Patch 11.1: Hunters to Unlock Major Update in WoW

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, specializations, and core abilities. These alterations, subject to Player Testing Realm (PTR) feedback early next year, are slated for release likely in February.

Key Changes Summarized:

• Pet Specialization: Hunters can now change their pet's specialization (Cunning, Ferocity, Tenacity) at the stable.
• Beast Mastery: Offers a solo-pet option, boosting pet damage and size.
• Marksmanship: Completely reworked; pets are removed, replaced by a Spotting Eagle that marks targets for increased damage.
• Undermine and Raid: Patch 11.1 introduces the Undermine zone and the Liberation of Undermine raid against Gallywix.

Detailed Hunter Class Changes:

The core gameplay of all three Hunter specializations (Beast Mastery, Marksmanship, Survival) has been adjusted. Marksmanship undergoes the most radical transformation, losing its pet entirely. The Spotting Eagle provides a new tactical element, marking targets for increased damage from Aimed Shot. Beast Mastery gains a solo-pet option via a new talent, significantly increasing the pet's damage output and size. Survival Hunter sees adjustments to its rotation, making Butchery and Flanking Strike mutually exclusive talent choices.

Talent Reworks:

The Pack Leader talent is completely overhauled, summoning a bear, boar, and wyvern simultaneously upon activation. Other talents across all specializations have been adjusted, removed, or added to refine gameplay and address player feedback. Marksmanship receives numerous new talents focused on maximizing damage output with the Spotting Eagle mechanic. Beast Mastery gains talents to enhance its area-of-effect capabilities and solo-pet viability. Survival Hunter's talent tree is streamlined, focusing on its bleed effects and Kill Shot damage.

PTR Feedback:

Blizzard is actively seeking player feedback on the PTR before the final release. While the pet specialization changes and Beast Mastery solo-pet option have been generally well-received, the Marksmanship rework has proven divisive. Many players express concern about the loss of the pet, a core aspect of the Hunter fantasy. The forced composition of the Pack Leader talent also draws criticism. Players are encouraged to participate in PTR testing and provide feedback to shape the final implementation of these changes.

Specific Ability and Talent Changes (Concise Overview):

• Kindling Flare: Increased flare radius.
• Territorial Instincts: Reduced Intimidation cooldown.
• Wilderness Medicine: Increased Natural Mending cooldown reduction.
• No Hard Feelings: Reduced Misdirection cooldown.
• Roar of Sacrifice (Marksmanship only): Pet protects a friendly target from critical strikes.
• Intimidation (Marksmanship): Line-of-sight requirement removed; uses Spotting Eagle.
• Explosive Shot: Increased projectile speed.
• Eyes of the Beast: Now only for Survival and Beast Mastery.
• Eagle Eye: Now only for Marksmanship.
• Freezing Trap: Breaks on damage threshold.
• Numerous other ability and talent adjustments detailed in the original document. These include significant changes to talents within each specialization, including additions, removals, and reworks. Refer to the original document for a complete list.

This overview provides a concise summary of the extensive Hunter class changes in WoW Patch 11.1. The original document contains a comprehensive list of all adjustments.