Havoc Demon Hunter DPS Guide — Dragonflight 10.2.5

Last updated on Jan 15, 2024 at 15:00 by Wordup 58 comments
General Information

Welcome to our Havoc Demon Hunter guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.5. Here, you will learn how to play as a Havoc Demon Hunter in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons: from the very beginning to maximizing your DPS.

1.

Havoc Demon Hunter Overview

Havoc gameplay in Dragonflight revolves around a mixture of a build and spend resource management system paired with some short cooldowns that need to be used efficiently within the rotation. This loop causes an ebb and flow of high damage windows and key presses in between filling global cooldowns efficiently, creating a fast-paced melee with an engaging damage loop that is mostly GCD-locked regardless of build. It has excellent mobility, relatively strong survival and a variety of damage profiles available, whether it be burst, cleave or AoE, making it a great all-rounder.

2.

Strengths and Weaknesses

V Strengths
  • +A variety of different damage profiles are covered across builds.
  • +Strong burst both in Single Target and AoE.
  • +Extreme levels of AoE damage available within the kit.
  • +Strong passive and active defense, making it very durable.
  • +Solid self-sustain to pair with the above.
  • +Access to a number of CC options.
  • +Flexible, instant mobility allowing for great positioning control.
  • +Good group utility and provides Chaos Brand Icon Chaos Brand.
X Weaknesses
  • -AoE is tied to cooldowns, requiring planning around key windows.
  • -Some RNG is built into the resource system.
  • -Best performance is very fast paced and requires heavy movement talents.
  • -Some builds require pre-planned buff overlaps that can be hard to execute.
  • -Movement related talent options can be dangerous in some encounters.
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.

Havoc Demon Hunter and Guide Changes in Patch 10.2.5

Due to Patch 10.2.5 being a smaller mid-season patch update, there are no major changes to Havoc regarding performance. The only change of note is changing the spell school of The Hunt Icon The Hunt and Elysian Decree Icon Elysian Decree to Chaos to align with new animations. These currently are not added to the Havoc Mastery without using the previous method of taking Any Means Necessary Icon Any Means Necessary.

The guide is therefore mostly unchanged, but some sections have been cleaned up and polished to represent a more complete reflection of the mid-season experience in Season 3.

Please have a browse and know that your feedback is welcome on our forum!

5.

Leveling a Havoc Demon Hunter

If you plan on playing a Havoc Demon Hunter but have not leveled one yet, you can take a look at our leveling guide for tips:

When you make it to max level, it can sometimes take effort to transition quickly to making use of the full suite of tools and abilities without having the help of some add-ons. We recommend getting used to some of these as you begin your journey rather than all at the end, making the process smoother and making you comfortable with your UI. You can check out our Add-ons page for some recommendations:

6.

Basics of Havoc Demon Hunter Gameplay

Havoc comes with a tight core ability package that gives it an easy pick-up-and-play aspect. Still, the core is expanded dramatically through talents that add great depth. The primary loop involves generating Fury via auto-attack procs from Demon Blades Icon Demon Blades and active abilities such as Immolation Aura Icon Immolation Aura / Felblade Icon Felblade, then spending these on various spender tools in Eye Beam Icon Eye Beam, Blade Dance Icon Blade Dance, and Chaos Strike Icon Chaos Strike. This is further expanded with certain talent selections, rewarding good GCD and cooldown management while staying active.

Strong spender tools are generally used on cooldown unless you save them for specific windows in an encounter. Eye Beam Icon Eye Beam and Blade Dance Icon Blade Dance are used regardless of target count whenever available, and in between this, Chaos Strike Icon Chaos Strike is used to burn off excess Fury. It also comes with a long-duration cooldown in Metamorphosis Icon Metamorphosis, granting 20% Haste and empowering your two rotational spenders by converting them into Death Sweep Icon Death Sweep and Annihilation Icon Annihilation, respectively.

Havoc also comes with extremely potent mobility tools in Fel Rush Icon Fel Rush and Vengeful Retreat Icon Vengeful Retreat, allowing you to reposition yourself around the battlefield extremely quickly to stick to your target or avoid dangerous mechanics. Some of the stronger builds make use of these, converting them into damage tools, which means it has a very active playstyle, though these are not strictly mandatory to play the class at its basic level.

For more context on the details of each ability, if you are new to the spec, we recommend looking through the Spell Summary first, as well as the Easy Mode page linked below.

7.

How to Gear Up as a Havoc Demon Hunter

While we always recommend simming yourself for ideal results, we do provide a dedicated Havoc gearing page that lists the Best in Slot items to look out for in the current season of Dragonflight.

Once you have started to gear, you should ideally have the appropriate consumables, gems, enchants, and more to go alongside your new items. We have a dedicated page for exactly this, as shown below, and the stats page, where you can find more information on our stat priority and any necessary changes you may need to make with consumables.

8.

End-Game as a Havoc Demon Hunter

Like all specs, Havoc looks very different when you move from the open world and leveling into the realm of end-game and progression. Therefore, we maintain a Mythic+, Raiding, and PvP guide for each respective content focus.

9.

Improving as a Havoc Demon Hunter

If you are looking for an answer to a specific question, often these are common queries many players have. We keep pages that cover the most frequently asked questions and also mistakes players tend to run into.

10.

Viability of Havoc Demon Hunter in the Current Patch

In virtually every type of content in Season 3, Havoc is one of, if not the strongest melee option available. Due to its extremely powerful AoE tools and variety of burst abilities, it is uniquely positioned to deal with some raid encounters. This translates very well to Mythic+, allowing it to deal huge frontloaded damage to even the most dangerous pulls. Pairing this with extremely strong active defense, self sustain and mobility makes for a spec with very few - if any - downsides. On top of all that, it brings Darkness Icon Darkness and Chaos Brand Icon Chaos Brand, alongside a varied control toolkit. It is really hard to go wrong picking Havoc currently, and this seems likely to continue to the end of the Season.

11.

Changelog

  • 15 Jan. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, no changes necessary.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, no changes necessary.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, no changes necessary.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, highlighted Ashes of the Embersoul as an alternative.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, no changes necessary.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, no changes necessary.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, added note that Crit stays good even during diminishing returns.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (Amirdrassil page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (mythic+ page): Reviewed and touched up for mid-season 3 information.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, small cleanups but no major changes necessary.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, small recommendation cleanups around AoE final point choices.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (spells page): Updated to account for spell school changes in Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, no changes necessary.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 06 Dec. 2023 (this page): Updated with note for Dec. 6th hotfixes.
  • 27 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Added Augury to ideal trinkets.
  • 13 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Slight change to T30 AoE build tips and added low movement T30 single target.
  • 12 Nov. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Page added.
  • 09 Nov. 2023 (mythic+ page): Restructured and updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 07 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated to remove Sporecloak recommendation, switched to Blue Silk/Toxic Thorn options.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated for Patch 10.2, added some sections regarding new talents.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (how to improve page): Updated for Patch 10.2, added Inertia and Fel Barrage sections.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2, no changes pending Bloodmallet charts.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (addons page): Checked for Patch 10.2, no changes necessary.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated link to Mythic+ hub.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Restructured and fully updated for Patch 10.2 rework.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.2
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.2 rework.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, no changes necessary.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, no changes necessary.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (simulations page): Added Trinket Simulations.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Added BiS lists for Patch 10.1.7 and restructured page.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, no changes necessary.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, no changes necessary.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, no changes necessary.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, added additional talent build options in the intro.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7, added Glaive Tempest/Ragefire build and switched it to the recommended choice.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, added loadout buttons in rotation section and restrucutred page.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, changed AoE recommendation to Glaive Tempest/Ragefire, restructured page.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, no changes necessary.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, no changes necessary.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5, no changes necessary.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (how to improve page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5 adding in extra notes about Essence Break windows and Fury management.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5, no changes necessary.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5 to clean up Trinket and Crafting sections, and add Dawn of the Infinite items.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5, no changes necessary.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5 to add Wafting Devotion note and recommend against Annulet.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5, moved up Haste in single-target.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5, small touch-ups to some boss recommendations.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5, no changes necessary.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5 with small tweaks for clarity and Isolated Prey highlights.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5, added individual sections and the No Movement build recommendation.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5, no changes necessary.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5, no changes necessary.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 25 May 2023 (gear page): Added Timewalking section, cleaned up original Trinket recommendations.
  • 25 May 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Added Sarkareth notes.
  • 15 May 2023 (this page): Added note regarding May 15th buff hotfixes.
  • 09 May 2023 (gear page): Updated for Trinket changes.
  • 09 May 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Updated with tips and builds for all bosses except Sarkareth.
  • 09 May 2023 (this page): Updated to point to Boss Tips and Trinket updates.
  • 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1, no changes necessary.
  • 01 May 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1, no changes necessary.
  • 01 May 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1, added race sims due to cross-faction.
  • 01 May 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.1 and Season 2 release with new gear recommendations.
  • 01 May 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.1, no significant changes needed.
  • 01 May 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.1 with details about new affixes, build remains the same.
  • 01 May 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.1 with Serrated Glaive and notes added, and extra Essence Break combo notes.
  • 01 May 2023 (talents page): Builds updated to account for Patch 10.1 changes, including Serrated Glaive as an option.
  • 01 May 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.1 talent changes.
  • 01 May 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1, added section highlighting Essence Break's importance.
  • 01 May 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1 changes, added new highlight sections and expected performance.
  • 29 Apr. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1, no changes necessary.
  • 29 Apr. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Page added ready for tips to follow after Season 2 launch.
  • 24 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Primordial Gemstones hotfixes.
  • 24 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Primordial Stones hotfixes.
  • 22 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated to account for Primordial Gemstone buffs.
  • 22 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated to account for Primordial Stone buffs.
  • 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 and updated with dungeon simulation section for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7 with Annulet information.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed and touched up for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 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 and updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed and cleaned up for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 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 and updated for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed and updated 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, rotation tool refined.
  • 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 and updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 01 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Updated Opener.
  • 31 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Weapon Enchantment recommendation changed to Sophic Devotion.
  • 31 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Raised the priority of Mastery in single target.
  • 31 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Added Raszageth and other boss tips.
  • 31 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Raised Mastery in Stat Priority.
  • 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.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated to Gear Page Format.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 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 for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (spells page): Fixed Formatting and Hotfixes.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated 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.
  • 27 Oct. 2022 (mythic+ page): Added an additional, single-target-focused build.
  • 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 (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.
  • 30 Jul. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Season 4.
  • 29 Jul. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Season 4.
  • 31 May 2022 (simulations page): Page reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 20 Feb. 2022 (simulations page): Page reviewed and approved for Patch 9.2.
  • 19 Feb. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Checked for Patch 9.2 release.
  • 24 Jan. 2022 (talents page): Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 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 (simulations page): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 01 Nov. 2021 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Patch 9.1.5 to more broadly accomodate Momentum/Demonic as equal.
  • 10 Jul. 2021 (Sanctum of Domination page): Page added.
  • 28 Jun. 2021 (simulations page): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.
  • 17 May 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page updated with Covenant Legendaries.
  • 27 Apr. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page created with initial information.
  • 21 Jan. 2021 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for more recent logs following settling of Nathria release.
  • 08 Dec. 2020 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Shadowlands Season 1 release.
  • 01 Dec. 2020 (Castle Nathria page): Added placeholder Castle Nathria page.
  • 12 Oct. 2020 (simulations page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
  • 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
  • 08 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Page 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.
  • 01 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Updated with details for each boss.
  • 15 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
  • 03 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Page added.
  • 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.1 and no changes are necessary.
  • 12 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated following week 1 Uldir observations.
  • 04 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated with initial tips for Uldir release.
  • 09 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Page created in preparation for the eventual Uldir release (empty for now).
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