Patch 3.2.2 PTR: Another Beast Within change
by Mike Schramm 
Sep 17th 2009 at 11:00AM
Of course, this is the PTR we're talking about, so this change isn't set in stone any more than the first change was (not to mention that in the next expansion, Hunters won't need mana anyway, so who knows what'll happen then). But those of you who freaked out over the first Bestial Wrath changes can at least take comfort in the fact that the talent is still being worked on.
2n - 1 go left, 2n go right. I don't see enough DoTs! More DoTs now! Are you ready for the return of Onyxia? With the Brood Mother being revitalized as a 10 and 25 person raid, you'll need to be sure you know everything that's coming at you. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2.2 will make sure your set for the next patch!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Rugus Sep 17th 2009 11:04AM
BM should be "the" hunter spec. It's a shame Blizzard left it behind MM and SV as they should be more or less on the same boat in terms of pure DPS. What I really hate of BM is that cool/rare/exotic pets are just a vanity toy. Loque'Nahak, Skoll, ... they're just "nice" to look at... but nothing else.
Boz Sep 17th 2009 11:31AM
No single Spec should ever be "the" spec; they should all be viable because every player enjoys playing a different tree. It's a shame when players are told they cannot join a group or raid because they enjoy playing a less popular spec, or because they love their exotic pet.
I would also disagree that exotic pets are purely for the sake of vanity. In many cases they have superior abilities, with Devilsaurs being an improvement over Raptors and Silithids being an improvement over crabs and spiders.
Right now a BM Hunter will be 15% to 20% behind a MM or Surv Hunter in the exact same gear, which is a huge problem from both a PvP and PvE standpoint. Currently proposed changes to BM are, thus far, insufficient to bridge this gap.
Comments from Ghostcrawler on the earlier changes are located here: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=19820512759
lee3821 Sep 17th 2009 11:33AM
=)
Nopunin10did Sep 17th 2009 12:25PM
What I'd personally like to see... would be to have BM become an optional tanking spec. Pet tanks used to be fairly viable for a time, but it's no longer the case at all.
A Tenacity pet controlled by a BM hunter should at least be heroic-viable, if not raid-viable. It's a shame they aren't. They don't have to be the best tanks, but it'd be nice if they could tank at all.
Maybe it's just because we have a tank shortage on our server.
Emophia Sep 17th 2009 12:37PM
Hunter pets can tank same level isntances up to 60 atleast in WotLK
I remember while leveling I (ret Paladin) would DPS and stop occasion to heal the tank and everyone else, and his pet (gorilla) would tank, with our warlock and Rogue and the actual hunter DPSing.
It worked out great.
Clbull Sep 17th 2009 12:44PM
@Boz
I still think BM deserves a major buff/talent overhaul. It currently is rock bottom as far as Hunter specs go.
TBW, and 18 seconds of CC immunity was the only thing that made BM worthwhile in PvP, and now that its being nerfed, I think Hunters could get a lower representation in Arena.
Ringo Flinthammer Sep 17th 2009 12:47PM
Why would BM be "the" hunter spec? All the hunters/rangers pre-WoW were known for their prowess with their weapons, not for what animal they were keeping around as a pet.
All three specs should be as close as possible in DPS and utility, with perhaps less utility for the easier to play specs.
SunwellVialist Sep 17th 2009 2:08PM
@Nopunin10did
Last year, during Halloween, it was definitely a Spec that could be used to tank.
I used a Gorilladin several times to tank the headless horseman, allowing more DPS/Healers to come along for their own little shot at some useful rings and stuff. With two Hunters and pets, it was an easy, fun fight, even.
I'd really like to see BM spec to become viable in that way again.
Bullseyed Sep 18th 2009 10:43AM
Random Comments:
1.) For over two years I have been saying that the BM tree should be modeled after Feral Druids. We should become a hybrid class that can tank or dps depending on gear and talents within one tree. We could share gear with Feral tanks and have an armor boost talent (Thick Hide anyone?) to upgrade the leather to mail.
2.) Hunter representation cannot get any worse in arena, considering we were sitting at somewhere around 0.5%. Hint: 10% is balanced and even with readiness/bm and tnt hunters have NEVER passed 11%.
3.) The cooldown reduction is a huge nerf that Blizzard is trying to suppress. BW/TBW popped? Press bubble and the hunter automatically loses. Press iceblock and the hunter loses. Press icebound fortitude and the hunter loses. Press evasion and the hunter loses. It used to be that many classes had to deal with 5-8 seconds of hunter damage, but now they won't even have to worry.
4.) GC said the talent had to be nerfed because it was both offensive and defensive. Still waiting on Paladins to not be allowed to attack or heal while bubbled.
Andrew R. Sep 17th 2009 11:13AM
Blizzard will never let BM be on par with MM and SV because they claim it's "easier" to play than the other two specs. If that's the case then why didn't they change it in wrath?
In my opinion BM is no easier than the other two specs. You still have a shot rotation, cooldowns to manage and you have to watch your pet more closely. If your pet dies then your dps plummets. Keeping your pet alive in a fight that isn't nice to the hunter's pet is harder than most people think.
I play BM for fun but I raid as SV. I'm not concerned with being number one on the dps charts. I want to keep my raid progressing without hindering it because I'm constantly falling behind. While BM has been made more raid viable it still doesn't bring what MM or SV does sadly. Ferocious inspiration is a small benefit compared to what the other specs can do. This is a game and I play it to have fun.
Daestrum Sep 18th 2009 2:14AM
Ha! Beast Mastery easy to play? Maybe if our pets had the intelligence to move out of void zones, avoid cleaves, ect. As it is, we have two seperate characters to position in a fight, blow cooldowns on, and generally just keep alive.
I don't care what anyone says, Survival and Marks are the easy specs, they don't even have to care about their pet. Just spam one through six for leet deeps.
Faar Sep 18th 2009 12:03AM
Link for your lofty claim of blizzard stating BM is easier and is therefore artificially held back?
I'm pretty darned sure they've never said anything like that. Sounds like you've either misinterpreted something or dreamt it up, because I've sure never seen any blue state anything of the sort.
It's been Blizzard's policy so far that all DPS trees should be roughly equal, I see no reason why they should make an exception for hunters.
Bullseyed Sep 18th 2009 10:43AM
Faar is a retarded troll. GC said that BM does not deserve to be viable because it is too easy.
Sir7 Sep 17th 2009 11:18AM
What the hell is that in the picture--a big red pony?! Seriously, anyone know?
tedleo300 Sep 17th 2009 11:19AM
i would say a boar of some sort.
Unain Sep 17th 2009 11:21AM
Its a boar ;)
Sir7 Sep 17th 2009 11:25AM
Why would a boar make scratch marks? It'd make way more sense if it was a pony.
T Sep 17th 2009 11:34AM
Ghostcrawler promised me a (Big Red) Pony (that leaves claws marks on its victims)!
jindynasty Sep 21st 2009 9:06PM
rhino
Swampsquatch Sep 17th 2009 11:18AM
While this change is definitely looks like a buff, you get 50% cheaper shots for only 10 seconds and not 18. I think I am going to say this is just to balance the reduction out and not just a straight up "buff."