Shadowlands Hunter class changes

[Ghorak-laughing-skull]

I consider these changes to be expected but disappointing. Like they said at Blizzcon, they are making no drastic changes beyond reintroducing a lot of pruned stuff. This would have been a good stance to take in WoD when the classes were still in very good states. Some specs need drastic changes.

Pretty much.

Though I doubt this is all that we will be seeing for hunters once we get to the pre-patch. But yeah…

Kill Shot : The big winner.

Would agree. It’s a nice addition.

Arcane Shot : Cool, I guess? Unless they add some additional effect this ability will NEVER see use outside of exceedingly niche circumstances for BM and Survival so this is a bit pointless outside of “flavour” and I’m not sure if it has any of the same charm as something like Eyes of the Beast.

Yeah, I really can’t see how they will make this work together with Cobra Shot for BM as both would be basic focus spenders.

Tranquilizing Shot : I’m pleasantly surprised to see this come back.

Indeed.

Hopefully they decide to change the Pet-based purge abilities so that they become intended for defensive use. Meaning, used to remove harmful effects from friendly units.

Hunter’s Mark : It’s nice thematically, but having to spend a GCD on every target switch really sucked. Having it automatically apply in MoP sucked too because some times you want to keep it on a certain target for the stealth detection. The best solution is also the simplest: take it off the GCD.

Or, remove the damage portion of the ability and keep it only as a stealth-preventer.

They can still take it off the GCD ofc. But really, I hope that they remove the damage boost from it. It won’t actually increase our total damage anyway.

Eyes of the Beast : Happy to see it back, even if it doesn’t have any real use. This is just a flavour ability.

Yep. Awesome!

Scare Beast : Same as before, although this one might shine in specific PvP situations.

A bit of a niche ability. But it had it’s use ofc.

Things I wish they brought back: I would like to see Distracting Shot again.

Agreed. Give me DS, in a combo with Misdirection. Maybe even BM hunters could be useful for misdirecting enemies to the tank eh?^^

But more broadly they should really reconsider Glyphs. The ability to customise your abilities was nice and I miss things like the longer Disengage range and having a baseline knockback Explosive Trap (speaking of which, Scatter Shot should return to baseline at least for MM).

Yes!

As for the spec changes, they are mostly disappointing because they are entirely talent changes, beyond the new baseline class stuff of course.

Would agree so far.

Hopefully we will see more things added as we get into the Alpha.

BM really needs a new rotational mechanic.

I would argue that BM needs a lot more than what we saw there. In addition to what you said just now about a rotational ability.

• Baseline choice between 1 or 2 main pets(not a talent).

• Dire Beast reworked to again allow us to choose between it and Barbed Shot.

• Aspect of the Wild needs more than it’s baseline functions. Primal Instincts(the effect) is a good addition, yes.

• Bestial Wrath should not be on the GCD.

• Talent changes looks decent. But more is needed!

MM is not getting the help it needs.

Would agree.

They need to consider the WoD sniper training buff as a better mobility compromise and they need to redesign Trueshot; right now it effectively makes you stand still and frantically cast as much as possible, all the while your Aimed Shot charges and Focus are maxing out and wasting time which doesn’t feel great.

One way to do it.

Survival…it looks like Blizzard doesn’t know what to do with it given they aren’t doing anything with it.

It seems to still be a spec focused on certain melee-functions along with…the other things we already know of, like Bombs, KCs and more.

But yeah, the more things they add that focus on ranged features/elements, the less it makes sense.

Pretty ironic considering their initial goal with it as a spec, going into Legion.

And, incredibly sad at the same time. Why the heck did they remove RSV if they were just going to…marginalize the things intended to make the new SV stand out?

All of these baseline elements added to the class plus the covenant abilities are all centred around the ranged weapon, meaning despite Blizzard’s Legion revisions the ranged weapon is still inseparable to our core identity

Exactly.

The most important thing

Blizzard MUST figure out how to make this all work given the loss of azerite traits and essences. We can’t have another Legion artifact situation. All specs are very reliant on their azerite traits not only to perform but to function at a basic level.

Well said.

Dance of Death is our single best one. I’m not sure if I would keep going with exactly how it works now since it effectively overrides the value of Frenzy

Remove it IMO. It’s a passive stat boost. Not interesting at all.

Primal Instincts is what makes Aspect of the Wild work. Without it, AotW is just terrible. I think this is the strongest candidate for being baseline

Yep.

Rapid Reload: It’s great fun but I don’t know if it’s fair of me to ask for this to stay. This is what makes BM stupidly effective in M+. It’s nice to have a CDR mechanic for AotW but maybe this one is just a bit too powerful.

It’s a neat function. Especially considering how much we’ve come to rely on AotW of late.

Maybe it can be adjusted if it’s to become a baseline feature/addition.

Imagine my disappointment once I get to the Hunter section and they literally do nothing to address the core issues with Hunters.

Yeah…

to have WoD survival back. I’m begging you dev team, please give us a 4th spec.

YES!

[Danieltoon-sargeras]

They don’t even know what to do with survival except for buff talents they barely even use lmao

That’s because nobody plays SV Hunters. Not even the devs.

[Yura-area-52 (Yura)]

MM is the biggest disappointment. So much potential wasted if they are sticking to BFA design. Where is Chimera Shot? AOE still capped? RSV gameplay? Sad.

[Floplag-darkspear (Floplag)]

I for one am very hyped for these changes. I never liked having the skills such a tranq shot tied to the pet, that should be on us.

The one thing i would hope and pray gets added to this is the unpruning of other stings and traps and that all of them would be available to all hunter specs.

Buff them or augment them for SV to keep its unique flavor, but all hunters should have access to all traps and stings.

[Bigthumbb-lightnings-blade]

So SV hunters will now have Serpent Sting, Arcane Shot, AND Kill Shot as ranged attacks? (Wildfire Bomb as well, of course, but I’m looking specifically at abilities that you would expect to utilize a ranged weapon). That’s A LOT of ranged weapon abilities - do you guys think it’s possible SV hunters will again use both a melee weapon AND a ranged weapon? Personally, I’d love that. I’ve been hoping to use simultaneously both Mage Tower skins for MM and SV - they’re a reimagining of Rhok’delar and Lok’delar, so it’s a shame they could never be used together.

If an equipped ranged weapon isn’t on the table, I hope they at least let us set an appearance for the ranged weapon you pull out when using those ranged abilities.

[Legaylas-sargeras]

right? I was hoping kill shot for survival could be a big ole bazooka

[Foctordreeze-fenris]

Baseline binding shot is a big help to our kiting, very very nice. We can take posthaste without question now.

[Thuperduperx-kelthuzad]

Absolutely 2 A plus plus descisions with bringing tranq shot and scare beast back.

Eyes of the beast is not really useful but whatevs either way.

Now as far as concerns…hunters mark…it’s an extra global we will have to keep up on our openers, but our overall damage will be nerfed to compensate…slowing our openers even more on a gcd heavy spec of bm…get rid of global cooldowns or hunters mark will be a huge burden…take the damage portion of hunters mark off and make it only reveal stealthies…I hate seeing this returned.

Concern 2…kill shot…our overall damage nerfed to compensate…making it again harder to get other players in pvp down to kill shot range in the first place…our burst and sustained will be nerfed to compensate or it will be op…and no one will settle for a hunter being op…we know this…

Where’s our kitability buffs…all anyone brings up is damage moves…where’s wyvern sting…where’s is masters call 8 seconds again…is post haste 8 seconds of freedom again. Is concussive shot cd shortened like rogues ranged slow spammable…

These are very minor wins for us…we need to push harder. I don’t blame some of you knew hunters for not knowing what the old Glory’s of the Hunter class used to feel like…but we’ve fallen further by Miles then what they are offering…

Scare beast, post haste improved, wyvern sting, scatter shot, viper sting Mana burn, narrow escape, good stampede, binding arrow stun, tranq shot, long freedoms, explosive trap that doesn’t break freeze trap, full camoflauge with no downtime, dismissing pets in arena, good pet patching, these are all things and a few I may have forgotten that should be concerns. If u didn’t play prior to legion I’ll never understand that our kiting used to truly exist. Blizz and Activision deleted our kiting. OG hunters never forget. Ok boomer

[Barash-guldan (Barash)]

cough
I would not say, ‘no one’ plays survival.

[Tacohands-malganis]

They lost me at Barbed Shot. Still getting the same shoddy hunters we had the past two expansions, so even though I preordered it and have a six month sub, I think I wont be logging in after I see the story and level cap.

[Bruffo-arthas (Bruffo)]

No baseline serpent sting? =(

[Dunes-tichondrius]

Baseline Tranq Shot, Kill Shot, and Binding Shot? I’m literally over the moon with these changes! I hope for some more talent reworks and changes to Precise Shots so we can actually choose some of our focus spending talents but holy crap that addresses the major issues I have with MM

Talent changes I’d like:

Master Marksman Baseline (or Precise Shots less of a worry with higher focus regen)

Serpent Sting duration 16-18 seconds

Lock & Load baseline

[Bruffo-arthas (Bruffo)]

Honestly it would be okay if arcane shot replaced cobra. Cobra has no flavor, no purpose, and looks terribly silly…

[Goldenax-whisperwind (Goldenax)]

• do you guys think it’s possible SV hunters will again use both a melee weapon AND a ranged weapon

They should go whole hog and give SV a range slot again, and Marks and BM melee slots again.

[Axeperson-agamaggan (Axeperson)]

That’s A LOT of ranged weapon abilities - do you guys think it’s possible SV hunters will again use both a melee weapon AND a ranged weapon?

it would at least be an identity to focus the game play on. be ranged but for certain procs, you’ll deal more damage if you hop up to the boss quick and then hop back out. it would at least have a kind of dodge and weave game play loop which no other spec has.

[Huntressluna-duskwood]

Expooooosee weeaaaknaaaas lol /dramatic feign death ‘aooaaaah aaa’

[Masoschism-bloodscalp (Masoschism)]

This is from an MM perspective only.

• Kill Shot – Fantastic

• Tranq Shot – Great

• Arcane Shot – It will be interesting to have both a stationary and a mobile spender. It depends on how its implemented. If it is designed to be a mobile replacement for Aimed Shot, where we use it ONLY when we have to be mobile or don’t have enough time to cast Aimed Shot AND it feels satisfying to use (sufficient damage) it could be great. Meaningful choices are a good thing.

• Hunter’s Mark – Awesome

• Eyes of the Beast – Fun

• Scare Beast – Exactly the type of stuff that needs to be in the spec. Situationally useful – Yay! (I wish it worked on druids in animal form!)

• Volley – Tough to say. The only thing that really matters is that our AoE works with two targets.

• Dead Eye – Looks interesting

• Binding Shackles – I’m having a tough time seeing this as useful, but I’d have to play with it.

Baseline Binding Shot will help, but hunters in general, and MM hunters specifically NEED speed. Its been a hunter thing since day one and for almost all of this game. It is ludicrous that others have it, or have gotten it since, and we don’t. Please bring back the REAL Aspect of the Cheetah.

I am also concerned about no mention of fixing Camo.

[Nychilos-moon-guard]

As someone who actually enjoys the spec, they either have no idea what to do with Survival (most probable), or they just don’t have anything yet to say beyond “damage buffs y’all” because it’s in development (much less probable).

That said, despite bringing back and reworking a bunch of old abilities for other specs for various classes, it’s incredibly baffling that Blizzard has decided to not bring back anything from Legion for Suv - you know, where they decided to redefine Surv into a melee spec? You’re telling me you couldn’t work in an iteration of at least one of the Legion abilities like Fury of the Eagle, Lacerate, Caltrops, etc? Yeah, they’re not generic class abilities, but several specs are getting previously pruned abilities.

And considering most of the baseline abilities being (re)added are range, Blizz needs to commit to Survival either being firmly melee or revert it back to range. It’s going to be in an even weirder spot now with seemingly more ranged abilities than melee.

And no mention if any of the Azerite Traits are being baked into abilities is worrying given what happened to classes post-Legion where suddenly you felt your class/spec lost power or became more clunky without the things that made them feel complete. No amount of damage buffing to talents is going to help with that.

[Motorz-emerald-dream]

Volley : enables the Marksman Hunter to rain arrows down on a targeted area over a short period of time. It also empowers the Hunter with the Trick Shots buff, causing all their Aimed Shot and Rapid Fire abilities to ricochet and hit up to five additional targets for half the damage for the entire duration of Volley. Replaces the existing Volley

This makes me sad in every way possible. It’s absolutely terrible and shows just how little they understand their own words of what it means to be a Marksman hunter.

Master sharpshooters…hey guys here is a blob aoe shot in the middle of nowhere and we will attach trickshots to it because reasons. So incredibly immersion breaking to use this garbage.

I can see the rotation now…aimed shot, arcane shot into your uber BLOB SHOT, ugh why is it so hard to make the MM spec. AN ACTUAL MARKSMAN?

My god get rid of this garbage, who comes up with this? Seriously you can’t figure out something better for an aoe ability then SUPER DUPER BLOB AREA shot?

Not a word yet about anything PvP but specifically if MM is going to be double punished with a hard cast and having to turret, you can forget about PvP again for another expansion as MM won’t be viable. Not really sure WHY they are stuck with this idea and all the cc in the game that MM as a kiting spec should have to both hard cast and be stationary but as you can see in arena it is impossible to play a MM and BM for that matter at a high level, they don’t exist.

Survivability will be a problem but can’t really address any changes yet until we get to play around with them.

[Lvlades-emerald-dream (Lvlades)]

Arcane shot having a short cd and dealing strong ranged damage would be great. At this point anything they give back is a plus. Even with all these abilities added back “ability bloat” is kinda hard to imagine. Some of WoWs most popular/ enjoyable xpacs were the ones that had the most buttons/ complexities. Do you really enjoying pressing almost nothing as BM/MM?