So, one more upside with introducing that 4th spec option for the Hunter class,
Hint 
: We need range Survival Hunters back - #457 by Ghorak-laughing-skull
is that they can let Marksmanship focus on what it’s actually meant to be. The ranger/sniper with strong hits and burst damage.
As well as adding in more nuances that cater towards the initial fantasy of the current Survival spec. Melee combat + pet coordination.
When I first saw the new design of the MSV spec with the Alpha/Beta of BfA. My initial thoughts were basically, why are they copying over stuff from other specs?
Since then, I’ve thought of what things I would prefer for the MSV spec to have(no, not reverting it to ranged). Like below:
Any abilities or talents not mentioned below, they can stay as they are IMO.
-Core Abilities-
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Remove Kill Command.
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Rework Raptor Strike to be the new focus builder(it can work the same as Kill Command did for the spec, just melee-based, and it shouldn’t have a cooldown).
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Drag out Mongoose Bite to become the main Spender instead of Raptor Strike.
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Rework Serpent Sting into a mid-range CD.
Instead of you, firing a poison tipped arrow at your target, now, when you activate this ability, you coat your melee weapon(s) in snake venom for a short period.
Let’s say the ability has a 30 sec CD. The duration could be something like 15-20 seconds.
The venom itself, could work much like the old Exotic Ammunitions-venom we had in WoD. Where your auto shots(here, it would instead be melee auto attacks), they would inflict that venom on the target.
The damaging effect would stack with every attack. -
Wildfire Bomb can pretty much stay as it is. Although perhaps changing it into an actual bomb with a splash effect rather than being designed with a cone in mind would be better.
No matter the design here, throwing a bomb in front of yourself does not make sense but at least the splash design allows for less annoyance.
-Talents-
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Remove the talent, Alpha Predator(no longer needed).
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Put the last tier talent, Birds of Prey in the place of Alpha Predator.
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Talent: Viper’s Venom, could be reworked so that if it’s chosen, it causes your new Snake Venom ability, it causes the venom to spread more quickly(stack up higher with every attack).
As well as adding a chance for you to extend it’s duration on the target(s) beyond the default time(up to a set max).
Essentially, this could allow you to keep that DoT up permanently. -
Hydra’s Bite. This would now just allow you to hit 3 targets at once with your Snake Venom buff that you use on your weapon(s).
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Bloodseeker, could work the same, just that it would involve Raptor Strike instead of Kill Command.
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Tip of the Spear, can be renamed Sharpened Edges.
Now, when picked, as you would have Mongoose Bite baseline. This talent could be reworked to allow you to stack Mongoose Fury up faster and/or allow you to extend the duration of the buff. -
We have a free spot for a talent option in the place of Mongoose Bite.
This could be fun
New talent called Mean Duo (I love that name!).
What it would do, is this:
Each time you hit an enemy target with an ability, there’s a high chance that this will cause your pet’s next Basic Attack(Bite, Claw, Smack) to be a guaranteed critical strike.
Each time your pet hits with a Basic Attack, there’s a high chance that you gain this effect as well.
I like the synergy! -
Wildfire Infusion might have to change a bit in it’s design to better fit the new core makeup of the spec. But still, mostly, I think it’s the Pheromone Bomb infusion that needs to change. Perhaps into something that benefits your Mongoose Bite?
And last but not least!
- In the place of the talent Birds of Prey(that was moved to the first row). I would like to put in a new talent. Some of you might remember the talent: Way of the Mok’Nathal. Explanation follows.
(And no, I don’t intend to bring that specific talent design back).
What I want, is this:
A LOT of players think of the current MSV spec as a visualization of us playing as Rexxar.
The famed Hunter from Draenor that fights with 2 1-handed axes.
So…what if a talent that you call Way of the Mok’Nathal, would do just that? Allow you to equip 2 1-handed weapons.
All your melee attacks(and abilities) would now be executed with those 2 weapons instead of a 2-hander.
As for tuning…Now, you would have to tune the 1h-concept to be on par with the 2 other talents on the same talent row, instead of trying to tune it as a baseline option for players choosing between using a 2-hander or 2 1-handers.
I know it’s not as simple as this, but still, more simple than the alternative.
Considering the amount of players that would want to play with 1-handed weapons. I’d say this would be worth it.