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# System prepended metadata

title: Hunter Cheat Sheet for Season 3

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# About
Written by [Azortharion-Kazzak](<https://www.warcraftlogs.com/character/eu/kazzak/azortharion>), Hunter Guidewriter for [Icy-Veins](https://www.icy-veins.com/wow/hunter-guide) and sometimes [Twitch Hunter Streamer](<https://www.twitch.tv/azortharion>).
Check out my [Patreon](<https://www.patreon.com/azortharion>) if you'd like for Personal Hunter Coaching/Instruction/Lessons, [AzorUI Hunter UI/WeakAuras](https://uipacks.wago.io/pack/azorui), and such.
# Changelog
Oct 20: 12:49 CET: Added Dimensius Mythic P3 Raid Events and updated BM Soul Hunters build recommendation.
Oct 14th 22:43 CET: Updated Floodgate recommendation.
Oct 7th 10:48 CET: Updated for the Dark Ranger nerfs.
# Best Specs/Builds for Each Mythic+ Dungeon
## General Principles
- BM Dark Ranger is the 'default'.
- MM Sentinel is never optimal.
- SV Pack Leader is never optimal.
- 'Depends on group comp' can involve considerations like group buffs (DH likes Dark Ranger, Monks like Pack Leader) and just generally how much AoE you have in the group (Arcane Mage in the group lowers Dark Ranger ST relative value). It's not an exact science, at some point you just gotta try things to find what works for your group.
## Ara-Kara
- BM Pack Leader is optimal here, with significant prio demands and uncapped AoE. Dark Rangers suffer greatly because Withering Fire gets munched up by low (or zero)-priority adds on the 1st and 3rd bosses.
## Dawnbreaker
- BM Dark Ranger is fantastic here for its amazing single-target, it absolutely carries every boss. MM Dark Ranger is better than BM Pack Leader as well, but none of them come close to BM Dark Ranger.
## Eco-Dome
- BM Dark Ranger is optimal here, but other builds are not too bad either. MM will likely produce the highest overall DPS numbers, but has extremely poor boss damage.
## Floodgate
- BM Pack Leader and Dark Ranger are both good here. Opinions are somewhat split, but I am personally more on the Pack Leader train due to its dominance on Big Momma (provided you actually multidot aggressively), but Swampface also sucks and Dark Ranger carries that (and is much less squishy).
## Gambit
- BM Dark Ranger is optimal here, shaving off massive time on all the bosses and scaling extremely well with the Haste buff on 2nd boss. Just ask your Healer to let you keep the buff on your cooldowns if you can.
## Halls
- BM Pack Leader and BM Dark Ranger both work, with the former producing higher overall DPS numbers and the latter generally being faster for its amazing single-target and final miniboss damage. Overall, you can't go too wrong with either and the best one will likely depend on group comp.
## Priory
- Quite similar logic to Halls here, but this dungeon also -hurts- and you'll be really squishy without Dark Ranger. Being able to pick targets to burst down as Dark Ranger is also quite nice and overall I prefer Dark Ranger in here, but Pack Leader is more than viable.
## Streets
- Possibly the best BM Dark Ranger dungeon of them all. Tons of single-target and damage amps that you can line up with your burst.
# Best Specs for Raiding
- MM and BM DR perform very similarly on pure single-target. While BM sims higher, there are valid questionmarks surrounding how feasible it is to match these sims. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. At the moment, I see no reason to feel pressured to play either spec if you prefer the other. When looking at statistics, always remember that only the #1 log by each individual character is counted for those statistics. This means that with every passing week, the average RNG quality of the statistics go up, and this tends to favor "high-ceiling" specs. MM is slightly more high-ceiling than BM, which is why it does very well on statistics and top parses alike. I believe the reality, for average performance, is much closer/fight-dependent.
- All that aside, some "safe lock-ins" are that Soul Hunters is clearly better for MM, and Nexus-King is better for BM. Dimensius is in the "whatever you feel more comfortable with" camp.
# Fight-by-Fight Hunter Tips
Check out the Wowhead Raid Pages for various mechanical tips and tricks. This document is mostly for slightly more advanced stuff, really important stuff, or just things I find interesting to write about.
- [MM](<https://www.wowhead.com/guide/classes/hunter/marksmanship/manaforge-omega-raid-tips>)
- [BM](<https://www.wowhead.com/guide/classes/hunter/beast-mastery/manaforge-omega-raid-tips>)
- [SV](<https://www.wowhead.com/guide/classes/hunter/survival/manaforge-omega-raid-tips>)
## Plexus Sentinel
- ST fight with an absorb shield.
- Just play ST build.
- Grab the gateway INSTANTLY in intermissions to get to where you need to go before the void zones and crap even spawns. Then you can just crank adds.
- [Commentated Video (MM PoV)](https://youtu.be/bts5RYy3D3Q)
## Soulbinder Naazindhri
- Some AoE Add Burst is nice here. BM plays DR RaidAoE, MM plays Raid AoE (one-point swap to Trick Shots), SV probably just stays ST as any swap costs too much single-target.
- Sentinel AoE for MM here is very popular and will do good overall damage but I think it's unnecessary pad at too great of a boss damage cost. On the other hand, the boss is probably the easiest in the whole raid so maybe just have fun with it idk.
## Loom'ithar
- While it is an add fight, you never get to cleave the adds in a way that matters, so ST build.
- The only thing that can kill you here is killing adds too slowly pretty much.
- Phase 2's "difficulty" is fundamentally just "Making sure nobody dies in Phase 1". Phase 1 optimization = Phase 2 optimization.
- For parsing, you want to CD the very beginning of P2, and then a fat execute at the end. Once the fight gets faster, you might have to just do the execute one though.
## Forgeweaver Araz
- Dark Ranger will do more boss damage here with a Prism held for the amp, etc. Pack Leader has more overall AoE and pad potential for top parsing.
- As Dark Ranger, remember that Withering Fire Black Arrows during CD's will always try to go for targets that do not have the Black Arrow DoT, **no matter where they are**. This matters greatly for how you should face your character here, because if you do not have LoS on a valid Withering Fire target, the arrow will not go to your main target. Instead, it will simply not happen. In simple terms, always make sure that all nameplates within range of you are actually in front of you/in line of sight of you, to allow those Withering Fires to go there.
- Remember to run the Binding Shot CDR Talents here. Make sure that as BM, your Pack Leader bottom right talent is "Horsehair Tether".
- BM runs NoMulti when PL, and Raid AoE when DR, MM runs [whatever the top log is atm honestly there's a good amount of variation](https://www.warcraftlogs.com/zone/rankings/44?boss=3132&class=Hunter&spec=Marksmanship).
- You can get a lot of work done with "Stampede aiming" here. Stampede's line is very long, and it does originate from your character. It is so long, in fact, that you can stand on the Echo and send a Stampede "through it", aiming at the boss, and the Stampede is long enough to hit boss. Spread cleave! You can do the same in intermissions for Collectors + the Attendants and other mobs, and obviously the small adds.
- In terms of Binding as BM, the prevailing strategy here seems to be to place the Binding at the edge of the Black Hole circle right before the adds spawn. Then, the adds get knocked by someone else into the Black Hole - then they are pulled to the edge of the circle via the Binding. You can move the initial Binding around as your group desires.
- As MM, I don't think there's a good way of pre-Binding. You wanna Bind after the first knockback happens, inside the Black Hole, so that they run out of the Black Hole and get stunned on top of the boss-ish.
- Remember to Exhil the heal absorb after the group soak. Save Defs for when you are placing adds.
- [Commentated Video (BM PoV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzJpVvZEzM4))
## Fractillus
- Just Single-Target. Try to use the knock from placing walls and breaking them to get some extra height on your Disengage to elegantly Disengage to the safespot (or where your circle needs to go, ideally far). Basically use your mobility to leave room for your teammates.
## Soul Hunters
- Mikiqq from the Hunter Discord made some [Raid Events](<https://pastebin.com/KwpmH5hT>) that allows you to sim this encounter on Mythic directly. Put it in SimC Expert Mode > Footer like you would an MDT Sim.
- Based on these findings, the optimal build is [this](<https://www.wowhead.com/talent-calc/hunter/marksmanship/dark-ranger/DAQUVUFQFUFUmUUARAUBBNVVVFVVFECEFUVDERQEFVVUBF>), also listed on Wowhead as the recommended build for this boss.
- BM isn't great here, but it's not a very DPS-sensitive fight and you can play the Dark Ranger M+ Build. Just don't forget to actually Multi-Shot to maintain Beast Cleave whenever there's more than 1 target active.
- Disengaging the pull-in for The Hunt before you land also prevents you from getting the Sigil of Chains debuff.
- During the final intermission, you can target the non-Ilyssa bosses in the air and Hydra-cleave them in your cooldowns. This is absolutely massive.
## Nexus-King Salad Bar
- With help from some friends in the Hunter Discord, I created some [Raid Events](<https://pastebin.com/gAnG8Dfd>) usable for simming this fight on Mythic with reasonably accuracy, including damage amp, platform phases, etc. The MM result seems to be [this build](https://www.wowhead.com/talent-calc/hunter/marksmanship/dark-ranger/DAQUVVERVUFUmAUARBEBANVVVFRVVEWEFQUDERAEFVVUBV) once you filter down to the most important targets (which seems prudent).
- BM simply plays plays ST build with Training Expert swapped over to Dire Cleave.
- Remember to Hunter's Mark the Dragon when it spawns, the Titan when you go Platform, and then the Dragon again once you return.
- Always hit the Dragon when it is up.
- Always have ~18 Prism stacks prepared for the damage amp.
## Dimensius
- BM plays full ST, while MM plays this [Hybrid-ish build](https://www.wowhead.com/talent-calc/hunter/marksmanship/dark-ranger/DAQUVVERVUFUmAUARBEBAOVRVFRVVEWUEUQQDEREEFVVUBV).
- When simming this fight, I recommend using [these sim events](https://discord.com/channels/129594743393878017/1419747410497765528/1419820156171063386) that will simulate P3 damage only, including the amp. This part is really all that matters in terms of DPS sensitivity.
## Mythic Dimensius Tips & Mini-Guide for BM DR by Penkekh
### Phase 1
- Start fight, do a "fast" opener: Hunters Mark -> Black Arrow (until no procs) -> Bloodshed -> COTW | DO NOT POT
- At 1min use pot, use prism if 6 or more stacks
- At 2min use prism, never use prism again until p3
### Phase 2
Hunters mark doesn't work on the orbs going into adds, so we dont huntermarks minibosses
### Flying
- [Do the "fast" but 0-risk flying route](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2566443599?t=1h14m6s)
In text:
- Spam mount, when it's done press space instantly. Don't risk pressing too early or you cancel mount-up
- Whirling surge, fly through second ring to the right side, go through rocks insta
- Skip the next ring, angle your mount to be just under the bottom left corner of the rock ahead of u
- Fly through the ring bottom right
- Fly down, fly through the ring via the top
- Spam 1
### Platform 1
Do Black Arrow until out of procs > Blood Shed > COTW. We're fast opening cause we want to farm max stacks for next platform
Just play this as normal
### Flying
Afterwards [I like this route to second platform](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2566443599?t=1h15m36s) it's not the fastest, often im first though and its 0 risk. You fly under the black hole
### Platform 2
Press COTW instantly, only focus on black arrows, weave bloodshed/bwrath, we care about farming our quiver as high as possible again. Nothing else. If you have to target a void warden or whatever to get a black arrow at some point do it.
### Phase 3
Opener I settled on:
- Hunters mark asap
- Summon pet if bugged (avoid bugging, by attempting to stay on platform long)
- COTW + Prism + Pot
- Black Arrow spam again, bloodshed/bwrath inbetween.
- Don't focus on establishing frenzy, only focus on maxing black arrows
Grats hopefully you'll do 9-10m dps p3.
### Notes
- NEVER DPS STOP, you are doing NO dmg outside of COTW. Keep stacking Quiver
- I went a bit lower haste then the sim wants cause you have enough haste during the BL / AMP
### Trinkets
- Always use Netherprism.
- Double on-use is bad as there is no way to get Prism + another on-use within the P3 amp.
- Pacemaker timings are poor here.
- Antenna is rough as you move a lot during P3 and you do not tend to get value in Amp.
- I would've played Screams or soul hunters trinket if I had. Played broodsac now, think that's good also I get 2 stacks quickly always in amp. Maybe there's some other good ones?