Hand Crossbows
The hand crossbow is a class-specific item that can only be used by the Demon Hunter.
Unlike other crossbows, the hand crossbow is a double item. The item graphic shows two small crossbows together; there are no single hand crossbows, so it's not possible to use one with a shield or melee weapon. hand crossbows have the fastest firing rate of any ranged weapon in the game, but they do less damage than other bows or crossbows to compensate.
Dual Wield Only?
At Blizzcon 2010, hand xbows could only be dual wielded. The bows came in a pair, and looked something like you see in the paperdoll mock-up to the right. A Demon Hunter could only equip both at once, or neither; it was not possible to equip just one hand xbow with a one-handed a weapon or a shield.
This was thought to be a balance issue; the hand xbow was the fastest firing ranged weapon in the game, but as a trade off they had to be used two at a time, trading defense for offense. This may not be the case in the final game though, as Bashiok explained while answering some forum questions in November 2010. [1]
- [Can the Demon Hunter use] two separate and unique one hand crossbows w/ different stats on them?
- Bashiok: Yes, that is in. A lot of work is being done right now on demon hunter weapons so some things are still up in the air, but dual-wielding one handed crossbows in each hand, each with their own unique enchants and gems, etc. is now in the game.
- So, one could now wield a one-handed crossbow in one hand, and a shield in the other?
- Bashiok: Potentially, but some things are still up in the air
- I do wonder what other classes will be able to use 1 handed crossbows.
- Bashiok: No other class is planned to use one-handed crossbows. It’s a demon hunter thing. There are two handed crossbows that the witch doctor and wizard can use.
It's unclear how the developers would balance this out; if a hand crossbow is the fastest firing weapon, AND it can be used with a shield, or two of them can be used at once, that seems like an enormous bonus, since that doubles the item modifiers, gem bonuses, etc. The damage of the hand crossbow would have to be much lower, the item bonuses limited, the number of sockets capped, etc.
Demon Hunter Cinematic
The Demon Hunter makes extensive use of dual hand crossbows in her introductory cinematic, devastating a horde of demons with the weapons.
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