Cataclysm Classic Marksmanship Hunter Stat Priority

The stat priority for Marksmanship Hunter is as follows:

1. Agility
2. Hit Rating (to 8%)
3. Critical Strike Rating
4. Haste Rating
5. Mastery

Agility is your primary source of Attack Power which all of your damaging abilities scale off of. This is your Primary stat and should be on every piece of gear. There are other sources of scaling for Agility as well, but ultimately, more Agility is the best and most important way to scale your damage.

At Level 85:

• 1 Agility = 2 Ranged Attack Power

Hit Rating is another great way to deal damage and more importantly land our abilities. In Cataclysm it is especially important to hit your Steady Shot and Cobra Shot abilities, as missed shots will not generate focus. Additionally, missed Cobra Shots will not extend your Serpent Sting, which could lead to it falling off and needing to be re-cast. In shot, hit cap is extremely important both numerically and for easier game play. As a Marksmanship Hunter we are aiming to achieve 8% Hit rating to be hit capped. For most players this means getting 961 Hit rating, but for Draenei that drops down to 841 Hit rating because of their racial bonus.

At Level 85:

• 120.1 Hit Rating = 1% Hit Chance

Marksmanship Hunters have several additional bonuses when attacks crit from either you or your pet, such as with Piercing Shots and Go for the Throat. Piercing Shots specifically is a massive damage increase and is what makes Crit your best secondary stat by a large margin. Crit provides you with a better rotation in terms of focus generation and just more damage. Overall, Crit is going to be your best secondary stat.

At Level 85:

• 179.28 Crit Rating = 1% Crit

Haste rating is our next best secondary stat after Crit, but is still quite weak. It will increase both you and your pet's attack speeds as well as reducing the cast time of shots such as Cobra Shot, and Marksmanship Hunters have the added benefit of a higher than normal auto shot damage thanks to Artisan Quiver.

At Level 85:

• 128.05 Haste Rating = 1% Haste

Mastery is the new stat added in during Cataclysm and provides a different, unique benefit for every single specialization in the game. For Marksmanship Hunters, Mastery gives all of your ranged attacks a chance to fire an additional ranged shot. This additional ranged shot is basically just another auto shot and is quite weak. Unfortunately, Marksmanship Hunters have one of the weakest Masteries out of any class. Mastery should be avoided on gear wherever possible, and it is highly recommended to Reforge this stat into a higher priority stat like Critical Strike Rating or Haste.

At Level 85:

• 179.28 Mastery Rating = 1% Mastery