Whether you’re a new player to the game or a player rolling a Hunter alt for the first time, you no doubt have some questions about possible leveling builds and which specs will perform the best. The short answer is that you can easily specialize in any of the three talent trees and be successful. As a pure-DPS class, we have the advantage of being able to use any spec we want to level and the results will be largely the same. Of course, certain configurations will be more efficient than others, but you won’t be penalized much for opting for a spec that you find more enjoyable.
Choosing a Tree
Before you choose which talent tree you’d like to specialize in, you should spend some time thinking about what kind of gamer you are. Are you looking for the fastest, most efficient leveling experience so you can get to the level cap as quickly as possible? Are you planning on role-playing as you level and want a talent spec that will mesh well with your character’s story? Do you intend to PvP a lot? Do you plan to take your time leveling and want a spec that’s just really fun to play? These are all things you should think about before you start deciding where to spend your first talent points.
At Level 40, you’ll have the option of purchasing an additional talent build so that you can conveniently swap between two favored specs without having to pay respec costs. Dual specs allow you to keep two different specs on-tap to aid you in particular pursuits. For example, if you enjoy both PvP and PvE you can have separate talent builds for both. Another example is one that’s common even among Level 80 players: having a separate spec for soloing and one for instances and raids. This is particularly common among Hunters who want Spirit Beast pets for soloing.
Beast Mastery
Beast Mastery is a particularly popular spec for leveling and soloing for a number of reasons. As mentioned, the ability to use exotic pets while soloing is something many players enjoy and they can only be used by Hunters speced into the 51-point talent, Beast Mastery. The draw-back is that the Beast Mastery talent isn’t available until later levels.
Exotic pets aren’t the only attractive aspect of the Beast Mastery tree, though. Pet survivability is a corner stone of soloing, and the Beast Mastery tree will really make a difference in your pet’s performance. Talents such as Endurance Training, Thick Hide, Improved Mend Pet and Catlike Reflexes will prove highly beneficial in helping keep your pet up and active which in turn keeps your own fat out of the fire.
Marksmanship
As the name implies, this tree helps increase your personal (as opposed to pet) damage via your various shots and stings. The Marksmanship tree has long been considered the “glass cannon” Hunter spec, sacrificing some of the survivability provided by the other two trees for increased damage output.
Many Hunters who choose to spec primarily into the other two trees, even at the level cap, spend their remaining points in the Marksmanship tree for the boosts to personal damage that are invaluable. Of particular note is the Focused Aim talent which increases your chance to hit. This talent can be particularly helpful at lower levels when Hit Rating is distinctly lacking on most of the gear you encounter.
Survival
The Survival tree can provide a mixed-bag of functionality depending on which talents within the tree you choose to utilize. There are talents within the Survival tree that are effective for either PvP or PvE game-play. This tree specializes in utility, giving you numerous options for more control over your character’s capabilities and survivability.
Talents such as Trap Mastery, Entrapment and Resourcefulness will increase your survivability and efficiency, while other talents such as Scatter Shot, Wyvern Sting, Black Arrow and Explosive Shot will add new shots to your arsenal to help increase your damage output and crowd control capabilities.
Sample Builds
With a basic idea of what each tree can be used for, let’s take a look at some sample builds you can use for different styles of play.
Beast Mastery — 56/15/0
This build includes talents geared towards increasing your pet’s survivability and damage output which is ideal for solo play. I’ve also included some glyph choices to help further enhance your pet.
Marksmanship –7/53/11
This talent build features talents specifically designed to give you the best personal DPS possible for leveling.
Survival — 0/20/51
This build focuses primarily on utility and survivability, giving your traps and stings reduced cooldowns and added effects.
These builds are just examples to give you a point of reference to start from. Remember to think critically about the talents you choose as you level. Just because a talent performs well at the level cap doesn’t necessarily mean it’s effective or useful while you’re still in the process of leveling. Also remember to evaluate talents based on your style of play. For example, talents that sound great for PvP or pure personal survivability are useless to players that don’t PvP and never get aggro from their pets.
There is no “perfect” spec for leveling. The best spec is the one you’re happiest playing. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different builds and make use of the dual spec feature to find what works best for you. You can worry about min/maxing once you’re at the level cap, if that’s something you intend to do.
Happy Hunting!
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