Cataclysm Classic Beast Mastery Hunter Guide

This page contains all relevant information needed for Beast Mastery Hunter for the release of Cataclysm Classic. Be sure to check back as we progress through the expansion, as this page will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available.

Yes! All of the Hunter specs are viable in Cataclysm, but it is important to note that Beast Mastery is going to be weaker than Survival all the way through Cataclysm. Beast Mastery is still a solid choice however, bringing some exceptional burst damage thanks to the power of Bestial Wrath combined with the valuable Ferocious Inspiration raid buff. Beast Mastery Hunters are also one of the best classes for any solo content thanks to the incredibly powerful pets you have access to.

Strengths

• Excellent burst damage.
• Brings a desirable raid buff with Ferocious Inspiration.
• Strong utility, including Misdirection and Feign Death.
• One of the easiest classes to gear early on in Cataclysm.
• Incredible leveling speed and solo-play ability out in the world.

Weaknesses

• Pet-based class, which means you will need to micro-manage your pet sometimes.
• Lackluster sustained single-target damage.
• Poor AOE damage
• Least valuable Hunter specialization in raids.
• Lack of defensive and self-healing cooldowns.

Cataclysm has several new race options for Hunters, including Human, Undead, Worgen, and Goblin. For Horde players, Orc is going to be the best option due to the 5% pet damage bonus from Command and the cooldown Blood Fury. Troll is a close second with the 1% crit from using bows and the Berserking cooldown.

As Alliance, Worgen is your best choice due to their passive 1% crit and their movement cooldown Darkflight. Draenei are also a strong choice because of their 1% passive hit.

1. Engineering — Engineering is still by far the best profession in the game, made even stronger in Cataclysm with the new on-use glove tinker Synapse Springs. This new tinker is far stronger than the Wrath version, giving Agility instead of Haste. This will be far and away the best option as a DPS player. You also cannot ignore the utility of Nitro Boosts, which provide a ton of movement speed on-demand. Given that Engineering is by far the best DPS increase and provides excellent utility bonuses, it's a must-have profession.
2. Blacksmithing — Lets you add an extra socket to both your Gloves and Bracers thanks to Socket Gloves and Socket Bracer. To be frank, as long as you have any non-gathering profession as your second profession, you are fine. The differences in combat bonuses between all other non-engineering professions are mostly negligible, so take your pick as to which you would prefer. Blacksmithing is generally a very strong choice as it gives you the most control over what stats to add due to the extra sockets, but that will always be Agility as a Hunter anyways.

Addons and Macros can greatly improve your quality of life during Cataclysm. Listed below are some of our recommendations on Addons and Macros to help get the most out of your time playing the game.