WoW Guides: Gems and Enchants for Your Hunter

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WoW Guides: Gems and Enchants for Your Hunter

Posted April 15th, 2009 by Martuk

Hunting for enchantments.

When you start to enter the raiding field as a hunter, you will learn that gear isn't the only important part of your arsenal. Finding the right gems and enchantments can help put a little extra sting in your shots and make sure in some cases that you don't miss quite as much.

There are a huge assortment of enchantments out there, but we're only going to look at the ones that will mainly benefit the hunter. Some enchantments are cheaper and can provide you with enough benefit on an item to get by until you find a better replacement. Enchantments aren't cheap, so using cost effective ones until you settle on better gear is a pretty good option. After all, if you blow a bunch of gold on rares and then pay to get a piece enchanted only to find a replacement the next week, you're not going to be too happy.

You can find enchantments in a number of forms. Reputation factions provide some of the cheaper ones, but you'll have to build up faction to get them. Enchanters make a large number of things, engineers make scopes that can be applied to our ranged weapons and leatherworkers can enchant their own gear or make some useful enchantments for others and even blacksmiths have a little enchantment power. All of these provide you with various options for obtaining enchantments. Some are a bit more cost effective than others, but you'll want to save the good stuff for that uber gear. Unless you're already rolling in gold this is a must.

In the table below you will find multiple options for gear enchantments based on your needs. Some of you may need to boost your hit rating to the cap while others simply need a little more kick. The options below are some of your best choices for both.

Hunter Enchantments
Enchantment Name	Slot	Description
Arcanum of Torment	Head	Reputation - Knights of the Ebon Blade Permanently adds 50 attack power and 20 critical strike rating to a head slot item. Does not stack with other enchantments for the selected equipment slot.
Enchant Chest - Powerful Stats	Chest	Enchanting Permanently enchant chest armor to increase all stats by 10. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Master's Inscription of the Axe	Shoulders	Inscription Permanently adds 104 attack power and 15 critical strike rating to shoulder armor. Can only be applied to your own armor, and doing so will cause it to become soulbound.
Greater Inscription of the Axe	Shoulders	Reputation: The Sons of Hodir Permanently adds 40 attack power and 15 critical strike rating to shoulder armor. Does not stack with other enchantments for the selected equipment slot. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Fur Lining - Attack Power	Wrist	Leatherworking Self Only Permanently enchant bracers to increase attack power by 114. Can only be used on the leatherworker's bracers, and doing so will cause them to become soulbound. Fur Lining requires at least 400 skill in Leatherworking to remain active.
Enchant Bracers - Greater Assault	Wrist	Enchanting Permanently enchant bracers to increase attack power by 50. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Weapon - Superior Potency	Weapon (One-handed)	Enchanting Permanently enchant a melee weapon to increase attack power by 65. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Weapon - Exceptional Agility	Weapon (One-handed)	Enchanting Permanently enchant a melee weapon to increase Agility by 26. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Weapon - Accuracy	Weapon (One-handed)	Enchanting Permanently enchant a melee weapon to increase critical strike and hit rating by 25. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant 2H Weapon - Massacre	Weapon (Two-handed)	Enchanting Permanently enchant a two-handed weapon to increase attack power by 110. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Weapon - Accuracy	Weapon (One-handed)	Enchanting Permanently enchant a melee weapon to increase critical strike and hit rating by 25. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Weapon - Superior Potency	Weapon (One-handed)	Enchanting Permanently enchant a melee weapon to increase attack power by 65. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Biznicks 247x128 Accurascope	Ranged Weapons	Engineer Attaches a permanent scope to a bow or gun that increases its ranged hit rating by 30.
Heartseeker Scope	Ranged Weapons	Engineer Attaches a permanent scope to a bow or gun that increases its ranged critical strike rating by 40.
Enchant Boots - Icewalker	Boots	Enchanting Permanently enchant boots to increase critical strike and hit rating by 12. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Boots - Superior Agility	Boots	Enchanting Permanently enchant boots to increase Agility by 16. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Icescale Leg Armor	Legs	Leatherworking Permanently attach icescale armor onto pants to increase attack power by 75 and critical strike rating by 22.
Nerubian Leg Armor	Legs	Leatherworking Permanently attach nerubian armor onto pants to increase attack power by 55 and critical strike rating by 15. Enchanting the item causes it to become soulbound.
Eternal Belt Buckle	Belt	Blacksmithing Permanently attach an eternal belt buckle onto a belt, adding a socket to the belt. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Gloves - Precision	Gloves	Enchanting Permanently enchant gloves to increase hit rating by 20. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Gloves - Major Agility	Gloves	Enchanting Permanently enchant gloves to increase your Agility by 20. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Gloves - Crusher	Gloves	Enchanting Permanently enchant gloves to increase attack power by 44. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Cloak - Major Agility	Back	Enchanting Permanently enchant a cloak to increase Agility by 22. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Eternal Belt Buckle	Belt	Blacksmithing Permanently attach an eternal belt buckle onto a belt, adding a socket to the belt. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Ring - Assault	Ring	Enchanting - Self Only Permanently enchant a ring to increase attack power by 32. Only the Enchanter's rings can be enchanted, and enchanting a ring will cause it to become soulbound.

There are a few supplemental enchantments you can use if you want to wait on getting more permanent gear. These also work well if you need more time to work up reputation or to get the materials needed for the good stuff. While they aren't as good as what's listed above, these enchantments can still add a nice kick to the hunter's attacks and provide a huge benefit to stats.

In the table below you will find cheaper enchantments that still provide a nice boost to some needed stats.

Hunter Supplemental Enchantments
Enchantment Name	Slot	Description
Arcanum of Ferocity	Head	Reputation - Cenarion Expedition Permanently adds 34 attack power and 16 hit rating to a head slot item. Enchanting the item causes it to become soulbound.
Enchant Chest - Super Stats	Chest	Enchanting Permanently enchant chest armor to increase all stats by 8. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Lesser Inscription of the Axe	Shoulders	Permanently adds 40 attack power and 15 critical strike rating to shoulder armor. Does not stack with other enchantments for the selected equipment slot. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Bracers - Striking	Wrist	Enchanting Permanently enchant bracers to increase attack power by 38. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Weapon - Greater Potency	Weapon (One-handed)	Enchanting Permanently enchant a melee weapon to increase attack power by 50. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant 2h Weapon - Greater Savagery	Weapon (Two-handed)	Permanently enchant a two-handed weapon to increase attack power by 85. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Boots - Greater Assault	Boots	Enchanting Permanently enchant boots to increase attack power by 32. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Jormungar Leg Armor	Legs	Leatherworking Permanently attach jormungar armor onto pants to increase Stamina by 45 and Agility by 15. Can only be attached to leg armor in your inventory. Wearer must be level 70 or higher.
Enchant Cloak - Superior Agility	Back	Enchanting Permanently enchant a cloak to increase Agility by 16. Requires a level 60 or higher item.
Enchant Gloves - Greater Assault	Gloves	Permanently enchant gloves to increase attack power by 35. Requires a level 60 or higher item.

Gems
Gems, like enchantments, can add a nice boost to hunter gear. There are a variety of different gems that can provide great benefits to gear. Most of the hunter gear most of us wear contain either red, blue, yellow, or meta slots. Certain gems like green and yellow can fit two different slots. You will find several options below that can be useful for the hunter. If you are having a hard time getting your hit rating capped, consider the gem I've listed called

Hunter Gems
Enchantment Name	Gem Type	Description
Relentless Earthsiege Diamond	Meta	Jewelcrafting +21 Agility and 3% Increased Critical Damage Requires at least 1 Red gems Requires at least 1 Yellow gems Requires at least 1 Blue gems
Chaotic Skyflare Diamond	Meta	Jewelcrafting +21 Critical Strike Rating and 3% Increased Critical Damage Requires at least 2 Blue gems
Wicked Monarch Topaz	Red or Yellow	Jewelcrafting +16 Attack Power and +8 Critical Strike Rating "Matches a Red or Yellow Socket."
Rigid Autumn's Glow	Yellow	Jewelcrafting +16 Hit Rating "Matches a Yellow Socket."
Smooth Autumn's Glow	Yellow	Jewelcrafting +16 Critical Strike Rating "Matches a Yellow Socket."
Deadly Monarch Topaz	Red or Yellow	Jewelcrafting +8 Agility and +8 Critical Strike Rating "Matches a Red or Yellow Socket."
Delicate Scarlet Ruby	Red	Jewelcrafting +16 Agility "Matches a Red Socket."
Glinting Monarch Topaz	Red or Yellow	Jewelcrafting +8 Agility and +8 Hit Rating "Matches a Red or Yellow Socket."
Vivid Forest Emerald	Yellow or Blue	Jewelcrafting +8 Hit Rating and +12 Stamina "Matches a Yellow or Blue Socket."
Rigid Dragon's Eye	Any	Jewelcrafting +27 Hit Rating Requires "Jeweler's Gem: Matches any socket. Maximum of 3 Jeweler's Gems socketed in your equipment."
Enchanted Tear	Any	Jewelcrafting +6 to All Stats "Matches any Socket. Maximum of one socketed in your equipment"

The thing with gems is that they are really dependent on what you need at the time. If your hit rating isn't capped you can consider getting Rigid Dragon's Eye or Rigid Autumn's Glow if you need a cheaper option to help cap your hit, but if your hit is fine, you would be better served to fill the slots with damage enhancing gems such as the Relentless Earthsiege Diamond or agility and crit enhancers. These can all help the hunter up his damage and efficiency on a raid. All you need to do is decide what your hunter can use the most.