[LEGION] Could this help improve the current state of Beast Mastery?

[Kezyah]

The main aspect of BM that seems to be frustrating a lot of hunters that I've talked to is the way it plays. Currently, our focus generation is almost entirely passive outside of Dire Beast/Dire Frenzy and a couple of other sources. One thing that really threw me off when I began play-testing it was that Cobra Shot now costs focus rather than generating it while Dire Beast/Dire Frenzy generates focus. This gives the spec a super passive feel and seems totally backwards. Wouldn't it make sense to give Cobra Shot its cast time back and allow us to use it to generate focus again while at the same time giving Dire Beast/Dire Frenzy a focus cost and allowing them to be used alongside Kill Command as focus spenders? Honestly they could even lower/remove the CD for Kill Command and just tune its damage so that its not out of control. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this guys. I really love hunters and hope that the spec gets some kind of rework before Legion launches.

[Arcanimus]

I'm just gonna pipe in and say that no amount of ability shifting or numbers tuning will make me play BM as my main spec.

I have so much hate for it that I could open a weapons-grade hate-munitions store and fund several hundred countries worth of guerilla warfare for at least a decade.

[Sencha]

At this stage they should start from scratch. This spec needs so much rework but I doubt they will do something about it, as the spec hasn't changed much since beginning of alpha despite the large amount of feedback.

[Marxman]

Your idea is a good start, and would at least be a bandaid fix for the time being... but in reality Legion BM needs a complete redesign. They could, for example, revert literally every change they made and give us WoD BM again. Just throwing that out there.

[Aldare]

Your idea is a good start, and would at least be a bandaid fix for the time being... but in reality Legion BM needs a complete redesign. They could, for example, revert literally every change they made and give us WoD BM again. Just throwing that out there.

So much this. WoD BM was very enjoyable to play, no idea why they felt they needed to change something that was great into a pile of wank.

[Mirishka]

At this stage they should start from scratch. This spec needs so much rework but I doubt they will do something about it, as the spec hasn't changed much since beginning of alpha despite the large amount of feedback.

Pretty much this. ^

I've been testing since week 3 of Alpha and the feedback on BM was overwhelmingly negative from the getgo. They listened on a couple of minor things (mostly related to the 'summoning random beasts instead of pets' stuff) but have largely stuck to their guns on the overall design. And I respect that its their game and they can make BM play however they damn well please, but I for one hate the current iteration of the spec.

[Bullettime]

I just don't understand why they felt the need to remove the Focus management aspect of it without anything there to compensate. It wasn't exactly difficult to begin with and the way it feels now just seems to largely justify the garbage play you see from so many LFR BM Hunters where they just stand around auto shotting while waiting on passive Focus.

That's pretty fucking much what they did to the spec. They just seemingly looked at how so many poor Hunters of the BM variety were playing then designed the spec so that gameplay would actually get them good numbers. It blows my mind and now we're stuck with Marks or melee if you don't want to gouge out your eyes.

I just wish the spec had a Focus generator shot so you at least had something to manage over auto shotting and waiting for passive Focus.

[Deleted]

I'm just gonna pipe in and say that no amount of ability shifting or numbers tuning will make me play BM as my main spec.

I have so much hate for it that I could open a weapons-grade hate-munitions store and fund several hundred countries worth of guerilla warfare for at least a decade.

That's so dark...
I like it.
I like BM, just give us cobra shot generator and it's k.
It's kinda boring but BM looks strong.

[Ifritlol]

Cobra shot as a generator. Multi-shot as a spender. Ever single target. Beast cleave trigger "when multishot hit's more that one target". And the spec is fine. But who are we kiddin' here? Nothing is going to change.

[kabshiel]

I think they just need to add a charge or two to Dire Beast. That way we don't have to cast it on cooldown and we can have at least a little control over our focus regen.

[Ifritlol]

I still don't like the idea of having a fuckin zoo running around. There is no hunter in WarCraft universe that have this kind of "team". You should have one pet and gameplay should revolve around it.

[Deleted]

While I really like survival and MM in legion I despise BM. The frustration of target swaps, the focus on dire beast and the low possibility to improve your numbers other by trying to make it less annoying to play via pet micro/thinking ahead.

[Thursley]

I still don't like the idea of having a fuckin zoo running around. There is no hunter in WarCraft universe that have this kind of "team". You should have one pet and gameplay should revolve around it.

You mean apart from Rexxar and the other "beastmaster" (sound familiar?) heroes from warcraft 3, of which Rexxar was the prototype, who had a primary bear companion while also summoning a quillboar, a hawk, and a stampede of thunder lizards (and post-warcraft 3, a wyvern, and probably some others)? Gameplay mechanics are one thing, but Blizzard is really not making a big reach into uncharted territory with regard to spec identity here.

[Ifritlol]

You mean apart from Rexxar and the other "beastmaster" (sound familiar?) heroes from warcraft 3, of which Rexxar was the prototype, who had a primary bear companion while also summoning a quillboar, a hawk, and a stampede of thunder lizards (and post-warcraft 3, a wyvern, and probably some others)? Gameplay mechanics are one thing, but Blizzard is really not making a big reach into uncharted territory with regard to spec identity here.

Exactly. Primary pet. The other zoo could be represented by Stampede ability. Rexxar was in melee tho, and contributing to fight more.