Hunter leveling guide
Levels 1–60Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, SkyborneHorde: Orc, Troll, Tauren, Skyborne
Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Skyborne
Horde: Orc, Troll, Tauren, SkyborneYour plan in game
Open your talent plan in Polestar:
/polestar talentsLevel as Beast Mastery: your pet tanks and does much of the damage, so you rarely stop. Marksmanship hits harder from range with Careful Aim and Sniper Shot; Survival fights in melee with Predator's Edge and Lacerating Strikes.
Polestar ships 3 leveling talent plans for Hunters (Beast Mastery, Marksmanship and Survival), 2 class quest guides, and Hunter steps in 11 leveling guides.
Who can be a Hunter
In WoW: Forever Hunters are open to 8 races on both sides. Each race starts on its own route and joins its side's shared road; the guides carry the Hunter steps for you.
Alliance
- HumanElwynn Forest 1–13Its road: 26 guides to level 60
- DwarfDun Morogh 1–13Its road: 26 guides to level 60
- Night ElfTeldrassil 1–11Its road: 26 guides to level 60
- SkyborneZephras Isle 1–15Its road: 26 guides to level 60
Horde
- OrcDurotar 1–12Its road: 25 guides to level 60
- TrollDurotar 1–12Its road: 25 guides to level 60
- TaurenMulgore 1–12Its road: 24 guides to level 60
- SkyborneZephras Isle 1–15Its road: 24 guides to level 60
Leveling talent plans
Written for Polestar. Beast Mastery and Marksmanship follow a community talent site's builds up to level 20; Survival is Polestar's own throughout. Every pick is checked against Forever's own Hunter talent tree (client 1.60.1.70450). Sources are named on Credits & data sources.
Each plan is written one point a level from 10. Points that come sooner (a Legacy talent can grant them from level 5) bring the picks sooner: in the game the plan follows its order, not the levels.
Beast Mastery
31/20/0 · 51 picks, levels 10–60
| Levels | Talent | Ranks | Tree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | Deadly AspectsDeadly Aspects first: more from Aspect of the Hawk while your pet holds the mob. | 1–5 | Beast Mastery |
| 15–16 | Focused Fire | 1–2 | Beast Mastery |
| 17–19 | Endurance Training | 1–3 | Beast Mastery |
| 20–24 | Unleashed FuryUnleashed Fury adds pet damage, and your pet is most of your damage. | 1–5 | Beast Mastery |
| 25 | Bestial Swiftness | 1 | Beast Mastery |
| 26–30 | Ferocity | 1–5 | Beast Mastery |
| 31 | IntimidationIntimidation stuns through your pet: a breather when a mob turns on you. | 1 | Beast Mastery |
| 32–33 | Spirit Bond | 1–2 | Beast Mastery |
| 34 | Endurance Training | 4 | Beast Mastery |
| 35–39 | Frenzy | 1–5 | Beast Mastery |
| 40 | Bestial WrathBestial Wrath is the capstone: your pet's big damage cooldown. | 1 | Beast Mastery |
| 41–45 | Lethal AttacksThe last 20 points go to Marksmanship: more crit, attack power from Intellect, a shorter Rapid Fire and harder ranged crits. | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
| 46–50 | Careful Aim | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
| 51–52 | Rapid Killing | 1–2 | Marksmanship |
| 53–55 | Efficiency | 1–3 | Marksmanship |
| 56–60 | Mortal Shots | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
Marksmanship
20/31/0 · 51 picks, levels 10–60
| Levels | Talent | Ranks | Tree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | Lethal AttacksLethal Attacks first: crit for every shot. | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
| 15–19 | Careful AimCareful Aim adds attack power from your Intellect. | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
| 20–21 | Rapid Killing | 1–2 | Marksmanship |
| 22–24 | Improved Stings | 1–3 | Marksmanship |
| 25–29 | Mortal ShotsMortal Shots makes your ranged crits hit much harder. | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
| 30 | Trueshot Aura | 1 | Marksmanship |
| 31–32 | Rapid Recuperation | 1–2 | Marksmanship |
| 33–34 | Barrage | 1–2 | Marksmanship |
| 35–39 | Ranged Weapon Specialization | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
| 40 | Sniper ShotSniper Shot is the capstone: a long-range opener that hits hard. | 1 | Marksmanship |
| 41–45 | Deadly AspectsThe last 20 points go to Beast Mastery: a stronger Aspect of the Hawk and a tougher, harder-hitting pet. | 1–5 | Beast Mastery |
| 46–50 | Endurance Training | 1–5 | Beast Mastery |
| 51–52 | Focused Fire | 1–2 | Beast Mastery |
| 53–57 | Unleashed Fury | 1–5 | Beast Mastery |
| 58 | Bestial Swiftness | 1 | Beast Mastery |
| 59–60 | Pathfinding | 1–2 | Beast Mastery |
Survival
0/20/31 · 51 picks, levels 10–60
| Levels | Talent | Ranks | Tree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | Improved TrackingImproved Tracking first: keep tracking on for its bonus against the mobs you quest on. | 1–5 | Survival |
| 15–19 | Survivalist | 1–5 | Survival |
| 20 | DeterrenceDeterrence is a dodge and parry cooldown for melee fights that go wrong. | 1 | Survival |
| 21–23 | Surefooted | 1–3 | Survival |
| 24–25 | Savage Strikes | 1–2 | Survival |
| 26 | Counterattack | 1 | Survival |
| 27–29 | Predator's Edge | 1–3 | Survival |
| 30–31 | Expose Prey | 1–2 | Survival |
| 32–33 | Predator's Edge | 4–5 | Survival |
| 34 | Strider Kick | 1 | Survival |
| 35–39 | Lightning ReflexesLightning Reflexes adds Agility: more attack power, crit and dodge. | 1–5 | Survival |
| 40 | Lacerating StrikesLacerating Strikes is the capstone: Mongoose Bite also makes the target bleed. | 1 | Survival |
| 41–45 | Lethal AttacksThe last 20 points go to Marksmanship: more crit, attack power from Intellect, a shorter Rapid Fire and harder ranged crits. | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
| 46–50 | Careful Aim | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
| 51–52 | Rapid Killing | 1–2 | Marksmanship |
| 53–55 | Efficiency | 1–3 | Marksmanship |
| 56–60 | Mortal Shots | 1–5 | Marksmanship |
Hunter class quests
2 class quest guides for Hunters, each a guide of its own in Polestar's Class menu.
Hunter steps on the leveling routes
Steps the zone guides show only to Hunters (a few to one or two other classes as well): class quests on the way and visits to your trainer.
Alliance
- Dun Morogh1–13Dwarf, Gnome
Etched Rune, Taming the Beast, Training the Beast
- Elwynn Forest1–13Human
A Scribbled Letter, Taming the Beast, Training the Beast
- Teldrassil1–11Night Elf
Etched Sigil, Taming the Beast, Training the Beast
- Zephras Isle1–15Skyborne
The Way of the Hunter, Taming the Beast, Training the Beast
Horde
- Durotar1–12Orc, Troll
Etched Parchment (Orc), Etched Tablet (Troll), Taming the Beast, Training the Beast
- Zephras Isle1–15Skyborne
The Way of the Hunter, Taming the Beast, Training the Beast
- Mulgore1–12Tauren
Etched Note, The Hunter's Path, Taming the Beast, Training the Beast
Trainer visits Hillsbrad Foothills, Undercity & The Barrens 24–28, Arathi Highlands, Badlands & The Barrens 37–40, Tanaris & Searing Gorge 45–48, Un'Goro Crater, Eastern Plaguelands & Burning Steppes 50–53
Hunter gear
What Polestar's gear advice counts as a Hunter's, and how it weighs stats for each spec. It reads your spec from your talent points; before you spend any it uses Beast Mastery.
- Armor
- Leather, Mail from level 40
- Dual wield
- From level 20
- Weapons
- One-handed axes, Two-handed axes, Bows, Guns, Polearms, One-handed swords, Two-handed swords, Staves, Fist weapons, Daggers, Thrown, Crossbows
| Spec | Stats | Own weights |
|---|---|---|
| Beast Mastery | Agility 1 · Stamina 0.55 · Intellect 0.35 · Spirit 0.2 · Strength 0.1 | To level 39 |
| Marksmanship | Agility 1 · Stamina 0.5 · Intellect 0.4 · Spirit 0.2 · Strength 0.1 | To level 39 |
| Survival | Agility 1.1 · Stamina 0.55 · Intellect 0.35 · Spirit 0.2 · Strength 0.15 | To level 39 |
How Polestar helps a Hunter level
- One route, your class's steps in it. The guides show the steps for your race and class and skip the rest, so the Hunter quests above turn up where they belong on your road, and a waypoint arrow walks you to every goal.
- Your talent plan on the talent frame. Pick a plan (or let Polestar follow your spec): a ring marks the next talent while a point is unspent, each talent shows where it comes in the plan, and a chat line names the next pick when a point is waiting. Nothing is spent for you. Open it with
/polestar talents; the settings are under Options, Questing, Talents. - Gear advice for your spec. Quest rewards and items in your bags that are upgrades for your Hunter get a green arrow, and a turn-in names the reward to take.