Cataclysm Classic Beast Mastery Hunter Stat Priority

The stat priority for Beast Mastery Hunter is as follows:

1. Agility
2. Hit Rating (to 8%)
3. Critical Strike Rating
4. Mastery
5. Haste Rating

Agility is your primary source of Attack Power which all of your damaging abilities scale off of. This is your Primary stat and should be on every piece of gear. There are other sources of scaling for Agility as well, but ultimately, more Agility is the best and most important way to scale your damage.

At Level 85:

• 1 Agility = 2 Ranged Attack Power

Hit Rating is another great way to deal damage and more importantly land our abilities. In Cataclysm it is especially important to hit your Steady Shot and Cobra Shot abilities, as missed shots will not generate focus. Additionally, missed Cobra Shots will not extend your Serpent Sting, which could lead to it falling off and needing to be re-cast. In shot, hit cap is extremely important both numerically and for easier game play. As a Beast Mastery Hunter we are aiming to achieve 8% Hit rating to be hit capped. For most players this means getting 961 Hit rating, but for Draenei that drops down to 841 Hit rating because of their racial bonus.

At Level 85:

• 120.1 Hit Rating = 1% Hit Chance

Beast Mastery Hunters have several additional bonuses when attacks crit from either you or your pet, such as with Invigoration and Go for the Throat. Crit provides you with a better rotation in terms of focus generation and just more damage. Overall, Crit is going to be your best secondary stat.

At Level 85:

• 179.28 Crit Rating = 1% Crit

Mastery is the new stat added in during Cataclysm and provides a different, unique benefit for every single specialization in the game. For Beast Mastery Hunters, Mastery simply increases all the damage done by your pets. This includes when you use abilities such as Kill Command that command your pet to deal damage. Given that pets make up the majority of our damage, this is a solid stat, although it is less important than Crit.

At Level 85:

• 179.28 Mastery Rating = 1% Mastery

Haste rating is our lowest priority stat. It will increase both you and your pet's attack speeds as well as reducing the cast time of shots such as Cobra Shot, but overall will be less effective for your DPS than other stats. It is recommended to Reforge this stat into a higher priority stat like Mastery or Critical Strike Rating.

At Level 85:

• 128.05 Haste Rating = 1% Haste