Previously Blizzard mentioned that players will be able to customize all 20 of their character’s skills in Diablo III by applying one of five different colour Runestones to each of their own specific ability. But how does that work out? Well, today Blizzard is going to show you, at least abit, through five new examples of skills fully customized.

There are five runestone colors–crimson, indigo, obsidian, golden, and alabaster–which will alter skills uniquely. The different colors will generally follow a singular theme, such as crimson Runestones increasing damage dealt, and golden Runestones reducing the cooldown or cost of the skill. Well, you get the drills.

The first example is the Barbarian’s Whirlwind.

• Crimson: You spin so fast you kick up gravel and dirt around you, dealing more AoE damage
• Indigo: Create a bunch of small whirlwinds that wander in different directions, dealing direct damage
• Obsidian: Makes you immune to immobilization effects for the duration
• Golden: Reduces the Fury cost to activate
• Alabaster: If you critical strike an enemy with Whirlwind, they’ll go crazy and attack their allies instead of you

The second example is the Monk’s Sweeping Mind.

• Crimson: Boosts Sweeping Wind’s AoE damage.
• Indigo: You attack a wider area, and mix in a little fire damage to toast your foes.
• Obsidian: After completing the attack, a swirling vortex remains around you for a short while, dealing damage to anyone still alive near you.
• Golden: Increases Spirit regeneration.
• Alabaster: Your swirling creates a powerful sandstorm that hits enemies and knocks ‘em all back.

The third example is the Wizard’s Ray of Frost spell.

• Crimson: Beam increases in damage the longer it remains in use, to a cap.
• Indigo: Wizard is surrounded by a swirling vortex of sleet, damaging any foes that come into contact.
• Obsidian: Decreases beam damage, but increases reduction in target movement and attack speed.
• Golden: Arcane Power cost reduced.
• Alabaster: Enemies slain by Ray of Frost have a chance to leave an area of ice on the ground where they die, damaging other enemies if they move through it.

Of course, runestones also come in different ranks of power, not just different colors–the higher the rank, the more dramatic its effect. So you’ll definitely be playing around with different combinations as you level up and find new runestones to try. Figuring out the perfect set of complementary skills for your own arsenal will be key to conquering the higher-end dungeons, just like how we used to seek for runes by repeating the hell level at the mountains. Check out the rest of the combination and the video at the link below.

SOURCE via Blizzard