Demon Hunter stuff

[Yurtles]

I wanted to talk about my hunter and how I play it and I'd love to hear about how anyone else is using theirs.

So currently I have my hunter up to 47 and I'm rocking this build for general wandering around (This all goes out the window for boss fights and I'm not sure I've had 2 builds the same for them as yet).

Generally all I do is line myself up and spam Elemental Arrows (Frost rune) until everything dies - it is in my opinion hands down the best dmg skill/rune the hunter has. I use the vault and caltrops to help group/line things up and control them and the Rain of Vengeance for some extra aoe dps on tougher packs. Fan of Knives (Vengeance rune) is awesome for cleaning up the odd loose mob without having to actually focus on them. It's a very WoW petless hunter style of play, but hey stick with what you know I say.

Only thing I can't decide on is my primary (left click) attack. What I'm looking for is the best single target dps I can get out of that slot but I can't for the life of me work out what combination of skill and rune that is. What I have there seems ok-ish, but so do half a dozen other choices.

[Marius]

The best single target hatred generator is hungering arrow with devouring arrow.

This is what I run in hardcore nightmare:

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/d ... cVe!aZbZbb

May change rapid fire over to frost arrow, but it's working well, so meh.

Basically I run into a group of enemies under smoke screen, blow all my discipline on caltrops, then preperation-smokescreen again and finish off with fan of knives.

In between I use bolas and rapid fire.

[CelticAngel82]

I am LOVING my demon hunter. i'd so tap that.
srsly, she's so powerful it's great I've barely died! haha she only a lowbie still though (been playing my wizard through nightmare mode).

[revengous]

wizards where it is at.

definitely rolling a demon hunter next, looks cool as.

[Marius]

Demon hunter + wizard is actually one of the more powerful combinations. One of the few ways you can viably do inferno and not die.

[Mugsy]

Blizzard seriously did an archer class right with the DH. Even at low levels, I'm loving the combination of hungering arrow, the rapid fire skill, caltrops and vault. Archer classes need to keep their distance and the DH's ability to vault and also slow down enemies with caltrops just works so well.

[Marius]

I don't think demon hunters should get used to staying at a distance. It doesn't help much against fast champion packs. Best to learn how to tank.

[Mugsy]

I don't think demon hunters should get used to staying at a distance. It doesn't help much against fast champion packs. Best to learn how to tank.

Thanks for the tip

[Marius]

Demon hunter is basically a stealth class at nightmare-hell and above.

You need smoke screen plus preparation to survive anything.

Smoke screen sends you into stealth and monsters don't target you, but it's also a tanking ability, since in D3, stealth means invincibility...

So the basic order of business is to chain smoke screen while you focus on doing damage as fast as possible, so everything is dead by the time your 30 seconds or so of stealth runs out.

It's cheesy, but sadly... nothing else works. Maybe you can get by with vault, but by the time you get to upper hell and inferno, everything moves so fast and ignores snares so much that vault and caltrops don't keep distance.

And kiting annoys me in the later acts too, which just have waves of enemies come straight for you. I prefer to just charge forward here.

[Mugsy]

You need smoke screen plus preparation to survive anything.

Smoke screen sends you into stealth and monsters don't target you, but it's also a tanking ability, since in D3, stealth means invincibility...

So the basic order of business is to chain smoke screen while you focus on doing damage as fast as possible, so everything is dead by the time your 30 seconds or so of stealth runs out.

It's cheesy, but sadly... nothing else works. Maybe you can get by with vault, but by the time you get to upper hell and inferno, everything moves so fast and ignores snares so much that vault and caltrops don't keep distance.

My bro was telling me last night that was how his DH build was geared up... I guess I better enjoy caltrops and vault while I can and then learn to use smoke screen and preparation before I finish normal.

[Marius]

Caltrops are still useful enough, just they won't be the only tool you use.

I really do like the jagged spikes rune on them. They turn caltrops into a really nasty damage ability.

[Village idiot]

Demon hunter is basically a stealth class at nightmare-hell and above.

You need smoke screen plus preparation to survive anything.

Smoke screen sends you into stealth and monsters don't target you, but it's also a tanking ability, since in D3, stealth means invincibility...

So the basic order of business is to chain smoke screen while you focus on doing damage as fast as possible, so everything is dead by the time your 30 seconds or so of stealth runs out.

It's cheesy, but sadly... nothing else works. Maybe you can get by with vault, but by the time you get to upper hell and inferno, everything moves so fast and ignores snares so much that vault and caltrops don't keep distance.

And kiting annoys me in the later acts too, which just have waves of enemies come straight for you. I prefer to just charge forward here.

Hot fixes suck.

[Marius]

Stealth is still better than all alternatives.

I don't know. I'm in two minds about the nerf. On one hand, it nerfs the DH's best option. On the other, it means other things are more useful now. I'm currently using the Breathe Deep rune on stealth instead of lingering fog.

As I've explained elsewhere, I think inferno will still be doable, it will just take more than less than a week of farming after the game's release... expect to see DH's doing inferno OK after a few months.

Anyway, currently running this generator-less setup:

LMB: Elemental Arrow-Frost Arrow (cold burst damage + snare).
RMB: Fan of Knives-Hail of Knives (AoE damage snare with double range).

1: Caltrops-Jagged Spikes (Snare with AoE damage).
2. Smoke Screen-Breathe Deep (Stealth with 12 hatred returned)
3. Preparation-Blood Scars (Restores all discipline and 60% health)
4. Rain of Vengeance-Beastly Bombs (1250% weapon damage in an airstrike area over time).

Passives: Cull the Weak (15% extra damage against snared targets), Numbing Traps (25% less damage from targets hit by Caltrops and fan of knives), Custom Engineering (double duration of Caltrops).

To play it's basically a combination of the stealth trapper and bomber builds I described today in my article. The airstrike on top of the caltrops and fan of knives does so much damage, and the combination of stealth (as short as it is) and healing makes me untouchable at this level.

I get away with the no generator because of how I use discipline and the zero hatred rain of vengeance for damage.

Here's the weapons I use, plus a portrait shot:







Made sure all the gear was colour coordinated with dyes...

[Village idiot]

Nice Maruis, im loving my DH although im progressing slowly. Im still only level 18 on normal mode. I just dont have enough time to play letley with kids and work etc

I know its not much of an issue at the moment because im only on normal, but im currently running with two hand crossbows (i was lucky enough to get two rares). After reading your article it seems that the second one is really only good for the stats and an attack speed boost? Does the DPS of the OH bow actually come into play? In later levels would i be better off swapping it out for a shield do you think?

P.s. House of Baratheon banner

[Marius]

The DPS of the two is averaged out.

So if you have a lower DPS offhand crossbow, your DPS is actually lowered, but for the 15% attack speed boost.

Because weapons cost so much and good ones are rare, it's often better to go the best hand crossbow you can buy + shied. It's often easier to score a really good shield to compliment.

You can also use a quiver, but I like the shield.