After very thorough reading, studying and testing, I just can't seem to master my shot rotation the way I used to. I used to tops the DPS meters on every boss with a little castsequence macro I made up with a pencil, ruler and piece of graph paper. Now, as it stands, I come in around 8th-9th, sometimes dropping ridiculously low.

My macro used to be:

/script UIErrorsFrame:Hide()
/castsequence reset=3 !Auto Shot, Steady Shot, Arcane Shot, !Auto Shot, Steady Shot, !Auto Shot, Steady Shot, Multi-Shot, !Auto Shot, Steady Shot;
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear(); UIErrorsFrame:Show()

It wasn't until the patch that I noticed my Auto Shots hanging up, as many have said, because the auto shot fires and the sequence waits for the next one to be fired until it continues with it's string of shots. To be brief, my DPS sits around 590 unbuffed because I am hung up for 2.5 seconds.

I've tried everything I've seen on these forums, blown through quiver fulls of arrows and still can get myself to break 700DPS.
I'm an MM hunter with Sunfury and Clefthoof Hide Quiver (%15).
I have 2167 RAP with hawk and TA, and my paperdoll bow speed is supposedly 2.52s.

Basically what I'm asking is if someone out there either
a. Has the same problems and can offer some input or
b. Actually knows what's going on and can give me the nitty gritty of the problem and show me a solution.

I'm basically looking for the ideal sit and spam macro for my spec and weapon speed after the patch, as I can't figure out what has been changed and how to work around it.

I don't know of any macro or any problems with your particular macro but my advice would be to try out hand weaving your shots just to see if you can adjust to that style. Post patch its much, much easier to hand time shots. Just wait to launch your special until slightly before your auto fires.

I've raided a bunch of times as pvp marks spec using Wolfslayer (nothing else ever dropped) and my gear isn't much better than yours but hand timing my shots produces far more DPS.

Cheers man, will try it out!

Beovylf, It's all for raiding and PvE. Is the cycle that Flouyd suggested better?

I'm not sure that there is an amicable solution to an arcane/multi macro. As you have already noted the old castsequence macro has problems where the autoshot and arcane shot can fire out of sequence causing delays.

One solution is to move those 5 points you have in Improved stings (do you really use stings that much?) into improved arcane shot and use the following:
/castsequence reset=3 !Auto Shot, Steady Shot
/castrandom Arcane Shot

I've not found a 'nice' way of including both arcane and multi in a macro together. If you use the castsequennce you mention above above you get the out-of-sequence firing problems. If you change the /castrandom line of the other macro above to "/castrandom Arcane Shot, Multi-Shot" you get an odd rotation pattern where arcane and autoshot can fire with only 1 auto/steady combo between them, causing a degree of clipping.

I'd certainly reccomend trying the imp. arcane shot route (works just as well on trash pulls when you have to be careful around CC too).

As Juggernaught said, your specials are firing after the auto shot by accident causing your next special to be significantly delayed. To fix that, switch to this macro:

/castsequence reset=3 !Auto Shot, Steady Shot, Arcane Shot, Steady Shot, !Auto Shot, Steady Shot, Multi-Shot, Steady Shot;
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear();

You don't need the hide and show on the UIErrorsFrame and also don't need the other two autoshots. They will fire by themselves whether they are macroed in or not.

But, as you can see modeled on Cheeky's latest spreadsheet or just by testing, you will notice that /castsequence is slower than /cast and /castrandom is because it waits for return trips to verify each step in the macro. Switching to using /cast and /castrandom greatly increases your DPS. So, I recommend this macro:

/castsequence !Auto Shot, Steady Shot;
/castrandom Arcane Shot, Multi-Shot;
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear();

This will give you almost identical results, but faster with greater DPS and an automatic correction for haste. Or, take out the Multi-Shot part and spec 5/5 Imp Arcane like Juggernaught said.

With 5/5 IAS I found this works fine. I use it on trash and just switch to manual on Bosses.

/castsequence reset=5 !Auto Shot, Steady Shot, Arcane Shot, Steady Shot

The Auto Shot between Arcane and Steady still fires.

Edit: Sorry, delete this post.

Does this really weave Arcane / Multi between Steady and Auto Shot?

In my limited experience trying it while MM spec'd, it has not.

I tried this and similar /castsequence + /castrandom macros for MM-spec'd raid days (I usually spec BM for raids, MM for arena), and my combat log showed the Arcanes and Multis occuring, well, randomly. Frequently they were occuring immediately after an Auto Shot instead of before it.

This was with a 3.0 speed bow, a small amount of passive haste (25), no IAotH or other proc hastes, ~150 ms latency, G15 macro mashing, not moving, etc., so plenty of time to get an Arcane or Multi in between the steady and auto (which I returned to doing manually since the /castrandom part of the macro failed to deliver).

It is not perfect. The Arcanes and Multis are in fact random as you would expect. But, as the rotation spends more time casting Steady Shot than anything else, when your cooldowns finish, you will most likely be casting Steady Shot. That means, that the Arcane or Multi will come right after the steady.

But, Arcanes and Multis coming before the Steadys does occur. In my experience from watching quartz, it isn't that big of a deal (there is very little clipping) since this macro is significantly faster than using the /castsequence macro as latency is no longer a factor. If you an amazing manual timer, you might do more DPS, but I doubt you can beat the macro over the course of a several hour long raid as it fires shots within milliseconds of each shot being available.

I believe this question relates to this topic since it deals with a DPS question.

I currently have the Relentless Earthstorm Diamond (+12 Agi +3% crit damage) in my helm. I was wondering if I would see an improvement in DPS by using the Thundering Skyfire Diamond (+240 haste rating for 6 seconds). A rogue friend told me it procs for him appproximately 2 times per 60 seconds for him. My bow speed is currently 2.10 (Sunfury from Prince). It is my understanding that the weapon speed affects proc rate.

Would anyone please shed some light on this for me so I can make an informed decision before possibly hurting my raid by switching gems?

Just FYI I generally run between 1000-1100 DPS on most boss fights (dependant on how often I have to move). I am BM Hunter with no current haste rating. I use a 1:1 Steady/Auto shot rotation with a macro.

Again, any help is appreciated.
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Update: I have since talked to a Hunter in BT/Hyjal on my server and it seems I should stick with the +12 Agi 3% Crit damage gem as it is a constant.

Tonite I hit the best DPS I have been able to hit for a 3 hour raid (overall damage) in SSC. 1100dps !!. On Tidewalker I was actually able to hit 1290dps. I have to say this thread has helped me and my fellow guild hunters immensely. A few have respecced and their DPS has jumped by at least 150dps (in some cases 250+).

I want to express my thanks to the people that took time to answer the questions in a manner that is mature and well written.

So, apparently I'm behind the curve. I've been using a 1:1 rotation for about 2 months now, and I'm happy with my DPS, but I keep hearing that a 2:3 rotation (SS/SS/Auto/SS/Auto) will give me a 125+ DPS increase over my 1:1. I guess I don't see the reasoning behind that. Can someone update me a bit? Also, I've seen at least 15 different macros in the last 3 pages, but none of them labeled. Is there a macro for this "2:3" rotation I keep hearing about?

/castsequence !Auto Shot, Steady Shot
/castrandom Arcane Shot, Multi-Shot

I found this macro did not fire Arcane and Multishot as often as it could. You also may lose the KC that could be scripted into this /castrandom. If you are using a g15 or autokey, you can time the arcane or multishot manually by attaching them to a hot key with much more precision, while not releasing the macro repeating key. I have used both and then examined a WWS report and found I fired 10 Arcane Shots using the macro vs. 12 manually weaving them in the same time period. Not a large damage loss, but it will add up over time.

I also have noticed that the start time for damage was decreased when I placed the !Auto Shot first. I believe that it was attempting to fire the auto before the steady shot began to cast. Auto Shot should begin when you cast Steady, so by listing it second you just ensure that you do not clip it with a second auto shot. Again, while this is not a large difference in damage and will only effect the first shot, it does delay the start of your rotation by a couple of seconds.

In an attempt to answer the 3:2 Steady macro question, would the following macro line work in forcing that rotation?

/castsequence reset=3 Steady Shot, Steady Shot, !Auto Shot, Steady Shot, !Auto Shot

You would think that would work, but it won't give you the huge DPS increase that many are seeing. This is because /castsequence is very slow due to the 2-way communication between your computer and the server. /cast and /castrandom don't have this issue.

Here is the real 3:2 macro:

/cast !Auto Shot
/cast Steady Shot

It only works if you have bad FPS or high latency, with the perfect speed bow (most say it is 2.9 or higher) and lots of haste (BM build or tons of haste gear). If you have a decent framerate and a good latency with very little haste, you will mostly get a ton of steady shots with very few auto shots, which will greatly decrease you DPS. When I tried it, I routinely got 4-5 steady shots between each auto shot.

Thank you for explaining why this macro (3:2) has completely underwhelmed me. I consistently produce MUCH lower DPS when attempting to use this.

While I'm here, I have a couple of questions to add to the discussion.....

#1: My guild makes great use of a Warlock with Malediction, and I was wondering if this increases the damage of my arcane shot as well? A silly question to most, but all too often I have found that logic was not the governing factor in designing Hunter Mechanics.

#2: Is getting Bestial Discipline+Go for the Throat overkill? Since we have CoS up (assuming it DOES help), would Imp. Arc Shot be more of a benefit than Rapid Killing and Go for the Throat? The main crux of the issue is whether or not Bestial Disc. will keep my pet full of Focus to dump. (assuming the pet is a WS) I know this is not quite a shot rotation question, so if I'm breaking the rules please let me know and I'll remove this part.

#3: Rapid Shots, when I was Survival it was amazing for increasing personal DPS, however I have noticed as BM that it COMPLETELY stops anything resembling a shotrotation. I have the Arrowfall Chestpiece from ZA, and use Wolfslayer. If I remember correctly, my weapon speed is 1.94s. Am I going to be better off not using this in my normal rotation, or does the speed bonus override the inability to weave shots (other than arcane/multi/serp)?

Hey Guys,

I'm kinda new to these forums but my friends told me to check things out here and I cannot stop reading. So much information here. But I come here today with a slight problem possibly. My stats are as follows: Vengeful Bow (3.0), quiver and currently 125 haste rating, current ranged speed is 2.01. I have been leading my raids in damage for the past months or so with some incredible numbers but my one concern is as follows when I look at recount or recap it says that my steady shot and auto shot are doing the same amount of damage or that my steady shot is doing more than my autoshot. Does this mean I am clipping a lot of my auto shots? My macro is as follows:


Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks for your time.

well, providing a WWS report would help. Also to tell if you are clipping use the number of shots fired instead of dmg done.

Question I have is after I calculated my shot rotation into my DPS, the highest one seems to be the 1:1.X. Is there a macro to spam for this rotation and do ppl who use it have mana issues on mana intensive encounters? BM hunter btw.

Thanks

Hi, this is my first time posting here and I've read this whole thread and noticed alot of talk about BM hunters in relation to the macros. Also since i am at work and the server bans "games" i cannot get to the armory to see if anyone is SV spec. Currently i've been manually weaving a 1:1 to conserve mana and to keep myself low on the threat meter (I MD and FD but still end up catching up to the Tank on Threat quite rapidly, specially when MT procs and ~5-6 Crits hit in a row). I am trying to find out if anyone would know a good macro for SV Hunters with some haste gear. I consisently come in the top 3 for damage, and on bosses i maintain a DPS over 1k. I don't mind manually weaving, but i heard macro shots are a lot faster and keep your DPS high. If anyone has any suggestions or macros for SV hunters i would really like to test them out.

Hi guys,

I've heard a few different reports about using these macros with high latency. I'm from Australia and our latency here is usually 300-400ms. I thought the macros would probably be better for me but have heard from a couple of different sources (and on here a couple of times) that manually weaving with high latency will be better for dps.

Can anyone confirm fact or fiction? I have tried manually weaving and noticed a significant drop in my dps from the 1:1 macro. Was going to try the 3:2 rotation but don't think I've used the right macro yet as my dps is only slightly higher with a fair few upgrades.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for everything, this entire website has helped me rape everyone in the dps meters, now they're catching up I've gotta get back up there again haha.

As an Australian hunter myself, I can tell you my experiences with shot rotations. Probably a big wall of text incoming, but if it helps, woohoo! (I'm BM spec, I assume you are too).



Highest dps is almost always manual timing for me. The ability to counter latency by pressing steadyshot well before your auto has fired is basically what makes it so good. In addition, you can throw in various specials on the fly, depending on how your mana is going, or if you need to mend/MD/FD/scorpid, etc.

Example: fighting a boss, and JoW has a great uptime, and it's obvious I wont be going oom any time soon while manually doing a 1:1 with only auto/steadies. So, I can change to a 1:1 priority. This meaning 1 auto then one special, prioritizing on whichever specials do more damage for you. My steadies hit harder than my arcanes, so I give multi preference, then steady. (Although I often use arcane shot in this situation because it is easier to 'fit in' to the rotation, meaning less of an autoshot clip later down the track, meaning more total dps.)

Another Example: fighting a boss, and doing a 1:1 auto/steady manual. Shaman bloodlusts, I go big and red, trinkets activated, and rapid fire/quickshots may be active. There is no way I can possibly do a 1:1 rotation with that haste and 300ms latency. I would clip more than a second each bloody autoshot if I relied on a castsequence. So I pretty much try to squeeze as many specials as I can between autoshots and GCD's, limiting autoshot clipping. [while typing the following sentence, it ended up as a massive ramble about little quirks in this situation. EG it's often better to let two autos fire without a special between if your previous GCD was used just as an auto fired, to lead into a cleaner next auto->special>auto, which can then be followed with a non-steady special, followed by another auto->steady->auto etc. Basically you'll get a feel for what outputs the most amount of shots per second in these massive haste situations, which is what really matters]

Another Example: fighting a boss and you have plenty of mana. While quickshots/DST/rapidfire/etc may be active, a 1:1 priority is useful as I said before. However there are many times when you dont have any of those effects active, and you can slightly clip your autoshot to squeeze out another special. I often do this (even when quickshots procs):
AUTO1 - steady - AUTO2 - multi - arcane - AUTO3 - steady - AUTO4 - back to normal 1:1
Basically, I dont have enough deadtime to do a typical 1:1.5 rotation (steady+another special after every second autoshot), but DID have enough time to squeeze an arcane after my multi into my traditional 1:1 priority rotation. The autoshot labeled "AUTO3" might get delayed very very slightly, and the "AUTO4" might get delayed a bit because the GCD from the arcane shot means I cant cast the next steady as early as I would like, but overall you're gaining an arcane shot for a tiny loss in autoshot frequency. An adaptation of the situation I posted above is this:
AUTO1 - steady - AUTO2 - steady - arcane - AUTO3 - multi - AUTO4 - back to normal 1:1
This means a bit more of a delay on AUTO3, but no delay on AUTO4 (as multi is easier to fit in than the steady when GCD limited).



Anyway, what I am trying to express in this post is that by manually shooting, you can adapt to situations a lot easier. This is not unique to higher latency hunters of course, but we DO suffer more then usual under those situations, and can benefit more by pro-actively countering our disadvantage, rather than 'going with the (macro) flow'.

Having said that, I make good use of a 1:1 auto/steady castsquence quite often. It's a g15 macro that I hold down with my little finger. I just hold it down while dpsing, and let go -> go manual for whatever reason (like one of the examples above, or to MD/FD/scorpid/etc), then -> hold down again. You need to learn the exact time WHEN to go back to holding it down however, as pressing it to early can produce skipping an autoshot or leaving out a steadyshot. So by using that method I can auto/steady with little to no clipping, and then instantly continue into a manual rotation without any skips or jerks in the rotation. AND I save my wrist from RSI! Win win!


And... its 5pm and I'm off from work, so my post stops here. Hope that helped.

That's perfect! Thanks a bunch for that!

Hi, first poster here with a question about my shot rotation. I'm a marks/surv hunter and you can check out my armory profile here for info on talents The World of Warcraft Armory

This is the macro I want to make work:

I can get auto/steady to work properly but I never fire any multi or arcane shots, any ideas?

Edit - looks like the armory hasn't updated since I respecced, shouldn't take long to refresh.

** Dr. Boom Test **

Just while I wait for a reply, I tried this macro out on Dr. Boom just now...

...while manually weaving arcane/multi I managed to average 1250 DPS with hawk, TSA and hunter's mark, no pet. Is this how I should be doing it?

Thanks a lot.