Here is the general spec that I will be going by: Survival Hunter PvE Spec Now you do not have to have this spec, but you have to have the general structure of the cookie cutter survival pve spec. Most likely if you have been survival for a while you will already know this spec, but for you new comers this post will be gold for you!

Like all classes you will have a list of “priority” skills:
Kill Shot
Explosive Shot
Serpent Sting
Black Arrow
Multi-Shot or Aimed Shot
Steady Shot

Kill Shot is number one because it obviously does the most damage when available. Explosive Shot will be your big hitter and I will be covering some very important facts on how to use it properly in a moment. The reason behind Serpent Sting beating out Black Arrow is because of Noxious Stings giving a 3% increase to ALL damage done by you. Black Arrow comes next because of its 10% proc for Lock and Load. Next are Multi-Shot or Aimed Shot because they are “instant” damage. Lastly, Steady Shot should fill in your blank spots in your rotation.

Now this sounds easy, but there are a few kinks in the rotation that make it difficult. Lock and Load. Since it is not a guarantee when the counter will tick to proc Lock and Load you obviously will have to take 2 things into consideration. How will I fit this into my rotation and what shots will I use?
How will it fit? Use it right after the ending of your next GCD. Lock and Load provides a massive damage boost that you can not pass up! Next what shots to use? This is where hunters get divided… Some say Explosive > Steady > Explosive or Explosive > Arcane > Explosive > Multi or Aimed . Well I say and can prove mathematically… Explosive > Explosive > Explosive . Now the catch is that you should space your Explosive Shots out 2 seconds each or you will clip the last tick on each explosive shot. Before I explain more heres the math:

WITHOUT ANY MODIFIERS, MAX DAMAGE POSSIBLE (NON CRIT), AND 4,000 AP.
Explosive  = 3,072 (Full ticks)
Arcane  =1,092
Multi = 1,224 (When hitting 3 targets)
Steady  = 652

Explosive  > Steady  > Explosive  > Steady > Explosive

That rotation is 10,520 damage over 11 seconds resulting in 956 dps.

Explosive > Arcane > Explosive > Multi-> Explosive

That rotation is 11,532 damage over 8 seconds resulting in 1,441 dps.

Explosive > Explosive > Explosive

That rotation is 9,216 damage over 6 seconds resulting in 1,536 dps.

Numbers don’t lie folks learning when to fire your shots improves your dps dramatically. I have noticed that the 2 seconds is over when the skills blink to show the GCD is over. Note: Not when they are over… after the blink finishes. The next best thing is to get a UI like X-pearl and make your DoT’s on the target large so you can see the Explosive Shot DoT in your peripheral vision.

Now to start your rotations you want to start off with Hunter’s Mark > Serpent Shot > Explosive Shot > Black Arrow > Multi-Shot or Aimed > Steady Shot. Hunter’s mark grants you 500 more ap = boost in dps, then Serpent Sting boost damage by 3% which = more dps + the dot that follows, then the rest is commonsense following your shot priorities. Remember when Lock n Load is ready it takes all priority! If kill shot is available at the same time, sneak it between your Explosive Shot x3 rotation.

As for your CD’s obvious rule spend them when you can get the max out of them. Aka when blood lust or heroism is popped, when you know you will be standing still, when you have a buff or boss has debuff… etc etc etc.

Another good source for hunter dps is femaledwarf.com. Upload your armory info and bam few clicks later it shows your max dps. I found a few features that need to be updated with the 3.3 patch, other then that a really nice application.

As for addons here you go: Hunter Addons. Everything you need and then some. Bartender 4, which if you don’t have this well… now you do and welcome to addons. Kharthus Huntard Timers which monitors your CD’s and tells you when LnL procs. ZZHuntard which automatically tracks whatever you target which means 5% damage boost. If your dps doesn’t go up after reading this you should just alt+f4 and destroy your computer… Happy Deepsing!