Overview
A weapon-and-pet damage dealer who can fight at range or develop Survival’s melee toolkit. Plan the pet’s target, your attack distance and the trap route together.
- Role
- Ranged / melee DPS
- Primary stats
- Agility · weapon damage
- Combat range
- Ranged or melee · pet
- Resource
- Mana
For a first Hunter, Beast Mastery is the easiest route to organize around a durable, active pet. Marksmanship puts more emphasis on ranged weapon attacks and a long-cast opener. Survival develops a real melee toolkit, including Mongoose Bite opportunities, traps and Strider Kick. Choose the attack range you want to play before copying a ranged-only weapon plan into Survival.
Reviewed November 2, 2026. The three 51-point builds were entered in the current Forever calculator and checked for prerequisites, totals and leveling order. Item, enchant and selected talent-rank references use the Forever database. These are practical starting routes; no pet DPS ranking or live level-60 raid testing is claimed.
Three Builds, With a Pet Plan for Each
Choose the attack style before the weapon list
| Route | Main plan | Pet and range |
|---|---|---|
| Beast Mastery · 31/20/0 | Pet support, temporary Hawks and Bestial Wrath. | Pet active; mainly ranged. |
| Marksmanship · 20/31/0 | Ranged weapon attacks, Trueshot Aura and Sniper Shot. | Pet active in this allocation; mainly ranged. |
| Survival · 20/0/31 | Mongoose Bite opportunities, melee damage and traps. | Pet active; melee toolkit with ranged/control options. |
Numbers mean Beast Mastery / Marksmanship / Survival. These three allocations all keep a pet. They do not take Lone Wolf: its pet-absent bonus cannot be counted at the same time as Focused Fire and other active-pet benefits. If you want a petless Marksmanship setup, use a separately allocated route rather than dismissing the pet while keeping twenty Beast Mastery points.
Talents ordinarily begin at 10, with 51 points at 60. Talented Legacy ranks can move access earlier without increasing the maximum. Change talents at a class trainer; Dual Specialization opens at 40.
Beast Mastery · 31/20/0First-Hunter route with an active pet and Hawk management.
Gold icons are allocated. Tap a talent for its name, selected-rank effect and prerequisites; unselected talents show a maximum-rank reference.
5/5
This build: 5/5.
While Aspect of the Hawk is active, Auto Shot has a 10% chance of increasing ranged attack speed by 30% for 12 sec. While Aspect of the Beast is active, all melee auto attacks have a 10% chance of increasing melee attack speed by 30% for 12 sec.
First row; no earlier points required.1/1
This build: 1/1.
Send your pet into a rage causing 50% additional damage for 18 sec. While enraged, the beast does not feel pity or remorse or fear and it cannot be stopped unless killed.
Requires 30 points in Beast Mastery Talents; Requires 1 point in Intimidation5/5
This build: 5/5.
Gives your pet a 100% chance to gain a 30% attack speed increase for 8 sec after dealing a critical strike.
Requires 25 points in Beast Mastery Talents; Requires 5 points in Ferocity1/2
This build: 1/2.
Increases the Focus regeneration of your pets by 10% and allows 25% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
Requires 20 points in Beast Mastery Talents1/1
This build: 1/1.
Command your pet to Stun the target for 3 sec on its next successful attack, which also gains 100% increased critical strike chance. Generates high threat.
Requires 20 points in Beast Mastery Talents; Requires 1 point in Bestial Swiftness1/2
This build: 1/2.
While your pet is active, you and your pet will regenerate 1% of total health every 10 sec.
Requires 20 points in Beast Mastery Talents1/1
This build: 1/1.
Command a hawk to dive-bomb your targeted enemy, dealing [32 / Ferocity : 48 / Unleashed Fury : 52 + (Ranged Attack Power * (0.05))] 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.
Requires 15 points in Beast Mastery Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases the critical strike chance of your pets and hawks by 10%.
Requires 15 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Gives your Mend Pet spell a 50% chance of cleansing 1 Curse, Disease, Magic, or Poison effect from your pet each time it heals and reduces the Mana cost by 20%.
Requires 15 points in Beast Mastery Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases the damage done by your pets and hawks by 15%.
Requires 10 points in Beast Mastery Talents1/1
This build: 1/1.
Increases the movement speed of your pets by 30%.
Requires 10 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Revive Pet's casting time is reduced by 6 sec, mana cost is reduced by 40%, and increases the health your pet returns with by an additional 30%.
Requires 5 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Increases the speed bonus of your Aspect of the Cheetah and Aspect of the Pack by 6%.
Requires 10 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/3
Not selected. Maximum rank 3 reference:
Increases the Dodge bonus of your Aspect of the Monkey by 6%. Additionally, your pet gains 50% of the effect of your Aspect of the Monkey ability.
Requires 5 points in Beast Mastery Talents2/2
This build: 2/2.
Increases all damage you and your pet deal by 2% while your pet is active.
Requires 5 points in Beast Mastery Talents3/5
This build: 3/5.
Increases the Health and Armor of your pets by 9%.
First row; no earlier points required.0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
Requires Ranged Weapon A long-range shot that deals ranged damage plus 160 and increases the range of your next 3 Shots by 10 yards for 10 sec.
Requires 30 points in Marksmanship Talents; Requires 1 point in Trueshot Aura0/5
Not selected. Maximum rank 5 reference:
Requires Ranged Weapon Increases the damage you deal with ranged weapons by 5%.
Requires 25 points in Marksmanship Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Afflicting a target with Serpent Sting allows 50% of your Mana Regeneration to continue while casting for 15 sec, increased to 100% when Rapid Killing is consumed.
Requires 20 points in Marksmanship Talents; Requires 2 points in Rapid Killing0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
Requires Ranged Weapon A short-range shot that deals 50% weapon damage and disorients the target for 4 sec. Any damage caused will remove the effect. Turns off your attack when used.
Requires 20 points in Marksmanship Talents0/3
Not selected. Maximum rank 3 reference:
Increases the damage done by your Multi-Shot, Aimed Shot, and Volley abilities by 10%.
Requires 20 points in Marksmanship Talents4/5
This build: 4/5.
Increases the critical strike damage bonus on all ranged abilities by 24%.
Requires 15 points in Marksmanship Talents; Requires 5 points in Careful Aim1/1
This build: 1/1.
Increases the Ranged Attack Power of party or raid members within 45 yds by 15.
Requires 15 points in Marksmanship Talents2/2
This build: 2/2.
Reduces the cooldown on your Rapid Fire ability by 2 min. In addition, when you kill a non-trivial enemy or it dies while afflicted by your Serpent Sting, you gain Rapid Killing, increasing the damage of your next Shot ability within 20 sec by 20%.
Requires 10 points in Marksmanship Talents0/5
Not selected. Maximum rank 5 reference:
Reduces the cooldown of your Arcane Shot by 1.5 sec. Does not affect the cooldown of abilities which share a cooldown with Arcane Shot.
Requires 10 points in Marksmanship Talents0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
You deal 20% increased damage with all attacks while you do not have an active pet.
Requires 10 points in Marksmanship Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases your Attack Power by 100% of your Intellect.
Requires 5 points in Marksmanship Talents3/5
This build: 3/5.
Reduces the Mana cost of your Shots, Stings, and melee abilities by 9%.
Requires 5 points in Marksmanship Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases your critical strike chance with all attacks by 5%.
First row; no earlier points required.0/5
Not selected. Maximum rank 5 reference:
Gives your Concussive Shot a 20% chance to stun the target for 3 sec.
First row; no earlier points required.0/3
Not selected. Maximum rank 3 reference:
Increases the range of your ranged weapons by 6 yards.
First row; no earlier points required.0/3
Not selected. Maximum rank 3 reference:
Increases the damage of your Serpent Sting ability by 20%, reduces the cooldown of your Viper Sting ability by 6 sec, and increases the duration of your Scorpid Sting ability by 45 sec.
Requires 5 points in Marksmanship TalentsOpen this exact build in the Forever calculator ↗
Read the complete allocation as text
- Beast Mastery: Deadly Aspects 5/5
- Beast Mastery: Focused Fire 2/2
- Beast Mastery: Endurance Training 3/5
- Beast Mastery: Unleashed Fury 5/5
- Beast Mastery: Summon Hawk 1/1
- Beast Mastery: Bestial Swiftness 1/1
- Beast Mastery: Ferocity 5/5
- Beast Mastery: Intimidation 1/1
- Beast Mastery: Spirit Bond 1/2
- Beast Mastery: Bestial Discipline 1/2
- Beast Mastery: Frenzy 5/5
- Beast Mastery: Bestial Wrath 1/1
- Marksmanship: Lethal Attacks 5/5
- Marksmanship: Efficiency 3/5
- Marksmanship: Careful Aim 5/5
- Marksmanship: Rapid Killing 2/2
- Marksmanship: Trueshot Aura 1/1
- Marksmanship: Mortal Shots 4/5
Marksmanship · 20/31/0Pet-active ranged route; no Lone Wolf.
Gold icons are allocated. Tap a talent for its name, selected-rank effect and prerequisites; unselected talents show a maximum-rank reference.
1/1
This build: 1/1.
Requires Ranged Weapon A long-range shot that deals ranged damage plus 160 and increases the range of your next 3 Shots by 10 yards for 10 sec.
Requires 30 points in Marksmanship Talents; Requires 1 point in Trueshot Aura5/5
This build: 5/5.
Requires Ranged Weapon Increases the damage you deal with ranged weapons by 5%.
Requires 25 points in Marksmanship Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Afflicting a target with Serpent Sting allows 50% of your Mana Regeneration to continue while casting for 15 sec, increased to 100% when Rapid Killing is consumed.
Requires 20 points in Marksmanship Talents; Requires 2 points in Rapid Killing1/1
This build: 1/1.
Requires Ranged Weapon A short-range shot that deals 50% weapon damage and disorients the target for 4 sec. Any damage caused will remove the effect. Turns off your attack when used.
Requires 20 points in Marksmanship Talents3/3
This build: 3/3.
Increases the damage done by your Multi-Shot, Aimed Shot, and Volley abilities by 10%.
Requires 20 points in Marksmanship Talents4/5
This build: 4/5.
Increases the critical strike damage bonus on all ranged abilities by 24%.
Requires 15 points in Marksmanship Talents; Requires 5 points in Careful Aim1/1
This build: 1/1.
Increases the Ranged Attack Power of party or raid members within 45 yds by 15.
Requires 15 points in Marksmanship Talents2/2
This build: 2/2.
Reduces the cooldown on your Rapid Fire ability by 2 min. In addition, when you kill a non-trivial enemy or it dies while afflicted by your Serpent Sting, you gain Rapid Killing, increasing the damage of your next Shot ability within 20 sec by 20%.
Requires 10 points in Marksmanship Talents0/5
Not selected. Maximum rank 5 reference:
Reduces the cooldown of your Arcane Shot by 1.5 sec. Does not affect the cooldown of abilities which share a cooldown with Arcane Shot.
Requires 10 points in Marksmanship Talents0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
You deal 20% increased damage with all attacks while you do not have an active pet.
Requires 10 points in Marksmanship Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases your Attack Power by 100% of your Intellect.
Requires 5 points in Marksmanship Talents4/5
This build: 4/5.
Reduces the Mana cost of your Shots, Stings, and melee abilities by 12%.
Requires 5 points in Marksmanship Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases your critical strike chance with all attacks by 5%.
First row; no earlier points required.0/5
Not selected. Maximum rank 5 reference:
Gives your Concussive Shot a 20% chance to stun the target for 3 sec.
First row; no earlier points required.0/3
Not selected. Maximum rank 3 reference:
Increases the range of your ranged weapons by 6 yards.
First row; no earlier points required.0/3
Not selected. Maximum rank 3 reference:
Increases the damage of your Serpent Sting ability by 20%, reduces the cooldown of your Viper Sting ability by 6 sec, and increases the duration of your Scorpid Sting ability by 45 sec.
Requires 5 points in Marksmanship Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
While Aspect of the Hawk is active, Auto Shot has a 10% chance of increasing ranged attack speed by 30% for 12 sec. While Aspect of the Beast is active, all melee auto attacks have a 10% chance of increasing melee attack speed by 30% for 12 sec.
First row; no earlier points required.0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
Send your pet into a rage causing 50% additional damage for 18 sec. While enraged, the beast does not feel pity or remorse or fear and it cannot be stopped unless killed.
Requires 30 points in Beast Mastery Talents; Requires 1 point in Intimidation0/5
Not selected. Maximum rank 5 reference:
Gives your pet a 100% chance to gain a 30% attack speed increase for 8 sec after dealing a critical strike.
Requires 25 points in Beast Mastery Talents; Requires 5 points in Ferocity0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Increases the Focus regeneration of your pets by 20% and allows 50% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
Requires 20 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
Command your pet to Stun the target for 3 sec on its next successful attack, which also gains 100% increased critical strike chance. Generates high threat.
Requires 20 points in Beast Mastery Talents; Requires 1 point in Bestial Swiftness0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
While your pet is active, you and your pet will regenerate 1% of total health every 5 sec.
Requires 20 points in Beast Mastery Talents1/1
This build: 1/1.
Command a hawk to dive-bomb your targeted enemy, dealing [32 / Ferocity : 48 / Unleashed Fury : 52 + (Ranged Attack Power * (0.05))] 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.
Requires 15 points in Beast Mastery Talents4/5
This build: 4/5.
Increases the critical strike chance of your pets and hawks by 8%.
Requires 15 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Gives your Mend Pet spell a 50% chance of cleansing 1 Curse, Disease, Magic, or Poison effect from your pet each time it heals and reduces the Mana cost by 20%.
Requires 15 points in Beast Mastery Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases the damage done by your pets and hawks by 15%.
Requires 10 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
Increases the movement speed of your pets by 30%.
Requires 10 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Revive Pet's casting time is reduced by 6 sec, mana cost is reduced by 40%, and increases the health your pet returns with by an additional 30%.
Requires 5 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Increases the speed bonus of your Aspect of the Cheetah and Aspect of the Pack by 6%.
Requires 10 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/3
Not selected. Maximum rank 3 reference:
Increases the Dodge bonus of your Aspect of the Monkey by 6%. Additionally, your pet gains 50% of the effect of your Aspect of the Monkey ability.
Requires 5 points in Beast Mastery Talents2/2
This build: 2/2.
Increases all damage you and your pet deal by 2% while your pet is active.
Requires 5 points in Beast Mastery Talents3/5
This build: 3/5.
Increases the Health and Armor of your pets by 9%.
First row; no earlier points required.Open this exact build in the Forever calculator ↗
Read the complete allocation as text
- Marksmanship: Lethal Attacks 5/5
- Marksmanship: Efficiency 4/5
- Marksmanship: Careful Aim 5/5
- Marksmanship: Rapid Killing 2/2
- Marksmanship: Trueshot Aura 1/1
- Marksmanship: Mortal Shots 4/5
- Marksmanship: Barrage 3/3
- Marksmanship: Scatter Shot 1/1
- Marksmanship: Ranged Weapon Specialization 5/5
- Marksmanship: Sniper Shot 1/1
- Beast Mastery: Deadly Aspects 5/5
- Beast Mastery: Focused Fire 2/2
- Beast Mastery: Endurance Training 3/5
- Beast Mastery: Unleashed Fury 5/5
- Beast Mastery: Summon Hawk 1/1
- Beast Mastery: Ferocity 4/5
Survival · 20/0/31Melee-focused route with Mark, Expose Prey and pet support.
Gold icons are allocated. Tap a talent for its name, selected-rank effect and prerequisites; unselected talents show a maximum-rank reference.
1/1
This build: 1/1.
A powerful kick that deals 100% melee weapon damage and increases movement speed by 30% for 3 sec.
Requires 20 points in Survival Talents2/2
This build: 2/2.
Reduces the Mana cost of your Trap and melee abilities by 60%, and grants your melee and ranged ability Critical Strikes a 100% chance to allow 50% of your Mana Regeneration to continue while casting for 30 sec.
Requires 20 points in Survival Talents1/1
This build: 1/1.
Your Mongoose Bite also causes the target to Bleed for damage equal to 40% of the damage done by Mongoose Bite over 21 sec
Requires 30 points in Survival Talents; Requires 2 points in Expose Prey2/2
This build: 2/2.
Grants your melee and ranged attacks against enemies afflicted by Hunter's Mark a 10% chance to allow an activation of Mongoose Bite. Lasts 10 sec.
Requires 20 points in Survival Talents1/1
This build: 1/1.
When activated, increases your Dodge and Parry chance by 25% for 10 sec.
Requires 10 points in Survival Talents3/3
This build: 3/3.
Increases your hit chance by 3% and reduces the duration of movement impairing effects on you by 30%.
Requires 10 points in Survival Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Increases your chance to hit with your Trap and Feign Death abilities by 10%.
Requires 15 points in Survival Talents0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
A strike that becomes active after parrying an opponent's attack. This attack deals 50% weapon damage plus 26 and immobilizes the target for 5 sec. Counterattack cannot be blocked, dodged, or parried.
Requires 15 points in Survival Talents; Requires 1 point in Deterrence0/3
Not selected. Maximum rank 3 reference:
Gives your Wing Clip ability a 20% chance to immobilize the target for 5 sec.
Requires 5 points in Survival Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Increases the duration of Freezing and Frost trap effects by 30% and the damage of Immolation and Explosive trap effects by 30%.
Requires 10 points in Survival Talents1/5
This build: 1/5.
Increases your total Health by 2%.
Requires 5 points in Survival Talents2/2
This build: 2/2.
Increases the critical strike chance of all your melee abilities by 4%.
Requires 5 points in Survival Talents3/5
This build: 3/5.
When your traps are triggered, all affected targets are Entrapped, preventing them from moving for 3 sec.
Requires 5 points in Survival Talents0/5
Not selected. Maximum rank 5 reference:
Increases your Parry chance by 5%.
First row; no earlier points required.5/5
This build: 5/5.
While tracking Beasts, Demons, Dragonkin, Elementals, Giants, Humanoids, or Undead, all damage you deal to the tracked creature type is increased by 5%.
First row; no earlier points required.5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases your Agility by 10%.
Requires 25 points in Survival Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Reduces the cooldown of your Trap and Deterrence abilities by 40%.
Requires 20 points in Survival Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases your melee ability critical strike damage by 30% and your Off Hand weapon damage by 50%.
Requires 15 points in Survival Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
While Aspect of the Hawk is active, Auto Shot has a 10% chance of increasing ranged attack speed by 30% for 12 sec. While Aspect of the Beast is active, all melee auto attacks have a 10% chance of increasing melee attack speed by 30% for 12 sec.
First row; no earlier points required.0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
Send your pet into a rage causing 50% additional damage for 18 sec. While enraged, the beast does not feel pity or remorse or fear and it cannot be stopped unless killed.
Requires 30 points in Beast Mastery Talents; Requires 1 point in Intimidation0/5
Not selected. Maximum rank 5 reference:
Gives your pet a 100% chance to gain a 30% attack speed increase for 8 sec after dealing a critical strike.
Requires 25 points in Beast Mastery Talents; Requires 5 points in Ferocity0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Increases the Focus regeneration of your pets by 20% and allows 50% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
Requires 20 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
Command your pet to Stun the target for 3 sec on its next successful attack, which also gains 100% increased critical strike chance. Generates high threat.
Requires 20 points in Beast Mastery Talents; Requires 1 point in Bestial Swiftness0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
While your pet is active, you and your pet will regenerate 1% of total health every 5 sec.
Requires 20 points in Beast Mastery Talents1/1
This build: 1/1.
Command a hawk to dive-bomb your targeted enemy, dealing [32 / Ferocity : 48 / Unleashed Fury : 52 + (Ranged Attack Power * (0.05))] 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.
Requires 15 points in Beast Mastery Talents2/5
This build: 2/5.
Increases the critical strike chance of your pets and hawks by 4%.
Requires 15 points in Beast Mastery Talents2/2
This build: 2/2.
Gives your Mend Pet spell a 50% chance of cleansing 1 Curse, Disease, Magic, or Poison effect from your pet each time it heals and reduces the Mana cost by 20%.
Requires 15 points in Beast Mastery Talents5/5
This build: 5/5.
Increases the damage done by your pets and hawks by 15%.
Requires 10 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/1
Not selected. Maximum rank 1 reference:
Increases the movement speed of your pets by 30%.
Requires 10 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Revive Pet's casting time is reduced by 6 sec, mana cost is reduced by 40%, and increases the health your pet returns with by an additional 30%.
Requires 5 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/2
Not selected. Maximum rank 2 reference:
Increases the speed bonus of your Aspect of the Cheetah and Aspect of the Pack by 6%.
Requires 10 points in Beast Mastery Talents0/3
Not selected. Maximum rank 3 reference:
Increases the Dodge bonus of your Aspect of the Monkey by 6%. Additionally, your pet gains 50% of the effect of your Aspect of the Monkey ability.
Requires 5 points in Beast Mastery Talents2/2
This build: 2/2.
Increases all damage you and your pet deal by 2% while your pet is active.
Requires 5 points in Beast Mastery Talents3/5
This build: 3/5.
Increases the Health and Armor of your pets by 9%.
First row; no earlier points required.Open this exact build in the Forever calculator ↗
Read the complete allocation as text
- Survival: Improved Tracking 5/5
- Survival: Savage Strikes 2/2
- Survival: Entrapment 3/5
- Survival: Surefooted 3/3
- Survival: Deterrence 1/1
- Survival: Survivalist 1/5
- Survival: Predator's Edge 5/5
- Survival: Expose Prey 2/2
- Survival: Strider Kick 1/1
- Survival: Resourcefulness 2/2
- Survival: Lightning Reflexes 5/5
- Survival: Lacerating Strikes 1/1
- Beast Mastery: Deadly Aspects 5/5
- Beast Mastery: Focused Fire 2/2
- Beast Mastery: Endurance Training 3/5
- Beast Mastery: Unleashed Fury 5/5
- Beast Mastery: Summon Hawk 1/1
- Beast Mastery: Ferocity 2/5
- Beast Mastery: Improved Mend Pet 2/2
Talent Order From Your First Point to Level 60
The leveling orders spend deeply in the selected main tree before adding the support tree. That gives you the ability milestones while they can still change the journey. A level-20 Hunter should not arrange a pull around a capstone shown only in the finished level-60 diagram.
Beast Mastery · complete 10–60 point order
Point order for this build
| Level | Talent reached |
|---|---|
| 10–14 | Deadly Aspects → 5/5 |
| 15–16 | Focused Fire → 2/2 |
| 17–19 | Endurance Training → 3/5 |
| 20–24 | Unleashed Fury → 5/5 |
| 25 | Summon Hawk → 1/1 |
| 26 | Bestial Swiftness → 1/1 |
| 27–29 | Ferocity → 3/5 |
| 30 | Intimidation → 1/1 |
| 31–32 | Ferocity → 5/5 |
| 33 | Spirit Bond → 1/2 |
| 34 | Bestial Discipline → 1/2 |
| 35–39 | Frenzy → 5/5 |
| 40 | Bestial Wrath → 1/1 |
| 41–45 | Lethal Attacks → 5/5 |
| 46–48 | Efficiency → 3/5 |
| 49–53 | Careful Aim → 5/5 |
| 54–55 | Rapid Killing → 2/2 |
| 56 | Trueshot Aura → 1/1 |
| 57–60 | Mortal Shots → 4/5 |
Marksmanship · complete 10–60 point order
Point order for this build
| Level | Talent reached |
|---|---|
| 10–14 | Lethal Attacks → 5/5 |
| 15–17 | Efficiency → 3/5 |
| 18–22 | Careful Aim → 5/5 |
| 23–24 | Rapid Killing → 2/2 |
| 25 | Trueshot Aura → 1/1 |
| 26–29 | Mortal Shots → 4/5 |
| 30–32 | Barrage → 3/3 |
| 33 | Scatter Shot → 1/1 |
| 34 | Efficiency → 4/5 |
| 35–39 | Ranged Weapon Specialization → 5/5 |
| 40 | Sniper Shot → 1/1 |
| 41–45 | Deadly Aspects → 5/5 |
| 46–47 | Focused Fire → 2/2 |
| 48–50 | Endurance Training → 3/5 |
| 51–55 | Unleashed Fury → 5/5 |
| 56 | Summon Hawk → 1/1 |
| 57–60 | Ferocity → 4/5 |
Survival · complete 10–60 point order
Point order for this build
| Level | Talent reached |
|---|---|
| 10–14 | Improved Tracking → 5/5 |
| 15–16 | Savage Strikes → 2/2 |
| 17–19 | Entrapment → 3/5 |
| 20–22 | Surefooted → 3/3 |
| 23 | Deterrence → 1/1 |
| 24 | Survivalist → 1/5 |
| 25–29 | Predator's Edge → 5/5 |
| 30–31 | Expose Prey → 2/2 |
| 32 | Strider Kick → 1/1 |
| 33–34 | Resourcefulness → 2/2 |
| 35–39 | Lightning Reflexes → 5/5 |
| 40 | Lacerating Strikes → 1/1 |
| 41–45 | Deadly Aspects → 5/5 |
| 46–47 | Focused Fire → 2/2 |
| 48–50 | Endurance Training → 3/5 |
| 51–55 | Unleashed Fury → 5/5 |
| 56 | Summon Hawk → 1/1 |
| 57–58 | Ferocity → 2/5 |
| 59–60 | Improved Mend Pet → 2/2 |
Beast Mastery: Summon Hawk at 25, Bestial Swiftness at 26, Intimidation at 30 and Bestial Wrath at 40. The final Marksmanship support comes afterward. This route takes Spirit Bond and Bestial Discipline at 1/2 each; the selected-rank tooltip, rather than the maximum-rank value, shows what the build supplies.
Marksmanship: Trueshot Aura at 25, Scatter Shot at 33 and Sniper Shot at 40. Aimed Shot is not a talent in this tree: it is trained at 20. Summon Hawk arrives in this route’s late Beast Mastery splash, so it is not part of the level-25 Marksmanship priority.
Survival: Surefooted at 20–22, Deterrence at 23, Expose Prey at 30–31, Strider Kick at 32 and Lacerating Strikes at 40. Aspect of the Beast is trained at 30; use the aspects actually available before then. This route does not take Counterattack or Survivalist’s Discipline.
Attack Distance and the Three Shared Cooldowns
Ranged attacks have an eight-yard minimum. A pet holding the enemy in front of you leaves room to shoot; an enemy standing beside you does not. The base Auto Shot reference spans 8–35 yards, while range talents and Sniper Shot can alter the upper limit. They do not remove the minimum.
Auto Shot needs half a second standing still before it fires under the October update. Constant movement can therefore remove shots you thought were happening. Move to solve the mechanic or regain distance, then allow a safe shooting stop. Do not imitate a Retail backflip: Forever’s Disengage reduces threat and turns off auto-attack; it is not that movement ability.
Shared buttons that change your next action
| Pair / category | Current relationship | What to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Aimed Shot / Multi-Shot | Shared six-second cooldown in these builds. | Single-target cast or three-target shot; not both back-to-back. |
| Arcane Shot / Summon Hawk | Shared cooldown when Hawk is talented. | A temporary Hawk slot or the instant Arcane attack. |
| Fire traps / Ice traps | Separate Fire and Ice categories; thirty-second base cooldowns. | One Fire and one Ice trap can coexist; choose within each category. |
When a button is unexpectedly unavailable, first identify its paired ability. Aimed followed by Multi-Shot is not two independent six-second attacks. Likewise, an Arcane Shot can use the shared slot that you intended for Summon Hawk.
Beast Mastery: Let the Pet Hold Position
Send the pet to a deliberate target, allow it to establish contact and stay outside the dead zone. Keep it alive, happy and close enough to command. A dead or absent pet removes the purpose of several talents in this allocation; simply continuing the same ranged sequence does not recover that loss.
- Keep attacking time and pet contact.
Use Auto Shot from a safe stop and maintain a useful target. Recall or redirect the pet before it follows a fleeing enemy through another pack. Mend during a manageable moment rather than waiting until the next hit will kill it.
- Use the Hawk / Arcane slot deliberately.
Once Summon Hawk is learned, manage its temporary attackers and their remaining time. The limit is two Hawks, each lasting eighteen seconds. Summoning whenever the six-second cooldown lights up is not a promise of an unlimited flock.
- Choose Aimed or Multi-Shot for the pull.
Use Aimed Shot for an appropriate single-target cast window; choose Multi-Shot when its extra targets are legitimate. Both spend the same cooldown. Serpent Sting earns its Mana when the enemy will survive enough ticks to benefit.
- Commit the pet cooldown when it can attack.
Bestial Wrath arrives at 40. Use its window when the pet has a living, accessible target; a long path, a target about to disappear or an imminent pet death can waste it. Intimidation’s stun lands through the pet’s next successful attack, so pet position matters to that control.
A simple shared-slot example: on a durable target, summon one Hawk, add the second six seconds later, then consider Arcane Shot in the next shared slot while both remain active. When the first eighteen-second summon ends, there is room for another. This illustrates the shared cooldown only; it is not a complete opener or a measured damage comparison.
Improved Arcane Shot is absent from this build. Even when another allocation takes it, that talent explicitly does not shorten abilities that merely share Arcane Shot’s cooldown. Do not assume the Hawk inherits every Arcane cooldown reduction.
Marksmanship: Cast Windows and a Useful Opening Shot
This 20/31/0 route is a pet-active Marksmanship build. Keep the companion working while you use ranged attacks. Trueshot Aura is part of the build; keep its current trained rank available for the group. Lone Wolf is not allocated.
- Open only when the target and pull are ready.
Sniper Shot has a four-second cast. It can start a planned ranged attack, but casting it while the tank is still organizing a pull can give you the enemy instead. Avoid beginning the cast into an imminent line-of-sight break or movement requirement.
- Use the temporary range where it solves a problem.
Sniper Shot increases the range of your next three Shots by ten yards for ten seconds. The benefit has a charge/time limit. It is not a permanent increase to every Hunter action, and it does not let you shoot inside eight yards.
- Maintain Auto Shot and select Aimed or Multi.
Find safe stops between movements. Use Aimed when a single-target cast fits; spend the shared cooldown on Multi only when its extra hits help the actual pull. Arcane Shot is a separate instant option here until the late Hawk talent changes that shared-slot decision.
- Match cooldowns to access and Mana.
Rapid Killing supports Rapid Fire and a follow-up Shot after a qualifying kill. Use the kill window on an enemy you can reach and shoot. Scatter Shot disorients but damage breaks it and it turns off your attack; it is a recovery/control choice, not an extra damage filler.
Careful Aim is fully allocated before Mortal Shots, because the current tree requires that prerequisite. Intellect supports this build’s Attack Power interaction as well as its Mana budget. That does not make an Intellect-only item an automatic replacement for a substantial ranged weapon upgrade.
Survival: Mark the Target and Use the Melee Kit
Survival here is built around melee abilities, not a ranged rotation with a few different passive bonuses. Keep a suitable melee weapon setup and use Aspect of the Beast once learned. Improved Tracking rewards matching the creature type you are fighting; change the tracking when your quest targets change.
- Keep Hunter’s Mark on the target you intend to fight.
Expose Prey lets melee and ranged attacks against a marked enemy create a Mongoose Bite opportunity. The mark matters to this loop even though the baseline mark’s Attack Power text is ranged-focused.
- Spend a real Mongoose Bite activation.
The baseline attack needs an opportunity after dodging; Expose Prey supplies another path. Lacerating Strikes later adds a bleed based on Mongoose Bite’s damage. An unavailable button is not fixed by repeatedly pressing a macro without the activation.
- Use Raptor Strike and Strider Kick with target access.
Raptor Strike is queued on the next melee swing rather than being a free instant hit. Strider Kick, learned through this route at 32, deals melee weapon damage and supplies a short movement-speed increase. Use movement to stay useful or escape, not to stand in an avoidable frontal.
- Use traps and the pet to control the fight.
Resourcefulness reduces the cost of trap and melee abilities. Entrapment supports control when traps trigger. Keep an answer for the enemy you cannot safely stand beside; having a melee build does not require accepting every dangerous melee position.
Predator’s Edge supports melee critical damage and off-hand damage. Compare the complete weapons you own rather than treating a ranged weapon’s listed DPS as your melee attack damage. This allocation retains a pet and adds supporting Beast Mastery points later; its Hawk is a late ranged utility/damage option, not an early substitute for the core melee loop.
Your First Pet, Food and Command Setup
At 10, visit the class trainer for your taming and pet-training progression. Tame Beast cannot tame a beast above your level. It is a twenty-second channel that removes your armor’s protection while you focus; clear nearby threats, start with enough health and do not choose a beast you cannot survive while channeling.
Feed the newly tamed pet suitable food and watch happiness. Food close to the pet’s level gives a better feeding result. Carry food for the pet’s diet instead of assuming your character’s next meal is accepted by it. Check the training interface for the abilities it actually knows.
Use a deliberate attack command and a reachable follow/recall bind. For a solo target, Growl helps the pet hold attention; in a dungeon, coordinate it with the tank instead of letting an uncontrolled taunt compete for the target. Pets scale from Hunter equipment in Forever and do not receive the old player stat-buff package, so keeping your own gear current also matters to the companion.
All families can learn Bite or Claw, sometimes both, and can learn Dash or Dive. That is training access, not a claim that a newly tamed pet already has every rank. Check skills, available Focus and autocast settings before blaming the family for a missing attack.
Pet Families: Choose the Utility You Need
A leveling pet’s control, travel to the enemy and ability to survive can matter more than an untested damage ranking. Area attacks are useful when several enemies should be hit; they are a liability beside a crowd-controlled target. Here are the eighteen families and their distinctive tools from the current class preview and later corrections.
| Family | Unique ability and effect |
|---|---|
| Bat | Sonic Blast: damage and slower spellcasting. |
| Bear | Swipe: damages three targets. |
| Bird of Prey | Mine!: damage and disarm. Formerly the Owl family. |
| Boar | Charge: closes distance, immobilizes and strengthens the next pet attack. |
| Carrion Bird | Demoralizing Screech: nearby damage and reduced enemy melee Attack Power. |
| Cat | Prowl: stealth and a stronger next attack from stealth. |
| Crab | Pinch: damage and a movement slow. |
| Crocolisk | Dismember: damage and 25% reduced healing received for 6 seconds; 15-second cooldown. |
| Fox | Trickster’s Dance: increased dodge and attack speed for 12 seconds. |
| Gorilla | Thunderstomp: area damage. |
| Hyena | Tendon Rip: a movement slow and a bleed. |
| Raptor | Savage Rend: a bleed. |
| Scorpid | Poison: stacking damage over time. |
| Spider | Web: immobilization and damage over time. |
| Tallstrider | Dust Cloud: reduced target armor. |
| Turtle | Shell Shield: reduced damage taken and slower attacks for 12 seconds. |
| Windserpent | Lightning Breath: a damaging attack with 20-yard range. |
| Wolf | Furious Howl: increased melee Attack Power for party members. |
Crocolisk’s healing reduction is 25% after the October 16 update. Wolf’s group attack-power effect and the other family descriptions do not establish one universally best pet. The right family can change with solo pulls, a dungeon’s control needs or PvP; no unverified tame-location route is implied by this list.
Traps and a Recovery That Does Not Pull Another Pack
Traps work in combat, but you place them at your own location. They are not distant ground-targeted casts under an enemy across the room. Plan the route through the trap and leave a clear direction in which you can regain shooting distance.
- Freezing Trap: control the first approaching enemy, then keep pet attacks, damage-over-time effects and Multi-Shot away from it. Damage breaks the freeze.
- Frost Trap: use the slowing area when controlling a group’s movement is more useful than freezing one target.
- Fire traps: use their damage only where extra damage targets are welcome. A Fire trap can coexist with an Ice trap, but traps within the same category are not independent unlimited placements.
- Feign Death: use a deliberate threat recovery and check the pet and enemies afterward. A pet still engaging or damage still occurring can leave a different situation from the clean reset you expected.
Inside the dead zone, control and reposition rather than waiting for a ranged attack to become legal. Wing Clip and Concussive Shot act from different ranges. Inspect what is behind you before backing away; escaping one enemy into three fresh ones is not a successful kite.
Ranged and Melee Gear: Concrete Comparisons
Keep the weapon used by your main attacks current, and train the appropriate weapon skill. For a ranged build, a melee weapon can supply useful stats without its melee DPS becoming Auto Shot damage. For Survival, the melee weapon’s damage is part of the attacks you actually press.
Verified weapon examples, not a compulsory farm list
| Item | Current reference | Useful comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Venomstrike | Bow; requires 19; 2.40 speed and a Nature-damage proc. | Lord Serpentis drop. Compare the real weapon with what you already own. |
| Steelarrow Crossbow | Crossbow; requires 22; 3.40 speed; +3 Agility. | A bind-on-equip option. Its slower speed does not erase its listed damage difference. |
| Harpyclaw Short Bow | Bow; requires 27; 1.80 speed; Intellect and conditional attack power. | The +12 Attack Power line is against Humanoids, not every enemy. |
| Crystalpine Stinger | Crossbow; requires 27; 2.80 speed; Agility and Intellect. | Compare weapon damage, stats, skill and price against the available bow. |
| Sword of the Magistrate | Two-handed sword; requires 36; Strength and Stamina. | A melee comparison for Survival, not ranged weapon damage for Auto Shot. |
| Skull Splitting Crossbow | Crossbow; requires 43; 2.60 speed and +14 Attack Power. | Later bind-on-equip reference. Check price and how long you expect to use it. |
The Harpyclaw bonus is specifically against Humanoids. Do not add it to every target in a gear comparison. Steelarrow illustrates another trap: a weapon’s higher equip level or slower speed does not, by itself, prove it is a damage upgrade over a functioning bow.
For stats, begin with the role’s weapon damage, Agility, usable hit and critical effects. Careful Aim converts Intellect into Attack Power when allocated; Surefooted supplies hit in the Survival route. Count the talents actually present in your own build and keep enough health and Mana to finish the pull. There is no fabricated universal prelaunch stat-weight table here.
Scopes, Enchants and Two Useful Macros
Verify the permanent upgrade against the item you intend to keep. Melee weapon enchants and ranged scopes are different upgrade slots. A scope does not attach to your melee stat weapon, and an Agility enchant on a melee weapon is not an enchant applied directly to a bow.
Exact item and spell references
| Slot | Upgrade | What the current entry grants |
|---|---|---|
| Ranged weapon | Biznicks 247x128 Accurascope | Permanent scope with 3% hit; read the item requirements. |
| Melee weapon · stats | Enchant Weapon - Agility | +15 Agility on a melee weapon. |
| Hands | Enchant Gloves - Greater Agility | +10 Agility in Forever. |
| Feet · stats | Enchant Boots - Greater Agility | +7 Agility. |
| Feet · movement | Enchant Boots - Minor Speed | 4% movement speed; an alternative to a boot stat enchant. |
| Chest | Enchant Chest - Greater Stats | +4 all stats. |
| Wrists · survival | Enchant Bracer - Superior Stamina | +9 Stamina for the item you expect to keep. |
The Accurascope item entry lists a level-50 requirement; do not use an internal effect spell’s lower displayed level as proof you can use the item earlier. Check the exact weapon/recipient requirements before paying. Minor Speed is 4% in the current Forever database, so avoid importing an older percentage into a movement total.
This pet command attacks your selected hostile target without automatically casting a shot or changing targets. Keep a separate recall bind available when the pet must stop pursuing.
/petattack [harm,nodead]This separate command puts the pet on passive and recalls it to follow you. Use the attack bind to send it at the next intended target. It is useful for a bad route or a controlled target, but the pet must still travel back; do not wait until it has already reached another pack.
/petpassive
/petfollowSources and the Wider Leveling Route
Talent rows, prerequisites and selected ranks were checked in the current Forever Hunter calculator; each exact allocation was entered on November 2. The item and enchant links above open their Forever entries.
Class and pet design follow Blizzard’s Hunter and Druid deep dive, with later corrections from the official beta development thread. Values that changed after the initial preview use the newer reference.
Use our leveling guide for faction zones and travel, and the race/class list before character creation. Cover: Blizzard’s Human Hunter character presentation; it is not a recommended equipped set. Original art and game textures © Blizzard Entertainment.
