World of Warcraft Patch 11.1: Hunter Class Overhaul
Patch 11.1 of World of Warcraft introduces significant changes to the Hunter class, impacting pet management, specializations, and abilities. Key updates include:
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Pet Specialization Changes: Hunters can now alter their pet's specialization (Cunning, Ferocity, or Tenacity) at the stables, offering greater flexibility in pairing pets with desired combat styles. This applies to all hunter pets, including event-specific ones like the Dreaming Festive Reindeer.
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Beast Mastery Adjustments: Beast Mastery Hunters gain the option to utilize a single, more powerful pet instead of two, increasing the pet's damage and size.
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Marksmanship Revamp: Marksmanship undergoes a substantial rework. The pet is removed, replaced by a Spotting Eagle that marks targets for increased damage from the Hunter's abilities. This change has sparked considerable debate among players.
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Pack Leader Talent Overhaul: The Pack Leader talent is redesigned, summoning a bear, boar, and wyvern simultaneously during combat. This fixed combination has received mixed reactions from the community.
Undermine and the Liberation of Undermine Raid:
Patch 11.1 also introduces "Undermined," a new content update centered around the Goblin capital. The storyline of "The War Within" continues, culminating in a raid against Chrome King Gallywix.
PTR Testing and Feedback:
These changes are currently undergoing testing on the Public Test Realm (PTR) early next year, allowing players to provide feedback before the official release. Blizzard is actively seeking player input to refine these adjustments.
Detailed Class Changes:
The following is a summary of specific changes to Hunter abilities and talents:
Hunter General Changes:
- Kindling Flare: Increased flare radius by 50%.
- Territorial Instincts: Reduced Intimidation cooldown by 10 seconds; removed pet summon functionality.
- Wilderness Medicine: Increased Natural Mending cooldown reduction by 0.5 seconds.
- No Hard Feelings: Reduced Misdirection cooldown by 5 seconds.
- Roar of Sacrifice (Marksmanship only): Pet protects a friendly target from critical strikes; disables Spotting Eagle's mark while active.
- Intimidation (Marksmanship): Line-of-sight requirement removed; uses Spotting Eagle.
- Explosive Shot: Increased projectile speed.
- Eyes of the Beast: Now only learned by Survival and Beast Mastery Hunters.
- Eagle Eye: Now only learned by Marksmanship Hunters.
- Freezing Trap: Breaks based on a damage threshold.
- Tooltip updates for Roar of Sacrifice, Wilderness Medicine, and No Hard Feelings to reflect Marksmanship specialization.
Hero Talents (Hunter):
- Dark Ranger: Withering Fire updated to trigger from Black Arrow during Trueshot/Bestial Wrath; removed auto-fire functionality.
- Pack Leader: Completely reworked, offering various choices impacting summoned beasts (bear, wyvern, boar) and their abilities. Several talents have been removed.
- Sentinel: Lunar Storm significantly buffed, increasing damage, radius, duration, and adding initial damage burst.
Beast Mastery Changes:
- New Talents: Dire Cleave, Poisoned Barbs, Solitary Companion.
- Stomp: Deals separate damage instances to primary and secondary targets.
- Serpent Sting: Damage increased by 50%.
- Barrage: Damage increased by 100%; focus cost reduced to 40.
- Alpha Predator: Kill Command damage multiplier changed from additive to multiplicative.
- Dire Command: Summon chance reduced to 20%.
- Dire Beast visual effects updated.
- Several talents removed.
Marksmanship Changes:
- New Abilities: Harrier's Cry, Manhunter, Eyes in the Sky.
- Numerous new talents focused on the Spotting Eagle mechanic and Aimed Shot.
- Significant changes to existing abilities like Trueshot, Precise Shots (renamed Precise Shots), and Streamline.
- Many talents removed.
Survival Changes:
- New Talent: Cull the Herd.
- New Talent: Born to Kill.
- Updates to Frenzy Strikes and Merciless Blow.
- Flanking Strike and Butchery are now mutually exclusive talent choices.
- Exposed Flank removed.
Player versus Player (PvP) Changes:
- New PvP Talent (Hunter): Explosive Powder.
- Beast Mastery: Dire Beast: Basilisk redesigned.
- Marksmanship: New PvP Talents: Sniper's Advantage, Aspect of the Fox.
- Several PvP talents removed.
This detailed overview summarizes the extensive changes to the Hunter class in World of Warcraft Patch 11.1. The changes are substantial and reflect Blizzard's aim to refine and redefine the Hunter experience.
