Much has been made, and rightly so, of the upcoming WoW expansion’s Demon Hunters: those elves who’ve sacrificed their nature and embraced the forbidden powers of the Legion – namely fel magics, spectral sight and melee damage-dealing.
But WoW’s regular ol’ Hunters are changing for Legion too – with more specialised specs.
BlizzCon happened at the weekend. Here’s everything we now know about World of Warcraft: Legion.
Blizzard reckon the Hunter class already offers a strong “core fantasy” as master tracker, sniper, beast-tamer and trapper.
“The challenge is that while all three specs deliver that basic fantasy, the distinction between them is fairly minimal,” write the developers. “In Legion, we’re focused on better differentiating these specializations to deliver more dynamic and varied experiences.”
Beast Masters were in a particularly good spot – but post-Legion, they’ll spend a great deal more time managing pets, repeatedly using Dire Beast to summon wild animals which generate additional focus with every attack. Cobra Shot, meanwhile, will no longer fill up all of their free moments in combat.
Survival Hunters were already distinguished by the fact that they use melee rather than ranged weapons. They’re now also the only Hunters who use traps. Others specs will gain crowd control and AoE abilities suited to their fiction as compensation.
“Survival Hunters will snare and bleed their enemies, fighting them in close quarters with their trustworthy companion to maximize the brutality of the hunt,” say Blizzard.
One of Warlords of Draenor’s most popular class talents was Lone Wolf, which allowed Hunters buffs to their weapon skill at the cost of a companion.
“That play style fit perfectly with our vision of Marksmanship Hunters as master archers and snipers,” write the dev team. “All Marksmanship Hunters now gain Lone Wolf by default, ranging through the wilds without a pet beside them.”
Marksmen and women now gain focus via Arcane Shot – while older abilities like Black Arrow and Lock and Loud have been recategorised as marksmanship-specific talents.
Any of you lot packing a level 100 hunter?