Beast Mastery Hunter Review of Pack Leader Hero Talents - Strong Opening Shot But Needs More Pack

Posted 2024/04/03 at 9:44 AM by Tarlo

12 new Hero Talent Trees

Hero Talents are an extension of the Talent system designed to explore class fantasy with a third talent tree, separate from your class and specialization. With the release of Alpha, Blizzard has previewed most Hero Talents Trees coming in the next expansion, The War Within.
The War Within Hero Talents Overview

Our Guide Writers have provided initial first impressions on the Hero Talent Trees revealed so far. Check out all of our released Hero Talent reviews in our new Editorial Section.

Wowhead Editorials

Pack Leader Beast Mastery Hunter ReviewThe Main TalentsKill CommandBarbed ShotKill CommandKill CommandBarbed ShotThe Pet AttacksClawBiteSmackDire CommandBarbed ShotBarbed ShotBarbed ShotBrutal CompanionBarbed ShotWild CallScent of BloodOne with the PackThe Other TalentsMimiron's ShellShellshockAspect of the CheetahMulti-ShotBarbed ShotMulti-ShotBeast CleaveMulti-ShotMulti-ShotKill ShotCall of the WildConclusionsKill CommandBarbed ShotmightBarbed ShotKill CommandCobra ShotPackBarbed ShotKill CommandBarbed ShotKill CommandBrutal CompanionKill ShotVicious HuntPack CoordinationHowl of the PackWild AttacksDen RecoveryTireless HuntCornered PreyFrenzied TearCovering FireScattered PreyCull the HerdFurious AssaultBeast of OpportunityPack AssaultAbout the AuthorTrueshot Lodge

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Comments

Comment by maurin

That mechagnome and his chicken LOL

Comment by rodalpho

Agreed, this tree seems to be 100% in-line with both class fantasy and gameplay for BM but also offers essentially zero actual gameplay or additional identity for the spec. Where are the dozen little pets ala demonology warlock? What else could "pack leader" really evoke?

Comment by Malvient

What else could "pack leader" really evoke?

Crazy Cat Lady/Lord

Comment by Alwind

The main thing I'd like to have is to be able to spec my pets again.

Comment by Talihawk

Good article! So disappointed with both 'hero trees' so far. Nothing exciting, no flash, nothing to really fix current issues with BM. No one's going to know you are spec'ed into the Pack build either, save for what it 'isn't doing'. That's some uninspired design there. :(

Comment by knight85

I said to myself when i was doing old raids on my hunter at the weekend that the beast mastery hunter needs a good power move.

And to me wailing arrow doesnt count with its cast time requirement

Comment by Kyrshin

IMHO Pack Leader's biggest issue is that it's trying to make the two Rexxar specs play like Rexxar while failing to make either spec feel more like Rexxar.

Comment by cbiss527

The lack of passion is a direct result of multi-class devs. We need a dev or two for each class; yes it will cost some more money, but when you're dealing with billions money is irrelevant. Get guys who have history on the class and they will produce something great

Comment by Ztormur

in my honest opinion, this is the most uninteresting tree i've ever seen. which is the opposite of what BM severely needs.

Comment by dreadmarbles

This tree barely feels like a mockup honestly. The descriptions are really unclear on how each mechanic is going to work, and everything that get's enhanced for both bm and survival looks like it'll just be either a buff or a debuff that just reinforces the visual language the class already has. Other trees have at least one talent that will really make your hero spec identity really pop. Just look at rider of the apocalypse, frostfire or the evoker trees. A single talent is all we need. Give survival hunters 2 normal pets at all times and give BM 3 pets at all times and that's it. Anyone looking at you from afar will know you are a pack leader, cuz you will be walking around with an actual pack. Hell. Turn our class mount into a rideable pet since it can also fly, as soon as we dismount, the wolfhawk will also join in the action. It's actually so easy to brainstorm something interesting instead of just offering a bunch of mechanics that will only make more numbers show on screen geez.

Comment by poarro

Apparently the tree is basically content-oriented, like this:

Left: Multi-Target
Center: PvP
Right: Single Target

Personaly, I would prefer a much simpler single-button choice: or or
... instead of a "fake" tree that emulates a supposed choice!

Anyway, people will import it from a specialized website that simulated the tree for Raid X Mythic and will get the same result!

Comment by BendakWoW

Good write-up, but I agree, this does not really feel like it turns the spec into a "pack leader." I'll tell you what I miss is the old "beast cannon" build from Legion when you'd cast Dire Beast (in place of Barbed Shot) and every time you did, your pets would literally launch/leap at the target like projectiles from your position. I thought that was cool thematically and visually. I never got tired of "throwing" beasts 40 yards away. It made me feel like a beast master, and because of the glyph you always saw pets from your stable (more than today when the random dire beasts just appear in the spell effects clump at the target). I don't have an answer on how that could work gameplay-wise, I'm just talking about how fun that class fantasy was for me.

Comment by rasganoite

I'm just waiting for the Dark Ranger Rework after all... Dark Ranger BM will have more Pets than Pack Leader

Comment by Ravenoflogic

Funny that both Survival and BM say the same thing.
"Where is the pack that goes with Pack Leader?"

Comment by MarkElf

Funny that both Survival and BM say the same thing.
"Where is the pack that goes with Pack Leader?"

That's mostly just BM players. The tree is actually decent/good for Surv. And the answer is Call of The Wild.

Comment by Lobo720

Really weird...

1. Dark Hounds from Dark Ranger summons more pets than Beast of Opportunity in Pack Leader.
2. Beast of Opportunity is on a choice node and the other choice summons no pets.

Hyperbole or no, probably the most uninspired, lazy, and boring Hero tree so far. Will any of the yet to be seen trees beat it? Is there a betting pool somewhere?

Comment by soulyouth

TBH when I saw the preview for pack leader I thought great lynx rush and blink strikes are coming back, this "HERO" tree will be all about QoL to improve the pet experience, while making it more than just shouting at your pet gameplay, boy was I over hyping it, OFC it was going to more of the same boring barbed and kc reset BS, my only hope now is Sentinel MM is so good I don't have to touch bm all xpac

Comment by Dekardcaiin

The criticism I've seen of Hero talent trees I see as totally well founded. The specs who seemingly will benefit from Hero talents granting, more mobility, large increases in both proc chance and damage from current buttons players love to press, and/or new active or passive abilities that expected to have a large impact, are winning.

If BM gains only a possibly easier rotation, and a mild increase in damage from Pack Leader, many BM players may choose to opt for Dark Ranger. As mentioned Dark Ranger adds to total pet numbers, however temporary, it also adds another new button to press, which may have its own initial hit of damage tuned well enough to give BM a little taste of what it feels like to smack someone with Sniper Shot from MM(pvp only).

I'd like to see good things for the Hunter community come out of hero talents. I only recently made a new hunter 6 days ago, but as MM, I noticed I can move players health bars FAR more effectively and quickly compared to my main BIS/all gems/enchants/embelishment Ret Paladin. It is a whole different experience performing a perfect execution of burst damage rotation as Retribution paladin and watch someone's health not move off of 100% much, VS pressing the same four buttons a couple of times each starting from 65yards away and watching someone, panic, try to flee, and inevitably die in pvp as MM. Hunter

Comment by Magenpie

I'd love it if they gave us a few more buttons to play with, preferably things allowing us to show a bit more flair, but I'd also love a way of leaning in to our connection with our main pet(s) rather than a pack thing or a random confetti of wild creatures. I'd really like the conceit that my main pet and I have worked and trained together so well and often, I can effectively herd mobs like a shepherd and collie - but more violently ofc ;)

I also really really miss Wild Spirits. It was, imho, the nicest thing they had given to us in a veeeeery long time, and so was the cruelest to take away. I realise the aesthetic doesn't quite work anymore, but I'd love it back in some form - with race specific animations maybe *waggles invisible Troll eyebrows ;)*

Perhaps all these things exist and I play REALLY badly! xD

PS - imagine your pet gathering up a bunch of mobs in a group so you can aoe them. Did we not have this at some point?

PPS- Ma Troll hunter lady is so very much not a Dark Ranger, and I'm a bit sad they 'locked' that tree to an elfy undead theme.

Comment by Snowy6

This is not live please stop tagging it as live.