How to defeat Rakanoth as a Demon Hunter?

I play a Demon Hunter with high DPS but average defense. I usually rely on Caltrops, Vault and the Templar to evade enemies, but I can usually take a few strikes if need be.

However, Rakanoth, the melee boss towards the beginning of act 4 (in the Library of Fate, just off the Gardens of Hope 1st Tier waypoint), is really giving me trouble. He teleports right on me and take away most of my life with one blow, and he does that attack at a higher frequency than I can heal completely, even if I run with powerful potions and Preparation with the healing rune.

What build / strategy can I take to help me defeat it? I'd prefer something which does not require me to change my entire gear.

Difficulty is nightmare, but I have a feeling this question could also apply to hell and inferno.


I think you have several choices to defeat Rakanoth:

  1. Build up your Vitality or Armor so that your HP exceeds the damage he doles out with one teleport attack. Then - heal yourself via potion or Nether Tentacles.
  2. Rely on luck: As a demon hunter, you should be boosting Dexterity, which means your dodge rate should be non-trivial. Also, if you keep him on the screen, he seems to be less likely to teleport attack you.
  3. As far as builds go, Vault and Caltrops won't help against the teleport attack. Smoke Screen paired with the Tactical Advantage passive may be helpful to help you run away once struck. You'll want to maximize your DPS to keep the fight short as possible. The shorter the fight, the less time he will have to teleport attack you. Given that you're on Nightmare, I'd advise Impale + Chemical Burn.

I did this boss on nightmare as a demon hunter and after a lot of deaths and a lot of repair bills I just wanted to try the stunlock spam that been used by rogues in World of Warcraft!

Bola shot + thunder ball rune (left button)

Impale + Impact (right button)

What I did was basically just standing same place and then:

left left right, left left right, left left right...

Your hatred will drain but there's enough room to shoot in an extra bola shot now and then and also add in a turret or something...

Poor Rakanoth was only able to use his AoE twice and summon minions once... he never got the chance to use his one-shot-you-dead-teleport. so was very easy \o/


The following is an excerpt from the link i've shared below (You might find it useful) -

Constantly use potions, as a very effective armor based power. As soon as the battle begins, get away from him. He’ll slash you, before which you should use the armor based power. The power should absorb his attack. Then hit him once or twice, and go to the other side of the map. As long as you’re not near him, he will not spawn his minions, which makes the fight very easy. It also makes it tedious, but its the simplest way to beat him. Make sure to keep potions at hand so that if he slashes you without you using your armor power, you can use the potions and go back to full health.

Referred from - How To Defeat Siegebreaker And Rakanoth