Just because Evokers are the newest hero class, added in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Demon Hunters are still relatively new to the game, being the hero class introduced just before them back in the Legion expansion. This class starts at level eight and uses Fel and chaotic magic to wreak havoc on their foes.
While Demon Hunters have a great tank specialization, their damage specialization, Havoc, is not one to be trifled with. It is flashy, it is edgy, and most of all, it pumps out some seriously high numbers on the damage charts. So, if you’re interested in playing Havoc, here’s a complete guide to help you out.
Why Havoc?
Here are some reasons you should consider choosing Havoc:
- This specialization is incredibly mobile, and that mobility is often a necessary part of your rotation. Depending on your talent build, you will typically have three mobility spells (one of them having up to two charges), allowing you to get around boss mechanics relatively easily. Their mastery stat buffs their regular movement speed, adding to their mobility.
- Since they were released, they have consistently had some of the best area-of-effect damage in the game. Their single-target damage is nothing to scoff at, but when it comes to area-of-effect damage, it’s a whole other ball game. Dragonflight, in particular, has seen them be in a class of their own, performing absurdly well in dungeons.
- They are the edgiest edgelords to come to the game since Death Knights, and each one is essentially a mini Illidan Stormrage. What could possibly be better than that?
Best Races
Considering there are only two races you can play Demon Hunter, as you’re not offered too much choice other than whether or not you want to be Horde (Blood Elf) or Alliance (Night Elf). However, when it comes to their racial abilities and passives, both are quite good, making your choice come down to preference, but let’s compare the relevant ones.
|
Race |
Racial Ability |
Racial Ability Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
Night Elf |
Shadowmeld (active) |
A stationary insta-stealth that lets you drop aggro with enemies. |
|
Quickness (passive) |
Increases your chance to dodge melee and ranged attacks by two percent and your movement speed by two percent. |
|
|
Touch of Elune (passive) |
Increases your haste by one percent during the night. Increases your critical strike by one percent during the day. |
|
|
Blood Elf |
Arcane Torrent (active) |
Remove one beneficial effect from all enemies within eight yards and generate eighteen Fury. |
|
Arcane Acuity (passive) |
Increases critical strike chance by one percent. |
When it comes to active racial abilities, Blood Elf is the clear winner here. Arcane Torrent is not only a second way to remove beneficial effects from enemies (Demon Hunters can already do this with Consume Magic), but it also generates Fury for you, which is great. This is certainly better than Shadowmeld (in PvE, at least), as that doesn’t offer much in dungeons and raids other than a way to drop aggro.
Moving on to the passives, critical strike is great on Demon Hunters, making it great to have in racial passives. However, Night Elf also offers extra dodge chance and movement speed, two nice stats for melee characters in particular.
Main Demon Hunter Tree
There isn’t much wiggle room in the main class tree for Demon Hunter (this is starkly contrasted by their specialization tree, as you’ll see later). This is because most of what you need is on the left side and center of the tree, making most of the right side rather undesirable. That said, some key talent swap-outs can be made, depending on whether you’re doing dungeon or raid content.
The above main class tree for Havoc is more geared toward area-of-effect content, as Chaos Nova (and Unleash Power, which buffs it) and Sigil of Misery are taken for more area-of-effect crowd control, and Bouncing Glaives are taken for more cleave damage. However, if you want to focus purely on single-target damage, feel free to drop those talents and consider picking up Long Night for more defensives for you and your group, Soul Sigils, and Infernal Armor.
Single-Target Builds
Havoc Demon Hunters have two main options when it comes to single-target damage. These options are shown in the image above and in written detail below, and will be looked at more closely in the following sections with their tables, Wowhead links, and import strings. With that in mind, choosing between these two builds ultimately comes down to whether or not you want to include Momentum in your build.
- Momentum: Fel Rush, The Hunt, and Vengeful Retreat increase your damage done by eight percent for five seconds.
If you want to choose the Momentum-focused path (left image), you will talent more into your movement abilities. Contrarily, if you don’t like this playstyle, you can choose more of an Immolation Aura and Glaive Tempest route (right image).
Regardless of which of these builds you go for, the Eye Beam talents that lead to Essence Break remain integral to your burst windows. Essence break will always remain a critical ability for Havoc, as the damage it offers, plus the extra critical strike damage from the talent just before it (Know Your Enemy), is invaluable.
Momentum Build
- Import String: BEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQCIhUiQLJRSiABAAAAAAAJBpkSkkUgQaJhkEJJJB
This build favors the left side of the talent tree, starting with Critical Chaos and moving all the way down to Momentum, picking up Initiative, Unbound Chaos, and Tactical Retreat on the way. Eye Beam and Vengeful Retreat become your main forms of generating Fury thanks to Blind Fury and Tactical Retreat, respectively (along with Felblade and Sigil of Flame from your main class tree).
Non-Momentum Build
- Import String: BEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQSCSiUiQLJRSiABAAAAAAAJBpkSkkUEikGKSQSSSA
This build favors the right side of the tree, picking up talents that buff up your Immolation Aura instead of your mobility spells. This is because, in addition to Eye Beam again, Immolation Aura becomes one of your main sources of generating Fury (once more, along with Felblade and Sigil of Flame).
In addition to the focus on Immolation Aura, Glaive Tempest is taken in this build.
Cleave Build
- Import String: BEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgkkkkIlg0SSkkIQAAAAAAAQSQKpEJRJIJplEIBSA
This build is another option Havoc Demon Hunters can run in raids, but it is more focused on cleave damage than pure single-target damage. The key difference here is the emphasis on Glaive Throw and taking the talents that significantly buff up its damage. In this build, Blind Fury and Isolated Prey are not taken, and it instead ends up being a hybrid of the former two single-target builds, taking the talents on both the left and right sides of the tree.
Remember to take Bouncing Glaives in the main class tree if you’re running this cleave build.
If you’re not a fan of the Momentum playstyle, you can opt out of it in this build and path into Glaive Tempest instead, branching to the right from Tactical Retreat as opposed to going straight down. The difference in damage output is negligible, so let your preference be your guide.
Area-Of-Effect Builds
Havoc Demon Hunters don’t have as much variety in their builds when looking at dungeons. In the end, the Havoc tree ends up being identical to the aforementioned cleave build, as the focus in both cases remains your Glaive Throw. The main difference comes in the main class tree, as you should take your area-of-effect crowd control talents, Chaos Nova and Sigil of Misery, as shown in the initial main class tree above.
As before, Eye Beam and Essence Break remain your key burst windows, and also, as before, you don’t have to take Momentum. Running the Glaive Tempest path is fine, as the two have minimal differences.
Rotation
No matter what build path you choose, playing a Havoc Demon Hunter largely comes down to managing your Fury properly. Once you nail this, you’ll have so much uptime on your abilities that any downtime will feel like a blessing to you.
Concerning rotation, it varies depending on what talents you take, as your focus will be on different abilities from build to build.
- If you’re running a Momentum build, as mentioned before, you should always be cycling through your mobility spells (Fel Rush and Vengeful Retreat) to keep your damage buff up, especially when preparing for your burst windows.
- If you’re running a cleave or area-of-effect build, you should use your Glaive Throw as often as possible, as it’s your main source of damage.
- If you’re running a Glaive Tempest variant of a build, be sure to be using it on cooldown.
No matter what, though, always be mindful of your burst window with Eye Beam and Essence Break. You’ll be missing out on big damage if, when you use Essence Break, you don’t have enough Fury to use Blade Dance or Chaos Strike.
Some Tips
- Considering how important it is to manage your Fury properly, try putting all your Fury-generating abilities next to each other on your action bar to keep better track of them.
- Remember that Tactical Retreat and Burning Hatred generate Fury over time, not instantly. As such, you can use these to prepare for a big burst window, but be very careful not to over-cap your Fury this way, as you’ll lose out on damage.
- In dungeons, you can consider taking Fel Eruption. Havoc Demon Hunters don’t have too much in the realm of crowd control other than Chaos Nova and Sigil of Misery, so this single-target stun can help you out if you need to be interrupting more enemy spell casts.
- Whenever you’re getting ready for your Essence Break burst window, ensure your Blade Dance is off cooldown, as you want to be using that right after your Essence Break. Ideally, you’ll also want to be able to Chaos Strike a couple of times within the four-second window of Essence Break’s buff, but getting the Blade Dance off is far more important than any Chaos Strike you can fit in.
- Remember that Chaotic Transformation causes your Eye Beam and Blade Dance to instantly reset their cooldowns after you use Metamorphosis, so be sure to use these two abilities before Metamorphosing.
Macros
One of the best macros you can have as a Demon Hunter lets you send an ability to your cursor’s location (like quick cast). Normally, these abilities (like your sigils) need to first be selected, and then you must click where you want to deploy them. This macro combines that into one step, sending your ability to your cursor’s location:
/cast [@cursor] *insert ability name here*
Some examples:
- /cast [@cursor] Metamorphosis
- /cast [@cursor] Sigil of Misery
Alternatively, you can use a macro to cast any of these abilities at your own feet, which might come in handy since Demon Hunters tend to be right on top of their foes as a result of them being a melee class. Most notably, you can use the following macro to Metamorphosis in place, but it also works for other abilities of the like:
/cast [@player] *insert ability name here*
Some examples:
- /cast [@player] Elysian Decree
- /cast [@player] Sigil of Flame
Stat Priority
The stat priority for Havoc Demon Hunters is different for dungeon content (area-of-effect) than for raid (single-target) content. Let’s take a look at how they differ:
Area-of-Effect Stat Focus:
- Critical Strike
- Mastery
- Versatility
- Haste
Single-Target Focus:
- Critical Strike
- Haste
- Mastery
- Versatility
As you can see, critical strike is the most important secondary stat to acquire due to a few integral talents across all forms of content: Know Your Enemy, Ragefire, and Looks Can Kill (the latter talent is not as important as the first two, though).
One thing to point out is that mastery is favored in area-of-effect content. In the talent builds for said content, you should take Any Means Necessary as one of your keystones. This talent converts all your damage to Chaos damage, and mastery directly buffs your Chaos damage, which means it scales incredibly well for you.
Gems
Critical strike is far too valuable for Havoc Demon Hunters to pass up, so you should always be going for gems that provide that stat in bulk, which means Alexstrazites. Regarding the second stat these gems provide, you can either go for Sensei’s Alexstraszite if you want some mastery, or Crafty Alexstraszite if you want some haste. Other than checking which stat you’re lacking on your gear, always remember to know if you’re running Any Means Necessary as one of your talent keystones. If you are, picking up Sensei’s Alexstraszite is your best bet for the mastery.
Depending on what crafting tier level the gem is, it will offer different numbers of stats.
Enchants
There are many enchants to choose from, but below are the most important ones that you should strive for no matter what. And again, remember that the value of the enchant depends on its crafting tier.
|
Gear Slot |
Enchant Name |
|---|---|
|
Weapon |
Enchant Weapon – Sophic Devotion (Enchant Weapon – Sophic Writ is more affordable) |
|
Chest |
Enchant Chest – Waking Stats |
|
Cloak |
Enchant Cloak – Graceful Avoidance |
|
Legs |
Reinforced Armor Kit |
|
Ring |
Enchant Ring – Devotion of Critical Strike |
Gearing While Leveling
Crafting and world content in general have made gear become rather accessible in Dragonflight. However, while you’re leveling, just pick up the quest rewards (or dungeon rewards if you’re dungeon grinding) as they improve, and don’t worry too much about your stats or item level. There’s no need to min/max your gear before hitting 70.
Gearing At Level 70
Before the release of Mythic Plus and Raiding content, there are a couple of key ways to gear up: Dungeons, world content, and crafting. While you should aim for the 382 pieces from crafting, you can also shoot for regular Mythic dungeons, which reward gear at 372 Item Level. Bearing in mind the stat preference for mastery if you’re running Any Means Necessary, you will always want to be grabbing gear that has critical strike if you can help it.
Before getting into the gear chart for good options in regular Mythic dungeons, it’s worth looking at some trinkets in particular, as Havoc Demon Hunters typically want those with powerful active effects to add to their unbelievable burst windows (and so they can control when to use it instead of waiting around for a trinket’s passive effect to trigger):
|
Trinket |
Dungeon |
Boss |
Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Irideus Fragment |
Halls of Infusion |
Watcher Irideus |
The flat agility buff from this active is amazing, and since it’s your primary stat, it’s great for all talent builds. |
|
Algeth’ar Puzzle Box |
Algeth’ar Academy |
Echo of Doragosa |
The mastery buff from this active is nearly unparalleled, but since it is a mastery buff, this will be more ideal for talent builds running Any Means Necessary. |
|
Erupting Spear Fragment |
Neltharus |
Chargath, Bane of Scales |
With critical strike being a Havoc Demon Hunter’s best secondary stat, it’s no surprise that this trinket is one of the best ones to have. However, it is far more ideal for area-of-effect situations, being the best trinket to have then. In single-target situations, the former two trinkets are better to have. |
Now, here are some good non-trinket pieces to aim for in the new dungeons before the release of Mythic Plus and Raids:
|
Gear Name |
Gear Slot |
Dungeon |
Boss |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dragonscale Ripper |
Weapon (both, if you can) |
Neltharus |
Chargath, Bane of Scales |
|
Ring |
Platinum Star Band |
Algeth’ar Academy |
Vexamus |
|
Ring |
Scalebane Signet |
Neltharus |
Chargath, Bane of Scales |
|
Neck |
Tuskarr Bone Necklace |
Brackenhide Hollow |
Gutshot |
|
Head |
Crown of Roaring Storms |
Ruby Life Pools |
Kyrakka |
|
Shoulders |
Mantle of Yearned Freedom |
The Azure Vault |
Umbrelskul |
|
Back |
Mammoth-Trainer’s Drape |
Neltharus |
Magmatusk |
|
Chest |
Tunic of the Eternal Hunt |
The Nokhud Offensive |
Teera and Maruuk |
|
Wrist |
Ferocious Hyena Hidebinders |
Brackenhide Hollow |
Gutshot |
|
Hands |
Blightweaver’s Clutches |
Brackenhide Hollow |
Decatriarch Wratheye |
|
Waist |
Troggskin Waistband |
Uldaman, Legacy of Tyr |
Bromach |
|
Legs |
Legguards of Adamant Rule |
The Nokhud Offensive |
Balakar Khan |
|
Feet |
Ancient Rotwalkers |
Brackenhide Hollow |
Treemouth |