Beast Mastery Hunter Leveling Guide

Pet-tanked safety, sustained DPS, and high uptime. BM is the fastest and safest Hunter leveling spec across Classic, TBC, and WotLK. Talents, pets, rotations, gear, and routes for 1-80.

Updated 2026 Pet-Tanked / Ranged DPS Supports Classic / TBC / WotLK

Why BM in Classic?

Pet tanks for you, minimal downtime, and high sustained damage with Kill Command + Bestial Wrath. Great for solo questing and fast dungeon clears.

Strengths

Safest leveling: pet holds threat, you take almost no damage.
High uptime; minimal drinking/eating.
Simple rotation; great for open-world farming.

Weaknesses

Pet management required (happiness, training).
Lower burst than MM; reliant on pet tanking well.
Weapons matter; aim for ranged upgrades often.

Talents by Level (Classic 1-60)

Early (10-29)

Improved Aspect of the Hawk 5/5; Focused Fire 2/2.
Endurance Training 5/5; Unleashed Fury 5/5.
Put points toward Ferocity (pet crit) and Thick Hide.

Mid (30-44)

Bestial Wrath at 40 (core).
Frenzy 5/5 for pet attack speed.
Spirit Bond 2/2 for passive healing.

Late (45-60)

Ferocity/Improved Revive Pet; Catlike Reflexes for pet avoidance.
Marks splash: Lethal Shots 5/5, Aimed Shot optional for pulls.
Efficiency 3/5+ for less mana use.

Core loop: Send pet → Hunter’s Mark → Serpent Sting → Auto/Arcane Shot weave → Bestial Wrath on elites/bosses.

Rotation & Pets

Single Target

Maintain Hunter’s Mark; Serpent Sting on long targets.
Arcane Shot on cooldown; Auto weave (no shot clipping).
Use Kill Command whenever available.

Pets

Leveling pets: Cats/Boars early; Cats/Raptors for DPS; Turtles/Bears for tankiness.
Keep pet Growl maxed; train Bite/Claw accordingly.
Carry pet food, keep happiness high for damage bonus.

Survival/Uptime

Aspect of the Cheetah for travel; Hawk for combat.
Feign Death to drop threat; Bandage between pulls instead of eating.
Use traps for control on adds (Freezing/Ice Trap).

Zone Route (Classic)

Bracket	Zones	Notes
1-20	Starter → Barrens/Westfall	Early pet quest; get weapon/wand equivalents (bows).
20-30	Ashenvale/Stonetalon/Duskwood	Deadmines/Stockades for ranged upgrades.
30-40	STV/Desolace	SM for mail/ranged drops; steady grind.
40-50	Feralas/Tanaris/Hinterlands	ZF runs; plenty of beast mobs for pet leveling.
50-60	Felwood/WPL/EPL/Winterspring	BRD/Strat/Scholo for mail/weapon upgrades.

Why BM in TBC?

BM is top-tier for TBC leveling and raiding. Bestial Wrath + Serpent’s Swiftness push huge pet damage; Kill Command scales well.

Spec: Deep BM to Serpent’s Swiftness 5/5 and The Beast Within. Marks splash: Lethal Shots, Efficiency; optionally Improved Hunter’s Mark for melee comps.

Talents by Level (TBC 60-70)

Early (60-64)

Finish Frenzy 5/5; Bestial Wrath already.
Spirit Bond 2/2; Improved Revive Pet.
Animal Handler for pet expertise (threat/damage).

Mid (65-67)

Serpent’s Swiftness 5/5 (huge power spike).
The Beast Within for CC immunity/extra damage.
Marks: Efficiency/Lethal Shots for mana/crit.

Late (68-70)

Go for Improved Hunter’s Mark or Go for the Throat (pet focus generation).
Catlike Reflexes if your pet tanks a lot.

Rotation (TBC)

Single Target

Hunter’s Mark → Send pet → Steady Shot/Auto with Arcane Shot weaved (avoid clipping autos).
Kill Command on proc; Bestial Wrath on CD for elites/bosses.
Maintain Aspect of the Hawk; Viper only when low mana.

AoE/Dungeons

Multi-Shot on CD; Volley for packs (watch threat).
Misdirection if available (raid/group) to tank.
Freezing Trap for CC; Feign Death to drop threat.

Pet & Survival

Keep pet Mend Pet up on heavy damage; healers love it.
Use Viper Sting on casters for mana returns (minor).
Bandage between pulls; Disengage (not in TBC baseline) skip.

Zone & Dungeon Path (TBC)

Level	Zone/Dungeon	Notes
60-62	Hellfire / Ramps / BF	Early mail/weapon blues; pet tanks fine.
62-65	Zangarmarsh / SP / UB	Quest rewards with AP/crit; great pet grind areas.
65-68	Terokkar / Sethekk / Mana-Tombs	Feathers/cloth farm; pet holds multi-mobs.
68-70	Nagrand / Netherstorm / Mech	Mech badge farm; Netherstorm AP mail.

Why BM in WotLK?

BM is safer but behind MM/Survival at endgame; still excellent for leveling with fast pet damage and The Beast Within for CC immunity.

Spec: Serpent’s Swiftness, Bestial Wrath/Beast Within, Cobra Strikes, Longevity, Invigoration. Off-tree: Marks for Lethal Shots/Go for the Throat.

Talents by Level (70-80)

Early (70-74)

Frenzy 5/5; Focused Fire; Improved Revive Pet.
Beast Within; Serpent’s Swiftness.
Marks: Lethal Shots 5/5.

Mid (75-77)

Cobra Strikes (pet crits from your crits).
Longevity (cooldown reduction) + Invigoration for mana.
Improved Aspect of the Hawk or Focused Aim if hit needed.

Late (78-80)

Beast Mastery (exotic pets) optional; not mandatory for leveling.
Kindred Spirits for pet damage/movement.
Filler: Catlike Reflexes, Animal Handler.

Rotation (WotLK)

Single Target

Hunter’s Mark → Serpent Sting → Steady/Auto with Arcane Shot; Kill Command on proc.
Bestial Wrath/Beast Within on CD; Readiness (if available) to reset.
Keep pet on aggressive target swapping only when safe.

AoE

Explosive Trap + Multi-Shot; Volley on packs (watch threat).
Misdirection to pet or tank; Feign Death after big Volleys.
Ice Trap for kiting; Deterrence if caught.

Pets/Survival

Use Tenacity pets for tanking (Turtle/Bear); Ferocity for speed (Cat/Wolf).
Mend Pet always ticking on heavy pulls.
Aspect of the Viper when low mana; Hawk/Dragonhawk for damage.

Zone & Dungeon Path (WotLK)

Level	Zone/Dungeon	Notes
70-72	Borean Tundra / Howling Fjord	Easy kiting; Nexus/UK for ranged drops.
72-75	Dragonblight / AN/OK	Volley packs in AN; pet tanks fine.
75-77	Grizzly Hills / Zul'Drak	Drak'Tharon; dense quest hubs.
77-80	Sholazar / Storm Peaks / Icecrown	Cold Weather Flying; Gundrak/HoL/HoS badge farms.

Gear, Weapons, and Enchants (All Versions)

Stat Priority

Agility > Hit (3-8% range depending on level) > Crit > AP > Stamina.
Ranged weapon DPS is king; upgrade as priority.

Weapons

Always prioritize ranged DPS; melee only matters for stats.
Classic: Venomstrike, Outrunner’s Bow equivalents, AV gun.
TBC: Hellfire/Coilfang bows; Nesingwary 4000.
WotLK: Quest blues/heroic drops; crafted Engineering guns.

Enchants

Classic: +Scope; +Agility to gloves.
TBC: Stabilized Eternium Scope; +10 Agi to gloves; Nethercobra Leg Armor.
WotLK: Heartseeker Scope; Icescale Leg Armor; +Agi enchants.

Pro Tips & Pet Management

Leveling Speed

Chain pull: send pet early; start next target while pet finishes.
Keep ammo/arrows stocked; use highest DPS ammo.
Use Aspect of the Cheetah between pulls; cancel on combat.

Pet Care

Train pet skills regularly; keep Growl max rank.
Maintain happiness (food) for 125% damage.
Use Tenacity pets for tough elites; Ferocity for speed runs.

Group Utility

Misdirection (TBC/WotLK) to tank/pet.
Traps for CC; Aspect of the Wild (Nature res) situational.
Pet interrupts (Boar Charge, Gorilla Pummel) on casters.

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