Auto Shot timing

Stand still for 0.5 seconds

Auto Shot preparation is the time the hunter must stand still before the shot fires. The intended preparation is 0.5 seconds. In plain language: after you stop moving, you still have to wait half a second for the shot to go off. That 0.5-second stand-still is separate from the weapon’s swing interval, which is the gap between shots.

The beta briefly allowed a shorter preparation. On 23 September 2026, Kaivax called that a bug and said a fix was incoming. The intended time is 0.5 seconds.

This page does not claim that announced fix has shipped on the build you are playing today. The 0.5-second figure is official design text, not a CFH measurement. October 2026 beta development notes checked for this page do not list that fix.

Official changesKaivax (World of Warcraft Forums)

Classic attack-speed tables are not copied in as Forever weapon timing.

Classic reference — Forever applicability unverifiedPetopia Classic

Why move between shots

On the 1–9 page, the practical pattern is shoot, step, stand. After a pet exists, the same habit still saves damage taken while the pet holds the target. Icy Veins also describes moving backward between Auto Shots before level 10.

Guide recommendationIcy Veins

A Forever timer listing

WeaponSwingTimer SixxFix has a Forever-flavored CurseForge file, WeaponSwingTimer-SixxFix_Forever_v1.60.1. Author WatchYourSixx; original project credit LeftHandedGlove. Public status: Forever release available; CFH testing pending. This site has not tested that file in-game.

View Forever release

Addon listingCurseForge · Addon documentationGitHub

Classic Hunter guides often treat a weapon swing / Auto Shot timer as required. Wowhead’s Classic Hunter addon guide calls a weapon swing timer essential. That Classic advice is not Forever proof.

Classic reference — Forever applicability unverifiedWowhead · Classic reference — Forever applicability unverifiedCurseForge