Gerock's Hunter Guide
1. Introduction
2. Talents and Glyphs
3. Recommended Professions
4. Rotation and You
5. Combat Rating and Consumables
6. Reputations to Keep in Mind
7. Dungeons You Need to Run and for What Loot
8. Enchanting Your Loots
9. On to Raiding!
Introduction
Hello, my name is Gerock. I'm currently an aspiring hunter in the fresh world of Cataclysm, who seems to be one of few men in this world who has an idea of what they're doing. Today, I'm going to give you an amazing treat. A super-amazing Hunter guide to get you ready for raiding. I hope that this guide has something to help the old and the new in their quest to be the best Hunter ever made by modern day science.
So, you're a Hunter that's fresh to 85 and want to jump right into raiding. Well, I have one thing to say to you. Hold your horses! Now, you may be saying, “But Gerock, I can clear ICC 25 man... surely I can do this entrance raid level stuff in whatever gear I got off questing!” Well, you may think that, but if that were really true, would you be stopping by to read this guide? I think not. There are a few things that we need to go over before I can consider you 100 percent ready for raiding; fortunately, that is all going to be covered in this guide.
Talents and Glyphs
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This is the most common setup for any good Survival spec Hunter in the current game. Survival has been the best DPS spec for Hunters during most of Wrath, even at the top gear levels. This is still standing true in Cataclysm. This spec should make it pretty easy for you overall to at least start topping those meters.
Also, I couldn't get the images to show up properly on here so I just put everything as links. I'm sorry about that.
Recommended Professions
Can we get a drumroll? No? Well, that's okay. Before I say what my recommended professions are, I just want to point out that this route is not cheap. There are much more cost effective ways to do things. This is just how I happened to do it and it worked for me. This is in no short thanks to my guild having multiple double-gathering professions, but if you stocked up your gold in Wrath, this shouldn't be a problem for you anyway. So, if you want to be awesome and rich like Gerock, continue on.
You first profession should be Engineering. Why Engineering, you may ask? Actually, you shouldn't ask this at all, this is answer is so simple and obvious that you'd have to be a total idiot to not see all the benefits. Have you ever wanted to have a Epic headpiece where you get to select the secondary stats? Make your own ranged weapon, so you aren't relying on anyone else, at least until raiding? Craft those awesome scopes that you'll undoubtedly need for every ranged weapon upgrade? Free 10,000+ damage every two minutes? Engineering exclusive enchants? Okay, well, maybe it wasn't so simple, but there are many reasons why Engineering is one of the most, if not the most common Hunter Profession.
Second profession should be the wonderful Jewelcrafting! Who doesn't want three free +67 Agility gems? I don't know about you, but I couldn't pass those up if I tried. Obviously, you're going to be saying, “Gerock, you're crazy! Those are the two most expensive professions in the game!” Again, I want you to know that I understand this. I'm saying that they are the most recommended professions to optimize yourself. Professions are a personal preference; this is mine because I like being good. Engineering is almost a must, and Jewelcrafting is a close second in my opinion.
Rotation and You
This is where things get extremely easy and complicated for some people at the same time. You must have noticed that in those last five levels that Hunters don't use Mana anymore. We are now a creature of Focus. Every fight should start off exactly the same.
Prior to start of the fight, use Hunter's Mark.
1. Serpent Sting – Not only does this do damage, and on most fights, never need to be refreshed, but because of your Talents, you'll do additional damage with all attacks. What more could you ask for at the low, low price of 25 Focus.
2. Black Arrow – You want to cast this second, because the faster you get it on your target, the faster you can proc Lock and Load.
3. Explosive Shot – This is your huge damage move, and the reason you choose Survival in the first place. It does great damage, and if you conserve your focus correctly, should always be usable from cooldown.
4. Arcane Shot – Arcane Shot is an instant fire shot that takes very little Focus to cast. It's your Focus dumping move. I'll explain when and why you'll use this in a second.
5. Cobra Shot – Whenever your rotation is on cooldown, you had better be spamming this. This is your bread and butter move. It extends your Serpent Sting, does Nature damage rather than Physical, and gives you Focus just for using it.
This is not something I put in the rotation itself, due to the timing you'll be using it, but the second you see that Bloodlust or Time Warp or whatever is cast, you should instantly Rapid Fire and use Call of the Wild, all your trinkets, and all your potions if you have them.
You need to have constant awareness of your Focus bar. If Explosive Shot isn't on cooldown, you better be casting it. If your Black Arrows and Explosive Shots are overlapping, you need to pay attention so you have enough Focus to cast Black Arrow and Explosive Shot. Arcane Shot should be used whenever you have the extra Focus to do so. It does good damage, but isn't as cost effective as any of your other Focus ability.
On Lock and Load procs, I find the best thing to do is alternate Explosive Shot and Arcane Shot. The thing about Lock and Load is that 90% of the time it goes off, you should have the Focus to do the simple ES>AS>ES>AS rotation as your first Explosive Shot and Arcane Shot are completely free to use. The great thing about doing it this way is that your Arcane Shot will take just long enough so your Explosive Shot doesn't overlap, losing you damage.
Combat Rating and Consumables
This should all be common knowledge to most, but just in case, I'll put the current Combat Ratings for Cataclysm here. They are as follows:
179 critical rating equals 1% critical
128 haste rating equals 1% haste
179 mastery rating equals 1% critical
8% Hit Rating is absolutely necessary for bosses in Cataclysm. It's a good rule of thumb that Hit Rating will raise your DPS more than any other stat until you hit 8%, which is when it becomes the most useless DPS stat. I don't want to hear anything about how hard it is to reach the cap. You're not playing a correctly and with Reforging, Hit Rating cap is almost too easy to get. In fact, I've had to Reforge Hit off of my gear quite frequently due to the fact that if I don't, I'd have somewhere around 10% Hit Rating.
When it comes to stats themselves, Mastery and Critical equal roughly the exact same DPS boost each. I personally prefer Mastery as long as I have roughly 20% crit. I've tried full Crit and I've tried full Mastery, but my DPS is significantly higher if I balance both. From my current findings, Haste, albeit helpful, does not increase DPS anywhere near raising Mastery or Critical. For this reason, I often Reforge my gear to get that next % of Mastery from my Haste if Hit is not needed.
These are the consumables you should have:
Skewered Eel
For the next hour, you get 90 Agility and 90 Stamina. How is this not beneficial?
Potion of the Tol'Vir
On use, it will increase your Agility by a huge 1200 for 25 seconds. This should be used during Bloodlust, Rapid Fire, and the rest of that good stuff.
Reputations to Keep in Mind
The great thing about Hunter is there is a good amount of Reputations that have a huge jump in gearing up. And the great thing is they are all pretty easy to hit exalted with.
Treads of the Malorne
Slotted, Epic boots from Mount Hyjal rep, where you become Revered just by doing the quests there? Sign me up.
Signet of the Elder Council
A good ring is hard to find. We all know this; even Blizzard knows this. They saw fit to give us an Epic ring for doing the Earthen Ring Reputation. Who can complain here?
Greater Inscription of the Shattered Crystal
Free shoulder inscription whenever you need it, giving Agility and Mastery. You can get this all from doing some daily quests. It's almost too easy to get.
Arcanum of the Ramkahen
I'm absolutely in love with this head enchant. Not only does it add relevant things like Haste and Agility, but if you just do Uldum quests you automatically get the status required to get this enchant. Who doesn't love Uldum?
Unsolvable Riddle
This is where things get really interesting. This trinket is not easy to get. All you have to do is a few daily quests, but damn, it takes awhile to grind this out. Is it worth it? You're damn right, it's worth it. This trinket will last you through all the current content and is barely outdone by Heroic Raid gear. Even then, some may prefer to keep this over the Hit/Agility trinkets anyway.
Dungeons You Need to Run and for What Loot
Okay, for this section, I am going to assume you didn't listen to me at all for the professions that I recommended earlier and post a complete Hunter gear list. Well, mostly complete. This table looked a lot better than the one I made and is courtesy of this guide, Scattered Shots: Pre-raid gear for Cataclysm Hunters on Joystiq.com. Now, this part of the guide didn't xfer quite as well from word as I hoped. So if you want an easier to read version defintly click the link.
Head
Snarling Helm
346
Rep
Dragonmaw - Revered (horde)
Windhome Helm
346
Rep
Wildhammer - Revered (alliance)
Willow Mask
346
Justice Points
2,200 Justice Points
Worgen Hunter's Helm
346
Drop
Shadowfang Keep - Godfrey
Neck
Brazen Elementium Medallion
346
Crafted
Jewelcrafting
Entwined Elementium Choker
346
Crafted
Jewelcrafting
Pendant of the Lightless Grotto
346
Drop
Stonecore - Ozruk
Amulet of Dull Dreaming
346
Purchased
1,250 Justice Points
Shoulders
Bloodpetal Mantle
346
Drop
Halls of Origination - Ammunae
Wrap of the Valley Glades
346
Purchased
1,650 Justice Points
Back
Cloak of Thredd
346
Drop
Deadmines - Gearbreaker
Twitching Shadows
346
Drop
Blackrock Caverns - Obsidus
Softwind Cape
346
Rep
Earthen Ring - Revered
Chest
Wentletrap Vest
346
Drop
Throne of Tides - Ozumat
Dragonkiller Tunic
359
Crafted
Leatherworking
Vest of the True Companion
346
Purchased
2,200 Justice Points
Wrist
Bracers of Some Consequence
346
Drop
Deadmines - VanCleef
Elementium Scale Bracers
346
Drop
Stonecore - Ozruk
Hands
Gloves of the Passing Night
346
Purchased
1,650 Justice Points
Xariona's Spectral Claws
346
Drop
unknown heroic
Wrasse Handwraps
346
Drop
Throne of Tides - Naz'jar
Waist
Corded Viper Belt
359
Crafted
Leatherworking
Belt of the Dim Forest
346
Purchased
1,650 Justice Points
Legs
Balkar's Waders
346
Drop
Lost City of the Tol'vir - Barim
Hillside Striders
346
Purchased
2,200 Justice Points
Feet
Treads of Malorne
359
Rep
Guardians of Hyjal - Exalted
Red Scale Boots
346
Drop
Grim Batol - Drahga
Boots of Crumbling Ruin
346
Drop
Halls of Origination - Anraphet
Ring
Signet of the Elder Council
359
Rep
Earthen Ring - Exalted
Elementium Destroyer's Ring
346
Crafted
Jewelcrafting
Band of Blades
346
Crafted
Jewelcrafting
Ring of Dun Algaz
346
Drop
Grim Batol - Throngus
Skullcracker Ring
346
Drop
Blackrock Caverns - Rom'ogg
Nautilus Ring
346
Drop
Throne of Tides - Ozumat
Terrath's Signet of Balance
346
Rep
Therazane - Revered
Trinket
Tia's Grace
346
Drop
Lost City of the Tol'vir - Siamat
Grace of the Herald
346
Drop
Blackrock Caverns - Corla
Key to the Endless Chamber
346
Drop
Stonecore - Corborus
2H Melee
Rockslicer
346
Drop
Deadmines - Ripsnarl
Berto's Staff
346
Drop
Blackrock Caverns - zone drop
Seliza's Spear
346
Drop
Lost City of the Tol'vir - Husam/Barim
Ranged
Amber Messenger*(bow)
346
Drop
Blackrock Caverns - Obsidus
Lightningflash*(gun)
346
Drop
Vortex Pinnacle - Asaad
Kickback 5000*(gun)
346
Crafted
Engineering
Overpowered Chicken Splitter(bow)
346
Crafted
Engineering
Enchanting Your Loots
Headpiece – This was already covered, but in case you skipped right down to here, you should have the Arcanum of the Ramkahen. 60 Agility and 35 Haste Rating makes this a no-brainer.
Shoulders – Again, I mentioned this before. You want Greater Inscription of the Shattered Crystal. 50 Agility and 25 Mastery Rating is too great to pass up.
Chest – Currently, no one on my server has Peerless stats, so I'm using Mighty stats. 15 to all stats is always a good thing in my book.
Belt – Just go for that extra socket. Why wouldn't you?
Legs – Dragonscale Leg Armor for 190 Attack Power and 55 Critical Strike. Not much to be saying here. If you can't see why you're using this, you probably shouldn't be playing Hunter.
Boots – Major Agility increase. Anything that gives me at least 35 to Agility is going to be an automatic buy in my book. The great thing is, the materials are cheap, so you should be able to pick this up for less than 20g on most servers.
Bracers – I go with Precision here. While 50 Hit Rating may bring you over the cap, it allows you to convert that 50 Hit into Mastery or something else. If it doesn't bring you over the cap, you're just that much closer to the coveted 8%.
Gloves – Again my server doesn't have Greater Mastery yet, so I'm using regular old Mastery. 50 Mastery Rating? I think I'll take it. And the enchant cost me 2g on the AH.
Cloak – Greater Critical Strike hasn't yet found its way onto my server. But that's okay, because regular Critical Strike only costs me 3g, and it's a nice 50 Critical Strike Rating.
Weapon – I use a 2H weapon at all times. The reason is 2H Mighty Agility. The materials are relatively cheap, and it's an enormous 130 Agility.
Ranged Weapon – If you aren't using Gnomish X-Ray Scope, you're doing it wrong. There is no replacement for this. If you're an Engineer, make it yourself. If not, it'll set you back 300g or so on the AH. But the investment is well worth it, for 10 seconds of 800 Ranged Attack Power with a good proc chance.
For my gems, I go for my 3 +67 Agility gems. At least 1 Blue red Gem that's +20 Agility +20 Haste. And one +20 Agility +20 Critical strike. I fill the rest with +40 Agilitys. And I go for the new meta that is +54 critical strike and 1% spell reflect. This is what I find to be the best for maximizing your potential as a new hunter and it will probably make you completely awesome.
Now onto Raiding
You've got the gear. You know the rotation. Your enchants and gems are completely ready. And your rogue is bragging about how he can pull better DPS then anyone in the guild. Well, now we're here, raiding. This is the whole point of the guide was to get you prepaired for this part. Unfortunantly this was my Pre-Raiding guide. If people end up liking this guide I'll likely make a guide to what bosses drop what and what is good for hunters. And by make a guide I'll just add an additional section here. But as it stands most people know that you get your epics from raiding. So it should be simple enough to figure it out from here on. Just remember gear is a tool for Raiding and the real joy is downing those bosses after all the hard work you've put in. If you let purples consume your life you need a better outlook on raiding. I get raid gear as a tool to down harder bosses. My E-Peen gets bigger on boss kills not how many purpz I have. I just hope that you'll enjoyed this guide and if there is anything you'd like me to add feel free to get ahold of me and I'll see if it's worth putting into the guide. Now thank you very much for your time. And remember, only you can prevent forest fires.