The Demon Hunter is the fifth playable class in Diablo III and was announced at Blizzcon 2010 in October.
Contents
Background
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
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. Having lost almost everything as a child to a demonic invasion, she became obsessive in hunting down and killing everything that leaves the Burning Hells to walk on Sanctuary, permanently subject to an unending thirst for revenge. This makes her ruthless also in the use of Shadow Magic (thus the glowing eyes). She is willing to do practically anything that makes her an even more deadly slayer of abovementioned targets. Her obsession to kill makes this fast, swift combination of an archer and assassin a bit "anti-hero-ish", mysterious and dark.
Her skills reflect this design, all being a combination of several of her core elements "tactical", "traps and gadgets", "swift and acrobatic", "ranged", "shadowy and dark".
Attributes and Skills
8 of the Demon Hunter's skills were revealed at Blizzcon 2010.
- Bola
A ranged attack that wraps around the target and explodes.
- Vault
The Demon Hunter's "move skill". Has a shadowy theme and some acrobatics to it.
- Spike Trap
Throws a trap which opens into spike-filled vortex, grinding any demons stepping on it.
- Grenade
Throws multiple grenades (three at level 1). Can bounce off of walls and floors.
- Multishot
A ranged attack firing multiple arrows at a time.
- Fan of Knives
Throws knives in every direction around the Demon Hunter.
- Molten Arrow
A ranged attack imbued with fire, leaving a trail of fire behind.
- Entangling Shot
A ranged attack that can chain several monsters to one another, inflicting damage as well as slowing their movement speed.
Resource System
As of October 2010, the Demon Hunter's resource system remains undetermined. Jay Wilson stated [1] that there were "5 or 6 ideas on the table" and that they want each class to have a unique resource system. At Blizzcon 2010, the Demon Hunter used mana as a temporary resource system.