It did make sense for hunters to have a melee spec since one the most popular characters in the lore is a melee hunter. Rexxar.
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I dont know, when is Rexxar going to become a mage?
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They need to give melee something worth having for picking it over ranged. Right now it isn’t much. Safer from range, and less mechanics and more damage from ranged is what keeps survival sub par.
It would have made sense as a fourth spec. Deleting a spec like they did was a huge mistake both for gameplay reasons and class fantasy reasons. I used to be able to play an archer who infused their shots with magic that had a fun distinct playstyle separate from BM and MM. I no longer have that option, and I think that’s more so a failing on Blizz’s part.
The identity of wanting to fight side by side with your pet is a good one, but I believe Blizz seriously underestimated how many hunters picked the class initially because of its focus on ranged weaponry that had been going strong for about 12 years before Legion. Removing one of the only three specs that focuses on that sort of gameplay for current SV drove many players away from the class altogether.
I think they should buff current SV and double down their focus on its themes, but I also think a 4th spec makes the most sense. The current precedent right now is that Blizz can and will delete specs if they want to regardless of whether it makes sense or not. There is no guarantee it won’t just happen again to MSV considering it has gone through back to back reworks and is deeply unpopular. And I don’t think that’s good for fans of the spec either.
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How is that workin out for bm?
It’s still one of the most played specs in the game, actually despite its poor performance currently.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cAmV40TMtljuBcgcRSHi3sH4wfjtPprFML7NGJDkl_c/edit#gid=0
Edit: For clarities sake, this information is using all hunters who have joined a covenant which will include some that are not level capped. However, even factoring that in it’s still a clear trend that BM is still popular despite its performance. Which leads me to believe that there’s something other than performance for why there’s such a strong dislike for SV within the hunter community.
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Then all Shamans should be allowed to wear plate because Thrall did or all priest should be allowed to wear plate and use a sword because Anduin does.
Another thing is prior to legion so from WC3 through WoD Rexxar was a Beast Master.
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Pff, not a beast master. The Beast Master 
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Yea, they should have made a 4th spec. At this point, it’s probably much easier for them to buff it.
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I agree that it absolutely needs buffs. I want the hunter class as a whole to be successful. I do think there should still be a 4th spec, but I think current SV also needs to be looked into. It currently isn’t really excelling in any aspect of the game. In PVP it’s close to being in an okay spot again but has similar issues to BM (lack of big burst, too much reliance on pet). It’s next to nonexistent in raids and in M+ it can do okay with uncapped AOE but there are far better options out there for that and it’s melee where the affixes can really punish groups for melee.
lorewise, I’m not sure that the gear characters can wear is nearly as important as their class skills and abilities.
Player class skill for shamans does not allow plate yet Thrall could .
Player class skill for priests does not all plate or use of swords but Anduin does .
Why are they the exception ? Simple because they are lore characters and so is Rexxar. Rexxar is the only lore character being said is the rule when all others have been constantly been told to the players are the exception .
If they are going to say well this spec of this class is this way because of a lore character then Shamans get plate and priest get plate and swords because those lore characters have that skill then so should the players. There are probably plenty of other examples you can find in regards to Lore characters and the classes they represent.
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So out of 16 years of history You name 2 patch and MoP wich I disagree. It wasnt a top spec the whole xpac.
But anyway even 2 patch and 1 expansion still a meme to me in a game that is over 16 years old.
Survival will remain the talent tree you dumped ypur left over pts for PvP.
No it wasn’t, you were either BM for PVP or Marksmanship for PVE. I rarely saw a Survival Hunter unless it was back during the time of Vanilla and early BC where Survival was somewhat of a melee spec.
VERY VERY VERY RARE to see a Survival hunter before Legion and in MOP and WOD all three specs felt the same. They got rid of survival because people didn’t play it and took it back to its original state, somewhat (Go play Vanilla Classic).
G T F O here with your nonesense.
Exactly 
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?? MM dominated PVP for multiple expansions, what are you talking about?
Except we know that isn’t true. As I mentioned, SV should be buffed and looked into. You do not need to lie to support your position.
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Stop being a HunterTARD small fry. 
Wrong a lot of people were playing Range survival from Cata through the first patch of WoD. As for it being a melee spec in Vanilla any one that tried doing that in classic was laughed at . The melee aspect was always meant for defense not for offensive capabilities .
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I had a survival hunter buy all 8 KSM keys. He was around 220 ilvl and was a very skilled player. Had decent dps across all 8 dungeons and was on top of his interrupts.
He would consistently get invited to groups and then removed instantly when they realised he was a survival hunter. It got so bad that he had to buy friends just to get his KSM done.
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Surv not being a tank spec was a mistake.
I still don’t understand why would anyone want to play as a dps melee hunter when you’re supposed to be an archer.
Like is it the fantasy of having a pet to fight along with? Cuz other than that there isn’t much of a difference to other melee specs fantasy wise.
THis statement just says you’re here to troll and not actually debate .
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