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11 Sniper's Focus is a talent in the Marksman branch of the Windrose Talent System. While actively aiming down sights, gain a stacking damage buff every 2 seconds, up to 4 stacks. At rank 3 max stacks (8s aim time) = +28% bonus damage on the next shot.
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33 Summary
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55 PropertyValueBranchMarksmanTier2Max rank3Points per rank1PrerequisiteTier 1 Marksman investment
66 Effect by Rank
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88 RankDamage per 2s of aiming (4-stack cap)Rank 1+3% per 2sRank 2+5% per 2sRank 3+7% per 2s
99 Talent Tree Position
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1111 Sniper's Focus sits at Tier 2 of the four-tier Marksman branch, the dedicated ranged-weapon line of the Talent System. Reaching it requires at least one point spent in a Tier 1 Marksman talent first, after which a single point unlocks rank 1 and two more points carry it to rank 3. All allocation is reversible: a free respec at the Stats and Talents screen refunds every point, so the talent can be slotted for a boss attempt and dropped afterward at no cost.
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1313 Because the buff only ticks in the aim-down-sights state, it is inert on melee weapons and on hip-fired shots. It is built specifically around the long-cadence firearms: the Musket, the Reliable Musket, and single-shot Blunderbuss rotations. It is a Precision weapon talent at heart, since Musket and Pistol both scale from Precision.
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1515 Community Meta
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1717 Strong on Musket and single-shot Blunderbuss Dragon's Breath rotations. Mandatory in the Blunderbuss boss-melter rotation. Situational on fast-cadence Pistol play.
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1919 Pairs Well With
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2121 Dragon's BreathReliable MusketExtended Reach
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2323 See Also
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2525 Marksman branch overviewTalent System the four-branch progression frameworkStats and Talents stat allocation and respec
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2727 Build Role
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2929 Sniper's Focus is the aim-down-sights specialist. The 2-second tick cadence with a 4-stack cap rewards patient single-shot rotations, particularly on Musket and Dragon's Breath Blunderbuss.
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3131 Math Example
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3333 A Musket held in aim for 8 seconds (the time needed to reach max stacks) gains rank-3 Sniper's Focus for +28% bonus damage on the next shot. On a 580 Pierce base shot that becomes 742 Pierce. Layering Bull's Eye headshot for +20% on top brings the shot to 890 Pierce.
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3535 Notes
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3737 The stack builder starts from 0 on un-aim. Breaking aim cancels the stacks and requires a fresh 8-second aim cycle to rebuild.Trap on fast-cadence Pistol play where shots fire within 2 seconds and never accumulate the stacks.
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3939 Pre-Aim Pre-Stack Routine
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4141 Sniper's Focus is at its strongest when stacks are already capped before the target is in range. The standard sniper rotation on the Reliable Musket is to pre-aim down sights the moment a freighter, boss, or roaming pack is spotted at the edge of vision. By the time the target enters effective range, all 4 stacks have already been earned and the opening shot lands at the full +28% bonus.
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4343 The routine extends to mobile fights as well. While moving between firing positions, hold aim forward in the direction the target is most likely to appear; the stacks build during traversal even if there is nothing in the reticle yet. Drop aim only to swivel around obstacles or to climb, then resume ADS as soon as the camera is settled. Breaking aim resets the timer to zero, so the cost of a clean cancel is a fresh 8-second cycle to rebuild from the ground up.
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4545 Aim TimeBonus Damage (Rank 3)0 seconds (just entered ADS)+0% (no stacks)2 seconds (1 stack)+7%4 seconds (2 stacks)+14%6 seconds (3 stacks)+21%8 seconds (4 stacks, capped)+28%
4646 Sniper Build Inclusion
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4848 Sniper's Focus is a core talent slot in both the V3 Big Game Hunter and V5 Sniper loadouts. Those builds combine the talent with Bull's Eye, Deep Impact, and Bulletstorm so that every shot benefits from a pre-stacked aim window plus headshot, range, and reload bonuses.
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5050 The +28% from a fully ramped Sniper's Focus stacks additively with crit-damage modifiers from the Major Cutthroat Ring, the Privateer Set set bonus, and the +20% crit damage rolled by an ascended Reliable Musket. A capped sniper shot only reaches its peak number when both pillars are present at once: aim time built up before the trigger pull, and crit damage layered through gear and ascension.
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5252 Related Marksman Gear
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5454 Sniper's Focus is the talent half of the marksman package. The Marksman Set and the marksman jewelry line supply the matching stat and crit-damage support that the talent multiplies.
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5656 ItemSlotWhy It PairsReliable MusketWeaponLong aim cadence lets stacks fully ramp before each shot; an ascended roll can add crit damage on top.Marksman's RingRingBoosts ranged damage that the aim stacks then scale further.Major Cutthroat RingRingAdds crit damage that layers with a fully stacked shot.Privateer SetArmor setSet bonus contributes crit damage to the same shot.Marksman's TricorneHeadPart of the marksman armor line for ranged-focused builds.