WoW Forever Hunter Guide: Pets, Gear, Builds & Macros

Snapshot boundary: The beta is closed. The level-20/30 talent tables below are archived examples for fixed build 1.60.1.69876, not current level caps or verified level-60 builds. Role choices are editorial guidance; announced class mechanics have their own source.

Beast Mastery is the safest first Hunter leveling path because a dependable pet reduces damage taken and drinking or bandaging between pulls. Marksmanship is the ranged-damage alternative, while Survival rewards traps, melee responses and encounter control.

Choose the activity before choosing gear

Activity	Practical decision
Solo	use the archived Beast Mastery plan as a pet-based example, with pet recovery and safe pulls.
Dungeon	agree on pet threat, positioning and crowd control; recall the pet before moving past packs.
PvP	use traps and pet control to manage distance; choosing a family is not a verified damage ranking.

For the rank and currency systems, see PvP rewards and reputation.

A Forever change worth checking

Blizzard makes Aimed Shot baseline at level 20 and describes Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot as sharing a cooldown. Pets scale with Hunter gear but cannot receive player stat buffs. These rules matter more than copying a Classic shot sequence. Blizzard — class deep dive, announced mechanics.

Level 20 Beast Mastery build — 11 points

Talent	Rank
Deadly Aspects	5/5
Endurance Training	5/5
Bestial Swiftness	1/1

The plan invests in the Hunter/pet foundation and reaches the first one-point milestone with a valid 11-point allocation.

Level 30 Beast Mastery extension — 21 points

Keep the level-20 points, then add:

Talent	Added rank
Unleashed Fury	5/5
Focused Fire	2/2
Pathfinding	2/2
Intimidation	1/1

The result emphasizes pet pressure, movement and an additional control button. Lone Wolf appears in Marksmanship, but choosing it changes the core pet-based premise of this build.

Combat priority

1. Send the pet first and allow it to establish threat before committing every shot.
2. Maintain the relevant Sting when the target will live long enough.
3. Use shots without carelessly disrupting the rhythm of ranged auto attacks.
4. Mend and reposition the pet before it dies; a dead pet creates far more downtime than a slower pull.
5. Use traps and Intimidation to control extra enemies rather than trying to damage through every mistake.

Gear direction

Upgrade the ranged weapon when possible. Agility, Stamina and suitable Hit/Critical Strike items are sensible directions, while pet survival can be worth more than a tiny personal damage gain during solo leveling. Do not assume a level-20 item is permanent Best in Slot while beta loot and tuning are moving.

Use the Talent Calculator to compare Beast Mastery, Marksmanship and Survival.

Early gear sources and alternatives

These are lookup examples from the 42-item loot snapshot, reviewed September 24, not new October item testing or a BiS ranking. That dataset does not contain full attributes, class restrictions or confirmed boss attribution. Inspect the actual tooltip, trained weapon type and role before rolling; two items in the same slot are not automatically interchangeable upgrades.

Slot / type	Beta lookup candidate	Source	Another candidate
Ranged Crossbow	Barbaric Crossbow — requires level 13	Ragefire Chasm	No second same-slot sample in this snapshot
Hands Leather	Flamefist Grips — requires level 13	The Hall of Thanes	No second same-slot sample in this snapshot
Feet Leather	Chasm Walkers — requires level 13	Ragefire Chasm	No second same-slot sample in this snapshot

If the tooltip is unsuitable, compare an already-owned quest or crafted item instead of farming a name on this list. No drop rate or guaranteed upgrade is promised.

Enchants and consumables for this role

Inspect ranged-weapon upgrades first for ranged play, then the stats on armor and accessories; do not assume a melee weapon improves every shot. Compare Agility/offensive enchants with survival needs. Bring ammunition if your equipped weapon requires it, pet food suitable for its diet, recovery supplies and food for yourself.

Use Enchanting for formulas, Merchant's Favor for vendor requirements and Camping for non-stacking class buffs. Check item level, slot restrictions and temporary-effect compatibility before paying.

A practical macro template

/petattack [nomod:alt,pet,harm,nodead]
/petfollow [mod:alt,pet]

Press normally to send an existing pet at your living hostile target; hold Alt to request follow instead. This neither summons nor revives a pet and does not switch its autocast or behavior settings.

This is English-client syntax, not an in-game Forever test. Replace spell names with the exact names from your own spellbook. Use the macro setup and troubleshooting guide for binding, target checks and limitations.

Data note and sources

This allocation is validated against the fixed 1.60.1.69876 snapshot. It is an editorial leveling plan, not a live combat simulation.

• Blizzard — Forever Deep Dive
• Beta Build Tracker

Hunter pet families and new tames

The separate Hunter Pet Database tracks all 18 currently listed tameable families, their diets, signature abilities and Forever-specific changes such as Fox, Savage Rend, Web and Dismember. This build page stays canonical for Hunter talents and leveling.

• Blizzard — class deep dive, announced mechanics