"She emerged from the shadows cast by the setting sun and wasted no time in dispatching 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." - Abd al-Hazir
The Demon Hunter is a ranged class that mixes deadly marksmanship abilities with acrobatic maneuvers and trap skills to fight the forces of Hell in a more tactical manner. Ranged abilities such as Molten Arrow and Mulitshot help the Demon Hunter slay her enemies from afar, while ingenious mechanical traps allow her to continue assaulting her foes from beyond their reach. To complete her arsenal, she incorporates powerful Shadow Magic - learned from her observations of the very monsters she aims to destroy - into her attacks.
Active Skills[]
Active Skills | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Hungering Arrow | Requires Level 1 | Generates 3 | ||
Fire a magically imbued arrow that seeks out targets for 115% weapon damage and has a 35% chance to pierce through targets. | ||||
Impale | Requires Level 2 | Costs 25 | ||
Impale a target for 250% weapon damage. | ||||
Entangling Shot | Requires Level 3 | Generates 3 | ||
Imbue an arrow with shadow energy that deals 75% weapon damage and entangles up to 2 enemies, slowing their movement by 60% for 2 seconds. | ||||
Caltrops | Requires Level 4 | Costs 6 | ||
Lay a trap of caltrops on the ground that activates when an enemy approaches. Once sprung, the caltrops Slow the movement of enemies within 12 yards by 60%. This trap lasts 6 seconds. | ||||
Rapid Fire | Requires Level 5 | Costs 20 | ||
Rapidly fire for 228% weapon damage as Physical. | ||||
Smoke Screen | Requires Level 8 | Costs 14 | ||
Vanish behind a wall of smoke, becoming momentarily invisible for 1 seconds. | ||||
Vault | Requires Level 9 | Costs 8 | ||
Tumble acrobatically 35 yards. | ||||
Bola Shot | Requires Level 11 | Generates 3 | ||
Shoot out an explosive bola that wraps itself around its target. After 1 second, the bola explodes dealing 130% weapon damage as Fire to the target and an additional 110% weapon damage as Fire to all other targets within 7 yards. | ||||
Chakram | Requires Level 12 | Costs 10 | ||
Fire a swirling Chakram that does 150% weapon damage as Physical to enemies along its path. | ||||
Preparation | Requires Level 13 | Cooldown: 45 seconds | ||
Instantly restore all Discipline. | ||||
Evasive Fire | Requires Level 14 | Generates 4 | ||
Shoot for 125% weapon damage. If an enemy is in front of you at close range, you will also backflip away 15 yards. | ||||
Grenades | Requires Level 15 | Generates 3 | ||
Throw out three grenades that explode for 95% weapon damage as Fire each. | ||||
Shadow Power | Requires Level 16 | Costs 14 | ||
Draw in the power of the shadows, gaining 20% of all damage done as Life for 3 seconds. | ||||
Companion | Requires Level 17 | Costs 10 | ||
Summon a raven companion. Your raven companion will periodically peck at enemies for 30% of your weapon damage as Physical. | ||||
Fan of Knives | Requires Level 17 | Costs 20 | Cooldown: 10 seconds | |
Throw knives out in a spiral around you, doing 320% weapon damage to all enemies within 10 yards of you. Your knives will also Slow the movement of enemies by 60]% for 2 seconds. | ||||
Spike Trap | Requires Level 17 | Costs 30 | ||
Lay a trap that arms after 1.2 seconds and triggers when an enemy approaches. The trap does 275% weapon damage to all enemies within 8 yards. You can have a maximum of 3 Spike Traps active at one time. | ||||
Strafe | Requires Level 19 | Costs 15 | ||
Shoot at random nearby enemies for 120% weapon damage while moving at 65% of normal movement speed. | ||||
Elemental Arrow | Requires Level 20 | Costs 10 | ||
Shoot a fire arrow that deals 155% weapon damage as Fire to all targets it passes through. | ||||
Marked for Death | Requires Level 21 | Costs 3 | ||
Marks an enemy. The marked enemy will take 12% additional damage for the next 30 seconds. | ||||
Multishot | Requires Level 22 | Costs 40 | ||
Fire a massive volley of arrows dealing 165% weapon damage to all enemies in the area. | ||||
Sentry | Requires Level 25 | Costs 10 | ||
Drop a turret on the ground. The turret begins firing at nearby enemies for 20% weapon damage. Lasts 30 seconds. | ||||
Cluster Arrow | Requires Level 27 | Costs 50 | ||
Fire a cluster arrow that explodes for 200% weapon damage as Fire into a series of additional miniature bombs that explode for 100% weapon damage as Fire each. | ||||
Rain of Vengeance | Requires Level 30 | Cooldown: 30 seconds seconds | ||
Fire a massive volley of arrows around you. Arrows fall from the sky dealing 75% weapon damage for 5 seconds to all enemies in the area. |
Passive Skills[]
Passive Skills | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Tactical Advantage | Requires Level 10 | Whenever you use Vault, Smoke Screen, or backflip with Evasive Fire you gain 60% movement speed for 2 seconds. | ||
Thrill of the Hunt | Requires Level 10 | Every 10 seconds, your next bow attack will immobilize your target for 3 seconds. | ||
Vengeance | Requires Level 13 | Your maximum Hatred is increased by 25. In addition, gain 20 Hatred and 2 Discipline whenever you are healed by a health globe. | ||
Steady Aim | Requires Level 16 | As long as there are no enemies within 10 yards, all damage is increased by 20%. | ||
Cull the Weak | Requires Level 20 | Damage against slowed enemies increased by 15%. | ||
Night Stalker | Requires Level 20 | Critical Hits have a chance to restore 1 Discipline. Discipline is used to fuel many of your tactical and defensive skills. | ||
Brooding | Requires Level 25 | As long as you have not taken damage in the last 3 seconds you gain 1% of your maximum Life per second. | ||
Hot Pursuit | Requires Level 27 | Whenever you are at full Hatred, movement speed is increased by 15%. | ||
Archery | Requires Level 30 | Gain a bonus based on the weapon type of your main hand weapon: Bow: 15% increased damage Crossbows: 50% Critical Hit Damage Hand Crossbows: 10% Critical Hit Chance | ||
Numbing Traps | Requires Level 30 | Enemies hit by Fan of Knives, Spike Trap, and Caltrops have their damage reduced by 25% for 3 seconds. | ||
Perfectionist | Requires Level 35 | Reduces the Discipline cost of all skills by 10%. Discipline is used to fuel many of your tactical and defensive skills. | ||
Custom Engineering | Requires Level 40 | The duration of your Caltrops, Marked for Death, Spike Trap, and Sentry is increased by 100%. | ||
Grenadier | Requires Level 45 | Increases Hatred generated from Grenades by 2 and reduces the Hatred cost of Cluster Arrow by 10. Upon death, you drop a giant grenade that explodes for 450% weapon damage as Fire. | ||
Sharpshooter | Requires Level 50 | Gain 3% Critical Hit Chance every second. This bonus is reset 1 second after you successfully critically hit. | ||
Ballistics | Requires Level 55 | Damage from rockets increased by 50%. Rockets are fired from certain skill rune effects. | ||
- Stats based on lvl 60 character.
Resource System[]
- Hatred/Discipline: The system will be a personality-based dichotomy. Hatred skills will be able to be used more than Discipline skills.[1] Hatred skills will be mostly associated with bow attacks and burst-damage while Discipline will primarily focus on traps and preparation.[2] Hatred regenerates passively and can also be generated by using a Hatred generator skill,[3] while Discipline regenerates slower much like the Witch Doctor's mana.[4]
Lore[]
Calling the bleak area known as the Dreadlands home, the Demon Hunter lives for vengeance, honing her skills on the numerous demons that inhabit the area. However, the Demon Hunter's life was not always so. She lived a normal life until demons attacked her home. She fled to the shadows and watched as the demons razed her town and slaughtered her loved ones. As she hid, a mysterious woman came and killed her attackers, saving her life. After surviving the horrific ordeal, the girl was recruited to become a Demon hunter; a story shared by all of her brethren.
"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.
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." - Abd al-Hazir
Trivia[]
The female Demon Hunter is voiced by Anna Graves, and the male Demon Hunter is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.
Development[]
The Demon Hunter was the last class to be revealed for Diablo III, despite being the first character they began work on. However, the class went through numerous changes, including a major one right before Blizzcon 2009. Originally planned to be revealed then, she was put on hold to be re-worked and the Monk was revealed instead. They knew from the beginning that they wanted a bow-wielder, but the original concept for the class took on a more naturalistic "ranger" feel. They had added quick, dagger-like attacks to the class, however this decision made the character feel less and less like a ranged class. Scrapping the whole idea, the development team started over from scratch, deciding to go with a darker feel to the class. The original concept of the Demon Hunter was as an actual Demon. They soon changed their mind from this idea, as it contradicted the core storyline of the Diablo franchise: Humanity against everyone else. Instead, she was changed to a human who possessed demonic features; specifically a Demon's arm. Even this small amount seemed too odd and added a melee feel to the class which they wanted to avoid. The final - completely human - version of the Demon Hunter was born from this, featuring a sleek and sexy look, a dark past, and revenge fueling her fight. Unveiled at Blizzcon 2010, the Demon Hunter joined the rest of the classes to fight the denizens of the Burning Hells.
Media[]
Class Trailer[]
Concept Art[]
Screenshots[]
Act 1 Exterior
Act 1 Interior
Links[]
- Demon Hunter: The Dreadlands - Demon Hunter forums at DiabloFans
- Demon Hunter Skill Calculator
References[]
Official Classes | ||
---|---|---|
Diablo III | Barbarian • Crusader • Demon Hunter • Monk • Necromancer • Witch Doctor • Wizard | |
Diablo II | Amazon • Assassin • Barbarian • Druid • Necromancer • Paladin • Sorceress | |
Diablo I & Hellfire | Barbarian • Bard • Monk • Rogue • Sorcerer • Warrior |