Havoc Demon Hunter Raid Guide

11.1 - Undermine(d)

Last Updated:February 25, 2025|Changelog|FAQ

Welcome to the Havoc Demon Hunter Raid guide for the World of Warcraft patch 11.1! This guide covers everything you need to know to understand your character! Are you starting out and leveling up from 70? Check out the leveling guide!

Overview

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter
Havoc Demon Hunter Raid Guide
Single-Target
Strong
AoE
Strong
Utility
Average
Survivability
Excellent
Mobility
Excellent
Havoc Demon Hunter Raid Best in Slot

Hero Talents

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter
  • Aldrachi Reaver and Fel-Scarred are the new Hero Talent tree options.Aldrachi Reaver is currently significantly ahead of Fel-Scarred in both AoE and Single-Target scenarios.
Aldrachi Reaver
Fel-Scarred
  • Art of the Glaive makes your Throw Glaive ability become Reaver's Glaive, an ability that is off global cooldown that allows you to to cast either one of two combinations of abilities to trigger a debuff on your current target and do additional damage
    1. Casting Blade Dance or Death Sweep after Reaver's Glaive into Chaos Strike or Annihilation makes you current target take 14% more damage by you for the next 20 seconds.
    2. Casting Chaos Strike or Annihilation first after throwing your Reaver's Glaive will make your target take 4% more damage by you for the next 20 seconds and make your next Blade Dance or Death Sweep do additional damage.
  • Additional to that after casting one of these two combinations you will get the Thrill of the Fight buff, which increases your attack speed and overall damage done by 20% for the next 10 seconds
  • The Fel-Scarred talent tree is generally more passive than the Aldrachi Reaver talent tree, Monster Rising it is a bit counter intuitive as on one hand, it enhances your abilities during Metamorphosis turning Eye Beam into Abyssal Gaze, Sigil of Flame into Sigil of Doom and Immolation Aura into Consuming Fire making them look fancy on your bar.
  • On the other hand however the tree has talents like Monster Rising, Burning Blades and Enduring Torment that significantly increase your output out of Metamorphosis.
  • Generally I would highly recommend to play this talent tree as it almost does the same damage as Aldrachi Reaver with way less effort, which allows you to focus on more important stuff than dealing damage.
  • Make sure to use your Sigil of Flame, Immolation Aura and Eye Beam before using Metamorphosis as Violent Transformation resets those abilities.

Talents

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter
Aldrachi Reaver
Aldrachi Reaver Havoc Demon Hunter Single-Target talents in Raids

Gameplay Altering Talents

Discover all talents that significantly alter your gameplay within the Spec and Class Talent trees. This section gives a concise overview of these talents and their applications but for a more detailed look check out the Rotation and Deep Dive sections below.

Spec Tree

  • Essence Break
    • Does massive damage in a frontal cone and amplifies the damage done by your Chaos Strike and Blade Dance on all targets hit.
  • Cycle of Hatred
    • Every time you cast Eye Beam the ccooldown is reduced by 5 seconds, up to 20 seconds max.
  • Initiative
    • Hitting a target before it hits you increases your critical strike chance by 10%, this is reset on every hostile target by casting Vengeful Retreat.
  • Furious Gaze
    • After casting your Eye Beam ability you gain an additional 10% of haste.

Class Tree

  • Darkness
    • This group-wide defensive cooldown creates a zone of Darkness at the Havoc Demon Hunter's location, granting all allies within it a 15% chance to avoid all damage from incoming attacks.
  • The Hunt
    • This strong offensive Cooldown puts a major DoT on your target and every other target you charge through (capped at 5).
  • Soul Sigils
    • all your sigils spawn an additional Soul.

Hero Talents

  • Art of the Glaive
    • After casting Reaver's Glaive your next Chaos Strike and Blade Dance are empowered.
  • Reaver's Mark
    • Your next Chaos Strike applies a debuff on your current target, putting a Reaver's Mark on it which increases your damage to it by 7% or 14% if it was cast after Blade Dance.

Rotation

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter

Tier Set

  • 2-Set: Your spells and abilities have a chance to activate a Winning Strea! increasing the damage of your Blade Dance and Chaos Strike by 3% stacking up to 10 times. Blade Dance and Chaos Strike have a 15% chance to remove Winning Streak!
  • 4-Set: Winning Streak! persists for 8 sec after being removed by Blade Dance or Chaos Strike.

Single-Target

Aldrachi Reaver

Opener

  • The Havoc Demon Hunter's opener is very complex and it is important that you do it in this exact order to maximize your damage output.
Havoc Demon Hunter single-target opener in Raids
  • The goal of this opener is to maximize your damage output in the first 30 seconds of the fight and maximizing the uptime of all your buffs.
  • If there are relevant targets next to your main target this opener changes slightly, as you want to always cast Annihilation before Death Sweep in that case.

Priority List

This is a general priority you aim to maintain throughout the fight.

NOTE: ALWAYS CAST CHAOS STRIKE FIRST AFTER CASTING REAVER'S GLAIVE IN AoE SCENARIOS, UNLESS OFF TARGETS ARE NOT IMPORTANT.
!!!! MAKE SURE TO APPLY Reaver's Mark TO THE MOST IMPORTANT TARGET OF THE PACK. !!!!

  • Cast Reaver's Glaive and activate Reaver's Mark on the most important target.
  • Cast Eye Beam on cooldown
  • Cast Vengeful Retreat on cooldown
  • Cast Essence Break on cooldown
  • Cast Sigil of Spite on cooldown
  • Cast The Hunt on cooldown
  • Cast Death Sweep
  • Cast Annihilation
  • Cast Blade Dance
  • Cast Chaos Strike
  • Cast Sigil of Flame
  • Cast Felblade
  • Cast Fel Rush if everything else is on cooldown and you have no fury
  • Cast Throw Glaive if you are ever out of melee range of your target

Multi-Target

Aldrachi Reaver

Opener

  • Below, you see an example of how your opener looks like using the recommended Multi-Target talent spec.
Havoc Demon Hunter AoE opener in Raids

Multi-Target Priority List

NOTE: ALWAYS CAST CHAOS STRIKE FIRST AFTER CASTING REAVER'S GLAIVE IN AoE SCENARIOS, UNLESS OFF TARGETS ARE NOT IMPORTANT.
!!!! MAKE SURE TO APPLY Reaver's Mark TO THE MOST IMPORTANT TARGET OF THE PACK. !!!!

  • Cast Reaver's Glaive and activate Reaver's Mark on the most important target.
  • Cast Eye Beam on cooldown
  • Cast Vengeful Retreat on cooldown
  • Cast Essence Break on cooldown
  • Cast Sigil of Spite on cooldown
  • Cast The Hunt on cooldown
  • Cast Death Sweep
  • Cast Annihilation
  • Cast Blade Dance
  • Cast Chaos Strike
  • Cast Sigil of Flame
  • Cast Felblade
  • Cast Fel Rush if everything else is on cooldown and you have no fury
  • Cast Throw Glaive if you are ever out of melee range of your target

Deep Dive

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter

Dead or Alive

The most important part of doing damage and being a useful part of your Raid group is staying alive. With movement being a core part of your damage rotation you NEED to always be aware of your surroundings. Do not Fel Rush or Vengeful Retreat into frontal abilities or area of effect zones.

You cannot do damage while you are dead and neither can you stop abilities from going through.

Being able to execute the perfect rotation isn't going to help you if you are lying dead on the floor or if you need externals/healing that your tank would need otherwise.

Making proper use of the Restless Hunter talent

Restless Hunter increases the damage of your next Blade Dance by 50%, however what most people don't know is that Restless Hunter also triggers when you are currently in demon form and activate Metamorphosis.
Additional to that Death Sweep has a small "cast time" or animation window which allows you to benefit of the Restless Hunter talent twice.
The way this works is showcased below, basically you cast Death Sweep, into Vengeful Retreat and animation cancel the Vengeful Retreat with the @Player Metamorphosis Macro from the Macro section and press Death Sweep again.
This is going to take some practice but being able to perform this combination properly greatly increases your overall damage especially if you are combining it with an on use trinket.

Havoc Demon Hunter Restless Hunter rotation

Immolation Aura

Manage your Immolation Aura charges properly as it is the biggest portion of your damage breakdown in AoE scenarios. When you are about to overcap on charges but you don't have Fel Rush charges ready to spend on Inertia uptime just use your Immolation Aura charges and ignore Inertia.

Never overcap on Immolation Aura charges, no matter what!

Initiative Windows

Another important part of your damage is managing your Initiative windows properly. Remember that every single hostile enemy procs Initiative and Vengeful Retreat also resets it on EVERY hostile enemy.

You can optimize this by staying out of range of some enemies to procInitiative again later.

Haste ?!

Even though Haste Sims pretty poorly on paper, it is a great stat for multi target scenarios as it smooths your gameplay out by a lot.

Haste increases the amount of Immolation Aura charges you have as it decreases the recharge time and helps with Fury generation as well as helping you fit more abilities into your Demonic windows.

Understanding Mechanics

Rotational min-maxing is just one aspect of mastering a specialization, but there are numerous other key mechanics that influence your performance. Use the following guides to improve them.

The Liberation of Undermine

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter

The following tips are mainly applicable to Heroic and Mythic Bosses.

← Scroll for more Bosses

Vexie and the Geargrinders
Cauldron of Carnage
Rik Reverb
Stix Bunkjunker
Sprocketmonger Lockenstock
The One-Armed Bandit
Mug'Zee, Heads of Security
Gallywix
Havoc Demon Hunter Vexie and the Geargrinders talents in Raids

Offensive Cooldown Usage

Boss Tips

  • Use your Blur when you get targeted by Incendiary Fire, or Healthstone if you drop too low.
  • When you don't have cooldowns, feel free to jump into the bikes and crash on the boss.
  • Use your Interrupt and Stuns on Pit Mechanics casting Repair.
  • Try to always sync up your cooldowns with Tune-Up.
Havoc Demon Hunter Cauldron of Carnage talents in Raids

Offensive Cooldown Usage

Cauldron of Carnage Havoc Demon Hunter Cooldown Usage

Boss Tips

  • Don't move too much on the monkey side or you will get stunned!
  • Use Blur for Colossal Clash.
  • You can double jump over Flame waves.
Havoc Demon Hunter Cauldron of Carnage talents in Raids

Offensive Cooldown Usage

Rik Reverb Havoc Demon Hunter Cooldown Usage

Boss Tips

  • You can double Jump over the waves in the intermission.
  • When you suck the pillar, make sure to use Blur.
  • Do not stand in front of the boss as his melee attacks are a frontal which also apply a debuff.
  • Do not get hit by sound waves.
Havoc Demon Hunter Stix Bunkjunker talents in Raids

Offensive Cooldown Usage

Stix Bunkjunker Havoc Demon Hunter Cooldown Usage

Boss Tips

  • Use Blur every addwave when the boss casts Incinerator.
  • Use your Interrupt on the Scrapmaster when he casts Scrap Rockets.
Havoc Demon Hunter Sprocketmonger Lockenstock talents in Raids

Offensive Cooldown Usage

Sprocketmonger Lockenstock Havoc Demon Hunter Cooldown Usage

Boss Tips

  • If you are soaking a mine, always use Blur beforehand.
Havoc Demon Hunter The One-Armed Bandit talents in Raids

Offensive Cooldown Usage

The One-Armed Bandit Havoc Demon Hunter Cooldown Usage

Boss Tips

  • Make sure to position yourself next to the Pay-Line to gain High Roller!, this is especially important during your cooldowns.
  • Do not pick up random coins from the mobs if it is not your job to put them in.
Havoc Demon Hunter Mug'Zee, Heads of Security talents in Raids
Havoc Demon Hunter Gallywix talents in Raids

Stat Priority

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter

Understand your secondary stat priority and the tertiary stats needed for optimal performance during Raid boss fights as a Havoc Demon Hunter. For more detailed information, visit the Stats and Attributes guide.

Havoc Demon Hunter Raid Stat Priorities

Higher Item level items are better in most scenarios. For an accurate representation of what item to equip you should use Simcraft! A static "Stat Priority" is just a starting point and can easily shift depending on your individual gear.

  • All secondary stats are affected by diminishing returns. Click here to learn more!

Tertiary

  • Avoidance - Great stat to reduce the damage intake of "Area of Effect" abilities.
  • Leech - Provides additional healing through damage dealing.
  • Speed - Niche tertiary that can be very useful and has been proven useful in the past. Makes playing certain mechanics a lot easier.

Gear

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter
Best in Slot
Farmable Alternatives
SlotItemLocation
HeadFel-Dealer's VisorThe One-Armed Bandit
NeckUndermine Merc's Dog TagsBoE
ShoulderFel-Dealer's Recycled ReaversRik Reverb
CloakChef Chewie's TowelCinderbrew Meadery
ChestFel-Dealer's Soul EngineSprocketmonger Lockenstock
WristRune-Branded ArmbandsCrafting
GlovesTempestwind HandlersThe Rookery
BeltHitman's HolsterMug'Zee
LegsFel-Dealer's Fur KiltStix Bunkjumper
BootsRushed Beta LaunchersSprocketmonger Lockenstock
Ring 1The Jastor DiamondChrome King Gallywix
Ring 2Cyrce's CircletSiren Isle
Trinket 1Improvised Seaforium PacemakerFloodgate
Trinket 2Eye of KezanChrome King Gallywix
WeaponCapo's Molten Knuckles & Everforged WarglaiveMug'Zee & Crafting

Below you are presented with a good list of farmable alternatives that are obtainable outside of WoW’s weekly lockout system. While replaced in time as you progress, these offer immediate character power.

SlotItemLocation
HeadHelm of the Righteous CrusadePriory of the Sacred Flame
NeckUndermine Merc's Dog TagsBoE
ShoulderExtravagant EpauletsMechagon
CloakChef Chewie's TowelCinderbrew Meadery
ChestVenture Co. Plenipotentiary VestMotherlode
WristRune-Branded ArmbandsCrafting
GlovesTempestwind HandlersThe Rookery
BeltGleamkeeper's BuckleDarkflame Cleft
LegsFearless Challenger's LeggingsTheater of Pain
BootsMachinist's Treasured TreadsMechagon
Ring 1Ring of Perpetual ConflictTheater of Pain
Ring 2Cyrce's CircletSiren Isle
Trinket 1Improvised Seaforium PacemakerFloodgate
Trinket 2Azerokk's Resonating HeartMotherlode
WeaponEverforged Warglaive & Sonic Ka-BOOM!-erangCrafting & Floodgate

Trinkets

Below you can find active and passive alternatives to our recommended trinkets. Do note that some trinkets are better than others depending on the raid boss.

Active Trinket alternatives

  • House of Cards
    • On use mastery trinket with baseline mainstat, synergizes very well with the Havoc Demon Hunter bursty profile
  • Signet of the Priory
    • On use trinket with a 2minute cooldown, not quite as strong as House of Cards but easier to use as you can use it with your 2 minute cooldown every time
  • Noggenfogger Ultimate Deluxe
    • Very good 2 minute on use trinket for single target, however hard to get on a high item level as this is delve loot

Passive Trinket alternatives

  • Improvised Seaforium Pacemaker
    • Strongest passive trinket choice, gives you baseline agility and a high amount of crit with very high uptime during ur damage windows
  • Eye of Kezan
    • Strongest trinket for raid and / or prolonged fights, loses a high amount of value in M+ because the stacks drop rapidly when you are out of combat
  • Suspicious Energy Drink
    • passive trinket that procs mastery with a very high uptime

Embellishments

  • 2x Dawnthread Lining
    • It is a good choice if you have over 80% health most of the time and during your cooldowns.
    • The optimal slots to craft on are Wrists, Boots, Waist, or Cloak depending on your available gear.

Honorable mention

  • Darkmoon Sigil: Vivacity
  • Darkmoon Sigil: Ascension
  • Blessed Weapon Grip

Remaining Sparks

  • Crafted items are 675 item level and regular items are 678 on max item level, therefore, it's not beneficial to equip crafted items outside of your 2x embellishments unless you don't have access to other high item level gear on that slot.

Simcraft

To find the best combination of gear available to you or identify the best possible upgrades, visit our Simcraft guide to learn how to utilize Simcraft easily and effectively.

Consumables

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter
  • Phials
    • Flask of Alchemical Chaos -- maximum DPS.
    • Flask of Tempered Versatility -- less DPS but more survivability.
  • Food
    • Feast of the Divine Day
  • Combat Potion
    • Tempered Potion
  • Health Potion
    • Algari Healing Potion -- a big burst of healing
  • Weapon
    • Algari Mana Oil
  • Augment Rune
    • Crystallized Augment Rune
  • Sockets
    • Masterful Ruby
    • Culminating Blasphemite -- Unique, use one of each gem color to enhance your Culminating Blasphemite.
      • Deadly Sapphire
      • Deadly Emerald
      • Deadly Onyx

Enchantments

HeadS.A.D.
NeckMagnificent Jeweler's Setting 2x
CloakEnchant Cloak - Chant of Winged Grace
ChestEnchant Chest - Crystalline Radiance
WristEnchant Bracer - Chant of Armored Avoidance
S.A.D.
WaistS.A.D.
LegsDefender's Armor Kit
BootsEnchant Boots - Defender's March
Ring 1Enchant Ring - Radiant Critical Strike
Magnificent Jeweler's Setting 2x
Ring 2Enchant Ring - Radiant Critical Strike
Magnificent Jeweler's Setting 2x
Weapon1x Enchant Weapon - Council's Guile & 1x Enchant Weapon - Stonebound Artistry
Havoc Demon Hunter Enchantments in Raid

You buy S.A.D. from the Great Vault Vendor to add sockets to your Helm, Wrists & Waist.

Races

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter

For min-maxing a Havoc Demon Hunter in raiding, different racial traits can provide a tremendous benefit to your characters. If this is not your top goal, picking a race that fits your style works just as well.

  • Shadowmeld -- Nightelf
    • Provides nothing in Raid, but can be useful in Mythic+ in very niche situations.
  • Arcane Torrent -- Bloodelf
    • Removes 1 beneficial effect from hostile targets around you.
    • Generates 15 Fury.

Recommendation

It does not really matter which Race you chose for Havoc Demon Hunter, as both provide about the same DPS benefits, it is however advised to go Bloodelf as Arcane Torrent might come in handy in some situations where you need a quick AoE purge and can be used to gain 15 Fury while you are out of range of any target in combat.

Macros

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter

Discover recommended macros for Havoc Demon Hunter during Raid encounters and watch a quick video guide on creating simple macros for your character.

Macro Import Guide Video

Addons

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter

Below, you see a screenshot of the author's User Interface for their Havoc Demon Hunter, outlining which addons are used and how they are utilized in Raids to make your life easier.

Changes this Patch

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter

FAQ

Patch 11.1 - Undermine(d)
Havoc Demon Hunter

Credits

Written By: Nicememes

Reviewed By: Kush

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