Marks in Cataclysm....so far

So the good news is that hunters are no longer fubar and suck massive wind.  Things did get adjusted and evened out a bit at level 85.  

I'm still playing a MM spec. Its not an easy spec to play and that's most of what I enjoy. It takes a certain type of insane to chose this spec, especially when SV is so far an away a dps powerhouse. BM is a more "melee" driven spec with the pet being the primary weapon and SV is a mostly magic based talent line.  Marks hunters are the physical ranged dps class.  We are the weapon driven class, we live and die by our bow or our gun.

Talents/Glyphs

My primary raiding/heroic MM talents are pretty much standard. I decided to stay away from the AE driven talents and focus more on increasing my single target dps. I really don't wish to have a raiding spec set designed around trash mobs. 

After a bit of reading, research and testing I decided to try a little fun with my spec.  I picked up silencing shot, which I think is still a must have even without the damage component.  Our ability to crowd control and move casters from range sets us apart from the other physical dps classes and will come into major play in this xpac.    I decided to take the suggestion of putting a point into Resistance is Futile and I have not been disappointed.   Even with the low percentage rate it procs a fair amount in heroic boss fights and focus free dps is never a bad thing.

 MM glyphs are pretty straight forward with just two things to consider when picking outside of the norm.  If you find that you are using Silencing Shot to interrupt often, the Glyph of Silencing Shot is an outstanding choice.  If you aren't going to be at the top of the list for interrupts then the glyph is worthless.

 The Glyph of Chimera Shot is somewhat sticky.  Its a larger and more consistent dps gain than you get with the Glyph of Kill Shot but only if you are able to use it properly.  If you aren't consistently hitting your Chimera Shot a second earlier then you get no benefit at all from the glyph.   I'll be honest, my rotation is nowhere near smooth enough yet that I can pick this glyph up and use it for myself.  Eventually I'll get there but right now it just isn't working out for me.

Rotation

Here's where it starts getting fun.  MM is a prioity rotation....with added thinking!  Holy crap they're letting hunters think and make decisions for themselves, oh the humanity.

We start by putting up Hunter's Mark and be in Aspect of the Hawk, then get Serpent Sting up on the target for your first shot.  This is not a rotation this is just every single boss set up.  Every single time.

MM standard priority is this:

Chimera Shot

Kill Shot

Aimed Shot  on procs

Arcane Shot 

Steady Shot in twos

Chimera is our signature shot, our biggest damage shot. It refreshes Serpent Sting and takes priority over everything, even Kill Shot.  Don't get so lost in your rotation that you don't have enough focus saved up by the time Chimera Shot is off cool down. Aimed Shot is used only when it procs as a free instant shot from Master Marksman.  Arcane Shot is the focus dump shot.

I know what you're thinking.  Pffft Cheres my grandmother can do this rotation who are you kidding.  Well my friends this is where it gets fun.

Steady Shot is a two second cast shot that returns 9 focus.  With the Improved Steady Shot when we fire two Steady Shots in a row it procs a 15 percent haste buff .  You want that buff up as close to 100 percent of the time as possible.  Improved Steady Shot does not proc if you have any other shot hit in between your two Steady Shots and missed shots do not count.

Break the pairs up only for Chimera Shot.   If an Aimed Shot procs after firing a Steady Shot wait to fire it until you get off that second Steady Shot.  Wiser minds than mine say to fire two steadies, an arcane, two more steadies, then another arcane. But there is no single set in stone rotation.

But wait.  It gets better!   

Marks has two talents that combine to bring buckets of damage to just the first 20 percent of its rotation. Careful Aim boosts the crit chance of Steady Shot by 60 percent while the boss is over 80 percent health. 

While the boss is over 80 percent health remove Arcane Shot from your rotation. You'll be spamming tons of Steady Shots but a side bonus is that your free Aimed Shot will proc a bunch.  

You should be aiming for at least four Rapid Fires every boss fight combining Readiness with Rapid Fire.  Be sure to use those first two Rapid Fires in the very beginning of the fight when you're using almost nothing but Steady Shots.  Rapid Fire makes your Steady Shot cast time very low so for that brief period when Steady Shot is boss you get off as many as possible.

Time your second round of Rapid Fires to coincide with Heroism / Bloodlust or a trinket proc, and hopefully for a period of the fight when you can stand still-ish.  You can cast Steady Shot while moving but you get more dps if your feet are planted.
  

But Cheres, I could just use Aspect of the Fox!  Yes you could.  And I could fly to your house, punch you in the face, put you back on Hawk and fly home.  You should know how to move and shoot without taking a dps loss.  Don't use a crutch meant for lesser beings. 

MM Stats and Gems

Agility is still our best stat.  Here's a quick and dirty rundown of stat priority.  It is not set in stone, its just a place for you to get started.

Agility

Hit 

Crit 

Mastery

Haste 

Meta socket Chaotic Shadowspirit Diamond.  We have been promised a fix to the gem requirements.

Red socket Delicate Inferno Ruby

Yellow socket if the bonus is 10 agility or 20 of another stat Deadly Ember Topaz

                        if the bonus sucks Delicate Inferno Ruby

Blue socket one for meta requirement Glinting Demonseye

                     if bonus is 20 agility or better Glinting Demonseye

                     if  bonus sucks  Delicate Inferno Ruby

If they don't fix that meta gem then of course fit the square pegs in the round holes as best as possible.