truth be told groups that dont check basic things like this have ususally much more difficulties in there then groups which does check it.
and i say it as someone who much prefers BM due to insane mobility it has - but obejctivey its doing worse then MM if stuff dies fast. and if stuff doesnt die fast problems start showing up in pugs.
BM is absolutely fine for m+ 15s, HC Castle Nathria and a few Mythic bosses and ofc random BGs and stuff.
Your spec will only limit you in Cutting Edge progress and from some m+ pugs cause people think they need meta to complete a +12… But that is the playerbase problem, not the specs problem.
Thanks for all the advice everyone! I think I’m going to find some players who don’t mind BM hunters being in their group but I also think I will learn MM and the rotations in the mean time just to have a better chance at being in PUGs and since there seems to be some good legendaries for all 3 specs I’ll craft them. Thank you all!
Your issue is your blaming meta and not pug mentality.
Every class in the game has done a +22 minimum.“meta” ain’t holding you back even if what your saying is true.
Paladins I’d even argue are pretty capable I’ve seen quite a few pull good numbers. But your making this point while I watch a survival hunter pugging +18s successfully.
Your playing a DPS. U are among 50 players spam applying to the same group.
People will take the highest ilevel + RIO score and your chances of being that are very low considering the competitive nature of getting into groups as a DPS.
You play a oversaturated role.
Exactly this 
The highest timed dungeon by a BM hunter is +21.
it depends what your goals are. If you want to do the highest of the highest you have no other choice than going for meta specs, but for most people +15 or a little something above is fine. And that is doable on any spec.
The hard part is the community perception while pugging. That is why communities are mostly recommanded (for everyone actually). Which is also a way more social enjoyable experience 
And about that example of survival hunters; i timed yesterday 2 +17’s and finished 2 +18’s with one (and also with a ret pala).
I know all of it, but yet, the time investment is not worth it anymore for me sadly.
And i do get your point.
IF you are in guild it doesn’t matter what spec you are playing…
of course if you are going into the hardest content possible
20+ keys and mythic raiding ( mythic raiding something like WF race killing bosses in 1-3 weeks of raid) you need to play the best DPS /tank/heal classes
I never understood why people keep saying that.
If a class has 2 specs and one is doing 20% more damage than the other, then, assuming its not a case of fire mage or some other spec that excells in specific conditions, one is superior to the other on the design level. Which means a clear advantage is there regardless of the level of play.
While this advantage might not be mathematically required to succeed on lower keys, it is still there regardless, and at the very least contributes to finishing the key faster, increases the chance of you timing it even if there are wipes or gives you a better shot at +3ing it instead of +2.
Playing inferior spec means giving up that advantage, one could argue it should not have higher priority than having fun playing what you like, but its not like someone timing a +21 makes it that it suddenly doesnt matter at all.
Every specc has done a +22 also lol.
u are correct, however by doing this, ur playing the game the way its susposed to be played… not “metaslaving”.
the objective is
thats the entire point of having 3 speccs… should u be awarded for doing that?.. Yeah yes you should.
being able to maximise ur class in multiple enviroments and being able to adapt on the fly is apart of the skillcap of your class.
I don’t think you even read my post, since the problem is not raider addon but the people. I gave you a whole example and i dont think you even read it.
So you want a match making just based in ilvl? You want normal raids / heroic raids / mythic raids / m+ to all work like how heroic dungeon and raid finder is now?
Being in a casual guild of people who are good enough to get things done up to heroic/+15 is the way to go.
all the hunters in my guild are BM, I’m the only MM.
yes you can do everything, in any spec, except maybe world first kills.
join a decent casual/social guild and you’ll find yourself raiding and doing m+ in no time.
i assume you are a boomie? so yes for you its more than fine, for a BM hunter/Fury War/Havoc DH/ Destruction Lock its much worse because they get a Decline almost every time immo regardless of their Rio Score. its just the way it is.
Totally! You may get rejected by some groups, but getting in a guild, dungeon community or even the forum community discord (maybe Puny or Twiluna can drop an invite) will greatly help you. You can also run your own key and nobody’s gonna kick you from that 
Anything under M+15 can be done relatively easily by all classes and specs. Party comp still matters - you’d want bloodlust, you’d want to mind affixes (like, not stacking melee dps on quaking, not stacking ranged dps on explosive weeks, etc). Random parties won’t really work in m+10 and up, but that’s more about bringing the right type of class, it’s not about specs.
All that matters is if you can bring THE PAIN.
For new people to M+ I highly recommend running your own key. It gives you a nice self-modulating difficulty and as you work to get your key to +15, you’ll learn a lot about the mode’s intricacies.
If you find a guild willing to play with really bad specs, then you’ll be fine. If you intend to pug however…
Most communities like calm keystones or failtrain don’t give a damn about meta or rio
Well, I wanted to raid to my level, which is ce or near ce. The only proposals I’ve got as ret paladin were from guilds that can’t kill a damn gear check.
Best tip is start by doing baby steps.
I looked at your armory, i advise you to find a guild that does normal raid.
You will have no problem to set in even with your itlv and there is high chance that you will met some people to even do some early level m+.
lol bro, I am feral. I pugged my way from 700 raider score to 1000 raider score. I usually get declined 20-30 times before I can get a group. I never created my own team since i don’t use the raider addon. Usually only apply to other groups.
But this doesn’t change the fact that this is a social standard and not a problem in game design. If you read my post and the example I gave in my previous post this isn’t an issue since it happens in real life as well.
If you were looking for a party and you needed 4 random strangers to do your key, you will also pick the highest ilvl or if you have raider addon you will check their raider score. If there is a mage, and a warlock, you will pick the mage over that warlock no? I am pretty sure everyone complaining here will do the same thing since you want the best success chance.
edit: I checked you are VDH, Guess you never really tried playing havoc? If you really put in the effort it can be done, since I’ve done it as feral. Also Havoc DH is pretty good for m+ at least I think it is more well received than a feral.
M+ isn’t high endgame. M+15> and mythic raiding is.
Pvp is a meme fest after a point. You are totally viable. Just go with a guild because people will not take you in pugland