If you are planning on joining the World of Warcraft Classic adventure make sure to check out our other related Guides below:

• World of Warcraft Classic Beginner's guide
• Best Gold Farming locations in WoW Classic
• Most Profitable Professions in Wow Classic guide

And Starter builds/Leveling Guides for all other character classes:

Odealo is a player-driven marketplace for WoW Classic Gold.

1. Agility -  Increases Armor, provides additional Dodge chance, Weapon Critical Strike chance and increases Ranged Attack Power. Agility will improve your defenses by a bit and massively increase your offensive capabilities. This is Hunter's primary statistic by far.

2. Intellect - Increases total mana pool and raises Spell Critical Hit chance. It also increases the rate at which a character learns Weapon Skills. This is an important stat for a Hunter, as almost all His abilities use Mana and more Intellect allows him to spend it more liberally.

3. Stamina - Improves your survivability by increasing your total Health pool. This is an important statistic, but it shouldn't be prioritized over Intellect and Agility. Stamina loses much of its value for a Hunter because of his Pet that acts as a  personal Tank.

4. Spirit - Spirit increases Mana and Health regeneration in and out of Combat. As a Hunter, you don't need that much Spirit because your Pet absorbs most of the incoming damage and allows you to eliminate enemies without spending too much of your mana.

5. Strength - Increases Melee Attack Power and the amount of Damage that a Shield can block. Hunters don't rely on Melee Weapons and can't use Shields, so Strenght is of very low value to them.

Leveling stat priority:

Agility ⇒ Intellect ⇒ Stamina = Spirit ⇒⇒ Strenght

Note:  Items with "Of the Falcon" Suffix are great for Hunters, as they provide both Agility and Intellect. "Of the Monkey" (Stamina and Agility) and "Of the Wolf" (Agility and Spirit) are strong second choices and you should Need on those, while in a group, as well. "Of the Eagle" (Stamina and Intellect) and "Of the Owl" (Intellect and Spirit) Items are quite serviceable as well.

Dwarf's Stoneform helps you keep your Distance from Targets, and the bonus to Skill with Guns is nice, but it is nowhere near as important as bonuses to Melee Weapons are for Melee Classes, while Night Elf's Dodge bonus and Shadowmeld have very limited impact, especially in PvE. All this makes Alliance Hunter Race choice rather simple, as Dwarf's racials are clearly better than Night Elf's for both PvE and PvP (although Shadowmeld enables some sneaky plays in PvP). If you want extra survivability, reliability, and a bit extra DPS (when using Guns, and good Guns are somewhat rare) pick a Dwarf. If you want to Ambush unsuspecting Players in Open World and Battlegrounds or have a quite reliable escaping tool (if you build up enough distance over your pursuers, drop Combat, and put some terrain between them and yourself, Shadowmeld can allow you to hide very effectively), pick a Night Elf.

Recommended choice: Dwarf

Second choice: Night Elf

Orc's ability to resist all Stun effect 25% of the time secures him the first place, and his 5% pet Damage bonus is a nice addition. Tauren's War Stomp adds a powerful Crowd Control option to Hunter's toolkit, provides him with an extra pseudo-interrupt and lets him escape from melee range more reliably. 5% increased Health boosts survivability a bit, and the Nature Resistance lowers Damage taken from Rogue's Poisons and some Elemental Shaman spells. Troll, with his Berserking and Bow Specialisation abilities, is a more offensive option and his power-level is very comparable to Tauren's, so the choice between these two is up to Player's preference and should depend only on one's playstyle.

Recommended choice: Orc

Second choice: Tauren or Troll

Troll's Bow specialization, while not as impactful as Melee Weapon specializations are for other Classes, provides a nice DPS bonus, and the Berserking is the only Offensive Racial Cooldown, that affects Ranged Attacks, available for the Horde as Orc's Blood Fury increases Melee Attack Power only. Orc and his 5% extra damage done by Pets is the second-best choice (if only Blood Fury worked on Ranged Attack Power...). It is also worth to remember, when picking an Orc over a Troll, that in Classic pets take full Damage from AoE spells and abilities, which means that they die on a regular basis in Raids and Dungeons. This limits Orc's viability as a Hunter in PvE even further. But. Orc's Stun resistance can randomly save your skin in some sticky situations (don't rely on it though). Tauren's Racials are the least impactful overall when it comes to rolling as a Hunter.

Recommended choice: Troll

Second choice: Orc

Talent allocation for a Leveling Hunter (10-59)

You will want to start with the Beast Mastery Tree and make your way up to the very top of it:

1. Level 10 ⇒ 1/5 Improved Aspect of the Hawk - This can randomly shave off a few seconds off your Kill times, which is nice.
2. Levels 11-14 ⇒ 4/5 Endurance Training - Your Pet acts as your personal Tank, and we all know that Health is a very important Tanking statistic.
3. Levels 15-16 ⇒ 2/2 Improved Revive Pet - your Pet will Die. Quite a lot, most likely. Picking up this Talent will make Resurrecting it much more efficient.
4. Levels 17-19 ⇒ 3/3 Thick Hide - Another great Pet Tanking Talent. Most of the enemies you encounter during leveling deal Physical Damage, making this a very strong choice for PvE.
5. Level 20 ⇒ 1/1 Bestial Swiftness - This allows you to harass enemy players in World PvP with your Pet and enables you to make more out of it if you are good at micromanagement.
6. Levels 21-22 ⇒ 2/2 Pathfinding - This will shave off hours of your leveling time (traveling makes up a very large portion of the leveling process and this Talent reduces it by quite a lot) and allow you to kite enemies more reliably.
7. Levels 23-27 ⇒ 5/5 Unleashed Fury - More Pet Damage = More Threat generated by your Pet = More Damage you can deal before Pet loses Aggro.
8. Levels 28-29 ⇒ 2/5 Ferocity.
9. Level 30 ⇒ 1/1 Intimidation - Very powerful Pseudo-Taunt/Stun ability that finds uses in both PvE and PvP.
10. Levels 31-33 ⇒ 5/5 Ferocity.
11. Level 34 ⇒ 5/5 Endurance Training.
12. Levels 36-39 ⇒ 5/5 Frenzy - Very Strong Talent that naturally synergizes with the Ferocity.
13. Level 40 ⇒ 1/1 Bestial Wrath - This allows you to turn your Pet into an almost unstoppable killing machine every 2 minutes.

At this point, it is time to switch to the Marksmanship Tree:

14. Levels 41-45 ⇒ 5/5 Efficiency - This Talent's name says it all. It increases your Mana Efficiency.
15. Levels 46-50 ⇒ 5/5 Lethal Shots.
16. Level 51 ⇒ 1/1 Aimed Shot - Hard-Hitting active Ability that will increase your damage output.
17. Levels 52-54 ⇒ 3/3 Hawk Eye.
18. Level 55 ⇒ 1/5 Improved Hunter's Mark.
19. Levels 56-59 ⇒ 4/5 Mortal Shots.

• Factions:  
• Source: Bow Vendors (Bowyers) in Capital Cities and starting Zones of both Factions. 
• Level Required: 3
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.10, 3-7 Damage, 2.4 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions: 
• Source: "Crown of the Earth" Quest available from level 1 from NPC Tenaron Stormgrip, Shadow Glen, Teldrassil (Which means that you might want to skip this if you are a Dwarf).
• Level Required: It is a level 11 Quest reward that can be acquired even around level 7.
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.10, 5-11 Damage, 3.8 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions:  
• Source: "Securing the Lines" Quest available from level 7 from NPC Rezlak, by the road South of Orgrimmar, Durotar.
• Level Required: It is a level 11 Quest reward that can be acquired even around level 7.
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.00, 5-10 Damage, 3.8 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions:  
• Source: Bow Vendors (Bowyers) in Capital Cities of both Factions. 
• Level Required: 11. 
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.60, 10-20 Damage, 5.8 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions:  
• Source: Bow Vendors (Bowyers) in Capital Cities of both Factions. 
• Level Required: 16. 
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.20, 11-22 Damage, 7.5 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions:  
• Source: "The Sacred Flame" Quest available from level 20 from NPC Zangen Stonehoof, Thunder Bluff, Mulgore.
• Level Required: This is a Level 29 Quest Reward that can be acquired around level 25, or earlier when in a group.
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.30, 19-36 Damage, 12.0 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions: 
• Source: "Omer's Revenge" Quest available from level 22 from NPC Omer Ironbraid, above the Whelgar's Excavation Site, Wetlands.
• Level Required: This is a Level 29 Quest Reward that can be acquired around level 25, or earlier when in a group.
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.90, 24-46 Damage, 12.1 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions:  
• Source: "Big Game Hunter" Group Quest available from level 28 from NPC Hemet Nesingwary, western riverbank in the northern part of Stranglethorn Vale (completion of Tiger Mastery, Panther Mastery, and Raptor Mastery Quest chains is required to unlock this).
• Level Required: This is a Level 43 Group Quest Reward that can be acquired quite easily around level 38, when in a 5-man group.
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.40, 32-61 Damage, 19.4 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions:  
• Source: Bow Vendors (Bowyers) in Ironforge, Thunderbluff, and Undercity. 
• Level Required: 42. 
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.80, 43-80 Damage, 22.0 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions: 
• Source: "Wildkin of Elune" Quest available from level 52 from NPC Erelas Ambersky, located near the Darnasssus's Harbor. You have to complete escort Quest "Guardians of the Altar", available from NPC Ranshalla, located in the southern part of Winterspring beforehand.
• Level Required: The Escort is a Level 59 Quest that can be completed around level 54-55 in a  small group.
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.80, 52-97 Damage, 26.6 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

• Factions:  
• Source: Shadow Hunter Vosh'gajin Boss in the Lower Blackrock Spire. Entrance: Inside the Blackrock Mountain,  between Burning Steppes and Searing Gorge. Drop Chance: ~17%.
• Level Required: Weapon requires level 54 to wield and the Boss is a part of an Eng-Game 10-man Instance.
• Weapon Stats: Speed 2.20, 46-87 Damage, 30.2 DPS
• Weapon Type: Bow. 

At the beginning of your journey, your rotation will change rapidly as you will gain access to new abilities very quickly. You should try to implement every new ability to your rotation.

• Your basic single-target Rotation looks as follows (Remember to Engage your Target at maximum Auto Shot range):

Hunter's Mark ⇒ Auto Shot (Strafe away from your Target between Auto Shots) ⇒ Concussive Shot* (Continue Strafing, but stop for Auto Shots - Attak Timer addon will make this easier) ⇒ Serpent Sting** ⇒ Arcane Shot***

* From level 8 forward
**From Level 4 forward (you can skip this to save mana when fighting against Weaker enemies)
*** From level 6 forward (prioritize Arcane Shot against weaker enemies (lower level, casters, etc.)

You can use Raptor Strike to finish off enemies that got into melee Range (but this should not happen too often if you kite them well)

You should do your Pet Quest Chain immediately after reaching Level 10. After that, you should create a Macro that will combine your Hunter's Mark with your Pet's Attack Command (this will make grinding a bit less click-intensive and increase your control over your Pet).

Basic Single-Target rotation:

Hunter's Mark ⇒ Auto Shot ⇒ Serpent Sting ⇒ (Arcane Shot ⇒ Multi-Shot)*

* Repeat this sequence if a situation requires it or if you want to eliminate your Target more quickly, otherwise take advantage of the 5-Second Rule and finish off your Target with Auto Shots.

You should implement your Offensive Cooldowns into your rotation as soon as they become available to you:

• Use Rapid Fire on Cooldown (from level 26 onwards)**
• Use Bestial Wrath on Cooldown (from level 40 onwards)**

** These should be used at the start of Combat, immediately after your initial Hunter's Mark + Auto Shot sequence to maximize their effects.

Note: Do not forget about your defensive and utility Spells. Use Freezing Trap, Concussive Shot, Feign Death, and Intimidation if the situation demands it.

If you follow our Talent Allocation Order, you will gain access to the Aimed Shot ability at level 50. This will alter your Basic Rotation a bit and make it look as follows from this point forward:

Hunter's Mark ⇒ Aimed Shot ⇒ Serpent Sting ⇒ (Arcane Shot ⇒ Multi-Shot)*

• Use Rapid Fire on Cooldown*
• Use Bestial Wrath on Cooldown*

* These should be used at the start of Combat, immediately after your initial Hunter's Mark + Aimed Shot sequence to maximize their effects.

Engineering provides various useful (and sometimes quite dangerous) gadgets from its earliest levels, but the best Engi items come into play in the End-Game. During leveling, Engineering will provide you with some much-needed utility in a form of Grenades that will be very useful as additional source of AoE Damage and CC, and will be irreplaceable in Open World PvP (well-aimed Grenade can interrupt Spellcasting or stop fleeing opponent dead in his tracks and allow you to finish him off easily, even is he is a Druid that would be otherwise hard to pin down). It is also a source of quite solid Ranged Weapons, Rifle Ammunition (and you may need a lot of it), Scopes and Googles that come in very handy for a leveling Hunter. If you like World PvP and/or want to Develop your End-Game Raiding profession as you level up, pick this combination.

Mining is necessary here as it will provide you with materials for Engineering (you can also sell Bars on the Auction House if you need some additional Gold).

If you want to know more about all professions available in WoW Classic, please check out our WoW Classic Professions Guide.

1. Learn how to Stutter Step (Get an Auto Shot Timer addon and move between your Auto Shots), this will help you at low levels or when your Pet is dead and is also very useful in PvP. Also, your Instant-Cast Abilities can be used while moving, take advantage of this and move away from your enemy while Casting them.

2. Tame Beasts that are at your level to maximize their value. There is no Pet level scaling and every Pet stays at its original level after Taming. This means that if you Tame a Level 10 Raptor at Level 50, you will have a Level 10 Raptor.

4. Try to get a Pet with Rank 2 Fous-Consuming Ability. This will enable your Pet to take advantage if its resource and make it more effective in combat (lists of Pets that have access to Level 2 abilities are readily available on the official WoW Classic Wiki).

5. Learn to micro-manage your Pet. Set up Pet Attack and Pet Recall Macros, and remember to put your Pet on Passive/Dismiss it during mob skipping in Dungeons (or your teammates will quickly start to despise you for causing unnecessary pulls/wipes).

6. Preserve your Gold. Ideally, you should be able to progress through levels without any Auction House purchases (if you spot a great Wand upgrade, do not hesitate if it is cheap, however). When it comes to Skills - you should learn just the essentials from Class Trainers.

7. Be mindful of the kind of Pet is the most optimal for you. Different Pet types have different Stat modifiers - these range from -10% to + 10% (for Damage, Health, and Armor). They also have type-specific abilities (Boar has charge, Bats can Stun and so on).  Also, different Pet types require different types of food. Keep these things in mind when choosing a Pet to tame.

8. This might seem trivial, but remember to feed your Pet, dismiss it when you go AFK or it might abandon you while you are away, and always keep some of its favorite food in your bags.

9. Keep your Ranged Weapon up to Date. Try to follow the Wand Progression route and remember that a lot of your Damage comes directly from your Wand (better Wand = faster kill times = faster leveling).

Odealo supports player-to-player trading for WoW Classic Gold and Items. With multiple sellers competing for your attention, you are to expect the best prices, prompt delivery and high quality of service.

END NOTE

Leveling process in the Classic World of Warcraft is different from leveling in the current game versions. This Guide should help you to prepare yourself for that legendary Vanilla Experience and allow you to progress through levels efficiently and with a good amount of fun.

We hope that you have found this Guide useful and informative.  If we have missed a piece of information that is important to you, please let us know! 

Please do note that this is an early version of our guide, and we will be happy to receive constructive criticism, that will help us improve it, so leave your suggestions in the comments section below.