Survival Hunter guide

Melee / ranged DPSHunter · WoW Forever

Beta guide, level 30. The WoW Forever beta stops at level 30, so this guide and its build cover levels 1 to 30. We update it for level 60 after launch on November 4.

Survival is the Hunter that fights both up close and from range. Forever turns it into a real melee spec: Predator's Edge adds 30% crit damage to your melee abilities, Strider Kick hits hard and speeds you back out to range, Expose Prey procs Mongoose Bite, and Lacerating Strikes makes it bleed. Traps get stronger and come back faster.

Strengths

Big damage when you weave melee and ranged attacks well
Plays at any range: no more dead zone panic
Strong traps and control

Weaknesses

Melee weaving is hard and mistakes cost damage
Relies on good positioning and movement
The Hunter dead zone: you can't shoot enemies between melee range and 8 yards.

Talent build (level 30) 0/0/21

Survival 21 points

Improved Tracking5/5
Savage Strikes2/2
Survivalist3/5
Clever Traps2/2
Surefooted3/3
Predator's Edge5/5
Strider Kick1/1

21 points in Survival: Improved Tracking for damage on your tracked creature type, Savage Strikes and Predator's Edge for melee crits, Surefooted for hit, Survivalist for health, Clever Traps, and Strider Kick at 30. Expose Prey and Lacerating Strikes come after launch.

Open this build in the talent calculator

Key talents

Strider Kick: New in Forever: a kick for 100% weapon damage that also gives +30% movement speed for 3 sec.
Predator's Edge: New in Forever: +30% melee crit damage and +50% off-hand damage.
Improved Tracking: New in Forever: up to +5% damage against the creature type you're tracking.
Surefooted: +3% hit and shorter slows on you.
Savage Strikes: +4% crit on your melee abilities.

New in Forever: Survival talents

Improved TrackingWhile tracking Beasts, Demons, Dragonkin, Elementals, Giants, Humanoids, or Undead, all damage you deal to the tracked creature type is increased by 5%.
Survival TacticsIncreases your chance to hit with your Trap and Feign Death abilities by 10%.
Predator's EdgeIncreases your melee ability critical strike damage by 30% and your Off Hand weapon damage by 50%.
ResourcefulnessReduces the Mana cost of your Trap and melee abilities by 60%, and grants your melee and ranged ability Critical Strikes a 100% chance to allow 50% of your Mana Regeneration to continue while casting for 30 sec.
Expose PreyGrants your melee and ranged attacks against enemies afflicted by Hunter's Mark a 10% chance to allow an activation of Mongoose Bite. Lasts 10 sec.
Survivalist's DisciplineReduces the cooldown of your Trap and Deterrence abilities by 40%.
Strider KickA powerful kick that deals 100% melee weapon damage and increases movement speed by 30% for 3 sec.
Lacerating StrikesYour Mongoose Bite also causes the target to Bleed for damage equal to 40% of the damage done by Mongoose Bite over 21 sec

Rotation

Track the enemy's creature type (Beasts, Humanoids and so on) for Improved Tracking.
Open from range: Serpent Sting and Arcane Shot.
Run in: Raptor Strike, Mongoose Bite when it lights up, then Strider Kick.
Use Strider Kick's speed to get back to range and keep shooting.
Rapid Fire on cooldown.

Several enemies

Explosive Trap under the pack.
Multi-Shot from range.
Melee the main target and keep the trap rolling.

Cooldowns

Rapid Fire: +40% attack speed.
Deterrence: +25% dodge and parry for 10 sec when you're in trouble.
Freezing Trap: Take one enemy out of the fight.

Stats

Agility first: it feeds both your ranged and melee attacks and your crit. Then hit and Attack Power. Keep both your ranged and melee weapons upgraded.

Best races

Alliance

Skyborne (High Order): Wind Blessed: +2% haste, which is hard to find anywhere else.
Human: Ruthless: +1% crit with all attacks.
Dwarf: Artisan's Precision: +1% hit, and Big Game Hunter: +5% damage to Beasts.

Horde

Skyborne (Windshaper): Wind Blessed (+2% haste) and Skysight for speed.
Orc: Blood Fury (+10% Attack Power for 15 sec) and Command (+5% pet damage).
Troll: Berserking (+10% attack speed) and +5% damage to Beasts.

Professions

None is required. Leatherworking or Engineering (scopes for your bow or gun) with a gathering profession, or Skinning and Leatherworking for easy gold while leveling.

Leveling

Survival is fun to level but busier than Beast Mastery. Keep your pet out while leveling and use Strider Kick to get back to range whenever things get rough.