Check WoW
PlayersGroupsRankingsTier Lists
Reputation
Find playersSign in with Battle.net
PlayersGroupsRankingsTier ListsClass GuidesReputation
Check WoW

Look up any World of Warcraft character: gear, talents, achievements, Mythic+ and PvP rankings, live class guides and verified player reputation.

Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyCommunity GuidelinesModeration Policy

World of Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment.

← All class guides

Marksmanship Hunter

Damage specialisation · Tier C in Mythic+, 1.3% of the sample

PvE GuideRaid logs, Mythic+ players and PvE buildsACTIVEPvP GuideRated ladder talents, gear stats and builds

Opener

The order abilities first landed across 4 top-parsing pulls, with the median time into the fight. The percentage is how many of those parses used the ability at all — a step at 100% is the opener, one at 60% is a choice some players make.

  1. 1Aimed Shot+0.8s100%
  2. 2Explosive Shot+1.1s100%
  3. 3Voracious Heart of Ula'tek+2.7s50%
  4. 4
Volley
+3.5s
100%
  • 5Empowering Venom+4.2s50%
  • 6Trueshot+4.3s100%
  • 7Rapid Fire+4.7s100%
  • 8Arcane Shot+7.3s100%
  • What follows what

    What was pressed next, counted over every observed pair. This is the closest a log gets to a priority list — but it describes behaviour, not a rule: a player casting Execute because it lit up looks the same here as one following a plan.

    • Aimed Shot96 casts→Aimed Shot48%Arcane Shot33%Rapid Fire6%
    • Arcane Shot38 casts→Aimed Shot46%Steady Shot19%Rapid Fire16%
    • Steady Shot38 casts→Steady Shot59%Aimed Shot19%Arcane Shot8%
    • Rapid Fire21 casts→Aimed Shot90%Steady Shot10%
    • Explosive Shot16 casts→Explosive Shot47%Volley20%Rapid Fire13%
    • Volley7 casts→Empowering Venom29%Aimed Shot14%

    Ability usage

    Casts per minute across 20 top-parsing kills in The Venomous Abyss. Per minute rather than totals, so a long fight does not read as a heavily used ability.

    Single target

    5 fights where almost all damage went to the boss

    1. 1Aimed Shot10.4per min
    2. 2Rapid Fire4.8per min
    3. 3Steady Shot4.6per min
    4. 4Multi-Shot4.2per min
    5. 5Explosive Shot3.8per min
    6. 6Arcane Shot3.7per min

    Multi-target

    12 fights with substantial add damage

    1. 1Aimed Shot10.7per min
    2. 2Arcane Shot6.7per min
    3. 3Steady Shot5.0per min
    4. 4Rapid Fire

    Fights are sorted by how much damage landed on boss units rather than by a hand-kept list of which encounter is the AoE one, so the split stays right after a retune. Fights in between are left out of both columns.

    Updated 31/08/2026. These are observed casts, not a recommended priority — the order reflects how often an ability came up, which is not the same as when to press it.

    Secondary stats

    Secondary stat split across the 100 best-geared synced characters. Averaged per player, so one heavily geared character cannot define the answer for everyone.

    • Versatility45.6%1,011 avg
    • Mastery34.3%769 avg
    • Haste12.5%285 avg
    • Critical Strike7.6%185 avg

    What PvE players are playing

    Talent choices across 257 synced characters playing this specialisation. These are observed picks, not recommendations — they say what the ladder is doing, not what you should do.

    Where builds differ

    Taken by between 15% and 90% of players. This is where the real decisions are.

    • Guttural Roar90%

      224 players · Class

    • Horsehair Tether90%

      223 players · Class

    • No Scope90%

      223 players · Specialization

    • Eagle's Accuracy89%

      222 players · Specialization

    • Cunning89%

      221 players · Specialization

    • Aspect of the Hydra83%

      206 players · Specialization

    • Keen Eyesight83%

      206 players · Class

    • Small Game Hunter81%

      202 players · Specialization

    • Improved Aspect of the Cheetah80%

      200 players · Class

    • Concussive Shot80%

      199 players · Class

    • Feathered Frenzy79%

      197 players · Specialization

    • Focus Fire78%

      195 players · Specialization

    • Unload77%

      191 players · Specialization

    • Improved Traps76%

      188 players · Class

    • Obsidian Arrowhead76%

      188 players · Specialization

    • Arcane Talons75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Can't Miss, Won't Miss75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Conditioning75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Don't Look Back75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Invigorating Pulse75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Lunar Calling75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Lunar Storm75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Moon's Blessing75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Moonlight Chakram75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Open Fire75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Radiant Edge75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Sanctified Armaments75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Sentinel75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Stalk and Strike75%

      187 players · Hero

    • Volley73%

      182 players · Specialization

    • Light Ammo73%

      181 players · Specialization

    • Salvo72%

      180 players · Specialization

    • Precision Detonation63%

      157 players · Specialization

    • Unmatched Precision63%

      157 players · Specialization

    • Bulletstorm62%

      155 players · Specialization

    • Calling the Shots61%

      151 players · Specialization

    Near-universal picks (34)taken by 90%+ — effectively baseline
    • Combat Experience100%

      249 players · Class

    • Improved Aspect of the Turtle100%

      249 players · Class

    • Natural Mending100%

      249 players · Class

    Rarely taken (97)under 15% — situational or out of favour
    • Serrated Tips14%

      36 players · Class

    • Moment of Opportunity14%

      34 players · Class

    • Tar Trap12%

      31 players · Class

    Import a real build

    Loadouts from the highest-rated synced players of this specialisation. Paste straight into the game.

    • Delary

      thrall · EU3,540

    • Undercoviira

      blackrock · EU3,478

    • Sebb

      kiljaeden · US3,231

    • Bloodstruck

      tichondrius · US3,058

    • Raigek

      malganis · US3,022

    Learn the spec

    This page measures what players do. For rotation, stat priority and matchup play, these are the references.

    • WowheadpveRotation, stat priority, gear and consumables. The most complete free PvE reference.
    • Icy VeinspveRotation walkthroughs and talent reasoning, written for players learning a spec.
    • Raider.IOpveMythic+ routes, affix planning and dungeon-by-dungeon breakdowns.

    Other Hunter specs

    • Beast Mastery
    • Survival
    4.7per min
  • 5Explosive Shot3.4per min
  • 6Multi-Shot0.3per min
  • Padded Armor100%

    249 players · Class

  • Posthaste100%

    249 players · Class

  • Rejuvenating Wind100%

    249 players · Class

  • Specialized Arsenal100%

    249 players · Class

  • Survival of the Fittest100%

    249 players · Class

  • Touch of Grass100%

    248 players · Class

  • Trigger Finger100%

    248 players · Class

  • Improved Feign Death99%

    247 players · Class

  • Precision Strikes99%

    247 players · Class

  • Hunter's Avoidance99%

    246 players · Class

  • Scout's Instincts98%

    244 players · Class

  • Guardian's Hide96%

    239 players · Class

  • Binding Shot95%

    237 players · Class

  • Kindling Flare11%

    27 players · Class

  • Wilderness Medicine8.8%

    22 players · Class

  • Alpha Predator8.4%

    21 players · Specialization

  • Animal Companion8.4%

    21 players · Specialization

  • Barbed Scales8.4%

    21 players · Specialization

  • Barbed Shot8.4%

    21 players · Specialization

  • Bestial Wrath8.4%

    21 players · Specialization

  • Better Together8.4%

    21 players · Hero

  • Bloodshed8.4%

    21 players · Specialization