WoW Classic Hunter Leveling Guide - World of Warcraft Classic Leveling Guide Guide - IGN (2024)

This page contains information on World of Warcraft Classic's Leveling Guide for the Hunter class, from level 1 to level 60. This includes information on tips for leveling solo (and with a group), the best talents to specialize in, which skills and spells to purchase - and much more.

For more information on leveling, be sure to check out our WoW Classic Horde Leveling Guide and Alliance Leveling Guide to figure out the best places to quest and travel to - and the best places to avoid.

Two Alliance races and three Horde races can become a Hunter. They are:

• Dwarves
• Night Elves
• Orcs
• Taurens
• Trolls

It's important to note that of all the races, the Night Elf boasts the highest base agility. While it doesn't add up to too much more, it does give them the best amount of base damage per second of everyone else.

The best races to pick for a Hunter for PvE to consider are the Night Elf for the increase to dodge, and the ability to shadowmeld and stay out of danger. Trolls are also a great pick as beast slaying and bow specialization to increase their viability when fighting certain enemies.

The best races to pick for a Hunter for PvP are usually the Dwarf for the Stoneform ability to remove bleeding, poison and disease, making them more viable against other melee classes. Orcs are generally a great pick for PvP-centric players due to their ability to better resist stuns from other classes, and the Blood Fury ability (though it only shines in melee combat!)

A Tauren's War Stomp and increased health is generally seen as better defensive perks than offensive, since a Hunter is usually at their best when at range and not taking damage.

Whether you're new to the game, have only played during the expansions since Cataclysm, or are returning to WoW Classic after a long time away, there are many things you should know before getting into the optimal paths for leveling from 1 to 60.

The most important thing to remember is that many quality of life changes and streamlined leveling systems are not in place in WoW Classic - quests aren't always thrown in your face, and even doing all the quests in a zone may not prepare you for the next area.

Thankfully, the Hunter is one of the classes best suited to solo leveling in Classic. Able to maintain incredibly durable pets to keep an enemy's attention, fire bursts of ranged attacks, and effectively kite almost enemy, Hunters are able to defeat monsters several levels higher than themselves when questing as long as you're careful, and can take on certain situations that other classes would have problems with.

Hunters are also able to work well with groups due to their ability to use Aspects to give the party what they need to succeed, and can track all types of animals and enemies nearby.

That said, Hunters are not without their drawbacks. Unlike later versions of WoW, Classic Hunters rely on Magic for their abilities. They also rely heavily on being stocked with ammunition for their bows or guns, which means you'll need to frequently head back to camp to restock or attack carefully - and use valuable loot space to hold ammo instead. They also have a certain group stigma - being a hybrid class - and you may run into disagreements on trying to claim priority on gear that also benefits other classes.

Below you'll find a few general tips to keep in mind when trying to level a Hunter.

• While there are lots of talents and builds to choose from, Beast Mastery is easily the best tree to pick from for leveling quickly.
• Similar to melee-focused classes, the most important upgrades to look for are ranged weapons, as they'll dictate how fast you can take down monsters. All other gear and stats are secondary to a better weapon, so look for them wherever you can.
• While Hunters can play well with others, you really don't need to group up at all if you don't want to. Outside of certain tough quests, a Hunter can take on many things by themselves, and your pet will do as good a job as any tank.
• You only need to be standing still for a brief moment to shoot, then you can move until you're ready to shoot again. If you have the timing down you can kill almost every mob from 1-10 without taking damage even though you have no pet.
• Your pet will eat a ton of food at first, but if you keep it happy (you should) for a while it will eat much less food once it has some loyalty levels. You might want to buy a couple stacks or so of its food when you have a new pet.
• A fast attacking pet will cause ridiculous spell interruption on spellcaster players, so it's usually the way to go in PvP. There are unique beasts with high attack speeds (like Lupos) and also broad types of creatures which tend to attack fast (e.g. vultures).
• Aspect of the cheetah is very important for leveling (and PvP, and many other things) but slows you if you get hit. Get used to quickly switching off of it, especially if an attack is about to hit you. Consider using macros or addons to make the switch much easier.
• A dead pet is an unhappy pet, but a dismissed pet won't be as unhappy. If you do run into a dire situation where you may not make it out alive, consider putting your pet on "stay" and getting as much distance on them as possible to make the pet auto-dismiss. This can save a lot of time on having to use all your mana to revive a pet, and then feed it to get its happiness back.

A large point of contention among many Hunters comes down to which pets are the best to tame and use when leveling in World of Warcraft Classic. There are many types of pets - each with their own strengths and weaknesses. We've tallied up some of the best options - but the final choice should be yours alone based on what you want out of a pet, and if you like the look!

• Cats - Many Hunters agree that if damage-dealing is what you want, Cats are the best pets to have. They usually boast the highest attack speed of any pet type, and so can deal damage a lot faster than others. They are also plentiful to tame in different variants early on for the Alliance races, but Horde will have to wait until entering the Barrens to get their pick. Cats will have Claw as their primary ability which is fast and uses less focus than Bite (but its higher damage can make it a good starting move).
• Boar - While they may not be the best damage dealing pets, and as a result may not help you kill monsters the fastest, Boars are generally regarded as the most easygoing pets to handle. They are reasonably tough enough to handle most every encounter and enable you to take on harder enemies with an easier time. The best part however is that Boars love food - all of it. Unlike other picky pets that require you to constantly stock certain kinds of food, Boars will eat just about anything and love you for it - which can help when you can just feed them whatever you're currently looting while questing.
• Wind Serpent - Regarded as the more unique looking pets out there, Winged Serpents not only look cool, but can ignore armored foes with their Lightning Breath attack, which doesn't require as much ranking up as other pet abilities. The only downside is that you won't find them until entering the Wailing Caverns - which means Alliance Hunters won't be able to reach them for some time.

Other pet types to consider are listed below:

As mentioned before, unless you are more interested in having experimental builds, the best way to level is by specializing in the Beast Mastery talent tree. There is room for a few deviations, but the build below shows good all-encompassing build to help you level quickly with your pet.

• For other great builds to endgame raiding and PvP, see our guide to all Hunter Talent Builds!

Beast Mastery Build

• Beast Mastery - 31
• Marksmanship - 20
• Survival - 0

As you might expect, this build relies exclusively on having your chosen pet do the bulk of the work in keeping the attention of one or more enemies while you stay out of harms range and help whittle down enemies, and eventually gaining points in Marksmanship to help out your personal tank even more.

• Improved Aspect of the Hawk should be your go-to as the first talent to fill up with five points, as you should be using this aspect more than any other when leveling (except when using Aspect of the Cheetah to travel). This build recommends passing on Endurance Training, but if you would rather be safe in making sure your pet can last in though fights, you can always consider shaving off points in Marksmanship.
• The next five point you spend should go down a tier into getting both Thick Hide and Improved Revive Pet. No matter how great you are at micromanaging your pet, having additional armor and the ability to resurrect them without wiping your mana will help you level quicker in the long run. Ignore the other talents on this tier - your pet is all that matters for now.
• For those who want to be able to quest and level as fast as possible, Pathfinding is a must have. As for Bestial Swiftness, it can be a tossup, as your pet's speed can help - but you may want to save the point elsewhere. However, Unleashed Fury needs all five points to so your pet can really start putting the hurt on once you've maxed your movement speed.
• With Unleashed Fury done, you are able to head down to Ferocity to further increase the damage your pet will dish out. We also recommend putting at least one point in Improved Mend Pet - if only because trying to level with a debuffed pet can be a pain, and having them killed so you can revive them without the debuff just wastes time. However, you can also spend that point in Bestial Swiftness instead, or take it out of the Marksmanship Tree - it's up to you!
• The next tier of talents include putting at least one point in Spirit Bond just so that you can get a bit of health regen in long fights (but don't bother spending another point there), and then move onto Intimidation to lock in your pet as the tank of the group - which will allow you to get much more aggressive and start increasing your marksmanship soon.
• Finally, clean up the Beast Mastery Tree by going putting all the points in Frenzy, and then in Bestial Wrath to ensure your pet becomes a real killer, and now you can finally turn your attention and remaining points to increasing your own damage.
• In the Marksmanship Tree, start with 5 points in Efficiency to help lessen the mana drain you'll be experiencing helping your pet deal damage - which will be important for adding more shots to your rotation during leveling. Ignore the other talent for the moment.
• Lethal Shots will be next important talent to grab on the list to finally increase your ranged damage input to further increase your own viability, and help your pet kill foes faster.
• At this stage, things will largely be up to how many points you ended up spending in Beast Mastery. If you followed our guide, you can now grab Aimed Shot to deal a huge blow to enemies that shouldn't be overlooked, and you should also put 3 points into Hawk Eye - as it will let you start fights from further way which helps in efficiency, and also gives you more time to react if your pet loses aggro.
• At this point, you may have run out of talents if you decided to grab a few more things in the Beast Mastery tree - which is fine. However, you'd miss out on the last talent, which first requires one more point in Marksmanship, so put one in Improved Concussive Shot and then dump your remaining points into Mortal Shots, which lets you start critting for much higher numbers to increase your damage output (and makes you look better in groups).

Now that you know which talents are worth having, it's time to talk about which spells and abilities you'll actually need to use. Hunters get a lot of spells that can end up costing a ton of money when you factor in pet food and ammo into the mix, so knowing what to avoid and what to focus on can help you maximize money management when getting to level 60.

As a general rule, all the spells available from level 1-10 won't cost a whole lot, so feel free to grab them all. This includes Raptor Strike (Rank 1 and 2), Track Beasts, Aspect of the Monkey, Serpent Sting (Rank 1) Arcane Shot, Hunter's Mark (Rank 1), and Concussive Shot.

If you want to conserve money, don't waste money on these spells until you feel comfortable with your money (or at least have a mount obtained): Eagle Eye, Eyes of the Beast, Mongoose Bite, Viper Sting, Aspect of the Wild and of the Beast. In addition, pass on buying Tracking spells for Undead, Hidden, Demons, Elementals, Giants, and Dragons. Distracting Shot is also negotiable unless you are struggling to keep your pet alive and need to pull aggro off them.

• Getting to Level 10 provides many important spells that shouldn't be passed up - like Aspect of the Hawk, Tame Beast and Mend Pet, and other Pet Abilities.
• Be on the lookout for every rank of Aspect of the Hawk at level 10, 18, 28, 38, and 48.
• Similarly, Arcane Shot is your bread and butter attack, so buy each rank at Level 6, 12, 28, 36, 44, 52, and 60.
• Hunter's Mark costs little Mana for the amount of damage you'll be able to pile on, so invest in it at Level 6, 22, 40, and 58.
• Serpent Sting is also a must have for hitting every target at least once with, so grab each rank at Level 4, 10, 18, 26, 34, 42, 50, 58, and 60.
• Wing Clip is important to have at least one rank in to get out of dicey situations at Level 12, while Mend Pet also becomes available and should be trained at Level 12, 20, 28, 36, 44, and 52.
• You'll soon get access to Multi-Shot, which is essential when taking on multiple opponents and adding to your rotation, so invest at Level 18, 30, 42, 54, and 60.
• Both Immolation Trap and Freezing Trap can be extremely useful for fending off additional monsters that come with a pull, so it's worth investing in Immolation Trap at Level 16, 26, 36, 46, and 56. Similarly, look for Freezing Trap at Level 20, 40, and 60.
• You can buy or hold off on Scorpid Sting at Level 22, 32, 42, and 52 - but it has its uses against tougher elite targets, even if it won't enter your usual rotation.
• Be sure to return to your trainer to get Aspect of the Cheetah at level 20 - it's a serious game changer!
• Rapid Fire and Feign Death are worth picking up - one to add to your rotation, and the other to get out of trouble when your pet can't hold aggro.

For the most part, your cycle of attacks should always start by marking your target with Hunter's Mark, sending your pet to claim aggro on the target, and then unloading auto shots, then starting with a Serpent Sting, to an Arcane Shot, and then to a Multi-Shot when you unlock that spell.

Once you unlock Rapid Fire, you can start using it right after you let your pet start hitting, and eventually trigger Bestial Wrath right after before moving into the familiar cycle. Finally, towards the end of your leveling cycle, you'll be able to start with an Aimed Shot for maximum damage at the start before returning to the familiar cycle.

Finding ways to improve yourself is always tough in a game like World of Warcraft, due to the nature of random drops. That said, there are certain things you should look out for, and a few items you should make sure to try to obtain along the way to make sure your Hunter is always at their best.

If you're doing your job right and leveling as efficiently as possible, you'll rarely be going toe to toe with monsters. Because of this, Hunters should always prioritize Agility over everything else. It gives you more ranged attack power and critical strike chance, whereas strength only helps you in the melee department. Intellect should be a close second in priority as the more mana you'll have, the better your spell rotation will be for being able to expend more resources and deal more damage.

At this point its worth mentioning that if you're on a PvP Server, or expect to be doing a lot of PvP (unwanted or otherwise), having some Stamina will help you stay alive longer when dealing with actual players who know not to focus on your pet. Finally, Spirit is always a great stat to have on the side to increase your regeneration of both health and magic. Be on the lookout for gear that has the suffix "Of the Falcon" or "Of the Monkey" or even "Of the Wolf" to prioritize these attributes.

Much like the Rogue and Warrior, Hunters will rely on their weapons to increase their attack power by any means. While your melee weapon isn't as important (aside from the stats they give), you should always endevaor to find better bows or guns as soon as you can. At early levels, don't be afraid to head to weapon merchants and buy white-tier common ranged weapons that give you better damage numbers, as they will help a lot.

Other weapons to look for include:

Best Bows for Leveling

• Laminated Bow and Reinforced Bow - Sold by Bowyer Vendors
• Raptor's End - Ormer's Revenge Quest in Wetlands (Alliance)
• Cliffrunner's Aim - The Sacred Flame Quest in Thunderbluff (Horde)
• Master Hunter's Bow - Big Game Hunter Quest in Stranglethorn Vale
• Verdant Keeper's Aim - Corruption of Earth and Seed Dungeon Quest for Maraudon
• Massive Longbow or Sylvan Shortbow from Bow Merchants in Thunder Bluff or Darnassus

Best Guns for Leveling

• Various crafted Guns via Engineering
• Skorn's Rifle - The Demon Scarred Cloak Quest in Mulgore (Horde)
• Daryl's Hunting Rifle - A Hunter's Boast Quest in Lock Modan (Alliance)
• Dwarven Fishing Pole - Murloc Poachers Quest in Redridge Mountains (Alliance)
• Privateer Musket - The Guns of Northwatch Quest in The Barrens (Horde)
• Flash Rifle - Pearl Diving Quest in the Badlands (Alliance)
• Master Hunter's Rifle - Big Game Hunter Quest in Stranglethorn Vale
• Farmer Dalsons' Shotgun - Locked Away Quest in the Western Plaguelands

As a class, Hunters get a very important quest early on to tame and manage pets that should not be overlooked. While they may not gain access to their own mounts, pets are central to leveling as Hunters, so you should be sure to take on these quests as soon as you reach level 10.

Depending on your faction and race, you can start the quest at various locations. Orcs and Trolls of the Horde will take on the quest Taming the Beast by traveling to Razor Hill in Durotar, while Tauren must go to Bloodhoof Village in Muglore.

Once you've accepted the quest, you must prove your skills by taming three different beasts with a Taming Rod. Orcs and Trolls must seek out a Dire Mottled Boar, Surf Crawler, and Armored Scorpid, while Tauren must tame an Adult Plainstrider, Swoop, and Prairie Stalker.

• Dire Mottled Boars can be found almost everywhere in Durotar, usually in the inland parts
• Surf Crawlers like to make their homes along the shorelines of Durotar's eastern coast.
• Armored Scorpids tend to congregate in the valleys to the West of Razor Hill
• Adult Plainstriders can be found all over Mulgore near Bloodhoof Village
• Prairie Stalkers tend to live across the lake from Bloodhoof Village on the north side by the bridge
• Swoops are generally found all across the Mulgore Zone.

Once you have mastered taming all three creatures, return to the quest giver and you'll complete the quests to learn all the related skills - Tame Beast, Feed Pet, Beast Training, and Revive Pet.

As for Alliance Hunters, you'll find two different quests depending on your race. Night Elves will have their quest send them to Dolanaar on the island of Teldrassil, while Dwarves can pick up the quest at Kharanos in Dun Morgoh. Night Elves will be instructed to use the Taming Rod on a Webwood Lurker, Nightsaber Stalker, and Strigid Screecher. Dwarves on the other hand, will need to locate a Large Crag Boar, Snow Leopard, and Ice Claw Bear.

• Webwood Lurkers like to creep around the trees to the North and Northeast of Dolanaar.
• Nightsaber Stalkers prefer to congregate around the South of Dolanaar, usually within sight of the entrance to Darnassus
• Strigid Screechers can be located in all corners of the island as they fly to and fro.
• Large Crag Boars are found wandering all areas around Kharanos.
• Snow Leopards can be hard to spot, and usually slink around the tundras in the far North and Northeast.
• Ice Claw Bears often frequent the areas to the East of Kharanos near the entrance to the Gol'Bol Quarry.

Once you have tamed each creature, you'll be rewarded with the Hunters tools to tame and care for your very own pet.

Of all classes, Hunters are the least likely class to requires groups when leveling up, and unlike other classes, does not actually benefit from having a partner to level with. Still, this does not mean grouping up does not have its advantages.

Hunters fill a damage dealing role in groups and in dungeons. While you should always leave tanking to Warriors or even Feral Druids first, a Hunter's Pet can at least alleviate some pains by holding aggro on additional enemies until the tank can get everything under control.

Depending on your party composition, different Aspects can benefit the group greatly (especially Aspect of the Pack once you reach a high enough level), and if you choose to bring a Wolf pet with you, the entire party can benefit from their Furious Howl that increases damage for their next physical attack. However, remember to keep your Pet on passive for bigger dungeons and raids, or you'll find things getting chaotic way too quickly. If needed, you may even want to dismiss them until needed.

Hunters can also provide some crowd control beyond off-tanking with pets, by notifying the group where they plan to lure targets into a Freezing Trap, so that the group can focus on others first.

When in dungeons, depending on the group makeup, Hunters can also apply certain debuffs with Stings - but only if the party doesn't have better debuffs to stack.

Hunters have a lot of choices for which Professions they'd like to focus on in Classic WoW, and can lean heavily on what you're looking to get out of Professions.

For those looking to make money, Mining plus Herbalism is an easy way to maximize profits. Since you'll always be fighting at range, Skinning may require extra time to get close and loot bodies, while you can always have your pet deal with enemies while you head for plant and vein nodes. However, if you don't mind taking time after the skill, Skinning can be incredibly lucrative if done right, as Hunters can shine against taking on tough enemies by themselves - like the notorious Devilsaur in Un'goro crater.

As for Professions that craft items, Leatherworking and Engineering are the main toss-ups for Hunters if you would rather focus on armor or attack. Taking up Leatherworking is easily the more lucrative when paired with a Hunter's ability to take on enemies like Devilsaurs, allowing them to craft and sell high level gear, and specializing in Dragonscale allows Hunters to outfit themselves when they reach mail armor.

Each of the Engineering paths has its own perks - Gnomish Engineering includes the Gnomish Net-o-Matic Projector that can lock down an enemy to let you destroy them at range (assuming it doesn't backfire). On the other hand, Goblin Engineering can net you the Goblin Rocket Helm, which can help stunlock enemies (along with Iron Grenades) to give the Hunter more time to prep and get distance on his enemies, or take the time to heal up and prepare.

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