[Raiding] Survival Hunter

hey can u update this for 3.2 and 3.3 when it comes out thanks as im a bm hunter but im duel spec and my other is suv and i think i should be doing a lot more dps than i currently am

To any hunters that dont know yet:

This guide is outdated as of the 3.1 patch.

Does anyone know what exact hit rating you need for cap with 2 points in Focused Aim? People have told me 8% is cap and others have said 7% is cap. Thanks.

This guide is well done and presented however I just have a few suggestions:

Aimed Shot is an almost vital talent if you're going for maximum dps after the recent buff to it in the last patch. Weaving this into your shot rotation provides a huge boost over spamming steady shot. Of course on multiple mobs you should still be using Multi-Shot.

The shot rotation should end up more of a "priority" for lack of a better word.
If Serpent Sting needs refreshing, refresh it
Cast Explosive Shot
Cast Aimed Shot/Multi-Shot
Cast Steady Shot

In your Lock and Load section you advise waiting in between explosive shots, I disagree. Explosive Shot ticks once every second for 3 seconds which is exactly 2 Global Cooldowns. Therefore after you fire Explosive Shot you are waiting for 1 GCD before you fire it again, why not use this chance to refresh Serpent Sting or add in an Aimed Shot or a haste capped Steady Shot.

In an ideal situation when Lock and Load procs the shot rotation should be: Explosive Shot -> Aimed Shot/Multi-Shot -> Explosive Shot -> Refresh Serpent Sting if it is almost finished/Haste capped Steady Shot -> Explosive Shot.

Additionally removing the waiting period to replace it with a shot also stops "trigger happiness," where you fire the Explosive Shot too early and it ends up clipping the final tick of you're previous Explosive Shot.

I think this may have already been mentioned but the "trap dancing" vs. Sniper training method may be something you would like to look into, or I would be happy to help out with it if you would like, Glyphs such as Glyph of Immolation Trap would have to be added and other things like this.

Finally I would like to recommend adding "Power Auras" This addon has quickly become on of my favorites, it allows you set notifications for hugely customizable certain events. For instance I have notifications for: Lock and Load procs, Aspect of the viper on (in combat) Serpent Sting falling off my enemy target (in combat) and many more. There are some great videos on Youtube on how to set it up for a Hunter UI but it is well presented and easy to use by following the instructions on the download screen. If you would like me to grab you the URLs for any of the videos just let me know and I'll be happy to do it.

Well done on the guide so far, I hope you keep it up.

First, thank you for your guide. It is well presented and seems has good info.

I haven't gone for raiding with my hunter and still levelling one (74 at the moment). Two questions:

1- What about any buff Survival Hunter brings to the raid? If there is, it is better to mention here.
2- I am levelling my hunter with BM spec. After the patch, is it logical to change to SV? anf if yes, what is your suggestions about talent taking order and shot rotation?

Regards

Deget

This guide is a good starting point, but you didn't mention THE most important thing when it comes to playing a survival hunter.

There's more to playing SV effectively than spamming the shot rotation. There are basically two ways you can play your SV hunter: Trapdancer or Sniper.

A trapdancer will always be running to the boss to drop an Immolation Trap, to get a proc from Lock and Load. This playstyle has the highest DPS potential, although it only really shines in a tank'n'spank fight like Patchwerk. It's also next to impossible to use for some bosses such as Heigan. It's not easy to perform properly and you most likely will need a lot of practice.

That's why you have the talent Sniper Training, so that when you are in a melee-unfriendly fight or otherwise unable to trapdance, you can still dish out some decent dps. It's also a great way to play your hunter if you just can't seem to get the hang of trapdancing. Hawk Eye is an excellent talent if you want to play a Sniper. The downside is that you wll always have to be at maximum range, which basically requires an addon. I recommend RangeDisplay.

Here is the SV spec I am currently trying out. I was very pleased to see I did as much damage as my pre-3.0.8 50/21 spec. I didn't take Scatter Shot, as it's almost useless in PvE, and decided to take Aimed Shot instead. It's nice to have another instant shot for those fights where you have to move a lot (you can fire it while running) and I believe it's better for DPS purposes that Scatter. This build is focused around Sniper Training, all LnL procs coming from Serpent Sting. You can take points out of Focused Aim and put them into IAotHawk once you are hit capped.

More info about SV post-3.0.8 can be found at elitist jerks. There are also some good stickied guides at the official US hunter forum.

Looks very good, just one thing: you have wrote "Addons" in the pet paragraph I think you meant "Pets"

First of all: Impressive, to-the-point and excellent guide!

However there are a couple of mistakes.

There is no Melee Attack Power added to Hunter's Mark, you're probably thinking of the old version of it. Proof:
Hunter's Mark,Talent,Glyph - This also makes the Glyph rather useless - atleast in my humble oppinion.

2. I would never Spec for Hit, since; 1) Hit is very easy to get on your gear in WotLK, 2) Focused Aim is currently bugged in 2 ways; It doesn't increase the Hit% of your Pet (This might be intended), and it, probably, decreases your Crit Return - The best solution is to Gear, Gem and Enchant for Hit.

3. Multi-Shot should be added to your Shot-Rotation, as it will yield more DPS than only shooting Steady Shot. It simply does more damage.

4. Agility is the superior Stat with Survival Spec - When you're Hitcapped. (Otherwise the Elitist Jerks Gem-Guide wouldn't recommend the Delicate Scarlet Ruby - Unless the author is mistaken..) This means

should be changed so you only recommend Hit and Agility (There's also a typo, it should be Hands, not Wrists ) - Furthermore the same correction should be made to the Enchant recommendations for 1 Handed Weapons and Feet. And Agility's value should be revised in the Stats section as well.

5. Nitpicking/Addon: Your Pet section has the topic "Addons". - Kharthus's Hunter Timers is an excellent addon to track various Shots/Procs.

I hope this was helpful!

- Skadie

Although on LnL procs i would suggest using this rotaion:

Explo - Steady - Explo - Steady - Explo

This looks very nice, though I can't speak for it's accuracy since I don't play a hunter. However it sounds like you know what you are talking about!

I am so excited, I logged on and three new guides were submitted right after!

I am going to direct a very good friend of mine to this, he loves the survival spec and played it even when it really sucked for raid DPS

Edit: One suggestion - make those pics in your rotation link to the wowhead spell that they represent, simply by putting url tags around them pointing to that page. This is nice for noobs like me who are curious what those spells are. Actual hunters will know what they are, but it is still nice for completeness!