Rockworm (Diablo III)

''The Rockworm may very well be the ugliest creature ever to blight the world with its presence. Bereft of any features aside from its massive jaws, the rockworm appears to be a giant invertebrate. I should like to study it further, but its burrowing tendencies make it extraordinarily difficult to tract.'' - Abd al-Hazir

Rockworms are Beast enemies in Diablo III. They are encountered in Acts II and III. In Act V, they are replaced by Scavenging Tunnelers.

As of patch 2.1.1, Rockworms are the only type of enemies that may never appear in Nephalem Rifts.

In-game
Rockworms are normally concealed underground, where they are unreachable and cannot be harmed in any way. When they feel a hero passing nearby, they emerge, first shaking the ground violently (the exact location can be seen by the earth cracking and rising), then bursting out and trying to attack the enemy with their jaws. Their bites are very quick and deal heavy Physical damage, so getting near them while they are unburrowed is unwise. Moreover, if they manage to emerge directly beneath an unwary player's feet, they are capable of eating said player whole, chewing them and spitting them out after a few seconds. They may not burrow 4 seconds after emerging.

After emerging, they will burrow again if there are no enemies within melee range, only to unburrow moments later at a different location. They do not have ranged attacks. With careful positioning, one may kill a worm from afar without ever giving them a chance to attack. Moreover, Rockworms do not chase a fleeing prey: if players venture further than Rockworms can see, they will wait patiently for the player to return. This is especially useful against Elite Rockworms, who are very challenging to fight normally due to burrowing and insane melee damage.

Rockworms are immune to most forms of Knockback.

As of patch 2.4.3, when these enemies do burrow, they no longer remain in this state for more than 3 seconds, and emerging Rockworms now always show ground cracks to help attentive players avoid their initial attack.

Uniques

 * Graveljaw the Devourer (Deserted Cellar / Tunnels of the Rockworm)
 * Gormungandr (Arreat Crater, Level 1)
 * Rockmaw (Scavenger's Den, Fields of Misery), the only Rockworm that can be found in Act I.
 * Sawtooth (Arreat Crater, Level 2)
 * Shaitan the Broodmother (Desolate Sands), opens path to Cave of the Burrowing Horror dungeon when killed