Marksmanship Hunter Guide — Class Guides · WoW Burning Crusade

Ranged damage from shots: Aimed Shot, more crit and more range.

A ranged fighter in leather, and later mail, who fights at a distance with a bow, gun or crossbow, tames beasts as pets and controls enemies with traps and stings. More about the hunter

Class: Hunter
Roles: Damage
Used for: Raids and dungeons, Player versus player
Top talent: Silencing Shot
Popular builds: 2
Version: WoW Burning Crusade

How to play

Marksmanship brings Trueshot Aura (attack power for your group) and Improved Barrage, with Careful Aim and Master Marksman for more ranged attack power; Silencing Shot interrupts casters.

The rotation is Steady Shot between Auto Shots, with Arcane Shot and Multi-Shot when they fit and Rapid Fire when ready. Mana runs short, so switch to Aspect of the Viper in time.

Marksmanship's personal damage trails Beast Mastery, but it adds more to a raid group's physical damage and has Silencing Shot and Scatter Shot for arenas.

At a glance

Single-target damage
Damage to groups
Survivability
Utility for the group
Solo play and leveling
Ease of play

Rated 1 to 5 against the other specs in WoW Burning Crusade.

Rotation and priorities

1Trueshot Aura on; Hunter's Mark on the target.
2Steady Shot between Auto Shots.
3Arcane Shot or Multi-Shot when they fit without delaying Auto Shot.
4Rapid Fire with trinkets and Bloodlust.
5Silencing Shot to interrupt casts.
6Aspect of the Viper when mana runs low.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

Trueshot Aura raises your group's attack power.
Silencing Shot and Scatter Shot for control.
Depends less on the pet.

Weaknesses

Lower personal damage than Beast Mastery.
Shot timing is unforgiving.
Mana runs short.

Stats and gear

Stat priority

Most valuable first. Bars compare each stat with the best one; a cap in the note means the stat drops off once you reach it.

1
Agility
2
Hitto 142 rating
3
Critical strike
4
Ranged attack power
5
Haste
6
Intellect

What to look for

A ranged weapon with high damage per second.
Agility and hit gems; enough Intellect for long fights.
Resilience and Stamina for arenas.

Items worth chasing

Sunfury Bow of the PhoenixA raid bow.
Dragonspine TrophyAttack power and a haste proc in a trinket.
Bloodlust BroochA burst of attack power on use.

Builds

Each bar splits the build's talent points by tree.

Beast Mastery
Marksmanship
Survival

Trueshot Marksman
DamagePvE
1444
14/44/3
Marksmanship for raids: Trueshot Aura for the group, Improved Barrage for multi-target damage, and Careful Aim and Master Marksman for ranged attack power.
- Scatter Shot 1/1
- Careful Aim 3/3
- Trueshot Aura 1/1
- Improved Barrage 3/3
- Master Marksman 5/5
Open in the talent calculator Theorycrafting Talent order by level
Silencing Shot Sniper
DamagePvP
74311
7/43/11
Arena Marksmanship: Silencing Shot and Scatter Shot interrupt casters, Aimed Shot cuts healing, and Deterrence buys time against melee.
- Careful Aim 3/3
- Trueshot Aura 1/1
- Improved Barrage 3/3
- Master Marksman 5/5
- Silencing Shot 1/1
Open in the talent calculator Theorycrafting Talent order by level

Key talents

Silencing Shot · top talent, up to 1
A shot that deals 50% weapon damage and Silences the target for 3 sec.
Improved Stings · tier 4, up to 5
Increases the damage done by your Serpent Sting and Wyvern Sting by 30% and the mana drained by your Viper Sting by 30%. In addition, reduces the chance your Stings will be dispelled by 30%.
Scatter Shot · tier 5, up to 1
A short-range shot that deals 50% weapon damage and disorients the target for 4 sec. Any damage caused will remove the effect. Turns off your attack when used.
Barrage · tier 5, up to 3
Increases the damage done by your Multi-Shot and Volley spells by 12%.
Combat Experience · tier 6, up to 2
Increases your total Agility by 2% and your total Intellect by 6%.
Ranged Weapon Specialization · tier 6, up to 5
Increases the damage you deal with ranged weapons by 5%.
Careful Aim · tier 7, up to 3
Increases your ranged attack power by an amount equal to 45% of your total Intellect.
Trueshot Aura · tier 7, up to 1
Increases the attack power of party members within 45 yards by 50. Lasts until cancelled.
Improved Barrage · tier 7, up to 3
Increases the critical strike chance of your Multi-Shot ability by 12% and gives you a 100% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling Volley.
Master Marksman · tier 8, up to 5
Increases your ranged attack power by 10%.

Marksmanship abilities by level

When each ability arrives: trained abilities at the level a trainer first teaches them, talent abilities (gold frame) at the first level the talent can be taken.