Beast Mastery Hunter DPS Gear and Best in Slot — The War Within (11.0.2)

Welcome to our Gear and BiS Page for Beast Mastery Hunter for The War Within Season 1. Check this page to learn everything you need to know about gearing a Beast Mastery Hunter, including the BiS Gear from all sources, Raiding, and Mythic+, information on the best Trinkets, Tier Sets, and much more.

For discussion and information on Stats specifically, check out our Stats page below.

2.

BiS Gear for Beast Mastery Hunter

Pre-Season BiS List Overall BiS List for Season 1 Nerub-ar Palace Gear BiS List Mythic+ Gear BiS List

3.

Pre-Season BiS List for Beast Mastery Hunter

This list contains the Best in Slot Gear prior to Season 1 of The War Within. If you want to ensure that your character is as strong as it can be come the launch of Season 1, check out this list!

Heroic Dungeon items upgrade to 593 using Weathered Harbinger Crest and Valorstones.

Note that using 30 Weathered Harbinger Crest to craft 590 Items in most slots is generally a better use of Crests than upgrading Heroic Dungeon items to 593. Because I do not want to assume how many Crests you, the reader, have, I will keep the Pre-Season BiS List to having Heroic Dungeon items mainly, but keep in mind that 590 Crafts are very potent and only cost 30 Crests (and a lot of gold) to do. For reference, upgrading a Heroic Dungeon piece from 580 to 590 would cost 45 Crests, so for each slot that you Craft instead of upgrade normally, you save 15 Crests, which means you can get Item Level upgrades (and favorable stats) on more slots than if you were to upgrade Heroic pieces.

If you are limited on Crests and are struggling to choose which slots to Craft and/or upgrade first, refer to the Gear Upgrades section of this page.

Because the pre-season mostly consists of Heroic Dungeon and similar content, this BiS list will be heavily AoE-biased, which generally means more Mastery than usual.

Slot	Item	Source/Note
Weapon	Ireborne Stormbow	Stormguard Gorren in Heroic The Rookery
Helm	Cryptbound Headpiece	Anub'zekt in Heroic Ara-Kara, City of Echoes
Neck	'Emergency Stop' Keychain	E.D.N.A in Heroic The Stonevault
Shoulder	Amice of Oblivion	Voidstone Monstrosity in Heroic The Rookery
Cloak	Anvilhide Cape	Speaker Brokk/Dorlita in Heroic The Stonevault
Chest	Boltbreaker Armor	Stormguard Gorren in Heroic The Rookery
Bracers	Consecrated Baron's Bindings	Baron Braunpyke in Heroic Priory of the Sacred Flame
Gloves	Holybound Grips	Captain Dailcry in Heroic Priory of the Sacred Flame
Belt	Reinforced Anti-Intruder Chainmail	E.D.N.A in Heroic The Stonevault
Legs	Pollen-Lugger Treads	Benk Buzzbee in Heroic Cinderbrew Meadery
Boots	Gloomstomper's Sabatons	The Candle King in Heroic Darkflame Cleft
Ring #1	85-Year Tenure Ring	Goldie Baronbottom in Heroic Cinderbrew Meadery
Ring #2	Hoop of the Blighted	Voidstone Monstrosity in Heroic The Rookery
Trinket #1	Sigil of Algari Concordance	Stormguard Gorren in Heroic The Rookery
Trinket #2	Ravenous Honey Buzzer	Benk Buzzbee in Heroic Cinderbrew Meadery

3.

The War Within Season 1 Overall BiS List for Beast Mastery Hunter

This list contains the Best in Slot Gear for Beast Mastery Hunter in The War Within Season 1 from all sources, including Raiding, Mythic+, Delves, The Great Vault, and Crafted.

Note that there is no such thing as a singular, all-encompassing "BiS". The best items vary per character and situation, and there are many items that are essentially equivalent in terms of DPS, namely when we are just shuffling secondary stats around. I will list one "BiS" item per slot, sometimes two if I feel there is a significant difference for Raiding and Mythic+, but ultimately, BiS lists are not very practically useful and you should be simming your character to find out what gear to equip next. Nonetheless, there is a huge demand for this list and thus, despite me not thinking you should really care much about it, it is here for your perusal.

Slot	Item	Source/Note
Weapon (Raiding)	Shade-Touched Silencer (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza in Nerub-ar Palace
Weapon (Mythic+)	Recurved Hull Impaler (639)	The Dawnbreaker (626), or Great Vault
Helm	Lightless Scavenger's Skull (639)	Silken Court/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Neck (Raiding)	Sureki Zealot's Insignia (639)	Sikran in Nerub-ar Palace
Neck (Mythic+)	'Emergency Stop' Keychain (639)	The Stonevault (626), or Great Vault
Shoulder	Lightless Scavenger's Taxidermy (639)	Rasha'nan/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Cloak (Raiding)	Wings of Shattered Sorrow (639)	Rasha'nan in Nerub-ar Palace
Cloak (Mythic+)	Lightless Scavenger's Hide (639)	Matrix Catalyst any 639 Cloak.
Chest	Lightless Scavenger's Tunic (639)	Broodtwister Ovi'nax/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Bracers	Glyph-Etched Vambraces — Dawnthread Lining (636)	Crafted — Leatherworking
Gloves	Glyph-Etched Gauntlets — Dawnthread Lining (636)	Crafted — Leatherworking
Belt (Raiding)	Lost Watcher's Remains (639)	The Bloodbound Horror in Nerub-ar Palace
Belt (Mythic+)	Reinforced Anti-Intruder Chainmail (639)	The Stonevault (626), or Great Vault
Legs	Lightless Scavenger's Stalkings (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Boots (Raiding)	Lightless Scavenger's Footpads (639)	Matrix Catalyst any 639 Boots.
Boots (Mythic+)	Sure-Foot Sabatons (639)	Siege of Boralus (626), or Great Vault
Ring #1 (Raiding)	Seal of the Poisoned Pact (639)	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace
Ring #2 (Raiding)	Devout Zealot's Ring (639)	The Dawnbreaker (626), or Great Vault
Ring #1 (Mythic+)	Key to the Unseeming (639)	The Bloodbound Horror in Nerub-ar Palace
Ring #2 (Mythic+)	Writhing Ringworm (639)	Broodtwister Ovi'nax in Nerub-ar Palace
Trinket #1	Skardyn's Grace (639)	Grim Batol (626), or Great Vault
Trinket #2	Ara-Kara Sacbrood (639)	Ara-Kara, City of Echoes (626), or Great Vault

3.

Nerub-ar Palace Raid Gear BiS List for Beast Mastery Hunter

This list contains the Best in Slot Gear for Beast Mastery Hunter in The War Within Season 1 from the Nerub-ar Palace Raid.

Note that this BiS List is for items from the Raid. I am separating the BiS lists by gear sources. This is what you send to your Raid Leader/Loot Council when they ask you what your BiS gear is from the Raid.

Note that there is no such thing as a singular, all-encompassing "BiS". The best items vary per character and situation, and there are many items that are essentially equivalent in terms of DPS, namely when we are just shuffling secondary stats around. I will list one "BiS" item per slot, sometimes two if I feel there is a significant difference for Raiding and Mythic+, but ultimately, BiS lists are not very practically useful and you should be simming your character to find out what gear to equip next. Nonetheless, there is a huge demand for this list and thus, despite me not thinking you should really care much about it, it is here for your perusal.

Slot	Item	Source/Note
Weapon	Shade-Touched Silencer (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza in Nerub-ar Palace
Helm	Lightless Scavenger's Skull (639)	Silken Court/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Neck	Sureki Zealot's Insignia (639)	Sikran in Nerub-ar Palace
Shoulder	Whispering Voidlight Spaulders (639)	Silken Court in Nerub-ar Palace
Cloak (Raiding)	Wings of Shattered Sorrow (639)	Rasha'nan in Nerub-ar Palace
Cloak (Mythic+)	Lightless Scavenger's Hide (639)	Matrix Catalyst any 639 Cloak.
Chest	Lightless Scavenger's Tunic (639)	Broodtwister Ovi'nax/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Bracers (Raiding)	Ky'veza's Covert Clasps (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza in Nerub-ar Palace
Bracers (Mythic+)	Throne Defender's Bangles (639)	Sikran in Nerub-ar Palace
Gloves	Lightless Scavenger's Mitts (639)	Sikran/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Belt	Lost Watcher's Remains (639)	The Bloodbound Horror in Nerub-ar Palace
Legs	Lightless Scavenger's Stalkings (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Boots	Lightless Scavenger's Footpads (639)	Matrix Catalyst any 639 Boots.
Ring #1	Seal of the Poisoned Pact (639)	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace
Ring #2 (Raiding)	Key to the Unseeming (639)	The Bloodbound Horror in Nerub-ar Palace
Ring #2 (Mythic+)	Writhing Ringworm (639)	Broodtwister Ovi'nax in Nerub-ar Palace
Trinket #1	Treacherous Transmitter (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza in Nerub-ar Palace
Trinket #2	Ovi'nax's Mercurial Egg (639)	Broodtwister Ovi'nax in Nerub-ar Palace

3.

The War Within Season 1 Mythic+ Gear BiS List for Beast Mastery Hunter

This list contains the Best in Slot Gear for Beast Mastery Hunter from The War Within Season 1 Mythic+.

Note that this BiS List is for items from Mythic+. I am separating the BiS lists by gear sources. This is the list you can chase when you want to improve your gear by farming Mythic+ dungeons.

Note that there is no such thing as a singular, all-encompassing "BiS". The best items vary per character and situation, and there are many items that are essentially equivalent in terms of DPS, namely when we are just shuffling secondary stats around. I will list one "BiS" item per slot, sometimes two if I feel there is a significant difference for Raiding and Mythic+, but ultimately, BiS lists are not very practically useful and you should be simming your character to find out what gear to equip next. Nonetheless, there is a huge demand for this list and thus, despite me not thinking you should really care much about it, it is here for your perusal.

Slot	Item	Source/Note
Weapon	Recurved Hull Impaler (639)	The Dawnbreaker (626), or Great Vault
Helm	Lightless Scavenger's Skull (639)	Silken Court/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Neck	'Emergency Stop' Keychain (639)	The Stonevault (626), or Great Vault
Shoulder	Wintersnap Shoulderguards (639)	Mists of Tirna Scithe (626), or Great Vault
Cloak	Anvilhide Cape (639)	The Stonevault (626), or Great Vault
Chest	Lightless Scavenger's Tunic (639)	Broodtwister Ovi'nax/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Bracers	Penumbral Rimeguards (639)	City of Threads (626), or Great Vault
Gloves	Lightless Scavenger's Mitts (639)	Sikran/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Belt	Reinforced Anti-Intruder Chainmail (639)	The Stonevault (626), or Great Vault
Legs	Lightless Scavenger's Stalkings (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Boots (Raiding)	Silksteel Striders (639)	Ara-Kara, City of Echoes (626), or Great Vault
Boots (Mythic+)	Sure-Foot Sabatons (639)	Siege of Boralus (626), or Great Vault
Ring #1 (Mythic+)	Band of the Ancient Dredger (639)	Siege of Boralus (626), or Great Vault
Ring #2 (Raiding)	Devout Zealot's Ring (639)	The Dawnbreaker (626), or Great Vault
Ring #2 (Mythic+)	Seal of the City Watch (639)	Siege of Boralus (626), or Great Vault
Trinket #1	Skardyn's Grace (639)	Grim Batol (626), or Great Vault
Trinket #2	Ara-Kara Sacbrood (639)	Ara-Kara, City of Echoes (626), or Great Vault

Throughout this page, we regularly refer to the importance of simming yourself on Raidbots, as it is an indispensable aspect of optimizing your character.

While we do offer generic sim charts for Trinkets, this should not be a replacement for simming yourself, at least not if you want to minmax sub-1%!

If you are new to simming and Raidbots, check out our detailed guide below.

Our BiS Crafts are pretty straightforward. We want 2x Dawnthread Lining on some sensible slots. While Darkmoon Sigil: Ascension and its Writhing Armor Banding can perform similarly if not ever so slightly better for some characters, it takes 80 seconds to stack up Ascension to full power while in combat, and it will regularly drop off between packs in Mythic+.

The recommendation is also based on 40% uptime on Dawnthread Lining, which is very conservative and will often be higher in real scenarios. With all of this taken into account, 2x Dawnthread Lining becomes the most obvious choice.

For players coming right into the Season from its beginning, the choice is very different as we are not just concerned about the best Crafted Slots and Embellishments, but also potentially short-term Item Level gains. While the 2x Dawnthread Lining setup is optimal in the longer run, in the short-to-medium-term, crafting a Weapon with a Darkmoon Sigil is preferable because of the immediate, short-term value of a weapon upgrade, and because we start the Season with 2 Spark of Omens.

You should ideally sim the optimal stats to craft for your particular character, but Haste/Mastery is generally a safe "overall" choice. If you know that you are primarily interested in Raiding, go for Haste/Crit instead.

Note that Embellishments have yet to go undergo tuning, and that this recommendation is very preliminary. I do not recommend that you Craft ANYTHING until the last possible moment, which is generally right before you head into Raid Progression or serious Mythic+ pushing. The longer you can wait with crafting, the better information you, and this guide, will have on the best Crafts. Crafting early and then having the recommendation change because of tuning by Blizzard really sucks!

1. P.0.W. x2 (Early Season, costs 2 Sparks) — This item is not our long-term BiS, but if you are coming fresh into the Season with Mythic0 606 iLvl gear or below, then the sheer Item Level value of a Weapon is going to exceed the value of the best Embellishments. For reference, the value of upgrading a Weapon by 30 iLvl is around 8% before even considering an Embellishment, while the value of upgrading some other slots (as below) with Embellishment by 30 iLvl is only around 4-5%. That said, if you wait until your first Great Vault and it has a Weapon, then you may wish to craft something else instead. As for Embellishments, I recommend Darkmoon Sigil: Ascension for Raiding and Darkmoon Sigil: Vivacity for Mythic+.
2. (BiS, 1 Spark) — Glyph-Etched Gauntlets — We choose Gauntlets here because all other endgame Gloves have high Versatility on them, which is awful. So, we get ourselves some nicely statted Gloves and a Craft at the same time. You can go for Bracers as your first craft instead if you currently need the Tier Gloves to complete your bonus.
3. (BiS, 1 Spark) — Glyph-Etched Vambraces — We choose Bracers here because they have the lowest item level budget, meaning that the 3 iLvl cost of using Crafted Bracers over a pair of 639's will cost us less DPS than for other slots. In the early short-term, this is actually a disadvantage, but it is the best choice in the long run when chasing a BiS setup.
4. Next, chase Item Level where needed, preferring Weapon > Helm/Chest/Legs (though these are likely occupied by tier) > Boots/Belt > Rings/Necks > Cloaks.
5. At this point, you are mostly done crafting. You can spend future Sparks on off-spec items, alternatively statted crafts for different situations, and so on.

These are two weapon-only Embellishments with different secondary stat effects. On sustained encounters, ones that keep you in combat for several minutes, Darkmoon Sigil: Ascension is about 0.5% better. However, because Ascension takes a whole 80 seconds to reach full power, if you are primarily doing non-Raiding content, Darkmoon Sigil: Vivacity is better as it does not have this problem.

You will be able to upgrade your items via Crests such as Gilded Harbinger Crest and Valorstones. Once you have upgraded a slot to a certain item level, upgrading other items of that slot to that item level is free.

When you upgrade with Crests, you should think of it as upgrading slots and not items.

Additionally, since Crests are a limited resource, you will want to obtain the highest item-level possible before upgrading a given slot, as this means you will spend fewer Crests on that slot in total. If you are at all capable of doing a +9 Dungeon, for example, it would be a VERY bad idea to upgrade an item from a +8 Dungeon, as those are wasted Crests you may not get back for a very long time.

We see a ton of players, even at a high level, mess up their upgrade priorities, and upgrading prematurely. Getting this right will put you far ahead of most players.

Below is the slot priority you should upgrade your items in. It is essentially based on "which slot gives the most DPS if you increase its Item Level by 10". If you ever want to deviate from this, you should have a very good reason.

1. Weapons
2. Trinkets
3. Helm/Chest/Legs
4. Shoulders/Gloves/Belt/Boots
5. Rings and Necks
6. Cloaks and Bracers

Note that exceptions are possible, such as special items that have more Item Level scaling than their slot would imply.

The Tier Set is comprised of 5 items, all carrying the Lightless Scavenger moniker. Unique DPS bonuses are unlocked when wearing 2, and 4 pieces from the set:

• Hunter Beast Mastery Season 1 2pc — Barbed Shot further increases your pet's attack speed by 5%. In other words, increases Frenzy's pet attack speed contribution to 35%, up from 30%, per stack. This basically means +15% attack speed most of the time.
• Hunter Beast Mastery Season 1 4pc — Your pet's attacks have a 10% chance to increase all pet damage you deal by 10% for 10 sec. This will basically have ~100% uptime, so this translates to about 10% pet damage, which is quite strong.

The Tier Set Bonus is absolutely mandatory for competitive play, and you should prioritize obtaining it. You can use the Matrix Catalyst to convert regular items (from Mythic+, for example) into Tier Items.

The Tier Set is, by its pet-boosting nature, slightly stronger for Pack Leader than it is for Dark Ranger, but this does not change our decision-making in the Hero Talents department.

You only need 4 pieces out of 5 to get both set bonuses. We recommend you get all items except for the Gloves, due to their Versatility. Check out the BiS List for more information.