There’s an awful lot of terminology in Diablo 4, and the game doesn’t really take much time to talk you through it. One term that comes up a lot but isn’t really explained—at least not in a front-and-center way—is Crowd Control.
Crowd Control refers to a range of status effects that, in some way, impair the movement and actions of enemies. That’s a broad definition, and it can be difficult to know which effects count as Crowd Control and which don’t. Here’s a full breakdown of everything you need to know about Crowd Control in Diablo 4, including how you can do it, what it does, and how to counter it when you get hot by a Crowd Control ability.
What is Crowd Control in Diablo 4?
There are 11 types of stats effects associated with Crowd Control in Diablo 4: Slow, Immobilize, Stun, Knockback, Knockdown, Taunt, Fear, Tether, Daze, Chill, and Freeze. Although these have different effects when they hit you, or you hit an ability against an enemy, they all count as a form of Crowd Control, giving you a momentarily advantage against an enemy.
For example, when you hit an enemy with a slowing ability that applies Slowed, Frozen, or anything in between, then any damage vs. Crowd Controlled damage bonuses you have (check for this under your Offensive stats) will apply for as long as that enemy is affected. You may want to review any abilities you have with the gear you’re using to ensure you’re getting the most from these attacks, making every battle far more effective for you.
Does Crowd Control work on bosses in Diablo 4?
We can confirm that none of the Crowd Control effects work on bosses. It does come with a different effect, though. Using them on a boss fills that boss’ stagger meter (the yellow bar under their health bar). When the stagger meter is full, the boss will be staggered for several seconds and simultaneously affected by all 11 Crowd Control effects. You won’t feel cheated out of creating a powerful Crowd Control build against a boss, since the stagger effect is a great way to bring about a powerful effect.
Many abilities can trigger Crowd Control, and each of the five classes can do it. But in Diablo 4’s massive dictionary of terms, it’s important to know just what you need to do to trigger the Crowd Control effect.
All Crowd Control effects in Diablo 4
With 11 Crowd Control effects happening in Diablo 4, keeping track of them all and what they do can be challenging. Here’s a full breakdown of every Crowd Control ability and how it works.
| Effect | Description |
|---|---|
| Chill | Chill slows an enemy, and enemies that are Chilled repeatedly will Freeze. |
| Daze | Daze prevents an enemy from attacking or using skills but not from moving. |
| Fear | Fear will make an enemy run away from the source of the Fear effect, unable to take any other action until the effect wears off. |
| Freeze | Freeze prevents an enemy from moving, attacking, or using skills. If an enemy is killed while Frozen, it will shatter, leaving no corpse. |
| Immobilize | Immobilize prevents an enemy from moving at all but does not prevent it from attacking. |
| Knockback | Knockback pushes an enemy away from the source of the attack. Crowd Control only applies during the very brief time at which the enemy is moving away. |
| Knockdown | Knockdown forces an enemy to collapse onto the ground. While knocked down, an enemy can’t move or attack and is considered Crowd Controlled until it gets back up. |
| Slow | Slow reduces the movement speed of the affected enemy but not its attack speed. |
| Stun | Stun prevents an enemy from moving, attacking, or using most skills. Some passive effects will still work while the enemy is stunned. |
| Taunt | Taunt causes an enemy to melee attack the source of the Taunt and ignore everything else for the duration of the Taunt effect. |
| Tether | Tether keeps an enemy within a specific radius of the source of the effect. |
How to counter Crowd Control in Diablo 4
Your character can also be affected by Crowd Control, but there are a couple of ways to get past it. You’ll sometimes be left CC’ed and unable to move for a second or two. If you’re surrounded by enemies, and you’re low on health, this can easily lead to a bloody and painful death.
To counteract Crowd Control and live another day, you can use Unstoppable or Immune effects. Unstoppable and Immune are Status Ailments that can be applied using abilities.
Not every class has an Unstoppable or Immune effect. Here are all the Unstoppable and Immune effects currently available in Diablo 4.
| Unstoppable effects | Description |
|---|---|
| Enhanced Rallying Cry (Barbarian) | Rallying Cry grants you Unstoppable while active. |
| Charge (Barbarian) | Become Unstoppable and rush forward, pushing enemies with you, then swinging through them for X [25 percent] damage and Knocking them Back. |
| Wrath of the Berserker (Barbarian) | Gain Berserking and Unstoppable for five seconds. For the next 10 seconds, dealing direct damage with Basic Skills grants Berserking for five seconds. |
| Enhanced Earthen Bulwark (Druid) | Earthen Bulwark makes you Unstoppable while active. |
| Trample (Druid) | Shapeshift into a Werebear, become Unstoppable, and charge forward, dealing X [75 percent] damage and Knocking Back enemies. Enemies who are Knocked Back into the terrain take an additional X [45 percent] damage and are Stunned for three seconds. |
| Prime Grizzly Rage (Druid) | You are Unstoppable for six seconds after using Grizzly Rage. |
| Teleport (Sorceress) | Transform into lightning, becoming Unstoppable and surging to the target location, dealing X [25 percent] damage around you upon arrival. Enchantment Effect Evade is replaced with a short-range Teleport on a 17.0-second cooldown. |
| Shadow Step (Rogue) | Become Unstoppable and quickly move through the shadows to stab your victim from behind for X [72 percent] damage. Gain 50 percent increased Movement Speed for two seconds afterward. |
| Concealment (Rogue) | Vanish from sight, gaining an advanced form of Stealth for five seconds that will not be removed by taking damage. Concealment also makes you Unstoppable, grants 30 percent [+] Movement Speed, and allows you to move freely through enemies for its duration. |
| Prime Shadow Clone (Rogue) | You are Unstoppable for five seconds after casting Shadow Clone. |
| Immune effects | Description |
|---|---|
| Lacerate (Druid) | Shapeshift into a Werewolf, become Immune and quickly dash 12 times between enemies in the area, dealing up to X [460 percent] damage. |
| Flame Shield (Sorceress) | Engulf yourself in flames for two seconds, Burning surrounding enemies for X [40 percent] damage per second. While Flame Shield is active, you are Immune. |
| Deep Freeze (Sorceress) | Encase yourself in ice, becoming Immune for four seconds, continually dealing X [25 percent] damage, and Chilling enemies for 20 percent. When Deep Freeze expires, it deals an additional 31 [100 percent] damage. Casting Deep Freeze again ends the effect early. |
| Blood Mist (Necromancer) | Disperse into a bloody mist, becoming Immune for three seconds. Your Movement Speed is reduced by 20 percent, and you periodically deal X [two percent] damage to enemies and Healing for 0.5 percent of your Maximum Life. |
Equipped with this information, head back out into Sanctuary and continue your fight against the forces of evil. Good luck out there, wanderer.
