| Steady Shot | |
|---|---|
| |
| Properties | |
| Class | Hunter |
| School | Physical |
| Cooldown | None/Global Cooldown |
| Other information | |
| Requirements | Ranged Weapon |
| Improvements |
 [Focused Aim],  [Improved Steady Shot],  [Piercing Shots], [Master Marksman],  [Marked for Death],  [Survival Instincts],  [Sniper Training] |
[[Category:hunter abilities]][[Category:hunter abilities]]
A steady shot that causes unmodified weapon damage, plus ammo, plus X. Causes an additional Y damage against Dazed targets.
Rank table
| Rank | Level | Additional damage | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | RAP * 0.1 + 45 | 6 93
|
| 2 | 62 | RAP * 0.1 + 108 | 6 93
|
| 3 | 71 | RAP * 0.1 + 198 | 8
|
| 4 | 77 | RAP * 0.1 + 252 | 8
|
Notes
Steady Shot works like an inverted 
[Arcane Shot]:
[Arcane Shot] is an instant attack with a 6 sec global cooldown that prevents any other mana shots.- Steady Shot is a 2 sec cast without cooldown.
- Both use a different timer than [Auto Shot] (like the former [Aimed Shot] did).
After patch 2.0.6 both attacks deal roughly the same damage (except that the magic damage from Arcane Shot is slightly more powerful against well armored targets), so Steady Shot becomes the main damage generator in groups and raids (like the former 
[Aimed Shot]).
Since patch 3.0.2 Steady Shot is available beginning at level 50 instead of 62.
Also note that:
- Unlike [Arcane Shot], Steady Shot cannot be used while running.
- It is a casting ability, suffering from delays by enemy attacks.
- Steady Shot consumes a very small amount of mana (just 2/3 the mana cost of [Arcane Shot]).
Actual Equation
- The tooltip is proven to be wrong and the following is the best player-derived formula so far with data taken from [1]
- Formula: DamagePercentageBonus*RangedWeaponSpecialization*(150 + WeaponDamage/WeaponSpeed*2.8 + 0.2*RAP + [Dazed: 175])
Tips and tactics
To understand how steady shot is affected by haste ratings it's important to understand how haste is calculated in WoW. A haste bonus is multiplied by frequency to achieve post haste speed. Warcraft expresses all speeds as period rather than frequency, so the period must be divided by 1+bonus.
As for example in the above case:
- Steady Shot Cast Time = 2 / 1.15 (quiver) / 1.2 (Serpent's Swiftness) = 1.4493
- 1.4493 + 0.5 + 0.2 = 2.149
- 2.149 x 1.15 x 1.2 = 2.966
- Steady Shot is affected by Haste bonuses including Quiver/Ammo Pouch and [Serpent's Swiftness]. It is also affected by ranged attack speed bonuses including [Rapid Fire] and [Bloodlust].
- Hunters are the only class whose GCD is unaffected by haste. For this reason, Hunters who are specializing in the Beast Mastery tree and who have [Serpent's Swiftness] will find additional haste from gear to be almost worthless. Even if Steady Shot completes in 1.4493 seconds, it still cannot be fired again until 1.5 seconds have passed.
- With the release of patch 3.02, Steady Shot no longer clips Auto Shot. This makes choosing a weapon based on its speed less relevant.
Obsolete since 3.02 patch
- In order to maximise Steady Shot use, a modified attack speed of <Steady Shot Cast Time> + 0.5 + Lag is desirable. For example, for a Beast Mastery specced Hunter:
- Steady Shot Cast Time = 2 / 1.15 (quiver) / 1.2 (Serpent's Swiftness) = 1.4493
- 1.4493 + 0.5 + 0.2 = 2.149
- 2.149 x 1.15 x 1.2 = 2.966 Base Weapon Speed
- It is generally considered that 2.6-2.8 is a a good base weapon speed range for Beast Mastery Hunters, for Marksmen and Survival hunters a speed of 2.9+ is usually prefered to allow weaving in arcane shot and/or multi shot between the normal steady-shot+auto-shot cycles.
- There are no weapons in-game that are slow enough to allow 2 Steady Shots to be used between each Auto Shot.
- For burst damage, some Marksmanship hunters opt for a slower weapon, and use their "spare" time in each Auto Shot cycle to weave Arcane Shot / Kill Command in.
- For maximum sustained DPS, Steady Shot should be used in between every Auto Shot.
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