Slow Time

Slow Time

Class: Wizard (Diablo III)
Required Level: 16
Skill Category: Defensive
Active
Cooldown: 15 seconds

Invoke a bubble of warped time and space at your target location up to 60 yards away for 15 seconds, reducing enemy attack speed by 20% and movement speed by 60%. This bubble also slows the speed of enemy projectiles by 90%.

Damage Type: Arcane

Slow Time is an Arcane spell used by Wizards in Diablo III. It resembles the classic Slow Missiles Amazon skill.

In-game[]

Slow Time creates a 20-yard radius sphere (commonly known as 'bubble') anywhere within 60 yards from the Wizard, at the cursor's location, but within line of sight (ignoring enemies and most obstacles). The sphere slows enemy projectiles within itself by 90% (damage of the projectiles does not change), and enemies' movement speed and attack speed is reduced as long as they remain within the area.

If the Wizard dies, the sphere does not disappear. The Wizard may summon as many Slow Time spheres at once as they can hold, but multiple spheres in the same area do not stack.

Multiple Slow Time spheres (from different Wizards) intersecting with each other will not stack either, but multiple spheres with different skill runes will grant all rune effects at once.

Zoltun Kulle will use this ability against players in combat. Same for the Shadow Clones of the Wizard spawned by Diablo in the Realm of Terror. Rare Monsters may have an affix called Missile Dampening, which works very similarly to Slow Time sphere.

If Mirror Image is used, the copies will cast Slow Time centered on themselves when engaging with the enemy.

Only the actual projectiles are slowed by the sphere. Grenades, torrents, beams, Mortar affix bombs and other ordnance missiles are not affected.

The Archon spell of same name and similar functions benefits from most enhancements and runes that your regular Slow Time might have, including Crown of the Primus that gives the effect of all runes at once.

Runes:[]

Time Shell: movement speed reduction increases to 80%, and cooldown is reduced to 12 seconds.
Exhaustion: affected enemies also deal 25% less damage.
Time Warp: affected enemies also take 15% more damage from all attacks.
Point of No Return: enemies that enter or leave the sphere are Stunned for 5 seconds. This does not include enemies already within the sphere at the moment of casting; the foes must actually cross the border to be Stunned.
Stretch Time: allies (and the Wizard) within the sphere gain 10% additional attack speed.

Non-rune enhancements:[]

Gesture of Orpheus (Legendary Wand): reduces the cooldown of Slow Time by 30-40%.
Crown of the Primus (Legendary Wizard Hat): Slow Time gains effect of every rune.
Delsere's Magnum Opus Set (Set Bonus for 2 items): casting Arcane Orb, Energy Twister, Explosive Blast, Wave of Force, Magic Missile, Spectral Blade or Shock Pulse reduces the remaining cooldown of Slow Time by 3 seconds.
Delsere's Magnum Opus Set (Set Bonus for 4 items): while Slow Time sphere is active, the Wizard takes 60% reduced damage, and their allies take 30% reduced damage as long as within a Slow Time sphere.
Delsere's Magnum Opus Set (Set Bonus for 6 items): enemies affected by Slow Time take +12500% increased damage from Arcane Orb, Energy Twister, Explosive Blast, Wave of Force, Magic Missile, Spectral Blade and Shock Pulse. Effects of Slow Time last for 5 seconds after enemies leave the sphere.

Passives:[]

Illusionist: resets the cooldown of Slow Time if enough damage is taken quickly (15% of maximum Life or more in 1 second), and increases movement speed by 30% for 3 seconds when Slow Time is cast.

Development[]

This page contains obsolete content
This article contains information that is no longer relevant to gameplay, but is kept here for informational purposes.

Originally the sphere was summoned at the Wizard's location, but as of patch 2.2.0, it may be summoned at the cursor's location if needed. Previously only a Time and Space rune allowed to place Slow Time at a targeted location.

Trivia[]

In the trailer, a Wizard effectively used Slow Time in tandem with Wave of Force, slowing a mass of projectiles and then reflecting them back at the users with their directions calculated by the new Havok physics engine. Although the effect looks formidable, but in actuality, it takes great practice to get all incoming projectiles to be reflected towards their origin. In-game, Delsere's Magnum Opus Set Dungeon requires players to reflect projectiles (not necessarily towards the attacker).