So, after so much controversy around the MM change, I decided to instal PTR and test both MM Hunter and try a 1-pet shoot-focused BM build. These are my observations:
Petless MM
I love the changes. If I were to complain about anything it would be the loss of Wailing Arrow or how Trueshot feels underwhelming now.
In live Trueshot allows you to unleash a barrage from hell on someone, but in the new kit it doesn’t feel so powerful. I guess Blizzard is trying to move some of the damage to the base kit, which is fine, but the button is not so fun to press anymore.
Anyway, about the petless part, MM has been a Frankenstein spec ever since Blizzard added Lone Wolf without commiting to it the utility that a pet provided. For all these years, you were torn between doing damage but losing a lot of utility or having that utility with a pet that you just “launch and forget” as it had no feedback into your rotation. They finally commited to a singular vision that provides a full kit instead of two unfinished options.
I do see, however, how the loss of pet can affect solo content. I don’t mind it, since I’ve gone Lone Wolf since I hit level 100 in WoD and never went back, so I’m very used to kiting and planning pulls. However, I hope Blizzard finds a way to restore that tanking funcionality without breaking the spec’s toolkit again.
However, Blizzard can’t just restore pet functionality without breaking balance hard. Having the full MM kit plus a pet would allow for double dipping on utility. So, any fix for the pet tanking issue would require a new or modified functionality.
There are some ways to improve on that. I have three different suggestions (pick one, they are not meant to go together):
I have three different sugestions (pick one) on how to circunvent the pet limitation while keeping the new toolkit, but each option has a price:
- First suggestion: a skill or talent that summons the eagle to tank a mob for a bit.
– Pros: keeps the new spec fantasy, requires skill, solves the soloing problem.
– Cons: Is not your chosen pet, it’s not as easy to manage as a tanking pet
– Example:
Harassing Tactics
Instant, 20s Cooldown
Your Spotting Eagle descends to taunt and attack your target for 10 seconds. Spotting Eagle attacks cause no damage but can interrupt activities that are disrupted by normal attacks. The eagle can be affected by crowd control effects, and won’t apply Spotter’s Mark as long as Harassing Tactics is active.
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Second suggestion: You can summon your pet, but that disables the entire pet-based toolkit (plus the new Spotter’s Mark mechanic) to avoid double-dipping.
– Pros: you get your pet and can do solo stuff at your heart’s content.
– Cons: Far worse toolkit, needs to dismiss pet for competitive play, more prone to bugs and exploits due to having to adjust the disabling of several skills and talents. -
Third suggestion: You can summon a pet, you get a damage penalty and the pet comes without family and spec skills to avoid double-dipping (pet keeps taunt, charge and basic attack).
– Pros: You get your pet and can do solo stuff at your heart’s content; keeps the new spec toolkit, easier to implement than the second suggestion (you only disable pet abilities).
– Cons: It’s still a worse alternative for competitive play, but good enough for solo content.
Of these, I feel the third one would be the best compromise with the least amount of potential issues.
1-pet BM
Since people love their pets, I tried to make a BM build that feels closer to old school MM/SV. For those unaware, there is a new talent choice for BM between having 2 pets or a stronger single pet, so I took the former and chose Dark Ranger as my hero spec. I also talented into every shot-focused talent I could find, and didn’t take Dire Beast nor any other beast-summons.
Testing it, it felt very functional. I don’t know how competitive it is, but at least felt fun. You are constantly shooting things, but also ordering your pet to attack, which makes the pet feel more like a partner of the Hunter than the previous “fire and forget” MM pet.
The last time I played BM in any capacity was in Legion, when Dire Beast was the focus regen and you were locked into having two pets, so I didn’t like it at all. It felt like I was the Zoo keeper rather than a shooter. This post-update BM feels a bit like MM or Surv Hunter were in Cataclysm and MoP.
Focusing on shots, BM will have Cobra Shot, Multishot, Barbed Shot, Black Arrow (Kill Shot), Explosive Shot and Barrage, so quite a good amount of shooting. You can also have Steady Shot but I feel taking the talent to turn it into passive Focus regen is better. I imagine it’s very clunky to include Steady Shot in the rotation.
I went with it to Siren Island and focused on killing rares and elites. Again, I don’t know how competitive it is, but for casual and solo play it felt solid. Also, I didn’t feel like there were too many leftover talent points when I chose to focus on shots. It really feels like Blizzard purposely tried to give BM options to feel like an alternative to previous MM Hunters that are missing their pets.
Conclusion
I’ll return later to the PTR and play a bit more, but I feel this direction is overall good, as we are gaining more than losing.
If you have any questions or want me to check some specific details, just ask here.
I’ve already decided to go BM with my current pet on my old hunter, and make a new hunter that’s solely MM. That way there’s a fresh start and building from lvl 1. Think its better that way and maybe doing PTR as well.