Table of Contents

The Ultimate Wizard Follower Guide: Diablo 3 Edition

Quick answer

This page answers What is the best wizard follower in Diablo 3? quickly.

Fast answer first. Then use the tabs or video for more detail.

Watch the video explanation below for a faster overview.
Game mechanics may change with updates or patches.
Use this block to get the short answer without scrolling the whole page.

Read the FAQ section if the article has one.
Use the table of contents to jump straight to the detailed section you need.
Watch the video first, then skim the article for specifics.

▶

The best follower for a Wizard in Diablo 3 largely depends on your build, playstyle, and current needs. However, for the vast majority of builds, the Enchantress emerges as the clear winner. Her ability to provide increased attack speed, armor, and crowd control significantly boosts the Wizard’s damage output and survivability, making her an invaluable asset in both solo and group play. While the Templar offers healing and resource regeneration, and the Scoundrel provides critical hit chance, the Enchantress’s versatility and impactful buffs make her the optimal choice for maximizing a Wizard’s potential.

Diving Deep: Why the Enchantress Reigns Supreme

While the initial advice might seem straightforward, understanding the “why” behind the Enchantress’s dominance is crucial. Let’s explore her skills and how they synergize with a Wizard’s kit:

Focused Mind: This skill grants a flat 3% attack speed buff. While seemingly small, this stacks multiplicatively with other attack speed bonuses, leading to a noticeable increase in damage and resource generation, especially beneficial for channeling builds like Disintegrate or Arcane Torrent.
Powered Armor: Providing a substantial 10% armor boost, Powered Armor directly increases your character’s survivability. This is particularly valuable for Wizards, who are notoriously squishy and rely on positioning and crowd control to stay alive.
Erosion: Reducing enemy armor by 10% is a powerful debuff that significantly amplifies your damage output against tougher enemies, particularly elites and bosses.
Forceful Push: This crowd control ability provides much-needed breathing room in chaotic situations. The knockback can interrupt enemy attacks and buy you precious seconds to reposition or unleash powerful spells.

The Enchantress’s skill set is geared towards enhancing both offense and defense, addressing the Wizard’s primary weaknesses while amplifying their strengths. Her versatility makes her suitable for almost any Wizard build, regardless of its focus.

The Templar: A Reliable Support Option

While the Enchantress takes the top spot, the Templar is a viable alternative, especially in specific circumstances. He excels at providing:

Healing: The Templar’s various healing skills provide consistent sustain, which can be helpful for newer players or builds that struggle with survivability.
Resource Generation: The Templar can replenish your Arcane Power, which can be crucial for maintaining your spell rotation, especially with resource-intensive builds.
Crowd Control: Similar to the Enchantress, the Templar has skills that can stun or knock back enemies, offering valuable crowd control.

However, the Templar’s contributions are generally less impactful than the Enchantress’s. His healing becomes less relevant as you progress and optimize your gear, and his resource generation is often superseded by efficient build design and resource cost reduction affixes.

The Scoundrel: Niche Uses and Limited Utility

The Scoundrel, while offering a critical hit chance buff, is generally the least effective follower for Wizards. His primary benefits are:

Critical Hit Chance: The Scoundrel can boost your critical hit chance, which can theoretically increase your damage output.
Blinding Flash: This skill can blind enemies, providing a brief moment of respite.
Hysteria: Increases damage.

However, the critical hit chance buff is often less impactful than the Enchantress’s attack speed and armor bonuses, and the Scoundrel’s crowd control is less reliable. Furthermore, his damage output is minimal, making him a less valuable asset overall. Scoundrel’s focus on Dexterity makes gearing him for a Wizard difficult.

Gearing Your Follower for Maximum Effectiveness

Properly gearing your follower is essential to maximize their utility. Here are some key considerations:

Immunity Token: Equip your follower with an “Cannot Die” relic (e.g., the Ess of Johan, Smoking Thurible for the Enchantress, Relic of Akarat for the Templar, or Skeleton Key for the Scoundrel). This ensures they remain active and continue providing their buffs regardless of the situation.
Crowd Control Items: Equip items with affixes like chance to Freeze, chance to Stun, or chance to Blind to further enhance your follower’s crowd control capabilities. The Wyrdward ring is particularly effective, as it has a chance to stun enemies when they are hit by lightning damage.
Attack Speed: Attack speed on your follower’s weapon and jewelry is critical for them to trigger their skills as often as possible. The more often they use their abilities, the more they will contribute to your survival and damage output.
Unity Ring: If playing solo, equip a Unity ring on both your character and your follower. This splits the damage you take with your follower, effectively doubling your toughness. Make sure the follower has the immortality token to survive the shared damage.
The Oculus Ring: It will create a zone on the ground after the follower attacks. If you stand in the zone, your damage is greatly increased.

Remember to prioritize items that enhance your follower’s survivability and ability to utilize their skills frequently.

Optimizing Skills

Consider skills that will help your follower to attack the fastest and provide you with the most buffs.

Enchantress

Skills that boost your overall speed and armor can be very helpful. Skills that decrease enemy armor can also be beneficial.

Templar

Choose skills that will provide more healing. Crowd control options can also be useful.

Scoundrel

Consider skills that provide more damage. The blinding flash skill can also be useful.

The Bottom Line

While the Templar and Scoundrel have niche uses, the Enchantress remains the best overall follower for Wizards in Diablo 3 due to her versatile and impactful buffs to attack speed, armor, and crowd control. By properly gearing and utilizing her skills, you can significantly enhance your Wizard’s survivability, damage output, and overall effectiveness.

FAQs: Your Burning Questions Answered

Is the Enchantress always the best choice, regardless of my build?

While the Enchantress is generally the best choice, certain niche builds might benefit more from the Templar or Scoundrel. For example, a resource-starved build might prefer the Templar’s resource regeneration, while a critical hit chance-dependent build might consider the Scoundrel. However, these are exceptions rather than the rule.
How does follower level affect their effectiveness?

Follower level directly impacts their stats and skill effectiveness. A higher-level follower will have more life, deal more damage, and their skills will have a greater impact. Therefore, leveling your follower is crucial for maximizing their utility.
What are the best legendary items for the Enchantress?

Some of the best legendary items for the Enchantress include the Ess of Johan, Smoking Thurible, Wyrdward, and Oculus Ring.
Does follower gear affect my character’s stats directly?

No, follower gear does not directly affect your character’s stats. However, the buffs and abilities provided by your follower can indirectly boost your stats and effectiveness.
Can I use multiple followers at once?

No, you can only have one active follower at a time in Diablo 3.
Are followers useful in high Greater Rifts?

Absolutely! Followers are incredibly valuable in high Greater Rifts. Their buffs and crowd control abilities can significantly enhance your survivability and damage output.
Does the “Cannot Die” relic work in Greater Rifts?

Yes, the “Cannot Die” relic works in all areas of the game, including Greater Rifts.
What stats should I prioritize on follower gear?

Prioritize attack speed, critical hit chance, critical hit damage, and chance to Freeze/Stun/Blind on follower gear.
How do I access the follower menu?

You can access the follower menu by pressing the ‘F’ key on your keyboard.
Do followers benefit from set bonuses?

No, followers do not benefit from set bonuses.
Can followers use Kanai’s Cube powers?

No, followers cannot use Kanai’s Cube powers.
What is the best way to level up a follower quickly?

The best way to level up a follower quickly is to bring them along while you’re farming experience. Equipping items that increase experience gain can also help.
Do follower skills scale with my character’s difficulty level?

Yes, follower skills scale with your character’s difficulty level.
Are there any achievements related to followers?

Yes, there are several achievements related to followers, such as fully equipping them with legendary items.
Where can I learn more about Diablo 3 strategies and game mechanics?

You can find valuable information and resources on various gaming websites, community forums, and educational platforms like the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/, which explores the intersection of games and education.

Hopefully, this comprehensive guide has provided you with a deeper understanding of the best follower for your Wizard in Diablo 3. Now go forth and conquer Sanctuary!