Appreciate the ongoing reaction to community feedback so far!
Literally cashing in a sub to add my voice because there’s a few talent ideas - maybe missed opportunities to add some depth to what is in the trees now or expand multi-point selections in ways that offer neat tricks moreso than use-it-or-lose-it throughput choices.
In no particular order from the perspective of a longtime BM Hunter player- these are in reference to past abilities/traits/talents by name unless indicated otherwise.
- Blink Strike(s) - In the past there was both on active & passive version of this ability, disregarding any added damage the utility of being able to have pets teleport on a 20 second CD was helpful for getting pets immediately unstuck from pathing issues or switching to a priority target.
Bonus suggestion - I would LOVE if this was re-themed as an “Ambush” ability where the pets fade out as if they were dismissed / going into stealth and then reappear the next second at their target and hitting with whatever bonus on the first hit (which really would only exist to compensate that lost second or so of transition time). It’s a situational ability and a fun one!
- Rapid Reload - Enjoyed the feel of this one in BFA! Would be nice to have the option to augment the baseline Multi Shot. It’s simple but visually satisfying that you get to double down on a group of enemies.
Bonus suggestion - Change the name of this to “Echo Chamber” and have the second application be dealt as Nature damage. Bam!
- Feeding Frenzy - The 1 second extension could be incorporated into either Loaded Quiver or Sharp Barbs to make either slightly more impactful. It could be neat if there was a talent that modified how Barbed Shot refreshes (stacking or spreading based on crit chance?)
Bonus suggestion - If Barbed Shot could be talented into like, “Barbed Bola” and hit an adjacent target, that would be so cool! And a new animation please!
- Replacement for Dust of Life / Eternal Guardian / Gift of Chi-Ji - Hear me out! I miss having the ability to bring a Battle Rez for some content via a pet. But thematically- Hunters are already capable of resurrecting their own pets frequently; is it really a stretch at all for this to be coming from the hunter rather than a pet? Not a must have for every hunter build, but a strong option for groups.
Bonus suggestion - This would probably need a rename and I’m lobbying for “Jaws of Life” because of the reference to the real life tool / beasty maws / and especially the Jaws of Thunder sparks flying back in Legion.
- Murder of Crows - This is in the alpha tree already but it would be neat to build on it. Perhaps an additional investment could allow a chance for the ability to refresh or spread to a nearby enemy on crits against the target & heal for a % of the damage dealt if the target dies under the effect?
Bonus suggestion - If the secondary investment needs a name I suggest “Ravenous Flock”
- Cheat Death / Reincarnation - Not hunter abilities but hear me out first! The idea of a faithful companion “taking the killing blow” for their master is very much on concept for the class fantasy, grim as it may be… and in the current state Hunters badly need some tricky survivability options. Probably not both available together for obvious reasons.
- Warding Bond - Passive talent inspired by the D&D 5e ability of the same name. Fatal attacks instead reduce you to 7% of your maximum health. For 3 sec afterward, you take 85% reduced damage; 50% of which is redirected to your active pet. Cannot trigger more often than once per 6 minutes or if the pet is currently dead.
Bonus suggestion - This could maybe be included as an offshoot to Born To Be Wild?
- Possum Pact - This would be building on the Feign Death concept with a new passive. If the Hunter dies while they their main pet is alive, they will have the option to resurrect at 20% health; but upon revival their main pet will be dead until revived. This effect can occur only once every 30 minutes.
Bonus hype - Are they dead? Feigning? Activating their Possum Pact? The lore of Hunter death shenanigans deepens.
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Spirit Bond - I really hate not having this as BM, but I’m actually referring to the Titanstrike feature from Legion. Maybe as an offset somewhere in the flat kill command damage nodes tuning we could get this back at least in some form: Kill Command heals you for 15% of the damage it deals.
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Disengage - I think it would be interesting to be able to get a 2nd charge of this again! Something we had at some point when it was Deterrence.
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NEW ASPECT - Aspect of the Herd - Frees allies within 30 meters from movement impairing effects and boosts their speed by 90% for 2 secs and 30% for another 2 seconds. I always liked the idea of Aspect of the Pack, but the stun feature was truly horrible. Going for some shared movement utility in a group escape format. 2 min cooldown.
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NEW CONCEPT Improved Traps (Launch Cannon!) - The next trap used activates as a targeted ability or a toggle. Well worth an investment for fat fingered players like myself and potentially opens up some cool plays that are somewhat unreliable for casual players.
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NEW CONCEPT High Intensity Flare - Gives flares some type of added effect; maybe a marginal amount of avoidance or dodge for allies in their radius as a niche defensive.
I had fun putting these together and again appreciate the ongoing discussions.