Patch 5.4 Hunter Changes

Patch 5.4 will likely be hitting live servers either the last week of August or the first week of September, bringing with it some notable changes to the hunter class.

Readiness will be gone, which is the most significant hunter change in this patch. While the knee-jerk reaction to removing such a huge ability might be something like, “BOOOOO…!”, Blizz has made a few adjustments that will help to even out the loss of this spell, such as:

Overall DPS has been buffed

Blizzard is claiming that Hunter DPS should be a bit higher in 5.4 than it is now, although that’s obviously pertaining to PvE DPS. PvP burst will undoubtedly see a reduction after the removal of Readiness. 🙁

Anyhow…here are some of the changes arriving in Patch 5.4 — some good, some not so good. This is not a complete list, but rather a brief overview of the changes I’ve found noteworthy.

Some signature shots and abilities have been buffed, including:

  • Kill Command had its damage increased by 15%.
  • Aimed Shot has also been buffed by nearly 15% (400% weapon damage, up from 350%).
  • Explosive Shot has been buffed by 18%.
  • Arcane Shot hits 25% harder, but it now costs 30 focus instead of 20. A 50% focus increase is pretty substantial, so I dunno how great this change will turn out to be.
  • Stampede has been buffed. I’m not sure as to how much exactly, but PvE damage for Stampede is going to see a healthy increase.
  • Murder of Crows damage has been buffed by 40%, making it a good choice at that tier.

In addition, there are a few indirect buffs to DPS…

  • Hunter pets will no longer have to spend Focus on Dash, Dive or Charge. Nothing radical here, but a nice little bonus nonetheless.
  • Explosive Trap no longer shares a cooldown with Black Arrow, so Survival hunters will be able to use both abilities simultaneously if a situation calls for it; however, Explosive Trap did have its damage reduced by 30% and it no longer procs Lock ‘n’ Load. On a side note…while not a DPS buff, being able to use Black Arrow + Explosive Trap w/ the knockback glyph will be nice for certain situations – especially in PvP.
  • Beast Cleave range has been increased from 8 yards to 10, which can potentially buff BM AoE damage just a tippy tap.

Since removing Readiness also jacks with our ability to defend ourselves, a few changes have been made here as well…

  • Deterrence got a nerfbuff. It now has a 3 minute cooldown, up from 2, but the ability now has 2 charges. What this means is that you can still pop a back-to-back Deterrence – if needed – but each charge has its own separate 3 minute cooldown.
  • Disengage had its base cooldown lowered by 5 seconds (20 seconds, down from 25), which is awesome. This will give PvP hunters a possible 40% uptime on Posthaste, so I’m liking this. 🙂

A few other miscellaneous buffs…

  • Spirit Bond has received a fairly substantial buff, going to a 3% heal every 2 seconds (up from 2%).
  • The Glyph of Mending now heals pets for 50% health (up from 40% glyphed) over 10 seconds, plus the effect ticks every second instead of every 2, allowing for a steady heal. The new and improved Spirit Bond + the 5.4 Glyph of Mending will provide a nice boost for extreme soloing.
  • The Glyph of No Escape has been buffed to a 100% crit chance against targets snared in a Freezing Trap (up from 20%).

An interesting new glyph…

  • Glyph of the Lean Pack is a new major glyph that reduces the range of Aspect of the Pack by 7 yards. Right off the top of my head, the only place I can see this being useful is while escorting a flag carrier, which for that, it would be handy.

In addition to all of this, a few talent changes have gone down…

The Marksmanship Tree called and wanted Silencing Shot back, so Blizzard has decided to return it and add a new watered down baseline version of it (for BM and SV — MM gets Silencing Shot instead) called Counter Shot, which unlocks at level 22. Counter Shot functions as an interrupt, but it will only lock out spells from one school, as opposed to a complete shut-down like Silencing Shot. I’m not too bummed about this since now I’ll be able to grab Intimidation again and still have another interrupt. 😀

In its place, Binding Shot has been removed from the MM tree and added back as a talent.

Narrow Escape has been changed from a physical spell to a nature spell, making it vulnerable to dispels in 5.4. I don’t spec it so that’s not a concern of mine, but it’s worth mentioning.

Anyway, I didn’t cover all of the changes coming in the patch – only the huntery stuff that was of note to me. If you want to see the complete list of hunter changes in 5.4, check out Takaas’ post in the forum.

There’s a lot of other stuff coming in the patch which I find particularly exciting, but I’ll save that for another post!

Alright, so what do you think about Patch 5.4 and the changes it’s bringing to our class?

48 thoughts on “Patch 5.4 Hunter Changes”

  1. Consider starting out with a storefront on a reputable selling
    venue, such as Yahoo. According to introduction, compared to this time of year and previous years, the station’s traffic increased significantly, seems to have been ahead of the arrival of spring.
    It also proves cost-effective and hence is preferred by
    a large majority in the country.

    Reply
  2. Observers maintain the item displays a new coherent approach, one thing thus low
    in your culture, that it’s not necessarily realised by
    simply all. But unfortunately not every request will get approved.

    Besides placing advertisers ads on your Blog, you can also make money
    Blogging by placing Google Adsense into your Blog.

    Reply
  3. You actually make it appear really easy with your presentation however I in finding
    this matter to be actually one thing that I feel I’d by no means understand.
    It seems too complicated and very wide for me. I’m
    having a look forward for your subsequent submit, I will attempt to get the hold of it!

    Visit my web blog – clothing line names

    Reply
  4. Retrouvez votre voyance gratuite sur l’amour en ligne ou bien en directe après consultez nos voyantes sur à nous localisation de qualité alors fiable.
    En compagnie de à nous prestation immédiate sur audiotel et par téléphone, nous toi-même proposons rare prestation au contraire meilleur comprendre votre avenir alors
    votre destin gratuitement. Vous pouvez consulter rapidement puis sérieusement sur à nous laboratoire.
    Inscription gratuite alors abonnements sans engagement de durée,
    toi-même choisissez votre forfait ensuite toi-même consultez
    totaux nos voyante. Testez nos prestation de voyance gratuite !

    Reply
  5. Please let me know if you’re looking for a article author for your site.
    You have some really great posts and I believe I would be
    a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.
    Please send me an e-mail if interested. Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Place picket fence against the walls to create the illusion that the entire room is a garden. Anyone who has
    invested in the right kind of furniture for the outdoors can swear by
    the multipurpose use of it. Weather is an important factor
    to be considered before buying outdoor furniture.

    Reply
  7. Having read this I thought it was really enlightening.

    I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this content together.
    I once again find myself spending a significant amount of
    time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worthwhile!

    Reply
  8. I was curious if you ever thought of changing the page layout
    of your blog? Its very well written; I love what
    youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way
    of content so people could connect with it better.
    Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or 2 images.
    Maybe you could space it out better?

    Reply
  9. For many the allure of France is not the weather or the cost
    of living, or even the spectacular view. “Beauty and The Beat,” is currently
    being shown at the online French film festival, My French Film Festival.
    The people are of course a mixture of many races but the Polynesians love to laugh,
    and sing, so you cannot fail to leave these islands
    with a different attitude.

    my weblog :: Dragonvale hack apk

    Reply
  10. Sie müssen nicht aufgeben müssen, Ihren Sinn für Stil und Mode, nur weil Sie hallo zu sagen, Mutterschaft .

    Bis jetzt haben unsere Produkte in viele Länder wie Europa ghd exportiert
    exportiert, USA, Australien, Neuseeland, Deutschland, Westeuropa, usw..
    Sicher, bedeutet dies, geistig Vorbereitung für den Wandel, der Planung Ihrer Route zum Krankenhaus oder
    Geburtshaus, Verpackung eine Tasche für den Aufenthalt, etc .

    Reply
  11. Get a plan going for selling the cool stuff you use
    and like, and you will have a winning combination every time.
    False, will give you the service only for certain days, while
    the real Gucci outlet online package life,
    if you can correctly handle them. Today, technology
    makes betting on almost anything super-easy and super-fun.

    Reply
  12. This design is incredible! You definitely know how to keep a
    reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my
    own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Great job. I really enjoyed what you had
    to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
    Too cool!

    Reply
  13. Although female and male addiction share many similarities, female addiction is distinctly different.
    Fixit when any appliances or vehicles give problems.
    Let’s examine some of the main factors that contribute to the development of cysts,
    and then the best things we can do to avoid them.

    Reply
  14. It’s perfect time to make a few plans for the future and it is time to be
    happy. I’ve read this publish and if I may I desire to suggest you few fascinating
    issues or suggestions. Perhaps you could write subsequent articles relating
    to this article. I wish to learn even more things approximately it!

    Reply
  15. We absolutely love your blog and find most of
    your post’s to be precisely what I’m looking for.
    Does one offer guest writers to write content for you?
    I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write concerning here.
    Again, awesome web log!

    Reply
  16. You really make it seem so easy with your presentation however I to find this
    topic to be really one thing which I believe I’d never understand.
    It sort of feels too complex and extremely extensive for me.
    I’m having a look ahead in your subsequent put up, I’ll try to get the cling of it!

    Reply
  17. Thank you for another great article. Where else may just anybody get that
    kind of info in such an ideal method of writing? I have a presentation next
    week, and I am on the search for such information.

    Reply
  18. And it is the reason for the circumstances that dominate your life today.

    If you are looking for something a bit different to the usual London attractions you could
    always take a tour of some of London. For more than a
    few decades, law enforcement agencies in the US and in other countries across the world have been using automated weapons
    to fight criminals and this has resulted in loss of life on either
    sides.

    Here is my weblog; crime city hack

    Reply
  19. So, it seems that android phones are becoming popular day by day.
    This sport sets you to make your distinctive hero, and shield off an army of invading
    creatures by strategically placing an array of
    defenses and traps about your castle. Most dates, it
    has undergone many changes and updates.

    Feel free to surf to my page :: Jurassic Park Builder
    Hack – http://Www.Dailymotion.com/video/x24r4qw_jurassic-park-builder-hack-online-generator-for-android-ios-facebook-updated-september-2014-no-downl_videogames,

    Reply
  20. Students who’ve completed the eight-week recruit training situated on Parris
    Island in South Carolina would join the School
    of Infantry-East based at Camp Geiger in North Carolina; those that finished their recruit
    lessons in San Diego, California, goes for the School of Infantry-West located at Camp Pendleton. Every home type cable channel has their own version in the.
    “A May Day celebration occurs around the castle grounds (“The Lusty Month of May”), where Arthur introduces his wife to Lancelot.

    Look at my web-site … battle camp hacks no survey

    Reply
  21. Spot on with this write-up, I trruly believe this website needs much more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read through more,
    thankos for tthe advice!

    Reply
  22. Readiness, the loss of. No clue what Blizz was thinking.
    BG’s’ it’s a nerf. Arena it’s a massive nerf. I’d hear players crying about how that gave us too much burst. If you didn’t have enough focus or TotH didn’t proc or both, well….you could sure lay down some devastating auto-shots 😉
    I know Blizz is more concerned about Arena 3’s & 5’s but even in 3’s we’re basically bait. Sexy bait but still bait.

    Reply
  23. Focus starved. New Arcane has seriously hurt Thrill of the Hunt and that’s huge. Now in Arena you pretty much need to go with Fervor ( another bind, yay) and TotH in BG’s.
    My BG DPS is still very strong, Arena is not so fun-as in why bother? 2’s especially.
    In truth, this has less to do with the Hunter class and more to do with the insane power of the hybrid casters and the healing classes. Prior to 5.4 we were limpdick noodles against either unless we did everything perfect and even then it was close. It’s depressing when you do everything right and see a self-heal jack the health bar up by 200k then get unloaded on for a 300k crit. Blizz pretty much seems content with the way the support classes are set up so not much one can do if you’re into self-abuse and want to be a PvP Hunter.
    Ran 2’s with a monk last night, I do not believe you can kill a monk. Just an example of the lack of balance.

    Reply
  24. I am ready to give up on my hunter. I could barely do any burst damage as it was. Time to roll a DK, get decked out in PvE gear with 650khp and be un-killable in PvP.

    Reply
  25. I like some of the changes they’ve made, stampede is now a major dps cd even without the pets casting buffs. We do have to much button bloat so getting rid of some things is a welcome bonus but at the same time we didn’t seem to be compensated enough damage wise for the removal of readiness. This hurts hunters who PvE and PvP as the changes to disengage seem to be an overall nerf and arcane shot is to costly at 30 focus. The buff to signature shots is welcome but will it be enough to help hunters in the ever competitive areas of raiding and high end PvP?

    Reply
  26. From an Arena PvP BM standpoint 5.4 is bringing in some pretty serious nerfs. Readiness gone, silencing shot MM only, Arcane shot juiced but more focus taking away the viability of Kill Command. Once you’re over 1750, hell even 1600+ you start running into the hybrid caster classes etc. non-stop and we need every single one of those abilities to hold our own. Any decent hybrid caster can nullify our cc’s and burst and all they do is mash 1-4 heal heal fear fear kaboom!
    Blizzard is trying to simplify the hunter class, we have way too many buttons to mash. I understand that and it isn’t easy. Again this is only from the Arena side of things and while Blizz is trying to get more players into PvP, and as hunter is the most played class (I think) it’s not fun getting stomped in 15 seconds even if you do everything right. Hunters are a brutally unforgiving class to play, hence why I like it:) In BG’s we’ll be just fine but for BM these look to be pretty heavy initial nerfs.

    Reply
    • Totally agree that this patch is a major nerf for Hunters in Arena. It makes us even less viable against decent casters.

      Tried the changes on last night and zero burst.

      Blizzard tend to be fairly clued out about balance in pvp at the best of times, and these changes just confirm this.

      Reply
  27. Hey, thank you for sharing this. I look forward to this patch although I’m not sure wich spec should I go. MM is looking good but I am not if I should stick to BM. Keep it up!

    Reply
  28. Garwulf, I just want to say I am glad to see you trying to revive your site again. I always checked back in occasionally to see if any new news came up and almost thought you were pretty much done there for a bit. I think you need to get some kind of advertisement or shout-out on some other sites maybe to let the warcraft community know you are back to regularly updating. Anything to get this site, and the forums, lively again, instead of seeing the most recent forum post being some guy advertising a multi boxing program that has nothing to do with hunters in particular. Anyways, welcome back from hiatus and I’ll keep checking in regularly.

    BTW, I’m still rocking the GarUI, I’ve been using it for so long now that when I try something else for a UI layout, my brain won’t let me comprehend it.

    Reply
  29. I agree with you for the most part. Although there have a been a few changes over the years that have upset me – like this one and the removal of melee weps 🙁 – and while I do lament the loss of the complex talent trees of days gone by, I do understand why a lot of these revisions need to be made — it’s all about balance. And yes, often times the changes can appear like a huge nerf, but after a few quick patch fixes, Blizz usually gets things where they need to be. I’m not much of a complainer, so I just tend to roll with the changes, adapt, and make the most of whatever we’re dealt. So far, nothing has ever made me wanted to abandon the class, or left me feeling like I was playing something other than a hunter.

    To be honest, I never really expected to keep a baseline ability as powerful as Readiness, so I’m not really that sad or surprised to see it go. I like a lot of the other changes they’re making, apart from the additional focus cost for Arcane Shot.

    Reply
  30. When I first experienced serious game updates (Cata came out) – I was on my hunter. I didn’t realize how big the changes were going to be and ended up abandoning her out of shock. It was kind of silly, looking back on it now, and since I have learned to really appreciate and trust Blizzard’s changes. The hunter changes are interesting and seem like a good balance for 5.4. I look forward to it, as I am now playing my hunter again. 😉 Thanks for keeping up your blog. I hope you’ll be doing some hunter guides soon!

    Reply
    • Why cry this nerfs is not to bad its time that MM gets better and BM is not really nerfed to i just dont like the extra focus on AS i hope thrill of hunt does it then by 30 focus and i dont like that iron hawk is nerfed but the goof hunter wil survive and be very strong and rare and the bad ones just disapear greetings hydragos lvl67 hunter

      Reply

Leave a Comment