Beast Master Talent Guide

This Beast Mastery Talent Guide goes over each of the talents in the Hunter;s pet focused talent tree. The beast mastery talent tree has traditionally been for hunters that are spending most of their time grinding or leveling. However due to several key talents it became the raid and group damage talent tree of choice after patch 2.4. This specialization has lessened slightly with the release of Wrath of the Lich King, but this tree still puts out more damage than the other two in any fight where you can have your pet out and survive.

Tier 1

Tier 1 is available at level ten, when your first talents open up.

  • Improved Aspect of the Hawk - Max 5 points, provides a 10% chance to add up to a 15% attack speed increase to all your normal ranged attacks for the next 12 seconds while Aspect of the Hawk or Dragonhawk is active.
    • This can proc quite often, and proc's off of shots while it is active. This means that you can expect it to be active almost 1/2 the time.
    • 15% speed increase can provide a big DPS boost, and is nothing to ignore.
    • Recommended
  • Endurance Training - Max 5 points, increases the health of your pet by up to 10% and your health by up to 5%.
    • While grinding and leveling your pet is your tank, and any health increase is highly recommended.
    • In the end game where your pet is not taking as much damage, it can be replaced.
    • Great for PvP as your pet will be their prime target.
    • Must have while leveling or soloing

Tier 2

Tier 2 talents are available as soon as you have 5 points in that talent tree.

  • Focused Fire -
    Max 2 points, All damage caused by you is increased by up to 2% while your pet is active and the critical strike chance of your pet's special abilities is increased by up to 20% while kill command is active.
    • A straight 2% damage bonus for 2 talent points is amazing.
    • The boost to damage while kill command is active can be quite high.
    • Highly Recommended
  • Improved Aspect of the Monkey - Max 3 points, adds up to 6% to your chance to dodge while aspect of the monkey is active.
    • The dodge increase is really a survival type talent, and would be great in that tree.
    • Skip it unless your a survival hunter
  • Thick Hide - Max 3 points, adds up to 20% to the armour rating of your pet and up to 10% of your armour contributions from items.
    • Provides a solid amount of damage mitigation, especially for your pet.
    • Since your pet will be tanking for you need this talent while leveling.
    • Must have talent
  • Improved Revive Pet - Max 2 points, reduces the casting time of revive pet by up to 6 seconds, and the mana cost by up to 40%. In addition your pet comes back with up to 30% additional health.
    • This can be a great talent in raids, where if your pet dies at the start of a long fight you would like to bring it back to life.
    • In normal 5 man instances and leveling, the ability is not worth the two points.
    • Becomes a critical talent in PvP combat though, as your pet is a prime target and getting it back up quickly can save your life.
    • Recommended for PVP, otherwise skip

Tier 3

Tier 3 talents are available as soon as you have 10 points in that talent tree.

  • Pathfinding - Max 2 points, increases the speed bonus of your aspect of the cheetah and aspect of the pack by up to 8% and increases your speed while mounted by up to 10%.
    • Marginally useful, however most players don't run enough using the aspects to be worth 2 talent points.
    • The mounted speed increase is nice, but since it does not stack with other speed increases, and speed has more to do with utility than damage, it is best to spend the points elsewhere.
    • Skip it
  • Aspect Mastery - 1 point talent that provides a boost to each of your aspects as follows.
    Aspect of the Viper - Reduces the damage penalty by 10%. Aspect of the Monkey - Reduces the damage done to you while active by 5%. Aspect of the Hawk - Increases the attack power bonus by 30%.Aspect of the Dragonhawk - Combines the bonuses from Aspect of the Monkey and Hawk.
    • Provides utility or damage no matter which aspect you are using.
    • You will always have an aspect up and increasing it's effectiveness for a single point is a great deal.
    • Recommended
  • Unleashed Fury - 5 points, increases the DPS of your pet by up to 20%
    • With this ability your pets damage goes up significantly, which is why you are in the Beast Master talent tree to start with.
    • There is also no other real contender for your talent points at this level.
    • Must have talent

Tier 4

Tier 4 talents are available as soon as you have 15 points in that talent tree.

  • Improved Mend Pet - Max 2 point talent that reduces the mana cost of your Mend Pet spell by up to 20% and gives it up to a 50% chance of cleansing once curse, disease, magic or poison effect from the pet per tick.
    • This is a very good talent while you are leveling or grinding as it will help keep your pet alive much longer by removing bad effects.
    • Great PvP talent as your pet will be a target and keeping it alive and well will help keep your opponents off of you or your healer.
    • One point is not worth it, put both points into it.
    • Recommended, Strongly recommended for PvP

  • Ferocity - Max 5 points, provides up to a 10% bonus to your critical strike chance.
    • Another big increase to your pet damage and worth taking.
    • A prerequisite for frenzy which makes this a...
    • Must have talent

Tier 5

Tier 5 talents are available as soon as you have 20 points in that talent tree.

  • Spirit Bond - Max 2 points, while your pet is active you will regenerate up to 2% of your total health every 10 seconds.
    This talent also increases the healing done to you and your pet by up to 10%.
    • A very useful leveling and grinding talent as it decreases your downtime.
    • Can be useful in raids to lower your requirement for healing, but does not make a huge difference as it is only 12% of your health per minute.
    • Can be a real benefit in situations where you or your pet are taking heavy damage, such as PvP.
    • Pick it up if you grind, still leveling, or if you PvP a lot.
  • Intimidation - 1 point skill, your pet intimidates its target on the next successful melee attack, causing a high amount of threat and stunning the target for 3 seconds.
    • A great talent overall. Provides an additional pet taunt and a stun.
    • A requirement to get bestial wrath and therefore a...
    • Must have talent
  • Bestial Discipline - Max 2 points, increases your pets focus regeneration by up to 100%
    • This is a huge increase in your pets attack output, doubling the number of special attacks they will be able to use.
    • Recommended

Tier 6

Tier 6 talents are available as soon as you have 25 points in that talent tree.

  • Animal Handler - Max 2 points, increases your pet's expertise by up to 10 and reduces the cooldown of your Master's Call ability by up to 10 seconds.
    • This talent helps your pet do more damage by having their target avoid fewer attacks.
    • Master's Call is an extremely useful ability especially in PvP and having it available more often will probably be enough to have PvP players grab this talent.
    • Recommended
  • Frenzy - Max 5 points, gives your pet up to a 100% chance to gain a 30% attack speed increase for 8 seconds after dealing a critical strike.
    • The 30% attack speed increase can add up to a lot of extra damage.
    • Attacks that re proc the ability while it is already active can reset the 8 second counter.
    • An amazing talent to keep spell casters pushed back when casting quick spells, as your pets attack speed will likely be way less than 1 second while this is active.
    • Must have talent

Tier 7

Tier 7 talents are available as soon as you have 30 points in that talent tree.

  • Ferocious Inspiration - Max 3 points, provides up to a 3% damage increase for all party members for 10 seconds after your pet scores a critical hit.
    • This can be a big increase to your parties damage output as it will add to everything they do.
    • Provides a real group buff and a reason to take Beast Master Hunters with a group.
    • Recommended for raiding

  • Bestial Wrath - 1 point skill, sends your pet into a rage, causing 50% additional damage for 18 seconds. While enraged in can not be stopped unless killed.
    • This is an amazing talent as if adds damage and stops all forms of CC from working on your pet while raising their damage output significantly.
    • Great in the PvP arenas, as that annoying warlock, Warrior, Priest can no longer fear your pet off of themselves.
    • Once of the key talents to being a beast master hunter
    • Must have talent
  • Catlike Reflexes - Max 3 points, increases your pets chance to dodge by up to 9% and yours by up to 3%.
    • Very useful for your pet to stay alive while grinding or soloing.
    • Useful for PvP where you will be a target much of the time.
    • Skip it unless you PvP a lot

Tier 8

Tier 8 talents are available as soon as you have 35 points in that talent tree.

  • Invigoration - Max 2 points,
    When your pet scores a critical hit with a special ability, you have up to a 100% chance to instantly regenerate 1% mana.
    • This sounds like a great ability initially, then you read it more closely and find that it is only "critical hits with a special ability" which makes it only mediocre.
    • Your pet only attacks with special attacks every once in a while, depending on the pet it could be as little as once every 10th attack or as often as every 3rd attack, either way it cuts down the number of criticals possible quite dramatically compared to normal attacks.
    • Therefore will not be activated that often unless you team it up with later talents like Cobra Strikes.
    • Skip it unless you take cobra strikes and have the points
  • Serpent's Swiftness - Max 5 points, increases your ranged attack speed by up to 20% and your pets melee attack speed by up to 20%.
    • The main reason to be a Beast Master Hunter. While you do less damage per shot than a marksman hunter, you put out 20% more shots. This adds up to a huge amount of damage.
    • Your pet attacks more often, doing more damage and interrupting more often.
    • Must Have Talent

Tier 9

Tier 9 talents are available as soon as you have 40 points in that talent tree.

  • Longevity - 3 points max talent that reduces the cooldown of your Bestial Wrath, Intimidation and Pet Special Abilities by up to 30%.
    • Bestial Wrath is a key ability and any time it is up it should be used, this allows that use far more often.
    • Allows pet abilities to be used far more often.
    • This talent is considered a steal at only 3 points.
    • Strongly Recommended
  • The Beast Within - 1 point skill, when your pet is effected by bestial wrath, you also enrage doing 10% additional damage and reducing the mana cost of your abilities by 20%. While enraged you can not be stopped unless killed.
    • A nice boost in damage, but more importantly you can not be feared or CC'ed in any way.
    • This is what being a beast master is all about!
    • Must Have Talent
  • Cobra Strikes - 3 points max talent that grants you up to a 60% chance when you critically hit with Arcane Shot, Steady Shot or Kill Shot to cause your pet's next 2 special attacks to critically hit.
    • Provides a boost in damage from your pet after you critically hit with one of your main attacks.
    • Can have some benefit especially teamed with Invigoration, however few Hunters have the points for both of these abilities.
    • Skip it

Tier 10

Tier 10 talents are available as soon as you have 45 points in that talent tree.

  • Kindred Spirits - 5 points max.
    increases your pet's damage by up to 20% and you and your pet's movement speed by up to 10% while your pet is active. This does not stack with other movement speed increasing effect
    • A nice boost in damage to your pet, which is where a significant portion of your damage will be coming from.
    • This is what being a beast master is all about, bit pet damage!
    • The movement speed increase is nice in PvP arenas where you need to either close the gap to an enemy or escape quickly.
    • Must Have Talent

Tier 11

Tier 11 is the top tier talent and is available as soon as you have 50 points in that talent tree.

  • Beast Mastery - 1 point talent that allows you to master the art of Beast training, teaching you the ability to tame Exotic pets and increasing your total amount of Pet Skill points by 4.
    • Many players look at this talent as a way to gain access to exotic pets, however that is not the real power behind it.
    • The real power with this talent is the 4 extra pet skill points that allow you to significantly upgrade your pet's abilities.
    • This is another talent that defines what a Beast Master Hunter is.
    • Must have talent

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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Byron has been playing and writing about World of Warcraft for the past ten years. He also plays pretty much ever other Blizzard game, currently focusing on Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone, while still finding time to jump into Diablo III with his son.

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