Farstrider Training - Macros

Updated for Mists of Pandaria!

Today we’ll talk about my hunter, Cerylia, and her macros. By doing so, I hope to be able to help out any other fledgling hunters that are out there, and have something to refer newbies to when I’m helping them out. :) I also hope that maybe other more experienced sorts can share their advice with me as well. I’m always trying to improve myself.





The Target macro: This is the button I’m hitting the most in any dungeon. It sets up Hunter's Mark and attacks my target, all in one button push.

/targetenemy [noexists]
/startattack [harm,nodead]
/cast Hunter's Mark
If I don't already have something targeted, the macro will select a nearby enemy for me and start my attack.

I used to use a similar version of the macro that makes sure I always assist my focus target (usually my tank) or my pet (if I didn't have a focus target):

/assist [@focus,exists,nodead]; [@pet,exists,nodead]
/targetenemy [noexists]
/startattack [harm,nodead]
/cast Hunter's Mark

Eventually I found this restrictive, but it might be helpful for fledgling hunters who are having trouble picking the correct target in a crowd of enemies.

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The Misdirection macro: Misdirection is a very important ability for hunters. It lets you transfer the threat generated by your initial attacks to someone else (like your pet, or tank). However, Misdirection by itself requires that you are targeting your Misdirection target to cast it. Having to retarget afterwards can take a few seconds and waste valuable time in a fight. With this macro, I can use Misdirection without having to target the person I wish to Misdirect to at all, which means I can keep fighting without missing a beat.

#showtooltip Misdirection
/stopattack
/cast [button:1, @focus,exists] Misdirection; [button:1, help] Misdirection; [button:2,target=playerpet] Misdirection

First, my auto attack is turned off, so that I do not waste my Misdirection with an auto attack (occasionally this doesn't work if you are already in the middle of a shot; you may cast Misdirection while your arrow is already in flight). The second line casts Misdirection… but it is subject to certain conditions. For the first part, if I left-click on the button, Misdirection is automatically cast on my Focus target. However, if I have no Focus target, Misdirection acts as it usually does, which requires me to have my intended MD person targeted. Otherwise, if I right-click the button, Misdirection automatically is cast on my pet, which is good for when I solo.

I like to follow up this macro by choosing something like Multi-Shot or Explosive Trap, which will transfer the threat I generate on all the enemies to my tank. :)

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Attack Something!: Several patches ago, a change was put in so that basic hunter attacks like Arcane Shot, Steady Shot, etc. do NOT acquire a target automatically. (Some other classes were affected in a similar fashion.) This was done to prevent hunters from accidentally pulling enemies on the other side of the room with a mistimed click of the button immediately after their current target fell dead.

While a good intention, I found this change to be really obnoxious. I'd have to target everything I wanted to attack beforehand, which could be annoying in a best case scenario, or a dangerous loss of precious time in an emergency. So I turned most of my basic attacks into simple macros like this:

#showtooltip Arcane Shot
/targetenemy [noexists]
/startattack [harm,nodead]
/cast Arcane Shot

Looks very similar to my targeting macro, right? Like that one, the macro will attack my current target, or if I don't have a target, acquire one for me automatically. I made similar macros for my other attacks, just replacing the name of the ability in question.

I've been playing hunter for a long time, so this is convenient for me. If you do the same, just be careful how you use your abilities... or you may accidentally pull things too. ;)


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Ever since I discovered and started reading about macros, I’ve really been using them quite a bit. :) They’ve been a big help to me, and I hope they can be a big help to someone else as well.

If anyone has any other macros they use for their hunter that they’d like to share, or ideas on how my current ones could be improved, please share. I’d love to see them!

Happy hunting!

Farstrider Training - Macros

Ding level 22. Plus fanart. :D

Hello all~

As the title of my post suggests, I have a few more bars until I ding 22. :D Meaning, my birthday is coming up (on Sunday). Cerylia will be having a little party with all her pets and friends in her manor in Eversong Woods that day. Yay~

Actually, I'll be spending the day at the zoo, which I guess is kinda like spending the day with Cerylia's pets. ^^ Hopefully it won't be too hot outside.

Well, not been doing too much in game, just more of the same dailies and randoms. Got my death knight to 70 finally, so he looks to be my next 80. Though I don't want to rush it; gearing 3 different 80's at once sounds a little silly. xD Serisyna is close to becoming champion of Ironforge, as well as getting the hang of Shadow DPS, and Cerylia is trying to earn money for epic flying and get exalted with the Sunreavers. She wants their dragonhawk mount. :3

Also been getting back into art (after a few months long hiatus), though my scanner is old and not cooperating too well. I decided to try out digital art again, though it's not really my preferred medium. For being stuck with a mouse (as opposed to a tablet) and trying out my new paint program, my latest piece turned out ok. It's a bust of undead Serisyna, titled "Beautiful in Death":


Beautiful in Death by ~minty-fivestar on deviantART

I guess it's ok... could be better though. xD If you're a member of Deviantart, please visit and leave a comment as well!

If any of you have WoW fanart you'd like to share, please do. I'd love to see it!

So, is everyone keeping up with the new talent trees being revealed for Cataclysm? Though all of it is subject to change before the final release, they have Rogue, Priest, Shaman, and Druid revealed so far. I'm liking what I see so far, particularly with priest. Highlights for me include, of course, the new Power Word: Barrier for Discipline priests, something I'll definitely appreciate when I heal. I also like many of the Shadow talents, like Shadowy Apparition. Sounds spooky~ I'm almost tempted to roll another priest for Cataclysm. xD Like a little gnome, or a tauren even. Though that would be silly. :P

Well, just a little post before I become preoccupied with my birthday weekend. ^^ Stay tuned early next week for part 4 of Serisyna's story, if you've been keeping up. Until then~

Ding level 22. Plus fanart. :D

The Undertaker

This is part 3 of Serisyna's story. For previous installments, please click the Storylines link to find them. Thanks, and enjoy! ^^

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She couldn’t help but find the entire situation absolutely absurd, in the most serious and un-amusing way possible.

I’m talking to a dead person, she thought, still waiting for it to sink in. I am a dead person.

She stood there a while longer, anticipating some kind of hysterical reaction on her part, but she felt nothing. Nothing but a touch of confusion… and emptiness. It was as if her heart no longer knew how to react, even if her mind did.

The undead man standing before her, however, wasn’t particularly keen on waiting for her emotions to kick in, and finally spoke up. “Look… I understand if you’re confused, but we’ve no time to ease you into things. The undertaker is expecting you outside. He’s… sort of impatient. He likes to get bodies in and out of here.”

At her blank stare, he finally gave a sigh, and held his hand out to her awkwardly. “I’m Terrence, by the way. I’m a Deathguard from Brill, though I’m off-duty at the moment.”

She considered making some sort of reply, perhaps in the form of her own name, but the effort of thinking about it was too much at the moment. Instead, she simply took his hand, following him as he led her up the stairs of the crypt. She could see the moonlight spilling in from the entrance at the top, growing brighter and brighter as they ascended.

“Quiet thing, aren’t you?” Terrence grumbled, jerking his hand away as they reached the entrance of the crypt. “Look sharp, all right? That’s the undertaker.” And here he pointed a bony finger at a man several yards away, just in time to observe him smashing a rat with a shovel.

“They look horrid enough as is, you filthy animals!” he hissed, shaking his rotting fist at several black rats scurrying away. “Don’t need you gnawing on their faces!”

Terrence seemed to roll his eyes, although he didn’t really have any to speak of. “Hey Mordo, quit talking to the damn rats and look. Another one woke up.”

The undertaker—Mordo—whirled on the two angrily, waving his shovel at them. “Didn’t I tell you to stay out of my crypt, you Light-damned piece of—” However, the sight of the thin, undead woman beside Terrence made him stop short. “…Well. Who have we here?”

Jerking his thumb at her, Terrence shrugged and strode slowly down the road that led away from the crypt. “Ask her. Not like I know her.”

She looked up timidly as Mordo approached her, a permanent scowl etched into his pale, undead face. He jabbed a pointed finger into her shoulder roughly, which made her wince and step back. Her discomfort seemed to make him smile. “Ah… yes. That delicate little girl we picked up near the Undercity a while back. Didn’t think you were going to make it, but you somehow kept remarkably well. Most corpses as old as you would have deteriorated into mush by now.”

“She’s a damned Light user,” Terrence called over his shoulder.

At that, Mordo’s scowl returned, and he looked her over suspiciously. “A Light user, huh…?”

She flinched a little, afraid that he was going to hurt her, but he turned away. “Even in death your miserable little skeleton clings to that Light… the Light that has forsaken us,” he fairly growled. “But… perhaps the Shadow Priest would like to meet you. He might have a use for your… talents.”

“Who… is the Shadow Priest?” she asked, feeling somewhat eager to leave Mordo as soon as possible. “If I can be of use…”

Mordo gave a grin, showing off a set of rotten teeth in the moonlight, and laughed. “The Shadow Priest Sarvis makes residence at the chapel in Deathknell, just down the road,” he replied. “Speak to him, tell him of your abilities. He might like them… and your willingness to serve. For in the end… we all serve the Dark Lady.”

The fervent affection and respect contained in Mordo’s utterance of the words “Dark Lady” made her think that she had better not ask who this Dark Lady was. She suspected he would get angry. Instead, she only nodded. “I will speak to the Shadow Priest, then,” she agreed softly.

“Very good. Now get out of my sight… oh, what the fel was your name again?”

She stared at him for a moment, at first not having any answer for him. What was her name? She could feel a bit of panic setting in, fearing that she had no identity, no idea who she was… But, a soft warmth rose in her, a brief spark of light… and it suddenly came to her. A name… although what that name entailed meant nothing to her. Not yet.

“S-Serisyna Vale, sir… My name is Serisyna.”

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Deathguard Terrence and Undertaker Mordo are actual NPCs in Tirisfal Glades. Mordo is one of the first questgivers that players encounter when they start an undead character. Terrence is a guard that wanders the road through Brill.

I had a lot of fun with this part, particularly with the personalities of Terrence and Mordo. I imagine most undead to be rather callous and impatient. Terrence will continue to contribute to the story in the future, so look forward to more of his extraordinarily personable self. xD

Please let me know what you think so far~ Comments and critique are always appreciated. Thanks!

The Undertaker