Over in PTR land, where life is always just a little bit better and a little bit more unpredictable then life over on live, the patch 4.1 testing is starting to wind down. Things are shaping up and looking pretty close to how we think they'll look when the material goes live.

As always, we never know exactly when the patch will hit, but all signs point to soon. So this then becomes the perfect time to start taking a look at all the new hunter loot the patch will shower on us.

Since this patch is not bringing a new raid tier, the only new loot we're getting comes from the two new 5-man dungeons, the revamped Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman. These dungeons will drop ilvl 353 epic loot. This means that while the loot is better than other heroics, it's still going to be worse than your raid gear. Worse yet, despite dropping a bunch of new loot on us, there still isn't another frickin' hunter bracer [Update: commenters point out that yes there is! Woo!], and there still isn't a frickin' gun. Come on, guys! If you're making new loot, please fill up our gear gaps!

Nevertheless, there are plenty of other shiny new toys for us to play with. Join me after the cut for a rundown of the patch 4.1 hunter loot.

We're not sure where it all drops

While the loot has all been datamined by busy goblins across the interwebs, we do not yet know exactly where the loot drops -- which pieces drop from ZG, and which drop from ZA. In some cases, we can tell from the name of the item. Say, for example, it's named after a ZG boss, we can be pretty sure it drops in ZG. But for the most part, we'll have to wait and see.

Patch 4.1 hunter weapons

Patch 4.1 is indeed bringing us some new weapons -- and sadly, those ranged weapons are again all bows. I swear to you, some troll somewhere is working dark mojo on the Blizzard developer staff ...

• Mandokir's Tribute This dirty contraption of twig and twine surely drops from Bloodlord Mandokir in Zul'Gurub. Its 589.4 base DPS doesn't come close to the 623.3 DPS of the raid bows; however, it's certainly a very nice step up from the crafted or other blue ranged weapons.
• Jin'do's Verdict This staff almost certainly drops from Jin'do the Hexxer in Zul'Gurub. It's got a nice chunk of agility, but again, less than the raiding option. Happily, crit chance is one of the secondary stats on this one.

Patch 4.1 hunter accessories

• Amulet of the Watcher A nice neckpiece featuring crit and mastery and only 10 agility less than the normal mode raid neck pieces. Drop source unknown.
• Arlokk's Signet Crit and mastery is the continuing theme with this ring, and again, just 10 agility less than the raid drops. Drop source unknown.
• Amani Battle Bear No list of 4.1 loot would be complete without the new mount drop, the Amani Battle Bear -- a perfect accessory for any hunter. This very likely drops from Zul'Aman, replacing the BC-era mount that was briefly available there.

Patch 4.1 hunter armor

• Headdress of Sharpened Vision The new helm drop includes a yellow socket, with a juicy +30 agility socket bonus. Hit and mastery for secondary stats are okay, I suppose. But man, the mastery just keeps coming. Really, all hunters will want the tier 11 helm over this. A drop that could readily have been used for guns ... Drop source unknown.
• Pauldrons of Narlorakk Who the heck is Narlorakk? These shoulders have hit and crit for secondary stats, which rocks, but then deflates with the yellow socket and a measly +10 mastery socket bonus. We'll just ignore that bonus and toss our agility gem in there. Drop source unknown.
• Breastplate of Primal Fury Definitely, unquestionably, get your T11 chestpiece instead of this puppy. Crit and mastery for secondary stats again, but a mastery socket bonus, which nets this piece so much less agility than the valor-purchasable T11. Another drop that could be replaced with a gun! Drop source unknown.
• Waistband of Hexes With haste and mastery secondary stats and a blue socket, not even the +10 agility socket bonus redeems this one. The leatherworking craftable Corded Viper Belt is a much better options. If you have the means, I highly recommend it. It is choice. There's probably a decent chance that this drops from Jin'Do the Hexxer in Zul Gurub.
• Zombie Walker Legguards Another case of clearly you want to spend your valor points and buy the T11 legs before using these. Crit and haste secondary stats are fine, but a 20 haste socket bonus hurts (unless you're wrangling for a haste plateau) as does the blue socket. I'm counting that as three drops that could easily have been a gun. Or 3 different guns. Drop source unknown.
• Handguards of the Tormented Hit and crit for a nice secondary stat combo, a red socket, but then a crit socket bonus. Gloves are also available in the T11 set, but these actually come pretty to them. Drop source unknown.
• Wristguards of the Predator Haste and mastery make for not the best secondary stat set, but my the Titans we're happy to have another epic bracer option in the game!
• Recovered Cloak of Frostheim Without question the greatest drop in all of 4.1, and something that I'm certainly going to run out and get. Sure, it's 10 agility less than the raid drops, and sure, the hit and haste are a bit lower, but this isn't the kind of cloak you risk damaging while raiding -- this is a night on the town kind of cloak. Delightfully, the flavor text on this puppy (which isn't on the Wowhead tooltip yet) is, "This gunpowder-stained cloak belonged to an uncommonly good-looking hunter." It still brings a tear to my eye. Drop source unknown, but I figure this must be something that I lost in my very, very early days of raiding. ZG was my first raid, after all, and I lost a lot of gear in there.

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Scattered Shots is dedicated to helping you learn everything it takes to be a hunter. From leveling your hunter through optimizing for heroics, pre-heroic loot and pre-raid loot, then on to choosing the right spec for the right job and how to "aspect dance" to maximize your DPS, we've got you covered.

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