Demon Hunter

The Demon Hunter ranged attacking class. They specialise in bows and crossbows, which they supplement with numerous ranged attacks, traps of various types, and even a few melee range skills.

The Demon Hunter was the fifth and final playable class revealed for Diablo III and was announced in October 2010 at Blizzcon.

Background

Diablo III Class

The Demon Hunter
Skills:	Demon Hunter skills
Traits:	Demon Hunter traits
Resource:	Unknown
Common builds:
Unknown.
Background
Origin:	The Borderlands.
Affiliation:	Bounty Hunters.
Friends:	Unknown
Foes:	All demon kind.

The demon hunters are a group of fanatical warriors sworn to a single purpose: the destruction of the creatures of the Burning Hells.The demon hunters make their home in the Borderlands, away from the jurisdiction of any nation. At any time, over half of them are dispatched to various parts of the world to figth hellspawn. There is something in all demon hunters that gives them the strength to resist the demonic corruption that would drive lesser men to madness. They hone this power, for their resistance to this taint enables them to use the demons' power as a weapon. But their mission and their power are not all that bind them together.

The female Demon Hunter in Diablo III fled from her village as a child during a demonic invasion. She was the only survivor. After days, she was found by a Demon Hunter and was taken in as a member. Since every Demon Hunter has a story like this, it is possible that the background for the male character will be similar.

Class Design

Demon Hunter artwork.

Blizzcon 2010's Gameplay Panel called "A Hero Emerges" was dominated by the Demon Hunter's Class Design. The Demon Hunter fills out the rpg-archetype of a conventional ranged class, using ranged weaponry mostly and primarily. She is designed as a sort of "Bounty Hunter", preparing for battle and therefore using gadgets and traps as well.

Jay Wilson described the class genesis in an interview published in the Blizzcon 2010 show program:

^[1]

Where did the idea for the Demon Hunter come from?

Jay Wilson: It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that we chose a ranged-weapon class as the fifth class; however we didn’t want to do something completely predictable. We liked the idea of a bounty hunter or a monster-hunter—someone who was a little bit more sinister and an aggressor—and so we came up with a character whose sole focus was, “I hate demons.” She’s had horrible things happen to her. She’s lost family, lost loved ones, and has dedicated her live to eradicating as many demons as she can by any means possible. As a character, she’s walked a lot of dark roads to gain the knowledge she needs to overcome her enemy.

With the demon hunter we found inspiration in characters like Van Helsing, Boba Fett, and even MacGyver. The demon hunter is very focused on conventional, man-made weaponry and gadgets. She dual-wields crossbows, and where one class might shoot of a magical fireball, the demon hunter would buy a device in the lower markets of Caldeum that would allow her to trap the essence of a demon and then release that essence in an explosive blast, not unlike a hand grenade. She has no qualms about using her enemies against themselves, dabbling in dark magic, and generally doing whatever it takes to destroy demons wherever they live.

Ranger Design Evolution

The team has talked about the evolution of the character concept. They knew from the start that they wanted a ranged attacking class, but weren't at all sure what kind or what the lore would be. Christian Lichtner spoke on that from Blizzcon 2010:^[2]

Christian Lichtner: For the Demon Hunter, for example, we had a desert ranger at some point and it was awesome, it was really cool. It was an interesting take on the ranger, we didn't have that before. Like all our other classes, we tried to give it a little bit of a twist. One of the things with that was when we were doing the desert ranger, we found that stuff was getting a little bit clunky, we had a little too much cloth on him. And while it looks really cool, it also starts looking bulkier. And whenever we start seeing a class that looks really bulky, we start thinking short sword, or daggers, or fist weapons - stuff you can melee with. We wanted to strive to stay away from that. There have been other ideas that we had that were really, really cool that I think we're going to save.

Melee Combat?

There were no melee combat skills for the Demon Hunter at Blizzcon 2010, but during the panel discussion the team talked about earlier designs of the character where she had one demonic arm and huge strength, along with some melee combat skills. Those may or may not return in further design.

Jay Wilson spoke on this from Blizzcon 2010: ^[3]

Fan of Knives in action.

GP: Like the Amazon before it, will the Demon Hunter be able to spec for melee?

Jay Wilson: We haven’t really decided on that yet! We’ve focused initially away from melee oriented abilities because we’re trying to capture the essence of the class, and the essence isn’t melee.

That being said, on the Wizard, we certainly did a lot of things that were more melee oriented, recognising that there are some players that may want to create a “battle mage,” you know? So there is the capacity to do that for that character. If we find a compelling archetype in our heads then we’ll try to make skills that suit that.

The only skill for the Demon Hunter that we have right now that does kind of fit the bill is called Fan of Knives where she throws an array of knives a very short distance all around her. It’s not a melee skill but it is a very close range skill.

If we can come up with a great idea for a melee build then we’ll definitely do that as long as it doesn’t detract from the core of who she is as a character.

Skills

Nine Demon Hunter skills were revealed at Blizzcon 2010. All her skills are described in detail on the Demon Hunter skills page, and in more detail, with screenshots, on their individual articles. See also the Demon Hunter traits for some insight into the passive skills that make her tick.

Scorched earth left behind a Molten Arrow.

Ranged Bow and Crossbow Attacks:

Bola Shot -- A ranged attack that wraps around the target and explodes.
Entangling Shot -- A ranged attack that slows the target, potentially chaining it to nearby enemies.
Molten Arrow -- A ranged attack imbued with fire, leaving a trail of fire behind.
Multishot -- A ranged attack firing a flurry of arrows at a time.

Traps and Tools:

Grenade -- Throws multiple grenades which detonate after a short count down.
Shock Spike -- A trap that cuts nearby enemies and shoots sawblades back and forth between other Shock Spikes, creating cutting zones.
Spike Trap -- A trap which opens into spike-filled vortex, grinding any demons stepping on it.

Movement and Melee Skills:

Vault -- The Demon Hunter's "move skill". Has a shadowy theme and some acrobatics to it.
Fan of Knives -- AKA "knife nova." Short range attack sprays a volley of knives in a circle around the Demon Hunter.

Traits

The Demon Hunter had only five traits during her reveal in the Blizzcon 2010 PvM demo. She'll have far more in the final game, of course. See the Demon Hunter traits page for more detail on all of these, and a list of traits possessed by multiple other characters that will surely be added to the Demon Hunter as well.

Lightning Reflexes -- Increases dexterity.
Toughness -- Increases vitality.
Ranged Weapon Specialization -- Increases damage done by skills and weapons when the Demon Hunter is wielding a ranged weapon.
Unbreakable Will -- Increases willpower.
Pound of Flesh -- Increases the chance to get a health globe from normal monsters by 20%. Also increases the amount of healing provided by 10%.

Resource System

The Demon Hunter used quickly-regenerating mana as her resource in the Blizzcon 2010 PvM demo. This was merely a temporary solution, since the team wants to give each class in the game a unique resource. Jay Wilson elaborated on this in an interview from Blizzcon, in October 2010.^[4]

GP: What’s the Demon Hunter’s resource system?

Jay: She doesn’t have one yet. Right now she’s just using mana and that’s temporary. It’s our goal that every class have a unique one – and really, I’m not even being coy here, we really don’t have one! We’ve got about five or six ideas on the table.

GP: Care to share a couple of them!?

'Jay: No! [laughs] Mainly because I’m not the primary designer of the Demon Hunter and I don’t want to give away anything that Wyatt might not actually want me to say!

Class Background

In-game view.

The official bio of the Demon Hunter is of a survivor of demonic attack. The class is made, not born; existing Demon Hunters find survivors in their travels, and those with spirit and skill are inducted into the order and taken to their training grounds in The Borderlands where they are trained in the combat skills they'll need to take vengeance on the monsters that destroyed their families and village.

Demon Hunters use every tool at their disposal to fight monsters, including traps, gadgets, and bits of dark magic. The glowing eyes of the Demon Hunter in the cinematic introduction is meant as a hint of this willingness to experiment and dabble in the dark arts.

Many of the class skills reflect this design, with their combination of several of her core elements including, "tactical," "traps and gadgets," "swift and acrobatic," "ranged," "shadowy and dark."

Official Lore

From the Writings of Abd al-Hazir, Journal Entry #35

I have just returned from my travels on the edge of the frozen wasteland known as the Dreadlands, a once-beautiful place forever changed by some great calamity in its history. Now, only ruined cities and bleak landscapes remain, no place for any living thing. I was headed for the village of Bronn for the night, but when I arrived, I found a scene of devastation such as I had never seen before. I should have fled at the first sign of danger, but my curiosity drove me forward. Most of the town's buildings had been burnt to their foundations, and a few charred timbers were the only sign of where they had once stood. Ash choked my lungs. There were bodies strewn everywhere, many dismembered and some even half consumed. The city was abandoned.

Or so I thought.

From the husk of the inn, one of the few buildings still standing, monstrous, gray-skinned creatures burst forth, shouting in some infernal tongue. They were masses of misshapen flesh, of sinewy muscle made for battle. Helpless, I stood frozen as they drew close. The one in the lead seized me by the front of my cloak and lifted me from the ground, its claws tearing through fabric and skin. Its breath was hot on my face, and I was assaulted by the putrid smell of rotten flesh. Its mouth yawned wide, and I saw rows of sharpened teeth, yellowed and stained with blood. I thought only of the shame that my voice would be silenced, never to illuminate another of the wonders of our world for you, my loyal readers.

A sharp sound whistled by my ear, and a crossbow bolt sprouted from the eye of the beast before me, spraying my face with its burning blood. It howled an inhuman cry of pain and threw me to the ground, grabbing at the quarrel. The other creatures scanned for this unseen attacker, and I was forgotten for the moment. From the ground at their feet, I tore my head around to see where the bolt had come from.

"She emerged from the shadows cast by the setting sun and wasted no time in dispatching the rest of my attackers. Her hands worked twin crossbows, launching a glowing arc of flaming bolts over my head, blanketing the hulking monsters."

A Demon Hunter turns a survivor into a new recruit.
That was when I saw a demon hunter for the first time.

The girl could have been no more than twenty. She emerged from the shadows cast by the setting sun and wasted no time in dispatching the rest of my attackers. Her hands worked twin crossbows, launching a glowing arc of flaming bolts over my head, blanketing the hulking monsters. Every shot found its mark in one of the horned beasts, felling the lot of them. From the corner of my eye, I saw more of the savage brutes sneaking up on her from behind. My voice froze in my throat as I tried to scream a warning. I needn't have worried: she was not unaware. The hunter reached into her belt and rolled a trio of strange metal spheres into their path. The monsters looked down just as the contraptions exploded into light and flame, stunning them. It gave her enough time to round on them, her crossbows dispatching them one by one.

With a last look over the town, apparently satisfied that no danger remained for her, she came forward, shaking her head sadly. There was a look of profound disappointment on her face as she returned the crossbows to her sides, hidden by the folds of her cloak.

"No survivors," she said bitterly.

They call themselves the demon hunters, a group of fanatical warriors sworn to a single purpose: the destruction of the creatures of the Burning Hells. The demon hunters number in the hundreds and make their home in the Dreadlands so that they can live and train without the interference of any nation that would worry over having such a fearsome group camped within its borders (though at any time over half are dispatched across the world like this girl, seeking hellspawn). There is something in all demon hunters that gives them the strength to resist the demonic corruption that would drive lesser men to madness. They hone this power, for their resistance to this taint enables them to use the demons' power as a weapon. But their mission and their power are not all that bind them together.

That night, the girl told me of her life, about how, as a child, the demons had descended upon her town. She had watched as demons destroyed her home, setting her village to the torch. They murdered everyone she knew and stole from her everyone she loved. She should have died with them, but she fled, hiding from the hellspawn for days until she was found by a demon hunter who saw the strength in her and took her in as one of their own. Each and every demon hunter, she told me, has a story like this.

They are the survivors, and they are searching for vengeance.