Marksmanship Hunter DPS Spell Summary (Legion 7.2.5)

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. What Has Changed in 7.2.5?
    • 2.1. Tomb of Sargeras Set Bonus Simulation
  • 3. How Does it Work?
  • 4. Viability of Spec Choices in Patch 7.2.5
    • 4.1. Tier 20 - Tomb of Sargeras Mythic Gear - Single-Target Spec Comparison
    • 4.2. Raiding — Single-Target Focus with AoE as a secondary objective.
    • 4.3. Mythic+ — AoE Focus with single-target as a secondary objective.
  • 5. Strengths
  • 6. Weaknesses
  • 7. Contents
  • 8. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. The Basics
  • 2. Talent Choice
  • 3. Stat Choice
  • 4. Basic Rotation
  • 5. ChangeLog
• ×Spell Summary
  • 1. Spell Summary
  • 2. Main Resource
  • 3. Basic Abilities
  • 4. Movement Tools
  • 5. Important Procs and Passives
  • 6. Offensive Cooldowns
  • 7. Additional Utility & Traps
  • 8. ChangeLog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Cheat Sheets
    • 1.1. For Raiding
    • 1.2. For Mythic+
  • 2. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents
  • 3. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents
  • 4. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents
  • 5. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents
  • 6. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents
  • 7. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents
  • 8. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents
  • 9. Pet Talents
  • 10. ChangeLog
• +Artifact Traits and Relics
  • 1. Artifact Progression
    • 1.1. Early Progression
    • 1.2. Patch 7.2 Progression
  • 2. Artifact Ability
  • 3. Traits versus Item Level
  • 4. Relic Choice
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Trick Shot Rotation — Pure Single-Target Focus
  • 2. "Meme" Build Rotation — Explosive Shot & Piercing Shot
  • 3. Multiple Target Rotation
  • 4. Legendaries & Rotational Changes
  • 5. Simplified Single-Target Trick Shot Rotation
  • 6. Cooldown Usage
  • 7. Opener Sequence
    • 7.1. Trick Shot — Pure Single-Target Focus
    • 7.2. Meme Build — Piercing Shot & Explosive Shot
  • 8. Rotation during Trueshot
  • 9. Optional Read: Mastering Your Marksmanship Hunter
    • 9.1. Set Bonuses
    • 9.2. Trinket Usage
    • 9.3. Focus
    • 9.4. Auto-shots and Special Shots
    • 9.5. Detailed Cooldown Usage
      • 9.5.1. Marking Targets & Hunter's Mark
      • 9.5.2. Trueshot
    • 9.6. Positioning when using Sidewinders
    • 9.7. Bullseye
      • 9.7.1. Tier 1 Talents
      • 9.7.2. Tier 2 Talents
      • 9.7.3. Tier 4 Talents
      • 9.7.4. Tier 6 Talents
      • 9.7.5. Tier 7 Talents
  • 10. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. Basics
  • 2. Getting a Better Understanding
    • 2.1. Choosing Gear
    • 2.2. Stat Softcaps, Distributions & Other Clarifications
    • 2.3. Statistics Explanations
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems
  • 2. Enchants
  • 3. Consumables
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Macros
    • 1.1. Generic Macros for Hunters
      • 1.1.1. Aspect of the Turtle Cancelaura Macro
      • 1.1.2. Misdirection Mouseover/Focus Macro for Marksmanship/Beast Mastery
      • 1.1.3. Trap Macros for Survival
      • 1.1.4. Petattack Macros
    • 1.2. Specific Macros for Marksmanship Hunters
  • 2. Addons
    • 2.1. Generic Addons for Hunters
      • 2.1.1. ElvUI
      • 2.1.2. Weak Auras
      • 2.1.3. Boss Mods: Deadly Boss Mods or Bigwigs
      • 2.1.4. GTFO
      • 2.1.5. JSHB 4
      • 2.1.6. Pawn
    • 2.2. Specific Addons for Marksmanship Hunters
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot
  • 1. Best in Slot List
  • 2. 7.2.5 Trinket & Legendary DPS Rankings
  • 3. Legion Legendaries
    • 3.1. Marksmanship Legendaries
      • 3.1.1. Marksmanship Legendary Ranking
  • 4. Loot Competition
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Simulations
  • 1. Disclaimer
  • 2. Racial Bonus Simulation
  • 3. Legendary Simulation
  • 4. ChangeLog

General Information

On this page, we list the spells that you will often use as a Marksmanship Hunter.

The other pages of our Marksmanship Hunter guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About Our Author

This guide has been written by Azortharion, the main theorycrafter of the spec. He is also an accomplished player who raids in Solaris. You can also watch his stream on Twitch.

1. Spell Summary

This will cover synergies, cooldowns, and core concepts of the spec to get it working in Legion. If you already have experience and are very comfortable with Marksmanship, it is okay to skip past this, otherwise this is a great point to get a base understanding before moving onto later sections of the guide that covers nuances of gameplay.

2. Main Resource

Hunters and their pets use a unique resource, called Focus. Focus works in much the same way as other class resources, like Rage and Energy, in the sense that some abilities grant Focus, while others cost Focus to be used.

A Marksmanship Hunter's Focus has a maximum capacity of 130, and regenerates at an innate rate of 10 Focus per second. This rate is increased by Haste. In addition to this, certain abilities such as Arcane Shot (Marksmanship-only) also grant Focus.

Most of the abilities in the hunter rotation cost Focus to use, and some talents decrease the Focus costs, or offer other ways to gain additional Focus.

Hunter pet Focus works similarly, and is of no concern to you as you cannot do anything to modify it, nor will you be casting pet abilities manually.

As a general rule, you should always have enough Focus to cast your abilities as soon as they come off cooldown, but also to never have 130 Focus (as any extra Focus you generate would then go to waste).

3. Basic Abilities

Arcane Shot is your primary generator. It is cast whenever there is nothing else to cast, and supplements your passive Focus regen, allowing you to cast more hard hitting spells. It generates 8 Focus, 13 if it crits.

Marked Shot is an ability that is sometimes made active by casting Arcane Shot. It does moderate damage to all targets with the Hunter's Mark debuff, applied by Arcane Shot and Multi-Shot. It also applies Vulnerable to all targets it hits. Vulnerable increases the target's damage taken from Aimed Shot by over 30%. Marked Shot is the bread and butter of Marksmanship AoE. It costs 25 Focus.

Aimed Shot is your primary single-target damage ability. It has a 2-second base cast time and does heavy physical damage, especially with Vulnerable active on the target. It costs 50 Focus. It is the bread and butter of your single-target damage, contributing over 50-60%.

Multi-Shot is your AoE ability, and essentially an AoE version of Arcane Shot. It does very low Physical damage to all targets it hits, but it can apply Hunter's Mark to everything it hits, allowing you to cast Marked Shot on them. It generates 3 Focus per target it hits.

Windburst is your active artifact ability. It does heavy damage and applies Vulnerable just like Marked Shot. It has a 1.5 second cast time and costs 20 Focus, on a 20-second cooldown. It lays down a trail of wind between you and the target that increase movement speed by 50% when inside it for 5 seconds. You can think of it as a slightly more powerful Marked Shot that does not require Hunter's Mark.

4. Movement Tools

Disengage is your primary mobility ability. It causes you to leap backwards on a 20-second cooldown at no cost. Certain talents like Posthaste and Farstrider amplify this ability, causing it to give you increased movement speed, or gives your damaging abilities a chance to reset its cooldown. You can use this to quickly go from one place to another — even in a forwards direction by jumping, turning around and casting Disengage to catapult you forwards instead of backwards.

Aspect of the Cheetah is your second mobility ability, acting as more of a cooldown. It increases your movement speed by 90% for 3 seconds, and then by 30% for another 9 seconds on a 3-minute cooldown. Note it does not stack with Posthaste, so you should make sure to use Disengage and Aspect of the Cheetah separately for movement.

5. Important Procs and Passives

Marking Targets is a random proc that causes your next Arcane Shot or Multi-Shot to apply Hunter's Mark to all targets they hit. Hunter's Mark allows you to cast Marked Shot which will hit all these targets, and then apply Vulnerable.

Vulnerable increases damage taken from Aimed Shot by 30% - further increased by certain traits. Casting Aimed Shot with this debuff active is the bread and butter of the spec's single target.

6. Offensive Cooldowns

Trueshot is your primary and only offensive cooldown. It increases haste by 40%, and causes Arcane Shot and Multi-Shot to always apply Hunter's Mark to all targets they hit. It also increases critical strike damage done by 50%. It lasts 15 seconds, and has a 3-minute cooldown that can be vastly reduced by certain effects. Because all Multi-Shots apply Hunter's Mark to whatever it hits, it allows you to repeatedly spam Multi>Marked>Multi>Marked for incredibly high AoE damage.

7. Additional Utility & Traps

Aspect of the Turtle is the Hunter's primary defensive. It is an 8-second immune (from most abilities) and 30% damage reduction that makes you unable to attack for its duration. With certain artifact traits, it also heals you for up to 48% of your total health throughout its duration. As mentioned, it is an immunity from most attacks, although most important encounter mechanics will still target you or do damage to you when it is active. It has a 3-minute cooldown.

Bursting Shot is a short-term crowd control ability. It knocks back all enemies immediately in front of you, interrupting spellcasting and disorienting them for 4 seconds. The disorient breaks on damage. It has a 30-second cooldown and costs 10 Focus.

Exhilaration is the Hunter's self heal. It heals you for 30% of your total health, and your pet for its full health on a 2-minute cooldown. Whenever you land the killing blow on an enemy, the cooldown of Exhilaration is reduced by 30 seconds.

Freezing Trap is a long-term crowd control for all Hunter specs. It places a trap on the ground that encases the first enemy (not bosses or most big encounter adds) to touch it in ice for 1 minute. The effect breaks on damage. The trap has a 30-second cooldown, and the trap will exist for 1 minute after placing it.

Tar Trap is an AoE slow for all Hunter specs. It places a trap on the ground that causes a patch of tar to appear on the ground in an 8 yard radius around it when it is triggered, slowing all enemies in it by 50% for as long as they are in it. The patch of tar persists for 30 seconds, and the trap itself will exist for up to 1 minute before being triggered.

Flare places a flare on the ground that reveals stealthed players and mobs nearby. It lasts for 20 seconds, and has a 20-second cooldown.

Feign Death lets you pretend to be dead, dropping all threat/aggro on all enemies. When not in raid or dungeon encounters, it is a quick way to drop you from combat. In raids and dungeons, it can help you survive a wipe by using it when everyone else is about to die.

Misdirection causes you to redirect all the threat you do to a friendly target for the next 8 seconds. It has a 30-second cooldown. It is very useful for aiding your tank in picking up enemies that are spread far apart, such as wide-scale dungeon trash pulls, or adds that spawn further away from the boss such as on Tichondrius. Note that this only applies to threat you personally generate, not that of your pet(s).

8. ChangeLog

+ show all entries - show only 10 entries

• 13 Jun. 2017: Updated Vulnerable to only increase Aimed Shot damage by 30%, not 100%, and all references to this.
• 15 May 2017: Added spell summary page, detailing the core abilities of the spec and class.