Last updated on May 07, 2024 at 11:20by Wordup58 comments
General Information
On this page, you will learn how to optimize the rotation of yourHavoc Demon Hunter in both single-target and multiple-targetsituations. We also have advanced sections about cooldowns, procs, etc.in order to minmax your DPS. All our content is updated for World ofWarcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.7.
1.
Havoc Demon Hunter Rotation
Welcome to the Rotation section of our Havoc Demon Hunter guide.If you came here without first checking over theSpell List/Glossary page, we recommend thatyou do so if you are new to the specialization. Understanding what yourspells and abilities do will make it much easier to understand what isdiscussed on this page.
If you are looking for an introductory primer to get started and find the fullbreakdowns overwhelming, you can always start with our Easy Mode page to getyourself started with a close-to-optimal build and a more straightforward breakdown. Whilethe recommendations on the page below are not strictly optimal for endgame,they provide an excellent springboard to get to grips with the core gameplayHavoc focuses on:
Havoc DH Quick Guide
In addition to your rotation in general content, there is also a separatesection of this guide devoted to how your playstyle may change in Mythic+ assituations are often less scripted and more hectic. Please take a look atthe page below if you are looking for more tailored information for thatcontent:
Havoc DH Mythic+ Guide
1.1.
PvP
The content on this page is purely PvE-related. If you are looking for PvPRotation Tips, visit our PvP page below.
Havoc DH PvP Guide
2.
Havoc Demon Hunter Rotations
Each of the sections below explain the rotation for Havoc at different targetcounts. Click the boxes to switch to the desired damage type.
3.
Havoc Demon Hunter Rotation
The buttons below can be used to select between curated talent loadouts fromour talent page. You can also use the switches below to add or removeindividual talents you may also be using:
Cycle STIgnition STIgnition AoENo Movement
Talent Selections | ||
---|---|---|
A Fire Inside | Blind Fury | Chaotic Transformation |
Demon Blades | Elysian Decree | Essence Break |
Fel Barrage | Felblade | First Blood |
Glaive Tempest | Initiative | Inner Demon |
Inertia | Momentum | Ragefire |
Tactical Retreat | Throw Glaive Talents | The Hunt |
Unbound Chaos | Season 4 Set |
Single TargetAoEOpener
3.
Havoc Demon Hunter Single Target Rotation
Havoc's single-target rotation in Dragonflight hinges strongly on two core loops. The first isFury build-and-spend through tools such as Demon's Bite Demon Blades, Immolation Aura and Felblade to generate and Chaos Strike / Blade Danceto spend. Second, it needs to manage Fury around rotational burst windows that follow from mid-rangecooldowns such as Eye Beam, Essence Break and Inertia.
- Cast Eye Beam with as little Fury as possible.
- Cast Metamorphosis if Eye Beam and Death Sweep are on cooldown.
- Cast Annihilation
- Cast Sigil of Flame if under 90 Fury.
- Cast Immolation Aura.
- Cast Chaos Strike
- Cast Fel Rush if nothing else is available.
Havoc's gameplay loop is heavily dictated by its gameplayloop, which shifts its priorities to activate powerful effects andfill out its gameplay core. Which you pick dictates the flow and whatyou need to think about aligning to get big payoff moments. Somekey notes, including details based on your selections in the talentswitches, are:
- Eye Beam is still always used in single-target as apowerful cooldown and is only enhanced further by Demonicproviding a powerful follow-up. The frequency depends on if youhave Cycle of Hatred or not, and if you have Blind Furytry to dump as much Fury as possible before casting it.
4.
Havoc Demon Hunter AoE Rotation
In AoE situations, due to such a large portion of the Havoc Demon Hunterkit already dealing AoE or cleave damage, it is very similar to its single-targetequivalent, with some slight deviations in priority:
- Cast Eye Beam with as little Fury as possible.
- Cast Metamorphosis if Eye Beam and Death Sweep are on cooldown.
- Cast Sigil of Flame.
- Cast Annihilation
- Cast Chaos Strike
- Cast Fel Rush if nothing else is available.
The majority of tools you make use of in single-target apply directly toAoE, with the exception of Annihilation / Chaos Strike thatfall to the bottom of the priority. Your focus depends on which key AoEtalents you have taken, and notes based on your selection in the talentswitches are:
- Immolation Aura pulls a lot more weight in AoE due tothe number of talents focused around it on the right side. The biggest ofthese is Ragefire, which converts Critical Strikes into a largeexplosion as it fades pairedwith the increased access from A Fire Inside thanks to the resets. Ifyou do not select all of these, however, it is not a key focus.
- Fel Rush is a low-priority filler that is just above Chaos Strike.However, with some movement talents, it becomes more impactful. Inertiawill most likely be paired with A Fire Inside for an "Ignition" build and shouldbe triggered aggressively due to how much Immolation Aura is being cast. Momentumis maintained as much as possible over big casts, but is not done as a priority throughoutan encounter.
5.
Opener for Havoc Demon Hunter
The opening sequence for Havoc is quite set in stone, hinging on your managementof some key talents - most importantly Chaotic Transformation.
- Pre-cast Immolation Aura 1-2 seconds before the pull.
- Cast Immolation Aura if it was reset by A Fire Inside.
- Cast Fel Rush if a A Fire Inside proc occurred to refresh Inertia.
- Cast Eye Beam.
- Continue with the normal priority list.
The most warping effects on the initial rotation are Chaotic Transformationand Essence Break, which provide a small window to deal huge burst ifmanaged correctly. The goal is to set yourself up in Metamorphosisvia Demonic, have Momentum and Inertia and and Initiative active, and enter an Essence Break window where you can Death Sweep, reset with Metamorphosis, and Death Sweepimmediately to squeeze them both into the short timeframe.
6.
Tier Set Bonus for Havoc Demon Hunter
With Season 4 consolidating the set bonuses into one chosen set, Havoc hasreceived an increased item level version of the Season 3 set fromAmirdrassil. The Screaming Torchfiend's Brutality focuses on Throw Glaive, and grants the following bonuses:
- Demon Hunter Havoc 10.2 Class Set 2pc - Your Blade Dance automaticallycasts Throw Glaive on your primary target for 100% damage, and eachslash has a 50% chance to also Throw Glaive an enemy for 35% damage.
- Demon Hunter Havoc 10.2 Class Set 4pc - The Hunt damage over timeeffect lasts 6 seconds longer, and each time you Throw Glaive,its remaining cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds.
This set locks in a lot of talents to enable it, but it is worth it.Once you have the 4-piece equipped, it requires The Hunt and all supporting Throw Glaive talents to get full value from the 2-piece:
- Master of the Glaive / Champion of the Glaive
- Accelerated Blade
- Furious Throws
- Serrated Glaive
- Soulscar
The primary target throw of Throw Glaive will consume a charge todeal full damage, and any glaive sent out by Blade Dance will gain theeffect of talents taken. This means there is mostly no need torotationally cast Throw Glaive with the bonus taken, as the procs will naturallyconsume charges for free when it triggers. It also means you need to plan arounda much lower cooldown on The Hunt in your cycles when using the 4-piece.
7.
Metamorphosis is a 20-second duration buff on a 3-minute cooldown(which can be reduced to 2-minutes with Rush of Chaos), granting a flat20% increase to Haste, and converting two of your primary abilities forthe duration:
- Chaos Strike becomes Annihilation
- Blade Dance becomes Death Sweep
Each of these new abilities replace their respective spots on your actionbar and deal significantly higher damage, but behave the same and are affectedby all equivalent passives. Pooling 100 Fury or above before entering Metamorphosis can be helpful in allowing for a surge ofextra Annihilation casts, but do not delay pressing it in service ofthis. Similarly, you should also drain excess Fury in the last 5 seconds ofthe buff before you lose the benefits.
Chaotic Transformation also causes the active cast to resetthe cooldown on Death Sweep and Eye Beam. We play aroundthis effect, and make sure to have both abilities are on cooldown beforecasting it to gain an extra use of each. This is especially potent whenpaired with Essence Break.
See our addons and macros pagefor a Metamorphosis macro.
8.
Mastering Havoc Demon Hunter Mechanics
8.1.
Build Synergies
Havoc has a lot of talents that link up with each other in a powerfulway, usually with one pick having a powerful interaction with anotherelsewhere on the tree. Examples of packages that are commonly taken togetherbecause of their synergy are:
- Felblade paired with Demon Blades
- Initiative, Tactical Retreat and Momentum
- A Fire Inside paired with Inertia
- Furious Throws, Accelerating Blade, and Soulscar
These packages often complement each other and enable different ability useswhen picked in tandem but are not strong enough to incentivize them alone.For more information on the specifics, please refer to our talent page.
Havoc Demon Hunter Talents and Builds
Due to the variety of talents that have such an impact on the rotationwhen taken, the section below has extra details on the specifics of howthey are played. Crucial, but more general options are also listed underthe Core Picks tab:
9.
Noteworthy Talents
Movement TalentsEssence BreakThrow Glaive TalentsFel BarrageA Fire InsideCore Picks
10.
Movement Talents
Havoc comes with a number of unique talents that leverage its high mobilityfor additional damage. These are generally higher skill cap options, and requirecomfort to execute properly. Knowing when you need to commit your tools toamplify upcoming damage versus when you need to hold them to deal with mechanicsis a skill that comes with experience. The key talents that build it upare:
- Initiative + Tactical Retreat
- Unbound Chaos
- Momentum or Inertia
The first two are relatively intuitive in that it encourages you to cast Vengeful Retreat on cooldown for the high Fury generation, and Fel Rushto consume the buff. The final choice node however requires more explanation.To start with, below is an image that shows the optimal pathing around bossesto maintain uptime without being forced out of range as much as possible:
9.1.
Momentum
Momentum can be refreshed for the full duration, adding onto yourcurrent buff up to 30 seconds, acting as a maintenance buff. This is generallysomething that gets activated throughout the rotation via the base priority.It is important to make sure you have it active for high-damage events such as Eye Beam, Essence Break and Fel Barrage, but mostof the time the natural gameplay of Initiative will do this for you.Do not overcommit to maintenance over spending Fury, but do aim for as highof an uptime as possible.
9.1.
Inertia
Inertia brings back a similar playstyle to the oldversion of Momentum, making it a short duration high-intensity burst moment.This pairs extremely well with A Fire Inside, givingextra charges to add some flexibility to your activators. You should makesure when using this to not leave any Unbound Chaos activationson the table, and aim to overlap all of your high damage moments(such as Eye Beam and Essence Break) pro-actively toget the most value out of it.
10.
Essence Break
Adds in an additional high-value damage window, but only lasts for 4seconds, so needs all of your setup to be done before casting itto get good value out of it. You always want to be in Metamorphosisform when activating this, ideally via Demonic due to thebenefits of layering this with Chaotic Transformation to gettwo Death Sweeps out during it. Starting already in Demon form,your goal with each cast should be:
- With Metamorphosis: Death Sweep into Metamorphosisinto Death Sweep, finish with Annihilation.
- Without Metamorphosis: Death Sweep into 2-3 Annihilation.
Depending on your Haste and whether you are affected by Bloodlustthis can be extremely tight to fit in, but is absolutely worth the payoff. InAoE situations, you instead only need to fit in as many Death Sweeps asthe above shows, ignoring the Annihilation recommendations.
10.
Throw Glaive Talents
While Throw Glaive is usually a low damage ability, there is alarge number of effects on the tree that, when combined, make it a potentFury spender. Talents that form this are:
- Champion of the Glaive
- Accelerated Blade
- Furious Throws
- Serrated Glaive
- Soulscar
When all of these are combined Throw Glaive becomes a spenderthat competes with Annihilation that also gets stronger in cleavesituations. When playing this, you should always pair it with Champion of the Glaiveto get the additional charge, which you should use to always keep itrecharging.
9.1.
Season 4 Set Bonus
When using the Season 4 set, these talents become mandatory, as thefree Throw Glaive casts triggered by Blade Dance are extremelyefficient. This also means you do not need to actively cast Throw Glaiveto get the value, instead relying on the free activations.
10.
Fel Barrage
This is an extremely potent AoE burst cooldownthat also drains Fury extremely quickly. Due to it being capped at 8seconds, it means you need to generate a total of 256 Fury throughoutto maintain it from start to finish, meaning pooling is recommended.
Before entering into it, you want to make sure you have all of yourmaintenance buffs prepared (in particular Inertia and Initiative)and avoid spending excess Fury while it is active. Active generationtools such as Felblade and Sigil of Flame take prioritywhen this is active, especially if you fall behind. This extends torefilling via Blind Fury as well if taken.
9.1.
A Fire Inside
A Fire Inside adds an extra charge, the ability for Immolation Aura casts to overlap each other, anda 25% chance for it to reset when cast. This pairs especially wellwith all of the right-side talents up to Ragefire, and also Inertia.
It is crucial when playing this to make sure you never leave itat 2 charges and react to resets by pressing it repeatedly until itactively goes on cooldown - you lose nothing due to the buffs overlapping.When playing Inertia, you also ideally want to spend the Unbound Chaos triggers in between these casts in single-target,but in AoE, hitting the resets is slightly more valuable.
10.
Core Picks
These are talents that are present in the majority of builds that havequite a large impact overall, but are not necessarily gameplay-altering.
9.1.
First Blood
First Blood increases the damage Blade Dance deals to yourprimary target by 75% and converts it to Chaos damage, allowing it to scalewith Mastery. This significantly raises the priority of Blade Dancein all situations and turns it into a high priority, use on cooldown abilityat all target counts.
9.1.
Felblade
Felblade provides an alternative active Fury generation toolthat is proc-related and fills in for Demon's Bite when Demon Bladesis taken, creating a steady flow of extra Fury. This is especially good as Demon Blades allows us to generate Fury off the GCD so we can more activelymanage our resource.
9.1.
Demonic
Demonic is a damage boost window effect. It will naturally betriggered by your Eye Beam casts rotationally, making sure to fill asmany Global Cooldowns during the 5 seconds as possible with Fury spenders. Priming Immolation Aura or Tactical Retreat if talented before youtrigger the window is excellent for setting up some background generation to fuelyour Annihilation casts. Try to minimize the number of committalgeneration tools such as Demon's Bite if possible, but in some cases,RNG forces your hand.
9.1.
Know Your Enemy
Know Your Enemy increases your Critical Strike damage based on yourCritical Strike chance, significantly improving its scaling and also allowingabilities that guarantee critical strikes (such as Eye Beam with Looks Can Kill) to still retain some boost from it. This also includesall item effects and trinkets, so is always taken.
9.1.
Any Means Necessary
Any Means Necessary converts all magic damage your abilities deal toChaos damage, causing your Mastery to increase their damage. This is extremelygood for overall scaling, and due to how easy this is to access it is takenin the majority of builds. This also includes The Hunt which, while dealingChaos damage is not affected, providing extra relevance for the Season 4 set bonus.
9.1.
Shattered Destiny
Shattered Destiny extends your active Metamorphosis or Demonic window based on Fury spent, having strong synergy with theadditional Haste it confers. This makes time with Metamorphosis active arace to spend and keep it active, and provides a large single-targetincrease due to how many extensions it provides. The path through Cycle of Hatredalso gives even further access to your Demon Form, so creates a veryfast-paced resource cycling playstyle.
9.1.
Fury Management
With Havoc being so reliant on its resources, you need to be awareof situations that encourage spending vs. the requirement to build. Thegeneral rule is to avoid wasting Fury due to overcapping with a generator.This means the spend breakpoint is 90 Fury without talents, due to Demon's Bite having a potential maximum of 30 per cast or 40 with Felblade. With Demon Blades, this is more flexible, but givenhow fast multiple procs can happen, it is preferable to be spending moreaggressively when not pooling for certain effects.
Your rotation will also be adjusted around Chaos Strike caststhat grant a 20 Fury refund, as it may shift your upcoming priority whenthey happen. Successful Disrupt and Consume Magic castswith Swallowed Anger also grant additional resources, so plan aroundthese if an encounter allows.
Havoc Demon Hunter macros
9.1.1.
Fury Management with Demon Blades
When using Demon Blades, your Fury management is altered toaccount for the more random nature of generation. In single-target, moreappropriate rotational rules to adjust the original priority look like this(keep in mind these are un-ordered notes and simply small things that can helpto improve your gameplay):
- Cast Chaos Strike/ Annihilation as frequently as possibleunless pooling for burst windows.
- Cast Felblade as frequently as possible, as long as you are below80 Fury as your active generation tool.
- Cast Sigil of Flame as a backup generation tool if you fall behindon generation.
- Wait and allow Demon Blades to generate Fury again to continue thecycle, or collect any Demonic Appetite orbs.
- Cast Throw Glaive and Fel Rush if out of range of anytargets or during empty Globals.
10.
Changelog
- 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 22 Apr. 2024: Updated to include Season 4 builds.
- 21 Mar. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6, core recommendations remain the same.
- 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, small cleanups but no major changes necessary.
- 06 Nov. 2023: Restructured and fully updated for Patch 10.2 rework.
- 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, added loadout buttons in rotation section and restrucutred page.
- 10 Jul. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5 with small tweaks for clarity and Isolated Prey highlights.
- 01 May 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1 with Serrated Glaive and notes added, and extra Essence Break combo notes.
- 20 Mar. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 24 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5, rotation tool refined.
- 01 Jan. 2023: Updated Opener.
- 11 Dec. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 24 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight Pre-Patch.
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