[WOW] Hunter Builds

[rwfloydjr]

Okay, so I started a hunter alt. I played a dwarf one on another server up to 22 before, but really had no clue what I was doing. I am looking for a talent build for him. I am going to be doing a little of everything. I am going to do some PVE, PVP, Instance runs, and might like to Raid with him later, though obviously Kaylyn would be my raiding primary. Brooksd01 and I have talked a bit about the builds, and I have looked through the Hunters' forum.

However, I thought I would solicit some input here on builds. Other than knowing the generalities of each tree, and having read some basic comments about "this is better for that", I am really wondering what you have all tried and what seemed to work best for you? I keep leaning towards Marksman, but.........

So anyway, any input you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[Seroster]

Well, it's been a long time since I levelled.

The classic levelling path for the hunter was Beast Master. However with pet scaling - pets get some AP from your AP, stamina from your stamina - Marksman may be viable and fun. The key issue is how hard can you push your damage before your pet loses aggro. If you end up meleeing, your marksman talents won't help. At low levels you may not have disengage or feign death to help your pet regain control of the situation.

Also a Beastmaster pet will have more health/armour, and pets recover health very quickly. So that can lead to less downtime.

But for raiding, marksmanship is easier because if you don't have your pet out, or it's impossible to use your pet because of AOE damage/etc, then you're still doing lots of damage.

When I was levelling up I went up to 21 points in Beast Master, and then switched into Marksmanship. But when the 2.0 patch came out, I switched to a major in Beastmaster and haven't looked back since. I did do some raiding with that build (MC and BWL) and did really well in MC, but I'm not raiding any more, now.

[Samhaine]

In general:

Beastmastery makes solo leveling/farming/grinding very easy. It's also good for battlegrounds PvP since you can set a high-damage pet to aggressive and let it wreak havoc. If you have Bestial Wrath, it also is good to use against casters that use a lot of crowd control to keep range.

Marksmanship is generally superior at flat out, sustained DPS. It shines most when you're in a group with a competent tank, as you very quickly get to the point where you can pull aggro off of your un-talent-improved pet. In PvP, you do plenty of damage, but are potentially more vulnerable to getting caught in melee than the other two trees (as your pet isn't causing as much damage while you're in your dead zone and you don't have as many tricks to get back to range as survival).

Survival can be competitive for burst DPS, if you have enough crit gear, as it has a lot of talents meant to increase crit chance and buff you when you do crit. This makes it good in PvP, but also increases your danger of pulling aggro early in a fight. You also may have slightly more mana conservation issues than either other tree. It gives you more versatility for providing crowd control in groups, and lots of tricks for PvP.

This (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?05203000525012253105105550010000000000000003000 00000000000000000) is the Beastmastery build I'm using for leveling 60-70, and is similar to the one I used to 60.

This (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?55200000000000000000005550010050130531351033000 00000000000000000) is a build I'll probably switch to at 70; some of the points might vary as I haven't played with the new marksman talents yet.

This (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?00000000000000000000005522010050000000000333030 02500300300521350) is probably similar to what I'd do if I wanted a crit-crazy ranged DPS build. Again, I haven't played extensively with the survival talents, so some points might vary.

[PyroGod]

In general:

Beastmastery makes solo leveling/farming/grinding very easy. It's also good for battlegrounds PvP since you can set a high-damage pet to aggressive and let it wreak havoc. If you have Bestial Wrath, it also is good to use against casters that use a lot of crowd control to keep range.

Marksmanship is generally superior at flat out, sustained DPS. It shines most when you're in a group with a competent tank, as you very quickly get to the point where you can pull aggro off of your un-talent-improved pet. In PvP, you do plenty of damage, but are potentially more vulnerable to getting caught in melee than the other two trees (as your pet isn't causing as much damage while you're in your dead zone and you don't have as many tricks to get back to range as survival).

These are true.

Survival can be competitive for burst DPS, if you have enough crit gear, as it has a lot of talents meant to increase crit chance and buff you when you do crit. This makes it good in PvP, but also increases your danger of pulling aggro early in a fight. You also may have slightly more mana conservation issues than either other tree. It gives you more versatility for providing crowd control in groups, and lots of tricks for PvP.

Expose Weakness and Master Tactician are raid talents, and not particularly good ones either IMHO (pre-25 man anyhow). They are worthless as shit in PVP (average PVP 1v1 is say, 10-20 shots. 6% to proc during a 10 shot combat?).

Also, Thrill of the Hunt means survival hunts have the best mana conservation of any tree.

Some comments:

This (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?05203000525012253105105550010000000000000003000 00000000000000000) is the Beastmastery build I'm using for leveling 60-70, and is similar to the one I used to 60.

Pretty good, albeit I would suggest Bestial Swiftness (only one point) and possibly Revive Pet.

This (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?55200000000000000000005550010050130531351033000 00000000000000000) is a build I'll probably switch to at 70; some of the points might vary as I haven't played with the new marksman talents yet.

This might be my marksman build:http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=VxbZVVdRVzhestIhb

It is absolutely mandatory to take Go For The Throat if you go marksman. No exceptions. Then you take a wind serpent with you raiding and do an additional 250-300 nature damage on every crit.

Also, I tend not to grab Imp Mark. It is good, but I just use the assumption someone else will grab it.

This (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?00000000000000000000005522010050000000000333030 02500300300521350) is probably similar to what I'd do if I wanted a crit-crazy ranged DPS build. Again, I haven't played extensively with the survival talents, so some points might vary.

If you are going full survival, readiness is simply mandatory. No survival build should ever go more than 31 points without taking it. Also, Deterence and Counterattack are mandatory as well, good in both PVE and PVP to help with emergencies (a rooted enemy is an enemy that isn't hurting you, and isn't wasting healer mana).

And again, I'll restate my disdain for Expose Weakness. I think it is woefully underpowered in 5 and 10-mans, especially with the less focus on agility on hunter gear these days.

I'd recommend in general not going full survival.

---

This is my build right now: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=VZVVdRVzhxZIhhrzs0uVz

It combines most of the damage of Marksman with most of the control of Survival. It is also one of the only builds that has both Wyvern Sting and Scatter Shot, which is awesome for PVP. Plus, as a bonus if you group with a marksman hunter with trueshot, you are almost certain to out-DPS them.

[Tar Markvar]

I had a blast soloing with Survival to around level 27 or so, but I stopped playing that guy when my wife and I started playing together more often. I enjoyed the melee, inefficient as it was, and I remember startling a (my level +2) Warrior when we dueled and instead of trying to get distance I just ran in and started hacking away, complete with that one talent that raises Parry and Dodge both by 25%. I ended up creaming him in melee (though the pet helped).

I don't play PvP, and I wasn't overly concerned with leveling like a demon, so Survival was tons of fun for me. If you're more competitive than I am, then you'll want to go another way.

[PyroGod]

I had a blast soloing with Survival to around level 27 or so, but I stopped playing that guy when my wife and I started playing together more often. I enjoyed the melee, inefficient as it was, and I remember startling a (my level +2) Warrior when we dueled and instead of trying to get distance I just ran in and started hacking away, complete with that one talent that raises Parry and Dodge both by 25%. I ended up creaming him in melee (though the pet helped).

I don't play PvP, and I wasn't overly concerned with leveling like a demon, so Survival was tons of fun for me. If you're more competitive than I am, then you'll want to go another way.

I can see how it might theoretically be fun, but this is the worst way to play a hunter effectiveness wise. Hunter melee, survival or not, is crap.

Also, I have no clue what that warrior was doing. I don't remember that far back, so maybe he was lacking some vital abilities, but I can guarantee except against the most terrible players in the universe, that doesn't last.

[Tar Markvar]

I can see how it might theoretically be fun, but this is the worst way to play a hunter effectiveness wise. Hunter melee, survival or not, is crap.

Also, I have no clue what that warrior was doing. I don't remember that far back, so maybe he was lacking some vital abilities, but I can guarantee except against the most terrible players in the universe, that doesn't last.

Regardless, it was the most fun I've had with a hunter, and I've played a ton of them (though not to high levels... people seem to forget that there's a whole game before 60 :)).

Anyway, "effective" or not, that's my go for the "best" hunter build, because it was just so much damn fun. Like I say, your mileage will most likely vary.

[brooksd01]

My hunter is sitting like this (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?00000000000000000000055052010053102501051001000 00000000000000000) at 51 and will be here (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?50000000000000000000055052010053102501051003000 00000000000000000) at 58.

If I didn't like PvP as much as I do I'd probably drop Imp Concussive for Imp Mark, and do something else with concussive barrage points.

Other than a couple of "alt-its" type stints into Beast Mastery I've hallways been MM on this guy and on the alliance hunter I took to a bit past 40.

Go For the Throat and pet scaling has been a *huge* boost to MM leveling. I now shut off bite and use Gore (or Claw) and growl on auto-cast. It still feels weird to turn up the damage (at least an extra Arc Shot) every time I get an auto shot crit, but the sudden growl and a gore or two kick up the pet threat nicely.

[rwfloydjr]

So with the input so far, and kind of a desire to go MM, here is one thought on builds First MM Build (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?50200000000000000000005552510050102501051333002 00000000000000000) and here is the second one Second MM Build (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunter/talents.html?50200000000000000000005552410050102531051333000 00000000000000000).

So assuming I use one of these, where would I want to put the points first to get the most out of the build early on?

[Seroster]

- I think you should take Barrage
- I think Improved Arcane Shot is a bit dicey.
- Combat Experience is not very good. If you have 400 Agility and 200 Int, it gives you... 8 Agility, and 12 Int. Whoopee!

I'd start with Lethal Shots and then Improved Hunter's Mark (to help your pet) and go from there.

For a Go For The Throat build, you'll want a pet with claw, or even better, a windserpent with lightning breath. You can get those around level 14 in the Barrens. Just stay clear of ones with mana bars (they're wimpier pets).

[brooksd01]

- I think you should take Barrage
- I think Improved Arcane Shot is a bit dicey.
- Combat Experience is not very good. If you have 400 Agility and 200 Int, it gives you... 8 Agility, and 12 Int. Whoopee!

I'd start with Lethal Shots and then Improved Hunter's Mark (to help your pet) and go from there.

For a Go For The Throat build, you'll want a pet with claw, or even better, a windserpent with lightning breath. You can get those around level 14 in the Barrens. Just stay clear of ones with mana bars (they're wimpier pets).


QFT

I'd also lose Imp Arc shot. It's up more than enough without the talent to drain your mana and help you pull aggro ;). I might consider it near the end game with enough Mp5 gear, but not when leveling.

I'd also probably pick up barrage for a non-PvP build. The extra damage is nice in situations where you are weaving in multi for more DPS.

Pet wise I'd recommend a boar. Charge is nice to get a little harder hit at the begining in case your aimed shot crits. The also have Gore now which is just claw by another name.

[Seroster]

Actually, I understand that Gore gives better overall damage than Claw, so... even better.