Explosive trap is awesome. It has been buffed quite a bit lately and now scales quite nicely with our attack power, so I figured I’d write up a guide about how and when to use it.
Why should we be using explosive trap? To begin with, if you are SV, it forces a lock and load that does not trigger the internal lock and load cooldown. In addition, it does a lot of damage. All AOE spells are now DPS capped at 10 mobs, however this is a second one that we can use, and for a single global cooldown and the time needed to place it and get back to range, it performs quite well.
If you are in the initial phase of a trash (or heroic) pull, placing an explosive trap, misdirecting to the tank, and then either using 3 explosive shots on the tank’s target or volleying will make you very popular. I like to call this “hunter consecrate”. [edit: for a good article on this, check out Brig's hunter 101 post from December]. I have to mention, however, that the initial damage from the trap does not seem to trigger misdirection, however I think that once you trigger it yourself, all the threat gets redirected.
If you are marks, this will not share a cooldown with your single target abilities, but if you are SV, explosive trap shares a cooldown with black arrow.
I find that a good rule of thumb is that if you are able to volley, it’s generally worth the trouble to try and do it from close enough range that you can also get a trap off. Preferably with misdirect. This type of play lends itself to trash and heroics, of course. However, on add heavy fights where we need to be able to do a lot of DPS to a lot of targets, it might be worth sacrificing the movement time to use a trap on an add.
Here’s the breakdown:
- SV: loses the DPS time needed for moving in and out to trap, the 6% DPS for 15 seconds, the random lock and load chance, as well as the shadow damage from black arrow. SV gains a lock and load.
- MM: loses the DPS time needed for moving in and out to trap.
If you will get more damage done with a trap than you would without one, explosive trap can be nice bonus. Note- there are situations where you aren’t prioritizing DPS, but are focusing down a target (when certain adds have a death AOE, for example). Do not ignore your raid leader to inflate your numbers with AOE!
I think the trash for the new Plague Wing in ICC offers some good examples for your last paragraph. The pull after the abominations might be very tempting for AoE, but single target is necessary for some of the mobs in that mess. However, with the later hallway traps, MD+Explosive Trap+Volley is more than okay. I was pulling 28k on one pack!
Lay the trap, , stand on it, start misdrect, prepare your volley. The moment trash is near/on you, start your volley. Once your MD is used up, Disengage, and pew pew. I did this last night in the Plagueworks when someone triggered the trap that pulls all the geists. Worked like a charm. Got something like 13K dps as SV.
Too bad an Explosive Trap on a single target is now more effective than an Immolation trap, show some trap love :(
Ps. Frost trap arrow would be delicious.
Are you sure about the trap not triggering MD, Euripides? It does for me.
It does trigger the MD.
Interesting. I haven’t really used traps outside of pvp since we got black arrow a while back. I’ll definitely give this a shot tomorrow night when I’m back into ICC.
Also, have you been having much luck with gear drops? ’cause I’ve only gotten two upgrades from bosses so far. Not much hunter love, from what I’ve seen. Only gotten Wodin’s Lucky Necklace and the 264 bow, which has dropped so often that it’s now being DE’ed. There was a staff the other day that was pure sex, but a damn dirty druid got it. But at least it was one of our awesome tanking druids and not some scrub feral.
I was playing around with some glyphs in my offspec for the Saurafang/blood beast fight and ended up trying the glph that can make your explosive trap ticks crit that can help you get crazy dps on trash and in heroics
Heh, that’s quite situational and I wouldn’t want to have that glyph active if I’m fighting festergut, but if you have access to a scribe, you could keep a stack of your normal glyph and explosive shot glyphs around and change them for add fights :P
Ive been doing this alot and tbh never got aggro unless its on a fresh mob being pulled. Its simple as explosivetrap MD Volley. Check out some the the dps ive had. http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/1768/etftw.jpg
I have found explosive trap very useful on putricide on the green and brown oozes.
Green – when your running in to absorb the explosion, drop an explosive trap then (since you will be in melee range and it is by far your best melee attack).
Brown – when you are kiting the brown slime and run out of instant shots drop an explosive, it doesn’t do much damage but better than none.
surely it would be better to use the single target immo trap as it does more damage.
As an MM hunter, is it possible to place an explosive trap, use readiness, place another explosive trap, MD then start volleying? I’d imagine you could get insane DPS with 2 explosives active and a hasted/proc’d volley! (I’ve not currently got access to WoW to test this.)
Bowya – that’s awesome DPS. The largest I’ve had is 25k in 10man ICC so far without using explosive, so I’m looking forward to my next run!
I’m gonna have to play with this in my next pug and try to get the timing down. Now all we need is ‘flaming arrow’ ability to deploy these traps from range. :D
ZOMG, want to buy!
I’ve been doing this for a while now, and a few good places are heroic VH (Violet hold). Also ICC trash of course, among others!
Best technique imo…
self aspect to location (usually at or a tad in front of tank)
- drop trap (explosive or immolation)
- Disengage (while in movement, switch aspects to dps)
- Volley
- if you want, multi-shot =)
of course..just an imo!
I have Explosive trap macroed to disengage as well. One key, drops trap, pops you back to range. Just watch your positioning.
That’s not a bad idea :)
Great post Rip!
It’s pretty amazing I have to admit. Over at the Lodge we’ve been talking about how Explosive Trap coupled with Misdirection is an awesome way to help ramp up aggro.
Even mentioned it in a Hunter 101 post back in December and in previous podcasts. Good to see that it’s catching on elsewhere!
Again, great post Rip!
I don’t do many raids, but I’ve found it to be really handy for positionally-challenged fights like Halls of Reflection. Since I’m kissing the mobs for the first few seconds of that fight anyway, I drop some traps. The only hitch is that MD seems temperamental about whether or not it gets triggered, but that’s what FD is for.
I’d like to see an immolation arrow that leaves a small AoE fire on the ground. For once, it would be nice to see raid bosses or other mobs stand in fire! Those who remember Diablo II remember the Amazon having this ability.
Explosive Trap does not force a Lock n Load proc; it has the same proc rate as Black Arrow. If you want to force a proc you’re better off using Freezing Arrow or a Frost trap on top of an Explosive trap to get the benefit of both worlds.
I really enjoyed this entry otherwise; there are far too few Hunter articles about the appropriate use of traps, and I’d like to see more.
Actually, it does. Give it a try :) Drop one without a BA ticking onto a mob. It won’t proc one if your internal cooldown from BA is still going, however if you can get one this way, it does not cause the internal cooldown to trigger, as far as I can tell.
I’ll try it out on Saurfang 25 tomorrow, thanks!