Hunter: Useful Add-Ons/Mods
 

The subject of Add-Ons and Mods keeps coming up in different threads, and the same advice keeps being given.
The subject is a useful one, especially with many hunters now playing a much more reactive spec with Survival.
Therefore I will create this thread as a starting point with some "FAQ" type info and people can post specific questions/advice on the subject here.


What is an Add-On/Mod?
Most people posting here will be more than aware of this, but in case of copy and paste for beginners; a WOW add-on or modification (mod) is a program by a third party developer using Blizzard's open API to add to or change the functionality of the standard wow interface.
Many, many add-ons are available and available to download for free at sites such as these:
wow.curse.com
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Why Use Add-Ons/Mods as a Hunter?
Add-ons can be used for many purposes in game, but this thread will concentrate on add-ons which aid the hunter in their role of raid DPS.
For this role add-ons can be useful in assisting the hunter with such tasks as:

• Being aware of procs (such as Lock and Load or trinket effects)
• Checking Range (specifically for Sniper Training)
• Managing DOTS (specifically Serpent Sting)
• Viewing Shot Cooldown's, and
• Managing Viper Sting.

Proc Awareness
Knowing when certain effects Proc can be very valuable in upping your damage. This is especially true for Survival Hunters whom are looking to trigger as many lock and load procs during a fight as possible, but it is also true for other hunters looking to time or refresh effects to take advantage of things like trinket procs.
Example: Hunter may look to refresh their Serpent Sting early when under the effect of a Mirror of Truth, or Darkmoon Card: Greatness proc.

Different people will like different ways of notifying this, so several options are listed below:

Visual Notifiers - Bars
Elks Buff Bars: Elkano's BuffBars - WotLK : WoWInterface Downloads : WotLK Beta
Class Timers: ClassTimer - Addons - Curse

Are both add-ons that can be used to put up a timer bar somewhere on your screen when a specific event occurs.

In addition Need to Know and Tell Me When are a pair of addons people use to put up bars/icons to inform them of procs:
NeedToKnow : WoWInterface Downloads : Buff/Debuff/Spell Mods
TellMeWhen : WoWInterface Downloads : Combat Mods


Visual Notifiers - Character

Power Auras (POWA): Power Auras Classic - Addons - Curse
Is an add-on that will put a customisable visual effect around your character when a specified event occurs.
Some good notes and screen shots on configuring this add-on can be found here: World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> How To Spec Survival for PvE Guide - 3.08
Thayer’s excellent video on using it can be found here:
YouTube - Power Auras w/ LNL Procs


Audio Notifiers
Some people may prefer a sound to inform them when a proc such as lock and load occurs.
ShotProc is an add-on that will do this.
ShotProc - Addons - Curse

Combat Text Notifiers
Some people use Combat Text to inform them of these procs.
Miks SBT will do this: MikScrollingBattleText : WoWInterface Downloads : Combat Mods

Range Checking
This is mainly a Survival Hunter concern resulting from the new talent "Sniper Training" which requires the hunter to be it's a range of greater than 30 yards to get a damage buff.

Range Display will put up a number in your screen showing how far away your target is:
RangeDisplay : WoWInterface Downloads : Ace: Combat

Managing DOTS
All specs of hunter will now be looking to ensure that Serpent Sting (Or Viper in PvP I guess) never falls off our target.
To see DOTS and other timed event you can use both the 'bar' timers mentioned above:
Elks Buff Bars: ClassTimer - Addons - Curse
Class Timers: ClassTimer - Addons - Curse
In addition there is a hunter specific add-on which does this:
Kharthuss's Hunter Timers: Kharthus's Hunter Timers - Addons - Curse

An alternative, or supplemental, choice to bars is Power Auras which can be configured to show an aura around your character both when the sting is up, and a different one when the sting is absent and you are in combat.
Power Auras Classic - Addons - Curse

Viewing cooldown's
Some time ago playing a hunter to get high DPS consisted primarily of setting your pets to attack then leaning your face against the steady shot key till the boss died.
These days all specs have different abilities they want to fire off when they are available, Survival for example uses a priority system rather than a “rotation”, where we (simply put) cast ExS in preference to Multi or AimS in preference to Steady Shot, while keeping up Serp Sting at all times.
Therefore knowing EXACTLY when ExP or another shot comes available is now vital information.
OmniCC: OmniCC : WoWInterface Downloads : Casting Bars and Cooldowns
Will put a large number on your toolbar which counts down so you can see exactly how long each ability has left before it can be fired again.
[Edit: A link can be found here as to how to configure OmniCC to show 1/10ths of seconds when below 2 seconds on the cooldown]


Managing Aspect of the Viper
In some situations, especially when running short on replenishment characters, it may be necessary to switch into viper sting, this of course lowers DPS so we don’t want to stay in there longer than necessary.
Viper Notify: ViperNotify - Addons - Curse
Will play a sound and put up a line in your Combat text when you reach a specific % of Mana.
Auto Aspect: AutoAspect : WoWInterface Downloads : Hunter does the same thing with the addition of a big transparent click button to switch over at defined thresholds.



Example Set Up.
Every hunter will find a combination of things that works for them, but as an example here is how I use some of these addons.

Power Auras
Used to notify of Trinket effect (Greatness/Reflection of Torment)
Used to show whether or not I have Serp sting up, one aura when it is up, a separate aura when I’m in combat and it has fallen off or not been cast.

Elks Buff Bars
Used to put a great big timer bar at the bottom of my screen when LnL procs.
Also used to track hunters mark, and how long Serpent Sting has to go (to time renewals).
I also use this to follow the ExpS dot, rather than POWA but that’s just my preference.

Range Display
Used to put up distance to target just right of the centre of the screen.

OmniCC
Used in conjuction with Dominos to put a cooldown on my toolbar buttons.
In addition I use Dominos to put up three buttons just left of centre in my screen at eye-level to show the cooldowns of ExpS, MS and KS without having to look at my toolbars; for fights where you need to be aware of the surroundings.

Viper Notify
Used to notify me both visually and with an audio queue when I’m in Viper and at 80% mana.

This definitely needs to be here; Thayer, the person who posted that Youtube video for PowerAuras, just posted his exact specs for using it. I'm quoting the post here for ease of finding.

thats nice, but a tip for DoT/Proc Timer would be - NeedToKnow. its a very low memory using addon(for those of us who cares about that.) and is very customizeable, you can add 4 difrent sets of bars and each bar can have up to 6 bars each.

NeedToKnow - Addons - Curse


sorry if its not to clear to understand, i got dyslexia.

There's a companion addon to NeedToKnow called TellMeWhen. TellMeWhen lets you display a big icon whenever a buff or debuff is up or down (including the clock-style timer as on action bar buttons), a cooldown is up or down, etc. It's extremely easy to use and configure, and I find it to be invaluable to playing Survival.

I traded these for power auras. Power auras is easier to see, and doesn't take as much screen real estate.

Good points, I played with NTK and TMW and didn't hugely get on with them, but they are valid tools - i'll add them to the main post soon.

@Zina - don't sign your posts please it's against the rules - you'll be warned/infracted.

Personally, I have used and swear by Sorren's Timers - Curse for years now. Simple, takes almost no resources, tracks nearly everything unless told not to do so. I believe Kharthuss was derived from it, but don't quote me on that. :)

Mik's Scrolling Battle Text should be listed for LnL proc monitor as well as cooldown notifier.

Quartz should be listed as DoT timer as well as LnL proc monitor.

I use a combination of the two personally.

Need To Know is another great DoT timer/LnL proc monitor.

I believe you meant Aspect of the Viper rather than Viper Sting in the first post.

I'd also like to say that Power Auras can be configured to show cooldowns for your shots, if configured correctly. It replaces a lot of mods for me, though now I have to train myself to stop looking at my bars constantly to check my cooldowns. Another problem I see with it is that sometimes there's so much going on that the POWAs get covered up by in-game graphics - anybody know a good way to remedy this?

For proc awareness (LnL), I use EventAlert.

EventAlert - Addons - Curse

I find that it is a very simple and easy to use addon that provides a nice visual queue for LnL procs.

For the Aspect of the Viper reminder, I prefer AutoAspect. It gives an audible warning when certain level of mana depletion is reached and puts an icon on the screen. Simply click the icon to switch to Viper. Then when mana is refilled, it gives another audible warning and clickable icon on the screen to switch back to Dragonhawk immediately.

When I'm busy fighting, especially with a lot of stuff going on during the fight that needs to be watched, I rarely pay attention to my chat window. This puts the notifications front and center where I can't miss it.

AutoAspect : WoWInterface Downloads : Hunter

@Fimbo: You currently have the same link for Elks Buff Bars and Class Timers.

What I have been looking for with add-ons is a means of combining a range checker and a buff checker. For instance, knowing if getting into Sniper Training range has also caused me to get out of strength of earth and leader of the pack range or miss a refresh on horn of winter or rampage. This has been a harsh reality lately for me, at least.

Power auras and the GCD
 

Nevermind, got it to work, sorry.

You could probably just look at whatever buff mod you currently have up. Or you could make a seperate bar group in (this is just an example) Elkano's Buff Bars for those buffs which require you to be in range, and if you see them drop, either you're too far away or your DPSers forgot to refresh their buffs.

NeedToKnow and powa can work well together. I really like NeedToKnow for LnL and ExS-debuff showing. powa is great for other buffs which may not require shot weaving. Personally I find using powa for target debuffs a bit too crazy.

Another one which still seems great: Jim's Cooldown Pulse.

Using cRange2 for SV is good too.

EDITED TO ADD: cAspectOfTheViper is pretty amazing for aspect changing for mana and a viper reminder.