So clearly people like to play BM more. It went from f tier to d tier based on people playing high keys after the buff. (subcreation m+ based)
Interesting to me because I thought people actually liked mm. Now that BM isn’t THE bottom lots seemed to have changed
i like sv
MM has more pure damage specially with the legendary that gives Aimed Shot the ability to apply Serpent Sting (this is effectively the Hunter Talent ring from Legion but better cause it removes a button required) the downside is you need to stay still and weave abilities together to get Focus back up.
BM on the other hand is funner, faster and shares with SV the ability to ‘instant cast’ which makes their AoE come out a ton faster whereas MM has to cast Multi Shot = Aimed Shot = Multi Shot again, sometimes you need to cast Double Tap before Aimed (this is on GCD for some reason) which adds more effort for what might be a single cast, plus pet utility is nice like the Chimera having infinite breathe attack lol.
Some people like to play bm, some people like to play mm more and some people like to play whatever is doing better at the moment.
Yeah because it’s the only spec that hasn’t really changed that much. MM encourages you to play without a pet and Surv took away your bow.
I have no way to back this up and it’s just my theory but I think most people that like Hunters like using a bow and a pet.
I’m not sure what sources you’re reading but current sources (wowhead and raider io) have BM Hunters Ranked 24th for Raid content for Week of Feb 23rd and last weeks Mythic Plus representation is at a staggering 1.1%. I HIGHLY doubt because of the 35% dmg increase we got from Fang’s is really going to boost up BM Hunter representation by another 1%. Furthermore, the Spitting Cobra talent buff was just a waste of development from Blizzard since the real issue lies within base talents and abilities that are needed to make BM Hunter more viable. MM still reigns supreme in every content and will until there’s a significant change for BM to have them to be in line with MM in their current rankings which is Rank 6 as of Feb 23rd. MM hasn’t dropped past Rank 10 in weeks. They were once Rank 14 but that was months ago.
BM is fun, been BM since Cata, it’s just a slap in the face how Blizzard is letting this happen to BM and SURV for this long, reaching about 3 months now. If we discuss that, then why was Fury Warrior dug out of the hole for their buff but left BM and SURV Hunters still in the ditch? Outlaw Rogue is another spec that got their much needed attention (because of WoW MDI representation) whereas Sub and Assassination are left in the dirt as well for both main content.
Fact of the matter is, Blizzard will just keep pumping buff numbers for classes/specs that contribute to WoW AWC and MDI and forget about majority of the rest until both e-Sport events are finished, then usually we’ll see a “major” class/spec tuning for 9.1.
I like the bow/pet and honestly its a simple robust spec that can handle pretty much anything out in the world. So good times 
They ruined the gun sound so even i use bows only now. I can’t even describe the gun sound it doesn’t sound anything like a weapon now.
SV is a joke
BM is trash.
MM is pretty much the only good spec.
Subcreation m+, should have been more clear I could care less about raid just talking specifically m+
It went from f tier to b tier which is solely based on how many people are playing keys from lvl 10-21
Sure, “popularity” numbers may increase, but the damage output is still lack luster of 30% damage compared to MM Hunter. In realty, Fang’s buff still isn’t going to justify ground breaking damage for BM to be highly utilized in M+.
Eh, I think the main reason people like BM more is simply down to the fact that it is 100% mobile. There’s zero casted abilities. You’re basically a melee dps with a 40 yard range. The only real downside is when blizzards pathing screws your pet.
The only thing I personally dislike about BM is their legendary. It’s super clunky to use.
My BM hunter never has to stop moving and can spin jump the entire time he fights. MM hunters need to stand still. Booooooooring.
I’d also say that from what I’ve heard (could be wrong), BM tends to scale better than MM. As such I’m willing to bet that over time BM will naturally overtake MM again. Heck MM started the tier near the top and has already dropped multiple spots due to this IIRC.
People like MM but the gcds and long af cast time feels really bad atm.
over the past couple expansions, MM either had the ability to move while casting aimed shot, had shorter cast time, or lots of procs of free instant aimed shots.
Unfortunately in Shadowlands, haste isn’t an optimal stat, so as a result the 2.2-2.5 second cast time is excruciating (regardless of how much harder it hits), longer if you’re taking damage, the inability to move while casting for those 2.2 to 3+ seconds, and the talent that doesn’t offer free instant aimed shot procs not being bis, makes MM overall feel bad to play atm.
BM meanwhile all their attacks are instant cast, so regardless of them hitting like a wet noodle and doing bottom tier damage, BM feels better to play due to the instant gratification of their dps rotation.
hopefully 9.1 brings back shorter cast times and/or the ability to move while casting so it feels less like a chore doing your rotation and your character stuck in place unable to do something else because you’re stuck casting a 2.2 - 3+ second aimed shot…
You should use what spec caters to your style. If I still did a lot of group based activities I’d probably be mm, but now that I am usually solo, I find bm more versatile and stick with that.
I tried MM this expansion. It’s boring and clunky, so I went back to BM. I keep seeing where a lot of people think BM’s AoE is weak, but running with some hunters I see what their mistakes are. They generally only Multi-Shot, and they’re using Barrage instead of a Stomp build, so outside of them using Wild Spirits, their AoE sucks.
Stomp build can do more DPS than a lot of class’ AoE, even MM if done right. It’s an easy rotation. So easy I made a castsequence macro specifically for AoE fights.
MS - BS - BS - BW - MS - BS - BS - MS
Once BW is off CD, rinse and repeat. Single target fights I’m usually one of the top DPS in the raid. Even single-target world bosses I’m at the top with a 201 ilvl, IF latency from the world boss isn’t killing everyone’s DPS.
Just my experiences, though.
It was more of an aesthetic choice personally. Which is BM. But seeing how it just pales in comparison to MM in Rated PvP I felt forced to play it to push rating quickly. It kinda sucks going an expansion without hunting for spirit beasts since Blizz hasn’t added one since Legion.
Really? That stinks… I always thought that was a really cool side-game for hunters. I remember people figuring out how to get the firelands quest zone spiders back in Cata and thought it was soooo cool.
I’ve mained MM since Legion so I’m probably biased when I say MM 4 lyfe.
BM is just way too boring imo.