Hunter talent analysis

Talents are a way for a character to become specialized or improved. While hunters talent trees will not change the character as drastically as a Druid or Paladin's talents, the talents can still make a difference and are still worth analyzing. All the talents can be found on the Hunter talents page.

This article is up to date as of Patch 3.3.3.

Talent Trees In General

The Beast Mastery tree focuses on improving your pet and your pet's abilities. There are several talents that improve the hunter too, but not as many. This is the easiest tree to solo and level in, as it makes your pet tougher and much more able to hold aggro. This will keep your target in the range of your ranged weapon, and keep you from taking damage.

The Marksmanship tree focuses on improving the hunter's ranged damage and abilities. For these reasons it is the favorite talent tree among hunters that are damage dealers in a group. It is somewhat hard to level in this tree due to the fact that you pull aggro away from your pet, then have to melee and cannot use your ranged weapon.

Survival talents improve the hunter's traps and ability to stay alive while soloing. If you have to do crowd control in a group you will want to have many of these talents, if not the full talent tree. This tree also works well for soloing, although it is generally slower to level in this tree rather than the Beast Mastery tree. For raiding, Hunters usually stick to survival until they get high end gear.

Beast Mastery

Improved Aspect of the Hawk

5 points: While Aspect of the Hawk is active, all normal ranged attacks have a 10% chance of increasing ranged attack speed by 15% for 12 sec.

• This talent adds a chance to increase attack speed, which is an increase to your damage.
  • Solo Utility: Pass on it. For soloing it's better to have a talent that doesn't rely on chance.
  • Raid Utility: Take it. The increased speed will probably happen several times while fighting a boss.
  • PvP utility: Take it if you can spare the points. It'll give you an advantage over other players. However, if it comes down to this or Endurance Training, take Endurance Training.
• Bottom Line: It's a good talent to add into a raiding build, especially since it has no requirements.

Endurance Training

5 points: Increases the health of your pets by 10% and your total health by 5%.

• Pretty simple. More health for you and your pet.
  • Solo Utility: Take it. More health means a smaller chance of dying.
  • Raid Utility: If you're going full Beast Mastery take it, otherwise skip it and save the points.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: For soloing or PvP this is a must-have.

Focused Fire

2 points: All damage caused by you is increased by 2% while your pet is active and the critical strike chance of your pet's special abilities is increased by 20% while Kill Command is active.

• This talent will make your Kill Command ability crit about one-third of the time, and more at higher levels.
  • Solo Utility: Take it. It's more damage and due to the crit chance it is slightly more threat for your pet.
  • Raid Utility: Take it, more damage.
  • PvP Utility: Take it. Crits are always nice.
• Bottom Line: This talent is worth taking simply for the 2% more damage portion.

Improved Aspect of the Monkey

3 points: Increases the dodge bonus of your Aspect of the Monkey and Aspect of the Dragonhawk by 6%.

• A higher dodge chance will reduce the damage you take, and 6% is a significant increase.
  • Solo Utility: Nothing special. If you're Beast Mastery your pet will be taking the damage.
  • Raid Utility: Pass on it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: This talent is only useful if you're taking damage, which shouldn't happen too often. This talent is most useful at lower levels or for PvP.

Thick Hide

3 points: Increases the armor rating of your pets by 20% and your armor contribution from items by 10%.

• The more armor you have the less damage you will take from Physical damage. This talent will keep you and your pet going for longer before eating and will let you take on bigger, tougher fights. In a group this will allow for your pet to Off tank for a short while.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: If you have spare points take it, otherwise pass on it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: This talent is more about improving your pet then you.

Improved Revive Pet

2 points: Revive Pet's casting time is reduced by 6 sec, mana cost is reduced by 40%, and increases the health your pet returns with by an additional 30%.

• This talent simply makes Revive Pet a better spell.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: Pass on it, unless your pet die very often during fights.
  • PvP Utility: Depends on your skill and play-style. If you find your pet is often dead in PvP, you'll want this talent. Beast Mastery spec hunters depend on their pet for damage output.
• Bottom Line: This talent makes battle rezing your pet much more possible, especially when combined with Glyph of Revive Pet.

Pathfinding

2 points: Increases the speed bonus of your Aspect of the Cheetah and Aspect of the Pack by 8%, and increases your speed while mounted by 10%. The mounted movement speed increase does not stack with other effects.

• This talent removes the need for hunters to have items such as Riding Crop while at the same time improving two Aspects.
  • Solo Utility: Take it, it will make things go quicker for you.
  • Raid Utility: Pass on it.
  • PvP Utility: In certain situations, such as kiting or riding in Arathi Basin, this can be very good.
• Bottom Line: Being able to move faster will allow for you to quest faster or get an advantage in PvP.

Aspect Mastery

1 point:
Aspect of the Viper - reduces damage penalty by 10%
Aspect of the Hawk - increases attack power bonus by 30%
Aspect of the Monkey - reduces damage done to you while active by 5%
Aspect of the DragonHawk - combines the bonuses of Aspect from the Hawk and Aspect of the Monkey

• A great boost for a number of commonly used aspects.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: Take it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: With the bonuses applied to your aspects, this should be on every BM hunter and considered for other builds.

Unleashed Fury

5 points: Increases the damage done by your pets by 15%.

• Not much to say, makes your pet do a considerably larger amount of damage.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: Take it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: This is one of the essential talents in the Beast Master tree. Increased damage will not only mean things die faster, but this will also help your pet hold aggro.

Improved Mend Pet

2 points: Reduces the mana cost of your Mend Pet spell by 20% and gives the Mend Pet spell a 50% chance of cleansing 1 Curse, Disease, Magic or Poison effect from the pet each tick.

• This talent makes your Mend Pet spell more efficient and adds a powerful Dispel to it.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: If you have the free points take it; it will make the healer's job easier.
  • PvP Utility: If you have the free points, take it.
• Bottom Line: This talent will make it much easier to keep your pet alive while not draining your mana.

Ferocity

5 points: Increases the critical strike chance of your pet by 10%.

• This talent will increase the damage that your pet does by causing it to crit more often. This will also mean that your pet will cause more threat.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: Take it.
  • PvP Utility: Crits result in burstier damage. Good for you.
• Bottom Line:Besides givind a damage boost to your pet, it also increases Culling the Herd uptime.

Spirit Bond

2 points: While your pet is active, you and your pet will regenerate 2% of total health every 10 sec., and increases healing done to you and your pet by 10%.

• Causes you and your pet to regen health, even in combat, and increases all healing done to you.
  • Solo Utility: Take it if you have spare points, you will have to heal your pet a little less.
  • Raid Utility: Pass on it.
  • PvP Utility: Pass on it.
• Bottom Line: The amount of health regenerated by this talent is very low and not quick. This regen will in no way cause you to become an unstoppable force. The extra amount of healing done to you is nice, but if you are taking enough damage that the healer cannot keep you healed without this talent, then you are probably going to die anyway.

Intimidation

1 point: Command your pet to intimidate the target on the next successful melee attack, causing a high amount of threat and stunning the target for 3 seconds.

• An on-demand stun effect which also causes a lot of threat.
  • Solo Utility: Take it. You should have it to help your pet to tank, and also to get you out of bad situations.
  • Raid Utility: Take it. It's not a useful spell for raiding, but you will need to take it for prerequisites. Be careful using it during raids, it generates threat and most raid mobs are immune to stuns usually.
  • PvP Utility: Take it. In PvP, every stun you can get is worth it. It can be used to interrupt heals or casting, or simply knock a player out of battle for a few moments.
• Bottom Line: A point you'll be spending regardless of your orientation. Overall, it's a neat stun with a relatively low cooldown.

Bestial Discipline

2 points: Increases the Focus regeneration of your pets by 100%.

• This talent is pretty straightforward as to what it does. Focus lets your pet do more damage, cause threat for tanking, and use special abilities more often.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: Take it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: This is a must-have for any Beast Mastery build.

Animal Handler

2 points: Increases your pet's attack power by 10%, and increases the duration of your Master's Call effect by 6 sec.

• • Solo Utility: Not especially necessary; not many solo mobs have roots that they can use on your pet.
  • Raid Utility: Take, more pet damage means more DPS.
  • PvP Utility: Definitely get it. Roots and CC abound in PvP, and this can save your pet from being stuck in a corner.
• Bottom Line: Get it for raid/pvp, skip for solo.

Frenzy

5 points: Gives your pet a 100% chance to gain a 30% attack speed increase for 8 seconds after dealing a critical strike.

• .
  • Solo Utility: A nice DPS increase for your pet.
  • Raid Utility: A nice DPS increase for your pet.
  • PvP Utility: Another good burst talent.
• Bottom Line: Since this talent requires Ferocity to access, your pet should have a fairly high crit chance and this will increase its damage significantly

Ferocious Inspiration

3 points: All party and raid members have all damage increased by 3% for 10 seconds. Also increases the damage you dealwith Arcane Shot and Steady Shot by 9%

• When your pet crits your entire party will benefit from more damage.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: Take it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: This talent should be used in combination with Ferocity. 3% may not seem like much, but it will end up being a big increase. The extra 9% damage wont hurt (you) either.

Bestial Wrath

1 point: Send your pet into a rage causing 50% additional damage for 10 seconds. While enraged, the beast does not feel pity or remorse or fear and it cannot be stopped unless killed.

• Causes your pet to do more damage while also causing your pet to be unable to be crowd controlled.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: Take it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it. A pet that can't be rooted or stunned is very deadly.
• Bottom Line: The BM IWIN button.

Catlike Reflexes

3 points: Increases your chance to dodge by 3% and your pet's chance to dodge by an additional 9%. In addition, reduces the cooldown of your Kill Command ability by 30 sec.

• One of several dodge-increasing Hunter talents.
  • Solo Utility: More dodge lets you last longer; take it if you have points.
  • Raid Utility: Skip it. You won't be taking damage from direct hits in raiding, so dodge hardly ever helps.
  • PvP Utility: Makes you and your pet more survivable against physical attackers.
• Bottom Line: Good to take unless raiding.

Invigoration

2 points: When your pet scores a critical hit with a special ability, you have a 100% chance to instantly regenerate 1% mana.

• .
  • Solo Utility: This means you won't have to stop and drink as often, which is nice when grinding.
  • Raid Utility: Get it; it lets you last longer in drawn-out fights.
  • PvP Utility: Mana regen isn't that useful in PvP. Skip it.
• Bottom Line: Great for raiding, good for solo, not so good for PvP.

Serpent's Swiftness

5 points: Increases ranged combat attack speed by 20% and your pet's melee attack speed by 20%.

• This will increase your ranged auto attack speed as well as decrease the time that Steady Shot takes to cast. This is one of the talents that allow Beast Mastery hunters to put out as much or more damage then Marksman Hunters.
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: Take it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: One of the essential talents of Beast Mastery, take it.

Longevity

3 points: Reduces the cooldown of your Bestial Wrath, Intimidation and Pet Special Abilities by 30%.

• .
  • Solo Utility: If you like to pop cooldowns regularly, this is great.
  • Raid Utility: Increases your DPS, since it allows you to use Bestial Wrath and your pet's specials more often.
  • PvP Utility: Lets your pet stun and be immune to stun more.
• Bottom Line: Take it. More Claws, Furious Howls, more pew pew.

The Beast Within

1 point: Increases all damage you deal by 10% and while your pet is under the effects of Bestial Wrath, you also go into a rage causing 10% additional damage and reducing mana costs of all spells by 20% for 10 seconds. While enraged, you do not feel pity or remorse or fear and you cannot be stopped unless killed.

• .
  • Solo Utility: More DPS, and better mana efficiency.
  • Raid Utility: More DPS, and better mana efficiency.
  • PvP Utility: For 1 point, you get more DPS and CC immunity; what's not to like?
• Bottom Line: Another core talent. Get it.

Cobra Strikes

3 points: You have a 60% chance when you critically hit with Arcane Shot, Steady Shot or Kill Shot to cause your pet's next 2 special attacks to critically hit.

• .Allows your pet to crit more times.
  • Solo Utility: Nothing special.
  • Raid Utility:Get it.
  • PvP Utility: Get it, crits are good for burst damage.
• Bottom Line: Useful all purpose talent

Kindred Spirits

5 points: Increases your pet's damage by 20% and you and your pet's movement speed by 10% while your pet is active. This does not stack with other movement speed increasing effects.

• Another pet DPS increase, and faster movement speed.
  • Solo Utility: Lets your pet hold aggro and kill faster, and lets you move around more quickly while grinding or questing.
  • Raid Utility: 20% is not at all bad. Even though the movement isn't useful, the talent is still worth it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it, a constant 10% movement bonus gives you a definite advantage over other players.
• Bottom Line: Take it. It's a central Beast Mastery talent.

Beast Mastery

1 point: You master the art of Beast training, teaching you the ability to tame Exotic pets and increasing your total amount of Pet Skill Points by 4.

• Lets you take many more pet talents, and opens up a whole new class of powerful pets.
  • Solo Utility: Makes having a pet a lot more fun and interesting, as well as more powerful.
  • Raid Utility: Get it if you're down this far in Beast Mastery.
  • PvP Utility: Several of the "Exotic" pets have useful abilities such as snares that you can use in PvP.
• Bottom Line: If you already have 50 points in Beast Mastery, you would be crazy to pass on this.

Marksmanship

Improved Concussive Shot

2 points: Increases the duration of your Concussive Shot's daze effect by 2 sec.

• Basically improves the daze effect from 4 to 6 sec.
  • Solo Utility: This helps to stop a mob from fleeing, but doesn't increase damage to level faster. It is usually passed for Lethal Shots instead.
  • Raid Utility: Similar to solo use, a normal Concussive Shot is usually good enough. Raid mobs tend to be immune to snares anyway.
  • PVP Utility: This is where 6 sec instead 4 sec matters, unfortunately does not prevent an enemy spell from being cast. Such properties are indicated separately in spells like Curse of Tongues, the Daze effect affects movement only. Farther down the tree, however, Concussive Barrage allows you to Daze when you cast Chimera Shot or Multi-Shot, so this talent is not essential.
• Bottom Line: Useful in PvP, marginal otherwise.

Focused Aim

3 points: Reduces the pushback suffered from damaging attacks while casting Steady Shot by 70%, and increases your chance to hit by 3%.

• Allows hunters to cast Steady Shot while taking damage, which a Hunter should normally avoid. Each rank adds 1% chance to hit, which is roughly 33 hit rating. Normal hit cap (rounded up) is 263, but each rank in this talent brings it down to 230, 197, and 164. Current evidence suggests Focused Aim does NOT benefit a pet's hit rating.
  • Solo Utility: Not extremely useful, besides the hit bonus.
  • Raid Utility: This talent can stabilize DPS by Steady Shot, used in rotation after Concussive Shot for extra damage. More importantly, it also helps you reach the hit cap faster.
  • PVP Utility: Instant attacks are preferred in PvP and Steady Shot is not one of them, even with this talent. And if you are tanking damage, you probaply should be busy hitting Disengage instead of Steady Shot.
• Bottom Line: This talent can help with using Steady Shot against ranged attackers and stabilize damage under AoE damage, but both situations can be avoided. It's better to get the hit rating from gear (where pets can benefit, too) and spend talent points elsewhere. But if you need hit, take it.

Lethal Shots

5 points: Increases your critical strike chance with ranged weapons by 5%

• A must have. Criticals mean more damage and 5% is noticeable.
  • Solo Utility: If it's possible you should have this, it increases DPS.
  • Raid Utility: A must for any raiding build.
  • PvP Utility: Burst damage is nice, take it.
• Bottom Line: This is very good, and only costs 5 points in Marksmanship.

Careful Aim

3 points: Increases your ranged attack power by an amount equal to 100% of your total Intellect.

• Ranged attack power increases DPS, which is useful depending on the amount.
  • Solo Utility: Usually passed for Mortal Shots, but it can be taken later as gear gets enough intellect bonus.
  • Raid Utility: Increases DPS for 3 talent points, and all little bits add up.
  • PVP Utility: Passed for Mortal Shots.
• Bottom Line: Increases DPS, so it depends on the amount whether to take this. Being Hit capped is abig deal in raid enviroment.

Improved Hunter's Mark

3 points: Increases the bonus attack power granted by your Hunter's Mark ability by 30%, and reduces the mana cost of your Hunter's Mark ability by 100%.

• Assuming the full 440 AP, 30% extra is 132 AP or 9.5 DPS. The difference with Careful Aim is that this bonus counts for everyone in the group, but there can be only 1 Hunter's Mark on a target
  • Solo Utility: In solo play the DPS increase is too little.
  • Raid Utility: One hunter should have this talent, but it's not essential.
  • PVP Utility: Primary benefits of Hunter's Mark is that the target cannot stealth and it's psychological effect in battle. The talent adds little to that.
• Bottom Line: Nice to have in groups, limited otherwise.

Mortal Shots

5 points: Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your ranged abilities by 30%.

• Ranged criticals double base physical damage by 100%, this talent makes that 130%. Boring, but effective.
  • Solo Utility: Adds damage to criticals, which is what the Marksmanship tree is all about, combined with the correct gear.
  • Raid Utility: Increases DPS, a raid must-have.
  • PVP Utility: Burst damage helps in PvP, a good talent choice.
• Bottom Line: Despite the random nature of critical hits, a solid choice for the Marksman hunter.

Go for the Throat

2 points: Your ranged critical hits cause your pet to generate 50 Focus.

• Lets your Pet use its special attacks more often, though a pet regenerates all of its focus in about 16 seconds.
  • Solo Utility: Pet special attacks provide utility which you won't need that often as a Marksman Hunter.
  • Raid Utility: Useful for a Beast Mastery Hunters, though 1 point is probably enough.
  • PVP Utility: Not very useful.
• Bottom Line: Useful for BM Hunters, less so for others. Still usually worth of one point.

Improved Arcane Shot

3 points: Increases the damage done by your Arcane Shot by 15%.

• Depending on Arcane Shot use, provides a substantial bonus. It is less mana efficient than Steady Shot, but bypasses armor.
  • Solo Utility: Useful if Arcane Shot is included in your rotation regularly.
  • Raid Utility: Useful if Arcane Shot is included in your rotation regularly, though Steady Shot is preferred.
  • PVP Utility: It's an powerful instant cast shot which can help kill faster.
• Bottom Line: Useful depending on shot rotation. Survival Hunters and MM hunters with high (around 400) passive Armor penetration will pass it, since Steady Shot will drop Arcane Shot out of their rotations.

Aimed Shot

1 point: An aimed shot that increases ranged damage by 5 and reduces healing done to that target by 50%. Lasts 10 seconds.

• .Note: it shares cooldown with Multi-Shot.
  • Solo Utility: Can be used while running. Nice, but not must-have.
  • Raid Utility:Useful for MM/Surv hunters, BM may safely skip it.
  • PvP Utility:Get it. Healing debuff is very useful.
• Bottom Line: Multi-shot deals as much damage, so it depends. See Multi-Shot.

Rapid Killing

2 points: Reduces the cooldown of your Rapid Fire ability by 2 min. In addition, after killing an opponent that yields experience or honor, your next Aimed Shot, Arcane Shot or Chimera Shot causes 20% additional damage. Lasts 20 seconds.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Nice buff and more Rapid Fires
  • Raid Utility:The 2 min Cooldown reduction can be useful, but not must-hae.
  • PvP Utility:Nice buff and more Rapid Fires.
• Bottom Line:Good for leveling, nice for PvP and raiding.

Improved Stings

3 points: Increases the damage done by your Serpent Sting and Wyvern Sting by 30% and the mana drained by your Viper Sting by 30%. In addition, reduces the chance your Stings will be dispelled by 30%.

• .
  • Solo Utility: optional. this will add up to your damage, but most solo fights are too short for the stings to take much of an effect
  • Raid Utility: Take it. Your stings should be up on the target at all times so this will add up to a lot of extra damage.
  • PvP Utility: optional.
• Bottom Line: For raids this is an absolute must because the longer battles mean your stings will have a big effect on your dps. But pvp and soloing it is optional because you'll have either died or killed the enemy before this can have a significant effect.

Efficiency

5 points: Reduces the Mana cost of your Shots and Stings by 10%.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Less drink-drink, more pew-pew.
  • Raid Utility: All in all, not really worth it. Hunters will have a number of mana-restoring effects on them in a Raid. Mana totems, etc. You won't be going OOM.
  • PvP Utility: Rarely useful.
• Bottom Line: It has been a long time since Hunters had to regularly drink, thanks to Aspect of the Viper, so this is not very useful.

Concussive Barrage

3 points: Your successful Chimera Shots and Multi-Shots have a 100% chance to Daze the target for 4 seconds.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Hardly worth it.
  • Raid Utility:pass.
  • PvP Utility:A must-have. Free Concussive Shots? Yes please.
• Bottom Line:Sucks in PvE, great in PvP.

Readiness

1 point: When activated, this ability immediately finishes the cooldown on your other Hunter abilities exept Bestial Wrath.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Take it. More traps, more Feigh Deaths, more Disengages and more survivalibity.
  • Raid Utility:This will be useful, but not as important. In some situations, this just might save you.
  • PvP Utility:Take it. Since Hunters have many CD's this will be useful.
• Bottom Line: Core talent, and will save your ass many times in long peroid.

Barrage

3 points: Increases the damage done by your Multi-Shot, Aimed Shot and Volley spells by 12%.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Take it.
  • Raid Utility:Take it.
  • PvP Utility:Take it.
• Bottom Line:More singl-target AND AoE damage? This is a no-brainer.

Combat Experience

2 points: Increases your total Agility and Intellect by 4%.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Take it. 4% is always 4%
  • Raid Utility: Take it. More RAP, more mana, more crit.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: Flat Agility and Intellect bonus.

Ranged Weapon Specialization

3 points: Increases the damage you deal with ranged weapons by 5%.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Take it! 5% more damage!
  • Raid Utility: Take it! I already said 5% more damage!
  • PvP Utility: Maybe. More for sustained DPS. A pure PvP player may not use this, but for those with variety, this is very good.
• Bottom Line: Useful for any hunter, more and more as you level. If you have the points, you should get it.

Piercing Shots

3 points: Your critical Aimed, Steady, and Chimera shots cause your target to bleed for 30% of the damage dealt over 8 seconds.

• .
  • Solo Utility:optional, DoTs aren't especially useful while soloing, this even more so
  • Raid Utility:Take it. For some of the longer boss fights this will significantly add to your damage over the duration of the fight.
  • PvP Utility:optional, not especially useful because 1, you have to crit first and 2, it's not enough damage to put someone down.
• Bottom Line: If you're going to be dealing in a lot of longer fights, this is very useful, especially if you have someone in the raid that can increase bleed effects (ex: Arms warrior)

Trueshot Aura

1 point: Increases the attack power of party and raid members within 100 yards by 10%. Lasts until canceled.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Take it.
  • Raid Utility: If you have DK or Shaman in yur group, you may want to pass on this.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: Before Unleashed Rages, Abomination's Might and other similar spells, this was awesome. Now other people in your raid can also provide it, so it is not mandatory, but still good to have.

Improved Barrage

3 points: Increases the critical strike chance of your Multi-Shot and Aimed Shot by 12% and reduces the pushback suffered from damaging attacks while channeling Volley by 100%.

• .
  • Solo Utility:More crit=More Piercing Shots=more Damage.
  • Raid Utility:More crit=More Piercing Shots=more Damage.
  • PvP Utility:More crit=More Piercing Shots=more Damage.
• Bottom Line:Take it. Also makes farming mobs easier.

Master Marksman

5 points: Increases your critical strike chance by 5%, and reduces the Mana cost of your Steady Shot, Aimed Shot and Chimera Shots by 25%.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Another 5% crit chance is very good, and as a plus steady shot will only cost 75%, less if you have efficiency.
  • Raid Utility: Very good, as this will mean less annoyed raid members waiting for you to drink or doing 3k DPS becouse of Viper.
  • PvP Utility: Take it for the burst, but since you don't use Steady Shot in PvP very much the 25% reduction isn't anything special.
• Bottom Line: Take it, it's just Lethal Shots with an additional reduction in Steady Shot mana use.

Rapid Recuperation

2 points: You gain 4% of your mana every 3 sec while under the effect of Rapid Fire, and you gain 2% of your mana every 2 sec for 6 sec when you gain Rapid Killing.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Much more mana regen
  • Raid Utility:Helps out a bit.
  • PvP Utility:Can be nice
• Bottom Line:Not very useful, but may be worth one point.

Wild Quiver

3 points: You have a 12% chance to shoot an additional shot when doing damage with your auto shot, dealing 580% Nature damage. Wild Quiver consumes no ammo.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Free shots!
  • Raid Utility:Free shots!
  • PvP Utility:Free shots!
• Bottom Line:Free shots!

Silencing Shot

1 point: A shot that deals 50% weapon damage and Silences the target for 3 seconds.

• .
  • Solo Utility:It's a nice to have a silence in cast mobs try to heal themselves.
  • Raid Utility:Take it. It's off GCD so you can shoot it freely every 20 seconds
  • PvP Utility:TAKE IT!
• Bottom Line:Take it, it's only 1 point AND it's off GCD

Improved Steady Shot

3 points: Your Steady Shot hits have a 15% chance to increase the damage done by your next Aimed Shot, Arcane Shot or Chimera Shot by 15%, and reduce the mana cost of your next Aimed Shot, Arcane Shot or Chimera Shot by 20%.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Only proc of MM hunters. Take it.
  • Raid Utility:Take it.
  • PvP Utility:Take it.
• Bottom Line:Easy to use and procs often.

Marked for Death

5 points: Increases your damage done by your shots and the damage done by your pet's special abilities by 5% on marked targets, and increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Aimed Shot, Arcane Shot, Steady Shot, Kill Shot or Chimera Shot by 10%.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Useful as long as you remember to mark the mobs.
  • Raid Utility:Take it. Huge DPS increase
  • PvP Utility:Useful as long as you have the time to mark the enemies.
• Bottom Line:Take it.

Chimera Shot

1 point: You deal 125% weapon damage, refreshing the current Sting on your target and triggering an effect:
Serpent Sting - Instantly deals 40% of the damage done by your Serpent Sting.
Viper Sting - Instantly restores mana to you equal to 60% of the total amount drained by your Viper Sting.
Scorpid Sting - Attempts to Disarm the target for 10 sec. This effect cannot occur more than once per 1 minute.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Take it. No longer wasting mana for keeping serpent sting up!
  • Raid Utility:Take it. Core talent, and less serpent stings = less mana used.
  • PvP Utility:Take it. The disarm is invaluable and 125% is always 125%.
• Bottom Line: Take it. Why you would spend 50 talents for MM tree just to pass this?

Survival

Improved Tracking

5 points: While tracking Beasts, Demons, Dragonkin, Elementals, Giants, Humanoids and Undead, all damage done to those types is increased by 5%.

• . Use of Tracking spells allow extra damage with this talent.
  • Solo Utility: With changes allowing an extra 5% damage boost to basically any mob while tracking is active, this is a significant damage boost talent that should be taken.
  • Raid Utility: Must have for a 5% damage increase to almost every mob and boss while raiding.
  • PvP Utility: 5% damage increase against all opponents regardless of type of tracking used.
• Bottom Line: A 5% damage increase that should be taken advantage of by all hunters.

Hawk Eye

3 points: Increases the range of your ranged weapons by 6 yards.

• Simple range increase that all ranged damage classes have. This talent is considered to be essential by some, however it is not a necessity.
  • Solo Utility: Nothing too special but worth getting if you have spare points.
  • Raid Utility: Take it. This talent might push you out of the range of harmful Area effects.
  • PvP Utility: Take it. A solid advantage.
• Bottom Line: A decent talent that is worth the points, but should not be considered essential.

Savage Strikes

2 points: Increases the critical strike chance of Raptor Strike, Mongoose Bite and Counterattack by 20%.

• Makes your melee abilities stronger.
  • Solo Utility: If you get into melee fights after pulling aggro from your pet this might be helpful.
  • Raid Utility: You'll probably never use your melee abilities in raiding.
  • PvP Utility: When people are in close, it's best to Wing Clip them and get out of range.
• Bottom Line: Ultimately not worth it.

Surefooted

3 points: Reduces the duration of movement impairing effects by 30%.

• .
  • Solo Utility: A waste of talents outside of PVP.
  • Raid Utility: A waste of talents outside of PVP.
  • PvP Utility: Useful in PVP situations where mobility is the key to survival.
• Bottom Line: Pick it up for PVP, otherwise skip.

Entrapment

3 points: While your Snake Trap of Freezing Trap is triggered, you entrap all affected targets, preventing them from moving for 4 sec.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Minor utility against mobs to gain some distance, but wing clip and disengage are just as useful.
  • Raid Utility: Has no real use in raiding situations.
  • PvP Utility: A great PVP talent for trap-settings hunters.
• Bottom Line: Pick it up for PVP if you like using traps, otherwise skip.

Trap Mastery

3 points: Frost Trap and Frezing Trap: Increases the duration by 30%
Immolation Trap, Explosive Trap and Black Arrow: Increases the periodic damage done by 30%
Snake Trap: Increases the number of snakes summoned by 6.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Nice, but only if you use your traps.
  • Raid Utility: Take it. More Black Arrows=more Lock And Loads.
  • PvP Utility: Useful in PVP
• Bottom Line: Worth the points.

Survival Instincts

2 points: Reduces all damage taken by 4% and increases the critical strike chance of your Arcane Shot, Steady Shot, and Explosive Shot by 4%.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Decrease in damage taken and increase in damage dealt is extremely useful for all situations.
  • Raid Utility: Decrease in damage taken and increase in damage dealt is extremely useful for all situations.
  • PvP Utility: Decrease in damage taken and increase in damage dealt is extremely useful for all situations.
• Bottom Line: All survival builds should max this talent

Survivalist

5 points: Increases your Stamina by 10%.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Its always more HP
  • Raid Utility: its always more HP
  • PvP Utility: Its always more HP
• Bottom Line: Added survivability and with Hunter vs. Wild, added attack power makes this a must have in all Survival builds.

Scatter Shot

1 point: A short-range shot that deals 50% weapon damage and disorients the target for 4 seconds. Any damage caused will remove the effect. Turns off your attack when used.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Nice to have.
  • Raid Utility:Has not real use, but it's only one point after all.
  • PvP Utility:Extremely useful. Take it OR PERISH IN HELL!
• Bottom Line: Very useful in PVP, skip otherwise.

Deflection

3 points: Increases your chance to parry by 3%, and reduces the duration of all Disarm effects used against you by 50%. This does not stack with other Disarm duration reducing effects.

• .
  • Solo Utility:hardly worth it.
  • Raid Utility:pass.
  • PvP Utility:Take it. More parrying=less damage. Less looking for your weapons around battlefields=more damage.
• Bottom Line: A PVP talent that otherwise should not be taken.

Survival Tactics

2 points: Reduces the chance your Feign Death ability and all trap spells will be resisted by 4%, and reduces the cooldown of your Disengage ability by 4 sec.

• .
  • Solo Utility: Feign death rarely does not work in soloing situations, and a 4 sec cooldown reduction on Disengage will rarely be taken advantage of.
  • Raid Utility: Take this talent if your raiding team needs you to consistently use traps, otherwise skip.
  • PvP Utility: Feign death is useless in PVP situations, but the other benefits might be worth investing a few points in. The Disengage bonus will be still useful.
• Bottom Line:Its a 50-50, but skip if raiding.

T.N.T.

3 points: , Increases the damage done by your Explosive Shot, Explosive Trap, Black Arrow and Immolation Trap by 6%

• .
  • Solo Utility: 6% damage increase is always useful
  • Raid Utility: 6% damage increase is always useful
  • PvP Utility: 6% damage increase is always useful
• Bottom Line: Skip if survival is your offspec. Take it otherwise.

Lock and Load

3 points: You have a 100% chance when you trap a target with Freezing Trap, Freezing Arrow or Frost Trap and a 6% chance when you deal periodic damage with your Immolation Trap, Explosive Trap or Black Arrow to cause your next 2 Arcane Shot or Explosive Shot spells to trigger no cooldown, cost no mana and consume no ammo. This effect has a 22 sec cooldown.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Take it.
  • Raid Utility:Take it.
  • PvP Utility:Take it.
• Bottom Line:Didn't you hear? take it.

Hunter vs. Wild

3 points: Increases you and your pet's attack power and ranged attack power equal to 30% of your total Stamina.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Not very good.
  • Raid Utility:You will have stamina in your gear anyway, so it's a nice to have
  • PvP Utility:PvP gear is loaded with stamina anyway, so this will be a huge benefit.
• Bottom Line:Yes for PvP, maybe for raiding and "nah..." for leveling.

Killer Instinct

3 points: Increases your critical strike chance with all attacks by 3%.

• .
  • Solo Utility:T
  • Raid Utility:a
  • PvP Utility:k
• Bottom Line:e it.

Counterattack

1 points: A strike that becomes active after parrying an opponent's attack. This attack deals [$AP*0.2+48] damage and immobilizes the target for 5 seconds. Counterattack cannot be blocked, dodged, or parried.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Hardly worth 4 points.
  • Raid Utility:awful.
  • PvP Utility:must-have.
• Bottom Line:take for PvP.

Lightning Reflexes

5 points: Increases your Agility by 15%.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Not having this is a sign of being a n00b.
  • Raid Utility:take it.
  • PvP Utility:take it.
• Bottom Line:take it. Youd otn want to be a n00b, right?

Resourcefulness

3 points: Reduces the mana cost of all traps and melee abilities by 60% and reduces the cooldown of all traps by 6 sec.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Nah.
  • Raid Utility:Useful. More Black Arrows mean more Lock and Loads
  • PvP Utility:Not worth it.
• Bottom Line:You may awnt this for PvE

Expose Weakness

3 points: Your ranged criticals have a 100% chance to grant you Expose Weakness. Expose Weakness increases your attack power by 25% of your Agility for 7 seconds.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Before high crit chances this is not very goodn
  • Raid Utility:25% of your Agility as AP with 100% uptime? take it.
  • PvP Utility:Take it
• Bottom Line:Good with higher critical hit chances.

Wyvern Sting

1 point: A stinging shot that puts the target to sleep for 12 seconds. Any damage will cancel the effect. When the target wakes up, the Sting causes 300 Nature damage over 6 seconds. Only one Sting per Hunter can be active on the target at a time.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Good-to-have.
  • Raid Utility:Has no use in raids, but it's only one point.
  • PvP Utility:take it. Exellent CC ability and strong DoT to.
• Bottom Line:Take it. It's no Lacerate, you know.

Thrill of the Hunt

3 points: Gives you a 100% chance to regain 40% of the mana cost of any shot when it critically hits.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Not very good until high crit chances.
  • Raid Utility:Take it. More mana and you need this for Hunting Party
  • PvP Utility:Nice.
• Bottom Line:Take it. At least for Hunting Party

Master Tactician

5 points: Your successful ranged attacks have a 10% chance to increase your critical strike chance with all attacks by 10% for 8 seconds.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Take it. Altrought the uptime is not very big, it's still worth it.
  • Raid Utility:Take it.
  • PvP Utility:Take it.
• Bottom Line:Take it.

Noxious Stings

3 points: If Wyvern Sting is dispelled, the dispeller is also afflicted by Wyvern Sting lasting 50% of the duration remaining, and increases all damage done by you on targets afflicted by your Serpent Sting by 3%.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Not very useful.
  • Raid Utility:Take it. Unlike most people think it is not useless. it gives you 3% damage increase.
  • PvP Utility:Take it. More damage and a nice suprise for that Cleanser.
• Bottom Line:Take for raiding and PvP.

Point of No Escape

2 points: Increases the critical strike chance of all attacks on targets affected by your Frost Trap, Freezing Trap and Freezing Arrow by 6%.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Please try again later. Maybe in cataclysm.
  • Raid Utility:Please try afain later. Maybe in cataclysm.
  • PvP Utility:You'll have Freezing Trap on a lot, so this will help.
• Bottom Line:Take for PvP.

Black Arrow

1 point: Fires a black arrow at the target, increasing all damage by you to the target by 6% and causes [RAP*0.1+X] damage to the target over 15 seconds. Shares cooldown with other [fire] trap spells

• .
  • Solo Utility:take it.
  • Raid Utility:Take t. 6% damage and the reason we picked Resourcefulness and LaL.
  • PvP Utility:More dots!
• Bottom Line:Iconic spell for SV hunters.

Sniper Training

3 points: Increases the critical strike chance of your Kill Shot ability by 15%, and while standing still for 6 sec, you gain Sniper Training increasing the damage done by your Steady Shot, Aimed Shot, Black Arrow and Explosive Shot by 6% for 15 sec.

• .
  • Solo Utility:Take it.
  • Raid Utility:Take it. Very deadly with Glyph of Kill Shot.
  • PvP Utility:You will be running a lot, and your Kill Shot will kill the taget anyway.
• Bottom Line:Good for leveling and raiding, somehow useful in PvP.

Hunting Party

5 points:Increases your agility by an additional 3% and your Arcane Shot, Explosive Shot and Steady Shot critical strikes have a 100% chance to grant up to 10 party or raid members mana regeneration equal to 1% of the maximum mana per 5 seconds. Lasts for 15 seconds.

• .
  • Solo Utility: If you're soloing, you won't be in a group, right?
  • Raid Utility: Take it.
  • PvP Utility: Fairly good, may or may not be worth it.
• Bottom Line: Take it for raiding, leave it for soloing, maybe for PvP

Explosive Shot

1 point: You fire an explosive charge into the enemy target, dealing [$RAP*0.08+238]-[$RAP*0.08+286] Fire damage. The charge will blast the target every second for an additional 2 seconds. .

• .
  • Solo Utility: Take it. Best talent of Survival Tree.
  • Raid Utility: Take it.
  • PvP Utility: Take it.
• Bottom Line: The most important shot in every Survival build. You either take it or face the WRATH OF SAURFANG!!

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