Havoc Demon Hunter DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — Dragonflight 10.2
On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Havoc Demon Hunter in World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2. We also have default talent lists for various types of content, such as raiding or Mythic+. If you play with Warmode on, we have your PvP talents covered as well.
Best Dragonflight Talent Builds for Havoc Demon Hunter
Note that these builds are popular build recommendations for various different damage profiles. For more specific recommendations for the Raid and Mythic+, check out the dedicated pages below.
Talent Cheat Sheet for Havoc Demon Hunters
The Patch 10.2 rework opened up a lot of different talent options due to the extra freedom on the tree. With a solid core, it can branch out and specialize in either single-target or AoE, alongside having some excellent picks that gain similar value in both situations. You can also avoid the heavy movement talents if you really want to, but it does come at a performance loss:
- Single Target - BEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJRkkgkkIJhkkAAAAAAASLEJEJtkkWaREIho0ikEB
- AoE - BEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJRSCSSiIBSCAAAAAAItQkEJJtkkWaBBEiSLJJRA
- No Movement - BEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBRSCSSiIhIJAAAAAAg0CRSEJtkkGKJSSSIKNOQSEA
The section below provides details on how each build is set up, what
it is strong for, and any potential swaps that can be made depending on
the situation. You can use each of the buttons to switch to information
about the respective build. Note that because of the Tier 31 set, all
builds take supporting Throw Glaive talents. An alternative Tier 30
section is also below to tide you over until you get the new bonus.
Dragonflight Talent Builds for Havoc Demon Hunter
Ignition Single Target
"Ignition" builds combine Inertia and
A Fire Inside to
create explosive burst windows that can be planned around. These are the new
options in Patch 10.2, and currently, this is performing best in single-target:
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!
The single-target Ignition build is similar in spirit to the Essence Break
heavy builds of previous patches, with an extra layer on top. It leverages
the condensed damage boost of
Inertia much better than it did
previously with
Momentum, further amplifying how strong each
Essence Break window is. It also allows it to set up and execute extremely
powerful
Metamorphosis burst via
Chaotic Transformation
by using the two
Immolation Aura charges to blanket the
opener.
While this is less movement than was required in 10.1, it still requires
you to be using both Fel Rush for
Unbound Chaos and
Vengeful Retreat for
Tactical Retreat. This means
planning and positioning is key, because your burst windows are so
short in the follow-up.
Ignition AoE
"Ignition" builds combine Inertia and
A Fire Inside to
create explosive burst windows that can be planned around. This is especially
potent in Mythic+ where burst is king:
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!
Similar to the single-target build, this leverages the powerful synergy
between Inertia and
A Fire Inside to set up strong burst
windows for AoE. It completes the
Immolation Aura path as well
, unlike in single-target, picking up
Ragefire to add even more AoE
damage to the package. The final talent point to bring everything together
in the final row depends on your preference:
Fel Barrage - this provides incredible burst on a 1.5-minute cooldown, but is target capped at 5. The build can sustain the resources to keep it up for the whole 8 seconds, and keep it buffed via double
Unbound Chaos to deliver incredible up-front damage. The limitation on targets and cooldown , however, means it requires planning and comfort to execute comfortably.
Glaive Tempest - capped at 8 targets instead and gives an extra rotational AoE Fury spender that can more comfortably fit into the rotation. More flexible than the above, but leans more into sustained AoE rather than burst.
Essence Break - easier to execute and plan around due to only having a 40-second cooldown instead. It also plays more comfortably when forced into single-target, but it provides less explosive power in comparison.
Cycle Single Target
The previous best build is no longer as competitive but is still an option that is only slightly behind:
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!
While no longer as dominant, this still did see some improvements with
the Patch 10.2 changes. It did, however, take a hit with the reduced impact
of Shattered Destiny, which it relies heavily on to grant additional
Metamorphosis. Its primary focus is extremely high
Momentum
uptime paired with Fury cycling via
Cycle of Hatred to reduce the
cooldown of
Eye Beam. In between that, it overlaps every second
Vengeful Retreat (plus
Initiative) cast with
Essence Break
for a powerful burst window.
No Movement Build
In some encounters, it is not realistic to make use of the heavy movement talents, or simply your preference may be a more static gameplay loop. This is an alternative that, while behind top builds by 5%, maybe more comfortable for you to play:
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!
Recent encounters have shown that, in some cases, it is not only unsafe
but simply unrealistic to keep full uptime while using movement tools efficiently.
When that appears, this is an alternative that comes at a modest performance hit,
removing the entire Fel Rush and
Vengeful Retreat suite
in exchange for the strongest upfront damage tools we can get hold of.
It still goes for Cycle of Hatred as the central block of talents
have the least dependencies on other talents. Alongside this, it picks up
strong enabler talents for
Eye Beam and
Chaos Strike as they
form the bread and butter of the build's damage delivery.
Tier 30 Single Target Build
Due to all of the Tier 31 builds having a significant deviation in choices
to fit in Throw Glaive and other supporting options, this exists for
the period until you have access to it:
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!
This build is more of a low movement option mixed with a Cycle of Hatred
build that takes the
Eye Beam oriented talents to make use the Tier 30
bonuses, alongside cycling Fury quickly to trigger the old 2-piece. High-value
movement options such as
Initiative and
Tactical Retreat are
still picked up alongside the strongest Fury options like
Blind Fury to
round out the build.
This has very little room to flex any picks, as the entire package is very focused on producing the most single-target as possible through one primary method.
Tier 30 AoE Build
Due to all of the Tier 31 builds having a significant deviation in choices
to fit in Throw Glaive and other supporting options, this exists for
the period until you have access to it:
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!
This still follows a similar path to Ignition Tier 31 builds, however, it
skips all of the Throw Glaive talents to instead pick up more
traditional
Chaos Strike related options instead. You can also
make some small swaps if you want to adjust it for AoE damage:
- Your final point below the 20 gate can be swapped freely beteween three
active options depending on preference:
Essence Break provides the most rounded single-target/burst AoE split, suited well for Mythic+
Fel Barrage provides explosive and condensed burst AoE at 5 targets, and works well if you can plan around the cooldown.
Glaive Tempest provides rotatonal AoE at 8 targets, and is suited as an extra tool to round out your AoE toolkit throughout a dungeon or encounter.
Raiding
While the above builds can be slotted into most encounters depending on what is required, some more bespoke tools may be required on some bosses. You can check out specific tips and builds for each of the Vault of the Incarnates encounters below:
Mythic+
Mythic+ can potentially require a mix of specific AoE and Single-Target talents, depending on affixes and other variables. If you want more detailed advice about the selections (especially those relating to Utility), check out the dedicated page below:
Havoc Demon Hunter Talents Explained
Many Havoc talent choices add additional abilities into the rotation or alter how you would play due to shifted priorities and synergy between certain abilities. We recommend you look at our rotation page linked below for more details.
Below, we will explain each of the key talents that are present on the tree, and the reasons for taking them, but for a list of all of the abilities and effects available to Havoc, you can use our Spell summary page:
Havoc Demon Hunter Talent Details
Havoc Tier 1 Talents: Rows 1-4
Ability | Explanation |
---|---|
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Thanks to the other talents on the Havoc tree and the general leaning to
Critical Strike, this confers extra benefits to ![]() |
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Removes the need to actively generate via ![]() ![]() |
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Provides additional Fury from ![]() |
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Increases the damage and Fury generation of ![]() |
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Allows you to ![]() ![]() |
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Boosts the damage of ![]() |
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Only rarely taken, and even then only in single-target focused builds. It simply lacks the throughput and flexibility of alternatives at this stage in the tree. |
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Taken in every build and forms the core of keeping ![]() |
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Adds further damage to your ![]() |
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Provides a flat 3% increase to Magic damage done alongside 5% Physical damage reduction as well. Solid talent that is usually worth the point investment for its flexibility. |
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A potent defensive tool that allows you to immune all damage, but on
a long cooldown. Previously, this was hard to acquire, but is now mandatory
pathing and is heavily recommended over ![]() |
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Another defensive tool that adds a modest absorb shield during your
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The first 4 rows have a handful of key talents, such as First Blood,
but mostly exist to set up the building blocks of where you will go
deeper in the tree and the abilities you focus on. The way you path
through here will often decide which sides of the tree you can efficiently
access, so decisions here are important.
Havoc Tier 2 Talents: Rows 5-7
Ability | Explanation |
---|---|
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Provides an additional (but short) burst window at the start of
an encounter and following ![]() |
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Grants a flat 4% Versatility and reduces threat generated by 8%. A high-value stat node that has the added benefit of reducing the chance enemies turn around and kill you, so is always taken. |
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Causes your ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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The key building block to set up the ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Adds an additional Chaos damage DoT to your ![]() |
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Adds further benefit to casting ![]() |
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Provides a good path through to single-target options that further
improve ![]() |
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Guarantees your ![]() |
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Leans in further to ![]() |
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Causes ![]() |
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Adds benefit to each ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Adds a pure single-target component to ![]() ![]() |
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A strong follow-up Haste window for your ![]() ![]() |
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Causes ![]() ![]() |
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Adds a significant damage increase to ![]() ![]() |
Rows 5-7 form a lot of the core rotation, rounding out which abilities are essential to focus on and how the rotation cycle works with your mid-range cooldown abilities and effects. A lot of these talents are taken in blocks and dictate which of the final rows you have access to.
Havoc Tier 3 Talents: Rows 8-10
Ability | Explanation |
---|---|
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A powerful flat damage increase that can be easily maintained so long as you
are actively using movement abilities like ![]() |
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A stronger alternative to Momentum that requires additional gameplay to execute.
This also relies on ![]() ![]() |
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A strong AoE ability that goes up to 8 targets, but unfortunately has a lot of competition below the 20-point gate. |
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A solid boost to your ![]() ![]() |
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Powerful damage in all situations, adding bonus damage component to each
of your ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Increases the damage of your next ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Adds a Mastery scaling component to ![]() |
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While a good single-target node with better pathing than previously, simply cannot compete in Tier 31 and has some very strong talents, it does not outperform up against it. |
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Deals excellent AoE damage, funneling your Critical Strikes into
a large explosion at the end. Works well with the other ![]() |
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Causes Critical Strike to scale significantly better, increasing the damage dealt when you do, and is taken in every build. Also extends to trinkets and unique item effects. |
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Predominantly single-target focused, significantly reducing the cooldown
of ![]() |
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Adds a 7.77% chance to trigger damage events additional times whenever you deal damage. Think of this as just another form of Critical Strike and a proc that makes everything do a bit more, tuned very well. |
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Grants ![]() ![]() |
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A powerful AoE and single-target burst cooldown that can be overlapped
with the numerous other short-duration tools Havoc has. While short, there
is enough room to fit in ![]() ![]() |
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Spending Fury extends the duration of your active ![]() |
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Converts the majority of non-Chaos abilities into Chaos, allowing it to scale with 80% of your Mastery bonus. It works especially well in AoE situations, and makes Mastery one of the two dominant stats. |
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An extremely potent 1.5-minute cooldown burst AoE tool, but is capped at 5 targets. This puts extreme strain on your Fury while active, costing 256 total to maintain for the full 8 seconds, but deals massive damage if you are able to last the entire time. A common pick in AoE heavy builds. |
The final 3 rows contain some potent effects that increase Havoc's scaling potential, how the rotation fundamentally flows, and what target counts it is most effective at. You will almost always want a full 10 points spare to spend down here, as each point here is at a premium.
Demon Hunter Class Talents
Below, we will look at the Class tree talents, dividing them up between those that are used for Throughput (and the reason why), Defense/Mobility and finally, Utility:
Throughput Class Talents
Ability | Explanation |
---|---|
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Increases the Fury cap to 120, allowing more room to generate without overcapping and is always taken. |
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Increases the target count of ![]() |
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Pairs well with the other ![]() |
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Adds a high Fury generation tool that works well with ![]() ![]() |
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A flat increase to ![]() |
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Almost always taken over ![]() ![]() |
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Adds a secondary damage (and healing) effect to your ![]() |
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Reduces ![]() |
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Significantly increases the damage of ![]() |
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Deals a heavy amount of burst damage to both your target and enemies around
it, alongside being a charge. It can also be converted to Chaos damage via
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The majority of these talents are always taken as there is a limited number of points that can be spent on the tree that purely affect damage - which is the aim of the game for Havoc.
Defense/Mobility Class Talents
Ability | Explanation |
---|---|
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Adds an additional charge to ![]() ![]() |
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Additional passive healing for a single point that is generally worth grabbing on top of Havoc's other good self-healing options. |
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Passive Leech that is enhanced during ![]() |
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While Armor only reduces Physical damage taken, the high uptime on
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Strong passive magic damage reduction that is also required pathing to get to throughput talents, so it is always taken. |
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Flat additional max Health that is a strong boost to passive survival. It can be awkward to access the tree, but it is recommended in all situations when possible. |
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Causes Mastery rating to increase your movement speed, providing free additional, passive movement at all times. |
Havoc has some good options for both Mobility and Defense on top of its baseline toolkit within the tree, and as these are usually recommended to grab alongside the throughput talents in most of your builds.
Utility Class Talents
Ability | Explanation |
---|---|
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Provides an AoE stop for enemy crowd control and is usually a good pickup if you have the points spare. |
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While niche, has some applications in certain dungeons as enemies will not engage in combat while under the effect. |
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Additional range on your interrupt is a nice quality-of-life boost. |
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Should the content you are doing require a dispel, this is a good
pickup both being at range and having the option to take ![]() ![]() |
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AoE stun that is taken in any situation where they are needed (for example Mythic+). |
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A quality of life talent that allows you to fire Sigils at your target instead of aiming them, alongside a duration increase to the effects. This can be useful if you need help to use them efficiently. |
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Powerful point-blank raid cooldown that is almost always taken. |
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Reduces the cooldown of ![]() |
Many of the above tools are niche enough that they are selected based on the content you are doing if they are deemed necessary. The tree is flexible, has enough extra points to access most of these without much issue, and can tailor your build based on your group composition or needs.
PvP Talents (War Mode)
"War Mode" is an optional feature that enables open-world PvP encounters that confer some benefits when active:
- Grants access to PvP talents in the open world.
- 10% increase in World Quest rewards at max level.
- 10% more experience gained while leveling.
- Earn Conquest Points which can reward gear every week.
With the benefits of War Mode for leveling and PvE content, it is recommended to enable the feature to maximize your leveling and rewards at the maximum level. However, you will open yourself up to open-world PvP, so be aware of hostile enemy players who could interfere with you; this is a risk you will have to decide on your own if you want to take.
If you are interested in doing PvP as a Havoc Demon Hunter or want to know the basics of Havoc PvP gameplay and decision-making, check out our dedicated PvP guide.
Havoc Demon Hunter War Mode Talents
In this section, we will rank the PvP talents for leveling and playing in open-world PvE scenarios.
Havoc Demon Hunter PvP Talents
Generally, the selections are made to optimize your ability to kill enemies faster, increasing your pace when moving through content.
Chaotic Imprint will always buff Chaos damage dealt, such as
Chaos Strike and
Eye Beam. Also great to pair with talents such as
Soulrend due to the conversion to magic damage, causing
Throw Glaive to deal significantly more damage.
Unending Hatred is just free additional Fury generation as you will frequently be taking damage in the open world.
Sigil Mastery reduces the cooldown of sigils, such as
Sigil of Flame and
Elysian Decree, which can be a small DPS gain if these talents are taken.
Alternatively you can take Blood Moon for a small bit of extra
self-healing, or
Rain from Above as an emergency disengage tool.
Reverse Magic,
Detainment,
Cover of Darkness,
Cleansed by Flame and
Glimpse all have minimal uses in
PvE, due to it being very focused on crowd control tools or pressuring
enemy players into spending more resources than they would otherwise want
to.
Changelog
- 13 Nov. 2023: Slight change to T30 AoE build tips and added low movement T30 single target.
- 06 Nov. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.2
- 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, changed AoE recommendation to Glaive Tempest/Ragefire, restructured page.
- 10 Jul. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1.5, added individual sections and the No Movement build recommendation.
- 01 May 2023: Builds updated to account for Patch 10.1 changes, including Serrated Glaive as an option.
- 20 Mar. 2023: Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 24 Jan. 2022: Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 11 Dec. 2022: Reviewed 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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