Beast Mastery Hunter leveling guide
You shoot while a strong pet holds the enemy. How the Beast Mastery talents play from level 10 to 60.
On this page7 sections
At a glanceOur pickOpinion, not confirmed by BlizzardOur reading of the Beast Mastery talent text, not a tested rotation.
- Build at level 60
- 33/18/0 (33 Beast Mastery, 18 Marksmanship)
- 16-point milestone
- Summon Hawk, level 25
- Last Beast Mastery talent
- Bestial Wrath, level 40
- In a group
- Damage
- Our first choice for leveling a Hunter
- This tree
How Beast Mastery plays
- Beast Mastery puts the pet in front. Endurance Training adds 15% to its Health and Armor, so it can take the hits while you shoot from behind it.
- Then the pet's damage climbs: 15% from Unleashed Fury, 10% critical strike chance from Ferocity, and from Frenzy a 30% attack speed increase for 8 sec after each of its critical strikes.
- You gain from having it out as well. Focused Fire adds 2% to all your damage while the pet is active, and Spirit Bond regenerates 2% of total health every 10 sec for both of you.
- Summon Hawk, the milestone, sends a hawk at your target for 18 sec. It shares its cooldown with Arcane Shot, so each time you choose one or the other.
- Intimidation is a 3 sec stun delivered by the pet, and Bestial Wrath, the last talent, gives the pet 50% additional damage for 18 sec.
What to press first
Most important first. Not a rotation.
- 1
Keep the pet alive and on a target
Focused Fire and Spirit Bond both stop working the moment the pet is gone.
- 2
Use Summon Hawk in place of Arcane Shot
Summon Hawk shares its cooldown with Arcane Shot, and Unleashed Fury and Ferocity raise the hawks' damage and critical strike chance along with the pet's.
- 3
Use Intimidation when the pet has to hold something
Intimidation stuns the target for 3 sec and generates high threat.
- 4
Keep Bestial Wrath for the hardest enemy of a pull
Bestial Wrath is 50% additional pet damage for 18 sec.
- 5
Travel with Aspect of the Cheetah
Pathfinding adds 6% to the speed bonus of Aspect of the Cheetah and Aspect of the Pack.
Talents that change how you play · 10
From Endurance Training at level 10 to Careful Aim at 43.
The level is when our build first takes the talent.
- Levels 10–14
The pet survives longer, which is what lets you pull more than one enemy.
- Levels 15–16
Your own damage now depends on the pet being out.
- Levels 20–24
The pet starts doing a real share of the damage.
- Level 25
Summon Hawk16-point milestone
A hawk joins the fight on the Arcane Shot cooldown. Only 2 hawks can be active at once.
- Level 26
The pet moves 30% faster, so it reaches each enemy before the enemy reaches you.
- Level 32
A stun, through the pet.
- Levels 33–34
Less time eating between fights: you and the pet regenerate health while it is out.
- Levels 35–39
The pet's critical strikes now speed up its attacks.
- Level 40
Your big cooldown, and it is the pet's.
- Levels 43–47
Careful AimMarksmanship
The first talent for your own shots: Intellect starts adding to your Attack Power.
Gear to look for
What the talents reward on items.
- No Beast Mastery talent in the build names a weapon or a stat of yours. The tree's numbers are the pet's.
- From level 43 Careful Aim adds your Intellect to your Attack Power, so Intellect gains value late.
- Critical strike chance follows: Lethal Attacks adds 5% and Mortal Shots raises the critical strike damage bonus of ranged abilities.
Groups and dungeons
In a group: damage. New group talents before 4 dungeons.
In a group these talents support damage.
- Intimidation generates high threat. Alone that is the point; next to a tank it can pull an enemy onto your pet, so in our view it is one to hold back in dungeons.
- Spirit Bond takes a little work off the healer: 2% of total health every 10 sec for you and the pet.
- Improved Revive Pet, one point here, shortens Revive Pet when the pet does die.
New group talents by the time each dungeon opens
Strengths and trade-offs
2 strengths, 2 trade-offs.
Strengths
- The pet holds enemies from level 10, which is why we suggest this tree.
- Health comes back on its own once Spirit Bond is in.
Trade-offs
- Much of the build does nothing while the pet is dead: Focused Fire and Spirit Bond both say while your pet is active.
- Your own shots get no talent until the Marksmanship points start at level 43.
Compare this build
Keep reading
Sources and what isn't confirmed
Not announced
- Item names and stat weights
- A leveling talent order from Blizzard
Sources
- Beta 1.60.1 talent data: every claim on this page is read from the Beast Mastery talent text. Nothing here is a published guide or a tested rotation
Updated . Talent data: beta 1.60.1. Details can change in any later build or patch.