Hunter Tier 9

[Sarayana]

The reason for the +10 crit +5 mp5 as it was the best fit for a Blue Gem Socket. This is the reason for the odd Gemming on some of my gear. I go to http://www.wow-gem.com/gems.aspx to figure out what gems would be go for what socket if I'm faced with a odd one like blue.

Hm. I'd think that shifting dreadstones would be better... But that might be the SV hunter in me talking.

Either way, socket bonuses are NOT so important as to gem with a useless gem to obtain them. I didn't see if you have a nightmare tear anywhere, that one's great if there's a socket bonus you really want, and it fulfills the requirements for the relentless meta.

I can't recall the rule of thumb for socket bonuses, but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong (/wave @ Anansi ;P), but iirc you should only socket for the bonus if it's more than 9 agil.

Edit about armor pen: You shouldn't gem for it unless you're close to the hard cap, iirc. The hard cap is somewhere above 700, so you're nowhere near. You'd be better off with straight agil.

[Adam-Savage]

The reason for the +10 crit +5 mp5 as it was the best fit for a Blue Gem Socket. This is the reason for the odd Gemming on some of my gear. I go to http://www.wow-gem.com/gems.aspx to figure out what gems would be go for what socket if I'm faced with a odd one like blue.

Hm. I'd think that shifting dreadstones would be better... But that might be the SV hunter in me talking.

Either way, socket bonuses are NOT so important as to gem with a useless gem to obtain them. I didn't see if you have a nightmare tear anywhere, that one's great if there's a socket bonus you really want, and it fulfills the requirements for the relentless meta.

I can't recall the rule of thumb for socket bonuses, but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong (/wave @ Anansi ;P), but iirc you should only socket for the bonus if it's more than 9 agil.

Edit about armor pen: You shouldn't gem for it unless you're close to the hard cap, iirc. The hard cap is somewhere above 700, so you're nowhere near. You'd be better off with straight agil.

I have Nightmare Tear on my belt.

[Sarayana]

Through a massive effort of hard work (google) I found this article about armor pen for hunters. I was wrong, it's the soft cap that's somewhere above 700. Hard cap is 1400. Aaaaanyway, now I'm not sure when to gem for it, so I'm hoping Anansi will poke his head in again and add to this.

[Anansi]

Why thank you Sarayana for your faith in me knowing what I'm on about!

The reason for the +10 crit +5 mp5 as it was the best fit for a Blue Gem Socket. This is the reason for the odd Gemming on some of my gear. I go to http://www.wow-gem.com/gems.aspx to figure out what gems would be go for what socket if I'm faced with a odd one like blue.

EDIT: Curios thought. Armor Pen is good for a mark's Hunter , so then why is using gems to boost it bad ? I know it was talked about on here but it wasn't really made clear as to why gems with it are not good to use and that agility would be better.

That is not the best fit for a Blue socket. You don't even need to match sockets, and Hunters should only have one Blue gem to activate their Meta gem, and that one Blue should be a Nightmare Tear. So put that in a Blue socket where the bonus is Agility (like your Shoulders).
For other Blues, the socket bonus will not be worth the lower worth gem. For example, an item has a Red and Blue socket and a +4 AGI socket bonus. Let's say you put a +20 AGI and a +10 AGI +15 STA (Shifting Dreadstone - which aside from the Nightmare Tear is the only other Blue socket gem a MM or SV Hunter should consider using), that gives you 36 AGI and 15 STA result. Whereas two +20 AGI gems is +40 AGI with none of that useless +STA. Now an SV Hunter may want the STA for Hunter vs Wild, but we're really talking Marks here anyways.

A general rule of thumb for Marks is gem +20 AGI, unless the socket is Yellow in which case use Deadly Ametrine (+10 AGI +10 Crit), assuming the socket bonus is +AGI. Put a Nightmare Tear in a Blue socket where there's a +AGI bonus.

Now, ArPen is good for Marks Hunters, absolutely. However, gemming for it is only good if that gemming helps you reach either the hard cap (1400) or the soft cap (1400 minus whatever ArPen proc you have that would bring your ArPen to 1400; 722 soft cap if you have the Needle Encrusted Scorpion). Since your ArPen is sitting at 382, those gems aren't really helping you and you'd be better off with AGI equivalents and you are far better to get gear with ArPen on it.

I can't recall the rule of thumb for socket bonuses, but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong (/wave @ Anansi ;P), but iirc you should only socket for the bonus if it's more than 9 agil.

Well, there's no hard and fast rule. Basically, for most Hunters you're looking at wanting AGI, so look at your socket bonus and the slot colours and do some quick additions, and whatever gives you the most AGI is what you want to gem for.
Yellow sockets and an AGI bonus are a bit of a wild card since the Deadly Ametrine gives you +Crit, so what I just said may not apply exactly, but generally speaking if you have a Yellow and Red socket and the bonus is +AGI, go with the Deadly Ametrine. If the sockets are Blue and Yellow and the socket bonus is +AGI, just go with two +20 AGI gems.

[Sarayana]

Why thank you Sarayana for your faith in me knowing what I'm on about!

Well I was right, wasn't I? You're welcome.

[Adam-Savage]

How do you not match a socket ? If it's blue it has to be a gem that will go into a blue socket. I can't see any dps loss using the Shifting Dreadstone vrs
Tenuous Dreadstone. One is health and aglity and the other mana regen and agility. Both gems are not bad. I didn't see the health gain worth it so I went with mp5. I only have 2 yellows I believe to regem. I fixed the dragon eye and my other yellow.

[Vephriel]

You can put any colour gem in any socket - you just won't get the bonuses that matching colours would give you. Sometimes it's better to get a mismatched gem though because the benefits of that gem alone outweigh the tiny socket bonus.

[Adam-Savage]

You can put any colour gem in any socket - you just won't get the bonuses that matching colours would give you. Sometimes it's better to get a mismatched gem though because the benefits of that gem alone outweigh the tiny socket bonus.

Interesting. I didn't know that.

[Vephriel]

Yup, tru fax. xD

For example, I have the Orca-Hunter's Harpoon with a Blue Socket. Using a blue gem would give me the bonus of +4 Agility, but instead I put in a red gem that granted +40 attack power. No matter how you look at it, I'm getting a lot more with 40 attack power than with a measly 4 agility. ^^

[Anansi]

Veph speaks truth.

I'm looking forward to the change where Hit gems will be Blue. That will be so very nice.

[Sarayana]

Veph speaks truth.

^

Also, I'm with ya on the blue hit gems, Anansi.