Attention Hunters of Azeroth, many of you have been troubled by the recent nerfs and wonder about the best way to achieve peak DPS performance. Don't worry! We have a must-have guide that can help you understand these changes and still remain among the top damage dealers for your raids.

 

• Runes: The Path to Power
• Talents: Sharpening Your Edge
• Pets: Your Fierce Companions
• Rune Optimization: The Finishing Touches
• Rotation: The Dance of Damage

 

↖ Runes: The Path to Power

Understanding which runes to equip is important in the face of nerfs. While Beast Mastery(BM) has suffered a blow with lowered bonus health and focus regen, it remains a force to reckon with for those not in full raid gear. For those wielding top-tier weapons such as Akumi's gun or Sahis' crossbow, Chimera Shot has now become an attractive option after being remodelled, scaling impressively with weapon damage.

 

↖ Talents: Sharpening Your Edge

Most BM hunters consider beast mastery superior because it directly ups pet damage. However, maintaining your BM talents if you decide to go towards Chimera Shot is recommended. Even though changing into Marksmanship (MM) talents would give you 5% ranged weapon crit chance, 20% pet damage increase outweighs this.

 

↖ Pets: Your Fierce Companions

Wind serpents were once dominant but post-nerf they've seen better days. Cats are more consistent than them as BM enthusiasts given the focus regen nerf, though. In case you're going for Chimera Shot instead of leaning towards one specific pet is less relevant; however, cats stand slightly in front since they benefit from 2.0 attack speed that is useful when melee weaving using Flanking Strike.

 

Read More: WoW Classic Season of Discovery Hunter Pets In-depth Guides

 

For BM users who want to play their cards right, consider obtaining a 2.0 speed cat like the evasive Ghost Saber or Echeyakee (Etaki in-game). These felines are good choices both now and as we move through subsequent phases of WoW's content.

 

↖ Rune Optimization: The Finishing Touches

If you are the only Hunter in your party, Heart of the Lion is a must-have chest rune. Meanwhile for Chimera Shot users that desire greater crit chance, Master Marksman may be a slight edge. Whatever decision you make, remember that Kill Command and Sniper Training do not stack against Flanking Strike due to its synergy with melee weaving.

 

↖ Rotation: The Dance of Damage

Regardless of whether you choose BM or Chimera Shot, mastering your rotation will make all the difference. For Chimera Shot users, weave in your ability between auto-shots and ensure Serpent Sting is always active for that extra bite. Meanwhile BM hunters should aim to keep their Multi-Shot and Serpent Sting buffed while throwing in Raptor Strike each time possible.

 

In conclusion, even though Season of Discovery's nerfs have undoubtedly caused an uproar in the Hunter meta, if you adapt your runes, talents and pet choice accordingly, you can still unload a massive amount of damage onto your foes. Practice these rotations and embrace these changes; becoming one of the top-tier DPSs is not far away.