World of Warcraft Patch 11.1 is Going to Be a Big Update for Hunters

World of Warcraft Patch 11.1: Hunter Class Overhaul

Patch 11.1 of World of Warcraft introduces significant changes to the Hunter class, impacting pet management, specializations, and core abilities. These changes, while subject to player feedback from the PTR, are expected to launch in February.

Key Changes Summarized:

Pet Specialization Changes: Hunters can now alter their pet's specialization (Cunning, Ferocity, or Tenacity) at the stable, offering greater flexibility.
Beast Mastery Overhaul: Beast Mastery Hunters can choose to utilize a single, more powerful pet instead of two.
Marksmanship Transformation: Marksmanship Hunters lose their pet entirely, gaining a Spotting Eagle companion that marks targets for increased damage. This change has generated significant discussion among players.
Undermine and the Liberation of Undermine Raid: The new patch introduces the Undermine zone and a new raid against Gallywix.

Detailed Hunter Class Changes:

The core changes affect all three Hunter specializations:

Beast Mastery: Significant buffs to pet damage and size when using the "Solitary Companion" talent. New talents focus on area-of-effect damage and control. Several talents have been removed.
Marksmanship: A complete rework centered around the "Sharpshooter" fantasy. The loss of the pet has been met with mixed reactions. New abilities include Harrier's Cry (a raid-wide haste buff) and Eyes in the Sky (the Spotting Eagle mechanic). Many new talents and abilities are introduced, while numerous older talents are removed.
Survival: Changes aim to streamline the rotation, making it less complex. The choice between Flanking Strike and Butchery is now mutually exclusive. New talents are added, and several older ones are removed.

General Hunter Changes:

Several abilities across all specializations have been adjusted:

Kindling Flare: Increased radius.
Territorial Instincts: Reduced Intimidation cooldown; no longer summons a pet.
Wilderness Medicine: Increased Natural Mending cooldown reduction.
No Hard Feelings: Reduced Misdirection cooldown.
Roar of Sacrifice: Reworked for Marksmanship, protecting a friendly target from critical strikes.
Intimidation: A unique, line-of-sight-independent version for Marksmanship.
Explosive Shot: Increased projectile speed.
Eyes of the Beast & Eagle Eye: Now specialization-specific.
Freezing Trap: Damage-based break threshold.

Pack Leader Hero Talent Rework:

The Pack Leader talent has undergone a significant overhaul. Instead of choosing which pets to summon, Hunters will now summon a bear, wyvern, and boar simultaneously. New talents offer various strategic options based on these summoned companions.

Player Feedback:

Blizzard emphasizes the importance of player feedback during the PTR testing phase. Hunters are encouraged to provide feedback on the changes to ensure a balanced and enjoyable gameplay experience.