Havoc Demon Hunter DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — The War Within (11.0.7)

Last updated on Dec 15, 2024 at 16:00 by Wordup 59 comments
General Information

On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Havoc Demon Hunter in World of Warcraft — The War Within (11.0.7). 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.

1.

Best War Within 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.

2.

Talent Cheat Sheet for Havoc Demon Hunters

Havoc currently has two extremely different Hero Talents that have specialties in different situations, though there is a wide gap in how difficult they are to execute. Currently, Fel-Scarred is recommended in all content as it is either roughly equal or better than Aldrachi Reaver, while also being much easier to execute.

Recommended Build Import Codes:

Raid / Single Target - Fel-Scarred (Recommended)
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYGMzMzgZmZMzMhZGAAAAAAwsNMmZMGLzMz2sNLjZGmZBLbwysYGDzGTDmZGD2A
Raid / Single Target - Aldrachi Reaver
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYGMzMzYMzMjxMhZGAAAAAAwsZMbzMmZmtZmZjZZMzMjBW2mlZwwYbjJMMzMgF
AoE / Mythic+ - Fel-Scarred
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYmZmZmZGMzMjxMhZGAAAAAAwsNMmZMzAzsNbzyMzgZglNYZWMjhZhpxYmZMYD
Delves - Fel-Scarred
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYmZmZmZGMzMjxMhZGAAAAAAwsNMmZMzgZmtZbWGzgZglNYZWMjhZhpxYmZMYD

Havoc builds have a good amount of Cleave in them regardless, but there is a lot of room to specialize in either single-target for Raids or AoE for Mythic+ with both Aldrachi Reaver and Fel-Scarred. Due to both Hero Talents having quite different loadouts and playstyles; we have a tool below to toggle recommendations based on your desired Hero Talent tree for each different content type. Note that whichever you pick will affect the entire page and information will be tailored to that selection.

Anywhere you see the recommended icon on this page, this means it is the recommended choice

3.

War Within Havoc Demon Hunter Talent Builds

Due to Hero Talents playing a major role, use the tool below to display builds for each tree
Hero Talents
Aldrachi Reaver Fel-Scarred recommended
Use the boxes below to navigate builds
Aldrachi Reaver Fel-Scarred recommended
Raid / Single-Target
Aldrachi Reaver
Raid / Cleave
Aldrachi Reaver Fel-Scarred recommended
Mythic+ / AoE
Aldrachi Reaver Fel-Scarred
Delves Build
4.

Aldrachi Reaver Fel-Scarred Raid / Single-Target Build

Currently, Aldrachi Reaver is slightly ahead in pure single-target, though the burden of execution is higher. It does however come with the advantage of better priority target damage.

Currently, Fel-Scarred performs the best in single-target situations while also being easier to execute. Due to this alongside its excellent flexibility in different raid encounters, it is the recommended build in single-target.

Use the Copy button below to generate an Import Code to use in-game!

Raid / Single Target - Aldrachi Reaver
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYGMzMzYMzMjxMhZGAAAAAAwsZMbzMmZmtZmZjZZMzMjBW2mlZwwYbjJMMzMgF
Raid / Single Target - Fel-Scarred
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYGMzMzgZmZMzMhZGAAAAAAwsNMmZMGLzMz2sNLjZGmZBLbwysYGDzGTDmZGD2A
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Aldrachi Reaver in single-target picks up most of the Throw Glaive Icon Throw Glaive talents due to their interaction with Reaver's Glaive Icon Reaver's Glaive, but avoids Furious Throws Icon Furious Throws so does not need to actively press Throw Glaive Icon Throw Glaive rotationally. Alongside that, it picks up a handful of movement-related abilities (but not the entire suite) due to the strength of Tactical Retreat Icon Tactical Retreat. Some additional notes are:

The Fel-Scarred focuses heavily on maximizing its burst windows with each Eye Beam Icon Eye Beam cast, therefore it picks up movement talents to make use of Inertia Icon Inertia. Each 40-second window overlaps Eye Beam Icon Eye Beam and Essence Break Icon Essence Break with Sigil of Flame Icon Sigil of Flame for an explosive burst window, made even stronger when paired with Metamorphosis Icon Metamorphosis. Outside of this, it simply focuses on cycling Fury as much as possible to maximize the damage benefit provided by Burning Blades Icon Burning Blades. Some notes are:

  • It picks up Cycle of Hatred Icon Cycle of Hatred through to Shattered Destiny Icon Shattered Destiny to maintain higher Metamorphosis Icon Metamorphosis uptime, leaning more into sustained damage to get to Eye Beam Icon Eye Beam as often as possible.
  • Aldrachi Reaver still picks up talents related to both Chaos Strike Icon Chaos Strike and Blade Dance Icon Blade Dance to amplify them further, as these both provide the largest amount of its throughput.
  • On the class tree it needs to drop Collective Anguish Icon Collective Anguish in favor of picking up Sigil of Spite Icon Sigil of Spite, used as a burst soul generation tool to trigger additional Reaver's Glaive Icon Reaver's Glaive. It also needs to keep The Hunt Icon The Hunt for the same reason.
  • While the build does want to trigger Demonic Icon Demonic frequently, the desync caused by Cycle of Hatred Icon Cycle of Hatred and the need to leave demon form to reset Demonsurge Icon Demonsurge means it is avoided.
  • Instead, the movement package is picked up to further amplify your Eye Beam Icon Eye Beam cast windows alongside Essence Break Icon Essence Break while under the effects of Inertia Icon Inertia.
  • The remaining talents are taken to empower Chaos Strike Icon Chaos Strike / Annihilation Icon Annihilation as much as possible to leverage Burning Blades Icon Burning Blades powerful damage amplifier.
4.

Aldrachi Reaver Raid / Cleave Build

Due to Aldrachi Reaver investing all of its talents into as much single-target as possible, for cleave scenarios in raids it also has an alternative build recommended.

Use the Copy button below to generate an Import Code to use in-game!

Raid / Cleave - Aldrachi Reaver
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYGMmZGjZmZMmJMzAAAAAAAmtZMMjZmZbmZ2mtZZMzwMLYZbWmBDjtNmwwMzAWA
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For situations where additional targets are present, having access to the "Ignition" talent package to activate Inertia Icon Inertia is helpful while not fully investing into Immolation Aura Icon Immolation Aura. This largely just trades out the Cycle of Hatred Icon Cycle of Hatred Fury generation focus in favor of heightened fixed burst windows, opening up room to plan damage around add spawns.

4.

Aldrachi Reaver Fel-Scarred AoE / Mythic+ Build

Currently, Aldrachi Reaver is a niche alternative in Mythic+ due to its ability to deal heavy priority target damage while still AoEing surrounding targets. It, however, falls behind in both burst and uncapped AoE potential and is punished by frequent target swaps.

Currently, Fel-Scarred provides the highest burst and AoE potential. It also has talent options to add in additional priority target damage, so is our recommended AoE build

Use the Copy button below to generate an Import Code to use in-game!

AoE / Mythic+ - Aldrachi Reaver
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYmZmZmZGjZmZMmJMzAAAAAAAmtZMMjZmZbmZ2mtBDY2wy2sMDGGbbMhZMzMgF
AoE / Mythic+ - Fel-Scarred
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYmZmZmZGMzMjxMhZGAAAAAAwsNMmZMzAzsNbzyMzgZglNYZWMjhZhpxYmZMYD
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Aldrachi Reaver in AoE situations picks up all of the movement talents with the "Ignition" playstyle to have access to Inertia Icon Inertia, frontloading some of its burst potential. Due to that, it makes sure to grab A Fire Inside Icon A Fire Inside and all of the Immolation Aura Icon Immolation Aura related talents to amplify it further. It still picks up Throw Glaive Icon Throw Glaive talents, but avoids Furious Throws Icon Furious Throws purely to amplify Reaver's Glaive Icon Reaver's Glaive.

Fel-Scarred deals extremely frontloaded 2-minute bursts around Metamorphosis Icon Metamorphosis, making it well suited for dangerous Mythic+ pulls. It also has a lot of additional baked in single-target to cover the gaps against bosses thanks to Burning Blades Icon Burning Blades, while also being quite easy to pilot compared to the alternative. It picks up the "Ignition" set of talents to activate Inertia Icon Inertia and amplify Immolation Aura Icon Immolation Aura as much as possible, but since there is no Throw Glaive Icon Throw Glaive does need to tab-target to apply Burning Wound Icon Burning Wound to multiple targets.

  • Due to the Aldrachi Reaver AoE playstyle being very busy, it struggles to find room to fit Essence Break Icon Essence Break into its build, instead favoring pure damage options like Glaive Tempest Icon Glaive Tempest
  • It needs to pick up Sigil of Spite Icon Sigil of Spite for the additional burst soul generation between pulls where The Hunt Icon The Hunt is not available.
  • On the Hero Tree Fel-Scarred always picks up Student of Suffering Icon Student of Suffering as an additional AoE cooldown, syncing the Mastery buff with each Eye Beam Icon Eye Beam cast.
  • Due to the desyncs that can happen; while slightly unintuitive, it avoids Cycle of Hatred Icon Cycle of Hatred in favor of picking up more damaging talents to play into a fixed cooldown cycle with Essence Break Icon Essence Break.
  • In the middle of the tree, you can switch out Dancing with Fate Icon Dancing with Fate which is better for single-target and priority damage, to focus more on pure burst AoE with Blind Fury Icon Blind Fury if needed.
5.

Aldrachi Reaver Fel-Scarred Delves Build

Aldrachi Reaver is well suited to Delves due to the high volume of Soul Fragment generation for additional sustain. While some aspects of its kit are quite awkward due to being target-locked by Reaver's Mark Icon Reaver's Mark, it still justifies itself as an option by having strong frontloaded burst and a varied damage profile to handle both large groups of enemies and end bosses.

For Delves, Fel-Scarred leans heavily into explosive bursts of damage for large groups of enemies, so for speed clearing them is suited perfectly. Due to the stronger leaning toward your Metamorphosis Icon Metamorphosis window as well, the additional sustain provided by that makes dangerous pulls almost trivial — so long as you have your cooldowns set up correctly.

Use the Copy button below to generate an Import Code to use in-game!

Delves - Aldrachi Reaver
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYmZmZmZGjZmZMmJMzAAAAAAAmtZMMjZmZbmZ2mtBDY2wy2sNDGGbbMhZMzMgF
Delves - Fel-Scarred
CEkAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYmZmZmZGMzMjxMhZGAAAAAAwsNMmZMzgZmtZbWGzgZglNYZWMjhZhpxYmZMYD
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Explore the current most popular Talents and Builds data on U.GG!
4.1.

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 current raid encounters below:

4.2.

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:

5.

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.

5.1.

Havoc Demon Hunter War Mode Talents

In this section, we will rank the PvP talents for leveling and playing in open-world PvE scenarios.

5.1.1.

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.

  1. Chaotic Imprint Icon Chaotic Imprint will always buff Chaos damage dealt, such as Chaos Strike Icon Chaos Strike and Eye Beam Icon Eye Beam. Also great to pair with talents such as Soulrend Icon Soulrend due to the conversion to magic damage, causing Throw Glaive Icon Throw Glaive to deal significantly more damage.
  2. Unending Hatred Icon Unending Hatred is just free additional Fury generation as you will frequently be taking damage in the open world.
  3. Sigil Mastery Icon Sigil Mastery reduces the cooldown of sigils, such as Sigil of Flame Icon Sigil of Flame and Sigil of Spite Icon Sigil of Spite, which can be a small DPS gain if these talents are taken.

Alternatively you can take Blood Moon Icon Blood Moon for a small bit of extra self-healing, or Rain from Above Icon Rain from Above as an emergency disengage tool.

Reverse Magic Icon Reverse Magic, Detainment Icon Detainment, Cover of Darkness Icon Cover of Darkness, Cleansed by Flame Icon Cleansed by Flame and Glimpse Icon 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.

6.

Changelog

  • 15 Dec. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7, added recommended tags.
  • 21 Oct. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Updated to reflect new Fel-Scarred recommendations.
  • 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 with new talent options.
  • 21 Mar. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6, strongest builds remain the same but alternatives kept.
  • 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5, small recommendation cleanups around AoE final point choices.
  • 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.
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