Beast Mastery Hunter DPS Spell Summary — Shadowlands 9.2
On this page, we present you with all spells and procs that you need to understand as a Beast Mastery Hunter in World of Warcraft — Shadowlands 9.2.
If you were looking for TBC Classic content, please refer to our TBC Classic Beast Mastery Hunter spells.
Spell Summary
This will cover synergies, cooldowns, and core concepts of the spec to get it working. If you already have experience and are very comfortable with Beast Mastery, it is okay to skip past this, otherwise this is a great point to get a base understanding before moving onto later sections of the guide that covers nuances of gameplay.
Main Resource for Beast Mastery Hunter
Hunters and their pets use a unique resource, called Focus. Focus works in much the same way as other class resources, like Rage and Energy, in the sense that some abilities grant Focus, while others cost Focus to be used.
A Beast Mastery Hunter's Focus has a maximum capacity of 120, and regenerates at a slow rate that varies by spec. In addition to this passive flow of incoming Focus, certain talents and abilities will amplify your Focus regeneration, or simply generate more of it.
Hunter pet Focus works similarly, and is of no concern to you as you cannot do anything to modify it, nor will you be casting pet abilities manually.
As a general rule, you should always have enough Focus to cast your abilities as soon as they come off cooldown, but also to never have 120 Focus (as any extra Focus you generate would then go to waste).
Unlocking Abilities
Note that this page simply lists all the different abilities, assuming you are at max level. If you are leveling, check out our dedicated Hunter Leveling page, which has detailed information on when you unlock all of these abilities.
Basic Abilities of Beast Mastery Hunter
Cobra Shot is your "Focus dump" ability, used as a filler between
other, hard-hitting abilities to spend excess Focus.
Kill Command is the bread and butter of your damage,
with a 7.5-second base cooldown and a Focus cost of 30. It will do a
significant amount of your total damage and casting it on cooldown is the
bread and butter of the spec.
Barbed Shot is an 8-second DoT ability with 2 charges on a
12-second
cooldown. Over its 8-second duration, it also generates 20 Focus.
More importantly, it applies the
Frenzy buff to your
pet, increasing its attack speed by 30% for 8 seconds, stacking up to
3 times. Beast Mastery has another mechanic that will
cause the cooldown of this ability to sometimes reset, and Haste reduces
the cooldown of Barbed Shot as well. This makes it possible to stack this
attack speed buff. Whenever you cast Barbed Shot, the remaining cooldown
on
Bestial Wrath is also reduced by 12 seconds.
Multi-Shot is your AoE ability. It does very low
Physical damage to all targets it hits, but it activates
Beast Cleave, which is described below.
Kill Shot is an execute ability that is only available below 20%
health.
It deals heavy damage and has a 10-second cooldown. It costs 10 Focus.
Arcane Shot is an ability that costs 40 Focus and deals a bit of
damage
to the target. It is never actually used by Beast Mastery, but it is a baseline
DPS ability.
Your AoE damage comes in the form of Beast Cleave. It is a
4-second pet buff that is activated by
Multi-Shot.
It causes all your pet's automatic attacks to also hit all targets within 10
yards for 75% of their original damage. It deals reduced damage beyond 5
targets.
For more information on how to use these abilities together in your rotation, please read our rotation page.
Talented DPS Abilities of Beast Mastery Hunter
Aside from the basic toolkit, you will come across new abilities via your Talents, depending on the ones you choose. We will outline the active abilities here.
Dire Beast summons a Dire Beast pet that auto-attacks your target
and increases your haste by 5% for 8 seconds. It has a 20-second cooldown and
costs
no Focus.
Chimaera Shot fires a shot that hits up to two targets
for moderate
damage. It generates 10 Focus for each target it hits, and has a 15-second
cooldown.
A Murder of Crows applies a strong DoT to the target for 15 seconds.
If the target dies in this 15-second window, the cooldown is reset.
It has a 1-minute cooldown and costs 30 Focus.
Barrage is a 3-second channel that continuously fires shots
and hits all targets in front of you. It deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets.
You can move while it is channeling.
It has a 20-second cooldown and costs 60 Focus.
Stampede causes a horde of wild animals to run over your target
for 12 seconds, dealing heavy damage to all enemies in their path.
It has a 2-minute cooldown.
Spitting Cobra spawns a Spitting Cobra whenever your
Bestial Wrath
ends that lasts for 20 seconds, dealing damage over this period. Every
Cobra Shot
cast during
Bestial Wrath will increase the damage done by Spitting
Cobra by 10%.
Bloodshed applies an 18-second Bleed to the target, and increases
all damage taken from your pet by 15% while it is active. It has a 1-minute
cooldown.
Movement Tools of Beast Mastery Hunter
Disengage is your primary mobility ability. It causes you to
leap backwards on a 20-second cooldown at no cost. Certain talents like
Posthaste amplify this ability, causing it to
give you increased movement speed.
You can use this to quickly go from one place to another —
even in a forwards direction by jumping, turning around, and casting Disengage
to catapult you forwards instead of backwards.
Aspect of the Cheetah is your second mobility ability, acting as
more of a cooldown. It increases your movement speed by 90% for 5 seconds,
and then by 30% for another 9 seconds on a 3-minute cooldown. Note that
it does not stack with
Posthaste, so you should make sure to use
Disengage and Aspect of the Cheetah separately for movement.
Important Procs and Passives of Beast Mastery Hunter
Wild Call causes your auto-shot critical strikes to have a 20%
chance to reset the cooldown of
Barbed Shot.
Offensive Cooldowns of Beast Mastery Hunter
Bestial Wrath is the main offensive cooldown for Beast Mastery.
It increases all damage done by you and your pet by 25% for 15 seconds on a
1.5-minute base cooldown. This cooldown is reduced whenever you cast
Barbed Shot.
Aspect of the Wild increases your critical strike chance by 10%,
and your Focus regeneration by 5 Focus per second for 20 seconds.
Additional Utility & Traps of Beast Mastery Hunter
Hunter's Mark is an ability that lets you mark a target, so that you
can always track it on your mini-map. Only one Mark can be applied at a time.
Eyes of the Beast lets you take direct control of your pet's model and
see through its eyes for one minute.
Concussive Shot is a 50% slow that lasts for 6 seconds against an
enemy target. Its duration is extended by 3 seconds when you use
Cobra Shot
against the target. It has a 5-second cooldown.
Counter Shot interrupts your target's spell casting. It also
prevents any other cast in that school from being started for 3 seconds. It
has a 24-second cooldown.
Aspect of the Turtle is the Hunter's primary defensive. It is an
8-second immune (from most abilities) and 30% damage reduction that makes you
unable to attack for its duration. As mentioned, it is an immunity from most
attacks, although most important encounter mechanics will still target you or
do damage to you when it is active. It has a 3-minute cooldown.
Exhilaration is the Hunter's self heal. It heals you for 30% of
your total health, and your pet for its full health on a 2-minute cooldown.
Intimidation stuns your pet's target for 5 seconds. It has a
1-minute cooldown.
Wing Clip is a 50% slow ability that lasts for 15 seconds on enemy
targets. It costs 30 Focus.
Scare Beast is an ability that lets you fear any Beast-type creature
for up to 20 seconds. Damaging it cancels the effect, and only one Beast can be
feared at a time. It costs 25 Focus.
Tranquilizing Shot is an ability that dispels 1 Enrage and 1 Magic
effect from an enemy target. It also generates 10 Focus when you successfully
do so.
Freezing Trap is a long-term crowd control for all Hunter specs.
It places a trap on the ground that encases the first enemy (not bosses or
most big encounter adds) to touch it in ice for 1 minute. The effect breaks
on damage. The trap has a 30 second cooldown, and the trap will exist for 1
minute after placing it.
Tar Trap is an AoE slow for all Hunter specs. It places a trap on
the ground that causes a patch of tar to appear on the ground in an 8 yard
radius around it when it is triggered, slowing all enemies in it by 50% for as
long as they are in it. The patch of tar persists for 30 seconds, and the trap
itself will exist for up to 1 minute before being triggered.
Flare places a flare on the ground that reveals stealthed
players and mobs nearby. It lasts for 20 seconds, and has a 20-second
cooldown.
Feign Death lets you pretend to be dead, dropping all
threat/aggro on all enemies. When not in raid or dungeon encounters, it is a
quick way to drop you from combat. In raids and dungeons, it can help you
survive a wipe by using it when everyone else is about to die.
Misdirection causes you to redirect all the threat you do to a
friendly target for the next 8 seconds. It has a 30-second cooldown. It is very
useful for aiding your tank in picking up enemies that are spread far apart,
such as wide-scale dungeon trash pulls, or adds that spawn further away from
the boss such as on Tichondrius. Note that this only applies to threat you
personally generate, not that of your pet(s).
Pet Specializations
There are 3 different pet specializations. These specializations are determined by your pet family and they cannot be changed. We recommend having a variety of pets of each spec, so that you can cover any situation.
Pet Spec | Passive Effect | Active Ability |
---|---|---|
Ferocity | ![]() |
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Tenacity | ![]() |
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Cunning | ![]() |
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Pet Families and Abilities
Every Pet Family has a special ability. We recommend having at least one of every special ability and spec combination.
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. |
Self-Dispel | Removes 1 Disease, 1 Magic, and 1 Poison effect from your pet. 10-second cooldown. | Bat, 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. |
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. |
Self-Dispel | Removes 1 Disease, 1 Magic, and 1 Poison effect from your pet. 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, Mammoth |
*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.
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. |
Self-Dispel | Removes 1 Disease, 1 Magic, and 1 Poison effect from your pet. 10-second cooldown. | Sporebat, Moth, Water Strider (Exotic) |
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, Aqiri (Exotic). |
* Water Strider pets also have Surface Trot, a passive ability
that lets you and your pet walk on water while out of combat. Damage will
break this effect.
Exotic Pets (Beast Mastery-only)
Pet Family | Specialization | Special Ability | Exotic Ability |
---|---|---|---|
Core Hound | Ferocity | ![]() |
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Chimaera | Ferocity | ![]() |
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Devilsaur | Ferocity | ![]() |
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Clefthoof | Ferocity | ![]() |
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Quilen | Tenacity | ![]() |
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Spirit Beast | Tenacity | ![]() |
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Worm | Tenacity | ![]() |
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Krolusk | Tenacity | ![]() |
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Shale Spider | Cunning | ![]() |
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Aqiri | Cunning | ![]() |
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Water Strider | Cunning | ![]() |
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Changelog
- 01 Nov. 2021: Updated ability descriptions to reflect the Patch 9.1.5 Target Cap changes.
- 28 Jun. 2021: Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.
- 09 Mar. 2021: Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 23 Nov. 2020: Updated for Shadowlands.
- 12 Oct. 2020: Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
More Hunter Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Azortharion, a theorycrafter of all things Hunter-related 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. He even has his own personal Discord channel where you can get notifications about when the guides get updated and have direct communications with him.
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