Diablo 3 Levelling Guide: Demon Hunter
Demon Hunters specialize in ranged attacks. This means if you're not particularly called towards close hand-to-hand combat, then the Demon Hunter could very well be for you. Its story is a somber one: having fled from a village at a young age to avoid a demonic Hellspawn massacre, it was taken in by a higher ranking Demon Hunter and groomed towards revenge, which is the typical story of all Demon Hunters. So, how exactly should players go about levelling their Demon Hunter? Let's find out.
Demon Hunter: Gems are Key
Ranged weapons suffer a silent disadvantage in Diablo 3: their inherent abilities are often weaker than other standard melee weapons in the same class. This means players must use what's around them to better enhance their weapon's statistics.
Socketed weapons allow players to use gems to increase specific attributes in the player's favor. For the Demon Hunter, players should be look towards using rubies in their weapon sockets.
At its lowest, a very common Chipped Ruby will add +2 to the weapon's minimum damage and +2 to the weapon's maximum damage. The best and rarest ruby, a Radiant Star Ruby, will add +20 to the weapon's minimum damage to +20 to the weapon's maximum damage.
Diablo 3 players should also look towards weapons that have a greater number of sockets to stack these abilities and add them together. As a bare minimum, players should have a socketed ranged weapon with no less than two sockets to become better prepared for Diablo and more quickly level up their characters.
Read this Diablo 3 Guide to level up with speed.
Topaz could also play a vital role in the survival and levelling of a Demon Hunter. However, this gem is best used at higher levels and difficulties as it provides defense against melee attacks; with a Chipped Topaz dealing two damage to melee attackers per hit. Players will find this particularly useful as they get closer towards Diablo and the melee attackers significantly increase in both their presence and damaging effects, which itself returns higher amounts of experience for players in battle.
Demon Hunter Hunting Skill: Companion
Unlocked at level 17, the Companion hunting skill summons a raven that accompanies the player and deals 30% of the weapon's damage against attackers. When combined with an enhanced weapon, the raven can become a lethal skill that also quickly increases a player's experience gained from attacking and defeating other enemies in Diablo 3.
At level 59, players will have the option to convert their raven into a wolf, which deals 60% of the weapon's damage against attackers. While limited to 25 seconds, this swift-attacking summon can quickly reap experience points for a player's character and could be the base of a successful power levelling campaign as players delve into higher levels.
Diablo 3 Demon Hunter: Verdict
Using the two strategies noted above, players will find that it's actually quite easy to level a Demon Hunter. So long as players stay out of a bombardment of melee attackers, a Demon Hunter should easily survive throughout the game and face Diablo with only minor difficulties.
Further reading/sources: Skill Calculator | D3 Forum
