Beast Mastery Hunter
Your pet does the work. Hawks join in.
The pet hunter: a strong pet, new Summon Hawk dive-bombers, and Bestial Wrath. The easiest hunter to level and great solo.
Three things to remember
Pet first
Keep your pet alive, happy and attacking. Most of your damage goes through it.
Hawks share Arcane Shot
Summon Hawk puts up to 2 hawks on the target, and shares a cooldown with Arcane Shot.
Bestial Wrath at 40
Your 31-point talent: your pet goes wild for a while. Use it on bosses.
What changed for you
Aimed Shot is for everyone
No longer a talent: every hunter trains it at level 20. 2-sec cast, 6-sec cooldown, shared with Multi-Shot.
Rapid Fire speeds up melee too
40% faster ranged and melee attacks for 15 sec.
Summon Hawk
A hawk dive-bombs the target and fights for 18 sec, up to 2 at once. Pet talents boost hawks too.
Focused Fire and Bestial Discipline
You and your pet deal 1% more damage while it is out, and 25% of your mana regeneration keeps going while you cast.
Low-level tips and what to press as you level
- Pull with Auto Shot and Serpent Sting, then Raptor Strike when they reach you.
- Keep Aspect of the Monkey up early, Aspect of the Hawk from 10.
- Get your pet at level 10 (quest): it tanks for you while you shoot.
- Tame a pet with a fast attack (a cat or a boar is fine).
- Take Endurance Training and Focused Fire.
- Send the pet in, wait a second, then shoot.
- Aimed Shot (20) to open, Multi-Shot on packs (shared cooldown).
- Take Unleashed Fury, Ferocity and Summon Hawk.
- Intimidation to stun a mob running at you.
- Bestial Wrath (talent) on elites and bosses.
- Take Frenzy and Spirit Bond for healing between pulls.
- Two hawks plus your pet clears fast.
Your priority
A simple order for Beast Mastery at 60. Your pet attacks first, and Hunter's Mark goes on before the pull.
- Hunter's Mark on the target before you shoot.
- Bestial Wrath and Rapid Fire at the start of a boss fight.
- Summon Hawk whenever it is ready (up to 2 hawks).
- Serpent Sting keep it on targets that live a while.
- Aimed Shot on cooldown (shares it with Multi-Shot).
- Multi-Shot instead of Aimed Shot on two or more targets.
- Mend Pet whenever your pet drops low.
Talents that matter
| Talent | Tree | Why take it |
|---|---|---|
| Endurance Training | Beast Mastery | More pet health and armor. |
| Focused Fire | Beast Mastery | +1% damage for you and your pet. |
| Unleashed Fury | Beast Mastery | +3% pet and hawk damage. |
| Ferocity | Beast Mastery | +2% pet and hawk crit. |
| Summon Hawk | Beast Mastery | Up to 2 hawks on your target. |
| Spirit Bond | Beast Mastery | You and your pet heal slowly. |
| Intimidation | Beast Mastery | A 3-sec pet stun. |
| Bestial Discipline | Beast Mastery | Pet focus and your mana while casting. |
| Frenzy | Beast Mastery | Faster pet attacks after crits. |
| Bestial Wrath | Beast Mastery (31) | Your pet's big cooldown. |
Best race for this spec
Artisan's Precision gives +1% hit, so fewer misses on every attack, and Big Game Hunter adds 5% damage to Beasts.
Command gives your pet +5% damage and Blood Fury helps you both. The best Beast Mastery pick.
| Race | Side | Racials |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Alliance | Ruthless: +1% crit. The Human Spirit: +10% Spirit. Will to Survive: break out of a stun. Perception: spot stealthed players. |
| Dwarf | Alliance | Artisan's Precision: +1% hit with attacks and spells. Stoneform: removes bleeds, poisons and diseases and cuts physical damage taken by 10% for 8 sec. Big Game Hunter: +5% damage to Beasts. |
| Night Elf | Alliance | Elune's Light: +10% crit for 15 sec. Shadowmeld: hide when standing still. Quickness: +1% dodge and a little extra run speed. |
| Skyborne (High Order) | Alliance | Wind Blessed: +2% attack and casting speed. Elemental Insight: +5% damage to Elementals. Walk on Air. Read Leyline: +50% mana and health regeneration for 15 sec (+100% while Attuned from a Ley Line; Attuned ends when you enter a raid). Paid race. |
| Orc | Horde | Blood Fury: +10% attack power and spell power for 15 sec, every 2 minutes. Command: +5% damage for Hunter and Warlock pets. Shatter Curse: 5% less magic damage taken for 8 sec. |
| Tauren | Horde | Endurance: +5% health. War Stomp: stun nearby enemies. Plainsrunning: run speed that builds while you run (2% a stack, up to 60%; not on mounts). |
| Troll | Horde | Berserking: faster attacks and casts for 15 sec. Beast Slaying: +5% damage to Beasts. |
| Skyborne (Windshaper) | Horde | Wind Blessed: +2% attack and casting speed. Elemental Insight: +5% damage to Elementals. Walk on Air. Skysight: +15% run speed for 15 sec (+30% while Charged from an elemental convergence; Charged ends when you enter a raid). Paid race. |
These are small edges, about 1 to 2 percent. Play the race you enjoy and the side your friends are on. Skyborne needs the paid Skyborne Heroic Pack.
Play it better
Let the pet pull
Send your pet, count to two, then attack. It keeps the mob off you.
Feed your pet
A happy pet does more damage. Carry food it likes.
Hawks or Arcane Shot
They share a cooldown. Hawks are usually better for Beast Mastery.
Feign Death to reset
Feign Death drops threat. In WoW Forever you must cancel it within 6 minutes or you really die.
When something seems off
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| My pet keeps dying | Use Mend Pet, take Endurance Training and Spirit Bond, and keep it fed so it stays happy. |
| Out of mana all the time | Take Efficiency, use Aspect of the Hawk, drink between pulls, and stop Arcane Shot on easy mobs. |
| Summon Hawk not ready | It shares a cooldown with Arcane Shot. Do not press both. |
| Pet is not attacking | Check it is on Defensive or Aggressive, and use the Attack button. |
Let Bonkr Compass+ call your buttons
Compass+ shows your next shot, follows your Serpent Sting and Hunter's Mark from your casts, and has a hunter levelling list. Type /cplus why to see why it picked a spell.