I've been thinking about some changes that could make the Beastmaster more interesting to play while giving the class a little more utility in groups.

I know BM is already one of the highest damage dealers in the game, so I'm not suggesting we simply add more power to the class. Some damage numbers may need to be tuned to make room for additional utility. My main goal is to give the class more flavor, make pet selection more meaningful, and create some interesting combat synergies with other classes.

1. Maul

Suggested Changes:

Maul now grants +damage to the ability along with weapon ratio dmg scaling, preventing those occasional 1 damage hits.

Maul also applies a 10 second bleed as the Beastmaster viciously swipes at the target.

Why?

I'd like to see Maul brought more in line with Chop while giving dual wielding and two handed weapons slightly different roles.

Dual wielding could lean more into sustained DPS through consistent attacks and bleeds, while two handed weapons focus more on burst damage.

This gives players a reason to experiment with different weapon setups rather than having one clear winner.

2. Kill Command

I'd love to see Kill Command do something a little more interesting depending on which pet you're using (similar to elementalist)

The ability would still command your pet to attack, but it would also activate a secondary group benefit based on the pet type.

Tank Pet: Protective Instinct

Commands your pet to guard you and your allies.

Effect:

Absorbs 50% of group members' incoming damage for 5 seconds.
Grants your pet an absorption shield for X amount (maybe this scales based on the BM's stamina?).

Why?

I think this could create some really interesting gameplay for Beastmasters who enjoy pet tanking.

Imagine using this when a mob starts hitting the group with AoE damage, or when your healer accidentally pulls aggro. It gives the Beastmaster a way to help protect the group without replacing an actual tank. It also adds value to your group if your healer is struggling to keep a tank up during difficult dungeons / encounters.

Balanced Pet: Pack Frenzy

Commands your pet to enter a frenzy, inspiring nearby allies.

Effect:

Pet gains 20% haste for 10 seconds.
Group members gain 20% secondary haste for 10 seconds.

Why?

This would make Balanced pets a nice option for groups that want a little extra offensive utility. It also gives the pet a purpose beyond being somewhere between a tank and DPS pet.

DPS Pet: Bloodthirst

Your pet becomes bloodthirsty, inspiring the group to strike with deadly precision.

Effect:

Pet gains 10% critical strike chance for 10 seconds.
Group members gain 10% melee critical strike chance for 10 seconds.

Why?

This gives DPS pets a clear offensive group benefit.

Overall, I'd love for pet selection to matter more depending on your group composition and what you're fighting. Right now, there's a tendency to simply use whichever pet performs best. Giving each pet type a unique group benefit could make that decision a lot more interesting.

3. Tracking

Suggested Change:

Give Beastmasters the ability to Track.

Why?

This one seems pretty straightforward. Beastmasters are supposed to have heightened senses and strong instincts from their connection to the natural world.

Being able to track creatures seems like something that should come naturally to the class, and it would give us a little more utility outside of combat.

4. Instinct Abilities

Primal Instinct (Renamed from Predatory Instinct)

Effect:

Increases Offense.
Increases Agility.

Why?

I think Primal Instinct is a better name for the existing ability since it's essentially enhancing the Beastmaster's natural combat abilities.

It also frees up the name Predatory Instinct for something that feels more appropriate to what a predator actually does: hunt and chase its prey.

Predatory Instinct (New Group Movement Speed Aura)

Suggested Changes:

Predatory Instinct becomes an outdoor group movement speed aura that is in line with SOW.

The movement speed bonus would be lower than what a Bard provides, so Bards would still remain the superior option for group movement. This also keeps a separation from Rangers who can cast SOW on anyone and aren't forced to stay close to the group unless they are using their higher tier movement abilities.

Additionally, the Beastmaster gains 10% movement speed while fighting bleeding targets.

Why?

I'd really like to see Beastmasters get some form of group movement utility, but I don't think giving another class Spirit of Wolf is the answer.

Bards already provide a group movement speed aura, so why not give Beastmasters something similar, just at a lower speed?

I think this fits the Beastmaster theme extremely well. We're supposed to be predators, tracking and hunting our prey. A movement speed aura feels like a natural extension of that identity.

The additional 10% movement speed against bleeding targets would add a little flavor to combat as well.

It could help when chasing down a fleeing target, repositioning during a fight, or kiting while your pet works to regain aggro.

It would also be a nice little addition for PvP, giving Beastmasters some extra chase potential against players trying to escape.

Nothing too crazy, just a little more mobility that ties into the class's bleed mechanics.

Prowler's Instinct

No changes suggested. Niche ability for inside dungeons and sneaking past lower level content.

5. Pounce

Suggested Changes:

Pounce now knocks the target Off Balance and breaks root effects on both the Beastmaster and their pet.

While a target is Off Balance, certain Beastmaster abilities gain additional effects.

| Ability | Additional Effect |
|---|---|
| Chop | Applies a bleed |
| Savage Strike | Snares the target for 5 seconds |
| Enraging Strike | Reduces the target's damage by 5% for 10 seconds |
| Maul | Applies an additional bleed that stacks separately from Maul's normal bleed |
| Mangle | Reduces the target's damage by 5% for 10 seconds |

Why?

I think this could make Pounce a much more interesting ability.

Instead of simply using Pounce and following it with your normal rotation, you'd have an actual decision to make based on the situation.

Do you want to stack bleeds for more sustained damage? Snare a target that's trying to get away? Reduce the damage of something that's hitting particularly hard?

It also opens up some really interesting group synergies.

Fighters and Monks already have ways to knock targets Off Balance. Allowing Beastmasters to take advantage of that same status effect could create some fun interactions between classes.

I'd love to see more abilities that reward players for paying attention to what their group is doing rather than simply following the same rotation every fight.

The root break also gives Beastmasters and their pets a little more flexibility when engaging targets, especially in PvP.

6. Call of the Faithful

Suggested Change:

Move Call of the Faithful, which allows you to summon a stowed pet, to level 20.

Why?

Pet management is such a fundamental part of playing a Beastmaster that I think this ability should be available earlier.

It would make managing and swapping pets a little more convenient during the leveling experience.

7. Call Companion

Suggested Change:

Move Call Companion from a spell to an innate Beastmaster skill that can be placed directly on the hotbar.

Why?

Calling your pet is essential to the Beastmaster kit, and having it take up space among your spells just adds unnecessary spell bloat.

This feels more like a basic class function than something that should require a spell slot.

Making it an innate skill would be a simple quality of life improvement without affecting class balance.

8. Rip

Suggested Change:

Rip, the pet damage over time effect granted through the Beastmaster's self/pet buff, now scales with the Beastmaster's Strength.

Why?

I'd like to see Rip scale a little better as we improve our gear and stats. Right now it stays at 10dmg no matter the spell rank.

Having it scale with Strength would give the Beastmaster's equipment progression a more direct impact on this ability and help keep it relevant as we level.

Final Thoughts

Again, I realize Beastmasters are already in a pretty strong position when it comes to damage. I'm not suggesting all of this should simply be added on top of what we already have without considering balance.

I'd be perfectly fine with some damage adjustments if it meant getting a little more utility and depth added to the class.

What I'd really like to see is more meaningful decisions when playing a Beastmaster.

Choosing a pet should matter beyond which one does the most damage. Using Pounce should open up different combat options. Our instincts should actually feel like the instincts of a predator, and we should bring something useful to a group beyond just high DPS.

I think these changes would go a long way toward making the Beastmaster feel more unique and fun to play without losing what makes the class enjoyable today.

Obviously, the numbers I've suggested are just starting points and could be adjusted however the developers see fit.