Basic Math - The Failure of Diablo Melee

[Roland]

DH sentry has a relatively short range 15% less damage taken shield... not many use this skill...

Not many use this skill because, just like it's cousin Aid Station, it is completely worthless. In order for it to be effective you have to stand within the bubble. Unless you're a melee character (who can probably tank the mobs anyway, and if you can't 15% reduced damage is not going to make a big enough difference) you will never be in that bubble more than 5 cumulative seconds in an entire fight, and 90% of that time will be spent kiting - thus not getting hit. Same thing with Aid Station - 1% max life regen is paltry considering how standing still will probably lose you between 4k and 15k life in a single hit. There's literally no incentive to use any of them, because they simply don't work as they were envisioned. The Demon Hunter needs some major attention in both its active and passive skills. As it stands right now, it's one of the weakest classes in the game - especially when it comes to parties.

Of course, I love my Demon Hunter, even in Inferno. I WANT to get something more sturdy like a Barbarian up into Inferno so I can actually farm the way the game intends me to, but I just can't give up playing a high-level Demon Hunter. It's the class I want to play, and despite all its problems I thoroughly enjoy playing. However, it's probably the weakest farming class in the game, and probably one of the most item dependent, as well. It gets no armor or resistance buffs, no dodge buffs, and the only damage reduction and/or healing abilities it gets force it to stand still in a very small AoE area, or in the case of Brooding not take damage for at least 5 seconds.

Anyway, enough ranting about the DH. I haven't partied enough to know how bad it affects the gameplay, but I've seen the numbers and I can imagine how daunting they must become in Hell and Inferno.