Steady Aim

Steady Aim

Steady Aim is an offensive passive that boosts all of your damage as long as no enemies are right next to you. It rewards a controlled, ranged playstyle where you pin foes down from a safe distance with bow, crossbow or turrets – exactly the position the fragile Demon Hunter wants anyway.

The slot is most worthwhile in builds that reliably keep enemies at bay, whether through sheer range, stationary Sentries, or constant kiting. In melee-heavy playstyles or against mechanics that force you into packs, the bonus often drops and the passive loses value. So you pick it deliberately for ranged profiles where you can consistently maintain distance and the flat damage bonus stays up permanently.

The condition in practice

The 20% bonus to all damage applies as long as no enemy is within 10 yards. That is a small radius: enemies shooting at you from afar do not disturb the bonus – only those that get truly close switch it off, and a single enemy in that zone is enough. Steady Aim unlocks at level 16 and so accompanies you through almost all of levelling.

Tools that secure your distance

• Vault takes you out of the close zone with a single leap.
• Caltrops slows approaching enemies before they reach you.
• Thrill of the Hunt slows every enemy your Hatred spenders hit.
• Smoke Screen lets you vanish briefly when you do get caught.

Where the passive fits poorly

Some playstyles directly contradict the condition. The Shadow's Mantle set requires a melee weapon for its 2-piece bonus, and Caltrops' Bait the Trap rune rewards standing inside your own trap area, which enemies walk into. Brooding pulls in a different direction as well: it rewards standing still, while Steady Aim often demands backing away. In such combinations, a different passive slot usually gives you more.

by eRnstl