Hunter Guide for TBC Anniversary

TBC Classic Anniversary Hunter Guide Quick Summary:

• This Hunter class guide contains absolutely everything you need to know about it.
• You have: pros & cons, how to play, best race, stat priority, etc.
• We made sure to include 2 very good DPS builds
• There’s a list of Best in Slot gear for Phase 1 for hunters. Check it out!
• Don’t know what abilities to use? Don’t worry, we’ve broken down the PvE rotation. It’s really simple!

Want to get your hunter to level 70 without wasting time leveling up in the old zones? Buy TBC Anniversary Powerleveling at Skycoach and have our professional WoW players level up your character faster than anyone! Our leveling services have been one of the most popular ones among WoW players across the world! Don't waste your time and order this service too!

 

 

Hunter Changes in TBC Classic Anniversary

TBC Classic Anniversary Hunter gets a lot of changes moving from Vanilla. You have some new abilities and talents:

• Steady shot is in your new ability, used in your reliable rotation
• Misdirection allows you to transfer aggro from yourself to a tank, which is a super useful tool in raids. 
• Aspect of the Viper is the new ability that restores your Mana based on the amount of damage that you do.
• Kill command is introduced, an ability to do a lot of damage from your bed after a lot of crits.
• Serpent’s Swiftness gives hunters a massive attack speed bonus
• Not an ability, but pets now scale with Hunter stats like attack speed, critical hit chance, and others. 
• There's also no range limit for hunters, which means they can shoot enemies from wherever they want. 
• Ammo has been reworked to scale with DPS weapons and bonuses.
• In TBC, there’s now a lot more agility/attack power male armor and your pieces, which suit Hunters really well. 
• Traps can now be placed mid-combat.

All of this makes Hunters the most consistent DPS class in the game and the most popular one at that. They might fall off in mid-to-late game a little bit, but they're still going to be viable. Plus, the early game for hunters is the best period.

Hunter Pros & Cons

If you haven't really played this class before, then those changes mean absolutely nothing to you. That's why, for this TBC Classic Anniversary Hunter guide, we've prepared a list of pros and cons to help you learn about Hunters more simply by highlighting their main pros and cons.

Pros

1. Extremely high single-target and burst damage make them one of the most reliable DPS classes in the game and highly desirable in raid parties. 
2. I have a lot of Mobility while doing damage, which lets them stay safe incumbent and not get hit as much. Meanwhile, other DPS classes have to remain stationary when executing their rotations.
3. They have excellent aggro control, which lets them redirect aggro in case they deal too much damage and make the enemy switch targets. This will prevent a lot of red wipes in the future.

You could say that these three points are less obvious than saying something like hundreds of the greatest gold farmers; they're easier to level up, and their main advantage is having a pet, which lets you just focus on doing damage and not worry about getting hit by mobs. However, things like anger control and high Mobility might not be as obvious to someone who has never played this class, so there you go. 

Cons

1. Hunters don't have a lot of options in terms of area of effect damage, so they are way less effective at damaging packs of enemies, unlike someone like a mage or a warlock.
2. You still need to manage your bed, particularly in a beast mastery specialization. Micromanaging your pet could be difficult because their AI is not exactly the smartest one, so you always need to keep an eye on your pet and make sure they do their job well. 

These two difficulties are the first things that come to mind when trying to name the hunter's weakest sides - the inability to do a lot of AOE damage and having to control that pet, which can be difficult sometimes. While Hunters level up the quickest and are generally easier to play, New players might struggle with them because they are basically controlling two characters instead of one. 

How to Play Hunter in TBC Classic Anniversary

We will talk about specific rotations that you will be using later on in the guide, but the general idea for playing as Hunter is this:

1. Send your pet first and have it attack the enemy so it has aggro.
2. Asda monster starts to attack your pet, just go through all of your active abilities that do damage and unload them all on your target.
3. Heal up your bed if necessary, or restore your mana and move to the next Target.

This is the most common and high-level gameplay loop as a Hunter. Most of the time, you won't even have to press all of your active damaging skills because most monsters will die before you get to them. Then you just call or recall your pet or have them attack another Target. Farming mobs like this is very easy and quick, which makes the leveling as a hunter kind of a trivial task. Don't worry, will talk about leveling in more detail later on. 

Hunter Best Race in TBC Classic Anniversary

If you're like me and you've seen that Vanilla cinematic that opens up with a dwarf Hunter with a bear pet that looked so cool, you could have the same idea to create our dwarf Hunter. But that race might not be the best choice if you want to min-max with this class. So here is a list of the best Hunter TBC Classic Anniversary races. 

Alliance Hunter Races:

Race	Why It’s Good for Hunter
Dwarves	Dwarves' passive gun specialization increases gun skill by 5. Rifles and other guns are the kind of weapons hunters use.
Draenei	This is the best race for PVE because of their racial passive called heroic presence, which increases the chance to hit by 1% for you and all party members for the 30 yards, including your pet.
Night Elves	Shadowmeld is a racial ability that will help you with aggro control even more as a Hunter.

HordeHunter Races:

Race	Why It’s Good for Hunter
Blood Elves	They have an interesting racial ability that can silence nearby enemies and also restore mana and energy, which is super useful for hunters.
Orcs	They have a specific racial passive that increases Hunter’s pets ' damage by 5%
Tauren	An increased nature resistance, increased Total Health, and a bonus to herbalism skill are nice additions for hunters.
Trolls	Trolls have a bunch of cool racial bonuses, such as increased casting and attack speed at full health and increased skill level with bows and throwing weapons.

Ultimately, the choice over race is yours and yours alone.

Hunter Stat Priority

Hunter stats are very important since all three of those specializations are DPS. Therefore, you have to know which stats increase your damage per second. BLOG20

1. Hit Rating - Decides how often you actually hit your target and not miss. 
2. Armor Penetration - How often your physical attacks ignore some of the target's armor, which increases damage dealt against armored enemies.
3. Haste - Decides how quickly you cast your skills or spells, also decides the speed of the auto attacks and the tick rate of DoT skills.
4. Agility - Increases the attack power of agility-based classes and improves Critical Strike chance. It directly increases the overall damage output of all ranged physical specializations, like the ones Hunters have.
5. Critical Strike Rating - Increases the chance of your attacks and abilities to get a critical, which deals double damage.
6. Attack Power - Increases the damage dealt by mail and arranged physical abilities. High attack power increases the base damage of almost all attacks and skills. 

And then there are the attributes - these are the stats that directly increase your character's helpfulness, damage, and Power. These attributes are not like the Hunter stat priority. They appear on Armor and weapons, so when you get loot, you have to look at what kind of attributes that item will increase and decide whether that item is useful for you or not based on that.

Attributes priority for Hunters:

1. Agility - This attribute takes the top priority as the most important stat for DPS Hunters. It directly increases range attack power and Critical Strike rating, both of which scale your damage.
2. Intellect - This attribute increases your mana pool, which lets you cast more abilities before you run out. It is a utility stat that should never be stacked on purpose, but having enough intellect to avoid mana issues during the longer fights is kind of important. 
3. Stamina - This attribute helps with survivability, but it doesn't directly increase your DPS. So, don't go out of your way trying to increase this stat. 
4. Strength - Not an important attribute unless you're focusing your build to have melee weave. And even then, it's not worth looking for gear with a strength attribute. 
5. Spirit - Practically useless for hunters. 

Secondary stats like hit rating, armor penetration, and haste have their uses. For example, hit rating is important because in raids, you kind of have to maintain a certain level of critical hit chance, and it's difficult to do if the raid party doesn't have a Balance Druid. Haste is also kind of important for hunters because it increases the speed of actions that your character does. There is no need, however, to build your gear specifically around it. Just aim for the best in slot gear, and the resulting level of haste will be more than enough for any build you're going for.

 

Best Hunter Builds TBC Classic Anniversary

Usually, DPS Hunter builds are based either on Beast Mastery spec or Survival spec, and, much rarer, the Marksmanship spec, which doesn’t really have much in terms of pet control. So, here are the best Hunter builds for TBC Anniversary.

Beast Mastery DPS Build

This build is all about maximizing DPS.  It includes some very important talents like:

• Beast within - One of two major DPS boosts on use for this build
• bestial wrath - The second major DPS boost used for your most damaging rotation. 
• ferocious inspiration - This is a great talent, especially in raids, because not only does it increase all damage by 3% for all the party members, it also stacks with other beast mastery hunters in your group. So, usually, there is more than one Beast Mastery Hunter who takes advantage of this talent. 
• Serpent's Swiftness - Angry talent that increases haste by 20% for you and your pet.
• go for the throat -  makes your pet generate 50 Focus for each ranged critical hit you do. 

Overall, you will want to invest more talent points into the Beast Mastery talent tree, aka the best PvE Hunter spec, and a few in the  Marksmanship talent tree. Marksmanship improves your auto attacks and other ranged attacks. So, it's important not only to upgrade your pet and the damage they deal, but also to upgrade your weapons through this talent tree.

Survival DPS Build

The second build for the Hunter DPS guide, TBC Classic Anniversary, is a bit different.

This survival build is a pretty good one. It centers around the one ability called readiness. It comes in handy in multiple situations because it lets you use Rapid Fire twice in one boss fight or Multi Shot twice when clearing out the packs,  which increases your overall DPS. In the survival talent tree, you're going to want to invest as many talent points as it takes to get to the Readiness talent, which is at the very bottom of the tree. Some of the remaining talent points should be spent on Marksmanship talents like Rapid Killing and Mortal Shots. 

Hunter Best in Slot Gear in TBC Classic Anniversary

The best in slot gear is for those characters who have reached the maximum level, which for the Burning Crusade Anniversary Edition is 70. Depending on the phase of the expansion, your bis gear will be different. This table lists the Hunter best-in-slot gear in phase one. 

Slot	Beast Mastery BiS	Marksmanship BiS	Survival BiS	Source
Head	Beast Lord Helm	Beast Lord Helm	Beast Lord Helm	Pathaleon the Calculator – The Mechanar
Neck	Choker of Vile Intent	Choker of Vile Intent	Jagged Bark Pendant	G’eras (25 Badges) / Warp Splinter – The Botanica
Shoulders	Beast Lord Mantle	Beast Lord Mantle	Beast Lord Mantle	Warlord Kalithresh – The Steamvault
Back	Vengeance Wrap	Vengeance Wrap	Drape of the Dark Reavers	Tailoring (BoE) / Shade of Aran – Karazhan
Chest	Beast Lord Cuirass	Beast Lord Cuirass	Beast Lord Cuirass	Warp Splinter – The Botanica / Elemental Leatherworking (BoP)
Wrists	Nightfall Wristguards	Nightfall Wristguards	Ravager’s Bands of Agility	Epoch Hunter – (Heroic) Old Hillsbrad / Elemental Leatherworking (BoP) / Rokad the Ravager – Karazhan
Hands	Beast Lord Handguards	Beast Lord Handguards	Beast Lord Handguards	Warchief Kargath Bladefist – The Shattered Halls
Waist	Gronn-Stitched Girdle	Gronn-Stitched Girdle	Lurker’s Belt of Agility	Gruul – Gruul’s Lair / Hyakiss the Lurker – Karazhan
Legs	Scaled Greaves of the Marksman	Scaled Greaves of the Marksman	Scaled Greaves of the Marksman	Doom Lord Kazzak – World Boss (Hellfire Peninsula)
Feet	Edgewalker Longboots	Edgewalker Longboots	Glider’s Sabatons of Agility	Moroes – Karazhan / Shadikith the Glider – Karazhan
Ring	Ring of the Recalcitrant	Ring of the Recalcitrant	Ring of the Recalcitrant	Quest: Magtheridon’s Head – Magtheridon’s Lair
Ring	Ring of a Thousand Marks	Ring of a Thousand Marks	Pathfinder’s Band	Prince Malchezaar – Karazhan / World Drop (Outland)
Trinket	Dragonspine Trophy	Dragonspine Trophy	Dragonspine Trophy	Gruul – Gruul’s Lair
Trinket	Bloodlust Brooch	Bloodlust Brooch	Bloodlust Brooch	G’eras (41 Badges of Justice)
Main-Hand	Claw of the Watcher	Claw of the Watcher	Stellaris	Shirrak the Dead Watcher – (Heroic) Auchenai Crypts / Nethermancer Sepethrea – The Mechanar
Off-Hand	Blade of the Unrequited	Stormreaver Warblades	Blade of the Unrequited	Julianne – Karazhan / High Botanist Freywinn – The Botanica
Two-Hand (Melee Weaving)	Mooncleaver	Mooncleaver	Legacy	Blacksmithing (BoP) / The Big Bad Wolf – Karazhan
Ranged Weapon	Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix	Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix	Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix	Prince Malchezaar – Karazhan
Quiver / Pouch	Ancient Sinew Wrapped Lamina	Ancient Sinew Wrapped Lamina	Ancient Sinew Wrapped Lamina	Majordomo Executus – Molten Core
Ammo	Warden’s Arrow	Warden’s Arrow	Warden’s Arrow	Fedryen Swiftspear – Revered Cenarion Expedition

In Phase 1, all three Hunter specs end up sharing most of their BiS gear, with Beast Lord set pieces forming the basis, no matter what you play. Beast Mastery and Marksmanship look almost identical, using the same trinkets, ranged weapons, and core armor, with most differences coming down to weapon choices. Survival stands out a bit more, since Surefooted lowers hit pressure and lets it lean harder into pure Agility pieces, including a few technically BiS items tied to Karazhan’s RNG basement bosses. Weapons are the biggest decision point overall: Mooncleaver is the top option for Beast Mastery and Marksmanship if you melee weave, while Survival prefers Legacy for its Agility and small raid benefit. In practice, gearing across all three specs is more about access to world bosses and RNG drops than major spec-specific item changes.

Best Hunter Rotation

Unlike in vanilla classic, Hunter's rotation is now more complex than just a simple one Steady shot and one Auto Shot rotation. In this version of the game, you have to use more inputs. Check out these WoW Hunter rotations for TBC Classic Anniversary, and learn how they work.

Single-Target Rotation with Variations

Auto Shot → Steady Shot (Multi-Shot when off cooldown) → Auto Shot → Steady Shot → repeat

Kill Command is used immediately whenever it becomes available

This is your default single-target TBC Classic Anniversary Hunter PvE rotation at low haste levels. You use it early in Phase 1, outside of cooldowns, or anytime your effective weapon speed sits around 1.3 to 1.6 seconds. It is easy to execute, very consistent, and safe for learning Hunter timing without risking Auto Shot clipping.

Auto Shot → Auto Shot → Steady Shot (Multi-Shot when off cooldown) → repeat

Kill Command on cooldown at any point between shots

This rotation is used once haste increases from Rapid Fire, Bloodlust, drums, or haste potions. With the faster swing timer, you can fit two Auto Shots before casting Steady Shot. This becomes your most common rotation during cooldown windows and is the natural progression from 1:1 as gear improves.

Auto Shot → Auto Shot → Auto Shot → Steady Shot (Multi-Shot when off cooldown) → repeat

Kill Command on cooldown.

This rotation appears only under very high haste values. It is mostly seen later in the expansion or during stacked haste effects. In Phase 1, it is uncommon and usually temporary, but it can occur during overlapping haste buffs. It maximizes Auto Shot value when Steady Shot would otherwise clip swings.

Auto Shot → Steady Shot → Multi-Shot → Auto Shot → Steady Shot → Auto Shot → Steady Shot → Arcane Shot → Auto Shot → repeat

Kill Command on cooldown

This rotation is used with slow-range weapons when you have no haste buffs active. It intentionally delays Auto Shots slightly to fit both Multi-Shot and Arcane Shot into the cycle. The damage gain comes from squeezing in extra instant shots, but the trade-off is high mana usage, making it viable only with strong mana support.

Auto Shot → Steady Shot → Raptor Strike → Auto Shot → Steady Shot (Multi-Shot when safe) → repeat

Auto Attack replaces Raptor Strike when it is on cooldown

Kill Command on cooldown

This rotation is used when you choose to melee weave. It requires playing in close range and stepping in after Steady Shot to land Raptor Strike. When executed well, it provides a noticeable DPS gain, but it demands constant focus and awareness of both mechanics and positioning. It is not recommended for every fight or every player.

AoE Hunter Rotation

This rotation is used on multi-target trash pulls. Hunters still have limited AoE, so the goal is simply to prioritize Multi-Shot whenever it is off cooldown, then fall back into your normal single-target rotation. Steady Shot fills when Multi-Shot is unavailable, and Auto Shot remains the anchor of the rotation.

Multi-Shot → Auto Shot → Steady Shot → Auto Shot → Steady Shot → repeat

Multi-Shot replaces Steady Shot whenever it is off cooldown

Kill Command on cooldown

Unlike most classes, Hunter DPS is built around Auto Shot timing rather than ability cooldowns. Your effective weapon speed constantly changes during a fight due to Rapid Fire, Bloodlust, haste procs, drums, and consumables. Because of this, the number of Auto Shots you can safely fire between Steady Shots changes in real time.

If you try to follow a single locked rotation, you will either clip Auto Shots or lose Steady Shot casts, both of which lower DPS. Instead, Hunters play a priority system that naturally shifts between these rotations depending on haste.

Best Hunter Professions in TBC Classic Anniversary

There are professions that Hunters would benefit from, and those are no-brainers. First of all, you have leatherworking, which is basically the source of your bis max-level gear. Besides, it pairs well with skinning, which is like the easiest profession to level up. Oh, and you can also make something like a party white buff trinket - the drums.

Next up, you have engineering, which is unsurprisingly the source of many cool trinkets you will use in combat. Stuff like: Dimensional Reaper - Area 52 and Adamantite Grenade. Also, with engineering, you can make exclusive flying mounts. Obviously, engineering goes hand in hand with mining, where you get the crafting materials from.

Read our other TBC Classic Anniversary guides:

• Mage Guide
• PvP Classes Tier List
• Best Professions
• Gold Farming Guide

F.A.Q.