1.0 - Introduction
2.0 - Talents and PvP
3.0 - Skills and Stats
4.0 - Consumables
4.1 - Enchantments
4.2 - Gems
4.3 - Pre-Karazhan Gear Guide
8.0 - 1-80 Hunter Leveling Guide

1.0 - The Survival Hunter

Survival hunters serve a unique role of contributing DPS not only for themselves, but for all other classes in the entire raid via expose weakness, a similar position to hold as that of arms warriors for blood frenzy.

Playing a survival hunter also provides a nice change of scenery to that of the usual beast mastery specializations that dominate Raid DPS or to the large numbers of marksman hunters in PvP.

This guide is simply intended to provide a general overview of the Survival Hunter. For a more in-depth and highly detailed resource on this class, check out this guide here.

2.0 - Talents

• 0/10/51 Survival Raid DPS Build
  
  Survival follows a build entirely focused on raid DPS in this case. Due to the unique neccessities that survival fulfills in a raid many of the PvP taletnts are skipped in favor of pure DPS.

You're primary rotations will mimic that of the beast mastery hunters, as you fulfill practically the same DPS minus the 20% haste gained by BM and the increased pet damage, instead you'll have to be satistfied with expose weakness procs.

2.1 - Attack Rotation

Auto Shot - Steady Shot - Kill Command(If avaliable)

In Macro Form: High mana efficiency/consistent DPS

#showtooltip Steady Shot
/castsequence reset=3 steady shot,!auto shot
/cast [target=pettarget,exists] kill command
*/cast [target=pettarget,exists] lightning breath*
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()

*This macro accounts for having the wind serpent pet, a pet chosen for hunters over 30% critical rating, if you don't have this yet simply remove the line.

2.2 - Leveling Survival

• 0/18/43 Survival Leveling Build

Check out the Hunter Leveling Guide for more info

10 – 12 Hawk Eye
13 – 15 Humanoid Slaying
16 – 18 Monster Slaying
19 – Deflection (1/5)
20 - Deterrence
21 – 25 Naturalist
26 – 28 Surefooted
29 – Deflection (2/5)
30 – 32 Killer Instinct
33 – Counterattack
34 – 35 Survival Instincts
36 – 40 Lightning Reflexes
41 – 43 Expose Weakness
44 – Thrill of the hunt (1/3)
45 – 49 Master Tactician
50 – Readiness
51 – 52 Thrill of the Hunt (3/3)
51+ - Branch out, possibly finish off a few points into the beast mastery tree, also a couple of survival and marksmanship talents are quite useful.

2.3 - PvP Surival Arena Build

• 0/20/41 Survival Arena Build

Survival's arena capabilities are admittedly lower than that of Marksman, yet generally equal to beast mastery with some skill and talent put into the fight, traps and utility style combat are what you bring as opposed to pure DPS.

3.0 - Skills and Stats

The Hit cap is reached at 142 +hit rating, or 9% +hit.

Generally the priority will follow as agility first, hit rating second, and critical rating last although not by much. Using this you'll end up with quite the amount of dodge/attack power followed hopefully by a decent amount of hit.

Critical rating also gives you the improved usage of the wind serpent pet as your shots recharge it's focus well enough to make it more viable than the other possible pet choices such as cats or raptors.

4.0 - Consumables

Superior Healing Potion
Elixir of Mastery
Elixir of Major Fortitude
Elixir of Major Agility

Food:

Spicy Hot Talbuk - +20 Hit Rating & Spirit
Warp Burger - +20 Agility & Spirit

4.1 - Enchants

Head: Glyph of Ferocity
Shoulder: Aldor/Scryer Inscription
Cloak: Greater Agility
Chest: Exceptional Stats
Bracers: Assault
Gloves: Superior Agility
Legs: Cobrahide OR Nethercobra Leg Armor(Epic Version)
Boots: Dexterity
Melee Weapon: Major Agility
Ranged Weapon: Stabilized Eternium Scope

4.2 - Gems

Early on most hunters will find themselves severly lacking in +hit rating, especially those just starting to aim for Karazhan, thankfully this can be somewhat made up by gemming all armor with the following selections:

Glinting Flame Spessarite
Glinting Noble Topaz
Delicate Living Ruby

As you continue on and pick up more hit rating you can start popping in all +agility gems if you wish, otherwise these should do you for the forseeable future until you pick up epic gems.

4.3 - Gear Guide

This is a primarily pre-karazhan gear guide, allowing you to pick up the optimal gear required to begin the starting raid dungeons with at the very least adequate if not quite good gear. Although not exhaustive, this does include most easily avaliable and high quality pieces.

Here are some figures to aim for once you've geared yourself out fully and gemmed every piece of armor possible, however this is without any outside buffs.

Attack Power: 1750+
Critical: 25%+
Hit Rating: 90+

Helm:

[Helm of Desolation] - Drop(Black Morass)
[Dream-Wing Helm] - Drop(Shadow Laybrinth)
[Beast Lord Helm] - Drop(Mechanar)

Neck:

[Traitor's Noose] - Drop(Heroic Slavepens)
[Adamantine Chain of the Unbroken] - Drop(Heroic Slavepens)
[Insignia of the Mag'hari Hero] - Quest Reward

Back:

[Cloak of the Inciter] - Drop(Shadow Laybrinth)
[Cloak of Malice] - Drop(Shattered Halls)
[Cloak of Impulsiveness] - Drop(Old Hillsbrad)

Shoulders:

[Towering Mantle of the Hunt] - Drop(Botanica)
[Wyrmfury Pauldrons] - Drop(Heroic Old Hillsbrad)
[Beast Lord Mantle] - Drop(Steamvault)

Chest:

[Salvager's Hauberk] - Reputation Reward(Lower City Revered)
[Hauberk of Desolation] - Drop(Heroic Hillsbrad)
[Golden Dragonstrike Breastplate] - Crafted

Wrist:

[Bracers of the Hunt] - Drop(Heroic Sethekk Halls)
[Bracers of Shirrak] - Drop(Heroic Auchenai Crypts)
[Oronok's Old Bracers] - Quest Reward
[Lykul Bloodbands] - Underbog

Hands:

[Gauntlets of Desolation] - Drop(Shattered Halls)
[Beast Lord Handguards] - Drop(Shattered Halls)
[Gauntlets of the Redeemed Vindicator] - Quest Reward
[Hungarhide Gauntlets] - Drop(Heroic Underbog)

Belt:

[Archery Belt of the Broken] - Drop(Heroic Slave Pens)
[Tracker's Belt] - Drop(Heroic Slave Pens)
[Girdle of Ferocity] - Drop(Heroic Shadow Laybrinth)

Legs:

[Mag'hari Huntsman's Leggings] - Quest Reward
[Greaves of Desolation] - Drop(Sethekk Halls)
[Scales of the Beast] - World Drop BoE

Boots:

[Outland Striders] - Drop(Arcatraz)
[Boots of the Endless Hunt] - Drop(Heroic Botanica)
[Wild Stalker Boots] - Drop(Heroic Hellfire Ramparts)
[Boots of the Outlander] - Drop(Mana Tombs)

Rings:

[Averinn's Ring of Slaying] - Drop(Heroic Hellfire Ramparts)
[Ring of the Exarchs] - Drop(Normal Auchenai Crypts)
[Ravenclaw Band] - Drop(Sethekk Halls)
[Ring of Umbral Doom] - Drop(Botanica)
[Band of the Exorcist] - Vendor(50 Spirit Shards)
[Lightwarden's Band] - Vendor(Aldor Revered)

Trinkets:

[Bloodlust Brooch] - Vendor(41 Badges of Justice)
[Abacus of Violent Odds] - Drop(Mechanar)
[Hourglass of the Unraveller] - Drop(Black Morass)
[Core of Ar'kelos] - Quest Reward

Two-handed Weapons:

[Sonic Spear] - Drop(Shadow Laybrinth)
[Crystalforged War Axe] - World Drop BoE
[Skyforged Great Axe] - Crafted
[Axe of the Nexus-Kings] - Drop(Heroic Mana Tombs)

One-Hand:

[Reflex Blades] - Drop(Arcatraz)
[Hungering Spineripper] - Drop(Arcatraz)
[Stellaris] - Drop(Mechanar)
[Stormreaver Warblades] - Drop(Botanica)
[Ced's Carver] - BoE World Drop
[Ashtongue Blade] - Quest Reward

Ranged Weapon:

[Wrathtide Longbow] - Drop(Heroic Steamvault)
[Ornate Khorium Rifle] - Crafted
[Valanos' Longbow] - BoE World Drop
[Emberhawk Crossbow] - Drop(Arcatraz)

5.0 -- 1-80 Hunter Leveling Guide

For years Joana's Horde Guide and Brian's Alliance guide were the standards for Hunter leveling, simply because Hunters were the class of choice for both those guides. Other classes had to make due as best they could.

I argue that Zygor's in-game Guide is better than either because all the "looking up of stuff" is done away with. No more switching from game to guide, no more manually setting waypoints, no more browsing Thottbot for tips. It's all contained within Zygor's guide and it's all automated.

Check it out and grab a copy or read our review, here.