So im gonna roll a hunter...

[grimkiller]

Go BM, get a bear/worm/gorilla or any other tenacity pet.
Probably the easiest way.
honestly though, leveling up you won't have trouble with any spec/pet combo.
Shit will die too quickly to care.

There's a website for hunter's lodge, maybe huntsman's lodge.
I don't remember, haven't been there in a long time.
You can google hunter info, tons of sites out there.

[Amry]

To be perfectly honest, I don't think that neither the specs nor your pets will affect your leveling experience much. As long as you know what you're doing, get the proper gear when the opportunity presents itself, etc., you're good to go.

I'm currently leveling a female Draenei (because I want something pleasant to look at) Hunter, specced for Marksmanship. Sure, my signature move (Aimed Shot) takes 3 seconds and less explode-y, but that never stopped me from committing genocide every time I come across a BE / Furbolg camp. As for pets, my default Moth is doing perfectly fine, thank you. It can grab aggro, and frankly even if it can't, it is rare occurrence for a mob to get to me within melee range before I deliver perforated death to it.

[Deleted]

Hunters are awsome to level so fast, no downtime at all as for profs skinnin and LW is good but not too profitable, herb is good for making cash while leveling and provides a heal if needed, couple that with enchanting which is pennyless to level with the dungeon finder and your alt will give you a fun experiance and some gold too ;-)

[Malkhor]

To the people complaining about focus,

Could you please explain why you don't like it? Because when i played my hunter before 4.0 i didn't really like it. But for some reason i'm really loving the focus system.

[jaimelannister]

To the people complaining about focus,

Could you please explain why you don't like it? Because when i played my hunter before 4.0 i didn't really like it. But for some reason i'm really loving the focus system.

Some people liked mana. Some people like focus. It's just a preference.

[Kuldrad]

Best advice I can give is to pick two gathering professions until max level, THEN switch to crafting.

In reality, you can go any spec and pick any pet and do just fine leveling. Going BM and using a tenacity pet does give a slight advantage, but it's not huge.

Seriously, don't grab a crafting profession while leveling.

[Raynfal]

Leveling a hunter on beta atm, and so far I've been leveling as BM and Survival. (switching between the two for testing)

All I can say is that, though BM + tenacity pet is a bit more noob friendly and "easier," I find Survival + ferocity pet MUCH more enjoyable, which honestly is what really counts when leveling. Survival has some great damage output, especially with Explosive Shot. Enough where even a tenacity pet doesn't keep aggro (so I use a ferocity for damage instead). With Concussive Shot having the same cooldown time as it's duration, you can easily keep mobs away from you when your pet loses aggro.
Also, just a bit of a story, I hit Outlands recently and was able to solo Arazzius the Cruel as Survival. It would've been easier as BM, but damn was it fun as Survival. If you're "good," you can solo most elite quests as any spec at this point.

With that said, there really isn't that big a difference between the specs when leveling aside from slight survivability and ease of BM. It's really just preference at this point.

[Jimusmc]

BM for sure

[Sercease]

Spec
I don't think you should put so much focus on what would be "easier" to level with. All 3 specs are almost identical as far as dps goes in the current state of things. I would recommend picking a spec that you would most likely enjoy playing endgame and level in that spec. Then when you do reach end game you will have hours upon hours of practice in that spec and during the leveling process you will be eased into it as you slowly gain new abilities.

Because of the new focus system hunters are very bursty now. We hammer out our main shoots burning our focus and then go into a focus regen rotation then another big burst (more complicated than that but general idea). If you are full focus when you pull a mob I don't really think it matters what spec you are or what buttons you hit the mob will probably die before it even gets to you.

Pets
As far as pets go, I would agree with whomever mentioned getting a cat or a wolf as your pet. You really don't need a tank pet for leveling, maybe pick one up and throw it in the stable if you get stuck on a hard/elite mob but for 95% of the mobs you will run into, you will wreck them before you even have to consider "tanking" it. And to be brutally honest it would almost be better if your pet couldn't hold agro all the time. Hunters are stacked with abilities and utilites to both keep mobs away and get away. Running into some of these "Oh crap" moments and having to kite a mob will give you good practice on kiting and the utilities that can be used in those situations.

Professions
- Jewelcrafting = 3 special gems for a potential 42 Agility increase
- Blacksmith = 2 additional gem slots for a 40 agility increase
- Engineering = "currently" stack with normal enchants allowing a 23 agility / 45 stam / 240 haste with 1 min CD... to be added on.
- Could put an argument up for skinning as it gives a crit increase but compared to the agility boosts its not worth it and that is just extra time skinning when you could be killing.
- To be honest I would just leave professions while leveling unless are aren't in a rush and would enjoy tinkering away with them while you level.

Gear Stat Weight
Pretty much any spec... Hit > Agility > Mastery > Crit > Haste

[Goochy]

Go any spec. They are all viable for leveling. BM is more soloing, MM and Surv are more group oriented. Pet doesn't matter. If you get a tanking pet, your pet will hold agro from you and the mob will die slightly slower. If you go MM or Surv, you will pull off your pet, but it won't matter because you'll kill the mob before it reaches you. Professions, just worry about when your maxed level, unless you pick up a gathering profession, just get what you can without taking too much time away from leveling. Enjoy leveling, in my opinion the quickest class to level.

[Ershiin]

BM with a Tenacity pet is only really if you plan on soloing elite quests. (And perhaps a few instances on the way too.)
Otherwise pick whichever you fancy and you wont have any troubles.