BM Class Mechanics

[Maruken 31]

I want to try and get better at BM, but I have a few questions.

 

- Is there a way to track Beast Cleave and other pet buffs? I know I need to have a high amount of uptime on BC but I have no idea how to track it. Is there an addon for it?

- How far ahead is MM in terms of DPS? This is more of a curiosity question since I'm only going to be raiding Normal for now, but is MM the best spec for everything? Is there anything that BM does better?

- Since Mastery is the best stat for BM but the worst stat for MM, am I still able to play both specs with the same set of gear?

Edited December 12, 2015 by Maruken

[Orthios 271]

I want to try and get better at BM, but I have a few questions.

 

- Is there a way to track Beast Cleave and other pet buffs? I know I need to have a high amount of uptime on BC but I have no idea how to track it. Is there an addon for it?

- How far ahead is MM in terms of DPS? This is more of a curiosity question since I'm only going to be raiding Normal for now, but is MM the best spec for everything? Is there anything that BM does better?

- Since Mastery is the best stat for BM but the worst stat for MM, am I still able to play both specs with the same set of gear?

Here is the Weak Aura that I use for tracking Beast Cleave.  If you'd prefer a progress bar, let me know, since that is easy to switch it to.

 

Marksman is pretty far ahead of Beast Mastery in terms of dps once you get the t18 4pc bonus.  Not only that, but MM is incredibly more viable in terms of dealing with raid mechanics in HFC.  The only thing BM does better is burst AoE, but it comes at a huge loss to ST damage.  MM is just overall better suited for HFC than BM is.

 

Around half of BiS gear is shared between MM and BM, but yes, keeping 2 sets of gear is a good idea.  You can play both with one gearset, but the results won't be optimal.  Mastery is actually a really strong stat for MM IF you can keep a high uptime on Sniper Training.