HunterHunter leveling 1–60

Pick a leveling spec

Most sources pickBeast MasteryAlternativeMarksmanshipAlternativeSurvival

All four guide sources pick Beast Mastery: the pet tanks and scales with your gear, so pet talents also keep you safer. Blizzard confirms the pet can tank in solo and small-group play. MethodConquestCappedWoW Forever GuidesWoW Forever BuildsBlizzard

• Marksmanship: ConquestCapped says it suits play without a pet: Lone Wolf adds 20% damage and Sniper Shot reaches 45 yards, but it is slower, needs you standing still and sustains worse. ConquestCappedBlizzard
• Survival: ConquestCapped says it suits trap-heavy AoE farming with traps in combat and Entrapment, but its middle rows offer few leveling talents. ConquestCappedBlizzard

Beast Mastery talent order 10–60

Talents start at level 10 and you get one point per level, 51 by level 60. The Talented Legacy perk can move each point up to five levels earlier; follow the order by points spent, not by level.

More Hunter builds, including level-30 and level-60 allocations from other sites, are on the builds page.

New abilities by level

Rank-1 trainer abilities from the WoW Forever Talents fansite report, beta build 1.60.1.70124, checked 2026-10-01. Abilities whose first rank comes from a talent are in the talent order above. Train every level you can afford.

1. 1–10
   • Aspect of the ViperLevel 1New in Forever
   • Auto ShotLevel 1
   • Heart of the LionLevel 1New in Forever
   • Raptor StrikeLevel 1 · Changed
   • Track BeastsLevel 1
   • Aspect of the MonkeyLevel 4 · Changed
   • Serpent StingLevel 4 · Changed
   • Arcane ShotLevel 6 · Changed
   • Hunter's MarkLevel 6 · Changed
   • Concussive ShotLevel 8
   • Aspect of the HawkLevel 10 · Changed
   • Call PetLevel 10
   • Dismiss PetLevel 10
   • Feed PetLevel 10
   • Revive PetLevel 10
   • Tame BeastLevel 10
   • Track HumanoidsLevel 10
2. 11–20
   • Distracting ShotLevel 12
   • Mend PetLevel 12
   • Wing ClipLevel 12
   • Eagle EyeLevel 14
   • Eyes of the BeastLevel 14 · Changed
   • Scare BeastLevel 14
   • Immolation TrapLevel 16 · Changed
   • Mongoose BiteLevel 16 · Changed
   • Multi-ShotLevel 18 · Changed
   • Track UndeadLevel 18
   • Aspect of the CheetahLevel 20
   • DisengageLevel 20 · Changed
   • Freezing TrapLevel 20 · Changed
3. 21–30
   • Scorpid StingLevel 22 · Changed
   • Beast LoreLevel 24
   • Track HiddenLevel 24
   • Rapid FireLevel 26 · Changed
   • Track ElementalsLevel 26
   • Aimed ShotLevel 28 · Changed
   • Frost TrapLevel 28 · Changed
   • Aspect of the BeastLevel 30 · Changed
   • Feign DeathLevel 30 · Changed
   • LacerateLevel 30New in Forever
4. 31–40
   • Enchanted FlareLevel 32New in Forever
   • FlareLevel 32
   • Track DemonsLevel 32
   • Explosive TrapLevel 34 · Changed
   • Viper StingLevel 36 · Changed
   • Aspect of the PackLevel 40
   • Track GiantsLevel 40
   • VolleyLevel 40 · Changed
5. 41–50
   • Aspect of the WildLevel 46 · Changed
   • Track DragonkinLevel 50
6. 51–60
   • Aspect of the FalconLevel 60New in Forever
   • Tranquilizing ShotLevel 60

Every rank and training level for the class is in the Hunter trainer spellbook.

How to play while leveling

1. Levels 1–9
   • Kite and fit in as many Auto Shots as you can.
   • Serpent Sting from level 4; Hunter's Mark and Arcane Shot from 6.
   • Raptor Strike in melee, Concussive Shot on runners from 8.
   MethodWoW Forever Guides
2. Levels 10–19
   • Send the pet first and let it land a few hits.
   • Keep Aspect of the Hawk up, open with Serpent Sting, then Auto Shot.
   • Arcane Shot on cooldown, Multi-Shot on groups from 18.
   • Mend Pet when the pet drops under about half health.
   WoW Forever GuidesMethodWoW Forever Builds
3. Levels 20–29
   • Alternate Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot, which now share a cooldown.
   • Freezing Trap an extra mob; Rapid Fire on hard pulls from 26.
   • If you take Summon Hawk early (Method and ConquestCapped do at 25), keep up to two Hawks out; it shares a cooldown with Arcane Shot.
   WoW Forever GuidesMethodBlizzard
4. Levels 30–39
   • Feign Death from 30 to reset a bad pull.
   • Intimidation to send a mob back to the pet.
   MethodWoW Forever BuildsConquestCapped
5. Levels 40–60
   • Bestial Wrath on two-mob pulls from 40.
   • Mend Pet below 50%, Spirit Bond heals between pulls.
   • Most guides move late points into Marksmanship.
   • Summon Hawk comes at 53 in this order; do not recast it before the last Hawk ends.
   WoW Forever BuildsWoW Forever GuidesMethodConquestCapped

What Forever changes for Hunters

• Aimed Shot is baseline at level 20. Arcane Shot no longer shares its cooldown, and Multi-Shot now shares a cooldown with Aimed Shot. Blizzard
• 10-15Traps work in combat with a 30 s cooldown, and Frost and Fire traps have separate cooldowns. Oct 15 notes allow one Fire and one Ice trap at a time and scale fire traps with Attack Power. BlizzardBeta notes
• 10-15Pet stats scale with the Hunter's gear and player stat buffs no longer affect pets. Oct 15 notes make pets use the higher of your melee or ranged crit. BlizzardBeta notes
• Ranged attacks cannot be used within 8 yards of the enemy. Blizzard
• 10-15Auto Shot needs 0.5 s of standing still since the Oct 15 build, but still fires while you cast Aimed Shot or Sniper Shot. A new setting auto-switches between melee and ranged. Beta notesConquestCapped
• 09-24Tame Beast cannot tame a beast above the Hunter's level. Beta notesWoW Forever Guides
• 10-15Summon Hawk is a new 16-point talent: instant damage plus a Hawk for 18 s, up to two Hawks, sharing a cooldown with Arcane Shot. Oct 15 notes make the Hawk spawn at and stick to the target. BlizzardBeta notes
• Lone Wolf is an 11-point Marksmanship talent giving +20% damage on all attacks with no active pet. Blizzard
• Every pet family learns Bite or Claw (sometimes both) and Dash or Dive, plus one unique ability. Blizzard
• 10-08Disengage now removes twice as much threat, and the Aggressive pet mode came back on Oct 1. BlizzardBeta notes
• Intimidation now requires Bestial Swiftness. Strider Kick, a 21-point Survival talent, gives +30% movement speed for 3 s. BlizzardBeta notes
• 10-15Oct 15 notes nerf pet abilities: Dismember (25% healing reduction, 6 s), Sonic Blast (30% cast slow) and Mine! (3 s). Beta notes

Hunter leveling tips and tricks

• Forever tip

  Stand still to shoot

  Auto Shot now needs 0.5 s standing still. Kite, stop, shoot; the pet and slows buy the time.

  Beta notesConquestCappedMethod
• Forever tip

  Mind the dead zone

  Ranged attacks do not work within 8 yards. Use Concussive Shot, Wing Clip or a pet taunt, and step back to shooting range.

  BlizzardWoW Forever Builds
• Forever tip

  Traps mid-fight

  Traps work in combat with a 30 s cooldown. Freezing Trap an extra mob; you can have one Fire and one Frost trap out at a time.

  BlizzardBeta notesWoW Forever Guides
• Forever tip

  Tame at your level

  You cannot tame beasts above your level. Take your first pet at 10 from the class quest.

  Beta notesWoW Forever GuidesMethod
• Forever tip

  Gear scales your pet

  Pet stats scale with your gear and player buffs no longer reach pets, so upgrading gear also strengthens the pet.

  Blizzard
• Forever tip

  Time Summon Hawk

  Hawks last 18 s and share a cooldown with Arcane Shot. Do not recast before the last Hawk ends.

  BlizzardMethodConquestCapped
• Forever tip

  Aimed Shot at 20

  Aimed Shot is baseline at 20 and now shares a cooldown with Multi-Shot instead of Arcane Shot. Alternate them and run Arcane Shot on its own timer.

  BlizzardWoW Forever Guides
• Forever tip

  Pet off the aggro

  Keep the pet off Aggressive near other packs, and turn off Growl or use passive in dungeons so it does not pull extra enemies.

  WoW Forever GuidesWoW Forever BuildsConquestCapped
• Forever tip

  Intimidation as taunt

  Use Intimidation to send a mob back to the pet. Bestial Swiftness is its requirement.

  ConquestCappedBlizzard
• General

  Let the pet go first

  Let the pet land a few hits before you shoot so you do not pull aggro.

  MethodConquestCappedWoW Forever Guides
• General

  Skin while pet fights

  Send the pet at the next target while you skin the last one.

  MethodConquestCapped
• General

  Cheetah to travel

  Use Aspect of the Cheetah to travel and switch to Hawk before pulling.

  ConquestCappedMethod
• General

  Check happiness

  Feed the pet food it likes. An unhappy pet deals less damage and can leave.

  WoW Forever BuildsWoW Forever Guides

Gear, weapons and professions

Gear and weapons

• Carry a bow, gun or crossbow with current ammo, plus a melee weapon. Upgrade the ranged weapon first because it drives Auto Shot. WoW Forever GuidesWoW Forever Builds
• ConquestCapped buys vendor ranged weapons at levels 3, 11, 14 and 16, and plans on the Stranglethorn Vale hunting-chain bow. ConquestCapped
• Agility is the top stat. Method calls Brawler's Leather Helm best in slot on the beta, and Leatherworking can craft blue Agility gear from level 10. MethodConquestCapped
• Dual Wield opens at 20 and Mail at 40. WoW Forever GuidesBlizzard

Professions

• Skinning plus Leatherworking is the core pair; Leatherworking is fully mobile and crafts Agility gear. MethodConquestCappedWoW Forever Builds
• Alternative from WoW Forever Builds: Mining with Engineering. WoW Forever Builds
• First Aid lets you bandage while a Freezing Trap holds the mob; Fishing and Cooking give food with an experience buff. MethodConquestCapped

Look up any item in the item catalog, compare the Hunter level-30 gear list or plan a route in the profession guides 1–300.

Hunter class quests

Level	Faction	What the sources report
10	Horde	Durotar: Thotar, whose last tame is an armored scorpid. Mulgore: Yaw Sharpmane, whose last tame is a swoop. WoW Forever Guides
10	Alliance	Dun Morogh: Grif Wildheart, whose last tame is an ice claw bear. Teldrassil: Dazalar, whose last tame is a strigid screecher. WoW Forever Guides
10	Both	Human Hunters, new in Forever, start with Josephine Carson in Elwynn Forest (Young Forest Bear); Skyborne Hunters with Quel'ana Quickgale on Zephras Isle (Vuldren Alpha). WoW Forever Guides
10	Both	Method says to learn Growl, Great Stamina and Natural Armor at 10. ConquestCapped suggests a first pet that already knows Bite 2. MethodConquestCapped

Level faster in Forever

Legacy perks for Hunters

• Each character can spend 16 Legacy points at launch. The WoW Forever Talents Legacy record lists Talented, which starts talent points up to five levels early, behind Well Rested 5/5, so the pair costs 10 of the 16. BlizzardWoW Forever Talents
• Thrill of Adventure restores health and mana after non-trivial kills outside dungeons, raids and battlegrounds. Hunters use both, and ConquestCapped makes it the first pick. ConquestCappedWoW Forever GuidesWoW Forever Builds
• Talented unlocks talent points up to five levels early. ConquestCapped says it gets Summon Hawk and Intimidation sooner, and Method's build includes it. ConquestCappedMethodWoW Forever Guides
• Well Rested builds rested XP faster. WoW Forever GuidesConquestCappedBlizzard

Blizzard's Legacy explanation lets each character spend up to 16 points at launch. Plan yours in the Legacy planner.

• Rested experienceLog out in an inn, a city or at a campfire.
• Sleeping BagQuest chain from level 14.
• XP foodCooking buffs that add experience.
• Dungeon bonusExperience bonus in beta testing.
• Leveling addonsWhich ones work with Forever.

Dungeons on the way to 60

Level ranges from the dungeon guides. The Oct 1 notes cut the extra experience from dungeon quests by half, and the Oct 8 notes raised dungeon monster experience by about 20 percent.

1. Hall of Thanes13–18New
2. Ragefire Chasm13–18Classic
3. Ruins of Lordaeron15–20New
4. Wailing Caverns15–25Classic
5. The Deadmines18–23Classic
6. Shadowfang Keep22–30Classic
7. The Stockade22–30Classic
8. Blackfathom Deeps24–32Classic
9. Excavation Site: Wetlands26–31New
10. City of Dalaran28–33New
11. Scarlet Monastery: Graveyard28–38Classic
12. Gnomeregan29–38Classic
13. Scarlet Monastery: Library29–39Classic
14. Razorfen Kraul30–40Classic
15. Scarlet Monastery: Armory32–42Classic
16. Scarlet Monastery: Cathedral35–45Classic
17. The Drowned City35–40New
18. Krol'dok Stronghold40–45New
19. Razorfen Downs40–50Classic
20. Uldaman42–52Classic
21. Zul'Farrak44–54Classic
22. Maraudon: Foulspore Cavern45–53Classic
23. Maraudon: Wicked Grotto45–53Classic
24. Alcaz Prison48–53New
25. Maraudon: Earth Song Falls48–57Classic
26. Sunken Temple50–60Classic
27. Blackrock Depths52–60Classic
28. Blackmaw Hold55–60New
29. Lower Blackrock Spire55–60Classic
30. Dire Maul58–60Classic
31. Scholomance58–60Classic
32. Stratholme58–60Classic
33. The Shaper's Terrace58–60New
34. Upper Blackrock Spire58–60Classic

Where the sources disagree

No source has measured leveling speed for any class. The beta stops at level 30, and Blizzard says abilities and talents can still change before launch.

• Summon Hawk timing: Method and ConquestCapped say take it at level 25; WoW Forever Builds takes it at 34; WoW Forever Guides' plan delays it to the last Beast Mastery points.
• First talents: WoW Forever Guides starts Endurance Training; WoW Forever Builds starts Deadly Aspects; ConquestCapped starts Endurance Training, Focused Fire and Pathfinding.
• Intimidation level: Method says 30 (with Talented's early points); WoW Forever Guides and WoW Forever Builds take it at 31 on the normal schedule.
• Pet inheritance: ConquestCapped reports pets inherit all your crit, 10% of Attack Power and 30% of armor. Blizzard only says pet stats scale with gear and the Oct 15 notes say pets use the higher of melee or ranged crit.
• Trap limit wording: Blizzard Oct 15 notes allow one Fire and one Ice trap; WoW Forever Guides writes one Frost and one Fire trap.
• No source gives the exact trap placement rule beyond Blizzard's note that traps still go at the Hunter's own location.
• Blizzard's deep dive says nothing on ammo; ammo advice comes only from guide sites and a Sep 24 fix to bow and gun ammo use.