I'm confused about the Attribute -> DPS section of the 'Settings and Results' tab. I assume that I use the DPS column of that table instead of the 'Per Item Budget', correct?

Here's what my section shows below:
So I put the DPS section into Loot Rank for WoW (after adding Ranged DPS: 1, correct?) and it tells me that Merciless Gladiator's Crossbow of the Phoenix is #3 on my list and Don Santos' Famous Hunting Rifle is like #26 BUT... when I put them both into the spreadsheet, the Hunting Rifle gets me ~+10DPS more than the Crossbow. Is that purely from the speed difference or am I using the AEPs wrong or ?!??

Thanks for the help.

The Attribute/DPS/Per Item Budget isn't terribly accurate for ranged weapons, for a number of factors. That table shows, generally, how much a point of each stat is "worth." For example, in your example above, a point of Agility would grant 0.396 DPS, while a point of AP would grant 0.201. However, in item budgets, attributes are weighted differently. In this case, Agility costs twice as much as AP. So if I have 24 points to spend, I could get +24 Agility or +48 AP. What this means in practice is that, while AP seems to lag behind on point-for-point DPS (it does), you tend to find more AP on items than Agility.

As for the weapons, is lootrank taking into account the Don Santos' proc? That's a fairly big chunk of additional DPS that isn't explicitly tied to its stats. The same goes for the other weapons, and their effects on your shot rotation. Depending on your spec and your haste, some weapons with "nominally" higher DPS end up being better when you start shoehorning them into a rotation.

I think what your finding is some differences as the spreadsheet continues to develop.. I can't speak for Wertez but I noticed your thread there so I"m sure it'll also be addressed there. In the mean time I'll try to bring this to Wertez's attention over at the Lodge also.

Thanks for the response. In general, when I plug values into Pawn, Lootzor, and the like should I be using the DPS values or the Per Item Budget values?

What's the best way to find the best ranged weapon for my char? I need some place to start ranking weapons so that I can throw them into the spreadsheet to get more accurate values. Would I set Ranged DPS = 1 (in addition to the other values from Settings and Results) to get a decent list? Is there a list posted somewhere for BM hunters? I have the honor saved up for the Merciless xbow but the Don Santos rifle showed up in the AH and it got me thinking...

I doubt that lootrank takes the proc into account in any way but I'm not absolutely sure.

Ah. sorry for the mixup. my apologies. (Notice the infraction.. grr)

As for the spreadsheet, I see that we've identified the error with the gear planner. Here's the link to the explanation.

And as for the supposed DPS error, once we went through and double checked that ALL fields were equal, we couldn't duplicate it. So as for the other issue, I'm not sure at this time.

With current Hunter mechanics Weapon Speed >> Weapon DPS. Ranged weapons have to match your rotation. For a BM Hunter it's real hard to top the [Crossbow of Relentless Strikes].

Thanks for the response Cheeky but I'm WAY off from getting enough badges to get that xbow. I'm looking for an upgrade in the more near future... like today.

Any guidance from my last post on which values from the spreadsheet to use (DPS vs. Per Item Budget)? ...and how to build a starter ranged weapon list on lootzor, etc. so I can start shopping while I build up my badge collection? Thanks.

If your looking for just an upgrade.. I think you should just download ratings buster and atlas loot. Go through the list and you'll identify an "easy" upgrade..

But if your trying to complicate the "loot" selection of the spreadsheet.. good luck.. This is nearly impossible to get to "everyone's" satisfaction. I think the baseline that Cheeky provided with his and other's here and elsewhere's research is about as good as your gonna get.

But there's been a ton of discussion on ranged weapons and they always basically turn out the same

Wolfslayer, Phoenix Bow (not entirely sure about the bow, think others might be better)
Chicken Bow (Crossbow of Relentless Strikes)

Then you get into the T6 stuff..

At least I think that's the norm..

Thanks for the advice. I went ahead and bought the Don Santos Rifle and spent some honor on gear upgrades.

Just to be clear... I wasn't disputing the research here. I'm here because (IMO) the experts are here. I was seeing one thing in Cheeky's sheet and something completely different when I was trying to rank ranged weapons using the Settings and Results numbers. I was just trying to understand why there was such a discrepancy. I think Cheeky's and SenorPez's comments helped me understand better the difference... you can't really compare ranged weapons with just stats, you have to model the shot rotation using the sheet to get the best/most accurate results.

Wow... maybe I'm not phrasing my question well. I have searched these forums and other sites several times. What I'm trying to understand is what the DPS and Per Item Budget numbers mean in the Settings and Results tab of the sheet. I see people referring to "use these values in Pawn", etc. but they never specify which ones to use. I see lots of references to item budget but I can't find anywhere where someone explains what item budget is.

I'm assuming that the DPS numbers are the effect those stats have on DPS. +1 AGI = 0.411 DPS, etc. I can see that Per Item Budget is related in some way but not how. I would like to put values into Pawn and get a number that represents (at least loosely) the overall DPS gain from a piece that I can compare to my current piece. I'm not sure how to get that or if it's even possible. I've tried both sets of numbers in Pawn and neither seems real accurate. I can tab out of WoW and crank up the spreadsheet but it would be nice to not have to do that if I can avoid it.

I've just returned to WoW after a year so I'm trying to remember/catch up on my hunter skills/knowledge. Thanks.

Item budget is the equivalence Blizzard attaches to the iLevel value of a stat. (See WoWWikki for a description of iLevel.) Most things are worth 1 "budget" for what ever they are (Strength, Crit rating, Agility, etc.) some are worth different values (1 budget gets you 1.5 Stamina, or 2 AP, for example.) You can see this illustrated very clearly in gems.

Ranged weapons don't follow that very well because they have different speeds and DPS values (and you may have racial considerations that also play into it.) Again, there are multiple lists and discussions about why you want certain ranged weapons over others. If you're having difficulty finding this information you just aren't looking hard enough. I'm not trying to be mean, but your not the first guy to wander into the forums with his hand out hoping to get all the answers handed to him. It gets annoying having to answer the same questions over and over again. The "Help Me" thread was created specifically as a location to ask questions like this.