Build Guide
Hello, it's a big problem to find a Demon Hunter Starter Guide without the requirement of a set.
This is not a guide for largely experienced players or people who already played a demon hunter quite often. And not a Hardcore guide.
This guide is for people who want a decent skillset to level up or farm their first gear for these fancy endgame builds.
To use this build you need to go to the Game Options and check Elective Mode.
Some Basics:
- You are a damage dealer
- Keep distance to Enemies
- Don't farm in the highest possible difficulty you manage to get through. The best indicators are cursed chest (100 mobs time limit) events.
If you barely get the bonus chest you are on the right difficulty. Some chest events are easier than others. Keep that in mind.
- Usually you can't take large amounts of beating so try to know if you need to dodge something or you can stand still and deal damage.
- Except for large amounts of Life upgrades without losing to much damage, damage is always the best, because dead enemies don't hurt you.
- Only use Ramaladni's Gift on good rolled Ancient Weapons. Better don't use Ramaladni's Gift until you are certain.
- Pickup every white and BLUE item and disenchant it. You will NEED those materials and hate to farm them later.
Long Term Tip:
Primarily look at the space between your character and the enemies. You will spot projectiles to dodge, and you will see if bad things will spawn underneath or near your precious Demon Hunter. This needs some time to learn. You will miss enemies in the beginning but in high greater rift levels this will save you from annoying death screens.
Levelling up:
If you have unlocked the Adventure mode it's the fastest way to level up.
Even if you don't want to do that, GO THERE FIRST, take the Templar with you and strip the other two Followers of their starter gear.
(lvl) Skill Evolution:
(03) Hungering Arrow -> Entangling Shot
(04) Caltrops
(05) Impale -> Rapid Fire
(08) Smoke Screen
(09) Vault | Entangling Shot - Chain Gang
(10) PASSIVE: Tactical Advantage
(11) Entaling Shot -> Bolas | Rapid Fire - Withering Fire
(12) Caltrops - Hooked Spines
(13) Preparation | PASSIVE: Blood Vengeance
(14) Vault -> Fan of Knives | Bolas - Volatile Explosives | Smoke Screen - Displacement
(16) Caltrops -> Shadow Power
(18) Shadow Power -> Chakram - Twin Chakrams
(19) Rapid Fire - Frost Shots | Preparation - Invigoration
(20) PASSIVE: Steady Aim | Blood Vengeance
(23) Fan of Knives - Pinpoint Accuracy
(24) Bolas - Thunder Ball
(25) Preparation - Punishment
(28) Preparation -> Sentry - Spitfire Turret
(30) PASSIVE: Steady Aim | Blood Vengeance | Archery
(32) Rapid Fire - Fire Support
(33) Smoke Screen -> Vault - Tumble
(36) Chakram -> Cluster Arrow - Shooting Stars
(41) Cluster Arrow - Maelstrom
(42) Bolas -> Evasive Fire - Focus (Depending on Playstyle skip this)
(55) Cluster Arrow -> Multishot - Arsenal
(55) PASSIVE: Ballistics | Steady Aim | Blood Vengeance
(70) PASSIVE: Ballistics | Steady Aim | Blood Vengeance | Ambush
Passives:
You should always take Ballistics when available.
If you die a lot you can take Awareness instead of Blood Vengeance.
If you play on lower difficulty and only kill large amounts of weak enemies take Tactical Advantage instead of Steady Aim or Blood Vengeance when you have Reapers Wraps already. With Reapers Wraps you can also drop Blood Vengeance for Custom Engineering. If you don’t really like Sentries or if you feel peaceful (no hatred) then keep it.
Skills:
You can drop Rapid Fire - Fire Support for Preparation - Punishment (pure Multishot build)
or drop Multi Shot - Arsenal for one of the following:
- Preparation - Punishment (pure Rapid Fire build)
- Cluster Arrow - Shooting Stars
- Cluster Arrow - Maelstrom
You can also drop Fan of Knives for Companion - Bat Companion
If you have both Preparation - Punishment and Companion - Bat Companion you should drop Blood Vengeance for Custom Engineering
Depending on playstyle Bolas - Thunder Ball can be better than Evasive Fire - Focus.
How to Play this Build:
Many and/or Hard Enemies: Use your Sentries and Fan of Knives
in Danger: Vault to Safety
Few Enemies: Rapid Fire
Many Enemies: Multi Shot (or Cluster Arrow)
Below 50% Hatred: Use Companion, (Preparation)
Out of Hatred: Evasive Fire (or Bolas)
To Hard Elite Pack: Skip it with Vault
Dying a lot? Read the Basics (again) 
Still dying? Lower the difficulty.
Dying on normal difficulty? Read Advanced Knowledge (scroll down...)
Still dying? Delete your Demon Hunter and play another class.
Follower:
As you may already noticed there are special follower items. Templar Relic, Scoundrel Token and Enchantress Focus.
You can get these in legendary quality with special secondary effects. The best effect is "Your follower cannot die".
Primarily use the Templar. If he dies a lot and you already have an unkillable Follower use him/her instead.
The Scoundrel can be very powerful even without being unkillable because he can use your old rings, amulets and bows.
Followers get Main Stats (like dexterity) 2,5 times. Critical Hit Damage is capped at 150%.
Followers aren't affected by sets and legendary gem effects. Some few legendary effects don't seem to work either.
Perfectly geared the Templar can be the best Damage dealer of the followers but his main role is to support you. Attack Speed, Cooldown Reduction and Block Chance are the best stats for him. Followed by Strength, Critical Hit Damage, Critical Hit Chance, Socket.
Items for your Demon Hunter always come FIRST but...
To prevent you from throwing away good items for the Templar I give you an endgame example for the Templar:
- The Ess of Johan (attack speed, cooldown reduction, max slow(80%), strength, critical chance)
- Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker (lightning dmg, attack speed, cooldown reduction, strength)
- Wyrdward (attack speed, cooldown reduction, max stun chance (35%), strength, critical chance)
- Bul-kathos's Wedding Band (attack speed, cooldown reduction, strength, critical damage)
- Freeze of Deflection (max stun time (1,5 sec), block chance, strength, critical chance, socket)
- Enchanting Favor (block chance, strength, critical damage)
If you don't have Wyrdward you can use Eun-Jang-Do . If you dont have Thunderfury you can also use Odyn Son, Fulminator or every other weapon with lightning damage. If you don't have Wyrdward and have two Unity you can use them if your follower is unkillable.
You will not get a lot strength items as Demon Hunter. Primarily you will have a Barb or Crus and roll Blood Shards for them BUT then you are not in a position for this guide anymore.
For skills it depends on what you need right now.The standard build is Heal, Intimidate, Charge, Guardian.
I personally prefer Inspire over Guardian.
Items:
[under Development]
Paragon:
The maximum movement speed you can get from items and paragon level is 25%.
Shoes often have movement speed but also amulets and bracers and maybe some other items i dont know yet can have it.
With your first paragon points fill up your movement speed to a combined 25% then go for max Dexterity.
There are items with movement speed effects when you do something special like picking up gold or destroy objects and so on...
These are not considered for the combined maximum movement speed.
In utility you can go for Life on Hit over Area Damage if you want it a little safer and don't have much recovery.
Advanced Knowledge:
Key Binding: Force Move is usually set to Space (will force your character to move to your cursor location when you click)
Key Binding: Force Attack is usually set to Shift (will force your character to attack your cursor location when you click even without a target)
Groups: The Level of Leader of the Group (Crown Symbol) equals the Level of the Mobs.
Groups: You don't get a lot experience if you are to low in level. The lowest level should have the Crown and increase the difficulty instead.
Vault: You are immune to damage while between the start and endpoint of it.
[under Development]
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Posted Jun 12, 2015Thanks for posting this build and guide, it's very informative. I just came back to Diablo 3 after not playing for over a year and a half and also just bought RoS, so much has changed and it seems my DH was nerfed to hell(I miss when bitter pill was poison)... this gave me some new ideas.