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Beast Mastery Hunter DPS Easy Mode in Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.0.1

Last updated on Sep 12, 2018 at 13:22 by Azortharion 182 comments

Table of Contents

About Our Author

This guide has been written by Azortharion, the main theorycrafter of the spec for many years. He is an accomplished player with dozen of top parses for all specs throughout the game's history. He is also the Admin of Trueshot Lodge, the Hunter Class Discord, and you can watch his stream on Twitch.

1. Foreword

This section is intended for players who are new to the game or class, have no intentions of raiding Mythic difficulty, or simply want a more straightforward way to play their specialization without being overwhelmed by the numerous priorities and active abilities that need to be taken into consideration for optimal play.

2. The Basics of Beast Mastery Hunter

Beast Mastery is a strong single-target spec. It is quite simple in its execution and it is an ideal spec for someone new to raiding, or just WoW in general. It also has powerful stacked-target cleave.

3. Talent Choices of Beast Mastery Hunter

The talents listed below are selected either for ease of use, or for a more simple to understand gameplay style. Whilst in a number of cases there are alternatives on the tree that will provide more damage if played well, they create much more room to play incorrectly and reduce your performance. Due to this, treat this as a starting point and a primer.

4. Stat Choices of Beast Mastery Hunter

The general single-target stat priority for a Beast Mastery Hunter is:

  1. Haste;
  2. Critical Strike;
  3. Mastery;
  4. Versatility.

5. Single-Target Rotation of Beast Mastery Hunter

  1. Cast Bestial Wrath Icon Bestial Wrath and Aspect of the Wild Icon Aspect of the Wild on cooldown.
  2. Cast Kill Command Icon Kill Command on cooldown. Always have 30 Focus when it comes off cooldown.
  3. Cast A Murder of Crows Icon A Murder of Crows on cooldown.
  4. Cast Barbed Shot Icon Barbed Shot on cooldown.
  5. Cast Cobra Shot Icon Cobra Shot when you have nothing else to do. Do not cast it too much, or else you will not have enough Focus to cast Kill Command Icon Kill Command.

When fighting more than 2 targets, use Multi-Shot Icon Multi-Shot to refresh the Beast Cleave Icon Beast Cleave buff on your pet while executing the rest of your rotation normally, but no more often than what is needed to keep it refreshed. Use this WeakAura to track Beast Cleave.

6. Azerite Traits

Azerite Traits play an important role for Beast Mastery Hunter. This means you need to decide which Azerite items you should choose. The traits are very close to each other in power, though, so we recommend our Azerite trait page for more details.

7. Pet Specializations

Pet Spec Passive Effect Active Ability
Ferocity Predator's Thirst Icon Predator's Thirst gives you and your pet 10% Leech. Leech heals you based on how much damage you do. Primal Rage Icon Primal Rage, which provides the Bloodlust Icon Bloodlust/ Heroism Icon Heroism effect, increasing Haste for you and all nearby allies by 30% for 40 seconds. This shares cooldown with Bloodlust/Heroism and similar effects.
Tenacity Endurance Training Icon Endurance Training increases the maximum health of you and your pet by 5%. Survival of the Fittest Icon Survival of the Fittest is a defensive ability that reduces the damage taken by you and your pet by 20% for 6 seconds. It has a 3-minute cooldown.
Cunning Pathfinding Icon Pathfinding increases the movement speed of you and your pet by 8%. Master's Call Icon Master's Call removes all movement-impairing effects from your pet and a friendly target, and makes them immune to movement-impairing effects for 4 seconds. The friendly target can be you. It has a 45-second cooldown.

8. Pet Families and Abilities

8.1. Ferocity Pets

Special Ability Description Pet Families
Damage Reduction Cooldown Reduces the damage taken of your pet by 50% for 12 seconds. This has a 1-minute cooldown. Core Hound (Exotic), Scalehide.
Dispel Enrage/Magic Removes 1 Enrage and 1 Magic effect from your pet's target. This has a 10-second cooldown. Bat, Nether Ray.
Healing Reduction Reduces the healing taken of your pet's target by 25% for 10 seconds. This has a 6-second cooldown, which means that it will be active all the time. Carrion Bird, Ravager, Scorpid, Wasp.
Damage Reduction On Low Health Reduces your pet's damage taken by 60% for 15 seconds when your pet falls below 40% health. Gorilla.
Dodge Chance Cooldown This ability increases your pet's Dodge chance by 30% for 20 seconds. It has a 1.5-minute cooldown. Cat, Wind Serpent
Slow/Snare Reduces the movement speed of your pet's target by 50% for 6 seconds. It has a 10-second cooldown. Crocolisk, Spider, Tallstrider, Wolf, Chimaera.

8.2. Tenacity Pets

Special Ability Description Pet Families
Damage Reduction Cooldown Reduces the damage taken of your pet by 50% for 12 seconds. This has a 1-minute cooldown. Krolusk (Exotic), Beetle, Turtle.
Dispel Enrage/Magic Removes 1 Enrage and 1 Magic effect from your pet's target. This has a 10-second cooldown. Spirit Beast (Exotic), Crane, Stag.
Healing Reduction Reduces the healing taken of your pet's target by 25% for 10 seconds. This has a 6-second cooldown, which means that it will be active all the time. Direhorn, Hydra, Riverbeast, Lizard.
Damage Reduction On Low Health Reduces your pet's damage taken by 60% for 15 seconds when your pet falls below 40% health. Oxen, Bear.
Dodge Chance Cooldown This ability increases your pet's Dodge chance by 30% for 20 seconds. It has a 1.5-minute cooldown. *Feathermane, Dragonhawk, Toad.
Slow/Snare Reduces the movement speed of your pet's target by 50% for 6 seconds. It has a 10-second cooldown. Worm (Exotic), Crab.

*Feathermane pets also have Updraft, which enables Slow Fall for you and your pet, allowing you to fall safely from almost any height while the pet is active for 30 seconds.

8.3. Cunning Pets

Special Ability Description Pet Families
Damage Reduction Cooldown Reduces the damage taken of your pet by 50% for 12 seconds. This has a 1-minute cooldown. Shale Spider (Exotic), Boar, Mechanical.
Dispel Enrage/Magic Removes 1 Enrage and 1 Magic effect from your pet's target. This has a 10-second cooldown. *Water Strider (Exotic), Moth, Sporebat.
Healing Reduction Reduces the healing taken of your pet's target by 25% for 10 seconds. This has a 6-second cooldown, which means that it will be active all the time. Hyena, Rodent, Raptor.
Damage Reduction On Low Health Reduces your pet's damage taken by 60% for 15 seconds when your pet falls below 40% health. Goat, Pterrodax
Dodge Chance Cooldown This ability increases your pet's Dodge chance by 30% for 20 seconds. It has a 1.5-minute cooldown. Fox, Monkey, Serpent.
Slow/Snare Reduces the movement speed of your pet's target by 50% for 6 seconds. It has a 10-second cooldown. Basilisk, Bird of Prey, Dog, Warp Stalker, Silithid (Exotic).

* Water Strider pets also have Surface Trot Icon Surface Trot, a passive ability that lets you and your pet walk on water while out of combat. Damage will break this effect.

8.4. Exotic Pets (Beast Mastery-only)

Pet Family Specialization Special Ability Exotic Ability
Core Hound Ferocity Obsidian Skin Icon Obsidian Skin reduces your pet's damage taken by 50% for 12 seconds. It has a 1-minute cooldown. Molten Hide Icon Molten Hide causes your pet to gain Molten Hide when it gets hit by a melee attack, causing it to deal slight Fire damage to all further melee attackers for 10 seconds. It can only activate every 60 seconds.
Chimaera Ferocity Frost Breath Icon Frost Breath reduces the movement speed of your pet's target by 50% for 6 seconds. It has a 10-second cooldown. Froststorm Breath Icon Froststorm Breath is an 8-second channeled ability for your pet that deals AoE damage to all enemies within 12 yards every 2 seconds. It costs 10 Focus to activate, and then 5 Focus per second to maintain.
Devilsaur Ferocity Monstrous Bite Icon Monstrous Bite reduces the healing taken of your pet's target by 25%. It lasts 10 seconds and has a 6-second cooldown, meaning it is up all the time. Feast Icon Feast lets you order your pet to consume a nearby Humanoid or Beast corpse within 5 yards, healing your pet for 20% of its maximum health, and restoring 20 Focus over 6 seconds.
Clefthoof Ferocity Thick Hide Icon Thick Hide gives your pet a 60% damage reduction for 15 seconds when it falls below 40% health. This can only occur once every 2 minutes. Blood of the Rhino Icon Blood of the Rhino is a passive effect that increases your pet's armor by 10%, and increases the effectiveness of all healing done to it by 20%.
Quilen Tenacity Stone Armor Icon Stone Armor buffs your pet when it falls below 40% health, reducing its damage taken by 40% and healing it for 3% of its maximum health every 1 second for 15 seconds. This effect can only occur every 2 minutes. Eternal Guardian Icon Eternal Guardian is an instant resurrection for your pet. If your pet has died, you can use it to instantly revive it with 100% of its health. It has an 8-minute cooldown.
Spirit Beast Tenacity Spirit Shock Icon Spirit Shock removes 1 Enrage and 1 Magic effect from your pet's target. It has a 10-second cooldown. Spirit Mend Icon Spirit Mend heals a friendly target for a small amount instantly, and applies a small healing DoT for 10 seconds. It costs 5 pet Focus. It can be cast on yourself as well. Spirit Beasts also have the Prowl stealth ability, like Cats.
Worm Tenacity Acid Spit Icon Acid Spit reduces the movement speed of your pet's target by 50% for 6 seconds. It has a 10-second cooldown. Burrow Attack Icon Burrow Attack is an 8-second channeled ability for your pet that deals AoE damage to all enemies within 12 yards every 2 seconds. It costs 10 Focus to activate, and then 5 Focus per second to maintain.
Krolusk Tenacity Bulwark Icon Bulwark reduces your pet's damage taken by 50% for 12 seconds. It has a 1-minute cooldown. Calcified Carapace Icon Calcified Carapace passively reduces your pet's Physical damage taken by approximately 10%. The proper spell data is not in the game for this ability yet.
Shale Spider Cunning Solid Shell Icon Solid Shell reduces your pet's damage taken by 50% for 12 seconds. It has a 1-minute cooldown. Shimmering Shale Icon Shimmering Shale passively reduces your pet's magic damage taken by approximately 10%. The proper spell data is not in the game for this ability yet.
Silithid Cunning Tendon Rip Icon Tendon Rip reduces the movement speed of your pet's target by 50% for 6 seconds. It has a 10-second cooldown. Dune Strider Icon Dune Strider passively increases your pet's movement speed by 30%.
Water Strider Cunning Soothing Water Icon Soothing Water removes 1 Enrage and 1 Magic effect from your pet's target. It has a 10-second cooldown. Surface Trot Icon Surface Trot allows you and your pet to walk on water. Any damage taken will cancel the effect and cause you to fall in the water.
⋘Introduction
Spell Summary⋙

9. Changelog

  • 12 Sep. 2018: Updated the stat priority.
  • 04 Sep. 2018: Edited the stat priority.
  • 12 Aug. 2018: Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
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