BM Rotation?

[Rulah]

What are others using for this so far? Here's my rough little thing I'm workin on.

Mark->CD Macro->ArS (while waiting for pet to reach target)->KC->ArS x2 or x3 not 100% sure->Focus CD to refill focus->KC->ArSx2or3->SSx2->KC->ArS->SSx2 repeat

I haven't had a ton of time to test but that felt pretty right. Thoughts?

[The Insect Man]

Does arcane shot have no cd now? They change it so often I've lost track.

Presumably Steady Shot (SS?) gives way to Cobra Shot at 81? (and why they haven't made that available at a lower level I don't know, given that BM and Survival seem to require it to work)

[Kalliope]

Does arcane shot have no cd now? They change it so often I've lost track.

None of the shots have cds anymore. It's all focus costs that keep us from spamming any one particular shot forever.

[Tahlian]

I'd been starting with KC to make sure my pet kept aggro...but then, since I have yet to enter a Cataclysm 5-man, your rotation may be the smarter way to do things. I plan to toy around at least with one of the training dummies soon and see what seems to work best.

[Rulah]

I'm using ArS before KC at the very beginning just to let my pet get into position. KC should be hit before ArS at any other time imo.

[Renle]

I was personally wondering when I'd wanna use Focus Fire?
It seems the ability essentially takes the extra dps from your pet and applies it to yourself.

Now I've only been playing around on the PTR for a little bit, but whenever FF is ready to be used you get the power aura for it and the button glows.
Doe this mean that it's an ability that should be used as often as it's available, or are there gonna be times when you pet will be hitting harder then you are and you should skip it?

(mind you I'm not sure I completely understand how this ability works so any explanations would be peachy)

[Rulah]

I'm honestly not sure. I know how it works is it converts Frenzy stacks off your pet into haste for you (5% per stack I believe) but you can do it before it glows and just get less haste. I would think you don't want to use it during BW, but other than that I can't think of a time you wouldn't want to use it.

Basically because you will always be doing better DPS than your pet, I can't imagine a time where you wouldn't want 15% more haste outside of Lust or possibly Hawk procs. Maybe use this for when you have no haste procs (including @ 85 iSS). I think between all the procs and Focus Fire you can basically be in a state of perpetual haste.

[Sarayana]

Sounds like a lot of micro-management of procs... I thought that was SV's trademark.

What's the CD macro you mention, Rulah?

[Rulah]

BW
Rapid Fire
Troll Racial
CotW

Might possibly move BW off that macro since it's on such a short CD comparatively, or I might just keep it and hawk my CD bar.

I agree about micro-management, and the thing is, I *like* it. BM for so long as been either spamming a macro (TBC) or just two buttons in Wrath. My guildies say they hate BM and hope it gets nerfed before 4.0 but I'm trying to convince them it's actually (probably) the most intensive in terms of managing cooldowns. Also I wanna use my Loque so this better not get nerfed.

[Renle]

I agree about micro-management, and the thing is, I *like* it. BM for so long as been either spamming a macro (TBC) or just two buttons in Wrath. My guildies say they hate BM and hope it gets nerfed before 4.0 but I'm trying to convince them it's actually (probably) the most intensive in terms of managing cooldowns. Also I wanna use my Loque so this better not get nerfed.

You know, BM is a lot more then the amount of moves it has. I'd have to say that a large chunk of it is pet management. I mean in almost any fight depending on the mechanic you need to know what to do with your pet and where it goes.
I see people complaining that BM needs more buttons to push, but I'd rather have them keep the moves they have now, and have people focus on pet management more. There are quite a few BM players that handle their pets as if they are MM or SV (Just throw the pet at the boss or keep it at passive and blow things up)

A few good examples is in ICC. The PP fight you can either have your pet on the boss, or have it help you nuke down slimes. In the Dreamwalker fight when I have to kite the exploding ghouls, you have to decide whether to keep your pet on passive, be constantly sending it after other mobs, or have it help you nuke down the mob you are fighting, being careful to pull it away before the mob explodes.
Blood princes: While a MM or SV hunter might just throw their pet on a kinetic bomb to guard it, a BM hunter needs to make sure their pet is attacking the right prince just as they are.
An then there is OS. I do the 3D version quite a bit, and trust me, if you are not on top of where your pet is at all times, it VERY easy for your pet to be killed.

Anyways, I'm sure there are going to be plenty of more fight mechanics like these in cata that make you have to concentrate very hard on keeping your pet alive, and in the right place, attacking the right mobs/boss. So, be careful what you wish for is all I'm saying lol

[Rulah]

On content that actually matters currently (HLK and Heroic Halion) there's nothing to manage in regards to your pet really.

[Renle]

On content that actually matters currently (HLK and Heroic Halion) there's nothing to manage in regards to your pet really.

ohhh so obviously cata will be like this too right?
I mean, HLK and Halion will be the end all, so even when we're fighting bosses years from now I'm sure the mechanics will be exactly the same right? Right?

Sorry, you'll have to excuse the sarcasm, but I personally find it rather insulting for someone to decide what fights matter. xP
'Progression' aside there are still many people running those 'lowly' boss fights for personal guild progression, and achievements, so that comment was just a little silly imo (unless you happen to belong to one of those bleeding edge guilds, but if your raiding BM currently then chances are you're not ^_~)

Anyways if you'd thoroughly read what I wrote I was simply giving examples of fights that require pet maintenance, and pointing out that there will be many fights also in the future that will require BM hunters (more so then SV or MM) to figure out where their pet is best putting out the most damage or helping the raid.

[Rulah]

I wouldn't really call "I'm attacking a new target, have to send my pet on it as well" to be management but maybe that's just me.

Either way that's not what this thread is about so yeah. More comments on BM rotations please.

[Opreich]

There was an article over on WoW.com the other week about the BM rotation. Here's the link. Although it is a little outdated with some of the more recent changes to the beta, I imagine the principle is still similar, if no the same.

[Rulah]

Ok, well, looks like I was wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWkr_Zrp ... r_embedded

Not sure how valid the macro is now though because Kill Command on the PTR currently has a CD.

[Slickrock]

meh, whatever the rotation is, I will macro it.. (and yes, the macro-haters can be hating.. I don't really care).