Hunter talent calculator

Quick answer: Hunter is the easiest class to level in WoW Forever and one of the most fun. Go Beast Mastery for leveling: your pet tanks, Summon Hawk adds extra damage, and you barely need to stop and drink. At level 60, Marksmanship is the classic raid pick (now with Lone Wolf and Sniper Shot), and Survival has been rebuilt into a proper melee spec that dual-wields. The launch patch buffed Aimed Shot, Arcane Shot and Serpent Sting across the board.

Is Hunter good in WoW Forever?

Very. Hunter was already the "first character" class in Classic, and Forever gives every spec its own identity instead of three flavours of the same thing. Beast Mastery is all about your pet and your hawks, Marksmanship can ditch the pet entirely, and Survival finally lets you fight in melee without it feeling like a joke build.

Pets got a big rework too. Your pet now takes its stats from your gear, copies your crit chance and gets 2 health for every point of Stamina you have. Every pet family also has its own special ability, so which beast you tame actually matters now. There's even a brand new family, the fox.

Two days before launch Blizzard pushed a round of buffs: Aimed Shot's bonus damage went up about 110%, Arcane Shot about 30%, Serpent Sting about 20%, Sniper Shot 100%, and both Aspect of the Hawk and Trueshot Aura give more Ranged Attack Power. All your traps now share a single 30-second cooldown. If a guide you're watching doesn't mention these, it's probably from the beta.

At a glance:

• Role: damage (ranged for Beast Mastery and Marksmanship, melee for Survival)
• Best leveling spec: Beast Mastery
• Hardest part: mana in long fights, and the 8-yard dead zone where you can't shoot
• Best for: solo players, people who like collecting pets, and anyone who wants a relaxed but powerful first character

Hunter strengths and weaknesses

Strengths:

• The easiest class to level. Your pet tanks, you shoot from range, and you barely need to stop.
• Great solo player. Pets, traps, Feign Death and kiting tools let you take on elites and group quests alone.
• Strong damage in every spec. Beast Mastery, Marksmanship and melee Survival all have a real place at 60.
• Lots of utility. Tranquilizing Shot, Trueshot Aura, Freezing Trap, Hunter's Mark and Aspect of the Pack help your group.

Weaknesses:

• The dead zone. You can't shoot within 8 yards, so enemies that reach you are a problem for ranged Hunters.
• Mana in long fights. Arcane Shot and Aimed Shot eat mana, especially before Bestial Discipline or Rapid Recuperation.
• Pet upkeep. Feeding, training and reviving your pet takes a little time, and ammo needs restocking.

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What's new for Hunters in WoW Forever?

• Summon Hawk (Beast Mastery talent): a hawk dive-bombs your target for 18 seconds, and you can have two out at once. It shares a cooldown with Arcane Shot, so you're choosing between them.
• Aimed Shot is learned by every Hunter at level 20 instead of being a deep Marksmanship talent. It shares a cooldown with Multi-Shot.
• Lone Wolf (Marksmanship): 20% more damage while you don't have a pet out.
• Careful Aim (Marksmanship): adds 100% of your Intellect to your Attack Power. Intellect is a damage stat for Hunters now.
• Sniper Shot (Marksmanship capstone): a long-range shot that also adds 10 yards of range to your next 3 shots.
• Survival is a melee spec. New talents like Predator's Edge, Strider Kick, Expose Prey and Lacerating Strikes, plus Dual Wield and a Lacerate bleed, make it a real melee playstyle.
• Pet families have unique abilities: Dismember (Crocolisk), Web (Spider), Savage Rend (Raptor), Sonic Blast (Bat), Dust Cloud (Tallstrider), Mine! (Bird of Prey), Pinch (Crab), Tendon Rip (Hyena), Swipe (Bear) and Trickster's Dance (the new Fox family), among others.
• Traps can be used in combat, and all of them now share one 30-second cooldown.
• Enchanted Flare (level 32): reveals stealthed and invisible enemies and pushes back magical darkness.
• Deadly Aspects (Beast Mastery): Aspect of the Hawk gives your Auto Shot a chance to speed up your shooting, and Aspect of the Beast does the same for melee.

Which Hunter spec should you pick?

Beast Mastery (pet damage). The comfiest way to level by a mile. Your pet holds aggro, you shoot, your hawks chip in, and Bestial Wrath turns hard fights into easy ones. The downside: if your pet dies, most of your damage goes with it, and your pet can't tank dungeons like a real tank.

Marksmanship (pure ranged damage). The raid and group spec. Careful Aim, Mortal Shots, Barrage and Sniper Shot stack up into big shots, and Trueshot Aura buffs your whole group. With Lone Wolf you can leave your pet behind for 20% extra damage. It's the hardest spec to level solo, since nothing tanks for you, and it eats mana.

Survival (melee damage). The new kid. You fight up close with one big weapon or two, bleed things with Lacerate and Lacerating Strikes, and punish anything that hits you with Counterattack and Mongoose Bite. It has more health, dodge and parry than the other specs, but struggles against enemies that run away, and in groups you compete with Rogues and Warriors for space.

Best Hunter leveling build in WoW Forever

Level as Beast Mastery, dipping into Marksmanship for Careful Aim and cheaper shots.

Leveling Build (31/20/0)

Talent order, roughly:

1. Deadly Aspects (5) first, for faster Auto Shots with Aspect of the Hawk.
2. Endurance Training (3) and Focused Fire (2), for a tougher pet and 2% more damage.
3. Bestial Swiftness so your pet gets to the target first, then Unleashed Fury (5).
4. Ferocity (5) and Summon Hawk. Hawks are a big damage jump.
5. Intimidation and Bestial Discipline (2). Discipline lets 50% of your mana regeneration keep going while you shoot.
6. Frenzy (5), then Bestial Wrath at level 40.
7. Finish in Marksmanship: Lethal Attacks (5), Efficiency (5), Careful Aim (5) and Improved Arcane Shot (5).

Key levels to look forward to:

• 4: Serpent Sting and Aspect of the Monkey.
• 6: Arcane Shot and Hunter's Mark.
• 10: Tame Beast, Call Pet and Aspect of the Hawk. Do your class quest straight away.
• 12: Mend Pet and Wing Clip.
• 18: Multi-Shot.
• 20: Aimed Shot, Freezing Trap, Disengage and Aspect of the Cheetah.
• 26: Rapid Fire.
• 30: Feign Death.
• 32: Enchanted Flare.
• 34: Explosive Trap.
• 40: Bestial Wrath, Volley and Aspect of the Pack.

How to level as Beast Mastery: send your pet in first and let it build threat for a second or two. Put up Hunter's Mark on anything with a decent health pool, then keep Auto Shot going and weave in Arcane Shot (or Summon Hawk on healthier targets, since they share a cooldown). Use Serpent Sting on longer fights, and Aimed Shot or Multi-Shot when your mana is healthy. When you're low on mana, stop pressing buttons. Your pet and Auto Shot still do plenty, and Bestial Discipline keeps some regeneration going. Use Mend Pet between pulls, and save Bestial Wrath and Rapid Fire for elites and "oh no" pulls.

Beast Mastery guide: rotation and tips

• Pet first, always. Let it grab threat before you open with anything big.
• Keep two hawks up on bosses and long fights. Summon Hawk scales with your Ranged Attack Power.
• Bestial Wrath gives your pet 50% more damage for 18 seconds and makes it immune to fear and crowd control. Line it up with Rapid Fire.
• Mend Pet with Improved Mend Pet has a 50% chance on each heal to cleanse a curse, disease, magic or poison effect from your pet, and costs 20% less mana.
• Intimidation is a free stun for interrupting casters or saving a cloth friend.

Marksmanship guide: rotation and tips

Marksmanship Build (0/38/13). It takes Lone Wolf, Sniper Shot, Trueshot Aura and Careful Aim, plus Improved Tracking and Surefooted from Survival for damage and hit.

• Rotation: keep Auto Shot running and never clip it. Fit Aimed Shot (or Multi-Shot on packs, since they share a cooldown), Arcane Shot and Serpent Sting in between shots. Open long fights with Sniper Shot for the extra range.
• Rapid Killing: killing a target (or having one die with your Serpent Sting on it) buffs your next shot, and it also cuts Rapid Fire's cooldown by 2 minutes. Great for trash packs.
• Mana: Rapid Recuperation lets 50% of your mana regeneration continue for 15 seconds after you apply Serpent Sting, and 100% once you spend Rapid Killing. Efficiency makes everything 15% cheaper, and Viper Sting drains mana from caster enemies.
• Pet or no pet? With Lone Wolf you get 20% more damage without a pet. In raids, where a pet often just dies to cleaves, that's usually the stronger choice. For questing, keep a pet out for safety.
• Improved Tracking: keep the right tracking on (Beasts, Humanoids, Undead and so on) for 5% more damage against that type.
• Group buff: Trueshot Aura gives your whole group extra Ranged Attack Power.

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Survival (melee) guide: rotation and tips

Survival Build (0/15/36). It takes Predator's Edge, Lacerating Strikes, Expose Prey, Strider Kick and Resourcefulness, with Careful Aim and Lethal Attacks from Marksmanship.

• Weapons: dual-wield two fast weapons (Predator's Edge adds 50% off-hand damage) or use one big two-hander. Your melee weapon is now your main upgrade.
• Rotation: Raptor Strike on cooldown, keep Lacerate ticking, and use Mongoose Bite every time it lights up, after you dodge or when Expose Prey procs on your Hunter's Mark target. With Lacerating Strikes, every Mongoose Bite also adds a bleed.
• Counterattack lights up after you parry. It roots the target for 5 seconds and can't be dodged or parried.
• Strider Kick hits for full weapon damage and gives you 30% run speed for 3 seconds, which is perfect for chasing runners.
• Mana: Resourcefulness makes your traps and melee abilities 60% cheaper, and your crits let mana regeneration continue while you fight.
• Survival tools: Deterrence (25% more dodge and parry for 10 seconds), Survivalist (10% more health) and Surefooted (hit, plus shorter slows).

Best Hunter pets in WoW Forever

Pets learn family abilities by taming a beast that already knows them, so it's worth taming a few along the way.

• Leveling: a Boar. Charge gets it to the target fast and roots it briefly, it eats almost anything, and it holds threat well. Cats and Wolves are great alternatives.
• Tanking for you (elites and group pulls): a Bear for Swipe on 3 enemies, or a Turtle for Shell Shield, which halves the damage it takes.
• Raids and dungeons: a Wolf for Furious Howl (more melee Attack Power for your group), or a Raptor for its Savage Rend bleed.
• PvP: a Crocolisk for Dismember (25% less healing on your target), a Spider for Web (a root to peel enemies off you), a Bird of Prey for Mine! (a disarm), or a Bat for Sonic Blast (slows enemy casting by 30%).
• Fun picks: the Fox with Trickster's Dance (50% dodge and faster attacks for 12 seconds), or a Wind Serpent with Lightning Breath.

Keep your pet happy (feed it food it likes when its happiness drops), and keep it close to your level.

Hunter leveling tips

• Let your pet hold aggro first. Count to two before you open up, especially on elites.
• Kite with Concussive Shot and Wing Clip when your pet dies or you pull too much.
• Feign Death drops you out of combat, which is a great way to escape or reset a bad pull.
• Keep your pet fed and close to your level. A happy pet does more damage.
• Stock up on ammo and food before you head out, since running back to town wastes time.
• Tame new families to learn their abilities, then teach them to your main pet.
• Aspect of the Cheetah between quests, but switch it off before a fight. Getting hit dazes you.

Hunter dungeon tips

• Turn off Growl on your pet, unless you've been asked to pet-tank.
• Mark your Freezing Trap target and lay the trap before the pull. All traps share one 30-second cooldown now.
• Hunter's Mark the kill target so your group's ranged damage hits harder.
• Tranquilizing Shot removes enemy Frenzy effects.
• Don't Multi-Shot packs that your group has crowd-controlled.
• Feign Death if you pull threat, and use Disengage to drop threat on the current target.
• Aspect of the Pack only between pulls. It dazes the whole group if they're hit.

Best stats for Hunters

Most guides agree on roughly these priorities:

• Beast Mastery and Marksmanship: your ranged weapon first, then hit, then Agility and crit, then Attack Power. Intellect is worth more than it used to be thanks to Careful Aim.
• Survival: your melee weapons first, then Agility and hit, then crit (Predator's Edge makes crits hit very hard), then Stamina.
• Everyone: Stamina matters more than in Classic, because your pet gets 2 health for every point of your Stamina, and your pet copies your crit chance.

Best race for Hunter

The gap between the best and worst Hunter race is only about 2% damage, so pick what you'll enjoy looking at.

• Orc (Horde): Command is back and gives your pet 5% more damage, and Blood Fury adds burst. Usually at or near the top for damage.
• Human (Alliance): still strong for damage, although its crit bonus was cut in half this patch.
• Troll (Horde): Berserking for burst and Beast Slaying for extra damage against beasts while leveling.
• Dwarf (Alliance): now gives hit instead of crit damage, and Stoneform is a great PvP button.
• Night Elf (Alliance): Shadowmeld, which combines nicely with Feign Death for escapes.
• Tauren (Horde): War Stomp and extra health. Lower damage, but very forgiving.
• Skyborne (both factions): the new race. Wind Blessed haste and Walk on Air are fun, even after its haste was trimmed.

Best professions for Hunter

• Skinning and Leatherworking: you wear leather and mail, kill beasts all day, and can craft gear and quivers.
• Engineering: craftable guns and scopes, plus strong trinkets. Pair it with Mining.
• First Aid and Cooking: cheap healing, and food for your pet.

Hunter PvP tips

• Freezing Trap is your best crowd control. Remember all your traps share one 30-second cooldown now, so don't waste it.
• Feign Death drops you out of combat and can make enemies lose their target. Combined with Shadowmeld or a trap, it's a lifesaver.
• Scatter Shot, Concussive Shot and Wing Clip keep melee classes out of your face, and the dead zone is your enemy, so use them to make space.
• Viper Sting drains casters, and a Crocolisk's Dismember cuts healing.
• Survival Hunters are scary in world PvP: Counterattack and Strider Kick make you very hard to escape from.

Common Hunter mistakes

• Using a build from before the 2 November changes. Lots of beta videos are missing the Aimed Shot and Arcane Shot buffs.
• Standing in the dead zone. If you're within 8 yards, you can't shoot, so step back or Wing Clip and run.
• Leaving Aspect of the Cheetah on in a fight. You get dazed the moment you're hit.
• Hitting a target that's in your Freezing Trap. Any damage breaks it.
• Leaving your pet's Growl on in dungeons. Your tank will not thank you.
• Using Multi-Shot on packs that your group has crowd-controlled.
• Forgetting to dismiss your pet before you jump off a ledge.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Hunter spec in WoW Forever?

For leveling, Beast Mastery. At level 60, Marksmanship is the go-to raid spec, Beast Mastery stays strong for solo play and PvP, and Survival is a genuinely good melee option for the first time.

What is the best Hunter pet for leveling in WoW Forever?

A Boar is the most popular choice. Charge gets it to your target quickly, it holds threat well and it eats almost anything. A Bear (Swipe) or Turtle (Shell Shield) is better when you need your pet to tank several enemies or elites.

Is melee Survival Hunter good in WoW Forever?

Yes. Survival was rebuilt as a real melee spec with Dual Wield, Predator's Edge, Lacerating Strikes, Strider Kick and Expose Prey. It has more health and avoidance than the ranged specs, but it struggles against enemies that run away.

Do Hunters still need ammo in WoW Forever?

Yes. Bows and crossbows use arrows and guns use bullets, so keep your quiver or ammo pouch stocked. A better quiver or pouch also speeds up your shooting.

What does Lone Wolf do in WoW Forever?

Lone Wolf is a Marksmanship talent that gives you 20% more damage with all attacks while you don't have an active pet. It's popular in raids, where pets often die to boss abilities.

Does Summon Hawk share a cooldown with Arcane Shot?

Yes. Summon Hawk shares its cooldown with Arcane Shot, and you can have up to two hawks out at once, each lasting 18 seconds.

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