Beastly-Ass Beast Mastery Hunter Ass-Kicking Build of Death: Patch 4.3 Edition
Been awhile since I posted an overview of my BM PvP build, so I figured it was about time to provide a glimpse at what I’m using currently.
My previous build I posted way back in July of last year, and while it served me well at the time…I’ve made a few beneficial adjustments since then. My interview with Garxz was mainly what prompted me to reevaluate my build. Given that the guy is a pretty godly PvP Hunter, I was eager to follow some of his build advice.
Let me begin this guide by saying…unlike PvE builds, PvP builds are not an exact science. There is no “best way” to do it. There are definitely wrong ways of doing things as well as more ideal types of builds, but there is usually never one build that is going to work as well for everyone. Having said that, most “good” PvP builds will share around 90% of the same talents – give or take. Apart from those “core talent points”, there are typically about 4-5 points that you can spend as you see fit.
My build is mainly geared for BGs. I very seldom compete in arena these days, although that may likely change. 
I mostly just log on and do some randoms – never playing with a set group of teammates.
Anyway, here’s how I roll…
32/0/9 Beast Mastery PvP Build
My Patch 4.3 era BM PvP build
…and my BM PvP Glyphs
My BM PvP glyphs
BM PvP Build Breakdown
There are a few subtle differences when compared to the BM PvP build I posted in July of last year, with the most notable being the addition of Focus Fire and Killing Streak, as well as the re-introduction of Survival Tactics.
To grab those talents I really didn’t have to sacrifice much.
Talents I gave up…
Kindred Spirits - I ended up deciding to dump this talent after reading Garxz’s reason for not taking it…
“I find Killing Streak a lot more useful than having 10 more focus — it doesn’t give me anything to have 10 more focus if I’m always below 100 anyway.”
Made perfect sense to me when I stopped to think about it. The benefit from Kindred Spirits is really only realized when you’re opening on a target. In PvP, we rarely have the opportunity to regen back to full during a fight. Killing Streak is definitely a better option than Kindred Spirits, which I’ll elaborate on further when I discuss that talent.
Go for the Throat - This talent seems like a good idea, but it’s effect is pretty negligible in PvP — especially when Focus Fire is talented. My pet just doesn’t get focus-starved enough to where I feel GftT is needed.
Pathing - I dumped points in Pathing so that I could pick up Survival Tactics again. This is mainly for the reduced cooldown on Disengage, but it also makes it so that my traps are almost never resisted. Even with Spell Penetration capped, your enemies still have a 4% chance to resist traps, but not when this is talented.
Talents gained…
Focus Fire - I’d previously avoided this for PvP, but it’s actually a really solid talent for BM PvP. I used to think that maintaining Frenzy uptime on my pet was more important than the haste I’d get from the effect, but not so. Focus Fire can provide a huge boost to focus regen and DPS if used properly. Another reason I hadn’t grabbed it was due to lack of me wanting another spell to manage, as I have enough keybinds as it is. However, Garxz had mentioned using it mainly with his Cobra Shot macro, and that it usually would proc at 4-5 stacks. I tried it out and he was right. By the time I settle in for a few Cobra Shots to get my focus back up, Frenzy is almost always stacked – meaning I nearly always get the full benefit from the effect. With the longer uptime on the effect since Patch 4.3, BM Hunters now have an easier time of maintaining this effect while PvPing.
Here’s the macro I’m using, by the way…
/cast Cobra Shot /petassist /cast Focus Fire /script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()
Just as in BM PvE, you want to avoid using Bestial Wrath when focus starved, if possible. It’s especially important if you’re using this spell with a macro, as you want to try and maintain your pet’s Frenzy stacks while it’s enraged.
Killing Streak - This talent procs a lot and is very beneficial for PvP. I was really surprised when I first started using it as I felt the proc rate might not be that great, plus the 6 second use window seemed like it might be a problem if you didn’t have a live target nearby. It’s hot stuff, actually. The burst that you get from its effect is awesome, plus it helps a bit with focus economy. Because the Killing Streak effect reduces the focus cost on Kill Command by 10, it helps to counter the loss of the 10 added overall focus you gain by way of Kindred Spirits. What’s even better is that the reduced focus cost can keep proccing all fight long. In short, this talent reduces the focus cost and improves the damage on one of our key abilities. Total win here.
Improved Serpent Sting - This is one of those talents that some like and some do not. What it boils down to is that you need either Pathing or Improved Serpent Sting in order to reach the 2nd tier of the SV tree. Pathing is definitely not bad, but I’ve been using ISS and am seeing it as beneficial. I like that the initial portion of this talent’s effect hits immediately when cast – giving a tiny bit of added burst, plus the increased crit chance on the periodic damage is nice as well. It’s helped me more than a few times when a sprinting Rogue has tried to flee and LoS me, only to have my Serpent Sting ticks mop up his last few hit points.
Survival Tactics - I love this talent mainly for the 4 second reduced cooldown on Disengage. When combined with: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Chimera + the Glyph of Disengage, you can get your Disengage cooldown reduced to an amazing 12 seconds. On top of that, it also serves to eliminate enemy trap resists, provided you have enough Spell Penetration.
Now let’s have a look at my BM PvP Glyphs…
These are pretty much the same as before. Here’s a rundown on my glyphs — the underlined ones I feel every BM PvP hunter should be using.
BM PvP Prime Glyphs
- Arcane Shot - Makes our go-to shot hit even harder.
- Kill Command - Reduces the focus cost of Kill Command.
- Kill Shot - Provides added finishing power by allowing double Kill Shots.
BM PvP Major Glyphs
- Bestial Wrath - Reduces the cooldown on our best ability. Gotta have it.
- Deterrence - It may not seem like a lot, but shaving another 10 seconds off of the cooldown is pretty useful, especially when stacked with the 8 sec. reduction from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Chimera.
- Disengage - A five second reduction of its cooldown is a lifesaver. Disengage will help keep you away from the Spirit Healer.
BM PvP Minor Glyphs
- Feign Death - Feign Death is an important PvP ability, making this glyph a must-have. Feign Death is very useful for interrupting spell casts, plus it can jam up melee by causing them to lose you as a target. This glyph whacks 5 seconds off of its cooldown.
- Lesser Proportion – I like this glyph because it causes my pet to be extremely low-profile. I use Ghostcrawler, who is already fairly small and hard to see, but with this glyph he’s like a small and deadly blue mist that moves from target to target. I like to think it makes my pet less of a target, but maybe that’s just me.
Glyph of Scare Beast is a really useful glyph which could be used in this slot instead. You be the judge. - Revive Pet - This glyph is handy to have for those times when you need to revive your pet in combat. It prevents casting pushback during Revive Pet. Not an amazing glyph, but a better option than Aspect of the Pack.
Alrighty folks… so there’s a look at the BM PvP build I’ve been using for the past several months. It works quite well for me, so if you’re looking to give BM PvP a try, please give it a shot.
If you have any questions or comments, please post them below.
