Demon Hunter Rapid Fire Build with LoD

Last updated on Jun 03, 2025 at 09:00 by Deadset 24 comments

Welcome to our build guide for LoD Rapid Fire Demon Hunter in Diablo 3. Here, you will learn everything you need to know to play this build at the highest level. This build is updated for Patch 2.7.8 and Season 35.

For more information regarding followers, we advise you to read our follower guide, which contains detailed advice on choosing the skills and the gear of your companion.

1.

Introduction

Based on the versatile powers of the Legacy of Dreams bonus, the LoD Rapid Fire Demon Hunter combines the power of a dozen legendary items into a cohesive, destructive channeled force.

2.

Quick Reference

2.1.

Skill Setup

The basic skill setup of the LoD Rapid Fire Demon Hunter is displayed below. Read the dedicated Skills page for detailed information on choices, alternatives and build customization.

Active Skills
Left Mouse Button Rapid Fire Icon Rapid Fire Bombardment Bombardment Right Mouse Button Smoke Screen Icon Smoke Screen Vanishing Powder Vanishing Powder 1 Companion Icon Companion Wolf Companion Wolf Companion 2 Shadow Power Icon Shadow Power Gloom Gloom 3 Fan of Knives Icon Fan of Knives Bladed Armor Bladed Armor 4 Vengeance Icon Vengeance Side Cannons Side Cannons
Passive Skills
2.2.

Gear Setup

The required gear setup for the LoD Rapid Fire Demon Hunter is listed below. Check the Gear page for detailed information on choices, alternatives, gemming, Kanai's Cube, and Paragon distribution.

2.2.1.

Altar of Rites

The former Season 28 theme, the Altar of Rites, has been revised and re-added to Diablo 3 as a permanent character progression mechanic. — For virtually all builds and players of all skill levels — from casual to advanced — we recommend progressing through the Altar tree using the path outlined below. The suggested path is geared towards maximum quality of life first, then amplifying damage, and then mopping up the tree with defensive and edge case utility nodes.

Note that while they require reaching them with a Seal, Legendary Potion Powers are not part of the Seal cost system; Potions unlock with a separate resource called Primordial Ashes, obtained from salvaging Legendary or Set items of Primal (red bordered) quality. Upgrade them as soon as possible, and in the order shown below (courtesy of Caleko's Altar of Rites planner).

Altar of Rites Planner

You can read more on the Altar of Rites, Seals and Legendary Potion Powers in our dedicated Altar of Rites Mechanics guide.

2.3.

Legendary Gems

2.4.

Kanai's Cube

2.5.

Season 35 Theme — Eternal Conflict

This Season revives the Pandemonium Kill Streak buff from Season 19. Each stack grants a bonus to movement speed and damage, capping at +50% movement speed and +100% damage at 1000 kills. Hitting specific kill thresholds unleashes powerful effects. Read more in our dedicated Season of the Eternal Conflict Mechanics Guide!

While speedfarming sees limited use from this theme, Greater Rift pushing benefits significantly. Effects like Geysers (150), Meteors (400), and Angels (500) can clear elites and Rift Guardians instantly. Players may reset streaks after 150 kills to repeatedly trigger Geysers or push for 500+ kills near boss fights, often using Nemesis Bracers Nemesis Bracers to spawn extra enemies.

Because the most potent effects (Geysers, Meteors, Angels) can obliterate Rift Guardians instantly up to GR150, players can retool builds for efficiency and comfort. Here’s how:

2.5.1.

Legendary Gem Considerations

Since you can rely on killstreak procs to clear the Rift Guardian, Bane of the Stricken Bane of the Stricken can be safely omitted in favor of:

2.5.2.

Equipment and Skill Flexibility

Adjust your equipment to items that favor durability, health sustain, and ease of movement. Consider adjusting non-essential skills for the build to ones that pull, reposition, or otherwise displace enemies to facilitate large pulls of enemy packs. In more concrete terms, this means:

  • For general Demon Hunter survivability, staple cross-class options like Unity Unity (combined with the same ring on the follower plus a follower immortality token), and the Endless Walk set (The Traveler's Pledge The Traveler's Pledge and The Compass Rose The Compass Rose) offer a valuable balance between extra toughness and damage. Elusive Ring Elusive Ring is also a strong class-specific contender, granting up to 60% damage reduction after using a mobility skill — something Demon Hunters do constantly.
  • For additional defense, cross-class standouts like Unity Unity (used with follower and immortality relic for them), and the Endless Walk set (The Traveler's Pledge The Traveler's Pledge and The Compass Rose The Compass Rose) are top picks, balancing damage reduction during movement with stationary damage scaling.
  • Situational items that can bolster your defenses include Wraps of Clarity Wraps of Clarity (providing a significant damage reduction after casting a primary, resource-generating skill), Aquila Cuirass Aquila Cuirass (perfect for builds with minimal resource spending like LoD Rapid Fire), or Stone Gauntlets Stone Gauntlets (their downside mitigated by wearing Ice Climbers Ice Climbers, or Altar of Rites CC-immunity node), and even niche inclusions like Zoey's Secret Zoey's Secret (pet-based mitigation).
  • Utility items like Nemesis Bracers Nemesis Bracers are essential as more elites mean more killstreak maintenance and faster progression. When soloing, they should be equipped by your follower; in groups, at least one party member should commit to wearing them. Edge cases will see the inclusion of Warzechian Armguards Warzechian Armguards or Krelm's Buff Belt Krelm's Buff Belt (more speed for easier scouting and pulls), Strongarm Bracers Strongarm Bracers (extra damage vs. displaced enemies), and even Lacuni Prowlers Lacuni Prowlers for straight attack speed. To facilitate large pulls, consider using a Follower equipped with The Ess of Johan The Ess of Johan, a proc-based analogue to an enemy-pulling skill (albeit outside your control).
  • From a skill and passive perspective, always slot at least one movement tool: Vault Vault Tumble Tumble or Smoke Screen Smoke Screen Displacement Displacement are popular options, and Shadow set-based builds get Shadow Power Shadow Power Shadow Glide Shadow Glide for free. Passive-wise, prioritize Ambush Ambush — against low total HP trash enemies, the extra damage to healthy targets can result in some quick killstreak stacks right at the start of a fight. A cheat death coming from Awareness Awareness can also be very handy for killstreak upkeep during risky, daring pulls.
3.

Changelog

  • 03 Jun. 2025 (gear page): Added Season 35 Eternal Conflict killstreak recommendations.
  • 03 Jun. 2025 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 35.
  • 03 Jun. 2025 (this page): Added Season 35 Eternal Conflict killstreak recommendations.
  • 19 Jan. 2025 (gear page): Added Season 34 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
  • 19 Jan. 2025 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 34.
  • 19 Jan. 2025 (this page): Added Season 34 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
  • 22 Oct. 2024 (gear page): Added Season 33 advice for 4th Kanai slot.
  • 22 Oct. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 33.
  • 22 Oct. 2024 (this page): Added Season 33 advice for 4th Kanai slot.
  • 09 Jul. 2024 (gear page): Added Season 32 advice for ethereal weapons.
  • 09 Jul. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 32.
  • 09 Jul. 2024 (this page): Added Season 32 advice for ethereal weapons.
  • 10 Apr. 2024 (gear page): Added Season 31 advice for the unbound Kanai's Cube slots.
  • 10 Apr. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 31.
  • 10 Apr. 2024 (this page): Added Season 31 advice for the unbound Kanai's Cube slots.
  • 08 Jan. 2024 (gear page): Revised guide for the permanent addition of the Altar of Rites, and added Season-specific Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 08 Jan. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 30.
  • 08 Jan. 2024 (this page): Revised guide for the permanent addition of the Altar of Rites, and added Season-specific Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 13 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Added Season 29 Paragon Cap and Gearing recommendations.
  • 13 Sep. 2023 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 29.
  • 13 Sep. 2023 (this page): Added Season 29 Paragon Cap and Gearing recommendations.
  • 22 Feb. 2023 (gear page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
  • 22 Feb. 2023 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 28.
  • 22 Feb. 2023 (this page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
  • 26 Aug. 2022 (gear page): Added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
  • 26 Aug. 2022 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 27.
  • 26 Aug. 2022 (this page): Added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
  • 13 Apr. 2022 (gear page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 13 Apr. 2022 (skills page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 13 Apr. 2022 (this page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 09 Dec. 2021 (gear page): Added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 09 Dec. 2021 (skills page): Reviewed for Season 25.
  • 09 Dec. 2021 (this page): Added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 21 Jul. 2021 (gear page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
  • 21 Jul. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 24.
  • 21 Jul. 2021 (this page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
  • 01 Apr. 2021 (gear page): Minor gearing revision and added follower recommendation.
  • 01 Apr. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 23.
  • 01 Apr. 2021 (this page): Minor gearing revision and added follower recommendation.
  • 18 Nov. 2020 (gear page): Added S22 Cube recommendation.
  • 18 Nov. 2020 (skills page): Added S22 Cube recommendation.
  • 18 Nov. 2020 (this page): Added S22 Cube recommendation.
  • 30 Jun. 2020 (gear page): No changes required for Season 21.
  • 30 Jun. 2020 (skills page): No changes required for Season 21.
  • 30 Jun. 2020 (this page): No changes required for Season 21.
  • 12 Mar. 2020 (gear page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
  • 12 Mar. 2020 (skills page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
  • 12 Mar. 2020 (this page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
  • 20 Nov. 2019 (gear page): Reviewed for Season 19. Added detailed explanations to the Stat Priorities, Paragon Points, and Gems sections. Added a Potion section.
  • 20 Nov. 2019 (skills page): Swapped Preparation for Smoked Screen.
  • 20 Nov. 2019 (this page): Revised and updated for Season 19.
  • 23 Aug. 2019 (gear page): Revised item recommendations for Season 18.
  • 23 Aug. 2019 (skills page): Added a note about Smoke Screen as an alternative (in Preparation's slot).
  • 23 Aug. 2019 (this page): Revised skill and item recommendations for Season 18.
  • 16 May 2019 (gear page): Guide added.
  • 16 May 2019 (skills page): Guide added.
  • 16 May 2019 (this page): Guide added.
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