Hunter Adjustments in WoW The War Within 11.0.5 Patch Notes
The 11.0.5 patch for World of Warcraft (WoW)’s latest expansion, The War Within (TWW), introduces numerous changes to the Hunter class, with exciting adjustments and new talents that will impact all three Hunter specializations: Beast Mastery, Marksmanship, and Survival. In this guide we will go over all the changes and what it means for you. Whether you want to maximize DPS or improve your raid utility these changes will help you adjust to the changing WoW landscape.
Hunter Changes in The War Within Patch 11.0.5
The 11.0.5 patch has big changes for the Hunter class to improve gameplay in all situations. New talents like Deathblow, reworked Black Arrow and quality of life for focus generation the Hunter class is now more cohesive across all specs. The goal of these changes is to have a balanced damage output while keeping each spec unique.
Changes to Hero Talents for Dark Ranger
In the WoW TWW 11.0.5 patch the Hunter class got big changes including a complete rework of the Hero Talents. Among those changes the Dark Ranger got new talents focused on shadow infused attacks. These abilities increase damage and control in combat. Let’s go over the key changes for Dark Ranger’s Hero Talents.
New Talents
The WoW TWW 11.0.5 patch introduces new talents for the Hunter class, specifically for the Dark Ranger specialization. These talents are focused on shadow infused abilities, multi target damage and new tactical options in both PvE and PvP combat. This section will go over the new talents and how they improve the class’s utility and damage output. Whether it’s increasing critical damage or adding control over enemies these talents are key to the Dark Ranger playstyle.
| Talent | Old Description | New Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bleak Arrows | – | Auto-attacks deal Shadow damage with a 20%/8% chance to trigger Deathblow. |
| Phantom Pain | – | Damage from Kill Command or Aimed Shot is replicated to other Black Arrow targets. |
| Banshee’s Mark | Murder of Crows dealt physical damage. | Murder of Crows now deals Shadow damage, and using Black Arrow can summon Murder of Crows. |
| The Bell Tolls | – | Black Arrow can now be used on enemies with more than 80% or less than 20% health. |
| Shadow Dagger | – | Using Disengage releases shadow daggers that slow enemies. |
| Bleak Powder | – | Black Arrow causes an explosion when used with Beast Cleave, dealing damage to nearby enemies. |
| Soul Drinker | – | Targets affected by Black Arrow have a chance to trigger Deathblow upon death. |
These new talents make the Dark Ranger more control oriented. The shadow talents like Bleak Arrows and Phantom Pain provide steady shadow damage and multi target damage. Banshee’s Mark and Soul Drinker bring AoE to the table so you can dominate group encounters. The changes to these talents make Dark Ranger a more viable option in World of Warcraft: The War Within for PvE raids and PvP.
Reworked Talents: Withering Fire and Shadow Surge
Along with new talents Withering Fire and Shadow Surge were reworked to work better with shadow abilities. Withering Fire fires Black Arrow automatically when Deathblow is triggered so Hunters can keep pressure on enemies. Shadow Surge now has a chance to erupt in a burst of shadow damage, damaging nearby enemies.
| Talent | Old Description | New Description |
|---|---|---|
| Withering Fire | Bestial Wrath/Trueshot empowered Black Arrow. | Automatically fires Black Arrow at three targets when Deathblow is triggered. |
| Shadow Surge | Periodic damage only affected one target. | Periodic damage can erupt, dealing moderate shadow damage to nearby enemies. |
These changes make Dark Ranger more efficient at multi-target damage especially when Hunters need to handle multiple enemies with constant shadow damage.
Removed Talents
Along with the new abilities, several talents were removed from the Dark Ranger talent tree to simplify gameplay and make room for new mechanics. This was necessary to balance the class with its new tools.
| Talent | Description |
|---|---|
| Dark Empowerment | Old talent increasing shadow power. |
| Darkness Calls | Provided shadow damage boosts. |
| Death Shade | Empowered shadow damage after kills. |
| Grave Reaper | Boosted critical damage from shadows. |
| Overshadow | Increased multi-target shadow damage. |
| Shadow Erasure | Removed debuffs with shadow attacks. |
| Shadow Lash | Increased range for shadow abilities. |
These were removed to make the talent tree more streamlined and focused, and to give the new talents some unique gameplay.
The Dark Ranger rework makes this talent set more viable for PvE and PvP. Shadow attacks and Deathblow improvements make Dark Ranger a great option for players who want control abilities and multi target damage in World of Warcraft: The War Within.
New Abilities
The new talents in WoW TWW 11.0.5 change Hunter gameplay especially with the new Deathblow mechanic. Let’s take a look:
Deathblow
One of the biggest changes to the Hunter class is the new talent, Deathblow, available to all Hunter specs. This talent gives Kill Command or Aimed Shot 10% chance to reset Kill Shot cooldown and allows it to be used on any target, regardless of health. This gives Hunters more high damage opportunities and makes the class more deadly in PvE and PvP.
Steady Shot Focus Generation
Steady Shot generates 10 focus for all Hunter specs. This is a big improvement as it’s a consistent source of focus regeneration, reducing downtime and overall damage.
Beast Mastery Hunter Changes
In WoW TWW 11.0.5 Beast Mastery Hunters got many changes to improve damage, resource management and overall combat efficiency. New talents like Snakeskin Quiver and Serpentine Rhythm are focused on core abilities like Cobra Shot, while Barbed Shot and Multi-Shot got changes to increase AoE. These changes make Hunter and pet more together, making Beast Mastery more viable in PvE and PvP.
| Talent/Ability | Old Description | New Description |
|---|---|---|
| Snakeskin Quiver | – | Auto shots have a 15% chance to fire Cobra Shot. |
| Serpentine Rhythm | – | Cobra Shot damage increases by 25%, stacking up to 4 times; after 4 stacks, gain 8% increased pet damage. |
| Barbed Scales | – | Casting Cobra Shot reduces the cooldown of Barbed Shot by 2 seconds. |
| Cobra Senses | Reduced Focus cost of Cobra Shot. | Now reduces Focus cost by 5 and increases Cobra Shot damage by 35%. |
| Hunter’s Prey | – | Kill Shot strikes 1 additional target and deals 10% increased damage for each active pet, stacking up to 5 times. |
| Multi-Shot | Standard AoE damage. | Multi-Shot damage increased by 300%. |
| Barbed Shot | 100% damage increase, 12s cooldown. | Barbed Shot damage increased by 100%, cooldown increased to 18s, duration to 12s, pet frenzy lasts 12s. |
| Thrill of the Hunt | 8-second duration. | Thrill of the Hunt duration increased to 12 seconds. |
| Pack Tactics | 100% energy regeneration. | Energy regeneration increased to 125%. Pack Tactics now replaces Steady Shot. |
| Animal Companion | Reduced the damage of pets by 35%. | No longer reduces the damage of all pets. |
Pet Ability Adjustments and Removed Talents
Some pet ability damage was reduced to balance out the increased damage from other abilities. Several talents were removed to simplify gameplay and make room for new stuff.
| Pet Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Bite, Bloodshed, Claw, Kill Command, Smack, Stomp | Damage reduced by 35%. |
Removed Talents
| Talent | Description |
|---|---|
| Improved Kill Command | Removed to streamline pet abilities. |
| Kindred Spirits | Removed in favor of new talent interactions. |
| Dark Ranger | Replaced by other core abilities. |
Beast Mastery is much stronger in multi-target scenarios, with more damage and better synergy between Cobra Shot, Barbed Shot and pet focused talents. Players now have more options to control cooldowns and maximize damage output, especially with Pack Tactics and Hunter’s Prey changes. Removing old talents also simplify the class, making gameplay smoother.
Marksmanship Hunter Changes
WoW TWW 11.0.5 brings changes to Marksmanship Hunters, focusing on burst damage and overall utility. New talents like Pin Cushion and Improved Deathblow reduces cooldown on key abilities, while Steady Focus and Trueshot got updates to simplify focus management and increase damage. Nerub-ar Palace 4-set got reworked to be more consistent and stronger in high damage situations. Here are Key Talent and Ability Updates for MM Hunters:
| Talent/Ability | Old Description | New Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pin Cushion | – | Steady Shot reduces the cooldown of Aimed Shot by 2 seconds. |
| Improved Deathblow | – | Aimed Shot has a 15% chance, and Rapid Fire has a 25% chance, to grant Deathblow. Kill Shot critical strike damage increased by 25%. |
| Improved Steady Shot | Standard focus generation. | Grants an additional 10 Focus when casting Steady Shot. |
| Precise Shots | 2 casts with 70% damage bonus. | Renamed to Precise Shot; empowers Arcane Shot, Chimera Shot, or Multi-Shot to deal 100% increased damage. |
| Steady Focus | Required 2 casts of Steady Shot. | Casting Steady Shot increases Haste by 8% for 15 seconds. |
| Trueshot | Reduced ability cooldowns. | Now reduces the Focus cost of Aimed Shot baseline. |
| Rapid Fire Barrage | 30% effectiveness. | Effectiveness increased to 40%. |
| Wailing Arrow | Consumed Trick Shots. | No longer consumes Trick Shots. |
Nerub-ar Palace 4-Set Bonus Update
Nerub-ar Palace 4-set bonus was updated to be more consistent and stronger. Previously it stacked up to 2 times and was not consistent with Trick Shots and other abilities. Now Precise Shots increases the damage of the next Aimed Shot by 20% and the bonus no longer stacks, so it’s more reliable in combat.
| Set Bonus | Old Description | New Description |
|---|---|---|
| Nerub-ar Palace 4-Set Bonus | Increases the damage of Aimed Shot by 10%, stacking twice. | Precise Shots increases the damage of your next Aimed Shot by 20%. The bonus no longer stacks, ensuring it benefits all Aimed Shots consistently. |
These changes give Marksmanship Hunters a more refined toolset, smoother focus management and more damage output, especially with Steady Shot, Aimed Shot and Precise Shot interactions. Nerub-ar Palace 4-set bonus changes gives more burst damage and Trueshot and Steady Focus rework makes the spec more fluid and responsive in PvE and PvP. Marksmanship Hunters should see a big increase in damage and overall performance.
Survival Hunter Changes
WoW TWW Survival Hunters get a big boost to their core abilities for single target and AoE damage. Talents and abilities for Survival Hunters in this patch are focused on melee and pet abilities, more flexibility in combat. Ruthless Marauder and Sic ‘Em talents make Kill Command and Fury of the Eagle more efficient for multiple targets.
| Talent/Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Ruthless Marauder | Fury of the Eagle’s damage increased by 10%, with a 20% chance to generate Tip of the Spear stacks. Upon ending, gain 8% Haste for 10 seconds. |
| Merciless Blows | Butchery causes affected targets to bleed heavily for 8 seconds. |
| Sic ‘Em | Increases Kill Command’s chance to grant Deathblow to 15%. Deathblow now allows Kill Shot to hit 2 additional targets. |
| Exposed Flank | Kill Command deals 50% more damage and strikes 3 targets, generating Tip of the Spear stacks. |
| Grenade Juggler | Resets the cooldown of Explosive Shot, allowing manual firing for better synergy. |
| Butchery | Damage increased by 50%, no longer has charges, and cooldown increased to 15 seconds. |
| Fury of the Eagle | Damage increased by 25%, channel time reduced to 3 seconds, consumes Tip of the Spear stacks. |
| Tip of the Spear | Grace period for consumption reduced to 0.3 seconds (was 0.7 seconds). |
| Relentless Primal Ferocity | Grants 2 additional Tip of the Spear stacks. |
| Frenzy Strikes | Wildfire Bomb cooldown reduction per target hit increased to 3 seconds (was 1 second). |
| Killer Companion | Increases Kill Command damage by 10/20% (was 5/10%). |
Notable Mechanical Improvements
In addition to talents, Survival Hunters get some mechanical updates. Fury of the Eagle channel time is shorter, Grenade Juggler allows manual firing of Explosive Shot, new opportunities for synergies. These changes give Survival Hunters more flexibility in PvE and PvP, especially against multiple targets or bosses.
Survival Hunters are more flexible and powerful in combat. Butchery and Fury of the Eagle damage increased, Sic ‘Em and Ruthless Marauder talents are more impactful. Hunters have more control and burst. Survival Hunters are even more the way to go for players who want to conquer group and solo content in WoW TWW.
Embrace the Hunter Updates in WoW TWW
The 11.0.5 patch for WoW TWW is a big Hunter patch with new talents, reworked abilities and big buffs to all three specs. Whether you’re a Beast Mastery, Marksmanship or Survival Hunter, these changes add more depth to your gameplay and more flexibility in PvE and PvP.
For Beast Mastery Hunters, the focus on Cobra Shot and Barbed Shot gives you more synergy with your pets. For Marksmanship Hunters, faster cooldowns and more critical damage from Deathblow. For Survival Hunters, more burst damage with Fury of the Eagle and Butchery. They’re now viable for any content in WoW. Get in there and play around with these changes and find your new Hunter spec. Raid, quest, pvp, whatever Azeroth throws at you. The Hunter is ready.
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