This is NOT a "Remove melee-survival in favor of this"-thread.
I'm very aware that there are people who like the melee-spec we got with Legion. And I agree, you should not remove it.
This post is intended to be about "if we could get it back in as a 4th spec".
We all have different opinions on what should've happened at the time.
Personally, I would very much love to see a playable version of the past, ranged survival spec we had prior to Legion.
For anyone who might want to read, below you'll find my thoughts/ideas on what I would want for ranged Survival, in case we could get it with a spec fantasy/identity-based version, much like how all other specs got overhauled at the end of Warlords of Draenor.
Edit: Several things have changed since I first posted this concept(much due to feedback from comments and more). For anyone who might be interested in a brief summary, feel free to check the original post(at the bottom there's a changelog-section)
Link: https://eu.forums.blizzard.com/en/wo...4th-spec/47579
Cobra Shot - A fast shot that deals X% of weapon damage as Physical damage.
Generates 7 Focus. Instant cast.
Explosive Shot - You fire an explosive charge into the enemy target, dealing Fire damage. The charge will blast the target every second for an additional 4sec.
2 charges. 10 sec recharge.
Serpent Sting - Fire a shot that poisons your target, causing them to take Nature damage over 15 sec.
Black Arrow - Fire a Black Arrow at the target, dealing Shadow damage over 12 sec.
Quick Shot - Deals X% weapon damage as Physical damage. Costs 25 Focus.
Immolation Trap - When triggered, causes periodic Fire damage to the target over 20 seconds. 1 minute cooldown.
Note: Some talent choices affect how often you can use it along with what it does.
Multi-Shot - Fires several missiles, hitting your current target and all enemies within 8 yards for X% weapon damage as Physical damage.
Multi-Shot applies the Serpent Spread(Passive) -effect to all targets hit.
Note: The idea is that this is not something you use constantly but only as a way to maintain Serpent Sting on multiple targets.
Rapid Fire - Increases your haste by X% and instantly triggers Lock & Load, granting you a free charge of Explosive Shot.
Explosive Shots fired during Rapid Fire will reset the remaining cooldown of Black Arrow, and the periodic damage effect applied by Black Arrow can now be stacked up to 3 times.
If you fire Explosive Shot into an enemy affected by Black Arrow, while Rapid Fire is still active, this will cause the periodic damage effect applied by Black Arrow to spread to nearby enemies as well.
Rapid fire lasts for 20 seconds. 2 minute cooldown.
Due to some recent feedback, I've decided to add a replacement for the DoT-spread mechanic of Rapid Fire, when in instanced PvP.
Your Explosive Shot will no longer be able to automatically spread any periodic damage effect caused by Black Arrow. Instead, you now have an additional passive effect that is always active, regardless of if your Rapid Fire is or isn't.
If your Black Arrow is at any time dispelled or otherwise removed from an enemy target, you will instantly gain a free charge of Black Arrow.
Note: This is not a CD reset mechanic. This works like Lock and Load does for Explosive Shot, that it would add an extra charge of Black Arrow on top of what you already have.
Mastery Bonus: Neurotoxin
Black Arrow increases all damage you deal to the affected target by X%(based on your Mastery).
When Black Arrow is about to expire from an enemy, there's a X% chance that it's duration will instead reset back to full(also based on your Mastery).
Lock and Load - Periodic damage caused by Black Arrow and Immolation Trap have a chance to add 1 extra charge of Explosive Shot which will consume no focus when fired.
Getting a proc from Lock & Load, won't affect the base re-charge system of Explosive Shot.
Example: If you have 2 charges of Explosive Shot available and you get a L&L-proc, you will then have 3 charges. 1 of which costs no Focus.
Keep in mind that L&L has a limited duration.
When the buff expires, so does any extra charge(s) that you haven't yet used.
Enhanced Traps/Trap Mastery
-Gain the Immolation Trap ability.
-Tar applied by Tar Trap can now be set on fire by Immolation Trap, causing any enemy who stands in it to take increasing damage over time for it’s duration/as long as the enemy stands in it.
-The trigger radius as well as the radius of the effect on your Tar Trap is increased by 25%.
-Freezing Trap can now be triggered manually by the hunter once placed, causing it to form a fragile Ice Block that you can stand behind to protect yourself from frontal attacks until shattered. The ice block shatters after 8 seconds or once it has taken enough damage.
Manually triggering it requires you to stand in close vicinity to the trap.
Serpent's Focus - Using Cobra Shot several times in a row will increase the amount of focus gained from each shot by 4. Stacking up to 3 times.
Serpent Spread - Targets hit by Multi-Shot are also afflicted by Serpent Sting equal to 9 sec of it’s duration.
Exotic Munitions - Your auto attacks have a chance to increase the remaining duration of either Serpent Sting, Black Arrow or Immolation Trap by 5 seconds on an enemy affected by either of these periodic damage effects.
Note: When a proc occurs, it can only increase the duration of one of the above mentioned periodic damage effects at a time.
Aspect of the Turtle - Works like it currently does on live.
Aspect of the Cheetah - Works like it currently does on live.
Exhilaration - Works like it currently does on live.
Call Pet - Works like it currently does on live.
…along with other abilities such as Counter Shot, Concussive Shot, Mend Pet and more…
-Level 15-
Ever Burning - If you fire Explosive Shot into an enemy already affected by a previous charge, the previous charge's remaining duration is refreshed as well as increased by an additional 3 seconds. An active charge can only have a max duration of 9 seconds.
Exotic Munitions-procs now also increases the remaining duration of any active Explosive Shot charge you have on the current target by 3 seconds.
Toxicology - Increases the periodic critical damage of your Explosive Shot, Serpent Sting, and Black Arrow by 25%, and Serpent Sting now deals increased damage against targets below 30% health.
Dire Frenzy - Replaces Quick Shot. Causes your pet to enter a frenzy, performing a flurry of 5 attacks against the target.
This will enrage your pet, and if Dire Frenzy is cast again before the Enrage fades, the damage dealt is increased by 100%.
Enrage lasts for 12 seconds.
3 charges. 8 second recharge time. Costs 35 Focus. Requires an active pet.
-Level 25-
Death Adder - Any time Serpent Sting is applied, it will instantly deal an additional 20% of it's total damage.
This effect also applies to Serpent Spread(Passive). In addition, every time Serpent Sting deals damage, you have a chance to gain 3 focus.
If the passive effect "Exotic Munitions" procs while your Serpent Sting is active on the target, then this will also trigger the Death Adder-effect.
Requires the Death Adder-talent.
Alpha Predator - Whenever your pet hits an enemy, it gains 2% increased attack speed.
When at or above 30% increased attack speed, your pet's attacks have a high chance (equal to the amount of increased attack speed) to automatically trigger a Dire Frenzy-attack. Also triggering the Enrage-effect.
Requires an active pet.
When a Dire Frenzy-attack is triggered by Alpha Predator, you instantly gain 10 Focus but lose the increased attack speed on your pet.
Note: Using the ability Dire Frenzy(the talent) will not grant you the extra Focus, nor will it cause your pet to lose the increased attack speed.
The interaction between this talent and the Dire Frenzy-talent above is the ability to more easily maintain the Enrage-buff on your pet.
Viper Venom - Every time Serpent Sting deals damage, there is a chance that your next Serpent Sting will consume no focus and deal 75% additional damage over it’s duration.
This effect can stack up to 4 times but will be consumed the next time Serpent Sting is used.
Note: This talent does not provide you with extra focus if picked, the goal is that, if you have this talent then basically all casts of Serpent Sting will be free.
-Level 30-
Utility talents, same as on live: Trailblazer, Natural Mending, Camouflage.
-Level 35-
Ferocious Inspiration - Dire Frenzy now deals damage to all nearby enemies.
Note: Dire Frenzy-attacks that proc thanks to the Alpha Predator-talent, will benefit from Ferocious Inspiration as well. The talent Dire Frenzy, is not required for Ferocious Inspiration to affect Alpha Predator.
Wildfire - The periodic damage effect applied by Immolation Trap will now spread to any enemy standing in close range to an already burning target.
As long as an enemy is within range of another enemy affected by Wildfire or Immolation Trap, the Wildfire will continue to spread.
Will ignore CC'd targets. Wildfire lasts for 8 seconds.
T.N.T. - Explosive Shot now deals damage to all enemies near the affected target.
-Level 40-
Utility talents, same as on live: Born to be Wild, Posthaste, Binding Shot.
-Level 45-
Spitting Cobra - Cobra Shot now deals an additional X% damage as Nature damage and extends the remaining duration of Serpent Sting on the enemy target by X sec.
In addition, Cobra Shot now has a high chance of generating double Focus when fired.
Note: You can continue to extend the duration of any Serpent Sting-debuff for as long as you want to. However, you can not manually extend the duration of a Serpent Sting-debuff above the baseline 15 second duration.
Pre-Heat - The cooldown of Immolation Trap is reduced by 5 seconds every time Immolation Trap deals critical damage to the enemy target. In addition, if an enemy target dies while affected by Immolation Trap, it’s cooldown is reset.
Note: This effect only applies to the enemy who triggers your Immolation Trap. Not to enemies affected by Wildfire(talent).
Intoxication - Your ranged Auto Attacks have a chance to grant you 2 stacks of Intoxication. Lasts for X seconds.
When Black Arrow expires from an enemy, you gain this effect as well.
- Intoxication
Causes your abilities that deal instant damage, to be guaranteed critical strikes.
And causes your abilities that deal periodic damage to last for an additional X seconds, and critical damage caused by these abilities is increased by an additional X%.
-Level 50-
Rapid Recuperation - Damage caused by Explosive Shot have a chance to reduce the remaining cooldown of Rapid Fire by 1 second.
Whenever Lock & Load procs, this causes the next Explosive Shot fired to have a 100% chance for each of it's ticks to reduce the remaining cooldown of Rapid Fire by 1 second.
Catalysis - Black Arrow increases any Fire-damage you deal to an enemy by X%. This effect lasts for 10 seconds.
In addition, Explosive Shot-charges granted by Lock & Load extends the remaining duration of Black Arrow by 1 second every time they deal damage to the affected target.
Resourcefulness - Reduces the cooldown of all traps and Black Arrow by 20%. Your Freezing Trap and Tar Trap both have a 100% chance to proc Lock & Load when triggered.
Freezing Trap when triggered manually can now withstand 100% more incoming damage before shattering.
When an enemy breaks free from your Freezing Trap, they will take an additional 10% damage from all sources for the next X seconds.
Critical hits from Immolation Trap causes an additional X% damage to the affected target.
Set Bonus effects/Bonus Traits
Got no good names for these traits/bonuses yet but…
Just wanted to add in some potential fun bonus effects that are spec specific. They can be tied to things such as Set Bonuses or something similar to Artifact Traits/Azerite Traits.
In what way we can get these, depends on what e.g. progression-system we get ofc.
Examples:
(1) Lock and Load now grants 2 charges of Explosive Shot when it procs, instead of 1.
(2) When you get a Exotic Munitions-proc. It will grant you an additional bonus effect depending on which periodic damage-effect it benefits.
Serpent Sting - Until the current Serpent Sting debuff expires or is refreshed, every time it deals damage to the target, you instantly gain 3 Focus.
Black Arrow - The remaining cooldown of Black Arrow is instantly reset.
Immolation Trap - Your next Immolation Trap will deal an extra X% damage and will also have an increased X% chance to critically hit the affected target.
(3) -Removed-
(4) Quick Shot now triggers the passive effect "Exotic Munitions" when it hits an enemy target.