I will preface this by saying that I would want the class to get a 4th spec in the style of RSV from pre-Legion, allowing us to pick the playstyle we prefer, and to venture deeper into any such particular fantasy.
Edit: Changed some stuff to clarify the intent for how it would work with 10.0
If, however, we’re to work with the idea of combining anything, I would go for the route of returning RSV to Survival(although a more appropriate name these days would probably be something along the lines of “Munitions”). And then, I would combine the core functions of BM with much of that of current SV. To a point where BM essentially would have additional core abilities early on in the talent section, one set requiring ranged weapons, while the other would require melee-weapons. And then you’d have the newly realised talent tree(spec) to allow players to focus more on the bestial aspects of BM, and how it would tie into the use of ranged weapons, or you’d have 1 “branch” where you could find the more melee-oriented aspects, also with ties to bestial elements.
Essentially, with what we have today, you’d have something like this in 10.0:
Core abilities(talents)
These would then be provided as options in either the class tree, and/or the BM spec tree.
Class tree:
- Pick between Cobra Shot - Raptor Strike
- Pick between Multi-Shot - Carve
- Pick between Kill Shot - Mongoose Bite
- Bestial Wrath
- Kill Command
- Pick between Barbed Shot - Lacerate, with a small branch to choose Dire Beast if wanted, as a replacement.
Ability details
Bestial Wrath
Would work the same as it does on live, no matter if you go ranged or melee.
Cobra Shot - Raptor Strike
Both would have the same functionality of dealing physical damage, and reducing the remaining CD of Kill Command. Just one is ranged, one melee.
Kill Command
Would work as it does now for BM, for both ranged and for melee. Though, one change should be made to the ability, where Kill Command should be included in Beast Cleave by default, allowing Kill Command to hit nearby enemies while Beast Cleave is active.
Barbed Shot - Lacerate
Again, same functionality as Barbed Shot on live – applying a bleed, increasing pet attack speed, CDR for BW, passive Focus regen. One ranged, one melee.
Multi-Shot - Carve
Both would work as they do on live currently. Though, Carve wouldn’t have a CDR for Wildfire Bomb, but instead would activate Beast Cleave, like Multi-Shot does.
Kill Shot - Mongoose Bite
Kill Shot is technically a class-wide ability, but it would still fit with some spec specific adaptations(such as a passive talent in the spec tree, see below). Both Kill Shot and Mongoose Bite would become usable on enemies that fall below 20% health remaining.
Kill Shot/Mongoose Bite could now also have a high chance to proc whenever you score a critical hit with Kill Command. And you could also include a version of Mongoose Fury, where, if you score a critical hit with Kill Shot or Mongoose Bite, the damage of your next Kill Command is increased by X%. See talent suggestion below for tooltip…
Instead of the suggested talent(effect) above, Marksmanship could have a talent in the form of the current MM talent “Dead Eye”, which already improves upon Kill Shot.
Passive effects
In the spirit of keeping with the wishes of some MSV players, return the ability for us to dual wield two 1H weapons. Ideally through the class tree somewhere.
For BM, in general, keep what is currently there for passives, as talent choices.
And on top of that, the talent Animal Companion should be changed to a baseline passive choice, rather than a talent-based choice. A choice that is granted to you at some point above level 10, as you level up, when you’ve chosen Beast Mastery as your specialization. This because of how some players really don’t want to make this choice for a talent based on what provides the most damage. It should be a choice for aesthetic purposes only. Something like:
Animal Companion
You may call 1 additional pet to fight for you at all times. The second pet will obey your Kill Command, but cannot use pet family abilities.If you have two active pets, they both use the same damaging abilities and benefit from the same effects but they only deal 50% of normal damage(each).
Only using 1 pet instead causes that pet to deal 100% of normal damage.
While I won’t go into detail on a potential full talent setup for the proposed concept for BM found above, some things could be included as talents that would either fit both ranged and melee, depending on your preferences ofc. First off…
As it looks like they are putting interrupts in as talent choices, in short:
Counter Shot - Muzzle
As a talent choice in the class tree. Note: Octagonal “choice” node, you may obtain one of the two choices for an interrupt, at a time.
A Murder of Crows
Should be a talent in the class tree if you ask me. Beast Mastery should provide talents that can enhance Crows in various ways.
Spec specific talent suggestions(BM)
For the spec tree, in addition to the core ability suggestions above, I would like to see those found below here for BM. Or at least many of them. Note that for this base concept, I’m not bothering with the inclusion of ranks for specific talent choices.
[Killer Instinct] - Kill Command deals 35% increased damage against enemies below 35% health.
[Bloodseeker] - You and your pet gain 10% attack speed for every bleeding enemy within 12 yds.
(Part of the current SV talent: “Bloodseeker”)
[Improved Bestial Wrath] - The Focus cost of all abilities is reduced by X% while Bestial Wrath is active.
[Bloodshed] - 50 yd range - Instant - 1 min cooldown
Command your pet(s) to tear into your target, causing your target to bleed for X damage over 18 sec, and increase all damage taken from your pet(s) by 15% for 18 sec.
[Dire Beast] - (Replaces Barbed Shot/Lacerate) - Instant - 12 sec recharge - 2 Charges
Summons a powerful wild beast that attacks the target for 8 sec.Generates 20 Focus over 8 sec.
Note: Octagonal “choice” node, you may obtain one of the following two choices at a time.
[Scent of Blood] - Activating Bestial Wrath grants 2 charges of Barbed Shot/Lacerate/Dire Beast.
Or…
[One with the Pack] - Wild Call has a 20% increased chance to reset the cooldown of Barbed Shot/Lacerate/Dire Beast.
Using Barbed Shot/Lacerate/Dire Beast increases your Haste by 5% for 12 sec.
[Bestial Rage] - Increases damage dealt during Bestial Wrath by an additional 15%.
[Giantstalker] - Cobra Shot, Raptor Strike, and Multi-Shot increases the damage bonus granted by Bestial Wrath by an additional X% for the remaining duration.
[Feeding Frenzy] - Damage dealt by Barbed Shot/Lacerate is increased by X%. When the periodic damage effect applied by Barbed Shot/Lacerate is refreshed, this causes the remaining damage to be added to the new effect. The bleed effect caused by Barbed Shot/Lacerate now lasts for a total of 9 sec.
In addition, Frenzy’s duration is also increased to 9 seconds.
- Dire Frenzy(Requires talent: Dire Beast)
Each time a Dire Beast is called, the damage dealt by your main pet(s) is increased by 1%.
When you activate Bestial Wrath, this consumes all stacks of Dire Frenzy and increases the initial damage dealt by Bestial Wrath by 50% for each stack that is consumed.
[Go for the Throat] - Kill Shot/Mongoose Bite now also have a high chance to proc whenever you score a critical hit with Kill Command. If you score a critical hit with Kill Shot or Mongoose Bite, the damage of your next Kill Command is increased by X%.
[Spitting Cobra] - Bestial Wrath also summons a Spitting Cobra to aid you in combat for 15 sec. Each Cobra Shot/Raptor Strike used during Bestial Wrath extends the remaining duration of the Spitting Cobra by 1 sec.
[Thrill of the Hunt] - Barbed Shot/Lacerate/Dire Beast reduces the remaining cooldown of Bestial Wrath by an additional 4 sec.
Barbed Shot/Lacerate/Dire Beast increases your critical strike chance by 5% for 12 seconds.
[Dire Command] - Kill Command has a chance to also summon a Dire Beast to attack your target.
[Aspect of the Wild] - Instant cast - 2 min cooldown
Grants you and your pet 5 Focus per sec and 10% increased critical strike chance for 20 sec.
[Birds of Prey] - Kill Command extends the remaining duration of A Murder of Crows by 2 sec.
[Stomp] - When you cast Barbed Shot/Lacerate/Dire Beast, your pet stomps the ground, dealing X Physical damage to all nearby enemies.
Note: Octagonal “choice” node, you may obtain one of the following two choices at a time.
[Chimaera Shot] - Instant cast - 15 sec cooldown
A two-headed shot that hits your primary target and another nearby target, dealing X Nature damage to one and X Frost damage to the other.Generates 10 Focus for each target hit.
Or…
[Flanking Strike] - Instant cast - 15 sec cooldown
You and your pet leap to the target and strike it as one, dealing a total of X Physical damage.Generates 20 Focus for you and your pet.
[Talon Frenzy] - While Beast Cleave is active, A Murder of Crows affects up to 8 enemies near the primary target.
[Improved Beast Cleave] - Increases the duration of Beast Cleave by 6 sec. Increases the damage dealt by Beast Cleave by X%.
[Improved Multi-Shot/Carve] - Casting Multi-Shot/Carve reduces the Focus cost of your next Kill Command by X.
[Improved Cobra Shot/Raptor Strike] - Increases the damage dealt by Cobra Shot/Raptor Strike by 30%.
[Improved A Murder of Crows] - Damage of A Murder of Crows is increased by X%.
[Cobra Commander] - Casting Cobra Shot/Raptor Strike has a 10% chance to create 2-4 Sneaky Snakes that attack the target for 6 sec.
[Killer Cobra] - Casting two Cobra Shots/Raptor Strikes in a row increases the damage of Kill Command by X% for Y sec. If at least one of the Cobra Shots/Raptor Strikes lands a critical hit, this causes the next Kill Command to not incur a cooldown, and have its’ Focus cost reduced by 50%.
[Aspect of the Beast] - Increases the damage and healing of your pet’s abilities by 30%.
Increases the effectiveness of your pet’s Predator’s Thirst, Endurance Training, and Pathfinding passives by 50%.
[Rylakstalker’s Piercing Fangs] - While Bestial Wrath is active, your pet’s critical damage dealt is increased by 35%.
[Stampede] - Instant cast - 30 sec duration - 2 min cooldown
Summons 5 of your stabled pets to fight for you for 30 sec. These pets deal X% of normal damage and obey your Kill Command.Pets summoned by Stampede heal themselves for 200% of the damage they deal.
Note: Octagonal “choice” node, you may obtain one of the following three choices at a time.
[Unleashed Fury] - Instant cast - 20 sec cooldown
Sends your pet into a rage, causing it to deal X Physical damage to the target in a flurry of 5 attacks. Damage dealt is increased by X% for every stack of Frenzy the pet currently has.When this ability is used, your pet lets out a savage roar, increasing your haste by 10% for 12 sec.
Or…
[Way of the Mok’Nathal] - Requires melee weapon(s).
Embrace the teachings of Rexxar, and the clan Mok’Nathal.Wielding melee weapons causes successful Kill Command critical hits to grant you Mok’Nathal Tactics, increasing the damage of Raptor Strike by X% for Y sec, and any Raptor Strike performed within that time will reduce the remaining cooldown of Bestial Wrath by X sec.
Or…
[Bestial Fury](Requires talent: Dire Beast)
Damage dealt by Dire Beasts during Bestial Wrath is increased by another X%.
Any Dire Beasts called during Bestial Wrath will have their duration increased by an additonal X sec. This also applies to Dire Beasts who have already been called to fight when Bestial Wrath is activated. Attacks made by Dire Beasts will now also benefit from Beast Cleave, if activated.
Mock-up talent tree, based on the concept above:
Image updated to include additional talents.
This took way longer than expected, I’ve probably forgotten something. Feel free to post some feedback^^