Cataclysm Classic Marksmanship Hunter Guide

This page contains all relevant information needed for Marksmanship Hunter before the release of Cataclysm Classic. Be sure to check back as we get closer to the release date, as this page will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available.

Yes! All of the Hunter specs are viable in Cataclysm, but it is important to note that Marksmanship is going to be weaker than Survival for most of Cataclysm. Marksmanship is still a solid choice however, bringing some exceptional burst damage thanks to the power of Readiness and Rapid Fire combined with all of your cooldown-based shots. Marksmanship Hunters also bring Trueshot Aura, which is absolutely required in any raid group, making them worth the raid spot if the buff is currently missing in your group.

Strengths

• Solid single target damage
• Brings a raid buff with Trueshot Aura.
• Strong utility, including Misdirection and Feign Death.
• One of the easiest classes to gear early on in Cataclysm.
• Incredible leveling speed and solo-play ability out in the world.

Weaknesses

• Poor AoE damage.
• Pet-based class, which means you will need to micro-manage your pet sometimes.
• Needs some gear to scale with.
• Lack of defensive and self-healing cooldowns.

Cataclysm has several new race options for Hunters, including Human, Undead, Worgen, and Goblin. For Horde players, Troll is going to be the best option due to 1% crit from using bows and the Berserking cooldown. Orc is a close second with 5% pet damage bonus from Command and the cooldown Blood Fury.

As Alliance, Worgen is your best choice due to their passive 1% crit and their movement cooldown Darkflight. Draenei are also a strong choice because of their 1% passive hit.

1. Engineering — Engineering is still by far the best profession in the game, made even stronger in Cataclysm with the new on-use glove tinker Synapse Springs. This new tinker is far stronger than the Wrath version, giving Agility instead of Haste. This will be far and away the best option as a DPS player. You also cannot ignore the utility of Nitro Boosts, which provide a ton of movement speed on-demand. Given that Engineering is by far the best DPS increase and provides excellent utility bonuses, it's a must-have profession.
2. Blacksmithing — Lets you add an extra socket to both your Gloves and Bracers thanks to Socket Gloves and Socket Bracer. To be frank, as long as you have any non-gathering profession as your second profession, you are fine. The differences in combat bonuses between all other non-engineering professions are mostly negligible, so take your pick as to which you would prefer. Blacksmithing is generally a very strong choice as it gives you the most control over what stats to add due to the extra sockets, but that will always be Agility as a Hunter anyways.

Addons and Macros can greatly improve your quality of life during Cataclysm. Listed below are some of our recommendations on Addons and Macros to help get the most out of your time playing the game.