WoW Forever Hunter Leveling Guide 1-60: Spec & Talents
How to level a Hunter in WoW Forever: Beast Mastery talents, pet choices, the half-second Auto Shot rule, traps in combat, Aimed Shot at 20 and tips for every bracket.
To level a Hunter in WoW Forever, play Beast Mastery: tame a pet at level 10, let it hold the monster and shoot it from range. Hunter is still the fastest and safest class in our tier list, but Auto Shot now needs you to stand still for half a second, so WoW Forever Hunter leveling plays a little differently from Classic.
Best Hunter leveling spec: Beast Mastery
Our best class to level tier list ranks Hunter in S tier with Beast Mastery. The reason is simple: from level 10 your pet takes the hits while you deal damage from range, so you rarely eat, rarely die and can run back to back pulls for a long time.
Forever makes the pet even more central. Pets now gain stats from your gear, so every upgrade you equip also makes your pet tougher. Endurance Training now gives the pet both Health and Armor, Focused Fire raises all damage you and your pet deal while it is out and Improved Mend Pet also cuts Mend Pet's mana cost. Bestial Discipline gives you Spirit-based mana regeneration while casting, which means fewer drink breaks.
Marksmanship and Survival are fine at 60, but neither beats a pet tank for solo leveling. Marksmanship's 11-point Lone Wolf gives 20% more damage only while you have no pet, which is the opposite of how you want to quest. Survival leans into melee with Strider Kick and Lacerating Strikes.
When to switch: at level 40, when dual spec opens, you can add a Marksmanship spec for groups, since Trueshot Aura is now raid-wide. Keep Beast Mastery for questing. Talent changes are made at a class trainer in a major city.
Hunter talent path: what Blizzard has confirmed
Talents open at level 10, so you reach 11, 16, 21 and 31 points around levels 20, 25, 30 and 40. For Beast Mastery, Blizzard has only described the new 16-point talent, Summon Hawk. It has not published the 11, 21 and 31-point Beast Mastery milestones, so we will not guess them.
Hunter milestone talents confirmed by Blizzard
| Tree | Points | Talent | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beast Mastery | 16 | Summon Hawk | Instant damage plus a Hawk that attacks your target for 18 seconds. Up to 2 Hawks at once. Shares a cooldown with Arcane Shot. |
| Marksmanship | 11 | Lone Wolf | 20% more damage with all attacks while you have no active pet. |
| Marksmanship | 21 | Trueshot Aura | Moved up the tree, new lower ranks, raid-wide in the beta. |
| Marksmanship | 31 | Sniper Shot | 4 second cast, 15 second cooldown, more damage than Aimed Shot, 45 yard range. |
| Survival | 16 | Counterattack | Moved up to row 4. |
| Survival | 21 | Strider Kick | Instant weapon strike plus 30% movement speed for 3 seconds. |
| Survival | 31 | Lacerating Strikes | Mongoose Bite also applies a Bleed over 21 seconds. |
Suggested Beast Mastery order: Endurance Training and Focused Fire early, Pathfinding (now on row 2, faster Aspect of the Cheetah), then Improved Mend Pet, Unleashed Fury and Ferocity, which now also boost your Hawks. Take Bestial Swiftness before Intimidation, which now requires it and gives your pet 100% more crit chance on its next attack. Summon Hawk at 16 points, then Bestial Discipline. Talent rows may still move before launch, so read the tooltips.
Key Hunter abilities, pets and class quests
- Confirmed for Forever: Aimed Shot is baseline at level 20, Arcane Shot no longer shares its cooldown with Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot now does. Improved Hunter's Mark and Improved Eyes of the Beast are baseline.
- Traps: usable in combat, 30 second cooldown, Frost and Fire traps on separate cooldowns, and since the October 16 beta notes you can have one Fire and one Frost trap out at once. Fire Traps now scale with Attack Power. You still place traps at your feet.
- Aspects: Aspect of the Monkey gives twice the Dodge and half of it to your pet, and Aspect of the Beast now also adds melee Attack Power.
- Carried over from Classic: Serpent Sting at 4, Arcane Shot at 6, Concussive Shot at 8, Tame Beast at 10, Mend Pet at 12, Multi-Shot at 18, Aspect of the Cheetah, Freezing Trap and Disengage at 20, Feign Death at 30, mail armor and Volley at 40.
- Class quests: in Classic you learn to tame through a short class quest chain at level 10. Blizzard has not announced a change, so do it the moment you hit 10.
Pets: every family learns Bite or Claw (some both), Dive or Dash, and one unique ability, such as Boar Charge, Spider Web, Bat Sonic Blast or Wolf Furious Howl. Foxes are a new family with Trickster's Dance, which raises dodge and attack speed for 12 seconds. A Boar or a Fox suits solo leveling well. Pets can no longer receive player buffs that raise their stats, and Aggressive Mode is back on the pet bar.
Hunter leveling by bracket
WoW Forever Hunter leveling by bracket
| Levels | Focus | Key abilities | Pull style |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-10 | Ranged weapon, ammo, taming quest | Auto Shot, Serpent Sting, Arcane Shot | Open from max range, melee the rest |
| 10-20 | Tame a pet, first Beast Mastery points | Mend Pet, Concussive Shot, Multi-Shot | Pet first, then shoot |
| 20-30 | Aimed Shot, traps, Summon Hawk at 25 | Aimed Shot, Freezing Trap, Disengage | Back to back pulls, trap the add |
| 30-40 | Feign Death, save for riding | Feign Death, Frost Trap | Two monsters, pet on one, trap the other |
| 40-50 | Mail, dual spec, 31-point talent | Volley | Fast chains of single pulls |
| 50-60 | Bulk ammo and gear for you and the pet | Full toolkit | Skip what you do not need |
1-10: Shoot from range and finish monsters in melee with Raptor Strike. The 0.5 second Auto Shot wind-up means you must stop moving to shoot, so do not try to kite in circles. Buy plenty of arrows or bullets; ammo still matters in Forever.
10-20: Do the taming quest, tame a pet at or above your level and send it in first. Let the pet build threat for a second or two before you open with Arcane Shot. Hall of Thanes (13-18) and Ruins of Lordaeron (15-20), using beta level ranges, have useful ranged upgrades.
20-30: Aimed Shot comes free at 20 and traps now work mid-fight, so a second monster can go into Freezing Trap while your pet holds the first. Summon Hawk at 25 adds burst damage. Ranged attacks stop working within 8 yards, so step back with Disengage instead of fighting in the dead zone.
30-40: Feign Death at 30 is your exit from any bad pull. Save gold for riding at 40, and keep the pet's level close to yours with fresh tames when needed.
40-60: Train mail, set dual spec and buy ammo in bulk. Your gear upgrades now feed your pet too, so ranged weapons and Agility pieces are worth double.
Forever changes that affect Hunters
- Auto Shot stand-still: the October 16 beta notes say Auto Shot needs you to stand still for 0.5 seconds before firing, matching early WoW. Auto Shot keeps firing while you cast spells like Aimed Shot.
- Auto attack setting: a new option switches between Auto Attack and Auto Shot for you, gamepad included.
- Pets scale with your gear and now benefit from Expertise.
- Disengage: threat reduction doubled.
- Scorpid Sting: now lowers the target's hit chance by 2% instead of Strength and Agility.
- Unified hit and crit: Blizzard says this makes Traps more reliable.
- Human Hunters: a new combination. Hunters can be Orc, Tauren, Troll, Windshaper Skyborne, Dwarf, Human, Night Elf or High Order Skyborne.
- Limits: Blizzard notes that Hunters still cannot stun or interrupt.
Professions, gear and dungeon role
Professions: Skinning with Leatherworking is the natural pair, since you kill beasts all day and can craft your own mail and leather pieces. Skinning with Mining earns more gold for riding. Cooking feeds you and, if pet feeding works as in Classic, your pet. Our professions guide has the details.
Stat priority while leveling (Classic logic, not a Blizzard list): ranged weapon damage first, then Agility, Attack Power, Stamina and a little Intellect for mana. The faster you replace your bow or gun, the faster you and your pet kill.
Dungeons: you are a damage dealer, and Freezing Trap is now a real crowd control tool because you can lay it in combat. Turn off your pet's Growl in groups so it does not steal threat from the tank. Our dungeons guide lists the new dungeons by level.
WoW Forever leveling services
WoW Forever Powerleveling
- Any Range 1-60
- Launch-Day Start
- Riding & Gear Add-ons
WoW Forever Leveling Bundles
- 4 Bundle Tiers
- Cheaper Than Separate
- Endgame Ready
WoW Forever Hourly Driving
- Pay Per Hour
- You Pick the Focus
- Solo or Group
WoW Forever Dungeon Bundle
- 36 Dungeons
- Self-play or Piloted
- Loot Is Yours
WoW Forever Hunter leveling FAQ
What is the best Hunter leveling spec in WoW Forever?
Beast Mastery. Your pet tanks from level 10, its stats now grow with your gear, and talents like Endurance Training, Focused Fire and Summon Hawk make it tougher and add damage.
Does Auto Shot have a cast time in WoW Forever?
Yes. The October 16 beta notes say Auto Shot requires you to stand still for 0.5 seconds before it fires, as in early WoW. It still fires while you cast Aimed Shot.
Can Humans be Hunters in WoW Forever?
Yes. Human Hunter is one of the new race and class combinations. Gnomes and Undead are the only races that cannot be Hunters.
Do Hunters need ammo in WoW Forever?
Yes. The beta development notes fixed guns and bows that were not using ammunition correctly, so bring arrows or bullets as in Classic.
What is the best pet for leveling a Hunter in WoW Forever?
Any sturdy pet works for Beast Mastery because pets scale from your gear. A Boar's Charge helps open pulls, and the new Fox family's Trickster's Dance raises dodge and attack speed.
Related guides
Plan your route with the WoW Forever leveling guide, see why Hunter tops our best class to level tier list and work out your date to 60 with the leveling calculator. The riding and mounts guide covers the level 40 costs, and the Legacy challenges guide shows how your first Hunter speeds up alts. Planning a melee alt? Read the Warrior leveling guide or the Paladin leveling guide, or see WoW Forever Powerleveling.