Hunter • Survival • PVE
Survival Hunter (PVE)
Agility-scaling hunters who trade raw damage for deadly traps, control, and raid-wide debuffs that empower physical DPS and reward precise play.
Gear & Stats
Survival gearing is built around one thing: maximizing [Expose Weakness] uptime and value for the entire raid. That means stacking [Agility] first (it directly scales the Attack Power bonus from Expose Weakness), then prioritizing [Critical Strike] for higher uptime. Thanks to [Surefooted], your hit requirements are much lower than BM/MM — in most raid setups you only need ~2% hit from gear to be capped.
Survival Pre-Raid Bis
Survival BiS (Phase 1)
Stat Priority
Primary Stat Priority
Agility → Critical Strike → Hit (until capped) → Armor Penetration → Attack Power. This priority is focused on maximizing raid DPS through [Expose Weakness], not personal damage.
Why Survival Gears Differently
Unlike Beast Mastery or Marksmanship, Survival Hunters are brought primarily for their raid debuff. Gear upgrades are evaluated based on how much Agility and Crit they provide, even if they result in slightly lower personal DPS.
Stat Breakdown
Agility
[Agility] is your most important stat. It increases Attack Power, Critical Strike chance, armor, and dodge, but most importantly it directly scales the Attack Power granted by [Expose Weakness]. This effect is amplified by [Lightning Reflexes], making Agility far more valuable than raw Attack Power.
Critical Strike
Critical strikes are required to apply and refresh [Expose Weakness], making [Critical Strike] essential for debuff uptime. Higher crit means more frequent refreshes and more consistent raid-wide Attack Power throughout a fight.
Hit Rating
Survival Hunters gain 3% hit from [Surefooted]. Because of this, your hit requirements are much lower than other Hunter specs. In raids, you generally only need around 2% hit from gear. If raid buffs are inconsistent, aim for closer to 6%. Avoid overcapping hit at the expense of Agility or Crit.
Armor Penetration
[Armor Penetration] allows your attacks to bypass enemy armor and becomes more effective as total armor is reduced. While strong when available, it is not a stat you actively chase early on. Treat it as a bonus once Agility, Crit, and Hit are handled.
Attack Power & Other Stats
[Attack Power] increases raw damage but ranks below Agility because it does not scale [Expose Weakness] or Critical Strike. [Intellect] and [MP5] help sustain longer fights but should never be prioritized. [Stamina] improves survivability but offers no DPS value.