PvE Marksmanship Hunter Rotations & Cooldowns – WoW Classic

In this part, we will showcase the Single-Target and AoE rotations, alongside all possible Utility & Cooldown abilities. Each section has comprehensive explanations regarding the abilities and how they can best be utilized for maximum efficiency!

PvE Marksmanship Hunter

Stat Priority

Best Professions

Talents & Builds

Rotation & Cooldowns

Pre-Raid & Best in Slot (BiS)

Enchants & Consumables

The rotation for Marksmanship Hunter is considered one of the easiest in the game, yet quite controversial at the same time due to the dependence of an addon that tracks your Auto-Shot Swing Timer. The idea is to weave in your abilities with your Auto-Shots which sounds easy in theory but sometimes can be complicated, especially when considering movement in dungeons and raids. In addition, Marksmanship Hunters have many utility tools in their kit that they will be required to use during PvE encounters, as they have a considerable support role besides their main DPS role.

Single Target Rotation

1. Pre-Cast Aspect of the Hawk
2. Cast Hunter’s Mark (Refresh if it expires)
3. Use Rapid Fire (Burst)
4. Pre-Cast Aimed Shot (Initial Engage)
5. Cast Multi-Shot (On Cooldown)
6. Cast Serpent Sting (Refresh & Upkeep)
7. Cast Aimed Shot (Main Ability)
   • Cast Aimed Shot on cooldown

Marksmanship Hunters are known to have two main abilities in their kit that they’ll be using consistently in PvE: Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot. This version of WoW Classic adds one more to the rotation, Serpent Sting, due to the removal of the debuff limit on targets! As such, now 3 main abilities are used, in addition to the very important Auto-Shots!

Aimed Shot is the primary damage source for Marksmanship Hunters, being used as the hardest-hitting ability in their kit. They can use it every 6 seconds, having a 3-second cast time! The idea is to always weave in your abilities between your Auto-Shots, meaning that you will want to use the ability every time it is available right after using an Auto-Shot, to ensure that you get maximum efficiency without interrupting any Auto-Shot. For this to be achieved, you should get an addon that tracks your Ranged Weapon Swing Timer.

Multi-Shot is the next ability in terms of importance, used right after your initial Auto-Shot and used on cooldown every 10 seconds. Multi-Shot is tied to your Attack Speed, acting as a cast instead of an instant-cast ability, meaning that you will want to sit still while using this ability. Serpent Sting should be used while the other two abilities are on cooldown, and ideally refreshed as fast as possible after the DoT expires. If Serpent Sting conflicts with an Aimed Shot cast, you should always choose Aimed Shot since it deals considerably more damage.

Rapid Fire will always be used for Burst moments! Depending on the encounter, you may instantly want to use it or trigger it at very specific moments.

AoE Rotation

1. Cast Multi-Shot (On Cooldown)
2. Cast Volley (On Cooldown)
3. Cast Explosive Trap (On Cooldown)
   • Only use Explosive Trap if you can get close enough without missing a good  Volley opportunity
4. Use Single-Target Rotation while the rest are on cooldown

For the AoE rotation, there are 3 main specific abilities that Marksmanship Hunters can use! Multi-Shot is the main ability that you will want to use on cooldown for any AoE pack, even if there are more than 3 mobs in the pack. Volley is the second ability and the main ability that you will want to use when there are more than 3 mobs in the pack. If a pull has more than 3 mobs, you will want to start with Volley and then cast Multi-Shot, but if the pull has less than 3 mobs or specifically 3, you will want to withhold using Volley if another bigger pull happens right after. As such, the AoE rotation is situational depending on the encounter you’re facing.

Depending on the type of encounter you’re facing, you will also want to use Explosive Trap on cooldown if it’s possible to reach the position of the mobs without endangering yourself. If you can’t, you should simply resume using your Single-Target rotation until Volley becomes available again, especially for long fights.

Utility & Cooldowns

1. Disengage (Reposition)
2. Feign Death (Iconic Get out of Jail Free Card)
3. Scatter Shot (Disorient)
4. Trueshot Aura (Attack Power Buff)
5. Frost Trap (Slow)
6. Freezing Trap (Freeze)
7. Wing Clip (Slow)
8. Aspect of the Pack (Mobility)
9. Flare (Invisibility Remover)
10. Scorpid Sting (STR & AGI debuff)
11. Viper Sting (Mana Drain)
12. Distracting Shot (Taunt)
13. Concussive Shot (Daze)

Marksmanship Hunters, just like their brethren, have a very diverse kit filled with plenty of utility tools and major cooldowns that can tackle just about any PvE scenario. Feign Death is probably the most iconic cooldown in their kit, being used in many scenarios, even as mitigation, as long as it doesn’t get resisted. Some players choose to use this cooldown offensively by triggering it after a Distracting Shot to instantly drop threat and kite mobs for a raid, forcing them to return to their original target. Disengage is another one of their tools that can be used for defense or offense, depending on what players choose to do. Some players choose to use it combined with traps, to cleverly encase mobs in ice with Freezing Trap.

Marksmanship Hunters have two unique utility tools when compared to the other Hunter specializations: Scatter Shot and Trueshot Aura. Scatter Shot is a Disorient that can work even on elite mobs while Trueshot Aura is an ability that can be activated to provide raw Attack Power to all members of your party. Since Trueshot Aura gives raw Attack Power, all classes can benefit from it!

Frost Trap and Wing Clip act as their primary slows, with the foremost being AoE and covering a large zone whilst the latter is Single-Target. Freezing Trap is used to isolate powerful entities, including powerful Elites but does not work on bosses.

The Aspect of the Pack is an ability that increases the movement speed of all nearby allies by a substantial amount, working even in raids. However, if any target is hit while having Aspect of the Pack active, they receive a massive instant Daze effect, which gets reapplied with each hit. This ability should be replaced instantly once combat begins unless you wish to cause a wipe.

Flare is a great tool to discover any hidden enemies using Stealth! Although this is better for Dungeons or Open-World PvE since raids don’t generally have Stealthed mobs.

Scorpid Sting acts as a great Strength & Agility reducing debuff, especially in the absence of a Demoralizing Shout or Demoralizing Roar while Viper Sting acts as a special shot against caster mob types, allowing you to drain their Mana. 

Distracting Shot is a ranged Taunt that is great for repositioning bosses or mobs, especially when combined with Feign Death. Concussive Shot is a Daze that can affect a variety of mobs, being extremely useful for peeling for your teammates and safeguarding them while u place traps.