Beast Mastery Hunter guide

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.

Beast Mastery lets your pet do the heavy lifting: it holds the enemy while you shoot from range. It is the easiest and safest way to level in WoW Forever. Forever adds Summon Hawk, a hawk that dive-bombs your target and keeps attacking for 18 seconds, and Focused Fire, +2% damage for you and your pet while it's out.

Strengths

The smoothest solo leveling in the game: your pet tanks, you shoot
Simple rotation, great for new players
Steady damage as long as your pet stays on target

Weaknesses

Everything depends on your pet staying alive
Lower damage ceiling than Marksmanship later on
The Hunter dead zone: you can't shoot enemies between melee range and 8 yards.

Talent build (level 30) 21/0/0

Beast Mastery 21 points

Deadly Aspects5/5
Endurance Training3/5
Focused Fire2/2
Unleashed Fury5/5
Ferocity5/5
Summon Hawk1/1

21 points in Beast Mastery: Deadly Aspects for attack speed, Unleashed Fury and Ferocity for pet damage, Focused Fire, a tougher pet with Endurance Training, and Summon Hawk at 30. Frenzy and Bestial Wrath come after launch.

Open this build in the talent calculator

Key talents

Summon Hawk: New in Forever: a hawk attacks your target for 18 sec. Keep two up at once.
Focused Fire: New in Forever: +2% damage for you and your pet while your pet is out.
Unleashed Fury: +15% damage for your pet and hawks.
Ferocity: +10% crit for your pet and hawks.
Deadly Aspects: Your Auto Shot can give +30% ranged attack speed for 12 sec in Aspect of the Hawk.

New in Forever: Beast Mastery talents

Focused FireIncreases all damage you and your pet deal by 2% while your pet is active.
Summon HawkCommand a hawk to dive-bomb your targeted enemy, dealing 32 plus 5% of your Ranged Attack Power Physical damage and continuing its assault for 18 sec. Only 2 hawks can be active at once. Summon Hawk shares its cooldown with Arcane Shot.

Rotation

Send your pet in first and let it build threat.
Serpent Sting, and reapply it when it ends.
Summon Hawk on cooldown: aim to keep two hawks up.
Arcane Shot when two hawks are up.
Aimed Shot when you have it and the cast is safe.
Rapid Fire on cooldown.

Several enemies

Explosive Trap under the pack.
Multi-Shot on cooldown.
Serpent Sting on the enemies that live long enough.

Cooldowns

Rapid Fire: +40% attack speed.
Intimidation (after launch): Pet stun plus a guaranteed crit.
Feign Death: Drops combat when a pull goes wrong.

Stats

Agility first (2 ranged Attack Power and crit per point, and your pet copies your crit), then hit, then Attack Power. Intellect and Spirit keep your mana up.

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

The best class to level in the beta. Tame a pet at 10, keep it fed and happy, and let it hold aggro while you shoot. Stay in Aspect of the Hawk; Cheetah and Pack can daze you if you get hit.