Buffs
Buffs are the effects bestowed upon the character by potions, shrines and some skills. They are used to make the character stronger, for a limited duration.
Visual Representation
Some buffs, are represented by visual effects on your character, Glowing arms, an orb over his/her head or a halo surrounding your torso. However, every game has its own approach to buffs, World of Warcraft displays buffs on the character, but not all... While some buffs give effects to the character, it is hard to keep track which ones affect what, and are they active at the moment. In World of Warcraft, Buffs are displayed in the top right corner, to the left of the minimap, in the form of icons. These icons can be customized in the options or by various addons that change the user interface (UI).
In Diablo 2, Buffs werent represented by icons anywhere on the UI, they were represented on the character. However, From the videos seen at Gamescon 2009, it is known that Diablo 3, will have Icons representing Active buffs, their duration and their purpose. The icons will be located above the skill bar, next to the health orb. So far, only 2 buffs were seen active on the Male Wizard from that playthrough.
Buffs Seen So far
- Fortune: A 60 second buff, given from a Shrine, that increased the chance for a character to find magic items and gold.
- Ice Armor: A 3 minute buff, given by a Wizard, that slowed the attack and movement speed of anyone who attacked the wizard (It is unknown if this buff can be given to allies).
