If you like putting out large amounts of DPS at range and having a permanent (unless you get your pet killed) party member that acts as an extra weapon… This is the class for you!

Let’s do the blah, blah first.

Gear

Armour:
A hunter can don Cloth, Leather and from level 40 Mail armour.

Weapons:
You can train in the following:
Bows
Guns
Crossbows
Thrown Weapons
Daggers
Axes
Fist Weapons
Swords
Polearms
Staves
Two-handed Axes
Two-handed Swords
In addition a hunter can learn Dual Wield at level 20!

New pets and abilities:
Check it out here: http://petopia.brashendeavors.net

Traps:
Hunters can be set during combat which is essential in CC.

Hunter Talents

The three specs available to a hunter are:

• Beast Mastery
• Marksmanship
• Survival

Break it down BB!

Beast Mastery

This has been referred to as the Levelling spec. Trust me, this is 100% true. (just this morning it took me 5 hours to level from 43-44 as I have the ability with my spec to take on 2 or 3 level 47+ mobs at a time… hehehe… Ding btw!)
If honed properly BM hunter is deadly in PvP and PvE.
Reason? A fully buffed pet has the tanking and damaging potential of a Feral Druid (before BC that is), can hold aggro well, tank and deliver lethal damage…especially CASTERS!
Key to success for a BM hunter is to master using your pet to its full potential.
Pinnacle of this tree is the 36 point talent being Serpent Swiftness!!!
What does it do BB? This grants additional 20% ranged attack speed for the hunter AND 20% attack speed for your pet. With unbuffed attack speeds as low as 1.45, properly timed auto shots and steady shots, you can yield damage far superior to the traditional MM spec.
(More to follow)



As the name suggest, you shoot good! (Wait for the comment by the Prof on my grammar here)
This tree’s main purpose = Deal major amounts of range damage!
Several talents enhance the overall damage of a MM hunter: Ranged Weapon Specialisation, Lethal Shots and Mortal Shots.
In addition they gain bonuses to specific damage skills: Barrage and Improved Stings
As well as the additional High-yield skill: Aimed Shot.
Pinnacle of this tree was Trueshot Aura but is now the 41 point talent – Silencing shot. This is especially effective against all caster classes which force them into close combat and the chance to trap them.
(More to follow)



Survival hunters are designed to handle enemies that get into melee range.
As the name implies, this is a defensive tree of a hunter.
Survival is crit based which can result in threat spikes, so you find yourself relying on traps and reverting to your lower threat generating shots like Steady or simple Auto Shot to reduce the threat…yuk!
So a major down side = Time based attacking. This severely limits your effectiveness against rapid, high powered burst damage enemies (like a Frost Mage with Ice Lance)!
This is by far the least popular tree to branch into. According to stats pulled off WoW Armoury, they only represent 7% of the overall player population!!!
I really think (unless there is a demand) that I will not be detailing this tree. If you are thinking of going this way as a hunter, let me know and I will put up a full and detailed guide to playing them.

So what spec has Beautybelf gone with?

Beast Master as my signature states.

This is by far the best spec to level with, especially if you mostly solo quest like I do. To get the balance right though was not easy. I had to fiddle a bit with the online talent calculator and then respec properly twice now, but I think I now have the perfect BM spec.

Beast Master:
Endurance: 5/5
Focused Fire: 2/2
Thick Hide: 3/3
Improved Revive Pet: 2/2
Bestial Swiftness: 1/1
Unleashed Fury: 5/5
Improved Mend Pet: 2/2
Ferocity: 5/5
Intimidation: 1/1
Bestial Discipline: 2/2
Animal Handler: 2/2
Frenzy: 5/5
Ferocious Inspiration: 3/3
Bestial Wrath: 1/1
Serpent's Swiftness: 5/5
The Beast Within: 1/1

Marksmanship:
Lethal Shots: 5/5
Improved Hunter's Mark: 5/5
*these are the next points I am going to use as I am not yet lvl 70 *
Go for the Throat: 2/2
Aimed Shots: 1/1

Survival:
Hawk Eye: 3/3

Bangers, my trusty cat, with devotion aura has over 10k armour and his attack speed is 1.6 secs, and would actually make a good tank in most instances as his armour rivals that of some of the tanks I know. I will record more of his stats when we reach lvl 70.

When I have a little spare time I will elaborate on what each talent and subsequently acquired skill does. If you are going to roll a hunter, I suggest this is the way to go. You can always respec when you get to 70!

Any way you look at it, we are a good team that do steady constant damage. No real big crits or burst damage to speak of, but a force to be reckonned with none the less.

Hunters are deadly marksmen, capable of bringing their enemies down from a distance with bows or rifles. Skilled survivalists, they can track enemies or lay traps to damage and entrap their foes. Hunters also possess a primal connection to the beasts of Azeroth, capable of taming and training them to keep as loyal guardians. Wearing light to medium armor, hunters can also dual wield weapons in combat, fighting beside their pets in battle.
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