World of Warcraft: Forever · class guide
Survival Hunter
Melee damage
Now a melee spec: 
Aspect of the Beast, 
Raptor Strike, Mongoose Bite and 
Strider Kick. Weak until the 30s.
Survival fights in melee. Aspect of the Beast (learned at 30) gives melee attack power, Deadly Aspects procs melee attack speed with it, and Hunter's Mark plus Expose Prey lets your attacks open Mongoose Bite without a dodge. Strider Kick (21 points) is a 100% weapon-damage kick on an 8-second cooldown, Predator's Edge raises melee crit damage and off-hand damage, and Lacerating Strikes (31 points) makes Mongoose Bite bleed for 40% of its hit. Immolation Trap stays on the target. Blizzard supports two styles: stay in melee, or open at range and step in. Every guide says it levels slower than Beast Mastery and that you'll fight at range for much of 1–40.
Strengths and weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Melee damage with Raptor Strike, Mongoose Bite and a 100% weapon-damage Strider Kick | Weak until the 30s, and it levels slower than Beast Mastery |
| Hunter's Mark plus Expose Prey opens Mongoose Bite without a dodge | Much of levels 1-40 is played at range |
| Lacerating Strikes makes Mongoose Bite bleed for 40% of its hit | Enemies can parry and block you from behind at close range, a known issue |
| Aspect of the Beast and Deadly Aspects raise melee attack power and attack speed | Deflection gives only 5% parry at 5/5, so Counterattack comes up less often |
| Raptor Strike is a next-swing attack that a queue bug can eat |
Stat priority
- Melee weapon damage (slow and heavy)
- Hit
- Agility
- Critical strike
- Strength
- Intellect (with Careful Aim)
Strength comes after crit for Survival. Strider Kick deals 100% of the weapon's damage and Counterattack 50%, "so a slow, heavy weapon comes first". Dual wield gets value from Predator's Edge's off-hand bonus. You compete with Rogues, Warriors, Enhancement Shamans and Feral Druids for melee weapons.
Do this
- Level as Beast Mastery and switch at 30 or later: you'll play at range for at least the first 40 levels anyway.
- Keep Hunter's Mark up all fight; Expose Prey is where most of your Mongoose Bites come from.
- Use a slow two-hander for Strider Kick, or dual wield for Predator's Edge's off-hand bonus.
- Stand a step back from the target until the parry-from-behind known issue is fixed.
Watch out for
- Deflection is only 5% parry at 5/5, so Counterattack comes up less often.
- Known issue: enemies can parry and block you from behind at close range.
- Raptor Strike is still a next-swing attack, and an on-next-swing queue bug can eat it.
- Lacerating Strikes needs Expose Prey 2/2. Lacerate (a separate 147-damage bleed) is listed as a level-30 trainer spell; no build here uses it yet, so check your trainer at 30.