Hunter

Source: View source Version: September 30 developer overview; licensed 70291 reference and earlier history Review: Source checked Last reviewed: 2026-10-13

Latest source review: 13 October 2026. The new developer-overview section retains its original publication date. Licensed records and earlier guide sections keep their stated snapshots; this is source research, not an independent playtest.

Hunter — The Hunter beta includes ranged attacks, pets, traps, and a melee-oriented Survival path. The recorded Hunter abilities use Mana; later-WoW assumptions about a player Focus bar should not replace this beta source evidence.

Browse all 50 Hunter talents with icons, ranks, prerequisites, and individual source notes.

For source-listed learning levels 1–20, see Hunter spellbook. Its tables exclude Classic fallback tooltips and explain the source’s level-60 tooltip context.

Developer overview reviewed October 13

Blizzard describes pets scaling with their Hunter's gear while no longer receiving player stat buffs. Scorpid Sting lowers the target's hit chance by 2%. Traps work in combat with a 30-second cooldown, and Fire and Frost traps have separate cooldowns.

The overview supplies no exact client build. It does not replace the dated talent records or establish the delivery date of every described change. Earlier source disagreements remain visible below.

October 9 talent-source review

Expose Prey now lists a ten-second Mongoose Bite activation window for attacks against Hunter's Mark targets, replacing the five-second window in the earlier snapshot.

These are differences in the licensed reference. Earlier guide sections remain dated historical evidence; the wiki has not independently tested these effects.

October 8 record review

The pinned export was generated 7 October. Differences below compare it with the previous wiki snapshot; the review date is not a game-patch date.

• Deflection now records 1–5% Parry across its five ranks.
• Sniper Shot lists an 8–45-yard range and extends the next three Shots’ range by 10 yards for 10 seconds.
• Summon Hawk adds a 5% ranged Attack Power component to the listed initial hit. The numeric tooltip context remains the source’s reference level, not a universal damage value.

Use Hunter talents for current ranks and prerequisites and Hunter spellbook for the bounded spell selection.

Earlier guide snapshot

The following sections were last reviewed on 2026-09-27. Their original citations and observations remain historical context; the update above and individual record pages identify later differences.

Choose a reading path

The following is an editorial route through the beta source, not a recommended point allocation.

Talent tree	What to compare	Start with
Beast Mastery	Pet support and cooperation between Hunter and pet. Distinguish pet bonuses from bonuses that modify the Hunter directly.	Focused Fire, Summon Hawk, Spirit Bond, Bestial Wrath
Marksmanship	Ranged attacks, Mana recovery, and choices about the pet. Read the requirements on Lone Wolf and Sniper Shot before combining them with pet-focused ideas.	Lone Wolf, Rapid Recuperation, Barrage, Sniper Shot
Survival	Traps, defenses, and melee interactions. The lower tree provides useful reading for players investigating a closer-range Hunter.	Entrapment, Predator's Edge, Strider Kick, Lacerating Strikes

Abilities and changes worth checking

These are summarized from the pinned beta-client export. Baseline spells and talents are identified separately where the source supports that distinction.

• Aimed Shot. The snapshot records it as trainable, with a shorter cast than the Classic comparison and a cooldown shared with Multi-Shot. It is not listed as a Marksmanship talent.
• Aspect of the Beast. The beta description includes melee Attack Power as well as being untrackable. That makes it relevant to reading the Survival path.
• Early spell access. The beta spell records list Multi-Shot at level 18 and Aimed Shot and Freezing Trap at level 20. These are source-recorded levels, not independent trainer checks.

Build a toolkit around the conditions

These examples interpret source-reported beta-client descriptions. All talent ranks in this snapshot are explicitly flagged as client data; this is stronger evidence than the earlier estimated demo ranks, but does not establish tested gameplay. Damage shown by the export can depend on its reference character. See individual talent pages for exact ranks and conditions.

Pets and Beast Mastery

The beta-client Focused Fire description requires an active pet, while the beta-client Lone Wolf description requires no active pet and gives a 20% bonus to the Hunter's attacks. Read the condition before comparing the numbers: a pet's own damage, control, and survivability are separate from a bonus to the Hunter. The text alone cannot establish whether giving up the pet improves a particular encounter.

The beta-client Summon Hawk description records up to two temporary hawks, each lasting 18 seconds, and a shared cooldown with Arcane Shot. Under those source-described rules, choosing one would affect when the other is available. Compare remaining hawk duration and the target's remaining health before assuming another summon receives its full duration. The interaction between hawks and Lone Wolf's active-pet condition also needs a recorded test.

Ranged attacks and cast time

Aimed Shot's beta rank-1 tooltip has a two-second cast and shares its six-second cooldown with Multi-Shot. Sniper Shot has a four-second cast in its beta-client talent record. These are useful distinctions to investigate when an enemy is about to move or a pull needs control: cast duration and shared availability matter alongside damage. Neither cast time alone nor an isolated description proves that an ability belongs in every sustained-damage sequence.

Survival: marks, melee attacks, and Mana

Expose Prey connects attacks against a target with Hunter's Mark to temporary Mongoose Bite availability. Lacerating Strikes then adds a bleed based on Mongoose Bite's damage. Strider Kick is another melee attack, while Predator's Edge separately modifies melee critical damage and offhand damage. These are concrete reasons to read the melee portion of the tree; they do not establish an optimal weapon pair.

Resourcefulness lowers the cost of melee and trap abilities and provides conditional Mana regeneration. Cost reductions and conditional recovery do not mean unlimited Mana. When testing, separate damage, Mana spent, and the duration of the regeneration effect.

The observed trap descriptions distinguish one active Fire trap from one active Frost trap. Freezing Trap breaks on damage; Frost Trap slows enemies in its area. Coordinate damaging effects with the party before using a freeze to remove an enemy from the fight. The beta-client text omits Classic's out-of-combat placement restriction, but tooltip wording is not itself a test of every placement condition.

Build 70009 talent corrections

Strider Kick now describes 100% melee weapon damage and 30% movement speed for three seconds. Lightning Reflexes supplies 2–10% Agility across five ranks. These are the current exported effects, not measured mobility or damage results.

Reading other Hunter guides

Icy Veins reports in-combat traps, pet stat scaling, and attacks that avoid clipping Auto Shot. Its article also identifies raid world-buff removal as unconfirmed. Pet scaling and Auto Shot timing need further evidence before informing numeric recommendations; the world-buff prediction does not establish Hunter rankings.

Plan a beta test

Beta issues: pet Hit/Expertise displays are incomplete; queued Raptor Strike disables the spell queue window.

These are suggested checks for learning the class and collecting useful evidence; they are not claims about the strongest build.

• When comparing Beast Mastery and Lone Wolf ideas, record whether a pet is active and which bonuses stop applying without one.
• For ranged attacks, check shared cooldowns and Mana recovery before choosing a sequence based only on tooltip damage.
• For Survival, separate trap control, defensive bonuses, and melee damage; the presence of defenses does not establish a supported tank role.

Race choice

Use the Hunter race list to separate officially announced additions from the broader beta roster. Follow the linked race guides for recorded racials; a racial tooltip does not establish a universal best choice.

What remains unresolved

Pet-family balance, pet skill acquisition, final melee-versus-ranged output, and training levels need separate beta evidence. A full pet database should identify the creature and the tested build.

For corrections, record the game build, character level, spell or talent rank, and the observed interaction. Follow Project:Data policy and compare against Hunter talents before replacing beta information.