Havoc Demon Hunter DPS Spell Summary — Shadowlands 9.0.5

Havoc is the most recently added specialization, but has had two expansions to settle into a playstyle that has remained consistent. This page is here to cover the tools available, how they work, and their applications in combat. It will also cover synergies, cooldowns and core concepts to get to grips with. If you already have experience with Havoc, having access to some quick Macros and Addons to ease you into learning the spec is always helpful as well, which you can find on our dedicated page here:

The primary resource for Havoc is Fury, which allows use of your strongest baseline abilities. It is generated predominantly through the active ability Demon's Bite (or alternatively Demon Blades if taken), and Immolation Aura. Fury is especially important because it defines your rotation cycle, fuelling powerful abilities such as Eye Beam, Chaos Strike, and Blade Dance. This makes maintaining a smooth flow of build/spend vital to success for Havoc gameplay.

This page is here to explain the nuance of each individual ability and assumes you are playing at max level, or are interested in the details. For information on when you will gain access to each tool, check out our dedicated leveling page here:

These are the core skills that you will gain access to during the Havoc leveling process, and form the core gameplay loop.

Demon's Bite is your primary generation tool, having no cooldown, dealing low Physical damage and generating between 20 and 30 Fury (randomly decided). This is your main method of actively generating Fury, and is cast whenever you have no resources available or other tools ready to fuel your cycle.

Chaos Strike serves as the primary single target spender for Havoc, dealing high Chaos damage at the cost of 40 Fury with a 40% chance to refund 20 Fury when cast. This is your main tool to convert Fury into damage in single-target situations, and the refund chance allows it to partially fuel itself into a chain of casts, making it the crux of the rotation.

Eye Beam is a 2-second channel that deals high Chaos damage to all targets in front of you, and 50% increased damage to your primary target. This damage is guaranteed to critically strike, costs 30 Fury and has a 30-second cooldown. This is used on cooldown in the single target rotation, but should be saved to line up for high AoE situations to hit additional targets if possible, so long as you do not waste a use. It serves as a medium length burst cooldown in the Havoc toolkit.

Blade Dance is the core rotational AoE tool for Havoc, triggering 4 quick strikes to up to 5 targets in melee range, dealing moderate Physical damage, costing 35 Fury, and having a 9-second cooldown (reduced by Haste). This is used on cooldown in AoE situations, which extends to the single target rotation when talents such as First Blood are taken.

Immolation Aura, which was newly baselined in Shadowlands, instantly deals Fire damage to nearby targets and causes you to pulse additional Fire damage for 12 seconds. This generates 20 Fury over the duration, and has a 30-second cooldown (reduced by Haste). This is used on cooldown in all situations, both for the very efficient damage and the Fury generation, and is worthwhile at all target counts.

Throw Glaive deals light Physical damage to your primary target that also bounces to two additional targets. This mostly serves as a tool for pulling enemies or dealing damage when out of range.

For more detailed information on how these abilities mesh with other parts of the toolkit, please read our rotation page.

Fel Rush is the first of the core movement tools for Havoc, instantly charging you forward 15 yards (on a 0.5 second Global Cooldown), dealing moderate Chaos damage to targets in your path. This has 2 charges and a 10-second recharge. This is an incredibly flexible movement tool, allowing for instant repositioning to avoid mechanics or to stick to your target. It can also be leveraged for increased damage with some talent selections, so being comfortable with the distance travelled is an important skill to learn.

Vengeful Retreat provides an alternative movement tool. This removes all snares when cast, vaults you back 15 yards, and deals a small amount of Physical damage that slows targets hit by 70% for 3 seconds, on a 25-second cooldown. This is a great instant tool to disengage from dangerous situations and, when coupled with Fel Rush, can create or cover a large amount of distance.

Glide alongside Double Jump allows you to double and triple tap your jump key to generate a second jump, and then initiate a glide, both removing downward momentum. These can be used as situational tools to generate forward momentum and have some uses in the open world. Bear in mind that Vengeful Retreat stops these from being activated for 1 second after a cast so you cannot link them together on even ground.

One point to note with Fel Rush and Vengeful Retreat is that both spells cause an internal movement cooldown of 1 second (which also includes Glide). This is to prevent interactions that cancel out the animation, which means that you need to precisely time your key presses if you are intending to link them together. With Vengeful Retreat this generally means as you land, your Fel Rush will be available.

Mastery: Demonic Presence is the Havoc Demon Hunter Mastery, granting a flat increase to all Chaos damage dealt by 14%, which scales with Mastery rating, and an additional 5% passive movement speed, scaling at a lower rate. This gives Mastery a hidden value of additional mobility on top of a damage increase.

Shattered Souls causes your killing blows to create a Soul Fragment on the ground that is consumed when you walk over it. This heals you for 20% of your maximum health, and if the target was a Demon also grant 20% damage increase for 15 seconds (bear in mind this does not include lesser souls generated via the Demonic Appetite talent). There is a small grace window for fragments to be spawned if you have dealt damage to a target before they die, granting some leniency, rather than you being required to deal the killing blow.

Chaos Brand causes all damage you deal to any enemy to apply a debuff to the target, increasing the Magic damage they take by 5%. This has an infinite duration and applies to all allies, making it an exceptionally powerful raid buff and making Havoc a desirable spec in group content.

Demonic Wards causes you to passively take 10% reduced Magic damage at all times. This is a really powerful tool, due to most dangerous mechanics being Magic damage, giving Havoc passive survival.

Metamorphosis is the main offensive cooldown for Havoc, causing you to leap up to 40 yards, deal light Chaos damage and stunning non player targets for 3 seconds. This activates Metamorphosis for 30 seconds and has a 4-minute cooldown. While active, this provides:

• 25% Haste;
• converts your Chaos Strike to Annihilation, dealing significantly higher Chaos damage;
• converts your Blade Dance to Death Sweep, dealing significantly higher Physical damage.

This provides you with a reasonably long window of much higher damage and a higher paced rotation due to the free Haste. Ideally, you should enter Metamorphosis with a bank of Fury to make the most of it.

Blur is Havoc's primary defensive tool, granting 20% damage reduction and 50% dodge for 10 seconds, on a 1-minute cooldown. Due to its low cooldown, this is a powerful ability that should be used aggressively on raid mechanics to reduce the incoming damage.

Chaos Nova is a 2-second stun that deals low Chaos damage. This costs 30 Fury and has a 1-minute cooldown. Also has a 30% chance to shatter a Lesser Soul Fragment when it stuns a target, but is otherwise a point blank-AoE stun.

Consume Magic consumes 1 beneficial magic effect from your target and generates 20 Fury if successful. This has a 10-second cooldown, and a 30-yard range, serving as an offensive dispel for Havoc.

Darkness is a unique Demon Hunter utility tool on a 3-minute cooldown. It grants all allies within 8 yards of the cast a 20% chance to avoid any damage from attacks, lasting for 8 seconds. This serves as an RNG-heavy raid utility tool, allowing you to provide additional survivability to the rest of your group.

Disrupt is the Havoc interrupt, which has a 15-second cooldown, 3-second lockout, and a 10-yard range. It also generates 30 Fury on a successful interrupt.

Imprison is a long form crowd control with a 20-yard range and 45-second cooldown. This incapacitates your target for up to 1 minute, but damage taken will break the effect. Can only be cast on Demons, Beasts and Humanoids.

Torment taunts your current target, causing it to attack you for up to 3 seconds. This has a 30-yard range, and an 8-second cooldown.

The abilities below are all gained from talents specifically, and will be ordered based on their position on the tree. For more detailed information on each of these options, please look at our talent page.

Felblade (Level 15) — a 15-second cooldown (reduced by Haste) ability that charges your target within 15 yards and generates 40 Fury when cast. This deals Fire damage, and its cooldown has a 20% chance to be reset by Demon's Bite (or Demon Blades when taken) hits. Serves as an alternate Fury generator when taken.

Glaive Tempest (Level 30) — 20-second cooldown (reduced by Haste) ability that costs 30 Fury to spawn two glaives at your location for 3 seconds, dealing Chaos damage in that area. These are stationary, and hit up to 5 targets while active. Provides another burst AoE tool and Fury spender.

Netherwalk (Level 35) — 3-minute cooldown ability that provides immunity to all damage (but not debuff applications) and 100% movement speed for 5 seconds. While this is active, you are pacified and cannot attack. Extremely strong as an emergency survival tool.

Essence Break (Level 40) — 20-second cooldown ability that deals moderate Chaos damage to all targets in a cone 10 yards in front of you. Any target hit will take 40% additional damage from your Chaos Strike and Blade Dance abilities for 8 seconds. Encourages pooling gameplay heavily, and cooldown layering for the debuff window.

Fel Eruption (Level 45) — 30-second cooldown ability that deals light Chaos damage to your target within 20 yards, and stuns them for 4 seconds. Provides a single target crowd control option at a low cost.

Fel Barrage (Level 50) — 1-minute cooldown ability that deals heavy Chaos damage to up to 8 targets within 8 yards around you. Has a 3-second channel and additional missiles will be fired based on your Haste. Works as a high impact burst AoE tool, but has a very high opportunity cost.

Kyrian: Elysian Decree summons a sigil at your target location that will detonate after 2-seconds, with a 1-minute cooldown. This deals AoE damage to targets within it, but reduced damage to targets after the first 5. Will also spawn three Lesser Soul Fragments when it triggers.

Necrolord: Fodder to the Flame, reworked in Patch 9.0.5, is a 1.6 RPPM proc that summons a Demon for 25 seconds. This can be killed, with your Throw Glaive dealing lethal damage to the target causing it to explode for Shadow damage to nearby enemies. The Demon will also drop a Demon Soul that increases your damage dealt by 20% for 20 seconds.

Night Fae: The Hunt will charge your current target after a 1-second cast, on a 1.5-minute cooldown. This deals heavy Nature damage to the target, roots them in place for 1.5 seconds and applies a DoT for 6 seconds that deals Nature damage to up to 5 targets that you pass through. Also leaves a mark on your target for 30 seconds that causes you to heal yourself when attacking them.

Venthyr: Sinful Brand is a 1-minute cooldown that deals heavy Shadow damage to your target over 8 seconds (affected by Haste), and reduces their attack and casting speed by 30%. Whenever you cast Metamorphosis, this will also apply the effect to any enemy caught within it.

• Level 52: Fel Rush deals an additional 25% damage.
• Level 54: when you cast Metamorphosis you instantly reset the cooldown of Blade Dance and Eye Beam.
• Level 56: Chaos Strike deals an additional 10% damage.
• Level 58: Eye Beam grants 15% Haste for 12 seconds when it completes a full channel.