7.1.5 Hunter Specialization Feedback: How do you feel about your main specialization?

[Madwolf]

Please fill out the poll above, and down here please let us know what specilizatoin you main and why you feel the way you do about the state of that specialization in 7.1.5.

[ohgasauraus]

MM main:

we go from a mobility class to a stand still turret. the cost of movement is too much compared especially during vulnerable window.

The focus gen is too little and aimed shot taken too much percentage of our max focus. Every aimed shot we do, we need to do at least 2-3 arcane shot to get back those loss focus. It is just a terrible spec to play.

[Madwolf]

Hunter: Madwolf
Specialization: Beast Mastery
How it feels: Underwhelming
Why: Beast Mastery feels underwhelming because it doesn't feel as if much thought was given to the core mechanics of the spec. When you play it you do get the feeling that there is a clear idea of how the spec is supposed to play, but it falls short of keeping the player involved in their DPS roll at a sufficient level. This means that's it's often hard to feel as if you don't have 'long' gaps of space where you're waiting on focus to resume being actively involved in the damage generation process. While this can be mitigated through proper talent choice, those talents are necessarily the ones that will provide the most damage which can be crucial for a player in a competitive raiding guild. Furthermore, it's almost a sin to make that choice with all 3 Hunter specs at the bottom of the DPS pile.

Speaking of talents, there are parts of the Hunter tree that simply feel tacked on as place holders to be replaced later. Trailblazer is one of these talents and the other is Aspect of the Beast which feels incredibly underwhelming for a Level 100 talent. Furthermore A Murder of Crows and Stampede could be swapped at level 90 and 100, making the talent choices at both make much more sense.

Then of course there are pet issues. While it's understandable these will never be completely resolved, the fact that we have issues such as the one in the 110 version of Karazhan at this point is simply inexcusable. It would have been okay if it was a bug that was fixed within a week or two, but now we've been in Karazhan for over 2 months and pets are still un-usable in this event. That goes without mentioning that nearly every pet in the game is without a special ability now, and the Spirit Beast heal is so weak there are level 100 spells that heal for more damage.

[Sol77]

MM has such a stupid design, the core of arcane/multi to gain focus is an atrocious play style so the bandaid fix called Sidewinders was quite needed imo. Now that it's no longer optimal we're in a lose-lose situation.

Also the vulnerable mechanic is awful. We shouldn't require it in this form to do any damage whatsoever. It might work as a bonus, clearly doesn't as a necessity. First step in the right direction might be to reverse the stacking mechanic. Let it go from high bonus to low bonus. Then we could fire off AiS asap and would benefit from a refresh instead of avoiding that. Plus a 0.5 sec clip couldn't cause an AiS to do ~30% of its intended damage (last sec of vulnerable vs no vuln, figure was guessed).

[andreasels]

Hunter: Druffballern
Specialization: Beast Mastery
How it feels: Good
Why: I like how the spec is able to deal full damage, while being completely mobile and on range, which is the reason I picked it.
There are some slightly annoying things though:
- pets not being able to jump down some ledges, so you need to resummon them
- the need to desummon a pet before you can summon another pet (could be reduced to 1 button)
- not being able to buff the waterstrider buff while mounted
- Pets sometimes not reacting to the fall back command
- High downtime (~35%) cause of waiting for focus.
As you see, most of my problems with the class are cause of the pet. I would prefer to play MM, but I really want a (fully) mobile ranged class, so BM is my only option. Nevertheless I still enjoy the class quite much and thus rate it as "Good". Despite some people saying it's braindead, I think there is still a significant difference between good and bad BM players cause of the cooldown and focus management necessary to maximize your damage.

[KillerOne505]

BM feels so underwhelming, i got nothing to track. focus isnt even a problem with the low regen rate and the one ability to regain focus on a 12sec cd which you proc on cd anyways. the set bonus doesnt add any real change to the spec, if anything it adds more frustration on to it. in terms of pvp well we got traps back so i guess thats one up so far. honestly i feel like i dont even want to log on anymore, with the AP grind on a new toon and regearing just to catch up with our supposed mains. it is to much work and most people i say dont have time for that or dont want to put the extra effort into something they should had done since the launch of Legion.

[Deleted]

I main MM.

In 7.0 our class wasn't perfect and at the beggining it was frustrating to get a feeling for sidewinders and barrage... especially in dungeions(hc - m+)
I hated it, it felt wrong for me at the time but the more I played the easier it got and I must say that SW grew on me.

I loved to position myself to maximize my dps. When we started progressing on a new encounter I tried to position myself on different angles to be able to hit as many targets as possible with SW while still being able to do anything my raidlead is asking for.
Our rotatin wasn't the hardest in the game but we also were not allowed to simply spam buttons to maintain a higher dps.
Most of the time you had to take a gamble to delay your markedshot/SW proccs to get off another aimedshot in your current vulnerable window.
It felt so rewarding when I used my proccs with a delay of 3-5 secs just in time before the next procc.

For me SW was the best thing that could have happened to my class. (class fantasy bs does not matter to me at all.)
I had pretty decent single target and my cleave was superb. I did not have to change my rotation for optimal cleave dps i had to position myself perfectly at all times given.

Persnally I'm not happy with the recent nerfs to SW (less focus), patient sniper( and the general class mechanic.
The 7.0 version felt complete to me. It wasn't the "sniper class" blizzard wanted but it was a complete way of playing the game which you were able to master.

The new way of playing does not feel fluid to me.

Hunter has been as hybrid between meele and ranged since many years. We had high mobility and were able to adept to almost any situation.
With the recent changes I feel like we are worse off than destro locks. Once we open our vulnerable window we are forced to stay in position for up to 7 seconds. We have to track out patient sniper debuff and ideally snapshot our last AiS right before the window closes. If you miss it then you were almost better off with no using your AiS at all.(and maybe shoudl have spammed all those markedshots afterall)

The next change which bothers me a lot is MARKED SHOT PROCCS. They buffed our proccrate which is great. The idea was to make it easier for us to swap targets. The idea itself was great but poorly executed.
On ST-dps encounters we are better off not using 3/4 of our proccs.
Our proccs start yeeling at us "USE ME PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE" (and on any other class you'd most likely press it) but as MM actully using your procc is the wrong descision most of the time.

In 7.0 I was happy and excited for every single procc I got. Nowadays I don't even know what I'm suppoed to do with them.
How blizzard managed to not realize how SW safed the class does not make sense to me.
They brought it in the game because they knew that the beta build wasn't fun to play.
Then they try to take it away from us while not changing the old clunky and poorly made MM mechanic.

What did blizzard exepct? Tthe specc which everyone hated to play on the beta would become great all of a sudden?
They ripped off the bandaid-mechainc (which SW is) but forgot to fix what was hidden underneath it.

On top of a clunky mechainc we are not even getting rewarded for playing the specc.
S2M-shadow was an aweful mechanic as well but at least if you managed to master it you got rewarded with a shitload of dps.
MM doesn't get anything. This ID I managed to get a 99% parse on ursoc mythic and still managed to be 2nd worst dps on the meters.
On guarm I got a 97% and was 3rd worst dps. How can my specc be considered viable if even playing it far above average will end up with us being at the bottom of the meters by far. I literally feel sorry for my raid for being stuck with me. Some classes deal 1.5 times the DPS I do without even trying.

On top of that I don't even have the chance to swap speccs since they all are utter trash. (even if I had any BM/SV specific legendaries)


I must say tho that playing m+ with trickshot / volley and exlposhot is quite fun. (which is what I will most likel end-up doing most of the time during our NH progression)

[Feyranna]

Beastmastery - Unfinished.

I can't shake the feeling that they started out planning to do something with us summoning beasts and being buffed by the beasts we summon. We see remnants of it in our talents and in how they started out with the tier set. Something about the original idea is either not getting realized to their satisfaction or having bug issues we aren't seeing on ptr and live.

Otherwise I'd say it's "good" or at least okay.

[Khrux]

I'm glad someone made a better poll than that other one about hunters in general.

I'm BM and voted "good" as thats how it feels to me. I have Pyrdaz neck and the new Shoulders, it plays really fluidly and I can't wait for the tier set. I wouldn't vote "excellent" however as that isn't realistic, BM is still missing something active from the rotation, the downtime without the shoulders is too high and there should at least be a talent option to add something active to your regular rotation.

[ydraw]

I'm sure everyone with the new shoulders thinks it's great.

Which is exactly why that functionality should have been baseline.

[Geran]

Hunter: Geran
Specialization: Beast Mastery
How it feels: Unfinished

Lack of polishing in rotation (too much downtime) and whack-a-molley one, bad sinergy between talents, pets bug concerning AI/pathing, pet standarization (what is the difference between a cat and a bat?) awful fantasy class implementation (i summon? beast from thin air (dire beast)).

[Vitinariy]

Survival changes are good and the spec moving in the right direction. I still think that Dragonsfire grenade should be removed and explosive trap should attach to your main target, just like grenade does now, however, everything else is quite logical. We finally got disengage, buff to AoE and our utility is still great.
As a hunter I would love to have access to misdirect, and Waylay, while a neat idea, is too impractical to find any use outside PvP. But I guess that might be addressed in the future.

[Deleted]

I'm glad someone made a better poll than that other one about hunters in general.

I'm BM and voted "good" as thats how it feels to me. I have Pyrdaz neck and the new Shoulders, it plays really fluidly and I can't wait for the tier set. I wouldn't vote "excellent" however as that isn't realistic, BM is still missing something active from the rotation, the downtime without the shoulders is too high and there should at least be a talent option to add something active to your regular rotation.

the fact that you need a legendary to be able to enjoy your class kinda says that it is poorly designed.

My main specc is MM but on ptr is tested the new BM shoulders and I really enjoyed it but I won't play that specc until I get my hands on those shoulders.
this effect should have been a general addition to the class not a legendary.

[DeicideUH]

My opinions:

Survival: My main.
- Good, but very far from excellent.
- What needs to be done: Rotation need to be a little simpler.
Suggestions (can be taken separately or together):
- There shouldn't be AoE reticule spells in a melee rotation. Remove Explosive trap from rotation. Make it utility (knockback trap, with waylay making it push enemies farther away?), or make it a talent, so it's optional. Improve AoE somehow.

- Reduce Focus cost of Raptor Strike to 15; Make Throwing Axes talent substitute Raptor Strike and inherite its properties (healing, apply Serpent Sting).

- Mortal Wounds talent need a boots. Make it improve rotation somehow, in addition to its current effects, to be competitive. Suggestions (take one): Reduce Lacerate focus cost by 10; Mongoose Bite extends Lacerate duration by 2 seconds; Improve the chance for Lacerate to reward you a Mongoose Bite charge so it's noticiable;

Marksmanship: My former main.
- Unfinished.
- IMO, needs total rework.
- Some time ago I made a thread with how I'd remake MM. Those ideas still apply, so I'll repost them here. They are not perfect, of course, but I think MM would be a lot more fun, customizable and functional than today:

[notice: it was posted during 7.0, so Sentinel references the old version, and the Freezing Trap talent would need to be replaced by something else]

-------------- MARKSMANSHIP --------------
Notice: This is just concept, don't take numbers seriously. Any numbers used are just examples, if this would ever be implemented, it would need to have a balance pass, of course.

For Marksmanship, I'd revamp the entire spec. When they announced the new Legion MM Hunter, I was hopeful it would incorporate several archer/sharpshooter/gunner/sniper aspects into its talent system. They should also include options that resemble the old Survival spec, using quick shots, special ammo, poisons and so on. As such, this design has the aim of allowing the player to mix several concepts depending on the choices of talents:

- The slow, precise, heavy hitting sniper
- The quick, fast, agile quick shooter
- Special ammo

Baseline Changes:
Aspect of the Cheetah has CD reduced to 90 seconds.
Lone Wolf Is now baseline.
Camouflage is now baseline.
Windburst: Fused with Piercing Shot and Revamped. It now is essentially Piercing Shot: consumes between 20 and 100 focus, 30s CD, heavy damage to target, half damage to enemies near target and in its path, but also creates the wind path that current Windburst applies.
Aimed Shot: Heavy damage (around 2.5x current Aimed Shot [without Vulnerable on target], to compensate changes to Vulnerability and Mastery), 50 focus, 2s cast. Applies Vulnerable to the target. Does not benefit from Vulnerable.
Vulnerable: Debuff on target, applied by Aimed Shot. Increases critical chance of Arcane Shot, Multishot and Marked Shot by 10% for 15 seconds, stacks up to five times. If Marked Shot critically hits, Vulnerable is removed from the target.
Arcane Shot and Multishot: As current, but Vulnerable increases their crit chance. Still have a chance do apply Hunter's Mark on targets hit.
Marked Shot: Heavy damage (around 150% damage of current Marked Shot). 30 focus. Attacks all Marked Targets. If the attack crits, remove the Vulnerable Stack from them. Several talents and Artifact traits would be changed to improve Marked Shot critical hits (see ahead).
Mastery: Still increases the range of your attacks, but no longer increases damage of all shots that cost focus. Instead, it increases base damage and critical damage of Marked Shot by 15% (further increased by Mastery).

Changes to Artifact traits:
Mark of the Windrunner: Windburst now applies VUlnerable to all targets hit.
Deadly Aim: Improves Aimed Shot crit chance (not damage) by 3/6/10%.
Precision: Improves Marked Shot critical damage (not chance) by 5/10/15%.
Marked For Death: Marked Shot critical hits have a 6/12/20% chance of not removing Vulnerability from the target.

Base rotation: You use Aimed Shots to stack Vulnerable in target, thus increasing the crit chance of Arcane Shot, Multishot and Marked Shot. Each of these shots have a special effect on a critical hit: respectively, additional Focus, Bombardment bonus or extra damage on crit. You must be careful to pool focus enough to use Windburst on CD, and Windburst uses will also improve your AoE by applying Vulnerable to all targets (see artifact traits bellow). Talents improve the rotation by changing or adding skills.

Talents:

Level 15
With Lone Wolf baseline, new talented Pet option. This is the "direct damage increase" option, it adds 3 ways to improve your single target damage.
Wild Companion: Allows you to summon and control a pet.
Black Arrow: Moved to this row. Steady Focus is Removed.
Careful Aim: Aimed Shot now have an extra 30% chance of Critically Hit. (Removed the "above 80% health" restriction, but restricted it to Aimed Shot only, as well as removing the bleeding effect)


Level 30
This level is a "rotation change" level, intended to allow different playstyles.
Explosive Shot: Replaces Aimed Shot. 50 focus, Instant cast, heavy fire damage. Half damage is caused immediately on hit, the other half over 6 seconds. Hitting the target repeatedly with Explosive Shot will recalculate the damage, adding the remaining total to the new DoT. (Callback to old Survival playstyle; you trade burst for sustained DPS)
Trick Shot: Aimed Shot can be cast while moving, deals 10% increased damage, and ricochets to up to three nearby Vulnerable targets, causing 50% damage and reapplying Vulnerability to them.
Kill Shot: Powerful shot. Instant. 15 seconds CD. Can only be cast on targets bellow 30% health. No reset mechanic.


Level 45
This is the mobility row.
Posthaste: No changes here.
Trailblazer: Passive. Your movement speed is increased by 30% anytime you do not attack for 3 seconds. Plus, no effect can reduce your movement speed bellow 80%.
Dash: Aspect of the Cheetah's CD reduced to 1 minute, its duration is increased by 3s, and it removes all movement penalties when cast.


Level 60
This is the "multitarget tier", with 3 options that can be used to alter your rotation.
Glaive Toss: Replaces both Arcane Shot and Multishot. 2 charges, 12s CD (reduced by Haste), gives 50 focus. This is actually a new version of Sidewinders. It uses the Sidewinders mechanics, causing vulnerability on all targets, but with Glaive Toss graphics. Also, the area is a wide line in front of you, instead of a cone, making it a little easier to no pull random stuff by accident, but reducing overall area covered.
Sentinel: As current, no changes.
Serpent Sting: Arcane Shot and Multishot now apply Serpent Sting on the target. This is the "no change in rotation" option in this tier. It's also a callback to old Survival playstyle.

Level 75
This is the CC tier.
Binding Shot: As current, no changes.
Bursting Trap: Uses the old glyphed Explosive Trap mechanics: a trap that knocks back all enemies near it. 30s CD.
Freezing Trap: As Survival's, but 30s CD. Replaces Wyvern Sting.


Level 90
This is the supplementary attack option.
Piercing Shot: A 1.5 cast shot that inflicts moderate damage immediately, then heavy bleeding damage over 20s. In addition, every time the damage ticks, the target receives Vulnerability, making it stack quickly. 1-minute CD, CD is reset if target dies while under the effect. In essence, it's a new, slightly more powerful version of A Murder of Crows, but instead of summoning crows, it's a shot that causes a big DoT on target. Targets bleeds profusely during effect.
Barrage: As is today, but back to old graphics (shoots only existing targets, instead of that barrage of lost arrows that makes the character looks very incompetent at sniping).
Incendiary Ammo: Your autoshots cause additional fire damage to the target and nearby enemies, but consume 3 focus per cast. Essentially, it's a new version of Volley, but with fire damage, and a cooler visual effect that makes more sense than magic arrows falling from the sky.


Level 100
Sniper's Instance: As long as you stand still for 3s, you get a 10% increase in damage and the range of your shots is increased by 10 yards. If you move, this bonus will endure for 6 seconds. (Reviving the old Mastery as a Talent).
Lock and Load: As is today. Your autoshots have a chance of making your next two Aimed Shots instant and free of charge.
True Shot: Close to what it is today: Aimed Shot and Arcane Shot put a stacking debuff on target, increasing damage of Aimed Shot and Arcane shot on it by 3% per stack, up to 5 stacks. Debuff endures for 10s and can only be maintained on a single target at a time. (Trick Shot fixed to have not remove nor apply the debuff when it ricochets to other targets).

[dwill10]

BM: I hit underwhelming instead of unfinished xD
The fact that I have so much of my rotation as "waiting" in my sims seems to speak for itself.

[Agallion]

BM i put Good.

I really think the only thing needed is to make Chimera shot base line.

This gives us another cooldown and help lessen a bit of the focus starvation.

[Sabinn]

BM : Unfinished.

Been A BM main for over an year now. I mainly picked up BM due to class fantasy. I always loved how rexxar and his companion Misha did battle. Nowadays though I feel like I am a pokemon master or digimon tamer. Doing 18% damage while my pet does 82% of my damage.

But It wasnt always like this , WoD BM felt great! I actually started BM instead of MM due to WoD. I think if I were to start playing in Legion I'd probably had went survival.

[Arenis]

I really, really dislike the changes from WoD to Legion (and I already wasn't the biggest fan of the WoD style). The one thing I anticipated the most for Legion, the class changes/differentiation, turned out to be the one thing I dislike the most now..

[Stormcleave]

These choices are fairly, sugar-coated.

MM, class design is awful. Snipers that fire Snakes? Giant cartoon rockets? And we shoot an AK from the hip spraying everything in site like a broken sprinkler? MM, class fantasy is a huge mess. There is absolutely nothing enjoyable about Vulnerable.

It's hard to believe someone was paid a lot of money to create something this awful, clunky and unfun!