I recognize that these are pretty quick first impressions and more time might make me feel differently about them, but:
Class Tree
Removing Steel Trap is a good thing for PvE, a negative thing for PvP. It would’ve been nice if we could’ve had it just do zero damage and remain on the tree somewhere, but it’s not make or break.
Implosive Trap is finally some much-needed group utility and hunter is finally able to use an AoE stop. This is great, though 1.5 min CD feels a little long. 30-45sec would probably be too short, but I think a 1 min CD would be a much better place without overshadowing any other specs who are already known for AoE stops.
I am overall pretty indifferent to losing Death Chakram. It is a cool ability but I think both Surv and MM (don’t play BM) play fine without it from my testing. I wouldn’t mind it staying/coming back, don’t really mind that it’s gone.
Marksmanship
Increasing Multi-Shot’s focus cost is fine, but that combined with losing Death Chakram and it’s focus gen results in Improved Steady Shot feeling much more mandatory, it’s very easy to be focus starved in AoE. This is unpleasant, as it is by far the least interesting and worst-feeling node in the top gate of the tree. Please baseline this talent.
Survival
Sic’Em, Butchery, Quick Shot, and Coordinated Assault changes are very positive. CA being a more typical damage increase does make the existence of Spearhead even more strange, though, since they both now very clearly fill the same roles. There’s nothing about CA that innately makes it feel better or worse in ST when compared to Spearhead, it will just come down to tuning, and that’s a weird place to be. Would prefer Spearhead to be replaced as a capstone.
Mongoose Bite/Fury changes I think are positive, though I think could still be better. The old version just didn’t really fit anymore in my testing, there are too many buttons that competed with Mongoose Bite. However, now it is just a boring maintenance buff. I don’t have any ideas I’m happy with on how this could be further improved, but I do think there’s still a lot of room for improvement here. At this point I’d almost prefer to just play without Mongoose Bite entirely if it’s numerically viable to do so.
Flanking Strike changes are overall very negative. This button was completely fine and felt great as a big spender, and now it’s a boring passive that doesn’t change how you play other than giving you an extra Tip stack over a regular KC.
This also makes this ability FAR worse in PvP, as you no longer have any control over the dash, and you can’t reliably build focus from range. One of the best parts about Survival in PvP is the choice of being able to play at range or dive in for more damage, and the Flanking Strike change directly contradicts that. We could just not take the talent in PvP, but that also sucks, the ability was always fun to use.
PLEASE revert the change to Flanking Strike. It’s already a niche spec and always will be, it doesn’t need to be designed for the masses and have even more abilities removed.