Content:
Key Takeaways
Beast Mastery is the Hunter specialization where your pet does a huge share of the fighting while you stay back and shoot. This guide walks you through talents, builds, rotations, gear, stats, consumables, macros and PvP for the spec in WoW Forever, so you can level smoothly and arrive at endgame prepared.
- How it plays: a strong ranged Hunter backed by a sturdy pet, built around Auto Shot, Aimed Shot, Bestial Wrath and the new Summon Hawk.
- Pet scaling: pets now inherit part of your Stamina, Armor, Attack Power and Critical Strike chance, and every pet family brings its own unique ability.
- Best races: Orc on the Horde side and Night Elf on the Alliance side, with Skyborne as a strong pick against Elementals.
- What is new: Summon Hawk and Focused Fire arrive in WoW Forever, while pet scaling, Auto Shot, Aimed Shot and several Beast Mastery talents have been reworked.
- Leveling: one of the best solo leveling specs thanks to a durable pet, ranged damage, strong kiting tools and reliable solo performance.
- Professions and PvP: Skinning pairs well with Engineering or Leatherworking, and in PvP you rely on pet damage, traps, slows, Intimidation and mobility.
Note: the current beta caps characters at level 20, so the level 30 and level 60 recommendations in this guide are based on the complete Patch 1.60.1 talent data. Treat them as a plan for later, not as something you can test today.
Beast Mastery Hunter Overview
Beast Mastery Hunter in WoW Forever is a pet-focused specialization with strong solo damage, pet scaling and ranged support. Auto Shot, Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot make up the Hunter’s own ranged damage, while the pet takes care of much of the sustained damage and holds threat for you. Bestial Wrath pushes the pet’s damage even higher, and the new Summon Hawk gives you one more source of pet-like damage on top.
Pets matter more here than they did in Classic, because they now inherit part of your Stamina, Armor, Attack Power and Critical Strike chance. Each pet family also has a unique ability, which gives you real reasons to pick different pets for PvE and PvP. Feign Death, Freezing Trap and Intimidation round out the toolkit with control and survival options, so the spec is more than just a damage dealer.
If you would like to try the spec but do not have time to level up first, our character leveling service can take care of the early levels so you can get to the interesting content sooner.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Beast Mastery gets its strengths from the powerful pet, comfortable solo leveling, reliable ranged damage and handy utility. The pros and cons table below shows where the spec shines and where you will need to pay extra attention.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Excellent solo leveling with a durable, high-damage pet | Needs careful pet control in dungeons to avoid unwanted pulls |
| Strong single-target damage from the Hunter and pet working together | Less AoE and cleave damage than the strongest DPS specializations |
| Strong kiting tools with Freezing Trap, Frost Trap and Feign Death | Aspect of the Cheetah is removed when the Hunter takes damage |
| Intimidation gives you an on-demand pet stun | Pet performance depends on proper positioning and control |
| Keeps up useful damage with Auto Shot even with limited Mana | Managing the pet adds extra responsibility in group content |
The two columns are really two sides of the same coin. The pet is what makes the spec so comfortable when you quest alone, but it is also the thing you have to babysit when a dungeon pack is waiting a few steps away. If you enjoy a spec where you make small decisions about positioning and control, the trade-off is easy to accept.
Still choosing a race? See our best races for WoW Forever guide.
Best Race
On the Horde side Orc is the strongest overall race for Beast Mastery Hunters, and on the Alliance side Night Elf is the best pick. Skyborne can also be very strong in fights against Elementals, and several other races bring useful options for specific content.
| Race | Faction | Why it works for Beast Mastery |
|---|---|---|
| Night Elf | Alliance | Elune’s Light gives Night Elf Hunters a strong burst window. It combines especially well with Bestial Wrath, and your pet also gains 10% Critical Strike chance while the effect lasts. |
| Orc | Horde | Blood Fury gives a large Attack Power boost and also helps the pet through Hunter stat inheritance. Its 2-minute cooldown makes it a handy tool for regular damage bursts. |
| Skyborne | Alliance and Horde | Elemental Insight makes Skyborne particularly strong against Elementals, and Wind Blessed also provides Haste, which is valuable for Hunters. |
The remaining races can still work well, depending on how you play and what content you focus on:
- Human: Will to Survive is especially useful in PvP, and the Melee Critical Strike bonus of the race passes to your pet through the new inheritance system.
- Dwarf: Big Game Hunter adds damage against Beasts, and Stoneform is another useful option for PvP.
- Troll: Beast Slaying adds damage against Beasts, and Berserking gives you a temporary Attack Speed boost.
- Tauren: Endurance gives 1% Hit, Plainsrunning offers another way to keep moving while Aspect of the Hawk stays active, and War Stomp helps you control groups of enemies.
In practice, pick the race that matches your faction first and the bonus second. The racial abilities above are a nice edge, but none of them is a reason to roll on the side you do not want to play. If you want to prepare your Hunter for endgame content afterwards, our pre-raid gear service is one way to get a head start.
Hunter Systems
The mechanics of Beast Mastery Hunters in WoW Forever keep the familiar ammo system from Classic, while pets receive several changes. You still need a quiver for arrows or an ammo pouch for bullets, and your pet now benefits from your stats and gains new abilities depending on its family.
- Ammo: quivers and ammo pouches still take up a bag slot.
- Pet Abilities: every pet family has at least one unique ability, with different options for PvE and PvP.
- Pet Scaling: pets gain Health from Stamina, 30% of the Hunter’s Armor, 10% of their highest Attack Power source and 100% of their Critical Strike chance.
- Pet Avoidance: pets now have Avoidance and can reduce damage from certain attacks.
- Pet Buffs: pets can no longer receive buffs from other classes.
Together these changes make pet choice more important than it was in Classic: different families offer different abilities, and your own stats directly improve the pet. You can check the stats your pet inherits from you on the Pet panel, which is a quick way to see whether a new piece of gear helps both of you.
Beast Mastery Hunter Changes
Compared with Classic, the changes to Beast Mastery Hunter in WoW Forever are about stronger pets, a new hawk ability and a few talent adjustments rather than a major redesign. The spec still feels like the Hunter you remember, just with a better pet and a few extra tools.
- New abilities and talents: Summon Hawk calls a hawk that attacks the target for 18 seconds, with up to two hawks active at once. Focused Fire increases the damage dealt by both you and your pet while the pet is active. Several Beast Mastery talents also interact with the new hawks and their damage.
- Changes from Classic: pets now scale with some of their owner’s stats, although less than in later versions of WoW, and some pet families gain new abilities that make more families worth using. Auto Shot no longer has its hidden 0.5-second cast time and can continue while you cast other abilities. Aimed Shot is a baseline ability and shares a cooldown with Multi-Shot, and Bestial Discipline lets 50% of your Mana regeneration continue while casting.
New Abilities and Talents
The new Beast Mastery abilities and talents add the Summon Hawk mechanic and raise the damage of both you and your pet.
| Ability or talent | Effect | How you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Summon Hawk | Calls a hawk to dive-bomb the targeted enemy, dealing Physical damage and attacking it for 18 seconds. Up to two hawks can be active at once. Summon Hawk shares its cooldown with Arcane Shot and has a 6-second cooldown. | Adds a second source of pet-like damage and gives you another way to keep damage flowing on a target. |
| Focused Fire | Increases all damage dealt by the Hunter and their pet by 2% while the pet is active. | Provides a constant damage increase as long as your pet is out. |
Neither of these asks much from you in terms of button presses. Summon Hawk is something you press when it comes off cooldown, and Focused Fire is a passive bonus that rewards you for simply keeping your pet alive and summoned. That is a good reminder of the philosophy of the spec: the more you protect the pet, the more damage you do.
Changes from Classic
The updates to Beast Mastery Hunter focus on stronger pets, new hawk attacks and several changes to existing abilities and talents:
- Summon Hawk is a new Beast Mastery talent that summons a hawk to attack the target for 18 seconds. Up to two hawks can be active at once, and the ability has a 6-second cooldown shared with Arcane Shot.
- Focused Fire is a new talent that increases all damage dealt by the Hunter and their pet by 2% while the pet is active.
- Hunter pets now scale with some of the Hunter’s stats, although the scaling is weaker than in later versions of WoW.
- Some pet families gain new abilities, which makes more families useful for Beast Mastery Hunters.
- Auto Shot no longer has its hidden 0.5-second cast time and can continue while the Hunter casts other abilities.
- Aimed Shot is now a baseline ability instead of a talent and shares its cooldown with Multi-Shot.
- Multi-Shot also shares its cooldown with Aimed Shot and no longer appears to have additional ranks with increased damage.
- Endurance Training now increases both the Health and Armor of your pets by 15%.
- Improved Aspect of the Monkey now also gives the pet 50% of the effect from the Hunter’s Aspect of the Monkey.
- Intimidation now gives the pet’s next successful attack a 100% increased critical strike chance in addition to stunning the target for 3 seconds.
- Bestial Discipline now increases pet Focus regeneration by 20% and allows 50% of the Hunter’s Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
The practical takeaway is that the shared cooldown between Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot simplifies your button priority: you pick one of them for each global cooldown, depending on whether you face one target or several. The Mana changes from Bestial Discipline also mean you are less likely to run dry in the middle of a long pull, which matters most while you level.
If you want to get your Hunter ready for endgame content, our dungeon runs are one way to move through group content while you focus on learning the pet controls.
Best Beast Mastery Hunter Builds
The best builds change as you level and unlock new talents. The early points improve your ranged and pet damage, while later talents add stronger pet abilities, ranged Critical Strike and powerful endgame utility. There are three main setups to know, one for each stage of the game.
- Level 20 build: the 7/4/0 setup, with 7 points in Beast Mastery and 4 points in Marksmanship.
- Level 30 build: the 21/0/0 setup, with all 21 points in Beast Mastery.
- Level 60 build: the recommended 31/20/0 setup, with 31 points in Beast Mastery and 20 points in Marksmanship.
Since the beta stops at level 20, the first build is the only one you can actually play right now. The other two are worth reading early anyway, because they show where your points are heading and help you avoid wasting a point on something you will not need.
Level 20 Build
The level 20 build is all about improving your ranged and pet damage as quickly as possible. Spend your talent points in this order:
| Level | Talent | Ranks | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-14 | Deadly Aspects | 5/5 | Improves your damage while using your Aspects. |
| 15-16 | Focused Fire | 2/2 | Increases damage dealt by you and your pet while your pet is active. |
| 17-20 | Lethal Attacks | 4/5 | Increases your chance to critically strike with ranged attacks. |
The order makes sense when you read the reasons one after another. First you make your Aspects hit harder, then you add the flat damage bonus that comes with an active pet, and only then do you reach into Marksmanship for ranged Critical Strike. Ruins of Lordaeron is a good early dungeon for practicing pet control and learning how to manage your damage in group fights.
See how the damage specs compare in the WoW Forever DPS ranking.
Level 30 Build
The level 30 build keeps improving your ranged and pet damage, and it also unlocks key mobility and crowd control talents. Spend your talent points in this order:
| Level | Talent | Ranks | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-14 | Deadly Aspects | 5/5 | Improves your damage while using your Aspects. |
| 15-16 | Focused Fire | 2/2 | Increases damage dealt by you and your pet while your pet is active. |
| 17-18 | Pathfinding | 2/2 | Increases your movement speed while using Aspect of the Cheetah or Aspect of the Pack. |
| 19-20 | Improved Revive Pet | 2/2 | Reduces the cast time and Mana cost of Revive Pet. |
| 21 | Bestial Swiftness | 1/1 | Increases your pet’s movement speed, helping it stay on targets. |
| 22-26 | Unleashed Fury | 5/5 | Increases your pet’s damage. |
| 27-28 | Ferocity | 2/5 | Increases your pet’s Critical Strike chance. |
| 29 | Intimidation | 1/1 | Gives your pet an additional stun for PvE and PvP control. |
| 30 | Summon Hawk | 1/1 | Summons a Hawk that attacks your target and provides an additional source of damage. |
This build is a clear step up in comfort. Pathfinding and Improved Revive Pet smooth out the awkward moments of running away from a pack or bringing a fallen pet back, while Unleashed Fury and Ferocity are where your pet’s damage really starts to climb. The last two points are the fun ones: Intimidation gives you a stun, and Summon Hawk finally adds the new hawk to your damage.
Endgame Build
The level 60 build puts most of its weight on pet damage, then takes key Marksmanship talents for stronger ranged attacks, Critical Strike and Trueshot Aura. Here is the full list, tree by tree:
| Talent | Ranks | Tree |
|---|---|---|
| Deadly Aspects | 5/5 | Beast Mastery |
| Endurance Training | 1/5 | Beast Mastery |
| Focused Fire | 2/2 | Beast Mastery |
| Improved Revive Pet | 2/2 | Beast Mastery |
| Bestial Swiftness | 1/1 | Beast Mastery |
| Unleashed Fury | 5/5 | Beast Mastery |
| Ferocity | 5/5 | Beast Mastery |
| Summon Hawk | 1/1 | Beast Mastery |
| Bestial Discipline | 2/2 | Beast Mastery |
| Intimidation | 1/1 | Beast Mastery |
| Frenzy | 5/5 | Beast Mastery |
| Bestial Wrath | 1/1 | Beast Mastery |
| Hawk Eye | 3/3 | Beast Mastery |
| Lethal Attacks | 5/5 | Marksmanship |
| Careful Aim | 5/5 | Marksmanship |
| Rapid Killing | 2/2 | Marksmanship |
| Trueshot Aura | 1/1 | Marksmanship |
| Mortal Shots | 4/5 | Marksmanship |
| Survival | 0 points | No points required |
Note: the ranks listed in the table and the 31/20/0 headline split do not line up perfectly, and Hawk Eye is the talent to double-check, because it may belong to the Marksmanship side of your talent frame. Beta numbers may change, so follow the 31/20/0 split and verify the last few points against your in-game talent window.
Think of the build as two layers. The Beast Mastery layer makes your pet tougher, faster, more critical and, with Bestial Wrath, much more dangerous in short windows. The Marksmanship layer then turns you into a better shooter, with Critical Strike from Lethal Attacks, Attack Power from Careful Aim, a shorter cooldown from Rapid Killing, a party-wide boost from Trueshot Aura and bigger critical hits from Mortal Shots. You skip Survival completely.
Beast Mastery Hunter Abilities
Beast Mastery abilities combine ranged damage with strong pet support, crowd control and utility. Aimed Shot, Arcane Shot and Serpent Sting make up much of the ranged toolkit, while Bestial Wrath boosts the pet and Summon Hawk adds another source of damage. Multi-Shot provides ranged AoE, and Explosive Trap and Volley give you extra options against groups.
- Pet and Hunter damage: Bestial Wrath increases your pet’s damage, while Summon Hawk summons a hawk for 18 seconds. You can have up to two hawks active at once.
- Ranged damage: Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot share a cooldown, while Arcane Shot shares its cooldown with Summon Hawk.
- Crowd control: Freezing Trap freezes a single target, Frost Trap slows enemies in an area, and Intimidation makes the pet stun its target on the next successful attack.
- Utility: Feign Death can drop combat in PvE, while Hunter’s Mark, Tranquilizing Shot and Flare provide additional utility.
You also have several Aspects and pet abilities to manage. Pet families have their own abilities, Aspect of the Hawk supports your ranged damage, and Aspect of the Cheetah improves your movement speed. Picking the right pet and using its abilities at the right moment adds another layer to the spec, and it is where good Beast Mastery Hunters separate themselves from average ones.
Pet Abilities
Hunter pets have unique abilities based on their family, which gives you different options for damage, crowd control and utility. These are the main ones listed for the spec:
| Pet ability | Main use |
|---|---|
| Growl | Generates threat on the target, helping the pet hold enemy attention while you level and during solo content. |
| Bite | Deals direct physical damage and is available to several pet families. |
| Dash | Increases the pet’s movement speed, helping it reach or switch between targets faster. |
| Thunderstomp | Deals area damage and generates additional threat, which is useful when fighting multiple enemies. |
| Prowl | Stealths the pet until it attacks, so it can approach targets without being detected. |
| Web | Roots the target in place for several seconds, which gives useful control in PvP and solo content. |
Knowing when to use your pet’s abilities, attacks and utility is important for handling different encounters. A threat-focused ability like Growl keeps enemies on the pet, while something like Web or Prowl suits situations where you want control or a clean approach. Match the family to the content you plan to run.
Crowd Control Abilities
Beast Mastery Hunters have several crowd-control tools for controlling single enemies, slowing groups and creating space during difficult encounters.
| Ability | Main use |
|---|---|
| Freezing Trap | Freezes an enemy in place, providing single-target crowd control. |
| Frost Trap | Creates an area that slows enemies who enter it, which makes it useful for controlling groups. |
| Intimidation | Commands the pet to stun the target for 3 seconds on its next successful attack. |
| Concussive Shot | Slows the target, helping you keep your distance and kite enemies. |
| Wing Clip | Slows a nearby enemy after a melee attack, giving you another option when an enemy reaches you. |
These tools stack into a simple kiting routine: slow the enemy, keep your distance, and let the pet and your shots do the work. When something does reach you, Wing Clip buys the room you need to start shooting again.
Damage Abilities
Beast Mastery Hunters use a mix of instant shots, physical attacks and damage-over-time effects to deal ranged damage while the pet attacks from melee range.
| Ability | Main use |
|---|---|
| Auto Shot | Provides your basic ranged damage and no longer has the hidden 0.5-second cast time in WoW Forever. |
| Aimed Shot | Deals a powerful ranged attack and is now a baseline ability. |
| Arcane Shot | Deals instant Arcane damage and shares its cooldown with Summon Hawk. |
| Multi-Shot | Fires at multiple enemies and shares its cooldown with Aimed Shot. |
| Serpent Sting | Applies a ranged damage-over-time effect to the target. |
| Volley | Deals ranged area damage to enemies within the targeted area. |
Notice how the shared cooldowns shape your choices. Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot compete with each other, and Arcane Shot competes with Summon Hawk, so you rarely have to wonder what to press: the game removes the other option for a moment.
Utility Abilities
Beast Mastery Hunters have several utility abilities that help with scouting, enemy control, survival and group support.
| Ability | Main use |
|---|---|
| Feign Death | Drops you from enemy threat and can be used to escape dangerous situations or avoid an unwanted pull. |
| Hunter’s Mark | Marks an enemy and increases its visibility to you and your group. |
| Tranquilizing Shot | Removes an enrage effect from an enemy. |
| Flare | Reveals stealthed or invisible enemies within the area. |
| Aspect of the Cheetah | Increases your movement speed, which makes it useful for travel and kiting. |
Of these, Feign Death is the one that saves runs. If a pet pulls more than you wanted or a dungeon pack turns on you, dropping threat is often the cleanest reset.
Beast Mastery Hunter Rotation
At level 20 the rotation revolves around keeping your pet active, using Summon Hawk whenever it is available, and filling the remaining time with Aimed Shot or Multi-Shot. Follow this priority:
- Apply Hunter’s Mark when you have time before the pull.
- Apply Serpent Sting and refresh it when needed.
- Use Summon Hawk whenever it is available.
- Use Aimed Shot against a single target or Multi-Shot against multiple targets.
- Use Arcane Shot whenever it is available.
- Keep attacking with Auto Shot while you wait for your next ability.
- Repeat the priority, refreshing Serpent Sting when it expires.
Tip: before you learn Summon Hawk, use Aimed Shot for single targets or Multi-Shot for groups, and add Arcane Shot whenever it is available.
The priority list is short on purpose. The first two steps are setup that you do while the target is still approaching, and everything after that is a loop where the highest available ability wins. If you are ever unsure what to press, go back to step three and work your way down.
Cooldowns
The damage cooldowns of the spec focus on raising your pet’s damage and adding extra damage sources. Use them together when you can, so that your burst window is as strong as possible.
- Bestial Wrath: use it to increase your pet’s damage during burst windows.
- Summon Hawk: summon up to two hawks to add another source of damage, and use it whenever it is available.
- Focused Fire: keep this active while your pet is present, so that both your damage and your pet’s damage stay increased.
Lining these up is easy to remember: you want the pet out, the hawks flying and Bestial Wrath active at the same time. Races with a burst ability, such as Orc with Blood Fury or Night Elf with Elune’s Light, fit neatly into the same window.
Beast Mastery Hunter Leveling
Beast Mastery is one of the strongest leveling options in WoW Forever, because your pet can tank enemies while you deal damage from range. Send the pet in first, then open up with Serpent Sting, Aimed Shot and Arcane Shot while keeping Auto Shot running. Once you unlock Summon Hawk, it adds one more source of damage to every fight.
Questing is the main way to level a Beast Mastery Hunter, with the pet absorbing most of the incoming damage. Keep it fed and learn useful pet abilities through Beast Training. Dungeons are a good option when you want group experience, but the spec can handle most open-world leveling without a group, which makes it a comfortable pick when you prefer to play alone or your friends are offline.
Not sure which class to play? Our WoW Forever best classes tier list can help.
Leveling Build
The leveling build concentrates on pet damage, ranged Critical Strike, the hawk summons and stronger core Hunter abilities. Spend your talent points in this order:
| Level | Talent | Ranks | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-14 | Deadly Aspects | 5/5 | Improves your damage while using your Aspects. |
| 15 | Endurance Training | 1/5 | Increases your pet’s Health and Armor. |
| 16-17 | Focused Fire | 2/2 | Increases all damage dealt by you and your pet while your pet is active. |
| 18-19 | Improved Revive Pet | 2/2 | Improves Revive Pet by reducing its cast time and Mana cost. |
| 20 | Bestial Swiftness | 1/1 | Increases your pet’s movement speed. |
| 21-25 | Unleashed Fury | 5/5 | Increases your pet’s damage and also benefits your Hawks. |
| 26-30 | Ferocity | 5/5 | Increases your pet’s Critical Strike chance and also benefits your Hawks. |
| 31 | Summon Hawk | 1/1 | Summons a Hawk to attack your current target for 18 seconds. |
| 32-33 | Bestial Discipline | 2/2 | Improves your pet’s Focus regeneration and provides Mana regeneration from Spirit while casting. |
| 34 | Intimidation | 1/1 | Gives your pet a stun and increases its Critical Strike chance on its next attack. |
| 35-39 | Frenzy | 5/5 | Gives your pet’s attacks a chance to increase its attack speed. |
| 40 | Bestial Wrath | 1/1 | Increases your pet’s damage for a short period. |
| 41-43 | Hawk Eye | 3/3 | Increases the range of your ranged attacks. |
| 44-48 | Lethal Attacks | 5/5 | Increases your Critical Strike chance with attacks. |
| 49-53 | Careful Aim | 5/5 | Converts a portion of your Intellect into Attack Power. |
| 54-55 | Rapid Killing | 2/2 | Reduces Rapid Fire’s cooldown and improves your next Shot after triggering Rapid Killing. |
| 56 | Trueshot Aura | 1/1 | Increases the Attack Power of you and nearby party members. |
| 57-60 | Mortal Shots | 4/5 | Increases the bonus damage dealt by your critical strikes. |
This table lines up with the endgame build above; it simply shows the order in which you buy things on the way to level 60. A few points are worth knowing before you follow it. The talent that summons the hawk lands at level 31 here, one level later than in the short level 30 build, because this version spends points on Endurance Training and finishes Ferocity first. The two hawk-related bonuses on Unleashed Fury and Ferocity are also the reason to take them early: they raise the damage of your hawks as well as your pet.
Tip: if you are still on the beta cap, stop at level 20 and keep the later rows as a roadmap. The order is flexible only at the edges, so avoid skipping Focused Fire and Unleashed Fury, since both feed straight into your damage.
Leveling Rotation
The rotation at level 20 is simple and keeps your main abilities on cooldown while the pet handles a good part of the damage. Use your ranged attacks between Summon Hawk casts, and keep Serpent Sting active on targets that will live long enough to make it worthwhile.
- Preparation: keep Hunter’s Mark on your target when you have time to apply it. Use Serpent Sting and refresh it when needed.
- Before Summon Hawk: use Aimed Shot against a single target or Multi-Shot against multiple targets. Use Arcane Shot when it is available.
- With Summon Hawk: use Summon Hawk, followed by Aimed Shot for single targets or Multi-Shot for groups. Use Summon Hawk again when its cooldown is ready, then continue with Aimed Shot or Multi-Shot.
- Auto Shot: let Auto Shot continue between your abilities. In the current Forever build Auto Shot has no cast time, although Wowhead currently notes this as a confirmed bug.
- Pet: keep your pet attacking the intended target and use its abilities as needed. Pet management is an important part of leveling this spec.
The note about Auto Shot is a reminder that this is beta behavior. If the developers fix it, the shot may start to cost a short cast again, so do not build muscle memory around standing still or moving between shots until the final version is out. If you want a dungeon to practice the loop in, Ragefire Chasm is a good place to start.
Class Quest
The only class quest you need to complete as a Beast Mastery Hunter is Taming the Beast at level 10. It is part of the Hunter’s Path and teaches you how to tame and control a permanent pet. The exact quest version and starting location depend on your race, and Skyborne Hunters have a separate version of their own.
Do this quest as soon as you reach level 10, because the whole spec depends on having a permanent pet. Without it, none of the pet damage, scaling or talents above does anything for you.
Beast Mastery Hunter Stat Priority
Agility is the most important stat for a Beast Mastery Hunter in WoW Forever, because it increases your Ranged Attack Power and Critical Strike chance. Attack Power also improves your damage, while Intellect increases your Mana pool and lets you use abilities more often before you need to drink.
- Agility
- Attack Power
- Critical Strike
- Intellect
- Stamina
- Strength
Whenever you can, put Agility first on your gear. Attack Power and Critical Strike are also valuable for pushing up your damage. Intellect is useful for your Mana pool, especially while you level, but it should not replace Agility on otherwise similar items. Strength mainly improves melee Attack Power, so it is much less useful for a ranged Hunter.
A good rule of thumb for comparing two pieces: look at Agility first, then at Attack Power, and only then let Critical Strike and Intellect break the tie. Because your pet inherits part of your stats, anything that raises your offensive numbers tends to help both of you. You can confirm it on the Pet panel after swapping a piece of gear.
Best Beast Mastery Hunter Gear
The best level 20 gear for a Beast Mastery Hunter comes from Wailing Caverns, quest rewards and new Leatherworking crafts. When you choose between similar items, prioritize Agility, Attack Power and Critical Strike.
| Slot | Best available item | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ranged Weapon | Venomstrike | Wailing Caverns |
| Head | Brawler’s Leather Hood | Leatherworking |
| Neck | Erudite’s Amulet | Friend of the Library |
| Shoulders | Best available Leather item with Agility | Quest or dungeon |
| Back | Best available Cloak with Agility | Quest or dungeon |
| Chest | Trapper’s Leather Armor | Leatherworking |
| Wrist | Best available Leather bracers with Agility | Quest or dungeon |
| Hands | Gloves of the Fang | Wailing Caverns |
| Waist | Deviate Scale Belt | Leatherworking |
| Legs | Trapper’s Leather Pants | Leatherworking |
| Feet | Footpads of the Fang | Wailing Caverns |
| Ring (Horde) | Band of the Fist | Allegiance to the Old Gods |
| Ring (Alliance) | Seal of Wrynn | An Audience with the King |
Three slots, Shoulders, Back and Wrist, have no named pick, so the rule there is simply to take the best Leather piece or Cloak with Agility that you find in quests or dungeons. Wailing Caverns is the biggest single source on the list, supplying your bow, gloves and boots, which makes it a stop worth planning around. The Leatherworking pieces suit players who already have the profession or are happy to order the crafts.
Pre-Raid and Raid BiS
Pre-raid best in slot for the spec will prioritize Agility, Attack Power, Critical Strike and Hit Rating. Wildstalker Armor is the Hunter Tier 1 set in WoW Forever. It has six pieces, with set bonuses at two, three, four and five pieces:
- 2 pieces: increases your attack speed and casting speed by 1%.
- 3 pieces: reduces the cooldown of Frost Trap and Freezing Trap by 3 seconds.
- 4 pieces: increases Attack Power against Beasts by 36.
- 5 pieces: reduces the cooldown of Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot by 1 second.
The final level 60 list will depend on the complete dungeon and raid loot pool, so keep alternative pieces with strong offensive stats for different encounters. The five-piece bonus is the one to watch, since it speeds up the two shots that share a cooldown and therefore tightens your whole rotation.
Best Weapons
The best weapons during early leveling come from quests, dungeons and Blacksmithing crafts. Venomstrike is a strong bow from Wailing Caverns, while Bronze Dory is a useful crafted option.
Replace these weapons as you level whenever you find upgrades with higher weapon damage, Agility, Attack Power or Critical Strike. Keep your ranged weapon up to date, because Auto Shot and your other ranged abilities rely on it for damage.
Best Beast Mastery Hunter Consumables
The best consumables for a Beast Mastery Hunter raise your Agility, Critical Strike or Attack Power, or help you stay alive in difficult encounters. Hunters should also carry enough ammunition and Mana recovery items for longer fights.
| Consumable type | Beast Mastery Hunter item |
|---|---|
| Elixir | Elixir of the Mongoose |
| Alternative Elixir | Elixir of Greater Agility |
| Food | Grilled Squid |
| Attack Power | Juju Might |
| Mana Potion | Major Mana Potion |
| Mana Recovery | Demonic Rune |
| Health Potion | Major Healing Potion |
| Flask | Flask of the Titans |
| Fire Protection | Greater Fire Protection Potion |
| Nature Protection | Greater Nature Protection Potion |
| Frost Protection | Greater Frost Protection Potion |
| Shadow Protection | Greater Shadow Protection Potion |
| Threat / Survival | Limited Invulnerability Potion |
| Bandage | Heavy Runecloth Bandage |
You do not need the whole list on day one. The elixir, food, Attack Power item and a healing and Mana potion cover the basics, and the protection potions become relevant when a fight leans on a particular damage school. A Flask or the alternative elixir are the choices for nights when you want to squeeze out more.
Raid consumables add up quickly for Beast Mastery Hunters, especially if you raid often. If you would rather skip the grind, you can buy WoW Forever gold instead of farming it yourself.
Best Beast Mastery Hunter Enchants
The best enchants increase your Agility, Attack Power and other useful stats. Use the cheaper options while you level, and save the expensive ones for gear you plan to keep.
| Gear slot | Enchant | Main benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Head / Legs | Lesser Arcanum of Voracity | +8 Agility |
| Shoulders | Zandalar Signet of Might | +30 Attack Power |
| Cloak | Enchant Cloak – Lesser Agility | +3 Agility |
| Chest | Enchant Chest – Greater Stats | +4 to all Stats |
| Bracers | Enchant Bracer – Agility | +9 Agility |
| Gloves | Enchant Gloves – Superior Agility | +15 Agility |
| Boots | Enchant Boots – Minor Speed | Increased Movement Speed |
| Ranged Weapon | Sniper Scope | +7 Weapon Damage |
Most of the list follows the same logic as the stat priority: Agility wherever it is offered, Attack Power on the shoulders, and a movement boost on the boots, which suits a class that spends so much time kiting. The Sniper Scope belongs to the ranged weapon, so it is the one to renew whenever you replace your bow or gun.
Best Beast Mastery Hunter Professions
Skinning and Engineering are the best overall professions for a Beast Mastery Hunter, giving you Critical Strike, useful camp utility and Engineering items for leveling and endgame content. Leatherworking is a strong alternative if you want to make your own leather gear while you level.
| Professions | Best use |
|---|---|
| Skinning + Engineering | Critical Strike, Reagent Bot, repairs and Engineering utility |
| Skinning + Leatherworking | Critical Strike, leather gear and useful crafted items |
Pick up Skinning as early as you can and skin the mobs you kill while questing. At 20 Skinning you unlock the Camp Chair, which gives 2% Critical Strike to spells and attacks at campfires.
Engineering is a strong second profession for the spec. The Reagent Bot lets you purchase reagents at campfires, and higher Engineering levels provide additional utility for leveling and endgame content.
If you prefer to craft your own gear, pair Skinning with Leatherworking instead. You can turn the leather and hides you collect while questing into useful gear and other Leatherworking items, which also lines up with several pieces in the gear table above. If you would rather not level a profession yourself, our profession services are an option.
Tip: Skinning is the one profession shared by both setups, so start it first and decide on the second one later, once you know whether you prefer utility or crafting.
Beast Mastery Hunter Macros
A few well-chosen macros make pet control, targeting and utility much easier to manage in combat. Pet control is especially important for this spec, because your pet does a large share of your damage and can accidentally pull additional enemies in dungeons.
Warning: an unmanaged pet is one of the quickest ways to wipe a dungeon group. Keep the passive macro below on your bar and use it before you walk close to the next pack.
Pet Attack Macro
This macro sends your pet to attack your current target. It is useful when you switch between enemies or after using abilities that change your target.
Macro text: /petattack
Pet Passive Macro
This macro puts your pet on Passive and stops it from attacking. Use it when you need to prevent your pet from pulling another enemy or breaking crowd control.
Macro text: /petpassive
Intimidation Macro
This macro uses Intimidation on the enemy under your cursor, so you can stun a different enemy without changing your current target. Put the first line #showtooltip Intimidation at the top and the second line /cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead] Intimidation below it.
Tranquilizing Shot Macro
This mouseover macro fires Tranquilizing Shot at the enemy under your cursor and removes a Frenzy effect from it without changing your current target. Write #showtooltip Tranquilizing Shot on the first line and /cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead] Tranquilizing Shot on the second.
Freezing Trap Macro
This macro places Freezing Trap at your cursor location, which removes the extra targeting step. Write #showtooltip Freezing Trap on the first line and /cast [@cursor] Freezing Trap on the second.
All three mouseover and cursor macros follow the same idea: they let you act on something other than your current target. That is handy for a Hunter, who often has to watch the pet’s target, a second enemy and the position of a trap at the same time.
Beast Mastery Hunter PvP
Beast Mastery PvP is about keeping up ranged damage while your pet, traps and mobility tools control the fight. Your pet keeps attacking while you stay at range, and Concussive Shot and Wing Clip help keep enemies away from you. Freezing Trap provides reliable crowd control, while Frost Trap slows enemies inside its area.
Intimidation gives your pet an additional stun that can interrupt an enemy’s actions or create an opening for your team. Feign Death helps drop enemy attention and can create chances to reset the fight. Tranquilizing Shot removes Enrage effects, and Flare reveals stealthed enemies. Aspect of the Cheetah adds mobility when you need to create distance. If you want to try the PvP side of the game with some support, our PvP services may help.
PvP Talents
The talents that matter in PvP improve pet damage, strengthen your control tools and give you more options. Focus on the ones that improve your pet and make it easier to control enemies while you keep dealing ranged damage:
- Intimidation commands your pet to stun the target for 3 seconds on its next successful attack, giving you an important source of crowd control.
- Bestial Wrath increases your pet’s damage and is one of your main burst tools when combined with your other offensive abilities.
- Summon Hawk sends a hawk to attack your target for 18 seconds. You can have up to two Hawks active, which makes it a strong additional source of pressure.
- Focused Fire increases all damage dealt by you and your pet by 2% while your pet is active.
- Endurance Training increases your pet’s Health and Armor by 15%, helping it survive against enemy players.
- Bestial Discipline increases your pet’s Focus regeneration and allows part of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
- Improved Aspect of the Monkey increases your Dodge bonus and gives your pet part of the effect, improving your defensive options.
Used together, these talents give you a clear PvP routine: keep distance with slows and traps, use the pet stun to open a window, and cash in with Bestial Wrath and the hawks. The extra Health and Armor on the pet matter more against players than against mobs, since other players will target the pet.
Beast Mastery Hunter FAQ
These are the questions Beast Mastery Hunters ask most often in WoW Forever.
Is Beast Mastery Hunter the easiest spec?
It is one of the easiest specs to play, because your pet handles much of the damage while you focus on a simple ranged rotation. The main extra task is pet control, especially in dungeons.
Is Beast Mastery good in WoW Forever?
Yes. It is a strong DPS spec with high pet damage, good mobility and useful utility, and it is especially comfortable for solo leveling.
What is the best race for Beast Mastery Hunter?
Orc is the best Horde race and Night Elf is the best Alliance option. Skyborne is also worth considering when you expect to fight many Elementals.
Can Beast Mastery Hunters have two pets in WoW Forever?
No. You can have only one active pet at a time, so it pays to choose a family whose abilities fit the content you are doing.
What is the best pet for Beast Mastery Hunter?
It depends on the content, but pets with useful abilities and strong damage are generally the best choice. Compare the family abilities in the pet table above and pick the one that matches your plans.
Which stat should a Beast Mastery Hunter prioritize?
Agility comes first, followed by Attack Power and Critical Strike. Intellect, Stamina and Strength come after those.
Where should I go from here?
Beast Mastery offers strong pet damage, ranged attacks, crowd control and good solo performance in leveling, dungeons, raids and PvP. Learn to control your pet, use your main attacks and save your utility for the right moments. Update your talents, gear and playstyle as you reach higher levels and new raid tiers.