WoW Forever Hunter Leveling Guide (1–60)

The Hunter levels with a tank on a leash. From level 10 your pet holds every mob while you shoot it, so you rarely take a hit, rarely eat, and never wait for a group. Forever makes that loop stronger: your pet inherits 10% of your Attack Power and all of your Critical Strike chance, traps work in combat, and every Hunter trains Aimed Shot at 20.

Beast Mastery is the default leveling spec. Deadly Aspects speeds up your Auto Shot from level 10, Summon Hawk puts two hawks on every mob from 25, and Bestial Wrath at 40 turns your pet loose for 18 seconds. Your pet does more of the work at every level.

Marksmanship levels with the same pet but spends its points on your own shots. From 27–28, Rapid Killing buffs the first shot on every new mob. At 38, Rapid Recuperation turns spending that buff into mana regeneration while you fight: half of it at 38, all of it at 39. You reach Sniper Shot at 47 and head into 60 ready for raids.

What changed from Classic

• Your first pet arrives at 10, as before, but Tame Beast no longer works on beasts above your level. You can't tame a rare that outlevels you.
• Aimed Shot is a trained shot for everyone, and it shares a 6-second cooldown with Multi-Shot.
• Traps work in combat. A Freezing Trap in the middle of a fight handles the add that used to kill you.
• Disengage no longer drops you out of combat; it only lowers threat.
• Hunter's Mark ranks 1 to 3 give more Ranged Attack Power than in Classic. Rank 4 gives less.
• Rapid Fire speeds up melee attacks too, for 15 seconds on a 5-minute cooldown.

Visit your trainer at every even level. Hunters get something almost every time.

Levels 1–10

• 1: Raptor Strike, Auto Shot and Track Beasts.
• 4: Aspect of the Monkey and Serpent Sting.
• 6: Arcane Shot and Hunter's Mark.
• 8: Concussive Shot and Raptor Strike rank 2.
• 10: Aspect of the Hawk, Track Humanoids and Serpent Sting rank 2 from the trainer. The Taming the Beast class quest gives you Tame Beast, Call Pet, Dismiss Pet, Feed Pet and Revive Pet. Beast Training also arrives at 10.

Levels 12–20

• 12: Mend Pet, Wing Clip, Distracting Shot and Arcane Shot rank 2.
• 14: Scare Beast, Eyes of the Beast and Eagle Eye.
• 16: Immolation Trap, Mongoose Bite and Raptor Strike rank 3.
• 18: Multi-Shot, Aspect of the Hawk rank 2 and Serpent Sting rank 3.
• 20: Aimed Shot, Freezing Trap, Aspect of the Cheetah, Disengage, Arcane Shot rank 3, Mend Pet rank 2 and Dual Wield.

Levels 22–30

• 22: Scorpid Sting and Hunter's Mark rank 2.
• 24: Beast Lore, Raptor Strike rank 4 and Track Hidden.
• 26: Rapid Fire, Immolation Trap rank 2 and Serpent Sting rank 4.
• 28: Frost Trap, Aimed Shot rank 2, Arcane Shot rank 4, Aspect of the Hawk rank 3 and Mend Pet rank 3.
• 30: Feign Death, Aspect of the Beast, Lacerate, Mongoose Bite rank 2 and Scare Beast rank 2.

Levels 32–40

• 32: Flare, Raptor Strike rank 5, and Trueshot Aura if you took the talent.
• 34: Explosive Trap, Disengage rank 2 and Serpent Sting rank 5.
• 36: Viper Sting, Aimed Shot rank 3, Arcane Shot rank 5, Immolation Trap rank 3, Mend Pet rank 4, and Summon Hawk if you took the talent.
• 38: Aspect of the Hawk rank 4 and Wing Clip rank 2.
• 40: Volley, Aspect of the Pack, Freezing Trap rank 2, Hunter's Mark rank 3, Aspect of the Beast rank 2, Lacerate rank 2, Raptor Strike rank 6, Trueshot Aura rank 3, and the Mail armor skill.

Levels 42–50

• 42: Serpent Sting rank 6.
• 44: Aimed Shot rank 4, Arcane Shot rank 6, Explosive Trap rank 2, Mend Pet rank 5 and Mongoose Bite rank 3.
• 46: Aspect of the Wild, Immolation Trap rank 4, Viper Sting rank 2 and Scare Beast rank 3.
• 48: Aspect of the Hawk rank 5, Disengage rank 3, Raptor Strike rank 7, and Sniper Shot and Summon Hawk rank 3 if you took those talents.
• 50: Serpent Sting rank 7, Volley rank 2, Aspect of the Beast rank 3, Lacerate rank 3 and Trueshot Aura rank 4.

Levels 52–60

• 52: Aimed Shot rank 5, Arcane Shot rank 7 and Mend Pet rank 6.
• 54: Explosive Trap rank 3.
• 56: Aspect of the Wild rank 2, Immolation Trap rank 5, Raptor Strike rank 8 and Viper Sting rank 3.
• 58: Aspect of the Hawk rank 6, Hunter's Mark rank 4, Serpent Sting rank 8, Mongoose Bite rank 4, Volley rank 3, and Sniper Shot rank 3 if you took the talent.
• 60: Aimed Shot rank 6, Arcane Shot rank 8, Serpent Sting rank 9, Aspect of the Hawk rank 7, Aspect of the Beast rank 4, Lacerate rank 4, Freezing Trap rank 3, Mend Pet rank 7, Wing Clip rank 3, and the top ranks of Summon Hawk and Trueshot Aura. Tranquilizing Shot doesn't come from the trainer: you learn it from Tome of Tranquilizing Shot, which requires level 60.

What to skip

• Raptor Strike, Mongoose Bite and Lacerate ranks if you play Beast Mastery or Marksmanship. You fight at range. Keep rank 1 of each for the odd mob that reaches you.
• Distracting Shot ranks until you tank-swap in dungeons.
• Tracking spells you won't use. Track Beasts and Humanoids cover most of your quests.
• Scare Beast and Beast Lore are nice, not needed. Buy them when gold is loose.

Dwarf is the Alliance leveling pick. Big Game Hunter gives 5% more damage against Beasts, and a big share of what you kill from 1 to 60 is a Beast. Stoneform clears Poisons, Bleeds and Diseases and cuts Physical damage taken by 10% for 8 seconds.

Troll is the Horde match. Beast Slaying gives the same 5% against Beasts, and Rapid Regeneration heals half your health over 6 seconds between pulls: one fewer meal every few fights.

Night Elf levels well too: Shadowmeld drops you out of a bad pull, and Quickness adds 2% run speed. Tauren get 5% health from Endurance and faster running from Plainsrunning. Orc brings Blood Fury for fast kills and Hardiness against stuns. Human Hunters, new in Forever, get 2% crit from Sword Specialization with a sword in the melee slot.

Skyborne Hunters start on Zephras Isle (levels 1–12). Wind Blessed gives 1% Haste, and Walk on Air lets you glide off any cliff.

Your pet is your tank for 50 levels, so pick it for the job, not the looks. Every pet learns Growl, Cower, Great Stamina, Natural Armor and the resistances through Beast Training. The family decides the one ability that sets it apart.

• Boar (level 1): Charge closes the gap, roots the mob for 1 second and adds Attack Power to the boar's next hit. It has the mob's attention before your second shot lands, and a boar tamed at 10 already has it.
• Bear (level 12): Swipe hits three enemies at once, so a bear holds two or three mobs while you shoot.
• Turtle (level 20): Shell Shield halves the damage your pet takes for 12 seconds. Use it on elites and on pulls you shouldn't have taken.
• Gorilla (level 30): Thunderstomp deals Nature damage to every enemy within 8 yards, which keeps a group of mobs on the gorilla.
• Spider (level 12): Web roots a mob in place. Web the runner and shoot it down.
• Crab and Hyena (level 12): Pinch and Tendon Rip slow a mob by 50% for 9 seconds.
• Cat (level 30): Prowl stealths your pet and boosts its first attack.

The level is when the family ability first becomes available. A bear, spider, crab or hyena tamed at 10 fights without its special until 12. Tame Beast no longer works on beasts above your level, so plan ahead: the pet you want at 30 lives in a zone you reach at 30.

These are the levels where your Hunter gets noticeably stronger. Plan your trainer visits and dungeon runs around them.

• 10: your first pet, Aspect of the Hawk and your first talent point. From here on, something else takes the hits.
• 20: Aimed Shot, Freezing Trap and Aspect of the Cheetah. Aimed Shot is your hardest hit, Freezing Trap handles every add, and Cheetah cuts your travel time.
• 25: Summon Hawk for Beast Mastery.
• 26: Rapid Fire, 40% faster attacks for 15 seconds.
• 27–28: Rapid Killing for Marksmanship: every kill buffs your next shot by 20%.
• 28: Frost Trap for multi-mob pulls.
• 30: Feign Death, your escape from any pull.
• 32: Trueshot Aura for Marksmanship.
• 38–39: Rapid Recuperation for Marksmanship. At 38, spending Rapid Killing lets half your mana regeneration continue while you fight; at 39, all of it.
• 40: Bestial Wrath for Beast Mastery, and Volley and Aspect of the Pack for everyone.
• 47: Sniper Shot for Marksmanship.
• 60: top ranks of everything, and Tranquilizing Shot from Tome of Tranquilizing Shot.

Which aspect when

• Aspect of the Hawk in every fight from 10. It is your damage aspect, and Deadly Aspects' ranged proc only works while it's up.
• Aspect of the Monkey before 10, while you still fight in melee, and any time a mob pins you and you can't get away.
• Aspect of the Cheetah between quest hubs from 20. Any damage dazes you for 4 seconds, so switch back before you reach the mobs.
• Aspect of the Pack from 40 when you run with a group. It dazes whoever takes damage, so turn it off before the pull.

Food and water

Hunters use mana and health, so you eat and drink. Buy water in stacks at every inn and carry food for your pet as well as for yourself. Crafted food in Forever gives a small experience bonus on top of its buff, and eating seated for 10 seconds gives Well Fed for 15 minutes: a Cooking skill that keeps up with your level pays for itself.

Camps

Every player can place a Basic Campfire, no materials needed. A campsite gives you a spot to rest, repair and craft between quest hubs, and its buffs last about an hour. Set one up where you'll grind for a while, not for a single quest.

Keeping the pet healthy

Train every rank of Mend Pet and cast it before the pet drops to a third of its health. Revive Pet costs all of your base mana and takes 10 seconds, so a pet you save is always cheaper than a pet you revive.

Agility gives Attack Power and crit, and your pet copies your crit and a share of your Attack Power. Stamina keeps you alive when a mob breaks off the pet. Intellect pays for your shots, and with Careful Aim in the Marksmanship build it also turns into Attack Power: move it up to second when you play that build.

Ranged weapon

Your bow, gun or crossbow is your damage. Replace it every time a quest or drop offers more damage per second. White crossbows plug the gaps: Fine Light Crossbow at 16 and Heavy Crossbow at 29. Early on, Hunting Bow at 6 is a solid bind-on-equip bow, and Heartseeking Crossbow at 51 brings Agility and Stamina with it.

Melee weapon

Put anything with Agility or Stamina in your melee slot. It is a stat stick for Beast Mastery and Marksmanship. Humans want a sword there for Sword Specialization, Orcs an axe.

Quivers and ammo pouches

Every quiver and pouch speeds up your ranged attacks. Upgrade on schedule:

• Light Leather Quiver or Small Leather Ammo Pouch (Leatherworking, no level): 10%.
• Medium Quiver at 10: 10% with 10 slots.
• Heavy Quiver or Heavy Leather Ammo Pouch at 30 (Leatherworking): 12%.
• Quickdraw Quiver or Thick Leather Ammo Pouch at 40 (Leatherworking): 13%.
• Harpy Hide Quiver at 55: 15%.

Scopes

Engineers make them, and each one adds flat damage to your bow or gun: Crude Scope at 5 (1), Standard Scope at 10 (2), Accurate Scope at 20 (3), Deadly Scope at 30 (5) and Sniper Scope at 40 (7).

Armor

Agility first, then Stamina. Take quest rewards over vendor gear every time.

Skinning and Leatherworking is the Hunter leveling pair. Your pet kills beasts all day, and every one of them is leather. Leatherworking turns it into your armor, your quivers and your ammo pouches.

Skinning and Mining makes the most gold. Sell the leather and ore, and pick up Engineering at 60 for scopes and the Biznicks 247x128 Accurascope.

First Aid on the side. Bandages heal you when your mana is gone and your pet is busy.

Every dungeon run is quest XP plus a shot at a better ranged weapon. Levels are the range Forever recommends for each dungeon. Turn your pet's Growl off before you enter, and turn it back on when you leave.

• 13–18: Hall of Thanes beneath Ironforge, new in Forever, and Ragefire Chasm in Orgrimmar.
• 15–20: Ruins of Lordaeron in Tirisfal Glades, new in Forever.
• 17–24: Wailing Caverns in the Barrens.
• 17–26: The Deadmines in Westfall.
• 22–30: Shadowfang Keep in Silverpine Forest.
• 24–32: Blackfathom Deeps in Ashenvale and The Stockade in Stormwind.
• 29–38: Gnomeregan in Dun Morogh and Razorfen Kraul in the Barrens.
• 30–46: Scarlet Monastery in Tirisfal Glades.
• 37–46: Razorfen Downs in the Barrens.
• 41–51: Uldaman in the Badlands.
• 44–54: Zul'Farrak in Tanaris.
• 46–55: Maraudon in Desolace.
• 50–60: Sunken Temple in the Swamp of Sorrows.
• 52–60: Blackrock Depths in Blackrock Mountain.
• 54–60: Dire Maul in Feralas.
• 55–60: Lower Blackrock Spire in Blackrock Mountain.
• 58–60: Scholomance in the Western Plaguelands and Stratholme in the Eastern Plaguelands.
• 59–60: Upper Blackrock Spire in Blackrock Mountain.

Three new dungeons are in the game files but not open in the beta yet, so you can't run them today: Excavation Site: Wetlands (24–29, in the Wetlands), City of Dalaran (28–33, in the Alterac Mountains) and The Drowned City (35–40, on the coast of Stranglethorn Vale). Alcaz Prison, Blackmaw Hold, Krol'dok Stronghold and Shaper's Terrace are announced, but they have no level range or bosses yet.

Your first pet

Your starting-zone Hunter trainer runs the taming chain. You tame three local beasts in turn with a Taming Rod, then speak to the Hunter trainer in your capital about training your pet.

• Dwarf: Grif Wildheart in Kharanos sends you out: Taming the Beast (Large Crag Boar), Taming the Beast (Snow Leopard) and Taming the Beast (Ice Claw Bear). Then Training the Beast sends you to Ironforge.
• Night Elf: Dazalar in Dolanaar: Taming the Beast (Webwood Lurker), Taming the Beast (Nightsaber Stalker) and Taming the Beast (Strigid Screecher). Then Training the Beast in Darnassus.
• Orc and Troll: Thotar at Razor Hill: Taming the Beast (Dire Mottled Boar), Taming the Beast (Surf Crawler) and Taming the Beast (Armored Scorpid). Then Training the Beast in Orgrimmar.
• Tauren: Yaw Sharpmane in Bloodhoof Village: Taming the Beast (Adult Plainstrider), Taming the Beast (Prairie Stalker) and Taming the Beast (Swoop). Then Training the Beast in Thunder Bluff.

Human, High Order Skyborne and Windshaper Skyborne Hunters are new to the class, and we have not confirmed their first-pet quests yet. The level-10 class quest below teaches every Hunter to tame, whatever your race.

Keep whichever practice pet you like, or tame a better one right after. A boar's Charge is a strong start.

Every Hunter

Every Hunter gets Tame Beast, Call Pet, Dismiss Pet, Feed Pet and Revive Pet from the level-10 class quest Taming the Beast, not from the trainer. Tame a beast at or below your level with Tame Beast, and it's yours. Your trainer adds Mend Pet at 12, Eyes of the Beast at 14 and Beast Lore at 24.

Mend Pet before it's urgent. A pet at half health with Mend Pet ticking is a pet you don't have to revive. Revive Pet is a 10-second cast and costs all of your base mana.

Feign Death at 30 is your escape. It tricks enemies into ignoring you. Call your pet back, trap whatever still chases you, and reset.

Aspect of the Cheetah for travel only. Any damage dazes you for 4 seconds. Switch back to Hawk before you reach the mobs.

Use Eyes of the Beast to scout. Eyes of the Beast puts you in control of your pet for 2 minutes. Send it ahead to check a camp before you pull.

Hunter's Mark from far away. It works at 100 yards and lasts 2 minutes, so mark your next target while your pet finishes the current one.

Level your First Aid. Bandages heal you when your mana is gone and your pet is busy, and they cost nothing but cloth you already loot.

Buy ammo in bulk. An empty quiver means no Auto Shot and no shots at all.

Send your pet and start shooting in one button.

#showtooltip Hunter's Mark
/petattack
/cast Hunter's Mark
/cast !Auto Shot

Pet care: revive if dead, call if gone, heal otherwise.

#showtooltip
/cast [@pet,dead] Revive Pet; [nopet] Call Pet; Mend Pet

Freezing Trap with your pet pulled back, so it doesn't break the ice.

#showtooltip Freezing Trap
/petfollow
/cast Freezing Trap

Stop whatever you're casting and Feign Death.

#showtooltip Feign Death
/stopcasting
/cast Feign Death