Hunter

Rotations & Guide · PvE guide · PvP guide · Talent builds · Abilities · Talent Calculator · Macros · Changes vs Classic

Other classes: Warrior, Paladin, Rogue, Priest, Shaman, Mage, Warlock, Druid

Hunters are ranged physical damage dealers with pets, traps and stings. Forever adds Summon Hawk (a Beast Mastery talent: a hawk dive-bomb sharing Arcane Shot's cooldown), melee attack power on Aspect of the Beast, the Marksmanship capstone Sniper Shot and a real melee Survival toolkit with Strider Kick, Lacerate and a weapon-based Counterattack. Aimed Shot is a trainer ability at level 20 and shares its cooldown with Multi-Shot.

Beast Mastery (Ranged DPS)

Beast Mastery pushes damage through the pet and Forever's hawks. Unleashed Fury and Ferocity buff your pet and the hawks from Summon Hawk, a tier 4 Beast Mastery talent that shares Arcane Shot's cooldown, and the new Focused Fire adds 2% to everything you and your pet deal. Deadly Aspects gives Aspect of the Hawk a ranged haste proc, and Bestial Wrath is the burst window.

Marksmanship (Ranged DPS)

Marksmanship is the classic Auto Shot weaving spec. In Forever, Aimed Shot is a trainer ability that shares its 6 sec cooldown with Multi-Shot, Careful Aim turns Intellect into Attack Power and opens Mortal Shots, and Trueshot Aura is a tier 4 talent from level 25. Rapid Killing and Rapid Recuperation turn kills and Serpent Sting into damage and mana, and Sniper Shot, a 4 sec cast with a 15 sec cooldown, is the level 40 capstone.

Survival (Melee DPS)

Forever turns Survival into a viable melee hunter: Savage Strikes and Predator's Edge add melee crit and crit damage, Deflection adds up to 10% parry and Counterattack fires after parries. Strider Kick (a tier 5 talent) and Lacerate add a melee rotation, Aspect of the Beast gives melee attack power, and Expose Prey and Lacerating Strikes turn Mongoose Bite into a regular attack. You still Auto Shot and trap between melee bursts.

Tips & tricks: what ForeverDB learned

Beast Mastery

Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Simulator: Use Rapid Fire when your mana drops under 95%: that is when the simulator uses it at level 30. (level 30)
Speculation: The class guide's rotation card uses Arcane Shot here and the simulator disagrees: check it in game before trusting either: The simulator's 60 s fight at level 30 did 1.5% more damage without Arcane Shot in single-target fights. The class guide disagrees, so treat this as something to test. (level 30)
Simulator: The best consumable at level 30 is Elixir of Agility (+2.7% DPS in the simulator), followed by Heavy Crocolisk Stew (+1.8%). (level 30)
Simulator: Blessing of Kings from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most at level 30: +4.7% DPS in the simulator. (level 30)
Simulator: Keep your pet out. Without it, the simulator does 25.1% less damage at level 30. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, your damage splits as auto attacks 52%, Pet: Melee 19%, and Multi-Shot 10% (simulator, best gear, 60 s single-target fight). (level 30)
Simulator: Multi-Shot adds 4.9% to your DPS at level 30: the simulator did that much less damage without it. (level 30)
Simulator: Your mana runs short at level 30: the simulator shows you spending 25.2 s unable to cast in a 60 s fight. Drink between pulls and start full. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, the simulator values Intellect 3.3, Agility 2.36, and hit rating 1.4 (where 1 ranged attack power = 1). (level 30)
Simulator: The best consumable at levels 20-29 is Elixir of Agility (+4.2% DPS in the simulator), followed by Heavy Crocolisk Stew (+2.8%). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Blessing of Kings from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most at levels 20-29: +5.9% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Keep your pet out. Without it, the simulator does 22.8% less damage at levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage splits as auto attacks 55%, Pet: Melee 17%, and Multi-Shot 11% (simulator, best gear, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Multi-Shot adds 6.9% to your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator did that much less damage without it. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Your mana runs short at levels 20-29: the simulator shows you spending 23.4 s unable to cast in a 60 s fight. Drink between pulls and start full. (levels 20–29)

How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Serpent Sting: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 80% of the sim's fight; worth 2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Multi-Shot: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (6 s cooldown); worth 4.9% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client)

React to:

Under 95% mana: Rapid Fire: The sim uses Rapid Fire when your mana is under 95% (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Keep up:

Serpent Sting on the target, at least 80% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Before the pull:

pet (Simulator)
Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)
Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)
Arcane Intellect (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Might (Simulator, Forever client)
Battle Shout (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Agility (Simulator, Forever client)
Heavy Crocolisk Stew (Simulator, Forever client)
Scroll of Agility II (Simulator, Forever client)

Avoid:

Leave Arcane Shot out of single-target fights at level 30: the simulator's 60 s fight did 1.5% more damage without it. (Simulator)

Latest changes:

8 October 2026: First profile (first study)

Marksmanship

Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Simulator: Use Rapid Fire when your mana drops under 95%. That is where the simulator uses it at level 30. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, Elixir of Agility is your best consumable (+2.7% DPS in the simulator). Heavy Crocolisk Stew is next at +1.8%. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, Blessing of Kings from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most: +5.2% DPS in the simulator. (level 30)
Simulator: Keep your pet out. Without it, the simulator's fight does 18.9% less damage at level 30. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, your damage splits like this: auto attacks 53%, Pet: Melee 16%, Aimed Shot 14% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (level 30)
Simulator: Aimed Shot accounts for 5.6% of your DPS at level 30. The simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, mana runs short. In the simulator's 60 s fight you spend 25.4 s unable to cast; drink between pulls and start full. (level 30)
Simulator: Stat values at level 30 (simulator, 1 ranged attack power = 1): Intellect 3.95, Agility 2.35, hit rating 1.45. (level 30)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Elixir of Agility is your best consumable (+3.8% DPS in the simulator). Heavy Crocolisk Stew is next at +2.5%. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Arcane Intellect from a Mage is the party buff that helps you most: +6.3% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Keep your pet out. Without it, the simulator's fight does 20.7% less damage at levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage splits like this: auto attacks 52%, Pet: Melee 17%, Aimed Shot 13% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Aimed Shot accounts for 5.5% of your DPS at levels 20-29. The simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, mana runs short. In the simulator's 60 s fight you spend 23.6 s unable to cast; drink between pulls and start full. (levels 20–29)

How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Serpent Sting: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 78% of the sim's fight; worth 2.3% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Aimed Shot: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (6 s cooldown); worth 5.6% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Arcane Shot: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; the sim gains little from it (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

React to:

Under 95% mana: Rapid Fire: The sim uses Rapid Fire when your mana is under 95% (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Keep up:

Serpent Sting on the target, at least 75% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Before the pull:

pet (Simulator)
Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)
Arcane Intellect (Simulator, Forever client)
Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Might (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Agility (Simulator, Forever client)
Battle Shout (Simulator, Forever client)
Heavy Crocolisk Stew (Simulator, Forever client)
Scroll of Agility II (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 October 2026: First profile (first study)

Survival

Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Simulator: When Mongoose is up, cast Mongoose Bite within 5 sec before it fades. In the simulator it comes up 1.547 times a 60 s fight. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, Elixir of Agility is your best consumable (+2.1% DPS in the simulator). Heavy Crocolisk Stew is next at +1.4%. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most: +4.2% DPS in the simulator. (level 30)
Simulator: Keep your pet out. Without it, the simulator's fight does 23.6% less damage at level 30. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, your damage splits like this: Raptor Strike 32%, Pet: Melee 19%, auto attacks 19% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (level 30)
Simulator: Strider Kick accounts for 12.4% of your DPS at level 30. The simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (level 30)
Simulator: Raptor Strike accounts for 5.2% of your DPS at level 30. The simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, mana runs short. In the simulator's 60 s fight you spend 21.3 s unable to cast; drink between pulls and start full. (level 30)
Simulator: Stat values at level 30 (simulator, 1 attack power = 1): Agility 1.3, Strength 1, hit rating 0.84. (level 30)
Simulator: When Mongoose is up, cast Mongoose Bite within 5 sec before it fades. In the simulator it comes up 0.843 times a 60 s fight. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Elixir of Agility is your best consumable (+2.5% DPS in the simulator). Heavy Crocolisk Stew is next at +1.6%. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most: +5% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Keep your pet out. Without it, the simulator's fight does 26.7% less damage at levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage splits like this: Raptor Strike 53%, Pet: Melee 22%, auto attacks 11% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Raptor Strike accounts for 10.9% of your DPS at levels 20-29. The simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Serpent Sting accounts for 4.3% of your DPS at levels 20-29. The simulator's fight without it did that much less damage, and it was on the target 82% of the time. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, mana runs short. In the simulator's 60 s fight you spend 16.4 s unable to cast; drink between pulls and start full. (levels 20–29)

How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Mongoose Bite: When it procs: Only while Mongoose is up; worth 1.7% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Strider Kick: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (8 s cooldown); worth 12.4% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Raptor Strike: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (6 s cooldown); worth 5.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Serpent Sting: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 66% of the sim's fight; worth 3.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

React to:

When Mongoose procs: Mongoose Bite within 5 sec: Mongoose makes Mongoose Bite better: use it before it fades (Simulator)

Keep up:

Serpent Sting on the target, at least 65% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Before the pull:

pet (Simulator)
Blessing of Might (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)
Battle Shout (Simulator, Forever client)
Arcane Intellect (Simulator, Forever client)
Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Agility (Simulator, Forever client)
Heavy Crocolisk Stew (Simulator, Forever client)
Scroll of Agility II (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 October 2026: First profile (first study)

Every spec's latest changes. Re-studied every week and after each new game build.

Best in slot gear at any level: Beast Mastery, Marksmanship, Survival

Hunter abilities

Harass
Melee Specialization
Readiness
Auto Shot (level 1)
Bite (level 1)
Charge (level 1)
Claw (level 1)
Cobra Reflexes (level 1)
Dismember (level 1)
Dust Cloud (level 1)
Growl (level 1)
Lightning Breath (level 1)
Mine! (level 1)
Pinch (level 1)
Raptor Strike (level 1)
Savage Rend (level 1)
Swipe (level 1)
Tendon Rip (level 1)
Track Beasts (level 1)
Web (level 1)
Aspect of the Monkey (level 4)
Serpent Sting (level 4)
Cower (level 5)
Arcane Shot (level 6)
Hunter's Mark (level 6)
Concussive Shot (level 8)
Demoralizing Screech (level 8)
Scorpid Poison (level 8)
Aspect of the Hawk (level 10)
Beast Training (level 10, from the Classic class quest Training the Beast)
Call Pet (level 10, from the Classic class quest Taming the Beast)
Dismiss Pet (level 10, from the Classic class quest Taming the Beast)
Feed Pet (level 10, from the Classic class quest Training the Beast)
Furious Howl (level 10)
Great Stamina (level 10)
Natural Armor (level 10)
Revive Pet (level 10, from the Classic class quest Training the Beast)
Tame Beast (level 10, from the Classic class quest Taming the Beast)
Track Humanoids (level 10)
Distracting Shot (level 12)
Mend Pet (level 12)
Wing Clip (level 12)
Eagle Eye (level 14)
Eyes of the Beast (level 14)
Scare Beast (level 14)
Immolation Trap (level 16)
Immolation Trap Effect (level 16)
Mongoose Bite (level 16)
Multi-Shot (level 18)
Track Undead (level 18)
Aimed Shot (level 20)
Arcane Resistance (level 20)
Aspect of the Cheetah (level 20)
Disengage (level 20)
Fire Resistance (level 20)
Freezing Trap (level 20)
Frost Resistance (level 20)
Nature Resistance (level 20)
Shadow Resistance (level 20)
Shell Shield (level 20)
Trickster's Dance (level 20)
Scorpid Sting (level 22)
Beast Lore (level 24)
Track Hidden (level 24)
Rapid Fire (level 26)
Track Elementals (level 26)
Frost Trap (level 28)
Aspect of the Beast (level 30)
Dash (level 30)
Dive (level 30)
Feign Death (level 30)
Lacerate (level 30)
Prowl (level 30)
Thunderstomp (level 30)
Flare (level 32)
Track Demons (level 32)
Explosive Trap (level 34)
Explosive Trap Effect (level 34)
Viper Sting (level 36)
Aspect of the Pack (level 40)
Track Giants (level 40)
Volley (level 40)
Aspect of the Wild (level 46)
Black Arrow (level 50)
Track Dragonkin (level 50)
Tranquilizing Shot (level 60)

Data from the WoW Forever beta client, build 1.60.1.70205, extracted 2026-10-04.