WoW WotLK Classic Hunter Guide
Hunters are the bread and butter for WOTLK Classic DPS. This guide will cover everything related to the hunters, from their changes from TBC Classic to WOTLK Class to builds, along with some tips and tricks to get you started on your Hunter journey.
What are Hunters in World of Warcraft?
Hunters are one of two classes with a pet or companion that deals damage and combos into attacks. Hunters deal some of the TOP DPS within raids and have incredible equipment and DPS output versatility. If you are new to World of Warcraft and want an easy leveling experience, Hunter is the class for you. Not only do they level up the easiest, but they also have the highest survivability making a normally impossible fight possible.
Their damage output can be seen in two ways, with their bow/gun (ranged attacks) or through their pet. The versatility in equipment means they can have a wider variety of equipment to solve specific builds needing certain stats. Hunter is a great class; we highly recommend giving them a chance if you have not already. We will go over hunters more detail while explaining builds and how they fit into raids/dungeons and PvP.
Before we continue, if you don’t feel like leveling up a Hunter or don’t want to level up, check out our store for great options on WoW Classic WotLK Power Leveling for the fastest way to level to max level.
Hunters in WOTLK Classic from TBC Classic - The Major Changes
Hunters are some of the top DPS for dungeons and raids throughout WOTLK, and you can expect to see a lot more of them during WOTLK Classic. Below we will go over a few of the major changes to Hunters from TBC to WOTLK:
Major Changes to Hunter in WOTLK Classic
●Clipping is no longer an issue - What this means is you can auto-attack while casting abilities like Steady Shot etc.
●Hunter Aspects are no longer on a shared global cooldown (Does not interfere with other ability cooldowns excepting other Aspects)
●Beast Training no longer exists - each pet learns skills as they level up
●Hunters can call their pet’s from anywhere with Call Stable Pet, and Stable Masters can hold up to two more pets
●All ammunition (Bullets and Arrows) can now be stacked to 1000
●Aspect of the Pack is raid wide
●Pets inherit spell penetration from the Hunter
●Traps have 30-second cooldowns based on their type (Fire, Nature, and Frost Arrow)
●Misdirection now causes the next attack you do to give the target party member the aggro.
New Hunter Abilities in WOTLK Classic
●Aspect of the Dragonhawk - Increases ranged attack power and dodge
●Call Stable Pet - Calls a stabled Pet
●Freezing Arrow - An arrow that places a freezing Trap
●Masters Call - Removes all root effects from itself and its target
●Kills Shot - Execute type ability that deals massive damage to enemies at 20% health or less.
As you can see, many of these changes improve the overall DPS and feel of the Hunter Class from TBC to WOTLK. If you want to know more details, you can also check our Ultimate WoW TBC Hunter Leveling Guide. Now that we’ve got the changes down, let’s look at some of the best hunters builds in WOTLK Classic.
Best Hunter Builds in WOTLK Classic
Starting, we will put a small disclaimer here, as these values may be patched out at a later date, but as it stands, these builds will be the best during your time in WOTLK Classic starting with:
Beast Master Hunter - Best WOTLK Classic Build
Let’s start with the build (Talent Tree) and then move on to rotation
Rotation
Single Target
Use
Aspect of the Dragonhawk
Maintain
Hunter's Mark
Use
Rapid Fire
Call of the Wild
Bestial Wrath
Kill Command
Use
Kill Shot on targets 20% health or below.
Maintain Serpent Sting - Let it expire before you re-apply it.
Use
Arcane Shot
Multi-Shot
Steady Shot
AoE (area of effect)
Use
Multi-Shot
Use
Explosive Trap
Volley
Pets
Devilsaur / Wolf for single target DPS.
Worm for Acid Spit
Rhino for Stampede
Marksman Hunter - Best WOTLK Classic Build
Marksmanship Hunters use mostly ranged attacks with a varying accompaniment of pet attacks. Here is the build, and the rotation will be underneath:
Rotation
Opener
Apply
Hunter's Mark
Use
Rapid Fire
Call of the Wild
Kill Command
Furious Howl
Use
Serpent Sting
Chimera Shot
Use
Aimed Shot
Use
Readiness
Use
Chimera Shot
Use
Aimed Shot
Use
Steady Shot until Chimera Shot is off cooldown
Use
Rapid Fire and Kill Command
Use
Aimed Shot
Single Target
Use
Aspect of the Dragonhawk
Maintain
Hunter's Mark
Use
Rapid Fire
Call of the Wild
Kill Command
Furious Howl
Use
Readiness
Silencing Shot
Use
Kill Shot on targets 20% health or below.
Maintain
Serpent Sting
Chimera Shot
Use
Aimed Shot
AoE
Use
Multi-Shot
Explosive Trap
Volley
Pets
Wolf for Furious Howl
Best Survival Hunter Build and Rotation WOTLK Classic
Last but not least is the Survival hunter, which is probably the most versatile and best for PvP. Here is the build and rotation:
Rotation
Opener
Stand still for at least 6 seconds before the pull because of Sniper Training.
Then
Auto Shot
Get into range for Frost Trap and Explosive Trap for Lock and Load Procs.
Apply
Hunter's Mark
Use
Rapid Fire
Call of the Wild
Kill Command
Furious Howl
Use
Explosive Shot
Use
Black Arrow
Use
Aimed Shot
Use
Serpent Sting
Use
Explosive Shot
Use
Frost Trap with Raptor Strike
Use
Steady Shot
Use
Explosive Shot
Aimed Shot
Explosive Shot
Use
Steady Shot
Use
Explosive Shot
Aoe
AoE
Use
Multi-Shot
Explosive Trap
Volley
Pets
Wolf for Furious Howl
You can change the build to suit your playstyle, but we recommend these builds as they give you the best range and rotation for burst damage and survivability in the late game.
Summary
Hunter is one of the most rewarding classes to play with a very small learning curve, always remember to dismiss your pet before going down any steps, and you will be fine. If you enjoyed this article and want to read more, you can do so here. Check out our store for great WotLK Gold, equipment, and boost deals. As always, Happy Hunting!
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