Best in Slot
Beast Mastery Basics
Beast Mastery Hunters were the champions of single-target DPS inBurning Crusade Classic. They topped the damage meters on many fights and were some of the best options available for dishing out damages. However, it came at a cost as they lacked the utility and buffs other classes provide. That shortcoming, alongside nerfs inClassic Wrath of the Lich King, represents a downswing for the effectiveness of the BM spec for Hunters. They’ll have some usefulness in speedrunning applications or shorter-length fights. Generally, however, they are the worst option for Hunters.
This guide will focus specifically on level 80 content and abilities. It will be updated throughout theWrath of the Lich Kingexpansion as more content rolls out.
If you haven’t seen our basicHunter PvE Guide for Wrath Classicyet, check this out as well. It will have additional information that may not be covered in this specialization-specific guide.
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Important New and Reworked Talents and Abilities
Auto Shot- A huge change for hunters inWrath of the Lich Kingis how Auto Shot works with Hunters. Previously, Hunters would have to ensure they don’t “clip” their auto shots. Essentially, players would have to ensure they’re not using any other abilities on your attack timer to always auto shot on time. If you interrupted the automatic attacks, this was known as “clipping,” and it was a DPS loss. That’s all a thing of the past now; your Auto Shot will attack even when using abilities such as Steady Shot that have a cast timer. This is a very welcome update for the class.
Kill Shot- One of the most important additions for Hunters inClassic Wrath. This serves as a much needed execute for the class, allowing players to ramp up their damage when enemies are below 20%.
Volley- This now scales with your ranged attack power. This formerly useless ability now allows Hunters to deal respectable AOE damage when appropriate.
Bestial Wrath- Nerfed to reduce its duration from 18 seconds to 10 seconds.
Cobra Strikes- This new talent helps buff the damage from your pet by guaranteeing critical attacks.
Kindred Spirits- The rework helps to increase your pet’s damage, as well as movement speed.
Longevity- Reducing the cooldown on Bestial Wrath and other key abilities by 30% is huge.
Talent Build for Beast Mastery Hunters in WotLK
This is the default talent build for Beast Mastery Hunters as they begin endgame contentWrath of the Lich King Classic, complete with the ideal glyphs as well.
It’s important not to neglect your pets. They, too, have an ideal talent build. Beast Mastery Hunters will have extra talents available for their pets.
You’ll want to use aWolfas your pet due to the benefit ofFurious Howl. ADevilsaurwill be a close second in terms of overall DPS output.
Beast Mastery Hunter Rotation and Cooldowns
The rotations for Beast Mastery Hunters are fairly easy inClassic Wrath of the Lich King. Since the spec doesn’t have the additional abilities compared to Marksmanship or Survival, it’s a more simplified rotation.
AOE Rotation
Cooldowns
Hunters have a wide variety of options available for their cooldowns in terms of both utility and damage output. Their toolkit continues to be impressive, even when their DPS output starts to decline.
WotLK Hunter Stat Priority
The most important stats for Beast Mastery Hunters inWrath of the Lich King Classicare as follows, in order:
You will always need to verify you’re at hit cap to ensure you’ll never miss any of your attacks. The hit cap is an overall 8% rating. With the Focused Aim talent, you only need 5% hit from gear. With Draenei in your party or raid, you’ll only need 4% hit from gear.
Best In Slot Gear for Hunters in Wrath Classic
To see what your Best in Slot gear is for the Beast Master Hunter, please see ourHunter BIS guide.
