I havent really seen this build around, and I really enjoy it. Figured I would see what you guys and gals thought of it. It should be noted that i havent started Hell or Inferno yet, so this build might not be a good idea for them. Also, my Demon Hunter is my main, and I mostly solo with him which is why the build isnt just pure dps or something. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#WcQfgY!ceb!aabYZZ This is the Build Ive been working on for my Demon Hunter, the of which is a damage oriented build that still has some level of survivability. It is based around Caltrops and Cull the Weak and I find it allows me to control the battle with some degree of ease while still doing solid damage. Though I do worry sometimes I wont have the Hatred Regen I need, As of yet it really hasnt been a problem for me and I rarely have problems keeping my health high. Passives: Cull the Weak - the 15% boost is really helpful I find as I am a big fan of Caltrops and find myself using them alot in unison with Evasive fire, I sometimes switch out Bola shot with entangling shot which utilizes this a bit more. Archery - Since I really like using 2h Bows (I just think it looks cool honestly) the base 15% increase in damage is definitely nice, which coupled with Cull the Weak makes for a solid 30% increase in damage Custom Engineering - Boosts the duration of Caltrops in this build, which is essential in my opinion, especially against bosses. Primary : Bola shot with Volatile explosives - I find its a great basic crowd control that does solid damage and with the rune its effectiveness is widened significantly. As I said before I do switch it out with Entangling shot with Justice is served for added effectiveness of cull the weak and a boost to hatred gen. Secondary : Rapid fire with Web Shot - This Works with Cull the Weak to give a good amount of damage output which is already boosted by Archery. Depending on the mob and distance, ill often open with multishot then finish off the basic enemies with rapid fire and then focus on elites/bosses. Hotkey 1 : Multishot with Suppression Fire - This has the benifit of being an solid crowd control attack while also being great for an emergency boost to your discipline reserves when fighting larger groups and get overwhelmed as you can then hit shadow power with blood moon and be back in fighting shape. Hotkey 2 : Evasive fire with Displace - this works as a hatred regen for when things get dicey against single enemies (bosses) that allows you to also get the hell away for cheap. With Displace you will backflip almost as far as Vault would allow you (vault is 35 yards, displace makes you backflip 30) and it gives a respectable boost to hatred regen. So its really kinda works in a couple ways to make life easier all around. Hotkey 3 : Shadow Power with either Night Bane or Blood Moon - Honestly I usually use Night Bane as the rune just for a boost to Hatred Regen while getting health, but if i find im really getting damaged and such, i will switch to blood moon as i find that no matter what, by the end of it I have max health. This power is purely for survivability but is the main reason i have suppression Fire on Multishot because that 14 discipline cost can be a pain to deal with. Hotkey 4 : Caltrops with Torturous Ground - This is really the skill the entire build is based around and it is just infinitely useful to me. the Caltrops-Evasive Fire combo is one the the main tricks i use as it freezes my enemies and then i escape to begin the onslaught, and even when they start moving, they are going to be slowed for a good while making it easy for me to manuever because with Custom Engineering those traps are that much more effective and allow me to control the flow of battle with ease. This with the boost from Cull the Weak makes Caltrops easily one of my favorite skills. Tell me what you think!
Nice build. I'd be interested to know your progression through the game. This build would probably work well through Nightmare but as I've discovered as well, you have to take a much more defensive build in Hell and Inferno. IE you might have to swap out Multishot for something else. Additionally, you recommend Archery for a 2 hxbow design and note the 15% increase in base damage however the 15% increase in damage applies to bows and not hxbows (they recieve a 10% increase in critical hit chance with Archery).
Well actually i was intending this for a regular 2h bow (because as i said i just like the visual appeal of it more), would it be better on 2 handed crossbow? I knew the stats varied depending on weapon, but would you recommend some changes if I am using a regular 2h bow with quiver combo? And yea, I kinda figured that there would be a necessary retooling for the higher difficulties, as I only just beat Nightmare and haven't begun Hell (need better gear) Plus from what I understand, Inferno especially is just absolutely brutal. Thanks alot!
Ah I miss understood - I read 2h bows and thought you were talking about hand crossbows and you were using two of them not one two handed bow. In that case, obviously, you would get the 15% damage increase. The equipment you use will vary as you farm. Through leveling and farming I've switched out hxbows, xbows, bows, and quiver combos a lot - you just have to find what works best equipment wise. Gear will be a huge part as you progress through Hell and get into Inferno.
Yea definately. Afterall, throughout Normal I ended up just using Two 1h crossbows because they were literally all I found. But I have been finding 2handed Bows alot now so I have been able to choose. But Thanks for the responses and thoughts. I appreciate it.
I'm curious about the purpose of Caltrops in this build. I realize this is the bread and butter, but I feel like it's highly dependent on kiting mobs to get them into position. For the benefit of Cull the Weak, Entangling Shot seems like it would be a) Targetable b) last 4 seconds with Heavy Burden c) allow you to attack from range. More power to you for going with a themed build (trapper with 2h Bow, cool flavor!). I just feel like Entangling Shot seems to be a no-brainer for the Cull the Weak based builds. No reason not to use both either.
I've actually started using Caltrops with Bait the Trap. Caltrops provide good defense for mobs in Hell and Inferno. Since it slows enemies you get the benefit of Cull the Weak and Bait the Trap gives you added attack bonuses. I've experimented with all the runes for Caltrops and they are all really good. You don't really have to kite because enemies charge you so fast they'll run right into your Caltrops. They are also awesome if you get a Fast or Very Fast buff. I thought this too but Entagling Shot just doesn't do enough damage and doesn't slow the target long enough IMHO. Base damage is 75% of weapon damage and even with Shock Collar (the only rune that adds extra damage) you're still not even to 100% weapon damage. I use Hungering Arrow with Cinder arrow it's proved to be the most reliable for me so far.
Is the slow duration on Caltrops long enough without Custom Engineering? Perhaps another damage or movement speed passive to help the cause?
Caltrops last 6 seconds once sprung (by comparison Entagling Shot only slows enemies for 2 seconds or 4 seconds with Heavy Burden). It's enough to get away. Additionally you can throw out up to 3 Caltrops. I still use Smoke Screen as well - at this point I personally just can't survive long without a couple of options.
Well, I was gonna post a response but i think Toddus_Maximus has done so much more eloquently. I chose Caltrops because I really found that no matter what, most mobs on Nightmare were going to get in close at some point so i figured I would build that into my idea. And also It just felt more effective against bosses than Entangling shot which has low damage and a short duration in comparison. Overall I just found that this was a very active, fun build to play. Im about to start Hell mode so Ill have to shift to a more survival based build, but I will say I enjoyed playing this one. Thanks for the thoughts from both of you!
IDK about that... This is a good point. Entagling Shot is effective against multiple enemies that can be "Entagled" together and bosses, obviously, are a single target.
