7.1.5 MM Rotation questions

[Zadus 0]

I am in a mythic raiding guild that is hoping to down M Cenarius tomorrow. This requires a lot of dps and I have a few questions concerning the rotation outlined on this site. It's easy for me to understand that you want to cast both windburst and marked shot at times when you have a lot of focus you can use to cast on aimed shots afterwards. However, in reality as I have played the spec and I try to build focus things start to happen that make me question this principle. 

1. What if you get full focus--->marked shot--->aimed shot x 2/3 and run out of focus, and then windburst comes off cooldown when you have no focus? Theoretically I am supposed to use windburst on cooldown but should I wait until I have more focus again? Would waiting to cast windburst be a dps loss?

2. What if both marked shot and windburst pop up at the same time? Should I use them both, and then drain my focus with aimed shots? Or should I try and stagger the two abilities?

3. What if I am building focus with arcane shot, and marking targets procs twice when I have low focus? Instincually, since I can marked shot, I don't want to waste it, but then I do not have enough focus to follow up with any aimed shots (or maybe only 1 aimed shot). Should I use the marked shot proc without following up with aimed shots and continue to build focus? Or should I waste that marking targets proc and wait until I can follow up a marked shot with 2-3 aimed shots?

 

[Bladehawk 6]

After raiding tonight myself (including Mythic Cenarius), this is kind of the rotation I've settled into. I'm by no means as good as Azortharion, so I'm quite likely doing something wrong, but this felt the smoothest and/or most natural as I played.

Starting at full Focus, with everything off CD:

Windburst → Arcane Shot → Aimed Shot x3. The thinking here is to fill a GCD with an Arcane Shot to get your Aimed Shots in closer to the end of the Vulnerable window (due to how Patient Sniper works).

Arcane Shot x4 (there's a bit of wiggle room here; what you want to do is generate ~110-115 Focus) → Marked Shot (it's extremely unlikely that you won't have a Marking Targets proc at this point) → Aimed Shot x3.

Arcane Shot x2-3 as Windburst comes off CD, then repeat. Around 85-90 Focus is a good point to start a Windburst Vuln window.

Like I said, I'm sure that's not the optimal rotation. It certainly wastes a lot of MT procs, simply because there are so many (thanks Blizz! MUCH BETTER than not enough). But I was able to do quite well with it.

 

Edited January 11, 2017 by Bladehawk
Additional Info

[Luthixx 138]

1. The idea is to use Marked Shot at around 115 focus, in which case you go marked shot > arcane shot > aimed shot x 3. Yes, use windburst as often as possible but save up as much focus as possible,  the general principle of 115  focus would apply there too as it would allow you to get off around 3 aimed shots if you're above the 17% haste cap.

2. Marked Shot is your first priority, if you've got both off cooldown at the same time I would advice using Windburst as your chance of getting Marked Shot is 45% higher now. Although if someone wants to refute me on this I'd be happy to be proven wrong. 

3. The guide states to use Marked Shot whenever possible, but only if you're above 115 focus. The idea of vulnerable is it builds up damage until the end of the debuff; instead of applying a base amount of damage bonus the whole time, you get more damage if you release a final aimed shot with one second left on the debuff when it's reached the 60% extra damage. If you follow the rotation and get in your three aimed shots you'll get your last one off right at the end of the debuff. 

I tried MM out this morning for the first time in weeks, and I was consistently getting 1m+ aimed shot crits at the end of the buff following that rotation. 

Give it a go on your target dummies for a while before raiding tomorrow.

[Zadus 0]

4 hours ago, Andanath said:

1. The idea is to use Marked Shot at around 115 focus, in which case you go marked shot > arcane shot > aimed shot x 3. Yes, use windburst as often as possible but save up as much focus as possible,  the general principle of 115  focus would apply there too as it would allow you to get off around 3 aimed shots if you're above the 17% haste cap.

2. Marked Shot is your first priority, if you've got both off cooldown at the same time I would advice using Windburst as your chance of getting Marked Shot is 45% higher now. Although if someone wants to refute me on this I'd be happy to be proven wrong. 

3. The guide states to use Marked Shot whenever possible, but only if you're above 115 focus. The idea of vulnerable is it builds up damage until the end of the debuff; instead of applying a base amount of damage bonus the whole time, you get more damage if you release a final aimed shot with one second left on the debuff when it's reached the 60% extra damage. If you follow the rotation and get in your three aimed shots you'll get your last one off right at the end of the debuff. 

I tried MM out this morning for the first time in weeks, and I was consistently getting 1m+ aimed shot crits at the end of the buff following that rotation. 

Give it a go on your target dummies for a while before raiding tomorrow.

So if I am understanding this correctly, the general flow of 7.1.5 marks is to fit in as many effective vulnerable windows as possible into the boss fight, and also to fit your aimed shots into the end of the window as much as possible. Am effective hunter will be able to create more vulnerable windows than an ineffective hunter.

I was under the impression that the haste cap was 9%, not 17%, in order to fit in 3 aimed shots when you marked shot >aimed shot x 3. I am at 12% haste now, and when I simcraft my gear haste is rated pretty low. I just reread Azortharion's guide and this is what it currently says in the stat priority section. I am talking about the normal rotation, not any period where heroism/lust/trueshot is active.