[7.3] Azortharion's Hunter Guides

[Deleted]

I read somewhere that you can literally spam the hell out of explosive shot on the same target. Is this correct? I'm always waiting for my first shot to tick off and then proceed with the next one. Anyone that can enlighten me?

[spinner981]

The reason why EM is seen as boring is because you add just another passive damage source. As long as you keep auto attacking the boss you are going to keep doing damage with poison ammo. In addition you get to keep you passive dot(pet) which is another somewhat boring element.
The reason why LW is more interesting to most is because you put more pressure on yourself to prefform well. If you fuck up your rotation you're going to be in much more trouble than when using EM as you don't have the 2 additional passive damage sources.

By that logic rogue poisons are just as boring, and they are baseline mechanics. I hardly think of forcing higher penalties onto your own mistakes as interesting.

I agree that blizzard should have put more creative and impactful talents in tier 100! But unfortunately blizzard was on a blind crusade against hunter abilities and didn't want anything in tier 100 to add a new button to our bars (focusing shit is a replacement, not a new button). Its their own fault tier 100 has so many choices that barely impact rotation or gameplay in PvE.

Exotic munitions should be the only passive talent in the tier, and adaption/LW should be moved down to the pet damage tier somehow (crows, BS, stampede).

[Jantof]

I read somewhere that you can literally spam the hell out of explosive shot on the same target. Is this correct? I'm always waiting for my first shot to tick off and then proceed with the next one. Anyone that can enlighten me?

Fire away. They combine the damage from the DoT's so not only do you not waste damage, it's better to fire them all off so that you get the cooldown rolling quicker.

[spinner981]

I read somewhere that you can literally spam the hell out of explosive shot on the same target. Is this correct? I'm always waiting for my first shot to tick off and then proceed with the next one. Anyone that can enlighten me?

New applications stack into the old ones, like fire mage ignite. You can spam it and won't lose any damage.

[Pruke]

I guess I have just taken a break from my hunter for far to long. I feel totally lost when I read these posts. When I am playing I also feel like I am doing something wrong, regardless of spec MM or SV. Perhaps I can try to explain what I see on my screen and you all can tell me if it is normal or not.

When playing MM, I feel like I am using the priorities, but I notice I often times I am out of focus and cannot cast CS on CD, then sometimes it's Barrage or Glaive Toss, that are up and available but there is no focus to cast them, or if I cast them I will cut my focus short for the CS that is 1-2 seconds away from coming off CD. Then I will get a Toth proc, and want to use it but notice if I do I will not have the focus to use CS/Barrage/Glaive Toss. So I delay using the aimed shot proc, hit CS then Glaive Toss, but I am out of focus and now 5 seconds have gone by and I need to cast steady for focus, only to see CS is coming of CD.. so if I use aimed, I will cut into the CS timer... Perhaps I am not supposed to always use everything the moment it procs or comes off CD? UGH, so frustrating trying to figure out how I am doing this wrong. Perhaps I am over using aimed shot?

Then if I switch to SV, I feel pretty stupid. Similar results, but I notice I am not as focus starved. Can any of you help me here please?

edit: More last question, when I am practicing my rotation on a dummy, if I am at 15K dps MM spec and 13k500 on SV spec, how can I tell which I am playing better? I realize that MM gets the buff pre-80% so the dummy being at 100% has to mess with things some.

[Danshot]

is barrage used single target on CD before you go into the stands on kargath or on tectus before he splits?

[Deleted]

Is there a way (addon) to track Serpent Sting Dot on Multiple Targets ?

I tried it with WeakAuras and made a Dynamic Group but it didnt work for me, maybe i dont know how to set it up properly.

Would be nice if someone could help me with this.

Thx for the guide Azortharion

[Jantof]

When playing MM, I feel like I am using the priorities, but I notice I often times I am out of focus and cannot cast CS on CD, then sometimes it's Barrage or Glaive Toss, that are up and available but there is no focus to cast them, or if I cast them I will cut my focus short for the CS that is 1-2 seconds away from coming off CD. Then I will get a Toth proc, and want to use it but notice if I do I will not have the focus to use CS/Barrage/Glaive Toss. So I delay using the aimed shot proc, hit CS then Glaive Toss, but I am out of focus and now 5 seconds have gone by and I need to cast steady for focus, only to see CS is coming of CD.. so if I use aimed, I will cut into the CS timer... Perhaps I am not supposed to always use everything the moment it procs or comes off CD? UGH, so frustrating trying to figure out how I am doing this wrong. Perhaps I am over using aimed shot?

You actually have it right at the end there, you're probably just casting too many AiS. You generally want to sit higher on the focus bar with MM, specifically because of the high cost when multiple abilities come off CD at once. A lot of it comes to practice and getting a feel for the timing of the different abilities, but I personally use the (very loose) rule that if I'm below ~80 focus, I prioitize Steady over Aimed. That's about the point where you can cast an Aimed and still have enough focus for CS immediately after.

Something else you may want to consider (at least for the short term) is to not sweat the TotH procs. It seems many people overthink them. Don't think of them as buffed attacks that you'll lose, because they technically aren't. They don't make AiS stronger, just cheaper. Think of them instead as free focus. If you happen to cast an AiS while TotH is up, cool. You're 20 focus closer to your next AiS. If you don't use them, you don't actually lose anything. Then, as you get more comfortable with the class, you can start to make judgement calls about when to squeeze in an extra TotH AiS.

It probably goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. That TotH advice absolutely does not apply during Careful Aim. The increased crit chance makes TotH AiS virtually free, do not waste them then.

[Pruke]

You actually have it right at the end there, you're probably just casting too many AiS. You generally want to sit higher on the focus bar with MM, specifically because of the high cost when multiple abilities come off CD at once. A lot of it comes to practice and getting a feel for the timing of the different abilities, but I personally use the (very loose) rule that if I'm below ~80 focus, I prioitize Steady over Aimed. That's about the point where you can cast an Aimed and still have enough focus for CS immediately after.

Something else you may want to consider (at least for the short term) is to not sweat the TotH procs. It seems many people overthink them. Don't think of them as buffed attacks that you'll lose, because they technically aren't. They don't make AiS stronger, just cheaper. Think of them instead as free focus. If you happen to cast an AiS while TotH is up, cool. You're 20 focus closer to your next AiS. If you don't use them, you don't actually lose anything. Then, as you get more comfortable with the class, you can start to make judgement calls about when to squeeze in an extra TotH AiS.

It probably goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. That TotH advice absolutely does not apply during Careful Aim. The increased crit chance makes TotH AiS virtually free, do not waste them then.

Thank you for the response.

[Jantof]

No problem.

edit: More last question, when I am practicing my rotation on a dummy, if I am at 15K dps MM spec and 13k500 on SV spec, how can I tell which I am playing better? I realize that MM gets the buff pre-80% so the dummy being at 100% has to mess with things some.

I knew I was forgetting something. Don't sweat the numbers on the dummies. There are so many reasons the numbers aren't worth looking at, especially when comparing specs. Dummies are great for working out the kinks in your rotation, and little else.

[Jayjayhey]

Is there a way (addon) to track Serpent Sting Dot on Multiple Targets ?

I tried it with WeakAuras and made a Dynamic Group but it didnt work for me, maybe i dont know how to set it up properly.

Would be nice if someone could help me with this.

Thx for the guide Azortharion

I know it might not be everyone's favorite choice, but Tidy Plates works for me. It displays debuffs real well on the health bars.

Question for myself: As SV, when is it best to pop 2nd potion if using BL at start? We have no cooldowns at all. When is it best? Is it just based on trinkets?

Also, how is Dire Beast for SV?

[Jantof]

Dire Beast is very poor for SV.

As Survival, I'd treat the second pot as a dps cooldown. If there's a mechanic that you need burst for, use it then. If there is absolutely nowhere you specifically need burst, I'd just use it on CD.

[Jayjayhey]

I am having an issue with Barrage. Am I supposed to use this every time it comes off CD? I feel like it's very clunky with its high focus requirement. It seems like I am focus starved whenever I use barrage, even when hoping to get more focus from steady shot. Also, when I use barrage, it seems like explosive shot comes up every single time during barrage. If explosive shot and black arrow are on CD, and so is AmoC and I am low focus, do I aim to use barrage every time off CD or skip it? because honestly it's very clunky.

[Asiel]

Heroic they die literally in 10 seconds or less.

I know I'm late to the party, but 10 seconds is easily enough time for two Aimed Shots, a Chimaera and two Kill Shots or (in other words) a metric fuckton of burst.

[magneto1]

I use skull of war, when it procs my crit is well above the soft cap (48%)
should i swap my scope for multi, also my enchants?

[Ellerain]

Is there a way (addon) to track Serpent Sting Dot on Multiple Targets ?
I tried it with WeakAuras and made a Dynamic Group but it didnt work for me, maybe i dont know how to set it up properly.
Would be nice if someone could help me with this.

DoTimer is really good for this. Make sure you use the OLD 4.5.1 version of DoTimer, as the newer versions stopped working in MoP.
Make sure to stop your addon management software from updating it too!

Where to find:
http://wow.curseforge.com/addons/do-...otimer-v4-5-1/

[Jantof]

I use skull of war, when it procs my crit is well above the soft cap (48%)
should i swap my scope for multi, also my enchants?

It maybe depends on what your crit without the procs are. The soft cap only applies when under Careful Aim, outside of it that extra crit isn't wasted. If you're very close to 43% before procs, it may be worth it to switch early.

Best advice would be to run the sims for your specific gear, see if there's an increase one way or the other. I can't imagine it'd be all that big a difference, though.

[eschatological]

Is there a way (addon) to track Serpent Sting Dot on Multiple Targets ?

I tried it with WeakAuras and made a Dynamic Group but it didnt work for me, maybe i dont know how to set it up properly.

Would be nice if someone could help me with this.

Thx for the guide Azortharion

I don't use it for my hunter, but for the DoT classes I play (primarily spriest) I still use forteXorcist, which can track DoTs on multiple targets. I believe Gnosis does as well, which is a wholesale action bar/DoT tracker replacement.

[Ziip]

For those of you curious, I can't be 100% sure on his macro, but this should do the trick:

/click ExtraActionButton1
/stopcasting Flamethrower

So I used this macro on normal brakenspore, but am still getting around 10 heat every time I use it, is the gun different on heroic/mythic, or an I doing something wrong?

[Marxman]

So I used this macro on normal brakenspore, but am still getting around 10 heat every time I use it, is the gun different on heroic/mythic, or an I doing something wrong?

They broke the stopcasting method in a hotfix tonight. Just use the "/click ExtraActionButton1" macro now. It's no longer possible to spam cancel it and not accumulate significant heat, every activation seemed to give ~6-10 heat instantly.