The hunter is a ranged fighter accompanied by a pet fighting alongside him using bows, crossbows and guns and armed with various traps. Its three specialties are precision, animal control and survival, each with its own peculiarities. Survival, which we're interested in here, is a damage-over-time, trap-enhancing specialization coupled with good mobility.
Summary:
- Update
- gameplay
- Talents
- Optimization
- Raid tips
Update
Current: 5.3
- Aspect of the Hawk increases attack power by 25%, down from 15%
To come: 5.4
- Le Arcane Shot has its focus cost and damage increased by 50%
- Swiftness now only affects Feign Death, Deterrence, Disengage, and Camouflage
- L'Aspect of the faucon of iron Now reduces damage taken by 10%, down from 15%.
Change to MOP
The hunter has changed a lot in Myst of Pandaria, the most salient points are as follows:
- The minimum range of fire has been removed, so hunters can strike melee like all other classes
- Cobra Shot, Steady Shot, and Aiming (via Glyph and Precision Specialization) can be channeled while on the move.
- Rush, snarling crows, ferocious beast ... complete the gameplay and diversify it.
gameplay
We are going to see here the key techniques of the survival hunter and its gameplay, as said above, the survival hunter is very mobile, all the more since patch 5.1 which made the shooting of the cobra channelable on the move. The hunter's mode of play consists of alternating techniques using a resource called focus and others reloading it. In survival, it is the shooting of the cobra that recharges this energy.
- Offensive
- Defensive
- Explosive Shot: the signature technique of our specialization, it is a technique that inflicts damage over time in three peaks (damage is applied in 3 times) and it is our first source of damage in single target. It is an instant fire that has a 6 second cooldown. It takes priority over all other techniques.
- Serpent Bite: A damage over time technique that was recently changed to increase its damage, it is now our second damage source in single target and first in multi target. It is interesting to place it on several targets (via multiple shot or snake bite depending on the number of targets). The Cobra Shot refreshes the Snake Bite by adding 6 seconds to the 15 second limit which allows it to be landed only once on a primary target.
- Black Arrow: Black Arrow is an essential damage over time technique. In addition to damage over time, this allows you to activate an effect called ready to shoot which grants us 3 consecutive explosive shots free and without cooldown.
- Arcane shot: an instant shot doing medium damage but higher than the cobra shot, it is used to empty its focus bar being careful to keep enough for explosive shot or black arrow.
- Cobra Shot: a channelable technique doing moderate damage but recharging focus, now usable on the move, it is only last priority and to recharge its energy. Additionally adds 6 sec of the 15 sec limit to the snake bite damage.
- Death Shot: Execution shot, free energy shot and can be used twice in a row with a cooldown as soon as the target is below 20%.
- Multiple arrows: THE multi-target technique. Along with bursts of arrows, it lands the snake bite on all targets.
- Explosive trap: a trap doing fire damage on all nearby targets, very useful in multi-target and replaces the black arrow (causes the ready to shoot).
- Freezing Trap: Cast a trap that traps the target in an ice cube for one minute, instantly triggers the ready-to-shoot.
- Ice Trap: Allows you to launch a trap placing a plate of frost slowing all targets passing through it.
- Hunter's Mark: increases the attack power on the target by 15% and lands automatically via certain shots (still manually place it at the start of the fight to increase your damage from the start).
- Rush: summons the 5 familiars with you (or 5 times the same via a glyph) that attacks your target (5 minute cooldown).
- Rapid fire: increases your attack speed, to be used at the start of the fight to quickly benefit from it a second time.
- Promptness: resets all your cooldowns to zero (except rush), allows during the burst phase to relaunch techniques such as rapid fire, snarling crows, black arrow, etc ...
- Deterrence: Reduced see negates all damage taken for 5 seconds (glyph available to increase reduction from 30% to 50%).
- Disengagement: A leap back several meters, very useful for fast movements and one of the keys to the gameplay of the hunter although his interest is diminished since the possibility of channeling on the move.
Priority order
- Deadly shot
- Explosive shot
- Black arrow
- Snake bite (at the start of the fight then renew by shooting the cobra)
- Snarling crows
- Ferocious beast
- Barrage or Throwing of Glaives
- Arcane Shot
- Cobra Shot (recharges your focus)
Burst Phase
The survival burst is also not insane unlike the beast specialization.Here is my order of techniques used in the event of a burst (in this case in the pull):
- Virmen Potion (increases agility by 4000 for 25 seconds)
- Rush
- Rapid fire
- Explosive shot
- Snake bite
- Black arrow, (Cobra shot for foca)
- Snarling Crows
- Promptness
- Explosive shot,
- (Arcane Shot or Cobra Shot for foca)
- Black arrow (as soon as the first one is finished)
- Rapid fire (as soon as the first one is finished)
- Snarling crows (as soon as the first one is over) ...
This order is quite adaptable and varies according to multiple parameters, one or more targets, your rate of haste etc ... Consider inserting arcane shots and cobra shots according to your focus. In rapid fire, you should be able to chain arcane shots between each explosive shot.
Ready to shoot
When the ready-to-shoot triggers (when the black arrow or explosive trap is active or an ice or frost trap triggers) you get two free explosive shots. This allows you to launch three consecutive explosive shots, this causes a loss of 1 tics on damage over time of the explosive shot (8 tics instead of 9) but it has been shown that the loss was not significant.
In the event that you are at maximum focus when ready to shoot, you can insert a shot between the allow and second explosive shot. A little reading on how hard explosive fire works here.
Focus
To manage your focus, the key is to keep neither too much nor too little! Always keep enough focus for your explosive shot and possibly black arrow and empty the surplus with sword throwing and arcane shooting.
Families
The hunter's pets having been standardized, their damage is relatively similar as long as they are well specialized in ferocity. First of all, remember to turn off the rumble! Then to choose your pet, I advise you to adapt to complete the missing improvements in your group.
Here are the most commonly missing and the great classics:
- Wolf: critical
- Feline: Mastery
- Hyena: physical attack speed
- Sporoptera: spell haste
- Ravager: increased physical damage
- Windsnakes: increased magic damage
See this rather well-designed diagram that was done before the arrival of the spell haste familiar (extremely useful).
Point by point talent
- gras : Essential
- Italic: Situational
15 level
- Full Speed: Disengage releases movement controls and increases speed by 60% for 8 seconds. Useful in PvE for its speed improvement.
- Needle Hunting: Disengage activates a net trap that covers targets within 8 yards with canvas preventing them from moving. PvP talent.
- Tiger and chimera : Reduces disengagement cooldown by 10 seconds and deterrence by 60. Effective in PvE especially for dealing with defensive damage, reducing disengagement cooldown is useful but not essential for my taste.
30 level
- Gag Arrow: Silences an enemy target for 3 seconds, a talent that can be used in certain PvE situations where it is necessary to interrupt a spell.
- Wyvern Sting: A sting that puts the target to sleep for 30 seconds. The short duration of the check and its very long cooldown make it not very usable.
- Link shot: place an arrow where enemies are "attached" within 5 meters, if they move away, they are stunned for 5 seconds. I really liked this talent on feng hm but could also be useful on other bosses like the empress.
45 level
- Enthusiasm: a cd that heals the pet for 30% and 100%. Anecdotal.
- Aspect of the Iron Hawk: the most versatile talent in the tier via constant damage reduction, to be taken by default.
- Spiritual commitment: a good talent too, possibly superior to aspect of the iron falcon in a fight where the damage is constant and where one is rarely at the maximum of his points of life.
60 level
- Fervor: Restores 50 focus points and another 50 every 10 seconds. Experimenting, I personally have trouble with this talent which is difficult to optimize but many use it among other things in case of multiple targets and frequent target changes instead of the thrill of the more random hunt.
- Ferocious beast : Summons a ferocious animal that attacks your target for 10 seconds and restores Focus for each of their damage. The most effective technique in single-target combat due to the high damage associated with energy regeneration.
- Thrill of the Hunt: Each ranged attack gives you a chance to get a 20 focus reduction on your next three attacks (either 3 free Arcane Shots or multiple Shots at half-price). Very interesting talent although inferior to ferocious beast in single target, advantageous on combats with change of target or multi-target but less in mono because we cannot take advantage of all the free shots systematically, this tends to make the cycle a little messy. Apart from the profusion of arcane shooting and free explosives - you can get lost.
75 level
- Snarling crows : Crows attack your target for 30 seconds, the only viable technique in survival on this talent level. The others are too dependent on the damage of the pet. Its big downside is its very heavy focus cost but it fits well when increasing haste (rapid fire, heroism, life blood, racial).
- Transfer Strike: Teleports your pet, which does 600% normal damage. Useless in survival.
- Lynx Charge: Your pet charges from enemy to enemy. Useless in survival.
90 level
- Throwing a sword: Throws two swords at a target that hits any targets they pass. This tier's most efficient and versatile talent, honorable damage, and low focus consumption make it easily usable.
- Powerful shot : a powerful long-channel shot. The damage is too low compared to the channeling time to be really viable and the bump problematic.
- Barrage: One of the funniest techniques in this talent tree, the hunter shoots 180 ° and hits all targets over a wide range. Effective in multi-target and more profitable than throwing swords from 3 targets as well as on moving targets. See the barrage vs throwing glaives comparison on Method's website to make the best choice with all soul and conscience.
The versatile type talent tree for my taste:
Optimization
Statistics
The order of importance of the tracked hunter statistics is as follows:
- Agility : the main statistic of the hunter. Agility increases attack power and crit rating and in full mesh gear a 5% bonus is applied.
- To touch = expertise up to the 7,5% cap (2550 excluding racial bonuses)
- Critical : Increases the chance that your attacks will deal 200% of normal damage. Applies to 100% of your attacks as well as those of your pets.
- Looking forward : Increases focus regeneration, increases your pet's attack count, and reduces the channel time of your pet attacks. Increases the number of white moves.
- mastery : increases magic damage by 8% per point and therefore applies to 70% of your damage
Reforge
Reforging is changing a stat from one piece of equipment to another in order to optimize. Use it first to reach your touch and expertise caps and then maximize your criticism. Then choose to favor haste if you have equipment greater than 490. Otherwise mastery!
For reforging calculations, you can use reforgelite as an in-game addon.
Gemmage
The main idea is to favor agility that is much more profitable. If the bonus is interesting (a random agility bonus), you can consider a mixed stone preferably orange with agility / critical (replaces a yellow or red stone) or a purple agility / touch (red or blue slot).
In all other cases, gem agility.
Glyphs
Glyphs now are a bonus and none of them have a real impact on DPS.
The useful ones:
- the deterrent glyph to increase damage reduction,
- the animal bond glyph to increase the care received and therefore our survival
- the glyph of disengagement for a mini personal care
- the glyph of rush to avoid untimely pet taunts
Raid tips
Some tips and tricks on the bosses of raids, this section will be completed as I progress.
- Vault
- Heart of fear
- Spring terrace
- Throne of thunder
- Stone Guard: Try to land your snakebite on both targets, use deterrence to remove ice area damage without getting stunned and taking damage (Tiger and Chimera talent very useful)
- HM Stone Guard: The combat is quite simple and only the mechanism of the slabs changes the combat.
- Feng: Deterrence works on Arcane Will and Resistance, the epicenter, but not during phase 2.
- Feng Hm: the link fire talent is strongly recommended for the control of adds in the shield phase (stun for 5 seconds), Tiger and chimera talent to have the deterrence regularly available (works on velocity and Arcane Resonance among others), possibly barrage for dps the adds if that's your choice.
- Garajal: Barrage can come in handy in shadow areas if you're behind on the adds
- Spirits-kings: abuse the disengagement especially on the guard
- Elegon: Thrill of the Hunt can be effective at dealing with adds, use multiple pop add fire to catch your snake bite and keep the black arrow on the boss.
- Will of the Emperor: try to continuously land snakebite on the two bosses and on the most resistant adds, place your frost trap on the path of the adds to activate ready to shoot
- Vizier: Deterrence works on Mitigation and Strength and Brilliance
- Lords of Blades: Ras
- Garalon: we are one of the most suitable classes for kitting with pheromones, make yourself right.
- Lord of the winds: the survival hunter is particularly suited to this fight. To control one of the adds with its freezing trap, the duration of which is 1m and which also increases the DPS with the activation of ready to shoot but also by the strongly multi-target component of this fight. Use and abuse your multiple shot to land your snakebite on all targets to empty your focus (instead of arcane shot) and keep your classic cycle on the primary target designated by your RL. The thrill of the hunt is especially useful here!
- Un'sok: Survival can be of particular interest here due to the frequency of target changes, the thrill of the hunt can be a definite advantage especially if you are assigned to Oils. Being assigned during phases 1 & 2 to solo silts, I had made the choice to take the thrill of the hunt and charge of the lynx talents coupled with the use of the freezing and explosive traps.
- Great Empress Shek'zeer: A new fight with a lot of add-ons and target changes where the survival specialty works very well. Thrill of the Hunt can come in handy (but not essential, adds drop pretty quickly) and deterrence works to reduce Dissonance Field damage (plus Tiger and Chimera to be available every 60 seconds) .
- Protectors of the Eternal: Ras, the combat is very simple and not had time to note a particular point (in normal, not yet tested in heroic).
- Tsulong: nothing special during the night phase, stay mobile to reduce your debuffs which does not pose a particular problem for us. In the day phase, you can easily manage one side of the room (i.e. two adds), abuse your controls: ice cube, shock stroke in order to give you time and activate the ready-to-shoot. Thrill of the hunt can be a comfort (but not essential once again) and possibly a wyvern sting to control one more add (to check its operation, I did not test because I did not feel the need ).
- Lei Shi: for the adds, I was on one of the protectors and I had chosen the wyvern sting to control it (with ice cube in backup if a control breaks). When the boss is hiding, if anyone has the idea of a useful spell to flush him out (need the salvo !!!)
- Sha of fear: deterrence works on flowering (to take the globes) and on breath (to avoid displacement). Lots of switch, thrill of the chase maybe a choice of flexibility that I did not retain however. As for the fart, either take transfer hit evening leave it on the boss continuously.
- Jin'rohk: purely single-target combat, I use my base template and storm deterrence if needed.
- Horridon: lots of add management and alternation of mono and multi-target. Barrage is clearly effective, use your multiple shot in focus dump on packs where you need to focus a particular add. Consider keeping your snake bite on the boss and using your wyvern fire on the adds to interrupt.
- Advice: barrage advised, flush
- Tortos: use your trait of choice to slow down the turtles, use the barrage to hit all targets (bosses, turtles, bats)
- Megeara: ras, purely mono combat
- Jikun: glyph of the aspect of the cheetah for the wind phase, also purely single-target combat
- Durumu: flush, monocible
- Animus: the pet can tank an add with a healer on the buttocks
- Qwon : Ras
- Concubines: Ras
- Lei Shen: effective deterrence on static shock (negates damage), mostly single target combat except for a short multi-target burst phase
Hope this guide is useful to you!
