Beast Mastery Hunter DPS Guide — Midnight Pre-Patch (12.0)

The Midnight Expansion brings huge changes for all Hunter specs, primarily focused on streamlining and simplifying aspects of the kit.

Note that the Apex Talents, and the last few Hero Talents Points are not available until the full launch of Midnight.

• No more Deathblow procs from Auto-Shots.
• Barbed Shot has a 50% chance to grant Deathblow.
• After you activate Bestial Wrath, the Bestial Wrath button itself turns into Wailing Arrow, a powerful instant cast that activates Deathblow and also kicks/silences all targets hit for 1 sec.

• Increased Focus regen with each auto-attack granting 2 Focus.
• The Bear has been nerfed by 40%, making it more balanced relative to the other Beasts. In the past, we often had to pay special attention to optimizing around the Bear. Now, Beasts are more balanced which means that you do not tend to worry too much about which one you have coming up.
• Our TWW S3 4PC mechanic, Stampede, is back, but it only triggers from your first Kill Command after activating Bestial Wrath. Which means that every 30 seconds, for around 8 seconds, you best hope that the mobs are not either moving, on a ledge, above you, below you, to the side of you, or behind you.

• Frenzy is entirely gone as a mechanic. Thrill of the Hunt is now just flat crit as well. In other words, no more buff maintenance using Barbed Shot.
• Wild Thrash is a new talented ability that deals heavy AoE damage and activates Beast Cleave for 8 seconds. This has an 8-second cooldown as well, which means that simply by pressing this ability on cooldown, you are maintaining Beast Cleave at near-100% uptime.
• Bestial Wrath is now a flat 30-second cooldown. Its initial damage is increased, while its damage buff component is lowered to 20% from 30%.
• Wild Instincts has been redesigned and can now use pet Stomps to help spread your Barbed Shot DoT on AoE.
• The new Apex Talents, not available until the full Midnight launch, Nature's Ally, Nature's Ally, and Nature's Ally (all three talents currently share a name), aside from some passive damage, cause Barbed Shot/ Cobra Shot, and Black Arrow to buff the damage of your next Kill Command, encouraging you to weave a "filler" between each KC.

• Hunters have +2% higher max HP than previous.
• Exhilaration's cooldown is now a 1-minute flat, instead of variable (and often lower).
• Aspect of the Turtle's cooldown is now 2:00 with talents, down from 2:30.
• Aspect of the Turtle can now be a 50% damage reduction with talents, up from 30%.
• Roar of Sacrifice is now an external defensive that can be used on yourself or any friendly target to reduce their damage taken by 15% for 10 sec, but 50% of their damage taken will be taken by your pet. It will end prematurely if your pet drops below 25% health.
• Fortitude of the Bear is now 3% passive damage reduction, instead of being an active defensive cooldown.

• Hunter's Mark is now a universal 3% damage increase against a single-target. This essentially guarantees Hunter a raid spot in every raid. It is also a boost to the group in Mythic+, though it is much less potent there.
• Counter Shot now spell-locks the target for 5 seconds, up from 3.
• Freezing Trap can now slow the target by 70% for 4 sec after the trap breaks.
• Intimidation is now our sole stun/stop. A choice node either reduces its cooldown to 40 sec, or makes it a 1-second AoE stun. Implosive Trap, High Explosive Trap, and Bursting Shot are all gone.
• The slows from Wing Clip and Concussive Shot are 25% and 10% stronger, respectively.
• Horsehair Tether is now a Class Tree node and not attached to the Pack Leader Hero Talent. It is a choice node with Tar-Coated Bindings, which extends Binding Shot's stun by 1 sec.
• Ghillie Suit is gone.
• Scatter Shot is gone.
• Scrappy is gone.
• Binding Shackles is gone.

• Aspect of the Cheetah's initial "super" speed burst is now twice as long with talents.
• Kill Shot is gone and is a Marksmanship-tree exclusive.
• Successfully kicking with Counter Shot/ Muzzle now grants 30 Focus, up from 10, but soothing/purging with Tranquilizing Shot no longer grants Focus.

Overall, we are gaining defensiveness and mobility, while in the utility department, we are losing some things (like the ability to move mobs) but gaining others (stronger Mark, streamlined AoE stun, stronger kick and more Focus return on kicking). I think the changes are broadly positive!