Welcome back!

Today we’re going to look at the Survival side of the 7/57/7 Marksman build, and why points are placed where they are.

Improved Tracking

  • Rank 1 – While tracking Beasts, Demons, Dragonkin, Elementals, Giants, Humanoids and Undead, all damage done to those types by the Hunter is increased by 1%.
  • Rank 2 – While tracking Beasts, Demons, Dragonkin, Elementals, Giants, Humanoids and Undead, all damage done to those types by the Hunter is increased by 2%.
  • Rank 3 – While tracking Beasts, Demons, Dragonkin, Elementals, Giants, Humanoids and Undead, all damage done to those types by the Hunter is increased by 3%.
  • Rank 4 – While tracking Beasts, Demons, Dragonkin, Elementals, Giants, Humanoids and Undead, all damage done to those types by the Hunter is increased by 4%.
  • Rank 5 – While tracking Beasts, Demons, Dragonkin, Elementals, Giants, Humanoids and Undead, all damage done to those types by the Hunter is increased by 5%.

Why Improved tracking?  This talent ultimately gives us a 5% damage boost for only 5 talent points.  That rate of return is pretty good.  Remember, as Marksman, it’s all about buffing your damage, not necessarily your pet.

Why not Hawk Eye, or Savage Strikes?

It’s pretty unrealistic to think you’ll ever need extra range for a boss fight.  I’ve ran across a couple fights where it’s useful, but never really necessary.  Why not Savage Strikes? If you’re spec’d Marksman and you’re in melee range to actually use this talent regularly, we need to talk.  Seriously.  Hunters do the most damage ranged, don’t try to swing with your stat stick you’ve got strapped to your back.

Survival Instincts

  • Rank 1 – Reduces all damage taken by 2% and increases the critical strike chance of your Arcane Shot, Steady Shot, and Explosive Shot by 2%.
  • Reduces all damage taken by 4% and increases the critical strike chance of your Arcane Shot, Steady Shot, and Explosive Shot by 4%.

Survival Instincts does two things… increases your crit strike percent on your most common shots, and reduces the amount of damage you get dealt.  Both are very good things when you’re in a PVE situation.

Why not Surefooted, Entrapment, or Trap Mastery?

Remember, you’re all about optimizing your DPS.  The survival tree tends to be about just that, survival.  It tends to give you tools to use that will help keep you alive, enemies at bay, or make you better at something in more close range.  Surefooted doesn’t make sense because in a PvE situation, if you’re stuck not moving it’s usually not that big of a deal — you can still just stand there, stuck, and DPS.  If it really matters, you will likely have a friend around who can dispell you.

Entrapment and Trap Mastery don’t make sense because the Hunter class hasn’t been categorized as an effective class for crowd control.  Our traps can get resisted, their duration is too short, and there are other classes who are really good at it. Boomkins, I’m looking at you.

Make sense so far? If not, feel free to ask me questions via email or in the comments, I will get back with you.

Tomorrow I’ll cover the first 3 things you should spec into for the Marksman tree.  This is where things are going to get complicated.

TTFN!