Agreed: [Suggestions updated] Pre-Legion Survival [4th spec]
(First segment contains background thoughts, second contains the suggestions for the spec)
As far as additional specs for the hunter class, if anything, we should get back the spec that we lost. As so many loved that playstyle.
I would say that it’s A LOT more to it than that, if you look at each spec and what it’s meant to be as well as how it plays.
I agree with you though. Current Survival I would say needs some changes to it still. The intent is still for it to be a melee-focused spec, but very little focus is actually on what you do in melee range.
Sure, you can stand in melee range and use all of it’s abilities. But IMO, as far as themes go, it should also feel like a melee spec. Opinions on this vary ofc. People prefer different things.
In the tab below, are my suggestions for melee survival. Note that it also holds a way to bring in the dual wield option that you want. A way that fits thematically, if you ask me:
Melee Survival
Any abilities or talents not mentioned below, they can stay as they are IMO.
-Core Abilities-
-
Remove Kill Command.
-
Rework Raptor Strike to be the new focus builder(it can work the same as Kill Command did for the spec, just melee-based, and it shouldn’t have a cooldown).
-
Drag out Mongoose Bite to become the main Spender instead of Raptor Strike.
-
Rework Serpent Sting into a mid-range CD.
Instead of you, firing a poison tipped arrow at your target, now, when you activate this ability, you coat your melee weapon(s) in snake venom for a short period.
Let’s say the ability has a 30 sec CD. The duration could be something like 15-20 seconds.
The venom itself, could work much like the old Exotic Ammunitions-venom we had in WoD. Where your auto shots(here, it would instead be melee auto attacks), they would inflict that venom on the target.
The damaging effect would stack with every attack. -
Wildfire Bomb can pretty much stay as it is. Although perhaps changing it into an actual bomb with a splash effect rather than being designed with a cone in mind would be better.
No matter the design here, throwing a bomb in front of yourself does not make sense but at least the splash design allows for less annoyance.
-Talents-
-
Remove the talent, Alpha Predator(no longer needed).
-
Put the last tier talent, Birds of Prey in the place of Alpha Predator.
-
Talent: Viper’s Venom, could be reworked so that if it’s chosen, it causes your new Snake Venom ability, it causes the venom to spread more quickly(stack up higher with every attack).
As well as adding a chance for you to extend it’s duration on the target(s) beyond the default time(up to a set max).
Essentially, this could allow you to keep that DoT up permanently. -
Hydra’s Bite. This would now just allow you to hit 3 targets at once with your Snake Venom buff that you use on your weapon(s).
-
Bloodseeker, could work the same, just that it would involve Raptor Strike instead of Kill Command.
-
Tip of the Spear, can be renamed Sharpened Edges.
Now, when picked, as you would have Mongoose Bite baseline. This talent could be reworked to allow you to stack Mongoose Fury up faster and/or allow you to extend the duration of the buff. -
We have a free spot for a talent option in the place of Mongoose Bite.
This could be fun
New talent called Mean Duo (I love that name!).
What it would do, is this:
Each time you hit an enemy target with an ability, there’s a high chance that this will cause your pet’s next Basic Attack(Bite, Claw, Smack) to be a guaranteed critical strike.
Each time your pet hits with a Basic Attack, there’s a high chance that you gain this effect as well.
I like the synergy! -
Wildfire Infusion might have to change a bit in it’s design to better fit the new core makeup of the spec. But still, mostly, I think it’s the Pheromone Bomb infusion that needs to change. Perhaps into something that benefits your Mongoose Bite?
And last but not least!
- In the place of the talent Birds of Prey(that was moved to the first row). I would like to put in a new talent. Some of you might remember the talent: Way of the Mok’Nathal. Explanation follows.
(And no, I don’t intend to bring that specific talent design back).
What I want, is this:
A LOT of players think of the current MSV spec as a visualization of us playing as Rexxar.
The famed Hunter from Draenor that fights with 2 1-handed axes.
So…what if a talent that you call Way of the Mok’Nathal, would do just that? Allow you to equip 2 1-handed weapons.
All your melee attacks(and abilities) would now be executed with those 2 weapons instead of a 2-hander.
As for tuning…Now, you would have to tune the 1h-concept to be on par with the 2 other talents on the same talent row, instead of trying to tune it as a baseline option for players choosing between using a 2-hander or 2 1-handers.
I know it’s not as simple as this, but still, more simple than the alternative.
Considering the amount of players that would want to play with 1-handed weapons. I’d say this would be worth it.
I would say that, suggestions for a 4th spec option, should only be done to classes where it can fill a void in terms of class fantasy. Where something is missing. As well as in the case of the Hunter class, where something was taken away even though there was no need for that to happen.