Hunter • Beast Mastery • PVE
Beast Mastery Hunter (PVE)
Top-tier PvE DPS masters of the wild who unleash devastating ranged damage while commanding ferocious beasts that fight as true partners on the battlefield.
Gear & Stats
Beast Mastery Hunters are among the easiest DPS classes to gear in early TBC due to low competition on most items and the strength of crafted gear. While some trinkets and jewelry are contested by other physical DPS, core Beast Mastery pieces are very accessible and allow Hunters to reach top-tier performance quickly.
Beast Mastery Pre-Raid BiS
Beast Mastery BiS Phase 1
Stat Priority
Hit Rating → Agility → Attack Power → Critical Strike Rating → Haste → Intellect / MP5 → Stamina. Hit Rating is the most important stat until capped. After that, Agility becomes the strongest all-around stat due to its scaling with Attack Power, Critical Strike chance, and pet damage.
Stat Breakdown
Hit Rating
Hit Rating is your top priority until capped. Beast Mastery Hunters require 9% Hit in raids without a Balance Druid, and 6% Hit when grouped with one. Missing attacks is a direct and severe DPS loss and should be avoided at all costs.
Agility
Agility is the best overall scaling stat for Beast Mastery. It increases both melee and ranged Attack Power, Critical Strike chance, Dodge, and Armor. While Survival Hunters benefit more from Agility due to [Expose Weakness], it remains extremely valuable for Beast Mastery as well.
Attack Power
Attack Power directly increases your weapon damage and also scales your pet. Pets gain a portion of the Hunter’s Ranged Attack Power as both melee attack power and spell damage, making this stat very efficient.
Critical Strike Rating
Critical Strike chance increases raw damage and enables frequent [Kill Command] usage. While strong, it ranks slightly below Agility and Attack Power due to being chance-based rather than guaranteed.
Haste
Haste improves shot frequency and overall DPS, especially as gear improves. While stacking Haste exclusively is not recommended, the passive Haste found on BiS gear is very strong and synergizes well with Beast Mastery’s scaling.
Intellect & MP5
Intellect and MP5 help sustain your rotation but should never be prioritized directly. Mana issues are largely handled through [Judgement of Wisdom], proper cooldown usage, and efficient rotations.
Stamina
Stamina improves survivability and also benefits pets slightly. While useful defensively, it should never be taken at the expense of DPS-focused stats.
Gearing Notes
Beast Mastery Hunters benefit heavily from early dungeon sets such as Beast Lord Armor and crafted leatherworking pieces. Due to low competition, Hunters can assemble strong Pre-Raid BiS sets quickly. Weapons and trinkets are the most impactful upgrades and should be prioritized whenever possible.