Ambush

Ambush

Ambush is an offensive passive for the Demon Hunter that noticeably raises your damage against high-health enemies. The bonus only applies while a target sits above a certain health threshold, which makes the skill ideal for the opening phase of a fight. You benefit most precisely when an enemy is still fresh and you want to land that first hard hit.

The passive is especially valuable in builds that bring enemies down quickly from full health, such as bursting elite packs or bosses at the start. In long fights where targets linger at low health, it loses effectiveness. If you rely on high peak damage and fast kills, a slot is almost always justified; in pure attrition builds there are often more fitting alternatives.

What the 75% threshold means

Ambush grants 40% additional damage while an enemy is above 75% health, which is only the first quarter of its health bar. The consequence: if an enemy dies to a single hit from full health, that whole hit counts. Against regular enemies that drop to one volley, the bonus therefore applies almost every time. Against tough targets only the start of the fight benefits. In group play enemy health falls faster, so the window closes sooner.

Not before level 64

The passive unlocks at level 64. Until then you level without it; it matters in the endgame, when you clear packs quickly with big hits.

Cull the Weak and Vengeance as complements

Cull the Weak is the counterpart with a different condition: it raises damage against slowed or chilled enemies and keeps working long after Ambush's health threshold has been crossed. Vengeance boosts your damage for its duration, making the opening volley hit even harder. Smoke Screen, Shadow Power and Preparation often share the bar, and Tactical Advantage is the usual movement passive next to it.

by eRnstl