Beast Mastery Hunter DPS Spec, Builds, Talents, and Pet Talents — The War Within (Season 1)

This build is the highest possible pure single-target DPS build that we can access. It is a straightforward 2-minute-burst focused build that leverages the Dark Ranger Hero Talent's powerful single-target capability to the fullest.

Hero Tree Note: If there are target swaps in an encounter that conceivably allow you to use the Grave Reaper effect to reset Black Arrow, then you should swap out Dark Empowerment for it. It really only takes a single reset in a full encounter to justify dropping Dark Empowerment, as it is only worth about ~0.3% DPS, give or take.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

This build is my recommendation for High Mythic+ Pushing. High Mythic+ is defined as any level of Mythic+ that you are actually pushing, where the timer is a relevant concern, and the content is difficult. For one player, this may be Mythic+20, for another, it may be Mythic+12 — I recommend this build if you are doing serious Mythic+, whatever that means for you.

The reason for going Dark Ranger is primarily its priority- and single-target DPS benefits. Its pure AoE is very similar to Pack Leader, but it is FAR more potent at bosses and high-health targets. Remember that a pack is only as fast as its slowest dying mob, and "priority"-target damage focuses on dealing more damage to such targets, aiming to ensure that all mobs in a pack die at around the same time, which is maximally efficient for speed, and a faster dungeon also means more DPS.

While I strongly recommend that you run the build exactly as listed, there are a few changes you could make to suit your personal preferences, though I cannot stress enough that significant deviations are likely to cost you significant performance. A lot of work went into every talent picked, combining simulations of single-target, pure AoE, and mixed dungeon simulation scenarios with a variety of pull sizes and durations.

• If you do not see yourself multi-dotting Barbed Shot optimally in AoE scenarios, drop Thrill of the Hunt and Master Handler for Killer Cobra and Piercing Fangs instead. This loses you about ~2% overall DPS, but gains you about ~1% single-target.
• I include a wide variety of CC options, but if you find yourself not using Bursting Shot very much and would prefer to lean into your Binding Shot/ Implosive Trap combo, swap Bursting Shot for Tar-Coated Bindings.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

This build offers the best blend of single-target and AoE damage for single-target raid encounters with add spawns or intermittent AoE of any kind. It drops the weakest single-target talents to grab our AoE essentials like Multi-Shot, Beast Cleave, Kill Cleave, and Bloody Frenzy.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

This build is designed for Raid Encounters where you need AoE Burst, but only for discrete, short sections of a fight, and ideally ones that line up with our Call of the Wild. It is identical to the Single-Target build, except for one talent swap; Thrill of the Hunt for Bloody Frenzy. You can also swap Savagery for similar DPS, but that will disrupt your rotation a lot more than you are used to and I do not recommend it.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

The Delves build is very similar to our Mythic+/AoE build, but is further optimized for short-lived mobs and pulls and also picks Pack Leader for this reason, as things simply don't live long enough to justify Dark Ranger.

I chose not to grab Call of the Wild for this build by default, but for higher, more difficult Delves, you may prefer to swap out Wild Call and Killer Cobra for Call of the Wild and Bloody Frenzy for huge pulls.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!