Marking Targets and bad RNG

[Deleted]

Spec Marksmanship
Item Level 854
Armory Link: http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/characte.../Malura/simple

In recent Emerald Nightmare raids (NM and HC), my dps has been a lot lower than it should be when compared to other players that I typically either match or outperform, especially the other MM hunter in the group. After looking through logs for every kill in EN, it seems that I have extremely low uptime for the Marking Targets buff, which seems to essentially be throttling my dps throughout the fight.

https://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports...=22&type=auras

This log from a recent Ursoc NM kill shows it most clearly, where I have a much lower uptime than my fellow MM, only hitting 35.71% versus his 57.72%. His uptimes tend to be much more regular, whereas I have had downtimes up to a full minute long in previous fights, and a gap of around 22 seconds in the above log. Our haste levels are pretty close (my 9.47% versus his 10.14%), so would that really be making such a massive difference?

Is there any way to change this, or am I at the mercy of RNG?

[GreenWins]

It has been known that MM is a RNG spec. It seem like you really just got the low end of it. There really is nothing you can do if you are doing your shots/rotation correctly. I would look at your logs from previous fights where you were beating those other DPS and see if it really was the uptime RNG or your personal skill.

[Deleted]

Yeah :/ Even when my dps is level/slightly above the other MM, I still have a much lower uptime, and any uptime is much more irregular, with massive gaps of around 20 seconds on average.

[KillerSlug]

It is also dependent on haste, as haste increases the amount of auto shots you get off during your rotation. How much haste are you currently sitting at and do you have bloodthirsty instinct?

[Deleted]

Currently at 9.47% unbuffed, and I haven't been lucky enough to get the trinket.

[Thursley]

You only used Trueshot once, in the middle of the fight, while Midnightstar used it twice, on the pull and at the end (as you should be doing). You gained Marking Targets 23 times but applied hunter's mark only 13 times, and had just 11 Marked Shots. RNG can play a part of course, but you are playing very far from optimally, and can do quite a lot more DPS even with poor RNG.

[Deleted]

Yeah, I think I lost track of Trueshot a bit, since that was an early kill, and we were still working out strategies, so I was probably having a small panic. It seems to be that I get quite a few overlaps of Marking Targets, so that might account for some of the missed Marked Shots, but I've set up a WA since then so that I can keep better track of it.

[Noogai131]

I've noticed that if I use Windburst on opening on any target, I get a guaranteed proc of Marking Targets. Not sure if anybody else gets this, but it only ever happens at the beginning of a new combat. Might be intentional? Might just be extremely good RNG.

I've also found I have good DPS by using Windburst>Trueshot>Sidewinders>Marked shot>aimed shot>sidewinders>marked shot>aimed shot rinse repeat and then let sidewinders start to come up to 1 charge and only use it as normal after my Trueshot burst phase is over. That may help you? Who knows.

MM is pretty RNG, but you can perform solid DPS outside of Marking Targets procs.

[Harakka]

I open with Windburst>Trueshot>Barrage>Sidewinders>Aimedshot>Markedshot>Aimedshot x2>Sidewinder>Markedshot>Aimedshot ect...

I notice a slight dps increase over Sidewinders>Markedshot>Aimedshot rotation.
I think it has something to do with when you Aimed Shot first after you Sidewind and hit Marked Shot right after Aimed Shot cast finishes both hit at the same time, maybe only using 1 global. I'm not sure don't qoute me and if im wrong someone correct me.

To me it just feels more fluid and I like seeing those 1.0-1.2 mill crits go up back to back during True shot buff.

[Dracodraco]

I mean... I can't believe nobody has said this yet, but... Your marking targets uptime isn't supposed to be good. It's a proc that you want to use A S A P. You did get shafted luck-wise with 23 procs vs 41, but uptime is irrelevant - the relevant part is how many procs you got (and how many you used) :P.

[Deleted]

I've noticed that if I use Windburst on opening on any target, I get a guaranteed proc of Marking Targets. Not sure if anybody else gets this, but it only ever happens at the beginning of a new combat. Might be intentional? Might just be extremely good RNG.

I don't know what blizz did with Proccs/Trinket resets for boss pulls... but one thing i did notice is that if the first hit on the boss is from me I get an instant Marking Targets proc. If it is not from me it always takes a while until i get the first proc. It is not that big of a problem for Marking Targets because of Trueshot on pull but god knows what else gets reset on pull (maybe eveything rppm, Lock and Load, Trinkets, Set bonuses) if you are not the first one hitting the target. There seems to be a huge variance in proccs between pulls depending if I achieve a first hit or not.

Or it's just my imagination. Who knows.