The Shadow’s Mantle

Shadow's Mantle

This Demon Hunter set turns Impale into a devastating single-target burst and requires you to wield a melee weapon. While carrying one, several of your projectile skills hit considerably harder, but the real damage source is the massively amplified Impale, which all but pulverizes the first enemy it strikes. So you can pull this off seamlessly, Shadow Power stays permanently active and grants you every rune effect at once — delivering mobility, defense, and resource supply in one package.

The playstyle is that of an assassin: close in on the target, unload Impale, move to the next. When itemizing, deliberately make sure you use a melee weapon rather than a ranged one, because without it the set's central damage bonus fizzles out entirely.

Shadow Power without an end

Normally Shadow Power lasts 5 seconds and costs 14 Discipline. At four pieces it stays active permanently and carries every rune: Gloom reduces your damage taken by 35%, Shadow Glide increases your movement speed by 30%, Blood Moon doubles your Life per Hit, and Night Bane slows enemies within 30 yards by 80%. A single skill thus replaces several defensive and mobility effects.

First target, further targets

The 6-piece bonus makes a distinction: the first enemy hit takes an additional 120,000% weapon damage, every further one 40,000%. Plain Impale only strikes one enemy. For the second value to matter at all, you need a rune such as Overpenetration (pierces every enemy in a line) or Ricochet (bounces to 2 more enemies up to 20 yards apart). Grievous Wounds instead bets on 330% extra damage on critical hits.

The set's other skills

Besides Impale, the 2-piece bonus boosts Bolas, Chakram and Fan of Knives by 6000% – but only with a melee weapon. Bolas generates 4 Hatred, or 7 with Thunder Ball, which funds the 20 Hatred each Impale costs. In Kanai's Cube the set is often combined with Dawn, Echoing Fury and the Ring of Royal Grandeur.

by eRnstl