TBC Classic Survival Hunter Talents & Builds Guide

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Survival Hunters fill a unique spot in TBC Classic raiding. While Beast Mastery Hunters chase big personal damage numbers, Survival Hunters act as force multipliers for every physical damage dealer in the raid. Every serious raid comp wants exactly one Survival Hunter, and it all comes down to a single talent: Expose Weakness.

This guide covers everything you need to know about playing Survival Hunter in TBC Classic PvE, including all viable talent builds, when to use each one, and detailed breakdowns of every relevant talent choice.

Why Play Survival Hunter?

Survival is a strong PvE spec, but it won't match Beast Mastery for personal DPS. Raids want exactly one Survival Hunter purely for Expose Weakness. This talent is one of the best in the game for boosting raid-wide physical damage. The catch is that you only need one application per raid since multiple Survival Hunters can't stack the effect.

This creates a specific raid dynamic. You want exactly one Survival Hunter applying Expose Weakness while your remaining Hunter slots go to Beast Mastery for Ferocious Inspiration stacking. As that designated Survival Hunter, your personal DPS will be lower than Beast Mastery, but your contribution to overall raid damage is irreplaceable.

Prerequisites

This guide assumes you have a level 70 Hunter and basic familiarity with Hunter gameplay. These concepts will help you get the most from this guide:

• Critical Strike Chance is your probability of landing critical hits, which directly affects Expose Weakness uptime.
• Hit Rating/Hit Cap is the amount of Hit Rating needed to never miss attacks against raid bosses.
• Agility is your primary stat that provides Attack Power, Critical Strike Chance, and powers Expose Weakness.
• Focus is your pet's resource for using abilities.

Survival Hunter Talent Builds

Survival Hunters have several viable talent builds. All of them share a common foundation: Mortal Shots is so important that most Hunter PvE builds are locked into at least 20 points in Marksmanship, with remaining points going deep into Survival.

Build Overview and Selection

Choosing Your Build: If your raid has poor Judgement of Wisdom uptime and you frequently run out of mana, go with 5/20/36. If your raid has a Feral Druid providing Leader of the Pack AND you own Dragonspine Trophy, 7/20/34 becomes viable. For everyone else, 0/20/41 provides the most consistent performance and control.

Standard Raiding Build (0/20/41)

Talent Distribution: 0 Beast Mastery / 20 Marksmanship / 41 Survival

This is the standard build for raiding and dungeons as a Survival Hunter. The defining feature is Readiness, which resets all your Hunter ability cooldowns instantly. This opens up significant damage increases like using Rapid Fire twice per boss or firing Multi-Shot twice during trash packs.

Marksmanship Tree (20 Points)

Tier 1:

• Lethal Shots (5/5) grants 5% increased Critical Strike Chance. Mandatory for all Survival builds since higher crit means more Expose Weakness procs and better uptime on your raid-wide Attack Power buff.

Tier 2:

• Efficiency (5/5) OR Improved Hunter's Mark (5/5) is your only real choice in the Marksmanship tree. If you're the only Hunter in your raid, Improved Hunter's Mark is required since it provides a huge boost to all melee (440 Ranged Attack Power and 110 Melee Attack Power to all attackers). If another Hunter handles Hunter's Mark, take Efficiency instead for the 20% mana cost reduction on Arcane Shot, Multi-Shot, and Volley.

Tier 3:

• Go for the Throat (2/2) makes your crits give your pet 50 Focus. With all the Critical Strike Chance you'll be stacking, this helps your pet deal maximum damage.

Tier 4:

• Aimed Shot (1/1) is a high-damage ability and prerequisite for Mortal Shots. As the Survival Hunter, you'll typically handle pulling duties, making this ability useful beyond just unlocking the next tier.
• Rapid Killing (2/2) reduces Rapid Fire's cooldown. More Rapid Fire casts mean more damage, and this becomes even more valuable when you combine it with Readiness.

Tier 5:

• Mortal Shots (5/5) provides 30% increased Critical Strike damage. With all the crit you're building, this talent massively increases your damage output. It's the reason every Hunter PvE build invests 20 points into Marksmanship.

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Survival Tree (41 Points)

Tier 1:

• Monster Slaying (3/3) gives 3% increased damage and crit damage against Beasts, Giants, and Dragonkin. Many raid bosses fall into these categories, making this a straightforward damage boost.
• Humanoid Slaying (3/3) gives 3% increased damage and crit damage against Humanoids. Covers additional boss types and trash throughout TBC raids.

Tier 2:

• Hawk Eye (3/3) increases your ranged attack range by 6 yards. Standing further from bosses helps you avoid cleave damage and makes pulling safer.
• Savage Strikes (2/2) provides 20% increased crit on Raptor Strike and Mongoose Bite. These are optional points. If you never plan to melee weave, you can put them elsewhere.

Tier 3:

• Entrapment (2/2) gives traps a 25% chance to root targets for 4 seconds. Adds crowd control utility. If you'd rather have AoE damage, you could move these 2 points into Clever Traps for more Explosive Trap damage instead.

Tier 4:

• Survivalist (2/5) increases total health by 4%. A filler talent to reach deeper tiers, but the extra health doesn't hurt.
• Surefooted (3/3) provides 3% increased Hit Chance. This reduces how much Hit Rating you need from gear, letting you focus on Agility and Attack Power instead.

Tier 5:

• Survival Instincts (2/2) grants 4% reduced damage taken and 4% increased Attack Power. You're mainly taking this for the Attack Power, though the damage reduction is a nice bonus.

Tier 6:

• Killer Instinct (3/3) provides 3% increased Critical Strike Chance. This directly translates to better Expose Weakness uptime.

Tier 7:

• Lightning Reflexes (5/5) increases Agility by 15%. Huge for Survival Hunters. More Agility means more Attack Power, more crit, and a stronger Expose Weakness buff for your raid.
• Thrill of the Hunt (2/3) gives your crits a 66% chance to restore 40% of the shot's mana cost. Helps with mana, though you could take 2 points out for other talents if you're willing to sacrifice some efficiency.

Tier 8:

• Expose Weakness (3/3) applies a debuff when you crit that increases Attack Power against the target by 25% of your Agility for 7 seconds. Every attacker benefits from this buff, and the increase scales with your Agility. This is why Survival Hunters exist.

Tier 9:

• Master Tactician (5/5) gives your ranged attacks a 10% chance to increase your crit by 10% for 8 seconds. As long as you're at hit cap (so your attacks aren't missing), you'll see this proc regularly. It helps maintain Expose Weakness uptime and is required to reach Readiness.
• Readiness (1/1) instantly resets all your Hunter ability cooldowns. Use it to cast Rapid Fire twice during burn phases or Multi-Shot twice during AoE. This cooldown control is the main advantage of the 0/20/41 build.

Talents You're Skipping

• Wyvern Sting puts a target to sleep for 12 seconds. It might see limited use for crowd control, but it's generally not worth the points. Basically no use in PvE.
• Deterrence provides 25% increased Dodge and Parry for 10 seconds. Nice to have, but in most PvE content your tank should be holding aggro anyway. You could swap Thrill of the Hunt points here if you want it.
• Counterattack has no real PvE use.

High Expose Weakness Uptime Build (7/20/34)

Talent Distribution: 7 Beast Mastery / 20 Marksmanship / 34 Survival

This build drops Readiness to grab talents that increase haste procs, potentially giving you better Expose Weakness uptime. But this only works under specific conditions.

Leader of the Pack's crit aura combined with Dragonspine Trophy's haste procs synergizes with Improved Aspect of the Hawk to maximize your Expose Weakness uptime.

Beast Mastery Tree (7 Points)

• Improved Aspect of the Hawk (5/5) gives your Aspect of the Hawk a 10% chance to increase ranged attack speed by 15% for 12 seconds. More haste means more attacks, more crit opportunities, and better Expose Weakness uptime.
• Focused Fire (2/2) provides a 2% damage increase while your pet is active, plus 20% increased Kill Command crit chance. A small but consistent boost that helps maintain Kill Command uptime.

Marksmanship Tree (20 Points)

Same as the 0/20/41 build. See above for the breakdown.

Survival Tree (34 Points)

Similar to 0/20/41 but stops before Master Tactician and Readiness. You take all the same talents through Expose Weakness, just without the final tier.

What You're Trading: You're giving up Readiness (no double Rapid Fire) for haste procs from Improved Aspect of the Hawk. While 7/20/34 works better with Dragonspine Trophy and can potentially output higher DPS, the control that Readiness provides suits many players better. Without Dragonspine Trophy and Leader of the Pack, 0/20/41 will outperform this build.

Mana Efficiency Build (5/20/36)

Talent Distribution: 5 Beast Mastery / 20 Marksmanship / 36 Survival

Consider this build if you have mana problems, which can happen if your guild struggles to maintain Judgement of Wisdom uptime.

What's Different

The main change is putting 3/3 into Thrill of the Hunt instead of other talents. This gives your crits a 100% chance to restore 40% of the mana cost, significantly improving your self-sustaining mana regen.

Beast Mastery Tree (5 Points)

• Improved Aspect of the Hawk (5/5) provides haste procs for more attacks.

Marksmanship Tree (20 Points)

Same as other builds.

Survival Tree (36 Points)

Similar to 0/20/41 with these changes:

• Thrill of the Hunt (3/3) at full investment for maximum mana return
• Doesn't reach Readiness

What You're Trading: You sacrifice Readiness and its cooldown control for better mana sustainability. If your raid can provide Judgement of Wisdom consistently, this trade isn't worth it.

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Complete Talent Reference

This section breaks down every talent relevant to Survival Hunters, organized by tree. Use it as a reference when theory-crafting or adjusting builds for specific situations.

Marksmanship Tree Talents

Lethal Shots (Tier 1) - Grants 5% increased Critical Strike Chance. Mandatory for all Survival builds since it directly improves Expose Weakness uptime. Always take 5/5.

Improved Concussive Shot (Tier 1) - Gives a chance to stun target for 3 seconds. No PvE value; PvP only.

Improved Hunter's Mark (Tier 2) - Increases Hunter's Mark's Attack Power bonus by 110 melee and 440 ranged. Required if you're the only Hunter or the designated Hunter's Mark user since it's a huge melee boost. Only one Hunter needs this, so coordinate with your raid.

Efficiency (Tier 2) - Provides 20% reduced mana cost on Arcane Shot, Multi-Shot, and Volley. Good mana option if you're not taking Improved Hunter's Mark. Take this OR Improved Hunter's Mark based on your raid role.

Go for the Throat (Tier 3) - Makes your crits give your pet 50 Focus. High value since your high crit rate helps your pet deal maximum damage. Always take 2/2.

Improved Arcane Shot (Tier 3) - Reduces Arcane Shot cooldown. No value; never taken in good builds.

Aimed Shot (Tier 4) - A high damage shot with 6 second cooldown. Required as prerequisite for Mortal Shots and useful for pulling. Always take 1/1.

Rapid Killing (Tier 4) - Reduces Rapid Fire cooldown. High value since more Rapid Fire casts means more damage. Always take 2/2.

Improved Stings (Tier 4) - Increases Serpent Sting and Wyvern Sting damage. No value; sting damage is negligible compared to other options.

Mortal Shots (Tier 5) - Provides 30% increased Critical Strike damage. Mandatory; this is why all Hunter PvE builds go 20 points into Marksmanship. Always take 5/5.

Scatter Shot (Tier 5) - Disorients target for 4 seconds. No PvE value; excellent for PvP.

Barrage (Tier 5) - Grants 12% increased Multi-Shot and Volley damage. Niche; not typically taken in standard builds.

Concussive Barrage (Tier 5) - Gives Multi-Shot and Volley a chance to daze. No value; never taken in PvE.

Deeper Marksmanship Talents (Tiers 6-9) - No PvE value for Survival; Trueshot Aura and beyond aren't worth the investment compared to Survival talents.

Survival Tree Talents

Beast Mastery Tree Talents (For 7/20/34 and 5/20/36 Only)

Improved Aspect of the Hawk (Tier 1) - Gives a 10% chance on ranged hit to increase attack speed by 15% for 12 seconds. High value for builds investing in Beast Mastery; more haste means better Expose Weakness uptime.

Focused Fire (Tier 2) - Provides a 2% damage increase while pet is active and 20% increased Kill Command crit chance. Moderate value; consistent damage boost. Only taken in the 7/20/34 build.

Practical Application and Raid Role

As your raid's Survival Hunter, you have specific responsibilities beyond personal DPS:

Primary Responsibility: Expose Weakness Uptime

Maintaining Expose Weakness on the boss as close to 100% as possible is your most important job. This means:

• Stacking Agility to maximize the buff's strength (since the increase is based on your Agility)
• Building enough Critical Strike Chance to proc it consistently
• Using Surefooted to reduce Hit Rating requirements while prioritizing Agility gear

Secondary Responsibility: Coordination

Talk to other Hunters in your raid about:

• Who applies Hunter's Mark (you, if you're taking Improved Hunter's Mark)
• Positioning so you don't interfere with each other
• Cooldown timing with Readiness if it matters for the fight

Gearing Philosophy

Survival Hunter gearing differs from other Hunter specs in a few important ways:

Survival Hunter Stat Priority

Agility

Primary - Powers Expose Weakness, provides AP and Crit

Hit Rating (to cap)

Secondary - Surefooted provides 3%, reducing gear needs

Critical Strike Chance

Tertiary - More crit means better Expose Weakness uptime

Build-Specific Strategy

Using 0/20/41 Effectively

Proper Readiness usage is what separates good 0/20/41 players from great ones:

During Boss Encounters:

1. Open with your normal rotation and use Rapid Fire when appropriate (ideally during Heroism/Bloodlust)
2. Continue your rotation after Rapid Fire ends
3. When major cooldowns align again or the boss enters a burn phase, use Readiness
4. Immediately cast Rapid Fire again
5. You now get two Rapid Fire windows per fight instead of one

During Trash Packs:

1. Use Multi-Shot on pull
2. If the pack survives and Multi-Shot is on cooldown, use Readiness
3. Cast Multi-Shot again for extra AoE damage

Using 7/20/34 Effectively

This build focuses on passive haste procs rather than controlled cooldowns:

Maximizing Uptime:

• Improved Aspect of the Hawk procs frequently; don't try to control it
• Combined with Dragonspine Trophy procs, you'll have periods of very high attack speed
• During these windows, you effectively get more crit opportunities from increased attacks
• Focus on consistent rotation execution rather than cooldown management

Using 5/20/36 Effectively

This build trades damage potential for sustainability:

Managing Mana:

• Thrill of the Hunt 3/3 returns significant mana on crits
• Use Aspect of the Viper during extended low-damage phases if needed
• Coordinate with your raid for when Judgement of Wisdom is available versus when you're on your own

Conclusion

Survival Hunter in TBC Classic is a specialized role that trades personal DPS for massive raid-wide benefit through Expose Weakness. Choosing between the three viable builds (0/20/41, 7/20/34, 5/20/36) depends on your raid composition, gear, and mana situation.

Focus on keeping Expose Weakness active, coordinate with your fellow Hunters, and you'll be a valuable asset to any raid team.

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