MoP Beta Build 15640 Brings some Clarifications, Reversions, and Tier 14 Set Bonuses for Hunters

Mushan at Mushan, Etc.: Via WoW Hunters Hall via MMO-Champion, we have a list of the changes to hunters in the latest beta build.  From what I can see, the picture is becoming clearer as far as how hunters will play when the expansion goes live.

One of the nice things that we’re seeing is that some of the talents that were “mandatory” in Cataclysm are finally baked into abilities where they previously weren’t.  Here’s what things look like for Marksmanship and Survival hunters in particular:

Focus cost

  • Arcane Shot’s focus cost is back down to 22 focus;
  • Black Arrow now costs 35 focus;
  • Explosive Shot now costs 44 focus;
  • Chimera Shot now costs 44 focus.

It’s great to see the changes to focus cost for these abilities.  The un-talented focus costs in MoP beta were difficult to see as anything other than “they forgot to bake those talents in” rather than as new design, so it’s nice that they’ve finally clarified that for us.

Concussive Shot

  • Concussive Shot is back.  Glyph of Arcane Shot (which gave a base Concussive Shot effect to Arcane) is gone.

There was a lot of discussion about the disappearance of Concussive Shot and the new ability to glyph it to Arcane, and most hunters were not happy about it.  This separates the two, bringing back the no-focus, no-damage, and (as far as I can tell) run speed benefits that many hunters were eulogizing in the past several weeks, and frees up a glyph spot to boot.

Other reversions of note

  • Trap Mastery now also effects Black Arrow (cutting its cooldown by six seconds).
  • Black Arrow, with Trap Mastery, has been entirely reverted to its current talented state mechanically: instant shot, damage over 20 seconds, shares a CD with fire trap spells, procs Lock and Load.
  • Explosive Trap now procs Lock and Load.
  • Serpent Spread is back.

With these changes, the great SV reversion is in full swing, and it’s for the better, in my opinion.  The SV rotation has worked brilliantly in 4.3, and these changes bring back much of the flavor, mobility, and adaptability that SV hunters love about the spec.

Key changes

  • Powershot now deals 400% weapon damage, plus 100% weapon damage to all enemies between you and the target, which are four times the previous values (100%, 25%).
  • Silencing Shot now has a 40 yard range, up from 35 yards. . . . Read full article
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