Summary

• In WoW Patch 11.1, Hunters will gain the ability to change pet specializations, opt for a single pet in Beast Mastery, and see Marksmanship lose its pet entirely.
• Patch 11.1 introduces the Undermine and the Liberation of Undermine raid, where players will face off against Chrome King Gallywix.
• Feedback from players on the Hunter changes in Patch 11.1 will be crucial, with testing available on the PTR early next year.

In World of Warcraft, Patch 11.1 brings significant updates to the Hunter class, offering new ways to interact with pets and enhancing specialization options. Hunters can now change pet specializations at the stables, allowing them to customize their pets like the Dreaming Festive Reindeer from the Feast of Winter Veil event into Cunning, Ferocity, or Tenacity types. This flexibility lets players align their pets with their preferred combat strategies.

Patch 11.1, dubbed "Undermined," also introduces a new content update centered around the Goblin capital. Players will delve into the story of The War Within, culminating in the Liberation of Undermine raid against the Chrome King Gallywix.

Hunter specializations are receiving substantial updates. Marksmanship Hunters will undergo a complete rework, transitioning to a pet-less playstyle that introduces a spotter eagle to mark targets for increased damage. Beast Mastery Hunters now have the option to use a single, more powerful pet instead of multiple ones, enhancing the companion's impact on the battlefield. Additionally, the Pack Leader Hero Talent is being revamped to summon a bear, boar, and wyvern during combat.

The community's response to these changes is mixed. While the pet specialization swap and Beast Mastery's single pet option have been well-received, the removal of the pet from Marksmanship and the forced animal types in Pack Leader have stirred debate. Players appreciate the spotter eagle concept but feel that the essence of the Hunter class is diminished without a pet. Similarly, the inability to choose summoned animals in Pack Leader has been a point of contention.

These changes are still subject to adjustments based on player feedback. Hunters will have the opportunity to test these updates on the Patch 11.1 PTR early next year, allowing them to provide valuable insights to Blizzard.

World of Warcraft Patch 11.1 Hunter Changes

• Pet specializations can now be changed in the stable via a dropdown menu.

Class Changes

• HUNTER
  • Kindling Flare has been redesigned to increase the radius of flare by 50%.
  • Territorial Instincts now reduces the cooldown of Intimidation by 10 seconds and no longer summons a pet if none is present.
  • Wilderness Medicine now additionally increases the cooldown reduction effect of Natural Mending by 0.5 seconds.
  • No Hard Feelings now also reduces the cooldown of Misdirection by 5 seconds.
  • Roar of Sacrifice is updated for Marksmanship Hunters to protect a friendly target from critical strikes, lasting 12 seconds, and disabling the Spotting Eagle's Spotter’s Mark during its duration.
  • Intimidation has a unique variant for Marksmanship spec that doesn't require line of sight and uses the Spotting Eagle.
  • Explosive Shot's projectile speed has been increased.
  • Eyes of the Beast is now exclusive to Survival and Beast Mastery Hunters.
  • Eagle Eye is now exclusive to Marksmanship Hunters.
  • Freezing Trap now breaks based on a small damage threshold instead of any damage.
  • Tooltips for Roar of Sacrifice, Wilderness Medicine, and No Hard Feelings have been updated to avoid showing irrelevant information to Marksmanship Hunters.
  • Hero Talents
    • Dark Ranger
      • Withering Fire now triggers from casting Black Arrow during Trueshot/Bestial Wrath, aiming to balance its consistency and impact.
      • Fixed an issue with Bleak Powder's damage area.
    • Pack Leader
      • New Talent: Howl of the Pack Leader summons a Bear, Wyvern, or Boar every 30 seconds with unique effects.
      • New Talent: Better Together reduces Howl of the Pack Leader’s cooldown and boosts pet attack power.
      • New Talent: Dire Summons reduces Howl of the Pack Leader’s cooldown with specific abilities.
      • New Talent: Pack Mentality enhances the damage or effects of the next Kill Command after Howl of the Pack Leader.
      • New Talent: Ursine Fury gives a chance to reduce cooldowns based on the Bear's periodic damage.
      • New Talent: Envenomed Fangs allows the Bear to consume Serpent Sting for instant damage.
      • New Talent: Fury of the Wyvern increases the Wyvern's damage bonus and extends its duration.
      • New Talent: Hogstrider enhances multi-target capabilities and damage.
      • New Talent: No Mercy sends pets into a rage following a Kill Shot.
      • New Talent: Shell Cover provides damage reduction when health drops below 40%.
      • New Talent: Slicked Shoes reduces Disengage's cooldown when removing movement impairing effects.
      • New Talent: Horsehair Tether drags stunned enemies to the center of Binding Shot.
      • New Talent: Lead From the Front summons a Beast and increases damage during Bestial Wrath/Coordinated Assault.
      • Several talents have been removed to streamline the Pack Leader talent tree.
    • Sentinel
      • Lunar Storm has seen significant updates to increase its impact and usability, including increased damage, radius, duration, and tracking capabilities.
  • Beast Mastery
    • New Talent: Dire Cleave enhances Dire Beasts with Beast Cleave.
    • New Talent: Poisoned Barbs adds a chance for Barbed Shot to explode on impact.
    • New Talent: Solitary Companion boosts pet damage and size, offering a solo-pet playstyle.
    • Stomp now deals separate damage instances to primary and secondary targets.
    • Serpent Sting and Barrage damage have been increased, with Barrage's focus cost reduced.
    • Alpha Predator now increases Kill Command’s damage multiplicatively.
    • Additional Kill Shots from Hunter’s Prey can target enemies regardless of health.
    • Dire Command's summon chance has been reduced.
    • Dire Beasts now leap to their target upon summoning.
    • Dire Frenzy is now a 2-point node, replacing Basilisk Collar.
    • Several talents have been removed to focus on area of effect tunability.
  • Marksmanship
    • New Ability: Harrier’s Cry boosts party and raid Haste.
    • New Passive: Manhunter applies Grievous Injury to reduce healing on targets hit by Aimed Shot.
    • New Passive: Eyes in the Sky introduces the Spotting Eagle, marking targets for increased damage from Aimed Shot.
    • New Talent: Aspect of the Hydra allows Aimed Shot, Rapid Fire, and Arcane Shot to hit a second target.
    • New Talent: Improved Spotter’s Mark increases the damage bonus of Spotter’s Mark.
    • New Talent: Moving Target enhances Aimed Shot damage and grants Streamline.
    • New Talent: Obsidian-Tipped Ammunition boosts Auto Shot damage and critical strike chance.
    • New Talent: Shrapnel Shot increases damage from Arcane Shot or Multi-Shot following Explosive Shot.
    • New Talent: Magnetic Gunpowder reduces Explosive Shot's cooldown when consuming specific effects.
    • New Talent: Precise Detonation enhances Explosive Shot's damage and interaction with Aimed Shot.
    • New Talent: On Target provides Haste upon consuming Spotter’s Mark.
    • New Talent: Quickdraw increases Aimed Shot damage with Lock and Load.
    • New Talent: Target Acquisition reduces Aimed Shot's cooldown when consuming Spotter’s Mark.
    • New Talent: Eagle’s Accuracy boosts Spotter’s Mark’s damage bonus.
    • New Talent: Headshot allows Kill Shot to benefit from Precise Shots.
    • New Talent: Feathered Frenzy enhances Spotter’s Mark application during Trueshot.
    • New Talent: Tensile Bowstring extends Trueshot's duration and enhances Streamline.
    • New Talent: Incendiary Ammunition increases critical strike damage with Bulletstorm.
    • New Talent: Bullet Hell reduces cooldowns of Rapid Fire and Volley based on damage dealt.
    • New Talent: Improved Streamline increases the cast time reduction effect.
    • New Talent: Windrunner Quiver modifies Precise Shots' stacking behavior.
    • New Talent: Cunning and Tenacious grant the Spotting Eagle different specializations.
    • New Talent: Ohn’ahran Winds allows the Spotting Eagle to apply Spotter’s Mark to multiple enemies.
    • New Talent: Double Tap enhances Aimed Shot or Rapid Fire during Trueshot.
    • New Talent: Killer Mark increases the critical strike chance of Aimed Shot.
    • New Talent: Deadeye provides Kill Shot with additional charges and reduced cooldown.
    • Streamline, Precise Shots, and other abilities have been updated to enhance gameplay.
    • Trueshot has been redesigned to increase critical strike chance and damage while reducing cooldowns.
    • Several talents have been removed or updated to streamline and enhance the Marksmanship specialization.
  • Survival
    • New Talent: Cull the Herd increases damage taken from Bleed effects after Kill Shot.
    • New Talent: Born to Kill enhances Deathblow chance and extends Cull the Herd's duration.
    • Frenzy Strikes and Merciless Blow have been updated to enhance Flanking Strike.
    • Alpha Predator now increases Kill Command’s damage multiplicatively.
    • Merciless Blow’s Butchery bleed damage has been reduced.
    • Tactical Advantage now increases Butchery's damage.
    • Flanking Strike and Butchery are now mutually exclusive via a choice node.
    • Exposed Flank has been removed to simplify rotation choices.

Player Versus Player

• HUNTER
  • New PvP Talent: Explosive Powder enhances Bursting Shot with a knockback and additional snare.
  • Beast Mastery
    • Dire Beast: Basilisk now triggers automatically with Call of the Wild.
  • Marksmanship
    • New PvP Talent: Sniper’s Advantage extends the range of shots during Trueshot and Volley.
    • New PvP Talent: Aspect of the Fox allows Aimed Shot to be cast while moving during Aspect of the Cheetah.
    • Ranger’s Finesse no longer boosts Bursting Shot.
    • Several PvP talents have been removed to refine the PvP experience.