Thrill of the Hunt

Thrill of the Hunt

Thrill of the Hunt is a controlling passive that slows every enemy struck by one of your Hatred spenders. Since practically all of your damage skills trigger the effect, you keep whole packs throttled permanently with no extra effort. For the fragile Demon Hunter this slow is a valuable safety net that holds enemies at a distance and under control.

The slot is most worthwhile in ranged and kiting builds where you rely on throttled enemies to keep the distance you need and deal damage undisturbed. In very fast wipe builds, where foes die instantly anyway, the benefit is smaller. So you pick this passive when control and cleanly separating enemies are central to your playstyle.

What triggers it – and what does not

The description is clear: only hits from Hatred spenders Slow enemies by 80% for 2 seconds. Primary skills that generate Hatred, such as Evasive Fire, do not trigger it, and neither do Discipline skills like Smoke Screen or Preparation. Since the slow lasts only 2 seconds, you need a steady stream of spender hits to keep it from lapsing.

Thrill of the Hunt unlocks as early as level 10, so it is available early in levelling, when enemies still catch up with you more easily.

Multishot as the ideal trigger

Among the partners is Multishot, a Hatred spender that hits many enemies at once. Each of those hits applies the slow – a single shot brakes an entire pack. That is the real value of the passive: the control comes without an extra button, attached directly to your main damage.

Slows as a prerequisite for other passives

Slowed enemies meet the condition of other passives. Numbing Traps makes enemies you Slow deal less damage, and Cull the Weak increases your damage against Slowed targets. Thrill of the Hunt therefore lays the foundation those passives build on. Ambush often fills another passive slot, with Vengeance among the active skills.

by eRnstl