Vengeance Demon Hunter Tank Guide — Dragonflight 10.2.5

Last updated on Jan 31, 2024 at 18:00 by Meyra 54 comments
General Information

Welcome to our Vengeance Demon Hunter guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.5. Here, you will learn how to tank as a Vengeance Demon Hunter in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons. We cover everything from the basics all the way to min-maxing techniques to optimize your survivability.

1.

Vengeance Demon Hunter Overview

Demon Hunters are the kings of mobility in raids and dungeons. In general, they can move around more and more quickly than many other specs, thanks to Infernal Strike Icon Infernal Strike, as well as various talents that aid their mobility. Additionally, they excel at burst AoE damage, with many abilities dealing AoE and cleave damage. They also excel at dungeon utility with their sigils.

Vengeance Demon Hunter gameplay features a mix of healing and damage mitigation, with low-cost but low uptime of active mitigation, the ability to mitigate magic damage well, and extremely high burst healing potential.

2.

Strengths and Weaknesses

V Strengths
  • +One of the highest mobility specs in the game.
  • +Great utility for Mythic+.
  • +High damage output.
  • +Room for lots of optimization with Frailty Icon Frailty applications.
  • +Great sustain with self-healing and leech.
  • +Provides unique magic debuff.
X Weaknesses
  • -Needs specific talent choices to deal competent damage beyond 5 targets.
  • -Too many good talents that you do not have the talent points to take.
  • -Mediocre Single Target damage without specific talents.
  • -Misplaying will hurt the flow of your rotation a lot.
3.

Dragonflight Changes for Demon Hunters

We are maintaining a list of changes for Demon Hunters, so you can see what changes with every patch of Dragonflight.

4.

Vengeance Demon Hunter and Guide Changes for Patch 10.2.5.

The only changes to Vengeance Demon Hunter in patch 10.2.5 are updated visuals for the spells Elysian Decree Icon Elysian Decree and The Hunt Icon The Hunt, and updating their damage type to Chaos from Arcane and Nature respectively. These changes can be considered cosmetic only since these spells are not currently included on the list of spells buffed by talents like Burning Blood Icon Burning Blood and Fiery Demise Icon Fiery Demise.

5.

Leveling a Vengeance Demon Hunter

If you are interested in playing one of the most unique tank specs in Dragonflight, please check out the leveling guide.

Addons are a very important part of maximizing your play at max level in both dungeons and raids. As a Vengeance player, it is important to track important resources, like the number of souls available or the amount of Fury needed to cast Fel Devastation Icon Fel Devastation. The UI plays an essential part of being successful. Moving need-to-know information to the center of the screen can save your life by not forcing your eyes away from your character at pivotal moments. If you are interested to know what Addons we recommend, please click the link below.

6.

Basics of Vengeance Demon Hunter Gameplay

Vengeance is all about resource management, including active mitigation, healing, damage, and monster control. The rotation is all about building souls as quickly as possible and then consuming them with either Spirit Bomb Icon Spirit Bomb or Soul Cleave Icon Soul Cleave. Outside of the build/spend cycle, you will be weaving in multiple sigils to help crowd-control the monsters.

As a beginner, you may start out using Shear Icon Shear as you begin to learn the rotation and start to feel out how to properly use Demon Spikes Icon Demon Spikes. If you are a beginner, the best place to start becoming familiar with the spec is by reviewing the Easy Mode Page.

7.

Dragonflight

Dragonflight is soaring at us, and with it comes a major talent tree revamp. The new talents will make large changes to the passive powers of Vengeance, as well as reintroduce some old spells and talents and even a few new ones.

The largest change overall is a complete revamp of the Frailty system. Previously only a leech debuff, Frailty Icon Frailty now has several talent points reworking it into a debuff that weakens enemies and empowers you against them. More on these reworked talents and how to use them can be found in the talents and rotations guides, respectively.

8.

How to Gear Up as a Vengeance Demon Hunter

Vengeance has been easier to gear than most other specs. Even though we do have a stat preference, we scale better with the overall item level. For the players who care about being as efficient as possible with their gearing, the link below will have the most updated list for the current gear tier.

Despite item level being the strongest factor in gearing, we do care about what secondary stats we choose when comparing two items of the same item level. The link below shows the stat preference and which consumables are important to maximize gameplay.

9.

Vengeance Tanking in Mythic+

Vengeance is a strong tank in Mythic+ with lots of strong tools at its disposal. For more information, visit the link below to get to our Mythic+ page for Vengeance.

10.

Improving as a Vengeance Demon Hunter

Becoming an experienced Vengeance player does not happen overnight. It takes practice, research, trial and error, and simulations. Below are links to help every player to aspire to the highest levels of gameplay.

11.

Changelog

  • 31 Jan. 2024 (rotation page): Fixed minor errors for a couple of spells.
  • 27 Jan. 2024 (mythic+ page): Added a Utility based build for Mythic+ and descriptions for some optional talent options.
  • 27 Jan. 2024 (talents page): Added link to a Utility build for Mythic+ content.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (Amirdrassil page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (spells page): Updated for changes to The Hunt and Elysian Decree in Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 19 Dec. 2023 (gear page): Reworded a paragraph slightly.
  • 19 Dec. 2023 (rotation page): Updated a few rotational nuances.
  • 06 Dec. 2023 (enchants page): Updated Phial and Healing Potion recommendations.
  • 27 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Changed Embellishment slot and Mythic+ Neck recommendations and specified dungeon for Dawn of the Infinite gear.
  • 10 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Updated so AoE Rotation now shows full rotation.
  • 08 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Removed a mention of Undulating Sporecloak.
  • 08 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Updated Rotation Switches for the Heretic Build.
  • 07 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated after Undulating Sporecloak Nerf.
  • 07 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Updated with correct Stat Gem.
  • 07 Nov. 2023 (mythic+ page): Fixed error in text and a minor Talent error on the Offensive Muthic+ build.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Updated with changes for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.2
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Created for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.2
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (spells page): Updated with new and changed spell descriptions for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Sep. 2023 (mythic+ page): Link updated
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Restructured and updated for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (mythic+ page): Restructured and updated for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (talents page): Restructured the page.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (spells page): Updated with some minor corrections for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 09 Aug. 2023 (talents page): Updated talents for multiple targets.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Updated section regarding the Onyx Annulet and added information about the Dawn of the Infinites Megadungeon.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 19 Jun. 2023 (gear page): Updated Embellishments recommendations.
  • 19 Jun. 2023 (rotation page): Updated Tier set interaction.
  • 19 Jun. 2023 (spells page): Updated spell description for a spell that was wrong.
  • 10 Jun. 2023 (gear page): Updated Onyx Annulet section and added gear for patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jun. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated with new build added for Fortified Dungeons.
  • 10 Jun. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jun. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5
  • 24 May 2023 (gear page): Updated Trinket recommendations and added information on Firelands trinkets.
  • 09 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Page added.
  • 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (gear page): Changed Trinket recommendation and other gear related changes.
  • 01 May 2023 (enchants page): Updated section on enchants as well as the section about the Onyx Annulet and Primordial Stones.
  • 01 May 2023 (stats page): Updated to reflect changes with changing tier sets in patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for new talents and affix changes in Patch 10.1
  • 01 May 2023 (rotation page): Updated with changes to rotation in patch 10.1
  • 01 May 2023 (talents page): Updated with new talent recommendations and talent description for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (spells page): Updated with changes to spells and talents in Patch 10.1
  • 01 May 2023 (easy mode page): Updated with new beginner friendly talents and rotation for patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (this page): Updated with changes to Vengeance and its playstyle in Patch 10.1.
  • 26 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated section about the Onyx Annulet and Primordial Stones.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Added section about the Onyx Annulet.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Added section about the Onyx Annulet and Primordial Stones.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated Razageth and talents.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated and reviewed for 10.0.7 and added a list of Significant bugs to Vengeance Demon Hunters.
  • 08 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated recommendations for weapon enchants and consumables.
  • 08 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Updated description for talents and passives.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 13 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Updated with Embellishments.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight season 1 start.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated gems and enchants, and added Augment runes.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Page added.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Updated with minor changes to make things a bit more clear.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Updated Soulcrush description and added Elysian Decree to noteworthy talents.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (spells page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 30 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated Down in Flames description and advice.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 10 Nov. 2022 (Legendaries): Minor updates to Legendary powers.
  • 10 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated with minor changes for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Torghast): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (simulations page): Added disclaimer for Dragonflight.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
  • 22 Oct. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated with recommended talents for Dragonflight prepatch.
  • 22 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated with talent recommendation for Dragonflight prepatch.
  • 11 Sep. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Legendary recommendation updated and tier set corrected.
  • 30 Jul. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for fated Castle Nathria.
  • 30 Jul. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Fated Sanctum.
  • 19 Feb. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page adjusted for Patch 9.2 launch.
  • 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
  • 01 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 01 Nov. 2021 (Sanctum of Domination page): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 11 Jul. 2021 (Sanctum of Domination page): Page added.
  • 19 May 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page created with initial information.
  • 03 Jan. 2021 (Castle Nathria page): Updated boss information. Updated build recommendation.
  • 08 Dec. 2020 (Castle Nathria page): Added boss tips.
  • 01 Dec. 2020 (Castle Nathria page): Added placeholder Castle Nathria page.
  • 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
  • 23 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Updated guide with tips.
  • 09 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Guide added.
  • 24 Jun. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
  • 24 Jun. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
  • 24 Jun. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
  • 14 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Updated guide with tips for Crucible of Storms.
  • 16 Apr. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
  • 16 Apr. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
  • 16 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
  • 05 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Page added.
  • 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed and is up to date for patch 8.1.
  • 09 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated all bosses with Uldir information.
  • 11 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Page added (empty for now).
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