Shadowlands Demon Hunter Leveling Guide & Best Leveling Spec 8-60

By Neryssa Updated: 2020/12/03

Important Changes to Leveling a Demon Hunter in the Shadowlands Pre-Patch

Demon Hunters now start at level 8, instead of starting relatively close to the level cap.

There is a new tab on your spellbook between General and your talent specialization, simply titled "Demon Hunter". These are abilities that are now shared by all Demon Hunters, regardless of what specialization they are in.

New Demon Hunters will not begin in a default spec (Havoc). Until they are allowed to choose a spec at level 10, their abilities are drawn from the general Demon Hunter abilities available to all specializations.

Experienced Demon Hunters will notice some talents have been reworked or rearranged, and may require re-acquiring some talents.

Fury is now the shared resource for both Havoc and Vengeance Demon Hunters, with Pain no longer being used by Vengeance.

Best Demon Hunter Leveling Spec in ShadowlandsDemonic AppetiteSoul RendingFel RushVengeful RetreatSoul CleaveChoosing a Demon Hunter Specialization

Havoc: Use Demon's Bite and Immolation Aura to generate Fury and spend it on abilities like Eye Beam, Blade Dance or Chaos Strike. You can empower your abilities temporarily by transforming them with Metamorphosis, and at higher levels, you are able to learn powerful defensive abilities such as Darkness, which will grant you and your allies a chance of having attacks against you miss.

Vengeance: Use Shear and Immolation Aura to generate Fury and spend it on offensive abilities like Soul Cleave and Fel Devastation or defensive abilities like Demon Spikes. At higher levels you have access to many sigil abilities that will help you control mobs, like Sigil of Flame to deal damage, Sigil of Misery to disorient targets around you, or Sigil of Silence to silence mobs around you.

Choosing a Race for Your Demon Hunter in ShadowlandsAlliance

Night Elf

Horde

Blood Elf

Best Demon Hunter Leveling Talents in ShadowlandsSuggested Havoc Demon Hunter Leveling Talents in Shadowlands

Level 15 Talents:
Demonic Appetite is a great sustain option, as it allows you to create Lesser Soul Fragments with Chaos Strike. Soul Fragments both heal you and grant you Fury, so this talent will significantly improve your self-sustain while leveling.

Blind Fury is a great talent option if you feel like you do not need the added sustainability from Demonic Appetite, as it not only improves the duration of Eye Beam, but grants the ability some Fury generation as well.

Felblade is not really a strong talent for Havoc Demon Hunters, as it is already rather easy to get a lot of Fury very fast without it, especially when compared against Blind Fury.

Level 25 Talents:

Burning Hatred grants Immolation Aura even more Fury when used, and is a no-brainer of a talent to pick in this row.

Insatiable Hunger is not that great of a talent option, as a 20% damage increase isn't that significant for Demon's Bite, and the random generation will make your Fury generation even less controlled and easier to overcap on accident.

Demon Blades is a very weak talent simply because it makes your Fury generation completely random.

Level 30 Talents:

Unbound Chaos will grant your Immolation Aura some synergy with Fel Rush by making it deal significant damage to the enemies at the end of Fel Rush's path, making this talent a great offensive option for Fel Rush.

Trail of Ruin is a more passive option to deal AOE damage by adding it to the end of Blade Dance, and not a bad talent pick if you're having issues using Unbound Chaos to its full potential.

Glaive Tempest is not a bad talent take, but will deal less damage in the long run than both Unbound Chaos or Trail of Ruin.

Level 35 Talents:

Soul Rending will greatly improve your sustainability by granting you passive Leech and even more Leech when Metamorphosis is active. A really strong leveling talent option.

Desperate Instincts is a good improvement for Blur, but the fact that you can end up triggering it automatically when falling below a certain health threshold means you can have it be on cooldown on dangerous moments.

Netherwalk is a very niche talent for leveling, as you're rendered unable to attack while under Netherwalk.

Level 40 Talents:

First Blood greatly improves your Blade Dance by significantly cutting its Fury cost and improving its damage against a single target. Must-pick talent.

Cycle of Hatred can be a good talent to improve how often you use Eye Beam, but as Chaos Strike has only a 20% chance to refund Fury, this talent isn't the most reliable to take.

Essence Break is not that great of a talent pick, as it doesn't deal as much damage on its own, especially when compared to First Blood.

Level 45 Talents:

Fel Eruption is a great talent that adds another CC on your arsenal, making it a good option for leveling.

Unleashed Power can be a good option if you're using Chaos Nova often. Not that strong for solo leveling, but a solid option if you're doing dungeons.

Master of the Glaive grants a slow to your Throw Glaive, as well as an extra charge. Not that bad of a talent, but weaker when compared to the other 2 talents in the row.

Level 50 Talents:

Demonic is an incredibly strong talent that causes you to gain some burst at the end of Eye Beam, by putting you into Metamorphosis for a few seconds. An incredibly strong talent.

Exergy can be a good option if you want to grant some offensive benefits to Fel Rush and Vengeful Retreat, but can be a bit of a complicated talent to use for newcomer Demon Hunters.

Fel Barrage deals solid damage on a relatively low cooldown, but will grant you less damage in the long run than Demonic.

Suggested Vengeance Demon Hunter Leveling Talents in Shadowlands

Level 15 Talents:
Abyssal Strike grants a lot of benefits to your Infernal Strike with a reduced cooldown and an automatic Sigil of Flame at the impact area. Simple, yet very effective talent.

Agonizing Flames is a good talent that grants extra damage to Immolation Aura, but the movement speed isn't really very good for a class that already has a lot of movement speed.

Felblade is not really a strong talent for Vengeance Demon Hunters, as the other talents in the row will grant more benefits, especially in the AOE area.

Level 25 Talents:

Fallout grants your Immolation Aura some extra survivability by granting it a chance to generate Lesser Soul Fragments from enemies.

Feast of Souls grants extra healing to your Soul Cleave, but the healing on this talent is quite weak, especially compared to how much you get from Soul Fragments from the base ability.

Burning Alive will grant some more damage to your Fiery Brand against multiple enemies, but the benefits pale in comparison to the other talents in this row.

Level 30 Talents:

Spirit Bomb is a really strong offensive talent that takes full advantage of any Soul Fragments generated from your Shear, using them to explode into damage. This talent can be a bit complicated to use early on, but it will be great in the long run.

Infernal Armor is not that great of an option talent-wise for leveling. Although the defensive offensive granted to Immolation Aura is significant, the offensive benefit is very weak at best.

Charred Flesh is also not that great of a leveling talent, as Immolation Aura won't stay up often enough to significantly increase the duration of your Fiery Brand.

Level 35 Talents:

Fracture replaces Shear as a stronger Fury and Soul Fragment generator. Because of the extra fragments Fracture generates, this talent synergizes very well with Spirit Bomb.

Soul Rending is a decent talent that grants you some extra leech, but with the healing generated from Soul Fragments, this is a weak talent for Vengeance.

Feed the Demon can be a good talent option if you are using Demon Spikes often, but very weak if not the case.

Level 40 Talents:

Sigil of Chains is a very strong talent in both solo and dungeon leveling, as it pulls targets to the sigil's location and allows you to more easily AOE them down thanks to the snare component of the sigil.

Concentrated Sigils makes Sigils a bit more straightforward by simply targeting them at your location, but you do lose some flexibility by not being able to aim them at other places.

Quickened Sigils can be a strong option if you're using all of your sigils often, but very weak if not the case.

Level 45 Talents:

Demonic is an incredibly strong talent that causes you to gain some defensive benefits at the end of Fel Devastation, by putting you into Metamorphosis for a few seconds. An incredibly strong talent.

Void Reaver is not a great defensive option for the tier, as the damage reduction from Soul Cleave is negligible at best.

Soul Barrier seems like a good talent on paper, but considering the shield provided from this talent is fueled by nearby Soul Fragments, you lose out on using them offensively or defensively.

Level 50 Talents:

Bulk Extraction is a great defensive talent that allows you to instantly extract Soul Fragments and use them for your own consumption.

Last Resort can save you from death by instantly putting you into Metamorphosis instead, but the long cooldown and the fact that you do have many ways to save yourself outside of this talent makes this a fairly weak choice for leveling.

Ruinous Bulwark can be an interesting talent that grants more defensive benefits to your Fel Devastation.

Best Demon Hunter Leveling Rotation in ShadowlandsThrow GlaiveDemon's BiteImmolation Aura

Eye Beam if it's available;

Blade Dance if Eye Beam is on cooldown;

Chaos Strike if both Eye Beam and Blade Dance are on cooldown.

Elite Mobs:MetamorphosisBlurDarknessFel RushVengeful RetreatLots of small mobs:Immolation AuraEye BeamBlade DanceChaos NovaDungeons:Chaos NovaConsume MagicDisruptThrow GlaiveShearImmolation AuraSoul CleaveFiery BrandSigil of FlameElite Mobs:Demon SpikesMetamorphosisSigil of MiseryInfernal StrikeLots of small mobs:Immolation AuraSigil of FlameInfernal StrikeChaos NovaDungeons:TormentChaos NovaSigil of MiserySigil of SilenceDemon Hunter Dungeon Leveling in ShadowlandsThis may be nerfed prior to release, so do not count on this technique being available unless it is still in place when the pre-patch goes live.

Vengeance is the spec to go with for dungeon leveling. Dungeon queues are perpetually short of tanks, so you'll find yourself getting a group nearly instantly, instead of having to wait 15 minutes (or longer) for a group as a DPS class.

As a tank in a dungeon, your main job is to ensure mobs are hitting you and not your group, and because of this, you likely dictate the pace of the dungeon. Make sure you don't pull too much to not strain yourself and watch your healer's mana to ensure they don't strain themselves!

Havoc Demon Hunters are also be useful in a dungeon leveling setting, just be mindful that you will not be able to get into dungeons super fast due to being a DPS specialization. You will want to quest while waiting for dungeon queues to maximize your leveling time.

Best Weapons and Gear For Leveling a Demon Hunter in WoW Shadowlands Demon Hunter Heirlooms in Shadowlands

2 Pieces: Rested experience consumed is reduced by 30%.

3 Pieces: Increases your out-of-combat regeneration in the outdoors, normal dungeons and battlegrounds.

5 Pieces: Gaining a level triggers Burst of Knowledge, dealing 6546 Holy damage to nearby enemies and granting you 40% $pri for 2 min. Defeating enemies extends this effect, up to an additional 2 min.

6 Pieces: Rested experience consumed is reduced by 30%.

Helm: Preened Tribal War Feathers or Stained Shadowcraft Cap

Necklace: Eternal Will of the Martyr or Man'ari Training Amulet

Shoulder: Preened Ironfeather Shoulders or Stained Shadowcraft Spaulders

Cloak: Inherited Cape of the Black Baron or Stone Guard's Bladed Cloak/Banded Gilnean Cloak

Chest: Preened Ironfeather Breastplate or Stained Shadowcraft Tunic

Legs: Preened Wildfeather Leggings or Stained Shadowcraft Pants

Rings: Admiral Taylor's Loyalty Ring and Dread Pirate Ring

Trinkets: Swift Hand of Justice and Touch of the Void

Weapon: 2 One-Handed Weapons, either Venerable Dal'Rend's Sacred Charge, Battleworn Thrash Blade or Brawler's Razor Claws

Chauffeured ChopperHeirloom HoarderRelics of the Past

Relic of the Past I: Set the Item Level to 23 and the Required Level to 15.

Relic of the Past II: Set the Item Level to 33 and the Required Level to 25.

Relic of the Past III: Set the Item Level to 43 and the Required Level to 35.

Relic of the Past IV: Set the Item Level to 56 and the Required Level to 45.

Relic of the Past V: Set the Item Level to 100 and the Required Level to 50.

Stat Weights while Leveling in ShadowlandsBest Demon Hunter Leveling Professions in ShadowlandsSkinningLeatherworkingLevel 60 Legendary ArmorHerbalismAlchemyMiningHerbalismEnchantingBest Demon Hunter Questing Path in Shadowlands

Levels 8-10: Mardum, the Shattered Abyss

Levels 10-50: Battle for Azeroth zones or other expansion zones via Chromie Time

Levels 50-60: Shadowlands Storyline or Threads of Fate

Threads of Fate LevelingShadowlands Demon Hunter Leveling Gameplay MechanicsUsing Fury on your Demon HunterFuryDemon's BiteChaos StrikeA Demon Hunter and their resource bar, Fury.Demon Hunter UtilityFel RushInfernal StrikeDouble JumpGlideDisruptImprisonChaos NovaChaos BrandDarknessConsume MagicSigil of MiserySigil of SilenceShadowlands Demon Hunter Class AbilitiesStarting Abilities

Fel Rush, an ability that rushes you forward and deals damage to enemies in your path.

Demon's Bite, an ability that deals Physical damage and generates Fury.

Chaos Strike, an ability that uses Fury to deal Chaos damage.

Glide, an ability that allows you to open your wings to reduce your speed when falling.

Spectral Sight, an ability that allows you to see enemies and treasures through walls, as well as detect stealthed and invisible units.

Shattered Souls, a passive effect that allows you to create Soul Fragments when killing enemies sometimes. Approaching a Soul Fragment heals you.

Double Jump, a passive effect that allows you to jump a second time while in the air.

Immolation Aura (from Eye On the Prize), an ability that engulfs you in flames and deals Fire damage to enemies around you.

Disrupt (from Before We're Overrun), an ability that interrupts spellcasts from enemies.

Throw Glaive (from Hidden No More), an ability that throws your glaives at a target.

Metamorphosis (from Fel Secrets), an ability that temporarily transforms you into a demon and empowers your basic abilities.

Vengeful Retreat (from Stop Gul'dan!), an ability that makes you leap backwards.

Chaos Nova (from Forged in Fire), an ability that deals damage and stuns enemies around you.

General Demon Hunter Class Abilities

Torment (level 9): Taunts the target to attack you.

Demonic Wards (level 13, Passive): Your tattoos reduce magic damage taken by 5%.

Consume Magic (level 17): Consume 1 beneficial Magic effect removing it from the target.

Immolation Aura (level 18, Rank 2): Immolation Aura instantly causes light Fire damage to enemies within 8 yards.

Bouncing Glaives (level 19, Rank 2): Throw Glaive ricochets to an additional target.

Disrupting Fury (level 29, Rank 2): Disrupt generates 30 Fury on a successful interrupt.

Imprison (level 34): Imprisons a demon, beast, or humanoid, incapacitating them for 1 min. Damage will cancel the effect. Limit 1.

Swallowed Anger (level 37, Rank 2): Consume Magic generates 20 Fury when a beneficial Magic effect is successfully removed from the target.

Spectral Sight (level 42, Rank 2): Reduces the cooldown of Spectral Sight by 30 sec.

Improved Disrupt (level 46, Rank 3): Increases the range of Disrupt to 10 yards.

Chaos Brand (level 49, Passive): Your damage brands the target, increasing magic damage taken by 5%.

Havoc Demon Hunter Class Abilities

Mastery: Demonic Presence (level 10, Mastery): Increases your Chaos damage by 14.0%.

Eye Beam (level 11): Blasts all enemies in front of you for moderate Chaos damage over 2 sec. Deals reduced damage to secondary targets.

Blade Dance (level 12): Strike 5 nearby enemies for moderate Physical damage.

Critical Chaos (level 14, Rank 2): Increases the chance that Chaos Strike will refund 20 Fury by 20%.

(level 20, Rank 2): The Demon Hunter gains an additional 25% Haste during Metamorphosis.

Blur (level 21): Increases your chance to dodge by 50% for 10 sec.

Blade Dance (level 22, Rank 2): Reduces the cooldown of Blade Dance by 6 sec.

Looks Can Kill (level 23, Rank 2): Eye Beam deals guaranteed critical strikes.

Immolation Aura (level 27, Rank 3): Increases the duration of Immolation Aura by 100%.

Blazing Path (level 28, Rank 2): Fel Rush gains an additional charge.

Improved Warding (NYI) (level 28, Rank 2): Your tattoos reduce magic damage taken by 10%.

Unrestrained Fury (level 32, Passive): Increases maximum Fury by 10.

(level 33, Rank 2): Blur also reduces all damage taken by 20% for 10 sec.

Chaos Fragments (level 38, Rank 2): Each enemy stunned by Chaos Nova has a 30% chance to generate a Lesser Soul Fragment.

Darkness (level 39): Summons darkness around you in an 8 yd radius, granting friendly targets a 20% chance to avoid all damage from an attack. Lasts 8 sec.

Vengeful Bonds (level 41, Rank 2): Vengeful Retreat reduces the movement speed of all nearby enemies by 70% for 3 sec.

Unrestrained Fury (level 43, Passive, Rank 2): Increases maximum Fury by 10.

Pursuit (level 44, Mastery, Rank 2): Mastery increases your movement speed.

Darkness (level 47, Rank 2): Reduces the cooldown of Darkness by 120 sec.

Rush of Chaos (level 48, Rank 3): Reduces the cooldown of Metamorphosis by 60 sec.

Improved Fel Rush (level 52, Rank 3): Fel Rush damage increased by 25%.

Metamorphosis (level 54, Rank 4): When you activate Metamorphosis, the cooldown of Eye Beam and Blade Dance is immediately reset.

Improved Chaos Strike (level 56, Rank 3): Chaos Strike damage increased by 10%.

Furious Gaze (level 58, Passive): When Eye Beam finishes fully channeling, your Haste is increased by an additional 15% for 12 sec.

Vengeance Demon Hunter Class Abilities

Shear (level 10): Shears an enemy for light Physical damage, and shatters a Lesser Soul Fragment from your target. Generates 10 Fury.

Infernal Strike (level 10): Leap through the air toward a targeted location, dealing light Fire damage to all enemies within 6 yards.

Demon Spikes (level 10): Surge with fel power, increasing your Armor for a few seconds. Max 2 Charges.

Soul Cleave (level 10): Viciously strike 5 enemies in front of you for moderate Physical damage and heal yourself. Consumes up to 2 Soul Fragments within 25 yds.

Fiery Brand (level 10): Brand an enemy with a demonic symbol, instantly dealing moderate Fire damage. The enemy's damage done to you is reduced by 40% for 8 sec.

Thick Skin (level 10, Passive): Fel energy thickens your skin to demonic proportions, increasing your Stamina by 65% and your Armor by 100%.

Shattered Souls (level 10, Passive): Killing a target will sometimes shatter their soul, leaving a Soul Fragment behind for 20 sec. The Soul Fragment will be consumed when you approach it, healing you for moderate health. Consuming a Lesser Soul Fragment heals you for 6% of all damage taken in the last 5 sec, minimum 1% of maximum health. Consuming a Demon's soul will grant you 20% increased damage for 15 sec.

Mastery: Fel Blood (level 10, Mastery): Increases the Armor bonus of Demon Spikes by an additional 24.0% of your Agility.

Fel Devastation (level 11): Unleash the fel within you, damaging enemies directly in front of you for moderate Fire damage over 2 sec.

Sigil of Flame (level 12): Place a Sigil of Flame at the target location that activates after 2 sec. Deals light Fire damage to all enemies affected by the sigil.

Demonic Wards (level 13, Passive): Your tattoos reduce all damage taken by 5%.

Soul Cleave (level 14, Rank 2): Soul Cleave heals for an additional amount for each Soul Fragment consumed.

Metamorphosis (level 20, Rank 2): Reduces the cooldown of Metamorphosis by 60 sec.

Sigil of Misery (level 21): Place a Sigil of Misery at the target location that activates after 2 sec. Causes all enemies affected by the sigil to cower in fear, disorienting them for 20 sec.

Sigil of Flame (level 22, Rank 2): Sigil of Flame deals additional light Fire damage over 6 sec, to all enemies affected by the sigil.

Fel Devastation (level 23, Rank 2): Fel Devastation damage also heals you for moderate health.

Immolation Aura (level 27, Rank 3): Reduces the cooldown of Immolation Aura by 15 sec.

Demonic Wards (level 28, Passive, Rank 2): Your tattoos reduce all damage taken by 10%.

Infernal Strike (level 28, Rank 2): Infernal Strike gains an additional charge.

Perfectly Balanced Glaive (level 32, Rank 3): Reduces the cooldown of Throw Glaive by 6 sec.

Improved Sigil of Misery (level 33, Rank 2): Reduces the cooldown of Sigil of Misery by 90 sec.

Fiery Brand (level 38, Rank 2): Fiery Brand deals additional Fire damage every 2 sec.

Sigil of Silence (level 39): Place a Sigil of Silence at the target location that activates after 2 sec. Silences all enemies affected by the sigil for 6 sec.

Demon Spikes (level 41, Rank 2): Demon Spikes also increases your Parry chance by 15% for 6 sec.

Demonic Wards (level 43, Passive, Rank 3): Your tattoos reduce all damage taken by 15%.

Mastery: Fel Blood (level 44, Mastery, Rank 2): Mastery increases your Attack Power.

Metamorphosis (level 48, Rank 3): While transformed, Shear and Fracture generate 20 additional Fury. The cooldown of Metamorphosis is reduced by 60 sec.

Sigil of Silence (level 48, Rank 2): Reduces the cooldown of Sigil of Silence by 60 sec.

Infernal Strike (level 52, Rank 3): Infernal Strike damage increased by 25%.

Fiery Brand (level 54, Rank 3): The duration of Fiery Brand is increased by 2 sec.

Focused Cleave (level 56, Rank 3): Soul Cleave damage increased by 10%.

Revel in Pain (level 58, Passive): When Fiery Brand expires on your primary target, you gain a shield that absorbs up some damage for 15 sec, based on your damage dealt to them while Fiery Brand was active.

Shadowlands Demon Hunter End-Game GuidesDemon Hunter DPS Max Level Guides for ShadowlandsHavoc Demon Hunter Shadowlands GuideDemon Hunter Tank Max Level Guides for ShadowlandsVengeance Demon Hunter Shadowlands Guide

Comments

Comment by SoulEatr69

This guide does nothing for lvling 110-120. Its great for 98-110. You should change the name.

Comment by daros

What Legendary you would suggest for leveling ( not the DPS in dungeons, but quality and speed of dealing with quests and whole leveling process)

Comment by Zernabog

Vengeance demon hunters cannot use chaos nova.

Comment by CptPoroPlank

Typo @ Talent Overview, lvl180 instead of 108

Comment by BourbonEater

Is anyone else finding in the pre-patch that Demon Hunter levelling is defaulting to Legion rather than BfA?

Comment by Amrom

Since it is not mentioned under Professions:
To speed up leveling up to the new end content, you should pick Mining & Herbalism until you head into the SL-Zones. Picking a herb and mining ore gives a rather high amount of XP (five gatherings equal about the same XP as a median quest) - to a degree that it's faster to just dash around and mine/gather than actually kiling mobs and doing quests. Skinning and Enchanting just don't give XP.

When heading into the new content just dismiss mining and or herbalism and take the guides advice.

Just for the lulz: Archaeology also yields XP when surveying a digsite. But I'm just not into it and I don't think it has a major effect on leveling speed - although two findings yield roughly the same amount XP as a normal quest.

Comment by Raelyan

Ty for the guide. The "Vengeance Demon Hunter Shadowlands Guide" link sends you to the wrong guide btw.

Comment by sofibo12345

this guide was very helpful thanks for posting it

Comment by Bic55

I can't seem to find an answer or reason to this and perhaps it's a silly question, but why does Shivarra, Ur'zul and Felguard demons attack me randomly? Even in dungeons they suddenly show up and attack me. Why? For the love of GOD...why? Thanks in advance.

Comment by SharGanz

The beginning of the guide says, "teaching beginners how to operate the Demon Hunter, masters of the holy light"... I think some c+v mistake happened here, as Demon Hunters definitely do NOT use the holy light, but rather the Fel.

Shadowlands Demon Hunter Leveling Guide & Best Leveling Spec 8-60

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