Best Hunter loadout for WoW SoD Phase 3: Talents, runes, and gear

Hunters have been in an interesting position for WoW SoD Phase 3. The Classic servers have catered to the class in one very interesting way. While some classes - Warlocks, Rogues, and Shaman gained the ability to tank, Hunters got a new way to play as well. In this case, they made Melee Hunter not only viable but incredibly powerful. According to the current DPS charts, the melee build for this class stands out as the most powerful way to approach the normally ranged class.

This build takes advantage of having a powerful pet that the Hunter can work together alongside in WoW SoD Phase 3. In the current build on the Classic servers, players want a Cat pet - but a Wind Serpent is also nice to have in the stables. In the past, spell-power pets were ridiculous. During Phase 1, this melee build was interesting and useful. In Phase 3, however, it’s a powerhouse.

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Best Hunter build in WoW SoD Phase 3: Melee Hunter

1) Talents and Runes for Melee Hunter

Melee Hunter talent picks in Wowhead's talent calculator (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Thanks to having 10 more points to work with, WoW SoD Phase 3 Melee Hunters have more reasons to sink deeper into the Beast Mastery tree. Now, they have access to important cooldowns like Bestial Wrath and Intimidation to increase their overall DPS.

That’s combined with talents from the Survival Tree, such as Monster Slaying and Humanoid Slaying to increase damage to specific monster types, and Savage Strikes to increase Raptor Strike/Mongoose Bite critical hit chance. Paired with various abilities that increase your pet's critical strike/damage, it’s not hard to see why this build is the best for WoW SoD Phase 3 Hunters:

Beast Mastery talents

• Improved Aspect of the Hawk: 5/5
• Endurance Training: 3/5
• Improved Revive Pet: 2/2
• Pathfinding: 2/2
• Bestial Swiftness: 1/1
• Unleashed Fury: 5/5
• Ferocity: 5/5
• Bestial Discipline: 2/2
• Intimidation: 1/1
• Spirit Bond: 1/2
• Frenzy: 5/5
• Bestial Wrath: 1/1

Survival talents

• Monster Slaying: 3/3
• Humanoid Slaying: 3/3
• Savage Strikes: 2/2

When it comes to the new Runes, Catlike Reflexes is an excellent pick. It enhances damage, particularly for the most powerful Melee Hunter rune in WoW SoD Phase 3: Flanking Strike. Since Heart of the Lion is an aura, it’s another must-pick for this build.

Everything else builds towards the increase of damage for you and your pet, with picks such as Melee Specialist and Raptor Fury. If you want to deal as much damage and stand out from the rest of the pack, this is the loadout you want for your WoW SoD Phase 3 Hunter:

Runes to pick for your Melee Hunter (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Optimal Runes

• Head: Catlike Reflexes
• Chest: Heart of the Lion
• Wrist: Raptor Fury
• Hands: Beast Mastery
• Waist: Melee Specialist
• Legs: Flanking Strike
• Feet: Dual Wield Specialization

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2) BiS gear for Melee Hunter

Whether you’re playing a caster like a Mage, or a DPS Warrior, The Temple of Atal’Hakkar is going to have the bulk of your powerful gear for a Hunter in WoW SoD Phase 3. Below you’ll find your current BiS (Best in Slot) gear, and where it is found:

• Helm: Knight-Lieutenant’s Chain Helmet (Honor Vendor)
• Neck: Bloodstained Charm of Valor (Temple of Atal’Hakkar)
• Shoulders: Shrieking Spaulders (Leatherworking)
• Back: Panther Fur Cloak (Temple of Atal’Hakkar)
• Chest: Dread Hunter’s Chainmail (Temple of Atal’Hakkar)
• Wrists: Void-Powered Slayer’s Vambraces (Engineering)
• Hands: Foul Smelling Fighter’s Gloves (Temple of Atal’Hakkar)
• Waist: Hyperconductive Goldwrap (Engineering)
• Legs: Dread Hunter’s Chausses (Temple of Atal’Hakkar)
• Feet: Albino Crocscale Boots (Temple of Atal’Hakkar)
• Rings: Drakeclaw Band of the Berserker (Temple of Atal’Hakkar) // Band of the Wilds (Temple of Atal’Hakkar)
• Trinkets: Rune of the Guard Captain (BFD quest - Job Openign: Guard Captain of Revantusk Village) / Roar of the Guardian (Emerald Wardens faction - Exalted)
• Weapons: (Main Hand) Degraded Dire Nail (Temple of Atal’Hakkar) / (Off-Hand): Julie’s Dagger (World Drop)
• Ranged Weapon: Precisely Calibrated Boomstick (Engineering)

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WoW SoD Phase 3 is going strong, but it’s not the only big content coming to World of Warcraft. WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria also promises to change the game up for retail players as well.