Havoc Demon Hunter DPS Gear and Best in Slot — The War Within (Season 1)
On this page, you will find the best gear and best in slot items for your Havoc Demon Hunter in World of Warcraft The War Within (Season 1).
Gearing an Havoc Demon Hunter
Welcome to our Gear and BiS Page for Havoc Demon Hunter for The War Within. Check this page to learn everything you need to know about gearing an Havoc Demon Hunter, including the BiS Gear from all sources, Raiding, and Mythic+, information on the best Trinkets, Tier Sets, and much more.
For discussion and information on Stats specifically, check out our Stats page below.
BiS Gear for Havoc Demon Hunter
Havoc Demon Hunter Season 1 BiS List
This list contains the Best in Slot Gear for Season 1 of The War Within. Items from all sources including Raids, Mythic+, Delves, The Great Vault and Crafting are included here.
Slot | Item | Source/Note |
---|---|---|
Main Hand | Void Reaper's Warp Blade (639) | Nexus Princess Ky'veza — Nerub-ar Palace |
Off Hand | Everforged Warglaive (636) | Crafted — Blacksmithing |
Alternatives | Coral-Edged Crescent (639) | Great Vault / Siege of Boralus |
Helm | Impalers of the Hypogeal Nemesis (639) | Silken Court / Matrix Catalyst / Great Vault |
Neck | Locket of Broken Memories (639) | Rasha'nan — Nerub-ar Palace |
Shoulder | War-Mantle of the Hypogeal Nemesis (639) | Rasha'nan / Matrix Catalyst / Great Vault |
Cloak | Wings of Shattered Sorrow (639) | Rasha'nan — Nerub-ar Palace |
Chest | Chestguard of the Hypogeal Nemesis (639) | Broodtwister Ovi'nax / Matrix Catalyst / Great Vault |
Bracers | Unbreakable Beetlebane Bindings (639) | Great Vault / Ara-Kara, City of Echoes |
Gloves | Rune-Branded Grasps (639) | Crafted — Leatherworking |
Belt | Shadow Congregant's Belt (639) | Great Vault / The Dawnbreaker |
Legs | Pantaloons of the Hypogeal Nemesis (639) | Nexus Princess Ky'veza / Matrix Catalyst / Great Vault |
Boots | Whisperer's Echoing Steps (639) | Great Vault / City of Threads |
Ring #1 | Seal of the Poisoned Pact (639) | Queen Ansurek — Nerub-ar Palace |
Ring #2 | Band of the Roving Scalawag (639) | Great Vault / Siege of Boralus |
Trinket #1 | Ara-Kara Sacbrood (639) | Great Vault / Ara-Kara, City of Echoes |
Trinket #2 | Skardyn's Grace (639) | Great Vault / Grim Batol |
Alternative | Void Reaper's Contract (639) | Nexus Princess Ky'veza — Nerub-ar Palace |
Nerub-ar Palace BiS List for Havoc Demon Hunter
Below is a list of the ideal pieces that can be found in each slot from the first raid, Nerub-ar Palace. Bear in mind this is a recommendation of gear to look out for to fill in holes in your gearset, not a strict recommendation of what you should always wear in raids.
Slot | Item | Source/Note |
---|---|---|
Main Hand | Void Reaper's Warp Blade | Nexus Princess Ky'veza — Nerub-ar Palace |
Off Hand | Predator's Feasthooks | Rasha'nan — Nerub-ar Palace |
Helm | Impalers of the Hypogeal Nemesis | Silken Court — Nerub-ar Palace |
Neck | Locket of Broken Memories | Rasha'nan — Nerub-ar Palace |
Shoulder | War-Mantle of the Hypogeal Nemesis | Rasha'nan — Nerub-ar Palace |
Cloak | Wings of Shattered Sorrow | Rasha'nan — Nerub-ar Palace |
Chest | Chestguard of the Hypogeal Nemesis | Broodtwister Ovi'nax — Nerub-ar Palace |
Bracers | Polluted Spectre's Wraps | The Bloodbound Horror — Nerub-ar Palace |
Gloves | Thousand-Scar Impalers | Silken Court — Nerub-ar Palace |
Belt | Behemoth's Eroded Cinch | Rasha'nan — Nerub-ar Palace |
Legs | Pantaloons of the Hypogeal Nemesis | Nexus Princess Ky'veza — Nerub-ar Palace |
Boots | Chitin-Spiked Jackboots | Sikran — Nerub-ar Palace |
Ring #1 | Seal of the Poisoned Pact | Queen Ansurek — Nerub-ar Palace |
Ring #2 | Writhing Ringworm | Broodtwister Ovi'nax — Nerub-ar Palace |
Trinket #1 | Void Reaper's Contract | Nexus Princess Ky'veza — Nerub-ar Palace |
Trinket #2 | Ovi'nax's Mercurial Egg | Broodtwister Ovi'nax in Heroic Nerub-ar Palace |
Trinket Alt | Mad Queen's Mandate | Queen Ansurek in Heroic Nerub-ar Palace |
Mythic+ BiS List for Havoc Demon Hunter
Below is a list of the ideal pieces that can be found in each slot from Season 1 of Mythic+ in The War Within. These are recommendations for pieces in each slot to look out for when farming gear upgrades, not a strict recommendation on what you should always be wearing in Mythic+.
Slot | Item | Source/Note |
---|---|---|
Weapons | Coral-Edged Crescent | Siege of Boralus |
Alternative | Skardyn Mercybringer | The Stonevault |
Helm | Guise of the Construct | The Stonevault |
Neck | Trailspinner Pendant | Mists of Tirna Scithe |
Shoulder | Whispering Umbral Mantle | The Stonevault |
Cloak | Troggstitched Drape | Grim Batol |
Chest | Vest of Misshapen Hides | Grim Batol |
Bracers | Unbreakable Beetlebane Bindings | Ara-Kara, City of Echoes |
Gloves | Gorebound Stranglers | City of Threads |
Belt | Shadow Congregant's Belt | The Dawnbreaker |
Legs | Gauzewoven Legguards | Ara-Kara, City of Echoes |
Boots | Whisperer's Echoing Steps | City of Threads |
Ring #1 | Band of the Roving Scalawag | Siege of Boralus |
Ring #2 | Devout Zealot's Ring | The Dawnbreaker |
Trinket #1 | Ara-Kara Sacbrood | Ara-Kara, City of Echoes |
Trinket #2 | Skardyn's Grace | Grim Batol |
Trinket Alt | Empowering Crystal of Anub'ikkaj | The Dawnbreaker |
Best Trinkets for Havoc Demon Hunter in The War Within Season 1
Havoc Demon Hunter Trinket Tier Lists
Raiding Trinket Tier List for Havoc Demon Hunter
This Trinket Tier List mostly focuses on single-target throughput, as raid encounters are mostly decided by your boss damage. Generally, Havoc tends to prefer trinkets that deal direct damage due to Know Your Enemy or on-use options that empower Metamorphosis. I would broadly recommend simpler trinkets you do not have to think about too much unless it performs significantly better.
S-Tier
- Skardyn's Grace — lines up perfectly with Metamorphosis.
- Ara-Kara Sacbrood
- Void Reaper's Contract
A-Tier
- Empowering Crystal of Anub'ikkaj
- Mad Queen's Mandate — relies a bit on Crit RNG and is slightly awkward to use, but deals a lot for Havoc specifically.
- Ovi'nax's Mercurial Egg
- Dead-Eye Spyglass — really only usable in situations where you never target swap or are forced off target.
- Spelunker's Waning Candle — assuming you can share this with another melee, it provides a lot of extra value.
B-Tier
- Treacherous Transmitter — using this effect consistently is very difficult, especially with Havoc's complex opener. I would generally avoid it.
- Bottled Flayedwing Toxin
- Sikran's Endless Arsenal
- Twin Fang Instruments
C-Tier
- Harvester's Edict
- Quickwick Candlestick — while this lines up with Metamorphosis, we already gain a lot of Haste from the effect.
- Mistcaller Ocarina — does buff others, but inconsistent and may hit when they are not even committing real damage. Do not overthink it.
D-Tier
- Overclocked Gear-a-Rang Launcher
- Imperfect Ascendancy Serum
- Detachable Fang
- Everburning Lantern
- Abyssal Trap
- Concoction: Kiss of Death
- Scroll of Momentum
- Shadow-Binding Ritual Knife
Mythic+ Trinket Tier List for Havoc Demon Hunter
This Trinket Tier List has a more broad scope, looking for trinkets that have flexibility without extra conditions to get value out of them. This is due to Mythic+ being more fluid and needing general-use items rather than extremely specialized options. I would broadly recommend simpler stat trinkets you do not have to think about too much unless they perform significantly better.
S-Tier
- Skardyn's Grace — lines up perfectly with Metamorphosis.
- Ara-Kara Sacbrood
A-Tier
- Empowering Crystal of Anub'ikkaj
- Void Reaper's Contract
- Ovi'nax's Mercurial Egg
- Spelunker's Waning Candle — assuming you can share this with other melee, it provides a lot of extra value.
B-Tier
- Mad Queen's Mandate — relies a bit on Crit RNG and is slightly awkward to use. Gains extra value if you can kill off a target with it.
- Treacherous Transmitter — using this effect consistently is very difficult, especially with Havoc's complex opener. I would generally avoid it.
- Bottled Flayedwing Toxin
- Sikran's Endless Arsenal
- Twin Fang Instruments
C-Tier
- Dead-Eye Spyglass — not realistically usable due to the nature of pulls in Mythic+.
- Harvester's Edict
- Quickwick Candlestick — while this lines up with Metamorphosis, we already gain a lot of Haste from the effect.
- Mistcaller Ocarina — does buff others, but inconsistent and may hit when they are not even committing real damage. Do not overthink it.
D-Tier
- Abyssal Trap — this does have potential with stacked uncapped AoE, but it is very hard to pull off, so currently not recommended.
- Overclocked Gear-a-Rang Launcher
- Imperfect Ascendancy Serum
- Detachable Fang
- Everburning Lantern
- Concoction: Kiss of Death
- Scroll of Momentum
- Shadow-Binding Ritual Knife
Best Crafted Items for Havoc Demon Hunter
Crafted gear for Havoc in Season 1 of The War Within is not as valuable as before with the reduced power of Embellishments, but there is one slightly above the rest that, fortunately, only goes on weapons — Darkmoon Sigil: Ascension. This makes picking your first craft very easy, and it's even a Nerubian enchant that can be doubled up with Writhing Armor Banding!
You should ideally sim the optimal stats to craft for your particular character, but Critical Strike and Mastery is most likely your best option with an Algari Missive of the Peerless.
Best Crafting Order for Havoc Demon Hunter
- First, craft weapon Everforged Warglaive with a Darkmoon Sigil: Ascension applied.
- Next, craft an off-piece and apply Writhing Armor Banding to double the effect — Any will do but Rune-Branded Grasps provide better stats than the other best options.
- Alternatively, you can opt into using Dawnthread Lining for the passive Critical Strike, as it performs only slightly worse but does not require you to invest in a weapon if you so wish.
- After this, you are done with priority crafts and embellishments and can use sims to determine your best piece to upgrade with item level. Generally, it is a good idea to look for Rings and Necks as good options are very contested amongst other classes.
Note that any Agility one-handed weapon can be crafted, meaning you have a choice between Everforged Warglaive, Charged Slicer, Charged Facesmasher or Everforged Longsword. The choice is purely cosmetic and does not affect performance. This also comes with the advantage of having a weapon early at the most important time of progression and then having the option to swap it to your off-hand when you eventually pick up a higher item-level option.
Disclaimer: While Season 1 is now upon us, as you may have seen, Embellishment tuning is quite rough. These recommendations are my best estimate with what we have, but it is entirely possible things change, or something has been missed, so bear that in mind when committing your Spark of Omens.
"Simming" Yourself as a Havoc Demon Hunter
Throughout this page and elsewhere in our guide, we regularly refer to the importance of simming yourself on Raidbots. This is because every character is unique, and each gear piece you have access to can change what is best right now for you.
While we do offer generic sim charts and recommendations for Trinkets, these are not complete replacements for simming yourself. The only way to truly optimize your character to that degree is by making use of the tools available!
If you are new to simming and Raidbots, check out our detailed guide below.
Best Gear Upgrades for Havoc Demon Hunter
As you complete endgame content in The War Within, you will gather upgrade crests such as Gilded Harbinger Crest that can be used to upgrade your items. Once you have upgraded a slot to a particular item level, any other item in that slot can be upgraded without a Crest cost.
As Crests are a limited resource and capped early on in the season, ideally, you will want to obtain the highest item-level possible before committing any crests to upgrade it, as this will save you upgrades in the long run. If you are capable of completing higher Mythic+ dungeons, it is generally a good idea to wait until you have the slot maxed out with free upgrades first.
Below is a general slot priority you should upgrade your items in.
- Weapons
- Trinkets
- Helm/Chest/Legs
- Shoulders/Gloves/Belt/Boots
- Rings and Necks
- Cloaks and Bracers
Note that exceptions are possible, such as special items that have additional procs attached to them like Seal of the Poisoned Pact.
The War Within Season 1 Tier Set for Havoc Demon Hunter
The first Tier Set of The War Within, the Husk of the Hypogeal Nemesis, consists of 5 items that provide unique bonuses upon equipping 2 and 4 pieces from the set:
- Demon Hunter Havoc Season 1 2pc — Blade Dance / Death Sweep deals 20% increased damage
- Demon Hunter Havoc Season 1 4pc — Chaos Strike / Annihilation damage increased by 12%, and has a 25% chance to reset the cooldown of Blade Dance and reduce the Fury cost of your next cast by 30%
The Havoc set bonus is relatively strong for a Season 1 set, providing flat damage to our Fury spenders and giving us increased access Blade Dance, though it is fairly RNG as to whether this overlaps with good moments. You should ideally get this bonus as early as possible, and You can use the Matrix Catalyst to convert regular items (from Mythic+ or Raid) into Tier Items.
You only need 4 pieces to maximize the set bonus, so we recommend dropping the Gloves or Shoulders in favor of an alternative with more Critical Strike if possible. Check the BiS List for more information.
Changelog
- 09 Sep. 2024: Updated with Season 1 BiS lists.
- 21 Aug. 2024: Updated for The War Within.
- 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 22 Apr. 2024: Updated for Season 4.
- 21 Mar. 2024: Slight shuffle of trinket recommendations, but content remains the same for Patch 10.2.6.
- 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, highlighted Ashes of the Embersoul as an alternative.
- 27 Nov. 2023: Added Augury to ideal trinkets.
- 07 Nov. 2023: Updated to remove Sporecloak recommendation, switched to Blue Silk/Toxic Thorn options.
- 06 Nov. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 04 Sep. 2023: Added BiS lists for Patch 10.1.7 and restructured page.
- 10 Jul. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1.5 to clean up Trinket and Crafting sections, and add Dawn of the Infinite items.
- 25 May 2023: Added Timewalking section, cleaned up original Trinket recommendations.
- 09 May 2023: Updated for Trinket changes.
- 01 May 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1 and Season 2 release with new gear recommendations.
- 24 Mar. 2023: Updated for Primordial Gemstones hotfixes.
- 22 Mar. 2023: Updated to account for Primordial Gemstone buffs.
- 20 Mar. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.0.7 with Annulet information.
- 24 Jan. 2023: Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 11 Dec. 2022: Updated to Gear Page Format.
- 11 Dec. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 24 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
More Demon Hunter Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Wordup, a frequent theorycrafter involved in a number of class communities. He is also an experienced player who has been in the world top 100 since the days of Sunwell, currently raiding in Echoes. You can also follow him on Twitter.
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