Updated November 4, 2026.
Blizzard's hotfixes of October 30 moved the Beast Mastery talent Pathfinding a row down, so the Beast Mastery leveling build now comes from a guide rewritten for the new tree, and Marksmanship Leveling will be back once a guide publishes it for the new tree. Our source guide calls Beast Mastery the strongest Hunter spec for leveling: your pet tanks and does much of the damage, and Summon Hawk and Bestial Wrath add to it. Survival is the slowest of the three until its melee talents arrive. At level 60 the damage builds are the Beast Mastery PvE build and Marksmanship in two forms, Lone Wolf without a pet and Marksmanship with a Pet. Melee Survival is the one level-60 PvE build that comes only from a plan and has no written guide yet. PvP has a build for each of the three trees, plus general PvP and world builds for Beast Mastery and Marksmanship. WoW Forever launches on November 4, so nothing at level 60 is tested in play yet, and we will update these as players reach 60.
Hunter build planner
Pick a build and set your level: the planner shows the talents you should have now, where the next point goes and what to press.
Talents, spells and their numbers come from the game client. Every build and rotation comes from a published guide or plan, named under the planner. Where we changed an order or carried one over from leveling, the rotation says so. Nothing at level 60 is tested in play yet.
Hunter leveling builds
Beast Mastery Leveling
This is the finished leveling tree from a guide updated on November 2, after the October 30 hotfixes moved Pathfinding a row down. Beast Mastery holds Deadly Aspects, Focused Fire, Pathfinding, Summon Hawk, Intimidation, Frenzy and Bestial Wrath, and the Marksmanship points go to Hawk Eye, Lethal Attacks, Careful Aim, Rapid Killing, Trueshot Aura and Mortal Shots. The guide gives no point order, so the tool shows the finished tree.
Talent points: 31 Beast Mastery, 20 Marksmanship.
Rotation: keep up: Aspect of the Hawk; in the fight: Hunter's Mark, Serpent Sting, Summon Hawk, Aimed Shot, Auto Shot, Disengage, Arcane Shot; two or more enemies: Multi-Shot, Explosive Trap, Volley; when it helps: Bestial Wrath, Rapid Fire, Intimidation, Mend Pet.
Open Beast Mastery Leveling in the planner
Survival Leveling
Until the middle of the tree you play like any other Hunter, with your pet doing much of the work. Lethal Attacks comes first for crit, then the Survival points lead to Strider Kick at 35, whose speed boost lets you weave in and out of melee. Expose Prey by 37 lights up Mongoose Bite more often. The build also works as a ranged Hunter or a full melee Hunter. Weaving costs a lot of mana, so expect to stop and drink, and your melee crits can pull threat off your pet.
Talent points: 17 Marksmanship, 34 Survival.
Rotation: keep up: Aspect of the Hawk; in the fight: Hunter's Mark, Serpent Sting, Arcane Shot, Raptor Strike, Mongoose Bite, Strider Kick, Arcane Shot; two or more enemies: Multi-Shot, Raptor Strike, Mongoose Bite, Explosive Trap, Strider Kick; when it helps: Rapid Fire, Wing Clip, Frost Trap, Feign Death.
Open Survival Leveling in the planner
Hunter raid builds
Beast Mastery PvE
This is the standard damage build for dungeons and raids, made for pulls you can prepare for. You go straight down Beast Mastery to Bestial Wrath, then into Marksmanship. Lethal Attacks, Careful Aim and Mortal Shots are the points you must have there. You rarely run out of mana in one fight unless it goes past 2 to 3 minutes.
Talent points: 31 Beast Mastery, 20 Marksmanship.
Rotation: keep up: Aspect of the Hawk; in the fight: Hunter's Mark, Serpent Sting, Bestial Wrath, Aimed Shot, Summon Hawk, Arcane Shot; when it helps: Multi-Shot, Volley, Rapid Fire, Mend Pet.
Open Beast Mastery PvE in the planner
Lone Wolf
This is the recommended Marksmanship build for dungeons and raids, above all for AoE. You play without a pet, and Lone Wolf gives you 20% more damage while none is out. Follow the first 31 points exactly down to Sniper Shot. Survival points then give you Surefooted for 3% hit, Deadly Aspects gives attack speed, and the last two points fill out Improved Stings and Barrage.
Talent points: 5 Beast Mastery, 33 Marksmanship, 13 Survival.
Rotation: keep up: Aspect of the Hawk; in the fight: Hunter's Mark, Serpent Sting, Aimed Shot, Sniper Shot, Arcane Shot; when it helps: Multi-Shot, Volley, Rapid Fire.
Marksmanship with a Pet
This is the Marksmanship build for players who want a pet. You skip Lone Wolf and put your secondary points into Beast Mastery for pet bonuses, going 16 points down to Unleashed Fury and Summon Hawk. Four points in Improved Tracking add damage against the creature type you are tracking.
Talent points: 16 Beast Mastery, 31 Marksmanship, 4 Survival.
Rotation: keep up: Aspect of the Hawk; in the fight: Hunter's Mark, Serpent Sting, Sniper Shot, Summon Hawk, Aimed Shot, Auto Shot, Disengage, Arcane Shot; two or more enemies: Multi-Shot, Explosive Trap, Volley; when it helps: Rapid Fire, Mend Pet.
Open Marksmanship with a Pet in the planner
Melee Survival
You fight in melee with two weapons, with a ranged weapon as backup. Your melee power arrives between levels 25 and 40, and until then you mostly shoot. Predator's Edge from 25 adds 50% off-hand damage at full rank, Strider Kick comes at 30, and Expose Prey by 32 gives you more Mongoose Bites on a target with Hunter's Mark. Lacerating Strikes at 40 adds a bleed to Mongoose Bite. The last points go to Deadly Aspects, Lethal Attacks, Careful Aim, Efficiency and Focused Fire.
Talent points: 7 Beast Mastery, 13 Marksmanship, 31 Survival.
Rotation: in the fight: Mongoose Bite, Strider Kick, Serpent Sting, Raptor Strike.
Open Melee Survival in the planner
Hunter PvP builds
Beast Mastery PvP
Endurance Training comes first, so your pet survives when players hit it. Bestial Swiftness at 20 makes your pet 30% faster, so it catches runners, and Intimidation at 30 stuns for 3 seconds. Bestial Wrath at 40 gives 50% more pet damage for 18 seconds, and nothing stops it unless it dies. Hawk Eye by 44 adds range. From 45 the points go to Lethal Attacks, Improved Concussive Shot, Careful Aim and Mortal Shots.
Talent points: 32 Beast Mastery, 19 Marksmanship.
Key moves: keep for the right moment: Intimidation, Concussive Shot, Wing Clip, Mend Pet, Bestial Wrath, Rapid Fire.
Open Beast Mastery PvP in the planner
Beast Mastery PvP and World
A general build for PvP and the open world: a strong damage base with extra control. After Bestial Wrath, the Survival points go mainly to Survival Tactics, Clever Traps and Entrapment. Your traps rarely miss and root every target they catch for 5 seconds, which is your main defense against melee attackers. Deterrence adds a defensive cooldown, and Hawk Eye gives you 6 more yards of range.
Talent points: 31 Beast Mastery, 3 Marksmanship, 17 Survival.
Key moves: keep for the right moment: Freezing Trap, Frost Trap, Deterrence, Concussive Shot.
Open Beast Mastery PvP and World in the planner
Marksmanship PvP
Hawk Eye comes first, for 6 more yards of range, then Lethal Attacks and Careful Aim. Mortal Shots by 30 raises the bonus damage of your critical shots by 30%, and Scatter Shot at 31 disorients a close target for 4 seconds. Deflection, Improved Wing Clip, Entrapment, Deterrence at 42 and Counterattack at 47 help you survive melee players. Rapid Killing, Barrage and Ranged Weapon Specialization follow from 52, and Sniper Shot comes last, at 60.
Talent points: 31 Marksmanship, 20 Survival.
Key moves: keep for the right moment: Scatter Shot, Freezing Trap, Aimed Shot, Deterrence, Counterattack.
Open Marksmanship PvP in the planner
Marksmanship PvP and World
A general build for PvP and the open world: a strong damage base with extra control. You still go down Marksmanship to Sniper Shot, and the Beast Mastery points add pet bonuses and Summon Hawk. Three points in Hawk Eye let Sniper Shot reach from over 50 yards, further than any other class. Pets disturb casters and do a lot of damage in PvP.
Talent points: 16 Beast Mastery, 35 Marksmanship.
Key moves: keep for the right moment: Sniper Shot, Concussive Shot.
Open Marksmanship PvP and World in the planner
Survival PvP
Deflection comes first, for 5% more parry. Entrapment roots what your traps catch for 5 seconds, Deterrence at 20 adds 25% dodge and parry for 10 seconds, and Counterattack at 25 roots an attacker for 5 seconds after you parry. Survivalist's Discipline by 31 brings your traps and Deterrence back 40% sooner. From 40 the points go to Hawk Eye, Lethal Attacks, Improved Concussive Shot, Careful Aim and Mortal Shots, with Scatter Shot last.
Talent points: 21 Marksmanship, 30 Survival.
Key moves: keep for the right moment: Deterrence, Counterattack, Freezing Trap, Wing Clip.
