| Name | Pew Pew. The Everyday Hunter's Guide Part 4 |
| Category | Class |
Hyacintha here, and today I am interviewing the beautiful Night Elven Hunter Ohanraela. Although the Hunter class is one of the simplest to pick up and is a very popular choice when it comes to pure firepower, it has its share of complexities that not everyone understands. This guide is designed to show you over several parts what the class has to offer, how each ability is used, and how to improve yourself as a Hunter. Ohanraela will be my aid in doing so.
What will set you apart from every other Hunter are the talents you invest in your talent trees. These improve your current moves and give you access to new ones based on whatever tree your talent points into. In this guide, we will be focusing on each of the three trees and how to play them, what talents to take and so on.
Hyacintha: Ohanraela, thank you for coming back to be interviewed again. Today of course we are going to be focusing on the Hunter’s talents, this time which ones to pick, and how to use them.
Ohanraela: Most certainly. The first we will go over is Marksmanship.
Having three talents trees gives you a lot in the way of customization but sometimes, it is hard to truly get an idea of what to expect from each tree. In this interview with you, I will cover the benefits and downsides of each tree. Each section will cover specific highlights, as well as comprehensive strategies on how to get the most out of your talents.
# - - Marksmanship - - >
The Marksman is a specialist in ranged combat. With unmatched firepower, his shots pierce through his targets like bolts of lightning through a tree.
Basic Sample Marksmanship Builds
~ Marks/Survival Raid DPS Build ~
Marksmanship Talents - 43 point(s)
Lethal Shots - rank 5 / 5
Efficiency - rank 5 / 5
Go for the Throat - rank 2 / 2
Aimed Shot - rank 1 / 1
Rapid Killing - rank 2 / 2
Mortal Shots - rank 5 / 5
Concussive Barrage - rank 1 / 3
Scatter Shot - rank 1 / 1
Barrage - rank 3 / 3
Ranged Weapon Specialization - rank 5 / 5
Careful Aim - rank 3 / 3
Trueshot Aura - rank 1 / 1
Improved Barrage - rank 3 / 3
Master Marksman - rank 5 / 5
Silencing Shot - rank 1 / 1
Survival Talents - 18 point(s)
Monster Slaying - rank 3 / 3
Humanoid Slaying - rank 3 / 3
Hawk Eye - rank 3 / 3
Improved Wing Clip - rank 1 / 3
Survivalist - rank 5 / 5
Surefooted - rank 3 / 3
This build focuses on the talents that increase your attack power the most. You also happen to get some of the nicest PVP talents that come with the tree, like Scatter Shot.
~ Marks/Beast Master Raid DPS Build ~
Beast Mastery Talents - 19 point(s)
Improved Aspect of the Hawk - rank 5 / 5
Endurance Training - rank 3 / 5
Focused Fire - rank 2 / 2
Unleashed Fury - rank 5 / 5
Ferocity - rank 4/5
Marksmanship Talents - 42 point(s)
Lethal Shots - rank 5 / 5
Improved Hunter's Mark - rank 1 / 5
Efficiency - rank 5 / 5
Go for the Throat - rank 2 / 2
Aimed Shot - rank 1 / 1
Rapid Killing - rank 2 / 2
Mortal Shots - rank 5 / 5
Scatter Shot - rank 1 / 1
Barrage - rank 3 / 3
Ranged Weapon Specialization - rank 5 / 5
Careful Aim - rank 3 / 3
Trueshot Aura - rank 1 / 1
Improved Barrage - rank 3 / 3
Master Marksman - rank 5 / 5
This build is similar to the previous, but it assumes you have enough hit to not require Surefooted. As a Hunter gears up into Tier 6 and sees their hit lower from the lack of it in gear, this will not be as good of a specialization. Overall, this combines the burst damage of Marks with some added pet damage capabilities.
~ Marksmanship PVP ~
Beast Mastery Talents - 5 point(s)
Endurance Training - rank 5 / 5
Marksmanship Talents - 42 point(s)
Improved Concussive Shot - rank 5 / 5
Efficiency - rank 5 / 5
Go for the Throat - rank 2 / 2
Aimed Shot - rank 1 / 1
Rapid Killing - rank 2 / 2
Improved Stings - rank 1 / 5
Mortal Shots - rank 5 / 5
Scatter Shot - rank 1 / 1
Barrage - rank 3 / 3
Ranged Weapon Specialization - rank 5 / 5
Careful Aim - rank 2 / 3
Trueshot Aura - rank 1 / 1
Improved Barrage - rank 3 / 3
Master Marksman - rank 5 / 5
Silencing Shot - rank 1 / 1
Survival Talents - 14 point(s)
Humanoid Slaying - rank 3 / 3
Hawk Eye - rank 3 / 3
Entrapment - rank 1 / 3
Improved Wing Clip - rank 3 / 3
Survivalist - rank 3 / 5
Deterrence - rank 1 / 1
This build is simply good for overall PvP. It can stand up in any PvP or Arena situation.
Marksmanship Builds In General Have the Following: - - >
Benefits
- Very, very long ranged attack power and Auto-Shot damage.
- To the highest degree boosts ranged weapon firepower.
- Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot give you a high quantity of utility.
- Trueshot Aura and Improved Hunter’s Mark benefits party members.
- Higher Serpent Sting and Immolation Trap damages.
Downsides
- Snare effects can severely hamper your damage output.
- Few offensive options when fighting at melee range.
- Little in the way of mana efficiency.
The idea behind the Marksmanship tree is to increase your ranged damage output by increasing the damage of your Shots and Stings, and boosting your ranged attack power to its maximum potential. It is the ideal ‘ranger’ type specialization as it is all about shooting your bow and arrows. A Marksman will always have much higher ranged attack power than a Survivalist or a Beast Master wearing the same gear. This means that each of your bullets and arrows will hit harder than anyone else. Your Arcane Shot and Steady Shot damages are significantly higher than those of other talent builds, and your Auto Shot remuneration benefits greatly from all of that ranged attack power that you get from Trueshot Aura, Master Marksman, and Careful Aim.
The tree also gives you quite a bit of convenience for both you and your party members. While Trueshot Aura and Improved Hunter’s Mark gives everyone a boost in physical damage, Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot can disrupt your enemies from a distance. Silencing Shot is especially great for shutting down mobs that insist on standing in one place to cast spells rather than running after you.
# - - Marksmanship has some disadvantages: - - >
The biggest downside to being a Marksman is that melee range is your weakness.
Even though Agility and Attack Power conveniently apply to your melee weapons, you are significantly weaker without your gun or bow, and have very few abilities to handle mobs or enemy players at that range. This forces you to do whatever it takes to get back into firing range. Against mobs, that might not be too hard but against other players, a snare or a slow effect could be the end of you.
Another downside is your mana inefficiency. This isn’t a major problem while questing and running instances, but it gets troublesome when you suddenly find yourself scraping for mana in raids. Although the Efficiency talent helps cut mana costs, it can’t hold a candle to what other builds have to offer. Beast Masters save mana by relying solely on Steady Shot and Kill Command for the bulk of their damage, while Survivalists can retain mana with Thrill of the Hunt.
# - - How to play a Marksmanship Hunter: - - >
As a Marksman, you have it easy. Since all of your power comes from your ranged weapon, it is really just taking what the Hunter does best and enhancing it. The inclusion of Aimed Shot gives you the option of starting a battle with a hard hitting attack but remember that its long casting time and Auto Shot reset makes it unviable to use within a normal shot cycle. Remember to keep Trueshot Aura up at all times.
Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot may take some time to get used to. You need to get familiarized to knowing when to use each one. Silencing Shot is simple: time it so that you will silence a caster just as it is about to finish casting a spell. A healer is especially an important target to silence. You may also use it to silence a player just as they are about to flee. A Mage cannot Blink their way to safety if you hit them with this Shot, though keep in mind that unlike Shield Bash or Kick, your Shot does not lock out schools of magic, and does not count as a spell counter.
As for Scatter Shot, it serves a defensive purpose, as you can tell from the fact that it can be used at short range. It can be used to disrupt a spell near the end of its casting time but more importantly, the daze time allows you to safely freeze your target in a Freezing Trap. Four seconds is enough time for you to spring it open. If you already have one set, keep in mind that as you pull a mob into the trap, that daze time also allows Freezing Trap’s cool down to run down.
# - - Raiding As A Marksman: - - >
As a Marksman, you need to push for as much damage as possible. The Steady-Arcane-Auto Shot trio is your most effective attack pattern. Serpent’s Sting is generally unwanted because its overall damage is weaker than that of other classes, and it uses up a debuff slot that could otherwise be filled with let us say a Warlock’s Corruption spell. Although you have Multi-Shot and Aimed Shot at your disposal, both of them cost a lot of mana, and are therefore not recommended unless you are Misdirecting threat to a tank. Be sure to use Rapid Fire and whatever other power-boosting abilities whenever they are available.
A Marksman can bring a lot of personal firepower to any raid. Once you get enough gear, you can cause some hefty damage. However, this build is currently the least favored of the three. This is mainly because it is comparatively not as beneficial to a raid as the other two builds.
Here are some key problems that players have noticed:
1. Trueshot Aura. 125 Attack Power to your group is decent but it pales in comparison to what Ferocious Inspiration and Expose Weakness has to offer. Whereas the latter two scale with endgame content, the static bonus that this Aura gives does not, thereby making it the least beneficial of the three.
2. Mana inefficiency. Compared to the first two builds, a Marksman will burn through his mana supply very quickly, and this is mainly because of Arcane Shot. Beast Masters can do without it, and Survivalists can compensate with Thrill of the Hunt. Even with Efficiency, your mana will not last long without some way to replenish it.
For all of the firepower that a Marksman can bring, a Beast Master can achieve just as high a damage output but for less mana, and can bring a better raid buff to his group, thereby making Marksmanship the least favored of the three trees. Still, we might see improvement in the future.
# - - PvP As A Marksman: - - >
With Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot at your disposal, you can quickly shut down caster classes, especially healers. Priests in particular loathe Hunters due to the fact that there is little they can do against your abilities. Not only are your talent-exclusive Shots disruptive to their bigger heal spells, your Viper Sting counts as a poison, which they are incapable of removing. That and Arcane Shot has a chance to remove their most protective spells such as Pain Suppression and Power Word: Shield. If you happen to have armor mitigation bonuses on your gear, that also has a significant impact on anything that wears cloth.
The classes that are a cause for concern are melee-oriented. As a Marksman, you are extremely vulnerable at melee range. Though Wing Clip and Scatter Shot can help you escape, there is little you can do if you get Hamstrung or Frost Shocked. If you are in a Battleground or an Arena, keep your distance and stay close to your teammates.
# -- Marksmanship Itemization - - >
To get the most out of Marksmanship, you need an ample supply of Attack Power from your gear, but the key to building a successful Marksman is finding a balance between base damage and critical strike percentage. In the way of armor, a good example would be a Beast Lord Cuirass with this configuration:
Beast Lord Cuirass
652 Armor
+ 20 Agility
+ 30 Stamina
+ 24 Intellect
[o] Red Socket: Bright Living Ruby (+ 16 Attack Power )
[o] Red Socket: Bright Living Ruby (+ 16 Attack Power)
[o] Blue Socket: Balanced Nightseye (+ 8 Attack Power, + 6 Stamina)
SOCKET BONUS: + 4 Agility
EQUIP: + 40 Attack Power
EQUIP: + 4 Mana / 5 sec.
ENCHANT: + 6 Stats
You can also try this setup if you prefer more critical hits:
Beast Lord Cuirass
652 Armor
+ 20 Agility
+ 30 Stamina
+ 24 Intellect
[o] Red Socket: Delicate Living Ruby (+ 8 Agility)
[o] Red Socket: Delicate Living Ruby (+ 8 Agility)
[o] Blue Socket: Shifting Nightseye ( + 4 Agility, + 6 Stamina)
SOCKET BONUS: + 4 Agility
EQUIP: + 40 Attack Power
EQUIP: + 4 Man a/ 5 sec.
ENCHANT: + 6 Stats
A Marksman has a lot of flexibility when choosing gear. Attack Power is just as beneficial to you as Agility. However, raiding requires that you stack more heavily on Agility.
Hyacintha: Well done. Thank you so much for all the good information. In the next guide we will be looking at the Survival talent tree and all it’s good sides and bad sides. Stay tuned and see you in Outland!
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