WoW: Hunters' Bounty with Patch 11.1

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, specialization abilities, and overall gameplay. Key updates include customizable pet specializations, optional single-pet configurations for Beast Mastery, and a complete pet-less redesign for Marksmanship. These changes, subject to player feedback from the PTR (Public Test Realm) early next year, are expected to launch with Patch 11.1, potentially in February.

Undermine and the Liberation of Undermine Raid:

Patch 11.1, titled "Undermined," takes players into the Goblin capital, continuing the narrative of "The War Within" and culminating in a raid against Chrome King Gallywix.

Hunter Class Changes:

The core alteration is the ability to change pet specializations (Cunning, Ferocity, Tenacity) for all stabled companions. This allows Hunters to optimize their favorite pets for any combat situation.

Specialization-Specific Changes:

• Beast Mastery: Offers the option of using a single, significantly enhanced pet, increasing its damage and size. The Pack Leader Hero Talent is overhauled, summoning a bear, boar, and wyvern simultaneously.

• Marksmanship: Undergoes a major rework, eliminating the pet entirely. A Spotting Eagle assists, marking targets for increased damage from the Hunter's abilities.

• Survival: The rotation is streamlined, making Butchery and Flanking Strike mutually exclusive choices in the talent tree.

Community Response:

While the pet specialization changes and Beast Mastery's solo-pet option are generally well-received, the Marksmanship rework is divisive. Many players feel removing the pet diminishes a core aspect of the Hunter class fantasy. Similarly, the fixed Pack Leader summons are a point of contention.

PTR Testing and Feedback:

These changes are subject to modification based on player feedback during the Patch 11.1 PTR testing phase. Hunters are encouraged to provide extensive feedback to Blizzard.

Detailed Class Changes (Patch 11.1):

The following is a comprehensive list of specific ability and talent adjustments for Hunters across all specializations:

Hunter:

• Kindling Flare: Radius increased by 50%.
• Territorial Instincts: Reduces Intimidation cooldown by 10 seconds; removes pet summon if no pet is present.
• Wilderness Medicine: Increases Natural Mending cooldown reduction by 0.5 seconds.
• No Hard Feelings: Reduces Misdirection cooldown by 5 seconds.
• Roar of Sacrifice (Marksmanship only): Pet protects a friendly target from critical strikes for 12 seconds; disables Spotting Eagle's mark during activation.
• Intimidation (Marksmanship): Line-of-sight requirement removed; uses Spotting Eagle.
• Explosive Shot: Projectile speed increased.
• Eyes of the Beast: Learned only by Survival and Beast Mastery.
• Eagle Eye: Learned only by Marksmanship.
• Freezing Trap: Breaks based on damage threshold, not any damage.
• Tooltip updates for Roar of Sacrifice, Wilderness Medicine, and No Hard Feelings to exclude Marksmanship-irrelevant information.

Hero Talents:

• Dark Ranger: Withering Fire triggers from Black Arrow casts during Trueshot/Bestial Wrath; no longer auto-fires Black Arrow. Bleak Powder cone damage fixed.
• Pack Leader: Completely redesigned with new talent options focusing on summoning a bear, wyvern, and boar for temporary aid. Several previous talents removed.
• Sentinel: Lunar Storm damage, radius, and duration increased; cooldown increased to 30 seconds; now deals initial damage in addition to periodic damage; visual effects updated; cooldown tracking via aura; slow target following added.

Beast Mastery:

• New Talents: Dire Cleave, Poisoned Barbs, Solitary Companion.
• Stomp: Separate damage instances for 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, not additive.
• Hunter's Prey Kill Shots: Target enemies regardless of health.
• Dire Command: Summon chance reduced to 20%.
• Dire Beast visual effects updated; now leaps to target.
• Dire Frenzy: 2-point node replacing Basilisk Collar.
• Talents removed: Basilisk Collar, Venom's Bite.

Marksmanship:

• New Abilities: Harrier's Cry, Manhunter, Eyes in the Sky.
• New Talents: Aspect of the Hydra, Improved Spotter's Mark, Moving Target, Obsidian-Tipped Ammunition, Shrapnel Shot, Magnetic Gunpowder, Precise Detonation, On Target, Quickdraw, Target Acquisition, Eagle's Accuracy, Headshot, Feathered Frenzy, Tensile Bowstring, Incendiary Ammunition, Bullet Hell, Improved Streamline, Windrunner Quiver, Cunning, Tenacious, Ohn'ahran Winds, Double Tap, Killer Mark, Deadeye.
• Streamline, Precise Shots, Focused Aim, Trueshot, Razor Fragments, Calling the Shots, Unerring Vision, Bulletstorm, In the Rhythm, Ammo Conservation, Salvo updated.
• Multi-Shot learned at level 10.
• Aimed Shot, Rapid Fire, Volley, Steady Shot damage adjusted.
• Small Game Hunter, Pin Cushion, Surging Shots, Bullseye updated.
• Talents removed: Barrage, Careful Aim, Chimera Shot, Crack Shot, Heavy Ammo, Hydra's Bite, Improved Steady Shot, Legacy of the Windrunners, Light Ammo, Lone Wolf, Multi-Shot (now baseline), Pin Cushion (effect added to Steady Shot), Rapid Fire Barrage, Readiness, Serpentstalker's Trickery, Steady Focus, Tactical Reload, Unerring Vision, Wailing Arrow.

Survival:

• New Talents: Cull the Herd, Born to Kill.
• Frenzy Strikes, Merciless Blow updated.
• Alpha Predator: Kill Command damage multiplier, not additive.
• Merciless Blow Butchery bleed damage reduced.
• Tactical Advantage: Increases Butchery damage.
• Flanking Strike and Butchery on a choice node.
• Exposed Flank removed.

Player versus Player (PvP):

• New PvP Talent: Explosive Powder (Hunter), Sniper's Advantage, Aspect of the Fox (Marksmanship).
• Dire Beast: Basilisk redesigned (Beast Mastery).
• PvP talents removed: Interlope (Marksmanship), Sniper Shot, Trueshot Mastery, Wild Kingdom.

This detailed overview provides a comprehensive understanding of the Hunter class changes in World of Warcraft Patch 11.1. Remember that these changes are subject to further adjustments based on PTR feedback.