of charges decreases in the process. As your characters level goes up, the charge loss decreases. Adria can recharge staves without loss of capacity back to the item’s maximum charge for a fee.

Disarm Traps (Rogue’s Skill)

This skill can be used by Rogues to see traps within the dungeon and so can try to disarm them with this skill. As a Rogue characters’ dexterity goes up, the chance to successfully spot and disarm the trap also increases.

Charged Bolt (Lightning)

The Charged Bolt spell allows the character to launch several small lightning bolts in random directions. The spell is capable of dealing massive amounts of damage and is most effective against an enemy horde, rather than individual targets.

The Charged Bolt spell is the only spell which you can use against Fire resisted and Fire immune monsters in the beginning of the game, until you learn Lightning. More bolts are created as the level of the spell increases, while damage is increased by the amount of Magic you have.

Charged Bolt is also the primary spell of Magistrates in the game.

Initial Mana Cost: 6

Decrease per Spell Level: None

Minimum Mana Cost: 6

Blockable: Yes

Firebolt (Fire)

The Firebolt spell is perhaps one of the most important basic spells in the game. Most of the monsters found in Dungeons and Catacombs area of the dungeon have no immunity or resistance to fire, so Firebolt should be your primary offensive spell in these areas. Firebolt increases in number as the spells level increases while a higher Magic stat increases the damage.

Firebolt is the primary attack of Counselors while Sorcerers have Firebolt at spell level 2 when they begin the game.

Initial Mana Cost: 6

Decrease per Spell Level: 0.5

Minimum Mana Cost: 3

Blockable: Yes

Healing

The Healing spell is one of the most important spells in Diablo and all classes can use it equally at lower experience levels. The Healing spell can be a lifesaver, but once Rogues and Sorcerers learn Mana Shields, Healing really useful only to Warriors.

Having higher spell levels increases the minimum and maximum amount of life healed and also reduces the mana cost by 3 mana per level. Higher character levels also increase the minimum and maximum amount of life healed but increase the mana cost by 2 mana per character level.

Minimum Mana Cost: 8 + 2 x Character Level + 3 x Spell Level

Heal Other

Heal Other is exactly like the spell Healing, but the spell effect is to only heal other players. Heal Other is a great spell to be used by high level characters - especially Sorcerers - when helping their companions in combat situations where their offensive spells may be ineffective.

The Mana cost and the amount of life healed is the same as that of the Healing spell. This spell appears only in multi player games.

Minimum Mana Cost: 8 + 2 x Character Level + 3 x Spell Level

Holy Bolt

The Holy Bolt spell is effective only against undead monsters, and Diablo himself. There are no resistances against Holy Bolt, so often you can deal higher damage using Holy Bolt than you would with the elemental based spells Firebolt and Charged Bolt.

As Holy Bolt is ineffective against all bar the undead and Diablo, it means that all other monsters – and characters, if in multiplayer - are completely immune to its effects. As a result, you can easily give back-up fire without damaging your party members with Holy Bolt.

When you encounter undead monsters, many of them are likely to be Fire and/or Lightning resisted anyway, so Holy Bolt should be your primary spell against undead foes. This is especially true of King Leoric!

Holy Bolt spell damage increases as your character gains levels, while spell level only affects the speed of the bolts.

Initial Mana Cost: 7

Decrease per Spell Level: 1

Minimum Mana Cost: 3

Inferno

The Inferno spell involves releasing a burst of fierce flames up to 3 squares away in the direction you’ve targeted the spell. It looks pretty, but the spell itself is pretty poor and comes with a high Mana cost to successfully cast the spell.

Inferno can damage several opponents at once, so it’s most effective against groups of monsters, but while it does yield some good damage against those monsters who aren’t resistant the high Mana cost involved in its use make it uneconomical to use.

Balrogs have the Inferno spell as their secondary attack.

This post is part of the series: Using Magic in Diablo

An overview of spells in Diablo for sorcerers and other characters.

  1. The Diablo Sorcerer’s Spellbook: An Overview Of Magic In Diablo
  2. The Diablo Sorcerer’s Spellbook: Spells – Level Four Spells For Diablo Characters
  3. The Diablo Sorcerer’s Spellbook: Spells – Level Three Spells for Diablo Characters
  4. The Diablo Sorcerer’s Spellbook: Spells – Level Two Spells for Diablo Characters
  5. The Diablo Sorcerer’s Spellbook: Spells – Level One Spells for Diablo Characters
  6. Classic Diablo Game Guide: Magical Shrines and Their Effects On Player Characters