8 Demon Hunter Tips

8 Great Demon Hunter Tips by Alotofmess.

Faceroll in normal is easy, once nightmare hits though it's best to have some defensive CDs. I myself run with just 2 offensive spells, a Hatred generator (either Hungering Arrow or Entangling Shot), and a Hatred dump (Rapid Fire, Elemental Arrow, or Cluster Arrow). The rest of my spells are all discipline-CDs (Smokescreen, Caltrops, Demon Power, Preparation)

Smokescreen has no CD. (Note: As of 5/23/2012 Smokescreen was nerfed, but it's still pretty effective.)This is important, as it will help you get out of a lot of tight spots. That said, do note that you CANNOT run through mobs even while invisible. If you get backed into a corner, your best bet is to pop your Demon Power and hopefully you burn them down faster than they can trap you. That or hopefully you got Vault to tumble through them. Also note that you can pick up health globes even while invis-ed, so if you got Vengeance(P) it'll help immensely in those tight fights when you’re kiting non-stop.

Preparation with Battle Scars runed will heal 60% of your hp flat. Used with the no-cd Smokescreen(runed Displacement, LF, or Special recipe) with Perfectionist(P) will help you outrun most situations for you to live and fight another day. Usually 3 Smokescreens should get you to a relatively safe place to tp and regroup. And also, when in doubt, smokescreen first.

Fight at chokepoints. Always. Caltrops don’t stack, but the radius of the trap should be a good gauge on how far apart you should place them to ensure that you’re constantly snaring mobs while you whittle them down. I myself prefer to get Caltrops(r-Hooked Spines) for maximum snaring effect, and run them down with Rapidfire(r- Webbed Shot/High Velocity/Bombardment) with Cull The Weak(P) and/or Steady Shot(P). In close quarter fights (dungeons and etc), I switch out Steady Shot(P) for Custom Engineering(P).

Don’t be afraid to TP back to regroup and switch spells for each individual mob group or fight. This is why I recommend a diversified list of passives and actives for each situation, depending on preference and how aware the player is. TP is free you know? Smokescreen, run away and TP once you’ve seen the affixes on that big bad mob, and figure out how to kite it the most efficient way possible.

That said, it’s also paramount that you utilise your followers. There’s absolutely no cost in switching them out, so if you’re soloing, always pick the best bang for your buck. Templars are good in close quarters, Scoundrel is fantastic for boss fights and have limited uses in open ground, and Enchantress is best against ranged mobs and elites. It might be a bug, but from what I’ve seen, the Charm skill by enchantress can actually affect Elites (though not uniques), and she’s also fantastic by breaking up mob groups so common in open areas through her controlling abilities. The Templar function as a viable chokepoint ally for dungeons, especially with Intimidate and Charge, and the passive Hatred Regen is always good for you to continuously spam your AoE at tight spots. Scoundrel’s survivability and attack bonuses gives you the edge in boss fights.

Mobs with controlling effects and ranged effects are the bane of your existence, and should thus be approached with utmost precaution. Jailor/Waller/Vortex form the three most dangerous affixes, in particular Waller (You can’t smokescreen and run through walls). The secondary dangerous affixes are Arcane/Mortar/Frozen and in some rare cases Electrified. Anything with Teleporter should be max-ranged, while the rest of the affixes themselves, while annoying, shouldn’t be much too hard for you to deal with.

Always keep moving. I cannot stress this enough. Keep displacing back to safe areas that you’ve cleared. This allows you to juggle your discipline and hatred, evade most Corpse Explosion effects, separate pack mobs, and get away faster should things ever go against your favor. Caltrops along the way too.