Diablo II: More Amazon Skills Revealed

Spoiler alert: This story contains information and screens of the game's later skills and spells. The following information may ruin some of the game's surprises.

The amazon has the most diverse set of combat proficiencies of any of Diablo II's character classes, and her options only continue to expand as she gains experience in battle and proceeds through the game. Her higher-level skills let her inflict devastating magical damage with her ranged weapons, even as she gains the ability to make her spear attack even stronger.

One set of the amazon's skills emphasizes her spear- and javelin-fighting abilities. The charged strike and lightning strike skills cause each of her stabbing attacks to unleash a charged bolt or a chain lightning spell, respectively. Plague javelin makes her thrown javelin attack detonate on contact, unleashing a deadly nauseous cloud.

The amazon also gains the ability to learn several skills that can bolster her attack and defense ratings: Both penetrate and evade are passive skills, which means they are permanent enhancements that don't require mana. Penetrate boosts the amazon's chance to hit, while evade gives her a percentage chance to dodge attacks even when moving. The amazon can even learn to create a decoy of herself, which can draw the enemy's attention and absorb damage that the amazon herself might have otherwise sustained.

The amazon is effective with bows and crossbows, and also learns several skills that can improve her archery attacks. Immolation arrow and freezing arrow create devastating fire and ice explosions on impact, respectively, while strafe lets the amazon fire multiple arrows in succession.

The amazon has many different options in combat, with the ability to fight well in ranged or melee combat. Perhaps the greatest challenge for the player that chooses the amazon character class will be to decide just which skills to focus on.