Diablo® III

I have been fiddling around the skill calculator a while. I think a viable melee build is possible.

http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#WceSUk!cUX!aYYcab

My focus is close range damage with constant stunnig, fast attack speed, fast hatred regen and allow DH maneuver between packs of monster easily with smoke screen.

The build routine fighting style would be:

1. Cast "Mark of Death with Contagion on a weaker mob
2. Cast Shadow Power with Gloom to add 65% dodge
3. Charge toward the mob (If the mobs are heavy ranged damage dealer, use "Smoke Screen" to approach them and cast " Stun Grenades" (If no one is stunned, cast it again)
4. Kill The "Marked" mob first, so the Contagion would spread to 8 other mobs
5. Engage the pack of mobs with "Hail of Knives" (With Contagion and Cull the Weak, Hail of Knives will now be ever more effective)
6. Now it's just switching between "Hail of Knives" and basic attack with "Fundamentals" to regain Hatred quickly, until all mobs in your vicinity is dead. (Ideally, pick off stronger mob with your fast basic attack, and leave the weaker ones for the AOE attack.)

When things get grim, I can use Preparation to instantly regain 55% of health. If it gets really devastating, I just cast "Smoke Screen" to maneuver myself out of danger.

Sounds viable to me. All I need is some standard gears like a good pair of fast sword/dagger and some good armour with resistances.

My only concern is I don't know how much damage Fan of Knives can actually do in high end content.

Let's call this build... the "FOK-me-a-river"

Looks pretty nice, though I can see a problem with high-health mobs; you don't seem to have very much single target damage, or even damage at all. Only two damage skills, and none of them scale with weapon damage.

Anyways, if anyones interested, here's my own take of a melee demon hunter: http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#VcfUei!WXe!aabZcY

I'm a bit sceptical about the fan of knives build; anyone knows if it means it will only be used once for the duration, or if it will shoot knives every time your hit?

Passive " Fundamental" add 100% damage to your standard attack skill. And with Sharpshooter, you should critical strike very often. Also with the extra 40% dmg from Cull the Weak and Marked Death.

Fan of Knives can also be runed to have a scalable damage with weapon attribute.

So the only concern is will I be able to find a good fast high damage 1h sword in the game.

Even if the damage is acceptable, this build will still be a challenge. Melee DH is definitely not a newbie and a build without pre-existing farmed gears.

My concept of a melee build is fastest duel weld sword attack, couple of fans of knives to avoid getting overwhelm. Don't forget Stun generate does damage as well :) and I can always re-rune my Smoke Screen to have poison gas instead of increase run speed.

Of course, a concept is a concept, no way of proving it will work until I can try.

Looks pretty nice, though I can see a problem with high-health mobs; you don't seem to have very much single target damage, or even damage at all. Only two damage skills, and none of them scale with weapon damage.

Anyways, if anyones interested, here's my own take of a melee demon hunter: http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#VcfUei!WXe!aabZcY

I'm a bit sceptical about the fan of knives build; anyone knows if it means it will only be used once for the duration, or if it will shoot knives every time your hit?

Btw, how can you be a melee hero if you use mutli shot and impale? :D So the skills allow you to shoot arrows out of swords?

Well, it's not really just a melee build, but the runes and skills makes it best for you to stand in melee range, since all my damage skills do damage around me

15/09/2011 16:20Posted by Airbag

Well, it's not really just a melee build, but the runes and skills makes it best for you to stand in melee range, since all my damage skills do damage around me

LOL. I see. Fair enough.

I was aiming to create a DH not using any arrow skill and still make it work.

I don't think it would be viable in the long run, DH just don't seem to have enough sustainable defence.

Nice build but i still expect new character or option for melee non brutal character like demon hunter