Marksmanship Hunter DPS Guide — The War Within (11.0.5)
Welcome to our Marksmanship Hunter guide for World of Warcraft — The War Within (11.0.5). Here, you will learn how to play as a Marksmanship Hunter in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons: from the very beginning to maximizing your DPS.
If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Marksmanship Hunter guide.
- 1. Marksmanship Hunter Overview
- 2. Strengths and Weaknesses
- 3. What Is The Best Hunter Spec in The War Within Season 1?
- 4. Marksmanship Hunter Spec and Guide Changes for the War Within
- 5. Changes to Marksmanship Hunter in The War Within Patch 11.0.5
- 6. The War Within Patch 11.0.5 Changes to Marksmanship Hunter
Marksmanship Hunter Overview
Marksmanship Hunter is a relatively mobile ranged DPS spec that is focused on slow-casting, but hard-hitting cooldown-limited abilities like Aimed Shot and Rapid Fire. Marksmanship Hunters are damage-focused snipers with excellent burst damage, mobility, and flexibility.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Bursty damage profile.
- High mobility, although not as high as Beast Mastery.
- Does not rely on Pet AI.
- Weak utility and survivability without a pet.
- Hard-capped AoE.
What Is The Best Hunter Spec in The War Within Season 1?
This section is not specific to Marksmanship Hunter, but serves as a general overview of the strongest Hunter specs in the current meta in The War Within. It should go without saying that if you are not especially interested in the hardcore, competitive side of WoW, you need not worry about this section. The game is meant to be fun, and you should play whatever spec you enjoy the most. It just happens that for a lot of people, "the most fun spec" and "the best-performing spec" are one and the same.
Best Hunter Raiding Spec in The War Within Season 1
Despite this ranking, there really is no such thing as a singular, best Raiding Spec for Hunters. In other words, if you want to be the best Hunter you can be, you will almost certainly have to be able to play different specs for different encounters. Think of this particular ranking as "If I could only bring one Hunter spec to Raid, which would it be?". Despite this, each Hunter spec is likely the best for at least one encounter, even the "worst" spec, so take this with a grain of salt.
Note that this description is based on Heroic-Mythic gear, and is intended for serious Raiding.
- Survival Hunter (SV) — The strongest single-target, the second-strongest outright AoE, and the strongest single- target/priority damage in its AoE build by far. Survival's only disadvantage is being melee, and while it may not be able to reach its single-target potential as BM, it makes up for this in other departments and is an excellent all-rounder.
- Marksmanship Hunter (MM) — MM is competitive for single-target, but a chunk behind Survival still. While it does have the highest peak AoE, its single- and priority-target damage in its AoE build is rather poor.
- Beast Mastery Hunter (BM) — A decent all-rounder, but ultimately falls short of the other specs in all departments when push comes to shove.
Best Hunter Mythic+ Spec in The War Within Season 1
- Survival Hunter (SV) — SV does not have the strongest outright AoE, which belongs to Marksmanship, but it has substantially more single-target and priority-target damage while doing very respectable AoE at the same time. It also has 6% built-in damage reduction, and a shorter cooldown on its interrupt.
- Marksmanship Hunter (MM)/Beast Mastery Hunter (BM) — Both specs are strong in different departments, with MM having the strongest AoE, but relatively weak single-target and priority-target damage, and BM sacrificing some AoE to do better than MM in single-target and priority-target terms.
Best Hunter Delves Spec in The War Within Season 1
- Beast Mastery Hunter (BM) — While BM does not have a ton of AoE, it still has the best ability to make large pulls without taking breaks in-between by using its pet to tank things. BM Hunter Pets survive solo-content much better thanks to Ferocity Pets having 4% Leech, and all of that Leech going into healing itself. A disadvantage in most other forms of content, but a distinct advantage for solo content. This is more of a benefit when actually soloing Delves, and for group Delves you will likely prefer Survival.
- Survival Hunter (SV) — SV has the best damage outright, but lacks the ability to make and live through large pulls that Beast Mastery has. If you are doing group delves, which are pretty similar to Mythic+, then SV is the best.
- Marksmanship Hunter (MM) — MM has the worst self-sustain and while its AoE damage is good, it frequently has to stand still to cast and has very poor ability to live through large pulls, since everything will probably be attacking you.
Hunter Spec Utility/Defensiveness
The Hunter Specs are broadly similar in this department, but there are a few ways in which the specs stand out from each other.
- Survival Hunter has 3% damage reduction built into its Mastery: Spirit Bond, and while some of its damage is pet-based, most if it is not, and Leech generally does well for Survival Hunter, allowing it to use a Ferocity Pet for the +4% Leech, giving it the most self-sustain of the Hunter specs. With a lot of Hunter Utility being melee-based, like Bursting Shot, or trap-based, like Implosive Trap, Survival tends to have an easier time making good use of this utility in practical situations.
- Beast Mastery Hunter has access to Spirit Beast Pets, which offer Spirit Mend. It is a pretty small, close-to-free heal that can be used on any target, on a 30-second cooldown. As for downsides, Beast Mastery tends to run very low Versatility, resulting in higher damage taken on average than the other two specs. It also barely benefits from Leech, because most of its damage is pet-based, Leech for Beast Mastery Hunters tends to heal the pet more than the Hunter, which is not very useful in most PvE environments. With BM Hunters usually running Tenacity pets, they innately have 5% more max HP than the other two specs, most of the time.
- Marksmanship Hunter gets the short end of the stick in many ways. Due to its near-mandatory Lone Wolf Talent, it usually does not run a pet, which locks it out of some pet-based survivability, because it has no easy access to either Tenacity's 5% Max HP buff, or Ferocity's 4% Leech buff. It has Fortitude of the Bear as baseline, even without a pet.
Marksmanship Hunter Spec and Guide Changes for the War Within
Changes to Marksmanship Hunter in The War Within Patch 11.0.5
The War Within Patch 11.0.5 Changes to Marksmanship Hunter
Hunter Class Changes
Hunter's Class Tree has had one key adjustment.
- Improved Kill Shot has been replaced by Deathblow, which gives Aimed Shot a 10% chance to give you a free Kill Shot, usably on any target regardless of health.
- Steady Shot now generates 10 Focus at baseline.
Marksmanship-specific Changes
Marksmanship's Talent Tree has had significant adjustments, with some whole new Talents, and others having been redesigned.
- New Talent: Pin Cushion, which causes Steady Shot to reduce the cooldown of Aimed Shot. Choice node with the changed Improved Steady Shot, which now causes Steady Shot to grant 20 Focus, up from its new baseline of 10.
- Steady Focus now only requires one Steady Shot to activate.
- Precise Shot now only has 1 stack, but grants 100% damage bonus, up from 70%.
- Eagletalon's True Focus is removed, and its effects, except for the Trueshot extension, have been made baseline.
- Rapid Fire Barrage damage was buffed by 33%. We still do not use it.
- Unerring Vision and Calling the Shots have swapped places in the Spec Tree.
Dark Ranger Hero Talent Changes for Marksmanship Hunter
Dark Ranger got a ground-up redesign, with nearly all of its Talents being brand new or redesigned.
- Black Arrow has been redesigned and now replaces Kill Shot.
- Withering Fire now causes Trueshot to grant you a buff that causes Black Arrow to auto-fire when you gain a Deathblow proc during it. It will also auto-fire two additional Black Arrows for 50% effectiveness.
- Bleak Arrows gives your auto-shots a chance to gain Deathblow procs, and also makes your auto-shots do Shadow damage, effectively buffing them by ~30%.
- The Bell Tolls means that Black Arrow can also be used above 80% HP.
- Bleak Powder causes Black Arrow to deal splashing damage when used with Trick Shots.
- New Choice Node: Phantom Pain/ Ebon Bowstring. The former causes very minor splash damage when using Aimed Shot on a Black Arrow-affected target. The latter gives Black Arrow itself a chance to generate further Black Arrow procs. We always pick Ebon Bowstring.
- Soul Drinker is a new choice node alongside Shadow Hounds. It gives you a 10% chance of a Deathblow (aka Black Arrow) proc when a target dies while affected by Black Arrow. We never use this.
- Shadow Dagger is a new talent that causes Disengage to do an AoE slow on nearby targets for 30% for 6 seconds.
- Shadow Surge now simply causes Black Arrow to have a chance to explode for AoE damage.
Leveling a Marksmanship Hunter in The War Within
If you want to play a Marksmanship Hunter, but currently do not have one at max level, you can check out our leveling guide for tips on your journey.
Once you reach max level, it can be somewhat overwhelming to completely change the way you play by suddenly implementing a large number of addons in a short space of time, especially if they have a heavy visual impact on your UI. We recommend using some of the more basic addons recommended on our Addons page below while leveling, so that you have more time to get used to them during the easier phases of playing your class.
Basics of Marksmanship Hunter Gameplay
Marksmanship Hunter is a spec about cooldown management, uptime, and flow.
You want to cast your hard-hitter abilities like Aimed Shot, Rapid Fire, and Kill Shot as often as possible. In-between these abilities, which all have independent cooldowns, you are managing your Focus by using Arcane Shot as a spender and Steady Shot as a filler and builder. When you cast Aimed Shot, your next 2 Arcane Shot/ Multi-Shots do significantly increased damage, so you generally want to make sure to weave two Arcanes or Multis in-between your Aimed Shots.
During Trueshot, your exciting main cooldown, everything dramatically speeds up and you will be spamming a ton of Aimed Shots and Rapid Fires while only weaving in Arcane Shot sparingly when you have no Aimed or Rapid Fire available.
On AoE, you want to activate the Trick Shots buff for all of your Aimed and Rapid Fire casts. This is done by simply weaving at least one Multi-Shot in-between every single cast of Aimed Shot and Rapid Fire, even during Trueshot.
The best Marksmanship Hunters are excellent at doing these things on the fly and during hectic movement (which prevents Aimed Shot casting) and mechanics. They always know what to cast next and they have a great awareness of their Focus levels and the status of their cooldowns at all times.
If you are an absolute beginner to the spec, but would like to learn the basic fundamentals of the class, recommend looking through the Spell Summary first, as well as the Beginner page linked below.
If you are already somewhat familiar with Hunters, you can head straight to the Talents and Rotation pages to jump right into the more complex, detailed information.
How to Gear Up as a Marksmanship Hunter
Despite the fact that gearing has become more challenging, due to the huge number of variables that depend on your character, you can find information on how best to gear as Marksmanship on our dedicated gearing page, which includes the current Best in Slot from this tier.
Once you have started to gear, you will need to make sure that you have the appropriate consumables, gems, enchants, and more. We have a dedicated page for exactly this, as shown below, as well as the stats page, where you can find more information on the possibility of a changing stat priority and the necessary changes you may need to make for consumables.
End-Game as a Marksmanship Hunter
Starting off as Marksmanship can look very different from the absolute end-game raiding and progression as one. Our Mythic+, Raiding, and PvP guides can guide you to performing as well as possible, regardless of your focus in end-game content.
Improving as a Marksmanship Hunter
If you are finding your performance lackluster, but are not sure where you are going wrong, you can check out the pages below for potential tips, or answers to questions you may have.
Changelog
- 31 Oct. 2024 (rotation page): Rotation overhaul, particularly for Dark Ranger.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (hero talents): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (Leveling): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (WeakAuras page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (how to improve page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (simulations page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (gear page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (addons page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (enchants page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (stats page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (Nerub-ar Palace page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (talents page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (spells page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated for October 29 Hotfixes.
- 30 Oct. 2024 (this page): Updated Best Spec Section for hotfixes.
- 26 Oct. 2024 (hero talents): Updated Hero Talent recommendation.
- 26 Oct. 2024 (rotation page): Significant single-target rotation update.
- 26 Oct. 2024 (this page): Reinstated the Best Spec section.
- 23 Oct. 2024 (talents page): Updated to Dark Ranger default recommendation while everything is in a bugged state.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (hero talents): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (Leveling): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (stats page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (Nerub-ar Palace page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (talents page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (spells page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 22 Oct. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 10 Oct. 2024 (gear page): Updated the Trinket Tier List slightly.
- 10 Oct. 2024 (rotation page): Updated Mad Queen's Mandate usage.
- 08 Oct. 2024 (this page): Updated the "Best Hunter Spec" section for the updated October 8th Hotfixes.
- 07 Oct. 2024 (talents page): Updated the Marksmanship Dark Ranger Single-Target Build.
- 02 Oct. 2024 (rotation page): Added more specific Trinket usage information.
- 28 Sep. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated the M+ Talent Build - one-point swap.
- 28 Sep. 2024 (talents page): Updated the M+ Talent Build - one-point swap.
- 27 Sep. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated Ara-Kara Tips.
- 24 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Added Lunar Storm Rapid Fire-holding to AoE Rotation.
- 17 Sep. 2024 (gear page): Updated the BiS List Trinket selections.
- 17 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Added opener note about on-use Trinkets.
- 15 Sep. 2024 (gear page): Updated the MM Trinket Tier Lists based on new methodology, and in the case of the Raiding Tier List, a new preferred single-target build discussed on other pages of the guide.
- 15 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Added note about on-use trinkets.
- 14 Sep. 2024 (hero talents): Updated the baseline recommendation for Raiding Hero Talent.
- 14 Sep. 2024 (Nerub-ar Palace page): Updated the Raid AoE build, and swapped the ST recommendation to Dark Ranger for a couple of bosses.
- 14 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Simplified the single-target rotation, specifically Aimed Shot usage.
- 14 Sep. 2024 (talents page): Added the Raid AoE build to the page. Updated the single-target builds.
- 13 Sep. 2024 (gear page): Added note about double-Dawnthread Lining not working and how to fix it.
- 13 Sep. 2024 (Nerub-ar Palace page): Re-visited the best builds on every boss after Heroic experience and made some changes.
- 13 Sep. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated and clarified some tips.
- 13 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Added note about Wailing Arrow resetting the cooldown of Rapid Fire, updated opener.
- 10 Sep. 2024 (enchants page): Added note about Movement Speed Gem, and also updated the Gem setup recommendation in general.
- 10 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Clarified that Multi-Shot takes over from Arcane Shot at just 2 targets. Simplified the Steady Focus Rotation.
- 10 Sep. 2024 (talents page): Updated the single-target talents slightly (one-point change for 0.2% DPS).
- 09 Sep. 2024 (hero talents): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (Leveling): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (FAQ page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (WeakAuras page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (FAQ page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (how to improve page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (simulations page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (gear page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (addons page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (enchants page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (stats page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (Nerub-ar Palace page): Guide added.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (mythic+ page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Updated the Opener with Wailing Arrow specced.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (talents page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (spells page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (easy mode page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (this page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 03 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Preliminary updates for The War Within Season 1.
- 27 Aug. 2024 (gear page): Added a note about Crafted gear to the Pre-Season BiS List.
- 23 Aug. 2024 (this page): Re-introduced a section talking about the Best Hunter Specs in the War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (hero talents): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (Leveling): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (WeakAuras page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (how to improve page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (gear page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (addons page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (enchants page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (stats page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (talents page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (spells page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated for The War Within.
- 22 Aug. 2024 (this page): Updated for The War Within.
- 02 Aug. 2024 (hero talents): Page added.
- 31 Jul. 2024 (rotation page): Simplified Steady Focus optimization. This affects the single-target opener, rotation, and AoE rotation.
- 25 Jul. 2024 (talents page): Updated the Single-Target Talent Build.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (MoP Remix): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (Leveling): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (how to improve page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (gear page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (enchants page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (stats page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (talents page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (spells page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (this page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 26 Jun. 2024 (The War Within): Updated for the June 25th changes.
- 18 Jun. 2024 (The War Within): Page added.
- 29 May 2024 (MoP Remix): Updated Tinker Gem recommendations.
- 20 May 2024 (MoP Remix): Updated Tinker Gem rankings based on live server power levels.
- 17 May 2024 (MoP Remix): Updated Tinker and Cogwheel Gem recommendations in light of recent changes and new information.
- 14 May 2024 (MoP Remix): Page added.
- 11 May 2024 (addons page): Added a Nochanneling Rapid Fire Macro.
- 07 May 2024 (Leveling): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (enchants page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (talents page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (this page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (Leveling): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (enchants page): Updated for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (stats page): Updated for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (talents page): Updated for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (this page): Updated for Season 4.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.6.
- 14 Feb. 2024 (talents page): Updated the recommended default Mythic+ Talent Build.
- 14 Feb. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated the recommended default Mythic+ Talent Build.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (WeakAuras page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (how to improve page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (simulations page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (addons page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 15 Jan. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5
- 04 Dec. 2023 (talents page): Updated Talents for Mythic+.
- 27 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Updated Talents for Mythic+.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (WeakAuras page): Updated for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2
- 04 Sep. 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (talents page): Restructured the page and updated for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 10 Jul. 2023 (Leveling): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 27 Jun. 2023 (talents page): Additional Talent Change, and moved Steel Trap to be default for single-target.
- 27 Jun. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated the Talent Builds.
- 26 Jun. 2023 (talents page): Updated the single-target build to account for new tuning.
- 03 Jun. 2023 (this page): Updated the blurb about spec viability, and updated the Strengths and Weaknesses.
- 25 May 2023 (talents page): Updated the recommended builds to assume the set bonus as default.
- 22 May 2023 (enchants page): Updated the recommended Leg Enchant, as it was found that the Lambent Armor Kit does not provide Stamina as it was assumed.
- 19 May 2023 (talents page): Updated the layout of the page and added an alternative, cooldown-less build.
- 15 May 2023 (talents page): Added note on Steel Trap and when you might want to use it.
- 12 May 2023 (enchants page): Updated the recommended food and Leg enchant.
- 12 May 2023 (talents page): Clarified talent changes for AoE as well as single-target with the 4PC Bonus.
- 09 May 2023 (talents page): Added note of how the build changes with the 4PC Set Bonus.
- 08 May 2023 (talents page): Updated the recommended single-target talent build to pick Steady Focus.
- 04 May 2023 (talents page): Updated the recommended AoE/M+ Talent Build. This is likely a temporary change, until the new Tier Set becomes more widespread.
- 04 May 2023 (easy mode page): Updated the recommended AoE Talent Build. This is likely a temporary change, until the new Tier Set becomes more widespread.
- 01 May 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 11 Apr. 2023 (this page): Updated the spec rankings to account for new nerfs.
- 23 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated the recommended Gemstones after sim updates, and the discovery of a new, powerful combination.
- 23 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Yet another update to the recommended Gemstones based on a slew of hotfixes.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated the Onyx Annulet Information in light of the March 21st buff.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Updated the talents for the 10.0.7 talent reshuffle.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated with spec rankings for different types of damage.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 16 Feb. 2023 (Leveling): Fixed an issue with the talent order.
- 15 Feb. 2023 (talents page): Updated the utility talents in the M+ Build.
- 30 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Small updates to talent swaps.
- 25 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Added a Salvo Volley Macro.
- 25 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Updated the Talent Builds again after the discovery of a sim bug. Added alternative to Steady Focus. Changed the "swap" talent for Wailing Arrow to Bullseye.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Updated the page for relevant changes in Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Updated the page for relevant changes in Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated the page for relevant changes in Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 21 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Fixed a wrong note about which talent to swap for Ammo Talents.
- 17 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Updated the recommended Single-Target Talent Build.
- 17 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated the recommended Single-Target Talent Build.
- 06 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Added page.
- 04 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Updated the recommended Phial.
- 23 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Updated the recommended builds to reflect that Unerring Vision is fixed and worth using again.
- 23 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Talent updates.
- 18 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Updated the recommended talent builds to reflect that Unerring Vision is bugged.
- 16 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Added note that you do not need to use Serpent Sting manually with Hydra's Bite.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (Leveling): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (WeakAuras page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated the recommendation and description of the optimal Flasks/Phials.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Updated the recommended single-target talent build in light of recent buffs.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Updated Spec Viability for the latest buffs.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (Leveling): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (WeakAuras page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (Leveling): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (Torghast): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (WeakAuras page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
- 01 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
- 12 Jul. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Updated thoughts on all of the Covenant-specific Legendaries, and added the July 13th Hunter Buffs to the changes.
- 10 Jun. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Added information about the Venthyr-specific Legendary.
- 12 May 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Added information about 4 new Covenant-specific Legendaries.
- 25 Apr. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page created with initial information.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (The Eternal Palace page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 23 Aug. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added tips for more bosses.
- 08 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Page added.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Added Marksmanship tips for Uu'nat.
- 01 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Added Marksmanship tips for The Restless Cabal.
- 14 Apr. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Crucible of Storms and no changes are necessary.
- 14 Apr. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for Crucible of Storms and no changes are necessary.
- 14 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
- 22 Mar. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added tips for Jaina on Mythic Difficulty.
- 20 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added boss tips for multiple bosses on Mythic.
- Added tips for Stormwall Blockade (Mythic).
- Added tips for King Rastakhan (Mythic).
- Added tips for High Tinker Mekkatorque (Mythic).
- Added tips for Opulence (Mythic).
- Added tips for Conclave of the Chosen (Mythic).
- 05 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added boss tips for Jadefire Masters (Mythic) and altered the talent recommendations.
- 03 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added boss tips for Champion of the Light and Grong (Mythic).
- 21 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added boss tips for Marksmanship Hunter in Battle of Dazar'alor.
- 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): Added more specifically useful tips for Marksmanship on each boss in Uldir Mythic.
- 03 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Added additional content for Uldir's release.
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This guide has been written by Azortharion, a Hunter Guidewriter, Theorycrafter, and top player since 2014, who is widely considered one of the best PvE Hunters in the world. He is an accomplished player with hundreds of top parses across all Hunter specs. He is the Head Admin of Trueshot Lodge, the official Hunter Class Discord. You can find him on his stream on Twitch and his channel on YouTube. He also has his own, personal Discord server where you can freely ask him any Hunter questions you may have!
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