General Rotations
Opener
This is the standard single target opener you should be using.
Continue alternating between Aimed Shot and using a single Arcane Shot afterwards (free proc from Master Marksman). Use Rapid Fire when available and weave in Steady Shots as needed. During Bloodlust and Troll racial, you should be able to squeeze in an additional Aimed Shot due to the additional Haste.
Standard Priority
Outside of the opener, this is the standard single target priority you should be follow.
- Apply Hunter’s Mark to your primary target, prior to engaging in combat.
- Use Trueshot on cooldown. Try to use with more than 80% focus and with more than 1 charge of Aimed Shot.
- Cast Aimed Shot if you are about to reach 2 charges. Strive to never cap on charges.
- Cast Rapid Fire on cooldown.
- Cast Arcane Shot when Precise Shots is active to dump stacks.
- Cast Aimed Shot.
- Cast Arcane Shot to dump focus.
- Cast Steady Shot as a filler or to generate Focus when low.
Single Target Caveats
Below is a list of things to think about while performing the single target rotation.
- Try to avoid Focus capping. Play liberally with Arcane Shots due to Calling the Shots.
- Avoid casting Aimed Shot above 90 Focus unless you will cap on charges. Due to Aimed Shots long cast, you will Focus cap after finishing its cast.
- Don’t delay Rapid Fire outside of Trueshot. Traits such as Surging Shots and Lethal Shots have a chance to reset Rapid Fire. Delaying casts may cause you to miss out on resets.
Aimed Shot vs. Rapid Fire
Aimed Shot and Rapid Fire are pretty simple abilities, but they behave slightly different. It may not be intuitive so I’ve broken it down below.
- Aimed Shot’s damage is calculated as soon as it fires from your weapon. This means that you must finish your cast of Aimed Shot for stat buffs such as Unerring Visions to be factored into Aimed Shot. This extends into Trickshots. Any stat buff or on-hit effect will be replicated into each individual Aimed Shot.
- The opposite is true for Rapid Fire. Rapid Fire’s damage is calculated as soon as you begin its channel. When Trickshots is applied, each hit of Rapid Fire retains the same stat buffs and on-hit effects that were initially applied to it as soon as the channel starts. Due to this, you’re able to cast Rapid Fire as buffs are ending while still retaining its damage.
So what does this mean? This is most noticeable towards the end of Trueshot. If you cannot finish your cast of Aimed Shot within your Unerring Vision window, trinket proc, etc., it may be worth to simply cast an Arcane Shot or start channeling a Rapid Fire to benefit from the proc, rather than casting an Aimed Shot that won’t benefit (In the case of Trueshot, casting another Aimed Shot may still be worth due to its decreased cast time). It’s situational but its something to think about if you’re wanting to min/max.
AoE Opener
The normal AoE opener (3+ targets) is similar, but now we weave in Multi-Shots to proc Trickshots.
Continue to alternate between Multi-Shot and Aimed Shot/Rapid Fire. Make sure to prioritize Aimed Shots during Trueshot. Only use a single Multi-Shot to proc Trickshots if an Aimed Shot or Rapid Fire is available. If an Aimed Shot nor Rapid Fire is available, cast Multi-Shots to dump focus or Steady Shots to gain focus.
Standard Priority
Outside of the opener, your AoE priority you should be as follows.
- Apply Hunter’s Mark to your primary target, prior to when the encounter starts or if it will survive longer than 10 sec.
- Cast Multi-Shot to apply Trick Shots if you do not have Trick Shots active AND there are 3 or more targets in range of your Multi-Shot.
- Cast Aimed Shot if within the Careful Aim window OR if you will cap on charges.
- Cast Rapid Fire.
- Cast Multi-Shot to dump all charges of Precise Shots.
- Cast Aimed Shot.
- Cast Multi-Shot to dump excess Focus if both Aimed Shot and Rapid Fire are on cooldown AND you have more than 70 Focus.
- Cast Steady Shot to generate Focus.
Trickshots AoE
Marksmanship’s form of AoE is Trickshots. Every time your Multi-Shot hits 3 or more targets, your next Aimed Shot or Rapid fire spreads up to 5 additional targets. While this seems pretty intuitive, there are a couple of things to think about when AoE’ing.
- Trickshots deals normal damage to your primary target, but each additional target takes 50% damage. Any on-hit effects or stat procs will also be applied to the additional targets, just at 50% of the damage. Take this into consideration when you need priority target damage.
- When Trickshots is applied to Aimed Shot, each Aimed Shot is recognized as its own unique shot. Each Aimed Shot has its own chance to critically strike. Likewise, each Aimed Shot will calculate Careful Aim on an individual basis once it reaches the target.
- Trickshots is a buff on yourself, and lasts for 20 seconds. Use this to your advantage. If mobs are dying, it may be worth to carry over Trickshots into the next pack to take advantage of Careful Aim.
AoE Limitations
Marksman Hunter specializes in single target and mid-range AoE. We also excel in high mobility situations. Our weak points are supposed to be mass AoE. Because of this, Marksmanship Hunters are one of the few classes in BFA with target capped AoE. Trickshots is capped at 6 targets (primary target plus 5 additional targets). Another caveat for Marmsmanship Hunter AoE, is that Trick Shots can only be activated after hitting 3 or more targets. Unfortunately, we don’t have too many solutions to combat these restrictions. Marksmanship Hunters are very weak when fighting against two targets, and fall off against more than 6 targets.
- In 2 target scenarios, simply perform your single target rotation on the more important add. We’re severely handicapped with two targets. Try to encourage your tank to always pull at least three targets for maximum efficiency.
- In 6+ target scenarios, simply AoE as normal. Luckily, we aren’t completely handicapped in mass AoE. While our primary AoE (Trickshots) is limited, our Multi-Shot does not have a target cap. Multi-Shots buffed by Precise Shots actually do a fair bit of damage and shouldn’t be forgotten about. We also have tools such as Focusing Iris which help to band-aid our mass AoE.
Cooldown Usage
Bestial Wrath
In layman's terms, you want to use Bestial Wrath any time the pack will survive for more than about 8 seconds. Remember, Barbed Shot reduces the cooldown of your Bestial Wrath so typically, if you’re casting Barbed Shot with Bestial Wrath available, it will almost always be a DPS loss.
That being said, if the pack will survive less than ~8 sec (think Saurids in Atal’dazar), it’s probably a waste to use your Bestial Wrath. Remember that BM Hunters are not experts at burst damage. It takes 3-4 globals alone just to setup our damage. Forgoing a little AoE damage to more efficiently take down the following pack is almost always a smarter choice in these situations.
That being said, if the pack will survive less than ~8 sec (think Saurids in Atal’dazar), it’s probably a waste to use your Bestial Wrath. Remember that BM Hunters are not experts at burst damage. It takes 3-4 globals alone just to setup our damage. Forgoing a little AoE damage to more efficiently take down the following pack is almost always a smarter choice in these situations.
Aspect of the Wild
If you have any Primal Instincts traits, Aspect of the Wild becomes a huge cooldown for us. Similar to Bestial Wrath, you must think about how long the pack will survive, how dangerous the pack/boss are and whether it is more beneficial to hold it or to use it. You typically want to pair Aspect of the Wild with Bestial Wrath for more damage however, it’s not always necessary (especially with Rapid Reload). Again, do not hold onto Aspect of the Wild for too long or risk wasting casts of it. Try to forecast how many mobs will be in future pulls and estimate the timings of your Aspect of the Wild's cooldown with Rapid Reload.
Execute
In the current patch, BM Hunters have 2 forms of "execute". We have Killer Instinct which we use situationally, and we have Ashvane's Razor Coral.
- Killer Instinct - try to snipe Kill Commands on low health mobs (sub 35%) while doing trash, assuming you're within the 1-4 target range. During bosses, try to save your final set of cooldowns (Aspect of the Wild + Bestial Wrath) for when the boss is sub 35% health.
- Asvane's Razor Coral - line up the Critical Strike portion of the trinket so that it lines up with your cooldowns in execute range.
Controlling Your Pets
Whenever doing a dungeon as a BM Hunter, you need to be cognizant of where your pet is in relation to yourself, other mobs and even other party members. Your pet is an extension of yourself. Controlling your pets can be difficult, especially for newer Hunters. Unlike other pet classes, the majority of our damage comes from our pets (almost 65%), so if our pet gets stuck, dies, pulls other mobs on accident, or even just spends too much time traveling between mobs, it can be detrimental. Here are some things that most people don’t think about when manipulating pets along with some recommendations:
- Soothing/Purging – Try to preemptively be attacking the desired target to swiftly purge or soothe your target. You must first tell your pet (“/petattack”) to swap to the desired target, else it will simply purge/soothe it’s current target (which may or may not be the target you want).
- Pet Up Time – Pet up time is everything for BM Hunters. Try to use Kill Command, Barbed Shot, and even Intimidation to traverse long distances between enemies. The longer your pet is traveling between mobs, the less DPS you do.
- Dismissing Your Pet – Preemptively think about what pet you will need or if you will need to dismiss your pet for certain encounters or skips. Aside from using Bloodlust, certain scenarios might cater more towards Ferocity pets as opposed to Tenacity pets. In general, your Tenacity pet will be your go-to. Try to find the optimal time to swap ahead of time instead of making your group wait. Likewise, find an optimal time to dismiss your pet instead of making the group wait.
- Pets While Mounted – Pets will not pull mobs or enter into combat that they run through if you are mounted. If you are not mounted and your pet crosses through a group of mobs, it will engage in combat so be weary.
- Shroud – Pets will pull mobs through Shroud of Concealment if they run through a mob. Be sure to dismiss your pet prior to performing a skip.
- Dash – If both Kill Command and Barbed Shot are on cooldown, use Dash to quickly help your pet transition between enemies. I recommend taking Dash off of auto-cast so that you can manually use Dash when it suits the situation best.
- Proper Positioning – Pets have a radius of cleave when using Beast Cleave. Make sure to position your pet in the center of the action to ensure you are hitting all mobs. Use Kill Command, Barbed Shot or even manually command your pet to attack mobs that are centered (unless a priority target needs to be burned down).
- Pet Follow – If you don’t already have it bound, have a button for Pet Follow. Often times you will need to pull your pet back to prevent it from pulling mobs, to move it out of dangerous terrain or you might need to taunt mobs away from the tank.
Using Our Utility
Feign Death
Our bread and butter in dungeons, useful in a multitude of different ways. If you accidentally pull mobs, you can use it to drop combat and reset them. You can pair this with Freezing Trap to perform skips that most other classes cannot do and you can even avoid certain abilities that are targeted on you to prevent damage altogether. For a full list of abilities you can avoid with Feign Death, check out the Just Hunter Things section below.
Binding Shot
Takes practice to use properly, be sure to communicate with your tank, so they can drag the mobs out to trigger it. One of the best spells in the game when dealing with Necrotic, but be careful with Sanguine! This also gives your tank a chance to reset and get topped of on regular pulls.
Misdirection
Especially useful with Skittish, it should be used as often as possible. Unfortunately for Beast Mastery Hunters, pet basic and special attacks do not count towards threat generation, only those cast by the Hunter (i.e Barbed Shot, Cobra Shot, Multi-Shot and Chimaera Shot).
Primal Rage
Any Ferocity pet can use this whenever your group is missing Bloodlust/ Heroism. For BM Hunters, it is generally just better to use Drums since using a Ferocity pet means we lose the utility of our Tenacity pet (i.e Spirit Beast). It can also be pretty annoying when using Animal Companion.
Soothe/Purge
Almost every dungeon has something that can be dispelled or soothed, making Hunters indispensable. Raging affix is also dispellable only by Hunters and Druids. For a full list of abilities that should be addressed, check out the Just Hunter Things section.
Intimidation
A long stun which should be used on mobs that are empowered or otherwise difficult to deal with. Shares diminishing returns with other stuns, so be sure to communicate with your party. You can also use this as a charge, since it will charge 40 yards when used.
Camouflage
It’s time to role play as a Rogue! This talent can be very useful in skipping certain trash or to set up Freezing Trap. It can also be used for it's healing component to top yourself up in between pulls, or help healers out with Grievous.
Freezing Trap
Use this to help tanks with affixes such as Bolstering, perform skips when paired with Feign Death, and/or interrupt spellcasting.
Tar Trap
Great for allowing tanks to kite in a small area. Try to use it in corners, choke points and other prime kiting areas. This can also be used to help out with Enchanted Emissaries.
Concussive Shot
Not often used since it's only a single target slow, however, it can be used when Tar Trap isn't enough. This is also an excellent ability for dealing with Enchanted Emissaires.
Personal Defensives
Spirit Mend
This large heal over time gives an immense amount of self-sustain, either for yourself or any other friendly target, such as your pet, other party members, or friendly NPCs such as the last boss in Temple of Sethralis. It does not share a GCD with you, it is on your pet’s GCD so you maybe be able to use it simultaneously. Note that it only has a 25 yrd range.
Exhilaration
An instant heal that heals for a good chunk of our health. Paired with Nature’s Savle it can make a huge difference. Unfortunately it’s on our own GCD so we prefer to use Spirit Mend unless in dire need of health. Use this liberally on Grievous weeks.
Survival of the Fittest
Survival of the Fittest gives us a 20% DR on a 3 min cooldown. This is our only damage reduction ability aside from Turtle. Unfortunately, it’s very mediocre due to it’s cooldown, but don’t forget we have it!
Aspect of the Turtle
Not completely intuitive, since some magic abilities can still be immuned and some physical cannot. Regardless, it allows you to avoid many mechanics, in addition to being a solid 30% damage reduction. For a complete list of what you're able to immune, check out the Just Hunter Things section below.
Feign Death
What better way to prevent damage then to ignore it completely? Feign Death let's us ignore a TON of mechanics in each dungeon. For a complete list of what you're able to Feign Death, check out the Just Hunter Things section below.
Just Hunter Things
One of the cool things about Hunter is that we can avoid a TON of mechanics due to both Feign Death and Aspect of the Turtle. We also have a Soothe/Purge at our disposal so we can get rid of a TON of harmful abilities. Remember you can always soothe the Raging affix (regardless of mob). Below are some of the most important mechanics Hunters can perform within each dungeon.
Atal'dazar
Feign Death
- If Soulburn is cast on you by Dazar'ai Colossus, we can Feign Death it.
- Pursuit cast by Rezan can be Feign Deathed (You can bait this 50% of the time as he will always target the two furthest players just before he casts pursuit).
- Venom Blast cast by Zanchuli Witch Doctors whenever you're targeted.
- Wildfire cast by Dazar'ai Augurs whenever you're targeted.
- Deadeye Aim cast by Dinomancer Kish'o can be Feigned if you're targeted.
Aspect of the Turtle
- Terrifying Visage cast by Rezan can be immuned with Turtle.
- Terrifying Screech cast by Feasting Skyscreamers can also be ignored with Turtle.
Soothe/Purge
- We can soothe Dazar'ai Juggernauts when they enrage with Fanaztic's Rage.
- We can purge Priestess Alun'za when she buffs herself with Gilded Claws.
Freehold
Feign Death
- We can Feign Death Blind Rage cast by Blacktooh Scrappers if they are targeting you.
- We can Feign Death Captain Eudora's Powder Shot.
- We can Feign Death Blackout Barrel from Captain Raoul (If you're in melee range you can still get hit regardless if Feigned).
- If Irontide Grenadiers fixate you during Harlan Sweete, you can Feign Death and they will instantly explode.
Aspect of the Turtle
- We can immune Skycap'n Kragg's Azerite Powder Shot and Pistol Shot.
- We can use Aspect of the Turtle to immune and clear Rat Traps cast by Vermin Trappers.
- We can immune Captain Eudora's Powder Shot and Grapeshot.
Soothe/Purge
- We can soothe Bestial Wrath cast by Irontide Mastiffs.
- We can soothe Blind Rage cast by Blacktooth Scrappers (they can be targeting any party member).
King's Rest
Feign Death
- Interment Constructs will cast Entomb. If it's cast on you, using Feign Death will re-target onto someone else.
- Mchimba the Embalmer casts Drain Fluids. If you are targeted, you can Feign Death to cancel the channel.
- Similar to the constructs, Mchimba casts Entomb which you can Feign Death if targeted on you (however it is not recommended).
- Spectral Beastmasters target random party members with Poison Barrage. This ability can be avoided with Feign Death.
- On the counsel boss, Aka'ali uses Barrel Through. It is an extremely long cast. If you are targeted, wait towards the end to Feign Death. This wastes time and may also desync the Shattered Defenses/Debilitating Backhand cast on the tank, helping him out.
- We can use Feign Death to cause King Dazar's Quaking Leap to retarget someone else. This doesn't always work, however, depending on where he is in his spell queue, it may ignore it completely.
Aspect of the Turtle
- We can use Aspect of the Turtle to immune an application of Spit Gold, cast by The Golden Serpant encounter.
- Hunters can ignore the damage taken from Barrel Through if targeted by Aka'ali during the counsil fight.
- We can also immune the application of Severing Axe cast by Kula the Butcher. After every 2nd Whirling Axes, she will look at a random non-tank member to through the Severing Axe, you must use Turtle while she is looking at you. If you wait until she targets you, it will be too late.
- We can immune a single cast of Deathly Roar cast by T'zala, the 2nd raptor on the King Dazar fight.
Soothe/Purge
- We can purge Bound by Shadow, instantly killing a Minion of Zul. Our pets do not get feared by their pursuit.
- Shadow-Borne champions cast Ancestral Fury which we can soothe.
- Queen Wasi will cast Seduction on a random player. That player can be purged.
Shrine of the Storm
Feign Death
- During Aqu'sirr, he will cast Undertow on random party members. If it is cast on you, you can Feign Death it.
- You can also Feign Death any Grasp from the Depths that snare you during Aqu'sirr. Typically, saving Feign Death for Undertow is better.
- If you pull Runecarver Scorn, you can Feign Death his Carve Flesh if targeted.
- Abyss Dwellers (tentacle boys) throughout the dungeon will channel Lash on you. You should Feign Death these as often as possible.
Aspect of the Turtle
- If you're out of position during Aqu'sirr, Aspect of the Turtle prevents damage and knock back from his Surging Rush (can be helpful during the triple Surging Rush in intermission).
- Aspect of the Turtle prevents damage and application of Electrifying Shock cast by the Guardian Elemental. You can use this to perform skips, similar to rogues with Cloak of Shadows.
- During the Lord Stormsong encounter, he will cast Ancient Mindbender on everyone except the tank. This can be pre-immuned with Turtle. It is random who he casts it on, but if you have Turtle up and he happens to pick you, you will skip the mind control completely, significantly speeding up the boss fight.
Soothe/Purge
- Shrine Templars cast both Protective Aura and Tidal Surge. We can purge both, but Protective Aura takes priority.
- You should never allow Mending Rapids to be cast by the Tidesage Spiritualists, however if it gets off, we can purge it. We can also purge Spirit's Swiftness, however this is a very minor buff to worry about.
- Abyssal Cultists will cast Detect Thoughts and Consuming Void on themselves. Both of these are purgable. You should remove as many of these as possible to speed the pull up.
Siege of Boralus
Feign Death
- Kul Tiran Marksman, Ashvane Snipers and Irontide Powdershots cast Shoot throughout the dungeon. These HURT, especially on Fortified. You can Feign Death them anytime they target you and you should do so as often as possible to help your healer out.
Aspect of the Turtle
- Bilge Rat Demolishers will cast Terrifying Roar. The fear can be immuned with Turtle, however it should also be outranged as the range is only 15 yards.
- Use Turtle to prevent damage taken by Break Water when possible during the Hadal Darkfathom fight. Your healers will appreciate you.
Soothe/Purge
- Kul Tiran Wavetenders cast Watertight Shell on themselves. This ability should be interrupted but if it gets off, we're able to purge it.
- Ashvane Commander will cast Bolstering Shout on random enemies. This ability should be purged as soon as possible.
- Ashvane Destroyers will cast Ferocity on themselves. This can be purged.
Temple of Sethraliss
Feign Death
- During the Adderis and Aspix fight, Aspix will cast Conduction on a random party member. If you're targeted, you can pre Feign Death it to ignore the ability all together. This saves a TON of healing and should be done whenever possible.
- Hoodoo Hexers cast Flame Shock and Lava Burst frequently. These should be interrupted as often as possible, but if you are targeted, you should Feign Death them as both abilities hurt.
Aspect of the Turtle
- During the Adderis and Aspix fight, Aspix will cast Conduction on a random party member. If you happen to miss the Feign Death, it can also be ignored with Aspect of the Turtle.
- During the Galvazzt encounter, Turtle will immune incoming damage and prevent further application of the lightning pillars. Use this to double soak or to help your healer catch up.
Soothe/Purge
- Electrified Scales cast by Scaled Krolusk Riders should be purged whenever possible.
- Faithless Tenders will frequently gain the Embryonic Vigor buff, increasing their damage done. This should be removed to help out tanks.
- Agitated Nimnus' will cast Accumulate Charge, increasing the their damage dealth. This ability should be interrupted and purged if it's let through.
MOTHERLODE
Feign Death
- Refreshment Vendors cast Iced Spritzer on random party members. This should be interrupted whenever possible, but if you're targeted you can simply Feign Death it.
- If you happen to be targeted by Rock Lance, cast by Venture Co. Earthshapers, you should definitely Feign Death.
- If you pull any Venture Co. Masterminds, they will cast Energy Lash on random members. Use Feign Death to cancel the cast.
- Skyscorchers will cast Heartseeker on you and other party members. You can use Feign Death, causing it to instantly go off, rather then waiting for the channel. You will still take damage unfortunately.
- You're able to Feign Death the Homing Missle during the Mogul Razdunk encounter, but I do not recommend doing so. It will simply do a 180 and hit melee.
Aspect of the Turtle
- During the Rixxa Fluxflame encounter, she will cast Chemical Burn on the two closest party members. You can use Aspect of the Turtle to bait a cast and fully immune it. You must have Turtle active just prior to her cast and be 1 of the 2 closest to her.
- Use Turtle to ignore damage from Crawler Mines when they explode.
- Every ability in the Mogul Razdunk encounter can be immuned with Turtle, including the mass AoE. You should use it when you're out of position and can't get to a safe spot.
Soothe/Purge
- Addled Thugs should be soothed whenever they successfully cast Inhale Vapors.
- Earth Shield should be removed from Venture Co. Earthshapers whenever possible.
- Stonefury's will cast Tectonic Barrier on themselves. Purge this whenever possible.
- Venture Co. Masterminds will cast Azerite Injection on themselves or nearby enemies. Purge the heal as soon as possible if it gets off.
Underrot
Feign Death
- Headhunters will constantly throw spears at you and party members. You should Feign death as many of these as possible to help healers out.
- The Befouled Spirit will target random party members with Dark Omen. If you are targeted you can simply Feign Death it.
- Diseased Lashers will cast Decaying Mind on random party members. They should always be interrupted, but if you know it can't be and you are targeted, you can use Feign Death, making it cancel it's cast or recast on someone else.
- Withercurse cast by Bloodsworn Defilers should always be interrupted. If it does get off, we can Feign Death it to prevent further stacks from applying to us.
Aspect of the Turtle
- If you end up pulling Ticks, Turtle can immune their Blood Burst completely. This ability can hurt, especially on Fortified weeks.
- During the Sporecaller Zancha encounter, we can use Turtle to both clear spores and to ignore damage from Festering Harvest. Turtle also prevents any application of Decaying Spores.
- If you're caught out of position, Turtle will prevent both the damage and fear from Faceless Corruptor's Maddening Gaze ability.
Soothe/Purge
- Blood Matrons will cast Warcry, causing herself and other nearby mobs to enrage. Prioritize soothing the Matron, followed by any Headhunters.
- Devout Priests will cast Gift of G'huun on random enemies. It is not a high priority but it should be purged before the mob nears death, as the buff prevents the mobs death.
- Reanimated Guardians will cast Bone Shield on themselves often. This should be interrupted and purged as much as possible.
- Fallen Deathspeakers cast Wicked Frenzy on a random nearby enemy. This destroys the tank and should be Soothed as soon as possible.
Tol'Dagor
Feign Death
- Silt Crabs will cast Squeeze on random party members, rooting them in place and dealing damage. We can simply Feign Death it to cancel it.
- During the Sand Queen encounter, she frequently casts Upheaval. Hunters can simply Feign Death every single cast of Upheaval. You must Feign as soon as you're notified and stay Feign until she comes up. She will reappear where she initially went under and will not do any damage upon return.
- Ashvane Officers will cast Handcuff on random party members, silencing them. We are able to Feign Death this, even if he casts it on us (despite being silenced).
- You should never be hit by Ashvane Warden's Lockdown ability as it's a 5 yard cast. If you are hit, you can remove the slow component by using Feign Death.
- During the Overseer Korgus encounter, we can Feign Death certain casts of Deadeye. You should only Feign Death Deadeye while he has Azerite Rounds: Blast (white buff) on himself. If he has Azerite Rounds: Incendiary (red buff) on him what so ever, DO NOT FEIGN DEATH. Due to spell sequencing, if he already has Azerite Rounds: Incendiary on himself, he will ALWAYS cast a double of Explosive Burst just following your Feign Death. He can have both white and red buffs at the same, it is very important that you only Feign Death while ONLY the white buff is on him.
Aspect of the Turtle
- During the Sand Queen encounter, she frequently casts Upheaval. Hunters should Feign Death it, however it can also be immuned with Aspect of the Turtle if Feign isn't available for whatever reason.
- During Jes Howlis, Turtle can prevent both the Howling Fear and the Flashing Daggers cast throughout the fight.
- If the fight is done properly, Knight Captain Valyri is patchwork. However Burning Arsenal can be immuned if barrels aren't moved properly.
- During Overseer Korgus, both Explosive Burst and Deadeye can be immuned with Turtle. Try to save Turtle for a double cast of Explosive Burst.
Soothe/Purge
- Sand Queen will constantly summon Buzzing Drones throughout the fight. With every death of a Drone, she will gain a stack of Enraged. We should be soothing as often as possible, however take priority on soothing her just before she casts Upheaval. Upheaval damage is snap-shotted when she goes under and the more Enrage stacks she has, the more damage she will deal upon returning.
- Bilge Rat Looters will cast Darkstep on themselves. This should be purged whenever possible.
- Bilge Rat Seaspeakers cast Water Dome, giving all nearby allies a shield. This ability is top priority on interrupts, but we can also purge it on a single enemy should it get through.
- During the Jes Howlis encounter, he will start gaining stacks of Motivating Cry if not interrupted during intermission. This should be a rare occurrence but Motivation Cry can be soothed if need be.
Waycrest Manor
Feign Death
- Thistle Acolytes will cast Drain Essence on you. You're able to Feign Death this if cast on you.
- Feign Death can be used to redirect Jagged Nettles during the Heartsbane Trio encounter. Jagged Nettles will be recast onto someone else depending on spell sequencing so be careful. I only recommend doing this towards the end of the phase (if you will totally skip the cast) or if you're too low and know you will not survive the initial applicaiton.
- Try to Feign Death as many Infected Thorns casts as possible, cast by coven Thornshapers
- Try to Feign death as many Shoots and Severing Serpants cast by Survivalists and Marksman. These both hurt a ton.
- During Raal the Gluttonous, you can Feign Death his Rotten Expulsion cast if you're targeted. This prevents new Bile Oozelings from spawning.
- Try to Feign Death any stray Soul Bolts from Soul Charmers as much as possible
- During the Lord and Lady Waycrest encounter, he will cast Virulent Plague on you or random party members. You can Feign Death this and prevent application if you are targeted.
- On the final boss, Gorak Tul, Deathtouched Slavers will channel Death Lens on you and random party members. You can cancel a channel on you with Feign Death.
Aspect of the Turtle
- During the Heartsbane encounter, Turtle can be used to immune Unstable Runic Mark, Jagged Nettles and Dire Ritual should it go off. Most people are told to waist Turtle prior to the encounter due to Sister Solena's Soul Manipulation, however, if you have a class that can reliably stun as soon as you're mind controlled, you can keep Turtle for one of the abilities listed above.
- Soulbound Goliath will cast Burning Brush periodically when you're tank has to reset stacks. You should use Turtle to immune incoming damage at least once during the encounter.
- Turtle can be used to immune and to clear both Freezing and Explosive Traps cast by Maddened Survivalists.
- Marked Sisters and Coven Thornshapers will cast Soul Fetish, granting 5 stacks of a damage increase should it get off. Try to purge as many of these stacks as possible.
- Coven Diviners will cast Consume Fragments. This should be purged as soon as possible.
- During the Lord and Lady Waycrest encounter, he will cast Virulent Plague on you or random party members. You should Feign Death it, but you can also Turtle it if Feign is not available.
Soothe/Purge
- Bewitched Captains will buff themselves with Spirited Defense reducing their damage taken. Be sure to purge or interrupt this ability.
- Be sure to soothe Thornguards when they Enrage.
Mechagon: Junkyard
Feign Death
- Slimebolt and Slimewave cast by Slime Elementals should be Feigned, they will either re-target or stop completely depending on cast sequence.
- Suffocating Smog can be Feigned if a Toxic Lurker targets you, it may re-target.
- On Fortified, you may want to Feign Shoot cast by Pistonhead Blasters
- Feign Death as many Taze's cast by Trixie as possible. This will reduce the amount of interrupts needed
Aspect of the Turtle
- You can Turtle Mega Taze rather than standing in the Smoke Cloud if need be (you can't Feign it!)
- You can use Turtle to ignore Rumble damage during the King Gobbamak encounter
- Do NOT use Turtle to prevent Charged Smash damage. While it will ignore the damage, it also prevents you from gaining Electrical Charge (the debuff allowing you to activate a shock coil or the scrapbot)
- If you are fast enough, you can Turtle Tank Buster MK1's Fulminating Zap when it targets you
- You can use Turtle to cross over any Walkie Shockie's Static Discharge during the encounter
- You can use Turtle to ignore damage done by Cannon Blast if you're too slow to move away
Soothe/Purge
- Overclock cast by Mechanics throughout the dungeon can be purged if the cast is let through
- Scrapbone Grinders and Bullies will Enrage, be sure to sooth them as much as possible
- Scrapbone Shamans will cast Stoneskin on nearby targets, if it gets off be sure to purge
- If a Mechagaon Renormalizer casts Enlarge on an enemy, you can purge it
- Anodized Coilbearers cast Defensive Countermeasure at low health, you can either purge or just deal damage to break the shield
Mechagon: Workshop
Feign Death
- KUJO's Explosive Leap can be Feigned if you are the first one targeted. He will always target the furthest player first, so stand max range to ensure he jumps to you first. You must Feign while he is mid-air so being further away gives you more time to Feign his leap.
- Blossom Blast cast by Inconspicuous Plants during the Machinest Garden encounter can be Feigned if they are targeting you. They will simply recast onto another player.
Aspect of the Turtle
- Gnomercy's Vent Jets can be Turtled to help your healer out
- Living Waste's Volatile Waste explosion or line of sighted to prevent incoming damage
- "Hidden" Flame Cannon during Machinest Garden encounter can be Turtled if you are caught out of position
- You can use Turtle to ignore Capacitor Discharge damage if you're out of position
- Giga-Zap in both phase 1 and 2 can be Turtled, preventing the initial damage and the DoT application (you cannot Feign this unfortunately, but you can Shadowmeld it if you are alliance)
Soothe/Purge
- Defensive Countermeasure cast by Defense Bot MK units at low health can be purged
- Overclock cast by Mechagon Mechanics should be purged off if it's not interrupted