Demon Hunter skills

This page lists all Demon Hunter skills, as of August 2011. Follow the links to the individual skill pages for full discussion of every skill, including first hand reports and screenshots.

Useful skill links:

• Skills - General skill design and mechanics.
  • Active skills - Skills where effects are activated by the player.
  • Passive skills - Skills where effects are activated automatically, by the computer or by special events.
  • Signature skills - Skills that define characters.
• Hatred/Discipline - The Demon Hunter's energy resource.
• Runestones - The way to massive skill customization/modification.
• Demon Hunter skill archive - Demon Hunter skills removed or modified during development.
• Demon Hunter traits - Passive skills in Diablo III were called traits for a while before reverting back.

Active Skills

Click to the individual skill pages for more details about these skills including numbers, screenshots, runestone information, blue quotes, and much more.

Caltrops

Caltrops is available at level 1.
No description is available.

Hungering Arrow

Hungering Arrow is available at level 1.
No description is available.

Entangling Shot

Entangling Shot is available at level 2.
This debuff skill deals solid damage, as well as slowing the target. Nearby enemies may be chained as well, potentially slowing several monsters and blocking the movement of all that are stuck behind them.

• Description: Release a sticky adhesive that deals X% weapon damage and entangles up to X enemies, slowing their movement speed by X% for X seconds.

Evasive Fire

Evasive Fire is available at level 3.
No description is available.

Fan of Knives

Fan of Knives is available at level 4.
This skill, instantly nicknamed "knife nova," shoots out numerous blades, dealing considerable physical damage to any targets nearby. The range is very short, hardly more than a melee weapon, making this one best used in very close range against multiple targets.

• Description: Throw knives out in a spiral around you doing X-X damage to all enemies within X feet of you. Your knives will also slow enemies by X% for X seconds.

Bola Shot

Bola Shot is available at level 5.
The Demon Hunter uses a bow or crossbow to fire a spinning projectile; two bombs on a length of rope. The Bola hits the target and wraps around it, dealing minimal impact damage but considerably more explosive damage after a couple of seconds.

• Description: Shoot out an explosive Bola that wraps itself around its target. After X seconds the Bola explodes, dealing X% weapon damage to the target and an additional X% weapon damage to all targets within X feet.

Vault

Vault is available at level 6.
A fast movement skill, this allows the Demon Hunter to move a considerable distance at high speed, passing through monsters and other players, though not through solid objects or over open space, as Teleport or Leap Attack does.

• Description: Tumble acrobatically X feet.

Grenades

Grenades is available at level 7.
Grenades are small projectiles thrown by the Demon Hunter. They bounce around, ricocheting off of walls and other obstacles, before exploding a couple of seconds after they are thrown. They deal considerable fire damage, but are hard to aim precisely, and are best used against large mobs, especially to hit targets located in the back row.

• Description: Throw out three grenades that explode for X-X fire damage.

Marked for Death

Marked for Death is available at level 8.
No description is available.

Chakram

Chakram is available at level 9.
No description is available.

Impale

Impale is available at level 11.
No description is available.

Smoke Screen

Smoke Screen is available at level 12.
No description is available.

Spike Trap

Spike Trap is available at level 14.
This trap/object is placed and triggers when enemies move into range.

• Description: Lay a trap that arms after X seconds and triggers when an enemy approaches. The explosion does X-X damage per second to all enemies within X feet for X seconds.
• You can have a maximum for X traps active at one time.

Companion

Companion is available at level 16.
No description is available.

Elemental Arrow

Elemental Arrow is available at level 18.
No description is available.

Shadow Power

Shadow Power is available at level 19.
No description is available.

Multishot

Multishot is available at level 21.
The Diablo II favorite returns. This skill fires a huge cluster of arrows or bolts, guaranteeing a hit on everything in range. The mana cost is fairly high and the damage is lower than most single arrow attacks, making it best used against huge groups.

• Description: Fire a massive volley of arrows dealing X% weapon damage.

Sentry

Sentry is available at level 22.
Sentry creates a mechanical turret that fires arrows at enemies, working much like the Wizard's Hydra skill.

• Description: The Demon Hunter can have a maximum of X traps active at one time.

Cluster Arrow

Cluster Arrow is available at level 23.
The Demon Hunter fires an arrow that hits the ground, and grenades erupt from the consequent blast, which in turn explode to damage enemies.

Rapid Fire

Rapid Fire is available at level 24.
No description is available.

Preparation

Preparation is available at level 25.
No description is available.

Strafe

Strafe is available at level 27.
No description is available.

Rain of Arrows

Rain of Arrows is available at level 29.
No description is available.

Passive Skills

Passive skills replaced Traits during late game development in 2011. Many Traits were simply changed to passive skills, but some are all new. See the Demon Hunter traits page for a full list of those passives.

Name	Req Level	Description
Weak Spot	3	Increases critical strike damage by X%.
Archery	6	Reduces the cost of Hatred-type skills by X%.
Cloak of Shadows	6	Reduces melee damage taken by X%.
Aggression	12	Increases attack by X%.
Superior Skill	12	Increases precision by X%.
Toughness	12	Increases vitality by X%.
Back to Basics	18	Increases the basic damage done by the Demon Hunter's weapon by X%.
Focused Discipline	18	Reduces the cost of Discipline-type skills by X%.
Opportunity	18	Increases damage dealt to slowed targets by X%.
Years of Training	18	When a Discipline-type skill is used, damage dealt by the Demon Hunter is increased by X% for Y seconds. Can stack up to three times.
Ballistics	24	Increases damage dealt by rockets (?) by X%. The rocket effect is provided by certain runestones.
Hot Pursuit	24	When Hatred is at its maximum, run speed is increased by X%.
Killing Spree	24	When an enemy is killed by the Demon Hunter, the next attack dealt within the next Y seconds has X% increased critical strike chance.
Resourcefulness	24	When Discipline is under X%, the regeneration of Hatred is increased by Y%.

Note: The listed levels of the passive skills are clearly a holdover of when they were traits and will change in the future.

Development

The Demon Hunter was the fifth and final character to be revealed in Diablo III, making her debut at Blizzcon 2010.

Removed Skills

• Molten Arrow
• Shock Spike

References

• JudgeHype.com July 2011 Press Event Coverage - The Witch Doctor (Translated by Zediono)