Hunter Class Guide — Class Guides · WoW Burning Crusade
A ranged fighter in leather, and later mail, who fights at a distance with a bow, gun or crossbow, tames beasts as pets and controls enemies with traps and stings.
- Roles
- Damage
- Specializations
- 3
- Popular builds
- 6
- Version
- WoW Burning Crusade
How the hunter plays
Hunters in The Burning Crusade gain Steady Shot, Aspect of the Viper and Kill Command, which fix two of the class's Classic problems: shooting now revolves around Steady Shot between Auto Shots, and Viper restores mana when you run low. Pets now grow with your gear.
Misdirection sends your threat to the tank for your next attacks, which makes hunters the best pullers in dungeons and raids.
Traps, Feign Death, Scatter Shot and Concussive Shot remain, and Silencing Shot and Wyvern Sting give Marksmanship and Survival more control.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Strong raid damage, with pets that grow with your gear.
- Misdirection makes you the group's puller.
- Fast, safe leveling.
- Ferocious Inspiration, Trueshot Aura and Expose Weakness boost the raid.
Weaknesses
- The dead zone close to you remains.
- Ammunition and pet upkeep.
- Weapon speed and haste decide how your shots fit together.
Specializations
The specs compared
Each spec rated from 1 to 5 at what it does in WoW Burning Crusade. Single and several targets mean damage for damage specs, healing for healers and threat for tanks; a spec's own guide names its ratings for its role.
| Rating |  Beast Mastery |  Marksmanship |  Survival |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single target | |||
| Several targets | |||
| Survivability | |||
| Utility | |||
| Solo and leveling | |||
| Ease of play |
- Beast Mastery
Damage · 2 builds
Pet-focused damage: a stronger, faster pet and Bestial Wrath. The easiest hunter to level and solo with.
Top talent:
Beast Mastery guide
The Beast Within - Marksmanship
Damage · 2 builds
Ranged damage from shots: Aimed Shot, more crit and more range.
Top talent:
Marksmanship guide
Silencing Shot - Survival
Damage · 2 builds
Agility, traps and survivability, with tools that keep enemies at range and talents that help in melee.
Top talent:
Survival guide
Readiness
Gear
- Mail with Agility, hit, crit and attack power.
- A ranged weapon with high damage: weapon speed and haste decide how Steady Shots fit between Auto Shots.
- Hit to 9% (142 rating), less Surefooted's 3% if you take it.
Each spec guide ranks its stats and says what to look for on its gear.
Hunter class quests
The quests that unlock class abilities, by the level each route starts at.