Marksmanship is the petless hunter in Forever. Lone Wolf gives 20% more damage while no pet is out, and the new capstone Sniper Shot hits hard and adds 10 yards of range to your next three shots. Every tier list agrees on A for raids. What holds you back is mana.
Talents and builds
The links open the talent calculator with the finished build, including why the points go where they go.
- Raid: Marksmanship PvE (raid & dungeons) (points 5/41/5). Pure ranged damage and mana management: outside Marksmanship only Deadly Aspects and Improved Tracking are taken.
- PvP: Marksmanship PvP (points 0/40/11). Aimed Shot and Sniper Shot are hard to land in PvP but hit very hard when they do.
We have not checked a dedicated Marksmanship Hunter leveling build yet.
Where it ranks
| Category | Tier | Range |
|---|---|---|
| PvE DPS (raid) | A | B–S |
| PvE dungeon DPS (level 30) | S | S |
| PvP (battleground/open world) | A | A |
| Leveling | A | A |
- PvE DPS (raid): Second and third in the simulations: two new lists now give S, most stay at A. Safe ranged damage; the best numbers come from a Lone Wolf build.
- PvP (battleground/open world): All six lists say A: Scatter Shot and Improved Concussive Shot give control, but Auto Shot needs you to stand still.
- Leveling: Both lists say A: lots of ranged damage with a pet, but a little more downtime than Beast Mastery.
The tiers combine several tier lists and level-60 simulations. Raid logs only exist from 9 December, so treat this as a snapshot. Every spec side by side: rankings.
Single-target rotation
Auto Shot has a 0.5-second cast again, and no spec punishes movement like Marksmanship. Pick a spot where you can stand for a while.
- Hunter's Mark on the target.
- Keep Serpent Sting up. With Rapid Recuperation, half your mana regeneration keeps running while you cast for 15 seconds afterwards.
- Aimed Shot on cooldown. It is a baseline ability in Forever, shares its cooldown with Multi-Shot and has done roughly double damage since 3 November.
- Arcane Shot on cooldown. Without a pet there are no hawks sharing its cooldown.
- Sniper Shot while your mana allows it. It is expensive: when mana gets tight, drop it first and keep Aimed Shot and Arcane Shot rolling.
Rapid Killing gives your next shot 20% more damage when you kill a mob or it dies under your Serpent Sting. Consuming that bonus also lets Rapid Recuperation keep your full mana regeneration going while you cast.
On packs: Multi-Shot and Explosive Trap on cooldown, then Volley. Barrage at 3/3 adds 15% damage to Multi-Shot, Aimed Shot and Volley.
Cooldowns
Rapid Fire is your only damage cooldown: 15 seconds of faster attacks, every 3 minutes instead of 5 with 2/2 Rapid Killing. Line up trinkets and racials with it. For threat, Feign Death is all you have, since no pet shares the aggro.
Stats and mana
Ranged weapon damage, then hit rating, crit rating, Agility, and Intellect ahead of attack power. Careful Aim turns every point of Intellect into a point of attack power, and Mortal Shots adds 30% to the crit bonus of your ranged attacks. 10 hit rating is 1%, and 1% crit takes 14. The raid build maxes Efficiency so shots and stings cost 15% less.
Common mistakes
- Moving during Auto Shot or a long cast.
- Spamming Sniper Shot on cooldown until you are out of mana.
- Leveling with Lone Wolf. Without a pet, nothing keeps the mobs off you.
- Standing in the dead zone. Ranged attacks need at least 8 yards.
- Letting Serpent Sting drop, which costs you damage and mana.
Leveling
Marksmanship can level, but it forgives far less than Beast Mastery. Solo, BM is faster and safer, and from level 40 dual talent specialization lets you set up Marksmanship for groups on the side. In dungeons Marksmanship is strong: every list rates it S at level 30, in a version that still played with a pet and Trueshot Aura.
In raids
Besides damage, your main contribution is Trueshot Aura. It gives ranged attack power to everyone within 45 yards, and melee no longer get anything from it in Forever. With no pet there is nothing to manage, but every missed Feign Death is on you.
Further reading
- Hunter class guide: races, new abilities and every build of the class
- The other specs: Beast Mastery Hunter, Survival Hunter
- Raid comp planner: put your raid together and see which buffs are still missing
- Hunter talent calculator: plan your own build and share it as a link
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a pet as a Marksmanship Hunter?
Not in raids: Lone Wolf gives you 20% more damage while no pet is active. While leveling, though, you miss having something that holds the mobs.
