I too think that BM and SV are very undertuned right now damage wise. But after playing with them for a while it is viable to do high keys (20+) with them although it is extremely unefficient.
The biggest issues for hunters is their damage taken in PVE content. Hunters have no form of passive damage reduction like almost every other class has (DH insane leech, Warlock passive shielding).
I’m playing with a very high tier holy priest in M+ and he also confirms that i take way more damage than every other dps we have. The only thing i can do is use survival of the fittest but that duration is atrocious and the cooldown is crazy long.
It has gotten so bad that on tyrannical weeks we have to actively make new strats exclusively for me because i would get 1 shot otherwise by things that won’t 1 shot other classes.
I agree with most of your points here. I do have to say I understand why playing a hunter in +20 content is viable but we both agree it’s extremely inefficient to the point of it not being playable at all besides playing with friends. Try pugging any type of serious content with a hunter and you will be declined left and right. Streamers are overtly calling out players applying to their content as hunter basically instantly declining them just for the class they play. Hunter is in a BAD state at the moment and needs some serious dps love but most of all survivability. Bring back some form of leech or another type of defensive that will help this class and PLEASE give us some form of buff/aura that will make the class an interesting utility pick for difficult content.
I fully agree. Almost every class has some sort of good passive healing/survivability as you mentioned (such as leech) or an on demand heal that they can fall back on like DKs Deathstrike, hunter does not. Every healing/damage reduction ability has a long cooldown on hunter and the 10% extra leech some pets give us is nice… but not enough. (and MM hunters cant even benefit from that <.<)
Having a better version of SV hunters pvp talent “Mending Bandage” would be the answer. Something akin to mend pet, but on yourself.
IE: Cost: 30 focus
CD: 15s
Effect: Heal yourself for 50% of your max health over 10 seconds.
If that wouldn’t be enough, they could always explore additional avenues with this class such as giving Survival of the fittest a lower CD and 2 charges (like obsidian scales on Evoker) so you have more defensive capabilities in times of need.
that is not true.
it’s just a tradeoff. want better slef healing? sacrifice some dps.
many other classes have no self healing, or they have some at the cost of dmg.
Yes you are right, many other classes have to sacrifice dps for healing (such as DKs Deathstrike)
Sure you could use a ferocity pet on MM hunter, but considering the class already incentivizes you to not use a pet, that would just seem counterintuitive.
Besides SV and BM most likely have a ferocity pet out all the time for the 10% extra leech and lust, yet they are still largely considered squishy, some even go as far as calling them unviable in higher keys.
I agree with your points. At the moment im doing only 16-17 keys, cuz im trying my luck with pugs, that means i can push my own keys only. Right now im on 2170 rio, no one invited me before the nerf and now i dont even try to join because its just wasting of time. I have no time to reroll and gear up another character… As i see, hunter still can do acceptable dmg but other classes like dh, monk, lock, outlaw and enhancement doing much more+they have better defensives and ccs too. In my wiev the state of Hunters as a pure dps class is just pathetic.