Chakram Demon Hunter Skills and Runes

Last updated on Jan 08, 2024 at 09:00 by Deadset 1 comment

On this page, we explain how to choose and use your skills when playing Chakram Demon Hunter in Diablo 3. Updated for Patch 2.7.7 and Season 30.

Active Skills
Left Mouse Button Chakram Icon Chakram Razor Disk Razor Disk Right Mouse Button Multishot Icon Multishot Wind Chill Wind Chill 1 Companion Icon Companion Wolf Companion Wolf Companion 2 Vault Icon Vault Tumble Tumble 3 Preparation Icon Preparation Invigoration Invigoration 4 Vengeance Icon Vengeance Dark Heart Dark Heart
Passive Skills
1.

Rotation

Similarly to a primary attack build, this Demon Hunter variant spends most of its combat rotation holding down a resource-generating attack — in this case, Chakram Chakram, transformed from a spender via the worn Spines of Seething Hatred Spines of Seething Hatred. In order to keep up the other half of the Focus Focus and Restraint Restraint set bonus, you will also be using Multishot Multishot at least once every 5 seconds. The remainder of your skillset will augment your utility or damage, with substantial safety and buffs coming from Vengeance Vengeance (aiming for 100% uptime and using it on cooldown) and Wolf Companion Wolf Companion (popped during major fights for a temporary damage increase). Preparation Preparation will remain quietly in the background as an emergency Discipline refill, while Vault Vault will serve to get you in and out of trouble whenever necessary.

2.

Skills and Runes

The primary damage dealer of the build is Chakram Chakram, swapped from a rather inexpensive Hatred spender into a full-on generator via the Spines of Seething Hatred Spines of Seething Hatred. In turn, this enables the Unhallowed Essence 2- and 6-piece bonuses to apply to it, as well as maximizing the Hatred-dependent bonuses of Sword of Ill Will Sword of Ill Will and triggering the generator half of the Bastions of Will set bonus (see this build's gear page for more information). Rune-wise, you will be using the physical Razor Disk Razor Disk rune due to its combination of good range and superior AoE coverage compared to the other options.

Unlike its more popular pure Multishot sibling, the Chakram Demon Hunter incorporates the use of Multishot Multishot solely as a damage buff. Since Chakram Chakram is turned into a generator, Multishot Multishot will fulfill the role of a resource-spending attack for the purposes of Focus Focus and Restraint Restraint, and will also provide a valuable Crit Chance increase and Chill effect on affected enemies.

Working with mostly low-cost utility skills, this Demon Hunter build is very light on Discipline usage — falling right in line with the mechanics of the Unhallowed Essence set, which equates your current Discipline pool into additional damage. To further those bonuses, you will be taking Preparation Preparation Invigoration Invigoration to extend your Discipline pool with another 20, and it will still provide an instant refill on a decent cooldown whenever necessary.

Companion Companion is a very adaptable skill in the Demon Hunter arsenal, but in terms of Greater Rift progression it is very hard to argue with the multiplicative damage bonuses coming from the Wolf Companion Wolf Companion rune. Try to conserve this cooldown when you have made a good pull or initiated an important fight (i.e. a good cluster of elites), in order to maximize its modest uptime.

Vault Vault is an indispensable tool in the Demon Hunter skillset, providing with an inexpensive and long distance movement tool to a class that thrives in picking out enemies from advantageous positions. You will further emphasize on its value-per-Discipline angle by taking the rune Tumble Tumble, which makes every other vault in quick succession cost 50% less.

Last but not least, Vengeance Vengeance is a Demon Hunter endgame staple that makes its way into yet another build — providing 50% Damage Reduction from the Dark Heart Dark Heart rune on top of an already impressive baseline 40% damage buff and immunity to Crowd Control while active. This skill will be made permanent with the help of an equipped Dawn Dawn and a modest investment into Cooldown Reduction, discussed in the gearing section.

3.

Passives

A duo of permanent damage boosting passives — Cull the Weak Cull the Weak and Steady Aim Steady Aim — make up the first half of your passive selection. Cull the Weak Cull the Weak is a Demon Hunter mainstay, bringing a multiplicative 20% damage increase against Slowed or Chilled enemies. The benefits from this passive will be constantly available as long as you execute your rotation properly and cover the battlefield in Multishot Multishot Wind Chill Wind Chills. Steady Aim Steady Aim improves your DPS with a 20% multiplicative increase as long as you maintain the trivial requirement of 10 yards between yourself and the enemy.

In terms of conditional damage boosting, Ambush Ambush provides a 40% damage increase for the first quarter of the enemies' lives — a bonus that that is multiplicative in nature, and one that provides excellent value on Rift Guardians while you are waiting for Bane of the Stricken Bane of the Stricken to build up.

Usually associated with speed farming, the Blood Vengeance Blood Vengeance passive is part of the Greater Rift selection for Chakram Demon Hunters, as it increases the base value of your Hatred reserve — which feeds right into the Sword of Ill Will Sword of Ill Will bonuses. Its resource restoration properties when picking up health globes are just icing on top.

4.

Changelog

  • 08 Jan. 2024: Skills and passives reviewed for Season 30.
  • 13 Sep. 2023: Added Season 29 Paragon Cap and Gearing recommendations.
  • 22 Feb. 2023: Skills and passives reviewed for Season 28.
  • 26 Aug. 2022: Skills and passives reviewed for Season 27.
  • 13 Apr. 2022: Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 09 Dec. 2021: Reviewed for Season 25.
  • 21 Jul. 2021: No changes required for Season 24.
  • 01 Apr. 2021: No changes required for Season 23.
  • 18 Nov. 2020: No changes required for Season 22.
  • 30 Jun. 2020: No changes required for Season 21.
  • 12 Mar. 2020: No changes necessary for Season 20.
  • 21 Nov. 2019: Reviewed for Season 19.
  • 23 Aug. 2019: Reviewed for Season 18.
  • 16 May 2019: Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
  • 17 Jan. 2019: Information was reviewed and approved for Season 16 with no changes required.
  • 24 Mar. 2018: Added the guide.
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