Monsters are the hostile forces of Diablo III. They come in many varieties, and range from small and obnoxious to large and extremely powerful. There are many different aspects that separate different monsters from one another, such as type (Demon, Undead, Human, or Beast), form, size, color, and stats such as attack type, strength, resistances, and AI (artificial intelligence).
Monster Taxonomy[]
There are five basic ranks of monsters:
- Normal Monsters are the most basic version of monsters and make up the majority of the total monster population. Their names appear in white.
- Champion Monsters are slightly more powerful versions of normal monsters. They can have special bonuses and often appear in small packs. Their names appear in blue.
- Rare Monsters are monsters that have elevated to a leadership rank and can command a small group of minions. They will always share a special ability, such as Molten, Frozen, or Fast, which can appear underneath their health bar. Rare Monsters have yellow colored names.
- Unique Monsters are appropriately named so because there can only be one of its kind. This can be the case because they relate to the story, or are just hard to find. Their names appear in purple, and they will always have a special title under their health bar.
- Bosses are a subset of Unique Monsters, and only appear at critical points in the game (for example at the end of a quest or act). They are considered the most powerful both in strength and influence among all monsters in the Diablo universe.
In addition to rank, monsters can be categorized by their type which includes:
- Beast are creatures indigenous to Sanctuary that have fallen to corruption.
- Demons are from The Burning Hells and serve the three Prime Evils.
- Human are former citizens who have turned evil, whether by possession or moral corruption.
- Undead are revived spirits commanded by evil magic.
Finally, each monster in the game may belong to a family of monsters that share similar appearance and behavior. For example, Risen and Ravenous Dead are different monsters but have similar appearance and behavior because they belong to the same family of zombies.
Monster Spawning[]
Normal monsters can be found almost everywhere outside of town and can spawn in packs of varying sizes. Sometimes monsters can spawn from the environment, such as traps, or from quest related objects, such as the Jar of Souls. There are even monsters that are capable of producing more monsters, (for example Tomb Guardians can summon Skeletons). Monster diversity will often be contained by area, with the potential to vary in the same area from game to game. Champion and Rare monsters can spawn in the same area as their normal types, but not all areas that have normal monsters support the generation of Champions or Rares. Unique monsters will always appear in the same areas, sometimes even as specific to the exact location, but often with a low chance of generation. The exception to this are Bosses, which are almost always considered required killing.
Monster Loot[]
Virtually every monster in the game rewards the player by dropping gold or items. Just like in Diablo II, monsters with lower chances of spawning will have better quality drops. The Treasure Globlin is the only normal monster to feature a larger reward, but it is also harder to find and kill. Unfortunately Champion and Rare versions of the Treasure Goblin cannot spawn.