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WoW Forums -> Damage Optimization section updated
Special Properties of Auto Shot
Auto Shot has two vital properties: it costs no mana and most of its 'cast time' continues during other Shots. Well, usually. Aimed Shot will actually reset Auto's full cast time. Steady Shot is meant to be used instead.
The other hitch is that Auto requires you to do nothing for the 0.5 sec before it fires. Try starting combat by turning on Auto Shot; notice the delay? Same happens if you move around, fire an instant, or are still completing a Steady Shot 0.5 second before the next scheduled Auto Shot. Even Kill Command or other non-GCD actions can interfere, which implies this is an animation phenomenon. Furthermore, Haste effects do not reduce this 0.5 sec requirement.
Shot Rotations
There are three basic shot rotations which are named by (not always precise) ratios of Auto Shot and special Shots:
* 1:1 aka "Steady/Auto". Exactly one Steady Shot between each Auto Shot. This is a very mana efficient rotation highly popular among Beast Mastery Hunters. Emphasis is on taking full advantage of mana-free Auto Shots by interleaving Steady Shots which complete before the 0.5 Auto Shot 'cast time' quirk.
* 1:1 Priority. A variant on a pure Steady/Auto rotation. Even against single targets, Multi-Shot usually does more damage than an individual Steady Shot. Arcane Shot may do more damage depending on the armor of your target. A 1:1 Priority rotation replaces a Steady Shot with either of these two special Shots when appropriate.
* 2:3. Chain-casting Steady Shot frequently results in two-thirds of your Shots being Steady and one-third being Autos that slip through before the GCD is up and you issue the next Steady command. Though it varies by weapon speed, a rough estimate of ranged DPS gain over 1:1 is 10-12%. Your mana efficiency -- from not taking full advantage of Auto Shot -- will drop by 30-40%. 2:3 rotations can of course use Shot substitution as well when appropriate.
* 1:1.X. Survival and Marks Hunters with slower weapons can benefit greatly by firing a Multi or Arcane shot after a Steady instead of substituting. Rather than trying to reduce the gap between Steady and Auto Shot, this rotation seeks to fill in that gap as cooldowns allow. For example: Auto, Steady->Arcane Shot, Auto, Steady, Auto, Steady->Multi-Shot, Auto, Steady, Auto, etc. The italicized Steadies start one half to one second after Auto fires because Global Cooldown is still in effect.
Shot Macros
Macros are extremely popular among raiding Hunters. Details vary, but here are the basics:
1:1 Macro
/castrandom [target=pettarget,exists] Kill Command
/castsequence reset=3 Steady Shot, !Auto Shot
or
#show Steady Shot
/console Sound_EnableSFX 0
/castrandom [target=pettarget,exists] Kill Command
/castsequence reset=3 Steady Shot, !Auto Shot
/console Sound_EnableSFX 1
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()
First version will work. The four extra lines in the second have aesthetic functionality: makes the Steady icon appear on the macro's button, disables error noises if you press it while a Steady is already in progress, and disables text error messages if Steady can't fire for any reason when pressed. These extra lines can be added to any other macro.
This macro can either be spammed -- clicked/punched as fast as you can -- or pressed once after each Auto fires. Kill Command will fire off when it can on the same activation. If you only press it after each auto, then the KC will coincide with Steady's cast time and not delay your rotation at all. If you spam it, Kill Command has the potential of pushing back Auto's 0.5 'cast time' occasionally.
The purpose of the castsequence line is to ensure Auto gets to fire before the next Steady, unless the macro doesn't get used at all for three seconds. This "reset" value is purely optional and does not need to be adjusted to weapon speed.
2:3 Macro
/cast !Auto Shot
/cast [target=pettarget, exists] Kill command
/cast Steady Shot
Though technically not required, this macro is meant to be spammed. Auto Shots are not explicitly guaranteed the opportunity to fire, but they will fire anyway when the combined effects of GCD and reaction time allow the 0.5 Auto 'cast time' to succeed. An ill-timed Kill Command can occasionally interfere with this half-second and delay Auto until after the next Steady.
1:1.X Macro
[no example]
Hard to give an example because Hunters who use a 1:1.X rotation will either use the 1:1 macro in a non-spammy way and manually add special Shots after Steady, or they will custom build long /castsequence macros. Or a set of long /castsequence macros.
See the link to Norwest's thread on the subject at the end of this guide. Some of the syntax may be different now, but you will see why I can't give a basic 1:1.X macro to fit everyone.
Weapon Speeds
Unfortunately, the speed of a ranged weapon is often more significant than its base DPS and stats.
If you are Marks or Survival, you will want enough space between Autos for a good 1:1.X rotation. A 3.0+ sec tooltip weapon works best. 3.0 is a very common speed on PvP and advanced raiding weapons. You will generally be in the best position to take intended-upgrades as actual upgrades. And of course you won't want to use much Haste gear unless you can get enough to convert to another rotation style.
If you are Beast Mastery, a fast weapon is your best bet initially. Wolfslayer Sniper Rifle and its big daddy the Barrel-Blade Longrifle both work extremely well with a 1:1 rotation. Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix is a popular secondary pick. Fast weapons minimize wasted time after a Steady completes until the 0.5 sec before the next Auto. Stacking enough Haste gear is one way to tighten up the rotation with slower weapons, however, Haste gear often comes at the price of lower base stats. Spreadsheet planning is recommended first.
Otherwise-inappropriate weapon speeds can work well for any spec with a 2:3 rotation. The heavy emphasis on Steady Shot chaining reduces the influence of weapon speed. This makes slow weapons more viable for Beast Mastery and fast weapons (or Haste stacking) more viable for Survival and Marks, if you are willing to take the blow to mana efficiency from stepping all over Auto Shot.
Special Properties of Auto Shot
Auto Shot has two vital properties: it costs no mana and most of its 'cast time' continues during other Shots. Well, usually. Aimed Shot will actually reset Auto's full cast time. Steady Shot is meant to be used instead.
The other hitch is that Auto requires you to do nothing for the 0.5 sec before it fires. Try starting combat by turning on Auto Shot; notice the delay? Same happens if you move around, fire an instant, or are still completing a Steady Shot 0.5 second before the next scheduled Auto Shot. Even Kill Command or other non-GCD actions can interfere, which implies this is an animation phenomenon. Furthermore, Haste effects do not reduce this 0.5 sec requirement.
Shot Rotations
There are three basic shot rotations which are named by (not always precise) ratios of Auto Shot and special Shots:
* 1:1 aka "Steady/Auto". Exactly one Steady Shot between each Auto Shot. This is a very mana efficient rotation highly popular among Beast Mastery Hunters. Emphasis is on taking full advantage of mana-free Auto Shots by interleaving Steady Shots which complete before the 0.5 Auto Shot 'cast time' quirk.
* 1:1 Priority. A variant on a pure Steady/Auto rotation. Even against single targets, Multi-Shot usually does more damage than an individual Steady Shot. Arcane Shot may do more damage depending on the armor of your target. A 1:1 Priority rotation replaces a Steady Shot with either of these two special Shots when appropriate.
* 2:3. Chain-casting Steady Shot frequently results in two-thirds of your Shots being Steady and one-third being Autos that slip through before the GCD is up and you issue the next Steady command. Though it varies by weapon speed, a rough estimate of ranged DPS gain over 1:1 is 10-12%. Your mana efficiency -- from not taking full advantage of Auto Shot -- will drop by 30-40%. 2:3 rotations can of course use Shot substitution as well when appropriate.
* 1:1.X. Survival and Marks Hunters with slower weapons can benefit greatly by firing a Multi or Arcane shot after a Steady instead of substituting. Rather than trying to reduce the gap between Steady and Auto Shot, this rotation seeks to fill in that gap as cooldowns allow. For example: Auto, Steady->Arcane Shot, Auto, Steady, Auto, Steady->Multi-Shot, Auto, Steady, Auto, etc. The italicized Steadies start one half to one second after Auto fires because Global Cooldown is still in effect.
Shot Macros
Macros are extremely popular among raiding Hunters. Details vary, but here are the basics:
1:1 Macro
/castrandom [target=pettarget,exists] Kill Command
/castsequence reset=3 Steady Shot, !Auto Shot
or
#show Steady Shot
/console Sound_EnableSFX 0
/castrandom [target=pettarget,exists] Kill Command
/castsequence reset=3 Steady Shot, !Auto Shot
/console Sound_EnableSFX 1
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()
First version will work. The four extra lines in the second have aesthetic functionality: makes the Steady icon appear on the macro's button, disables error noises if you press it while a Steady is already in progress, and disables text error messages if Steady can't fire for any reason when pressed. These extra lines can be added to any other macro.
This macro can either be spammed -- clicked/punched as fast as you can -- or pressed once after each Auto fires. Kill Command will fire off when it can on the same activation. If you only press it after each auto, then the KC will coincide with Steady's cast time and not delay your rotation at all. If you spam it, Kill Command has the potential of pushing back Auto's 0.5 'cast time' occasionally.
The purpose of the castsequence line is to ensure Auto gets to fire before the next Steady, unless the macro doesn't get used at all for three seconds. This "reset" value is purely optional and does not need to be adjusted to weapon speed.
2:3 Macro
/cast !Auto Shot
/cast [target=pettarget, exists] Kill command
/cast Steady Shot
Though technically not required, this macro is meant to be spammed. Auto Shots are not explicitly guaranteed the opportunity to fire, but they will fire anyway when the combined effects of GCD and reaction time allow the 0.5 Auto 'cast time' to succeed. An ill-timed Kill Command can occasionally interfere with this half-second and delay Auto until after the next Steady.
1:1.X Macro
[no example]
Hard to give an example because Hunters who use a 1:1.X rotation will either use the 1:1 macro in a non-spammy way and manually add special Shots after Steady, or they will custom build long /castsequence macros. Or a set of long /castsequence macros.
See the link to Norwest's thread on the subject at the end of this guide. Some of the syntax may be different now, but you will see why I can't give a basic 1:1.X macro to fit everyone.
Weapon Speeds
Unfortunately, the speed of a ranged weapon is often more significant than its base DPS and stats.
If you are Marks or Survival, you will want enough space between Autos for a good 1:1.X rotation. A 3.0+ sec tooltip weapon works best. 3.0 is a very common speed on PvP and advanced raiding weapons. You will generally be in the best position to take intended-upgrades as actual upgrades. And of course you won't want to use much Haste gear unless you can get enough to convert to another rotation style.
If you are Beast Mastery, a fast weapon is your best bet initially. Wolfslayer Sniper Rifle and its big daddy the Barrel-Blade Longrifle both work extremely well with a 1:1 rotation. Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix is a popular secondary pick. Fast weapons minimize wasted time after a Steady completes until the 0.5 sec before the next Auto. Stacking enough Haste gear is one way to tighten up the rotation with slower weapons, however, Haste gear often comes at the price of lower base stats. Spreadsheet planning is recommended first.
Otherwise-inappropriate weapon speeds can work well for any spec with a 2:3 rotation. The heavy emphasis on Steady Shot chaining reduces the influence of weapon speed. This makes slow weapons more viable for Beast Mastery and fast weapons (or Haste stacking) more viable for Survival and Marks, if you are willing to take the blow to mana efficiency from stepping all over Auto Shot.
