Marksmanship Hunter in The Burning Crusade Classic revolves around one ability: Steady Shot. Blizzard introduced it as a filler to fix the downtime problems Hunters had in Classic, but it ended up scaling so well with Attack Power that it became one of the strongest abilities in your toolkit.

Playing Marksmanship well comes down to weaving Steady Shot between your Auto Shots without clipping your automatic attacks. Back in original TBC, Beast Mastery Hunters could get away with a "1-button macro" for near-optimal DPS. That doesn't work anymore since TBC Classic runs on the modern game client. You'll need to manually manage your rotation now, which means watching a swing timer addon and timing your abilities yourself.

TBC Marksmanship Hunter using Steady Shot — Steady Shot forms the foundation of every Marksmanship Hunter rotation in TBC Classic

Rotation Terminology

Hunter rotations use X:Y notation, where X is the number of Steady Shots and Y is the number of Auto Shots in each cycle.

A 1:1 rotation means you cast one Steady Shot for every Auto Shot. A 1:1.5 rotation combines two Steady Shots with one instant-cast ability for every two Auto Shots. Your weapon speed after haste determines which rotation you should use.

Golden Rule

One rule applies to every rotation: don't clip your Auto Shot. Always let your automatic attack fire before you start casting Steady Shot.

Core Abilities

Rotation Abilities

Steady Shot is your main filler and one of the highest DPS abilities Hunters have in TBC. It scales extremely well with Attack Power, so it only gets stronger as your gear improves. The short cast time combined with that scaling makes Steady Shot the foundation of every Hunter rotation.

Auto Shot is your automatic ranged attack and the backbone of your damage. Every rotation starts with Auto Shot, and everything else you do is built around keeping Auto Shot firing as much as possible while fitting other abilities into the gaps.

Multi-Shot actually does slightly more damage per use than Steady Shot. That makes it your top priority whenever it's off cooldown. Replace one Steady Shot with Multi-Shot every time it's available, in both single-target and multi-target situations. It hits up to 3 targets on a 6-second cooldown, and the Barrage talents make it even better. Just watch out for crowd-controlled enemies in dungeons and raids since Multi-Shot will break CC.

Kill Command is off the GCD and becomes available after you crit. Since it doesn't trigger the Global Cooldown, you can use it anytime during your rotation without messing up your Steady Shot and Auto Shot timing. There's no specific spot for Kill Command in your rotation. Just press it whenever it lights up, as long as you're not mid-cast on Steady Shot.

Arcane Shot fits into your rotation when you're using slower weapons that leave room for extra instant-cast abilities. In the 1:1.5 rotation, Arcane Shot works as an alternative to Multi-Shot when Multi-Shot is on cooldown.

Aimed Shot has a long cast time but hits harder than anything else you've got. That cast time means Steady Shot does more sustained DPS, so Aimed Shot isn't practical during regular combat. Where it shines is your opener. You can start casting before the pull timer hits zero and land a massive hit the moment combat starts without losing any DPS.

Hunter Multi-Shot ability — Multi-Shot takes priority over Steady Shot whenever it comes off cooldown

Cooldowns

Rapid Fire is your main haste cooldown. You'll get the most out of it by stacking it with other haste effects like Heroism/Bloodlust and Haste Potions during burn phases.

Utility

Misdirection defines TBC Hunter utility. It redirects threat from your attacks to a friendly target (usually the tank), giving them a big threat boost on pull. This is critical for surviving your burst opener without pulling aggro.

Hunter's Mark (and Improved Hunter's Mark from the Marksmanship tree) gives significant Ranged Attack Power and Melee Attack Power to everyone hitting the target. Usually one Hunter in the raid handles keeping this debuff up.

Distracting Shot generates more threat than any other shot you have. It's not a damage ability, but when you use it during Misdirection in your opener, you transfer a huge amount of threat to your tank.

Aspect of the Hawk is your primary aspect and should stay active during combat. The Attack Power boost is too valuable to give up for mana regen.

Aspect of the Viper gives you solid mana regeneration at the cost of damage. You'll deal less than you would in Aspect of the Hawk, but being able to keep casting Steady Shot makes the swap worth it when you're running low.

AoE Abilities

Multi-Shot stays your primary AoE tool. Use it on cooldown during trash packs.

Explosive Trap works in combat in TBC (with a 2-second arming delay), giving you a burst AoE option. It's worth using on groups of 7 or more. One thing to watch: if the trap goes off while you're in melee range, you'll generate more threat from the damage. Give your tank a second to establish aggro before dropping it.

Volley is weak compared to your other options. Only bother with it on groups of 10+ when both Explosive Trap and Multi-Shot are on cooldown.

Single-Target Rotations

The 1:1 Rotation

Use the 1:1 rotation when your hasted attack speed falls between roughly 1.5 and 2.1 seconds. It's a straightforward alternation between Steady Shot and Auto Shot.

Rotation Sequence

Auto Shot fires first. Wait for it before doing anything else.
Steady Shot (or Multi-Shot when available) immediately after Auto Shot fires. Swap in Multi-Shot whenever it comes off cooldown.
Auto Shot fires again.
Steady Shot continues the alternation.
Repeat the cycle.

Kill Command: Hit it immediately whenever it procs. It's off the GCD so it won't interrupt your rotation.

Executing this correctly means watching your swing timer. Wait until Auto Shot actually fires before starting your Steady Shot cast. If you start too early, you'll clip your auto attack and lose damage.

Hunter performing rotation — Proper timing between Auto Shot and Steady Shot is crucial for maximizing DPS

The 1:1.5 Rotation

The 1:1.5 rotation works best when your hasted weapon speed falls between 2.2 and 2.4 seconds. That usually means a baseline weapon speed of 2.8 to 3.0 seconds before haste kicks in.

This rotation fits two Steady Shots and one instant-cast ability (Multi-Shot or Arcane Shot) into every two Auto Shots.

Rotation Sequence

Auto Shot starts the cycle.
Steady Shot immediately after.
Multi-Shot or Arcane Shot right after Steady Shot completes.
Auto Shot fires while you're still on the GCD from your instant cast.
Steady Shot after that Auto Shot goes off.
Auto Shot fires, then restart from step 1.

Your slower weapon speed creates enough space to fit those extra abilities without clipping Auto Shots.

AoE Rotation

Hunters don't have great sustained AoE compared to classes with channeled abilities like Blizzard or Rain of Fire. Your AoE approach focuses on getting as much value from Multi-Shot as possible while sticking to your single-target rotation.

AoE Priority

Multi-Shot on cooldown

With Barrage talents, the damage justifies heavy use

Explosive Trap for burst damage on packs of 7+

Wait a second before dropping it so your tank can build threat first

Volley only on 10+ targets

Only when Multi-Shot and Explosive Trap are both cooling down

Your rotation doesn't change much for AoE. Just make sure Multi-Shot gets absolute priority over Steady Shot whenever it's up, and drop Explosive Trap when you can.

Hunter Volley ability — Volley should only be used on large packs when other AoE abilities are on cooldown

Opener Sequence

Your opener sets the pace for the whole fight and determines if you live through your burst or pull aggro and die. Aimed Shot's long cast time makes the pre-pull window the only chance to use it without losing DPS.

Optimal Opener

Hunter's Mark if you're the designated Hunter for it.
Misdirection on your tank before the pull. This is critical because it transfers your opener's threat to them, making it much harder for them to lose aggro.
Aimed Shot timed so it lands exactly when the pull timer hits zero. You get your hardest-hitting ability at the start of combat without any DPS loss.
Distracting Shot (optional) while Misdirection is still active. Since a lot of DPS won't hold back even in the first few seconds, using your highest-threat ability under Misdirection gives your tank a commanding lead on the threat table.
Racial cooldowns like Blood Fury (Orc) or Berserking (Troll). If you don't have a damage racial, pop any on-use trinkets instead.
Rapid Fire to speed up your rotation.
Normal rotation based on your current weapon speed.

This opener maximizes your initial damage while giving your tank enough threat to keep everything under control.

Melee Weaving

Melee weaving means stepping into melee range between ranged attacks to use Raptor Strike, a hard-hitting melee ability.

Reality Check

Melee weaving was common in Classic, but it's much harder to recommend in TBC. Classic Hunters had big gaps of downtime that made weaving forgiving. In TBC, Steady Shot and increased haste shrink those windows considerably. Pulling off optimal melee weaves without wasting Steady Shot cast time or missing Auto Shots is really difficult.

Weapon Problem: Melee weaving needs a hard-hitting two-handed weapon to be worthwhile. The current optimal setup for many Hunters is dual-wielding one-handed fist weapons with Adamantite Weightstones on each. The Weightstone damage bonus scales your ranged weapon damage too, and one-handers generally give better stats than two-handers.

When It Might Work:

You have a strong two-handed melee weapon
The boss lets you stand consistently at about 5 yards
You're comfortable with complex rotation management

If you want to try it, use the 1:1.5 rotation as your base and replace one instant-cast ability every two cycles with a Raptor Strike. Step into melee range right after Steady Shot completes, use Raptor Strike, and step back out.

At best, melee weaving gives you a small DPS increase when executed perfectly. The tight windows in TBC make that perfection nearly impossible in real raid conditions.

Hunter Raptor Strike — Melee weaving with Raptor Strike is challenging but can provide marginal DPS gains

Movement

You can't cast Steady Shot while moving, which creates problems during high-movement encounters.

Instant-Casts While Moving: When you have to move, use instant-cast abilities for free damage:

Multi-Shot
Arcane Shot
Serpent Sting (last resort if everything else is on cooldown)

Stutter-Stepping: If you don't need constant movement, briefly stop every couple of seconds to fire an Auto Shot before moving again. This keeps at least some Auto Shot uptime during mobile phases.

Mana Management

Aspect of the Viper handles your mana regeneration. You'll do less damage than in Aspect of the Hawk, but being able to keep casting Steady Shot makes the swap worth it when you need mana.

Pro Tip

The general idea is to stay in Aspect of the Hawk as much as possible. But don't run yourself completely dry before swapping to Viper. It's better to regenerate some mana than to stand there unable to cast anything.

Pet Management

Your pet adds meaningful damage but needs active management to perform well.

Basics:

Add /petattack to your rotation abilities or set up a dedicated keybind. This keeps your pet on your current target.
Create a macro or keybind that sets your pet to Passive and recalls it. You'll need this for dangerous mechanics or adds that shouldn't be attacked immediately.

Wind Serpent Tip

Wind Serpents use Lightning Breath as their main DPS ability, but they won't cast it often enough on their own. Add /cast Lightning Breath to your rotation macro so your Wind Serpent uses its best ability as often as possible. This is only necessary for Wind Serpent pets.

Hunter Wind Serpent Pet — Wind Serpents require manual Lightning Breath casting for optimal DPS output

Rotation Selection

Hasted Weapon Speed	Rotation
1.5 to 2.1 seconds	1:1
2.2 to 2.4 seconds (baseline 2.8-3.0)	1:1.5

Use these as starting points and adjust based on what your swing timer shows you. The goal is finding a rotation that lets you fit in as many abilities as possible without clipping Auto Shots.

Takeaways

Marksmanship Hunter in TBC — Mastering your rotation is the key to competitive Marksmanship Hunter DPS

Don't clip Auto Shot. This is the fundamental rule of Hunter DPS. Always let your automatic attack fire before casting Steady Shot.
Get a swing timer addon. You can't play Hunter well without watching your attack timer.
Multi-Shot beats Steady Shot. Whenever Multi-Shot is up, it replaces Steady Shot because it does more damage per use.
Kill Command on cooldown. It's off the GCD, so hit it immediately whenever it procs.
Pre-cast Aimed Shot. Your opener should always include an Aimed Shot timed to land as the boss gets pulled.
Always Misdirect on pull. Protect yourself from threat deaths by using Misdirection before your opener.
Adapt your rotation. Your rotation might need to shift based on your current haste. Be ready to move between 1:1 and 1:1.5 as your weapon speed changes.
Use Aspect of the Viper when you need it. Aspect of the Hawk is better for damage, but swapping to Viper for mana beats running completely dry.
Manage your pet actively. Use macros to keep your pet attacking and using its abilities, especially Lightning Breath for Wind Serpents.