Template:Tooltip PoisonDebuff
Overview
Hunters know that the target is much easier to fight when its suffering incredible physical pain from a poison-covered arrow in their back.
Serpent Sting stings the target, causing X Nature damage over 15 seconds. Only one Sting per Hunter can be active on any one target.
Functionality
Mechanics
Before Patch 2.3 it didn't scale with attack power or agility. It's considered to be a nature-spell-damage based attack thus it is buffed by all nature and general spell-damage buffs including and not limited to: Wizard oil, Improved divine spirit, Wrath of Air Totem. It's also buffed by stormstrike-buff but only in the case that the sting lands while one of the stormstrike-buff charges is still up (the dot won't consume stormstrike-buff charges if the serpent sting was already there when the stormstrike-buff came up).
As most DoTs and channelled spells that don't have a direct initial-damage component, serpent sting cannot crit. So spell and ranged critical rating buffs do not affect this ability.
Uses
- Serpent Sting is a fairly weak damage over time spell, in comparison to those of other classes. To get the most of out it, it should be used in fights that will last longer than 15 seconds. On short fights and trash mobs, the hunter may find it is not an efficient use of his or her mana.
- Its greatest utility in PvP is against Rogues and Druids, to prevent them from entering stealth. (Druids can cleanse it, but will have to shift to caster form to do so.)
- Be careful using this spell in situations where your group may use crowd control, as damage over time will break it. If you have used Serpent Sting on the wrong target, you can overwrite it quickly by casting [Scorpid Sting] on the same target, which does not break CC.
Limitations
- Only one Sting per hunter can be active on a given target at a time.
- Can be cleansed by Druids, Paladins, and Shamans, as well as any mob that can cleanse poison. Rogues are also able to dispel it with [Cloak of Shadows]. Dwarves' racial [Stoneform] ability also dispels it.
Range
- 5-35 yards
Cooldown
- None
Casting Time
- Instant
Upgrades
- Efficiency (Marksmanship Talent): Reduces the Mana cost of your Shots and Stings by 2% per rank (5 ranks total).
- [Hawk Eye] (Survival Talent): Increases the range of your ranged weapon by 2 yards per rank (3 ranks total).
- [Improved Stings] (Marksmanship Talent): Increases the damage done by your Serpent Sting and Wyvern Sting by 6% and the mana drained by your Viper Sting by 6%. In addition, reduces the chance your Stings will be dispelled by 30% (5 ranks total).
- Rank 9 can be trained from a book that drops in Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, but as of Patch 2.0 it can also be learned from the trainer.
Rank Table
- Damage is given as: +X/15, meaning: +X Nature damage over 15 sec.
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