Possible to Maximize Serpent Sting Using Different Gear Combinations
So we here at the Hunting Lodge love getting email from everyone out there. (btw, just send it to me, Brigwyn, at brigwyn@brigwyn.com).
Well recently we received a question from our friends Birdsong/Eddi over on the European server Nozdormu.
The gist of their quesiton had to do with seeing if it might be possible to maximize the damage of Serpent Sting and using different gear combinations. Basically thinking of having a Sting set of gear and DPS gear, similar to Tanking/DPS gear for warriors and Tanking/Healing gear of Druids and Paladins.
Well Elysianna took up this challenge! The question and answer after the break.
Birdsong/Eddi:
I’m currently studying the post “Beast Mastery Hunters Guide by Elysianna” on the “The Hunting Lodge“. As I was reading the “Explanation of Stats for Hunters (Game Mechanics and Important Stats) “, I was reminded about a test a fellow hunter and I had been doing a while back. I don’t know if it is of any particular interest and I’m definitely not the best hunter out here (only hunter alt), but I try 
OK, back to the point. We were speculating about Serpent Sting and +Nature Damage equipment to the Point, where you could have a complete +Nature/Spell damage gear and apply the DoT at the start of the fight, Feign Death to switch to your Proper gear and keep the high tick of the Sting rolling by always re-applying the sting before it fades. I know, that this used to work with Livebloom and +Heal trinkets but that was changed in one of the latest patches. I don’t know if they changed it for hunters as well though. But considering they haven’t (I haven’t read anything about it at least), is this complete madness and would be a complete waste of time anyway, something the hunter community has discarded long ago as a complete waste or something worth looking into?
Best Regards
Eddi, Deftank on Nozdormu Horde (Euorpean Servers)
Birdsong, MB Hunter on Nozdormu Horde (European Servers)
Elysianna Answers:
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but I wanted to test this myself, as I was only 99.99% sure +Nature did nothing for Serpent Sting, rather than 100%.
So after raiding, I grabbed “Dragonhawk Tunic of Nature’s Wrath” which has +80 Nature Damage on it.
Then I hit the ogres living just above Aldor Tier. Testing on only level 72 mobs, I found that Serpent Sting does NOT scale with Nature Damage gear. It’s linked to our RAP.
And even if it was linked to +Nature Damage, you would need a lot of it for it to be worth it, sacrificing far too many other stats. Also, when facing a boss in a raid, you cannot FD to change gear. Although it drops you off the aggro table, you remain in combat. So to make up for the loss to your other stats, you would have to stack enough +ND to hit 2000 dmg/tick. (So that would be 1000 DPS) to make up for the fact that your Steady and Autos would be severely gimped.
Great way to think outside the box though :).
- Elysianna
However, Spelldamage DID affect Arcane Shot and Serpent Sting before The Burning Crusade. On my old account (the one I sold, not the one I cancelled earlier this week), I had a spelldamage set with pieces from BWL and AQ40 and was able to crit an Arcane Shot for over 1500 damage with Zandalarian Hero Charm/Talisman of Ephemeral Power active. Serpent Sting was something like 280-300 a tick.
And +healing helped Mend Pet. The fact that hey worked once does not change that they do not work now.
Elysianna -
True.. as time and changes march forward we’ll probably learn of other things that use to work and don’t any longer.
I guess this is one of the reason’s I so like this game. It continues to force me to adapt!
BTW - glad to see your still around Rilgon