I recently discovered I’m a horrible melee DPS. There is so much going on in the fight, and with the new dungeons I don’t know many of the mechanics. I’m dying a lot.
I’m looking for a straightforward ranged class. I see people saying how easy BM is. Is it actually super easy? Is it fun to play?
Edit: my other option would likely be frost mage.
Edit x2: I’d likely eventually go MM once I get comfortable on my hunter. And I mainly m+
I think so. My other toon is a shadow priest and I feel like I need a preventative wrist brace for the million keybinds I need, but BM is like, 6 buttons and fully mobile. Get a weakaura that plays a little sound when your barbed shot frenzy stacks need to be refreshed so you don’t even have to eyeball them and you’re golden.
Downside - flat damage profile outside borrowed power, so when other classes are pumping you’re there like… wooo… I’m here too… and despite being ranged, if your pet cannot physically get to a target ie it’s on a ledge far away from you you’ll only do marginally more damage than a rogue standing there pistol shot spamming. AO3 isn’t BM’s niche this tier (again, due to borrowed power) either so while you will absolutely be able to time keys in m+, you’ll just feel faintly embarassed if any SV hunters turn up.
Yes, it plays like a ranged melee. Perfect for learning mechanics. I find it simple and fun. It’s not the highest dps (especially aoe,) but being able to maintain perfect rotation despite most mechanics helps.
It is the only ranged spec that can do full DPS while moving, and the base rotation is indeed pretty simple. The biggest ‘hitch’ that you have to learn is watching/managing your Frenzy stacks, really.
Would MM be an okay choice to learn mechanic on as well?
Can if you want, but it can’t move around like BM though.
I know what you’re asking at is feedback on the mechanics but-
You have to have thick skin to play BM because every other group you play with there’s a good chance some hack will have a comment about how you’re either going to do badly or are a bad player regardless of performance.
It doesn’t matter how uncannily they embody canine excrement themselves or by how much you stomp them into the dirt; it’s just something you have to learn to ignore.
If you’re an average player not over-invested into the game it’s an awesome class to play IMHO, and the only reason I come back to WoW periodically because it tackles the pet class fantasy in a unique way I enjoy.
BM is viewed as easy because it’s virtually impossible not to perform.
If an Affliction Warlock forgets to apply a DoT, or if they’re wasting too many GCDs, their damage tanks. And you can see it.
If a BM hunter lets their Frenzy 3 stack fall off, it’s not the end of the world, and almost no one will even realize.
Hell. Even the Hunter wont realize unless they’re tracking it.
But that leads me into the tips and tricks.
BM has a few “mini-games” within it’s rotation.
Such as how many Kill Commands you can squeeze in between having to refresh your Frenzy stacks, and making sure your Frenzy is always at 3 stacks.
People often refer to a skill floor and a skill ceiling.
BM has a skill ceiling about as high as most other specs.
It’s just that instead of a skill floor, BM has a skill basement.
There isn’t a difficult hunter spec. They’re all pretty easy.
BM is mechanically the easiest and likely the easiest rotationally before 4pc tier set bonus. Tier set for MM/Surv turn them into functionally 2 button specs while BM remains 3-4 depending on scenario, not including things like bestial wrath and CDs. MM is probably the easiest once you get 4pc, followed very closely by surv.
What I mean by “mechanically easiest” is that it isn’t punished by movement at all and is ranged. Survival is melee (although it’s worth noting that it’s the melee spec least punished by needing to go out of melee range) which means you have much less space to work with and need to mind frontals etc. MM has to stay still to cast aimed shot, and with 4pc making MM revolve around aimed shot it’s essentially a turret spec atm. BM you can chill out at ranged and do the hokey pokey at no detriment to your DPS.
Edit: If you have experience with casters I’d recommend just jumping straight into MM.
Not easier than any other spec, everyone forgets BM lives and dies by Frenzy stacks. Plenty of Blizzard mechanics that hose the 3 stack.
The biggest advantage of BM in PvE is mobility. When you play say fire mage and combust with Rune of Power, it’s not hard to do, however mechanics that put bad on your rune and buh bye damage window. BM with Dreamweaver soulbind see this when Field is down, but it’s not near as bad as it is with Rune for mages.
If you raid as BM, expect to get assigned to plenty of mechanics that need to be dealt with.
This is false as the difference between a good BM hunter and a bad one is barbed shot management.
From personal experience I’d say its one of the easiest specs in WoW but one of the most fun! Lol
BM is fun and chill. But damage isn’t there outside of BW is meh. But with BW and CD man you can pump. AOE is OK. MM is harder to play but still easy.
SV is another story.
DM’s a great mechanics-learning (i.e., low floor) spec that still has a decent skill ceiling, even its steps toward that ceiling may seem less obvious, numerous, and/or interesting than those that SV or MM take.
Enjoy it. It’s a pretty solid spec.
Many will say yes, its easy, but i think that depends how your qualify that statement… it isnt any easier or harder than most classes in terms of rotations and such so most of that is just hate.
What i will say though is that it is very forgiving. You can do some stupid things, and survive them, more than you can on other classes.
If thats what you call easy, then yeah, its easy… but lets not pretend any class in this game is that much harder then any other in reality… except maybe being a good Disc, but thats another story 
Bm is the best spec in the game in my opinion. Amazing at questing. Amazing at soloing. Great at dungeon and raid movement. Decent in pvp. Learn to keep 3 stacks of frenzy and mend that pet and youll be golden.