DPS Rotation & Cooldowns

This rotation offers a general priority list for Marksmanship Hunter abilities, along with key cooldowns at the bottom. It's based on a standard build and is here to help while we work on a smarter, build-aware system. If you are very new to the game or this class, we added info on the new assisted rotation features at the bottom of this guide. Updated for the latest patch in World of Warcraft: The War Within (11.2).

Single Target

Ensure Hunters Mark is active before combat begins.

• Aimed ShotView detailsUse whenever available, but spend Precise Shots first unless Spotters Mark is active.
• Rapid FireView detailsUse if no Black Arrow proc is available.
• Explosive ShotView detailsUse on cooldown, especially after Aimed Shot to detonate Precision Detonation.
• Black ArrowView detailsUse whenever Precise Shots is active or on cooldown otherwise.
• Arcane ShotView detailsSpend Precise Shots stacks unless Spotters Mark is active.
• Steady ShotView detailsUse as a filler and Focus generator.

Maintain Hunters Mark and prioritize Aimed Shot while managing Precise Shots. Use Rapid Fire and Explosive Shot on cooldown, and Black Arrow when available. Fill with Arcane Shot or Steady Shot as needed.

AoE

Ensure Hunters Mark is active on the highest-health target.

• VolleyView detailsUse on cooldown, but avoid casting back-to-back with Trueshot.
• Explosive ShotView detailsUse with Trick Shots active for maximum effect.
• Multi ShotView detailsRefresh Trick Shots or spend Precise Shots when Spotters Mark is missing.
• Aimed ShotView detailsPrioritize during Bulletstorm or when Trick Shots is active.
• Rapid FireView detailsUse when Trick Shots will last for the full channel.
• Steady ShotView detailsUse as a filler if it will not Focus-cap you.

For AoE, prioritize Volley and Explosive Shot with Trick Shots active. Use Multi Shot to maintain Trick Shots and Aimed Shot or Rapid Fire for high damage. Fill with Steady Shot as needed.

Cooldowns

• TrueshotView detailsActivate during burst phases, but avoid using back-to-back with Volley.
• Double TapView detailsUse before Aimed Shot or Rapid Fire for increased damage.
• VolleyView detailsUse on cooldown, ensuring proper placement for maximum effect.

Use Trueshot during burst windows, Double Tap to enhance key abilities, and Volley on cooldown for consistent AoE damage.

New to Class? Try Assisted Rotation

Patch 11.1.7 introduced new features that make it eaiser to pick and play new characters. These new settings can be enabled from settings » gameplay enhancements:

• Single-Button Assistant
• Assisted Highlight
• Cooldown Manager

If you are new to World of Warcraft or a certain class, enabling Assisted Highlight and Cooldown Manager can help you learn which abilities to prioritize and use.

While the Single-Button Assistant can be a much easier and more accessible way to play the game, it does come with a slight performance hit due to a small GCD penalty, as you will have to wait 25% longer in between spells and abilities.

To see which specs are best with the Single-Button Assistant feature, you can check out our DPS Rankings which uses SimC to sim every class using this feature.