Best talent builds and Runes for Hunters in WoW SoD

In phase one of World of Warcraft Classic Season of Discovery, Hunters are among the best damage-dealing classes. With the proper builds and rune selections, the Hunter can easily beat out other top classes to climb up the DPS charts.

Runes are a new mechanic in Season of Discovery which can alter or add existing WoW spells and abilities. For classes such as Warlocks and Shamans, you can use runes to create entirely new playstyles and roles for the traditionally rigid class structure. For Hunters, you can use runes that can empower both yourself and your pet to make you much, much stronger.

Given the Hunter’s pure DPS, additional pet damage, trap utility, and buffs, it is no wonder why the class has exploded as phase one’s top performer. If you are trying to equip the best runes and talents for the Hunter in Season of Discovery, you need to do this.

Best Hunter runes WoW SoD

My list for the top three Hunter runes for the top three runes, one for each available slot, follows below:

• Kill Command (Legs)
  • Give command for your pet to kill, increasing pet damage from special attacks by 60-percent for 30 seconds.
• Beast Mastery (Gloves)
  • Increase your pet’s damage and health by 30 percent and increase focus regeneration by 80-percent. Growl can now also taunt enemies.
• Aspect of the Lion (Chest)
  • Increases total stats for all nearby allies by 10 percent and increases stats for the hunter by an additional 10 percent.

Pet damage is one of the biggest reasons why Hunters have been so successful in Season of Discovery phase one. Pets such as Scorpions can utilize the Kill Command and Beast Mastery runes to deal more damage than most party members in short bursts. Though Blizzard has nerfed the specific Scorpion Poison interaction, pets are still an undeniably useful resource during these early levels.

Best Hunter Talent build WoW SoD

Given how powerful pets are in phase one of Season of Discovery, the majority of your points should go into the Beast Mastery spec, although Marksmanship and Survival builds can provide interesting routes as well. Below are my picks for the best Hunter talents in phase one:

• Improved Aspect of the Hawk (BM) – 5/5
• Thick Hide (BM) – 3/3
• Improved Revive Pet (BM) – 2/2
• Unleash Fury (BM) – 5/5

Improved Aspect of the Hawk will increase your damage for ranged abilities, giving you a needed damage boost so your only source of DPS does not come from pets. Thick Hide will improve your pet’s ability to tank while Improved Revive Pet can bring back your companion much faster and without as much of a debuff. Finally, Unleash Fury pairs with the pet damage-focused runes listed above, making your pet even more deadly.