With this build you should be able to solo any elite pack with ease, make sure you are using the orb walking I showed you in the video. Also, use smoke screen only when necessary and try to conserve your discipline.
Primary Skill: Hungering Arrow with Shatter Shot Rune.
Hungering arrow is a need skill for Inferno. Most of the time you are running away or orb walking so you must have this hungering arrow skill that homes in on the target while generating hatred. The shatter shot rune is the highest DPS Hungering Arrow Rune in my opinion because it has the potential to come back and attack up to 3 different targets on a successful pierce. This is also an AoE skill that will supplement the loss of our beloved Nether Tentacle.
Secondary Skill: Elemental Arrow with Ball Lightning Rune.
Elemental Arrow is an amazing AoE skill that pierces through many mobs and only costs 10 Hatred to use. Ball Lightning like Nether Tenticles, Is a slow moving skill which is key in facing Reflects Damage Mobs using smoke screen to nullify the damage done to the Reflects Damage Champions. This slow moving skill is perfect for doing a high amount of Damage in a very short (1.5 second SS) time frame. Not only does Ball Lightning pierce through the target, it also has the ability to attack the same target 3 times. Ball Lightning also has the ability to reach out to the target from a further distance than even Nether Tentacles did which makes it the new best AoE ranged skill as of patch 1.0.3.
Defensive/Hunting Skills: Smoke Screen with lingering Fog Rune, Preparation with Invigoration Rune, Caltrops with Bait the Trap Rune, and Companion with Bat Companion Rune.
Smoke Screen is one of those skills that is needed for surviveability as the Demon Hunter. Not only does Smoke Screen make you invulnerable it also makes you invisible to enemy units allowing you de-aggro them for a short time which in turn allows you to slip right by them or even run a whole screen away while they are figuring out where the heck you went. The rune Lingering Fog is simply the best, its better than all the rest, better than... ya you get it. The .5 seconds attached to the skill closes the 1 second gab between smoke screen cooldown to .5 seconds which is still dangerous but not as bad as the full 1 second window of vulnerability that would be attached to smoke screen using any other skills. You may also use Smoke Screen to nullify damage done by Reflects Damage Champions and that .5 seconds really does matter. Sometimes you just need some spam in your life
Preparation with the Invigoration Rune is also my favorite pick, for when you use prep you are usually in a situation where your must have discipline to use smoke screen, and that +10 Max discipline for the next 5 seconds is critical in your survival. Other runes such as Backup Plan (30% chance to have prep have no cooldown) and Focused Mind (45 disc over 15 seconds) are not the way to go in my opinion. The success of Backup Plan is solely based on a 30% chance and simply put I never like leave my Demon Hunters life to RNG (random number generator). The other rune Focused Mind is just not worth it. As a demon Hunter in Inferno you should have at least a 45 Discipline Max, (from Chest, 1 hand Crossbow, or Quiver) 60 Discipline being the highest you can get. 45 Discipline over 15 seconds will not help you when a spear, fireball, or mortar is flying through the air directly at your face and you need to use your smokescreen as a lifesaver.
Caltrops with Bait the Trap is one of those very interesting skills as it cam be used as an Offensive and Defensive skill as shown in my video. Caltrops can be used as a "Buffer Zone" that increases the critical hit damage of your Demon Hunter while inside it. Once enemies come closer you must then run back and place another Caltrop at your feet creating a new buffer zone. The way to use it defensively is using it as its base un-runed skill was intended as a movement inhibitor. This skill is very good, but can be replaced in multiplayer mode with Mark of Death with the Grim Reaper Rune attached to it. The Grim Reaper Rune is the best rune for multiplayer simply because it wastes the least of your Discipline and also stays attached to the target, subsequently buffing the attack of all of your party members as long as the target(s) are being effected by the mark itself or the AoE radius around the marked target. If one decides to use 2 Demon Hunters in a group, the Highest DPS Hunter should use Caltrops with Bait the Trap, and the lower DPS one should use Marked for Death with Grim Reaper Rune.
Companion with Bat Companion is one of those skills that is used to supplement the slow Hatred regeneration rate of all Demon Hunters. Your main resource for damage will always be Hatred. This means that your DPS will be based on how much Hatred you have and spend. The bat companion simply put, bolsters your Hatred Pool which in turn boosts your DPS. The reason why I would not use Marked for Death with Mortal Enemy for any PvE champion pack farming game is because it only gives you 3 hatred per attack on 1 target which simply won't cut it as the bat gives you 3 hatred per second even while not attacking. He even flies up to bite the crap out of your enemies from time to time!
Passive Skills: Night Stalker, Sharpshooter, Archery, or Steady Aim.
I use Night Stalker in single player games as a defensive bolstering skill. As a Demon Hunter you will be critically hitting your enemies many times throughout a fight. These critical hits will have a chance (about 40-50%) to replenish your much needed surviveability resource Discipline. Your Discipline is basically the only way you will be able to successfully kite and survive in the hellish Inferno difficulty.
In Multiplayer scenarios Sharp Shooter is a viable substitute for Night Stalker Using a good tank (Barb, Monk, or uber-geared Wizzard) as a shield you can safely use Sharp Shooter to greatly increase your DPS in team fights. The reason I say Sharp Shooter is an Optional skill is because Archery and Steady Aim boost base DPS and do not require time to become more effective.
Archery is one of those Huge DPS boosting skill that is needed on a class such as the Demon Hunter. While using different weapons in the main hand, you are able to boost your DPS in different ways. I find that using a 2 handed crossbow is the way to go in Patch 1.0.3 for maximum DPS, However if your goal is to go for Surviveability, I suggest going with a 1 handed crossbow (900 dps or higher) with +8 - 10 Maximum Discipline attached to it.
Steady Aim is a HUGE dps boost bolstering your Damage by 20% as long as you are not face-tanking a mob. As a glass-cannon type class in Diablo 3 you naturally want to be away from any subsequent enemy mobs that are out to lob off that pretty little head of yours. You want to use this skill with any ranged DPS build as it is essential to your DPS being as high as it needs to be. 90 - 99% of the time the DPS boost coming from this skill should be up.
Nice guide, I actually changed my hungering arrow and prep because of this. BTW this isnt WoW the hungering arrow rune is called shatter shot not scatter , lol. Good call on the + max disc. it does help. The only thing that is missing here is gear setup. If you can add the ideal gear setup for the DH in 1.0.3b it would pro.
Apparently I cant post URLS but I use Cluster Arrow(Loaded for Bear) with Entangling Shot(Justice Is Served) for my hatred gainer.
The increased hatred gain from entangling shot makes cluster arrow very viable, while at the same time slowing the mobs. Cluster arrow, with my dps pretty much 2-5 shots rare packs. Now that I have enough hp to not get even 3 shot, I like using the prep rune that gives back health so I can just keep on kiting. It also helps a ton on reflect mobs as i can just heal up..pop SS and nuke them down. Mark is also a definite for my build just because it helps out cluster arrow even more. I tried Frost arrow with Hungering after the patch but I have found that my current spec is much more fun and entertaining.
I guess this patch really did help DHs look for a larger variety of specs that suits their needs, but the amount of gear needed to even progress through act III and IV anymore is just stupid, especially with the repair costs on death.
As for gear, I try to stack as much crit hit chance as possible, then dex and crit dmg.
the amount of gear needed to even progress through act III and IV anymore is just stupid, especially with the repair costs on death.
As for gear, I try to stack as much crit hit chance as possible, then dex and crit dmg.
you really dont need that much gear, I can do it on my goldfind character. you really just need a bow that has >900dps and +80 dex in every slot and 12% movement speed boots. (which is nothing)
as for stacking crit damage, it is useless unless you are also stacking crit%
I have roughly 100+ dex in every slot and a 1.1k bow. Unless I can find a pair of boots with 248 dex and the run speed..i dont think ill be switching o.o
as for stacking crit damage, it is useless unless you are also stacking crit%
This is pretty much what I meant, just worded it wrong I suppose. I just need to put in a bit more effort. Im sure I have the gear to do it, I just always get unlucky with affixes
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http://youtu.be/t62Bc6oGS-s
Single Player Build: http://us.battle.net...XTVY!XeY!baZZac
Multiplayer Build: http://us.battle.net...XTVj!TeY!baZZab
With this build you should be able to solo any elite pack with ease, make sure you are using the orb walking I showed you in the video. Also, use smoke screen only when necessary and try to conserve your discipline.
Primary Skill: Hungering Arrow with Shatter Shot Rune.
Hungering arrow is a need skill for Inferno. Most of the time you are running away or orb walking so you must have this hungering arrow skill that homes in on the target while generating hatred. The shatter shot rune is the highest DPS Hungering Arrow Rune in my opinion because it has the potential to come back and attack up to 3 different targets on a successful pierce. This is also an AoE skill that will supplement the loss of our beloved Nether Tentacle.
Secondary Skill: Elemental Arrow with Ball Lightning Rune.
Elemental Arrow is an amazing AoE skill that pierces through many mobs and only costs 10 Hatred to use. Ball Lightning like Nether Tenticles, Is a slow moving skill which is key in facing Reflects Damage Mobs using smoke screen to nullify the damage done to the Reflects Damage Champions. This slow moving skill is perfect for doing a high amount of Damage in a very short (1.5 second SS) time frame. Not only does Ball Lightning pierce through the target, it also has the ability to attack the same target 3 times. Ball Lightning also has the ability to reach out to the target from a further distance than even Nether Tentacles did which makes it the new best AoE ranged skill as of patch 1.0.3.
Defensive/Hunting Skills: Smoke Screen with lingering Fog Rune, Preparation with Invigoration Rune, Caltrops with Bait the Trap Rune, and Companion with Bat Companion Rune.
Smoke Screen is one of those skills that is needed for surviveability as the Demon Hunter. Not only does Smoke Screen make you invulnerable it also makes you invisible to enemy units allowing you de-aggro them for a short time which in turn allows you to slip right by them or even run a whole screen away while they are figuring out where the heck you went. The rune Lingering Fog is simply the best, its better than all the rest, better than... ya you get it. The .5 seconds attached to the skill closes the 1 second gab between smoke screen cooldown to .5 seconds which is still dangerous but not as bad as the full 1 second window of vulnerability that would be attached to smoke screen using any other skills. You may also use Smoke Screen to nullify damage done by Reflects Damage Champions and that .5 seconds really does matter. Sometimes you just need some spam in your life
Preparation with the Invigoration Rune is also my favorite pick, for when you use prep you are usually in a situation where your must have discipline to use smoke screen, and that +10 Max discipline for the next 5 seconds is critical in your survival. Other runes such as Backup Plan (30% chance to have prep have no cooldown) and Focused Mind (45 disc over 15 seconds) are not the way to go in my opinion. The success of Backup Plan is solely based on a 30% chance and simply put I never like leave my Demon Hunters life to RNG (random number generator). The other rune Focused Mind is just not worth it. As a demon Hunter in Inferno you should have at least a 45 Discipline Max, (from Chest, 1 hand Crossbow, or Quiver) 60 Discipline being the highest you can get. 45 Discipline over 15 seconds will not help you when a spear, fireball, or mortar is flying through the air directly at your face and you need to use your smokescreen as a lifesaver.
Caltrops with Bait the Trap is one of those very interesting skills as it cam be used as an Offensive and Defensive skill as shown in my video. Caltrops can be used as a "Buffer Zone" that increases the critical hit damage of your Demon Hunter while inside it. Once enemies come closer you must then run back and place another Caltrop at your feet creating a new buffer zone. The way to use it defensively is using it as its base un-runed skill was intended as a movement inhibitor. This skill is very good, but can be replaced in multiplayer mode with Mark of Death with the Grim Reaper Rune attached to it. The Grim Reaper Rune is the best rune for multiplayer simply because it wastes the least of your Discipline and also stays attached to the target, subsequently buffing the attack of all of your party members as long as the target(s) are being effected by the mark itself or the AoE radius around the marked target. If one decides to use 2 Demon Hunters in a group, the Highest DPS Hunter should use Caltrops with Bait the Trap, and the lower DPS one should use Marked for Death with Grim Reaper Rune.
Companion with Bat Companion is one of those skills that is used to supplement the slow Hatred regeneration rate of all Demon Hunters. Your main resource for damage will always be Hatred. This means that your DPS will be based on how much Hatred you have and spend. The bat companion simply put, bolsters your Hatred Pool which in turn boosts your DPS. The reason why I would not use Marked for Death with Mortal Enemy for any PvE champion pack farming game is because it only gives you 3 hatred per attack on 1 target which simply won't cut it as the bat gives you 3 hatred per second even while not attacking. He even flies up to bite the crap out of your enemies from time to time!
Passive Skills: Night Stalker, Sharpshooter, Archery, or Steady Aim.
I use Night Stalker in single player games as a defensive bolstering skill. As a Demon Hunter you will be critically hitting your enemies many times throughout a fight. These critical hits will have a chance (about 40-50%) to replenish your much needed surviveability resource Discipline. Your Discipline is basically the only way you will be able to successfully kite and survive in the hellish Inferno difficulty.
In Multiplayer scenarios Sharp Shooter is a viable substitute for Night Stalker Using a good tank (Barb, Monk, or uber-geared Wizzard) as a shield you can safely use Sharp Shooter to greatly increase your DPS in team fights. The reason I say Sharp Shooter is an Optional skill is because Archery and Steady Aim boost base DPS and do not require time to become more effective.
Archery is one of those Huge DPS boosting skill that is needed on a class such as the Demon Hunter. While using different weapons in the main hand, you are able to boost your DPS in different ways. I find that using a 2 handed crossbow is the way to go in Patch 1.0.3 for maximum DPS, However if your goal is to go for Surviveability, I suggest going with a 1 handed crossbow (900 dps or higher) with +8 - 10 Maximum Discipline attached to it.
Steady Aim is a HUGE dps boost bolstering your Damage by 20% as long as you are not face-tanking a mob. As a glass-cannon type class in Diablo 3 you naturally want to be away from any subsequent enemy mobs that are out to lob off that pretty little head of yours. You want to use this skill with any ranged DPS build as it is essential to your DPS being as high as it needs to be. 90 - 99% of the time the DPS boost coming from this skill should be up.
RG's Youtube Channel a great source for Diablo III Video Tutorials, Tips, Tricks, and overall OWNAGE!
The increased hatred gain from entangling shot makes cluster arrow very viable, while at the same time slowing the mobs. Cluster arrow, with my dps pretty much 2-5 shots rare packs. Now that I have enough hp to not get even 3 shot, I like using the prep rune that gives back health so I can just keep on kiting. It also helps a ton on reflect mobs as i can just heal up..pop SS and nuke them down. Mark is also a definite for my build just because it helps out cluster arrow even more. I tried Frost arrow with Hungering after the patch but I have found that my current spec is much more fun and entertaining.
I guess this patch really did help DHs look for a larger variety of specs that suits their needs, but the amount of gear needed to even progress through act III and IV anymore is just stupid, especially with the repair costs on death.
As for gear, I try to stack as much crit hit chance as possible, then dex and crit dmg.
you really dont need that much gear, I can do it on my goldfind character. you really just need a bow that has >900dps and +80 dex in every slot and 12% movement speed boots. (which is nothing)
as for stacking crit damage, it is useless unless you are also stacking crit%
This is pretty much what I meant, just worded it wrong I suppose. I just need to put in a bit more effort. Im sure I have the gear to do it, I just always get unlucky with affixes