Besides, I Can Meet Minimum DPS Standards

I’ve been thinking a bit lately on why I still play Beast Master rather than jumping ship to Marks or Survival, even though BM is far and away the lowest DPS spec possible. There are a few reasons for this I think, and my love of the spec is actually the least of them.

High Latency

Playing over satellite has given me a new appreciation for just how hard it can be to use up those procs from talents or gear. This specifically is why I can’t play Survival – I keep missing out on Lock and Load procs because of my delay. And I tell you what, you miss some of those procs, and your DPS just plummets.

Similarly, when I played around in Marks (a few patches back, at this point) I found myself missing Chimera reapplications of Serpent Sting. Not only did this nerf the damage Chimera did, but it means I essentially wasted a global cooldown because I had to reapply Serpent Sting manually.

Unfamiliar Rotation

Both of the above can also be laid at the feet of my lack of intimate knowledge of the rotation or priority for both specs. I’ve been BM for all of Wrath, give or take a few dabblings with my off spec. While I kinda sorta maybe a little know what the priority is for Marks and Surv, it’s by no means on the reflex level of knowledge that my BM rotation is. I’ve had the entire expansion to work out just when to hit the buttons to make everything go off  - and Wrath is almost over now, so it feels almost wasteful to focus on learning a new priority.

Soft Gear Reset

Both of the above reasons gives me lower DPS on dummies in nothing but my Tabard of the Achiever with my bow and white ammo. And I would have to regem and possibly re-enchant all of my gear to non-attack power stuff to get full use of Marks or Surv. That’s a lot of gold and time to invest in a DPS decrease. The other option – putting together a set that’s purely for MM or Surv – presents its own problem. I’m currently not raiding (*glares in the direction of a certain ret-tank*) and so roughly half of my gear isn’t within my reach anymore. I would have to supplement Tier gear with Triumph badge loot and the odd Heroic drop.

Can someone say “further loss of DPS” for me? Speak up, I can’t hear you in the back.

Pet Management Issues (or, “Damnit, He’s Dead Again”)

As BM, I’ve gotten used to my pet never dying – ever! – even if the healers ignore his poor scaly ass. I have 1/2 Improved Mend Pet as well as 1/2 Spirit Bond, and between those I can tap a Mend Pet and recall my pet to a safer position while he gets cleansed and healed and stops taking fire from standing in the green goo.

I have specced Kilgrom for Heart of the Phoenix, and I’m really no longer sure why.

On the flip side, I did a few random Heroics a while back in a Marksman build with Maizee, my color changing wolf… and no IMP or Spirit Bond. I think I rezzed her five times (at least) in the Oculus run.

I died a little inside and immediately switched specs back to BM before requeueing.

My pet is important to me. I first rolled up a baby Hunter because I loved the idea of having a constant companion, even when my friend wasn’t online to play. Poor Alvar may have been relegated to the stables once Wrath hit, but if I ever take Mok back to the Alliance (or raid on Xanth 2.0) and am able, I will bring him to any raid I possibly can. He’s *my* pet, and as stupid as it will sound to any non-Hunter (and possibly a few non-BM Hunters) I’m quite attached to my ghostsaber.

Love of BM

My love of the Beast Master spec isn’t about the rotation, or getting to see my pet become a big ass bright red monster that’s going to EAT YOUR FACE MARROWGAR -

*cough*

It’s not about the signature cooldowns or simple rotation. It’s about the way it forces you to manage your pet, keep him alive, watch for the uncleansed diseases, put him on the right mob for maximum damage or utility. As BM, the focus is as much on your pet as on you. It truly is an extension of the Hunter insomuch as if your pet dies it’s better for you to stop and rez him than just shrug your shoulders and eat the “mobile dot” loss.

It feels more like a Hunter and less like a sniper or ranger.

I love the concepts behind Survival’s ranger-like talents and skills, and Marksman’s stand-and-shoot precision, but both specs feel like they ignore the hunter pet. To me, the pet is an extension of your character, both in-character and mechanics-wise. To ignore it is… Well, for me it guts the class.

How much you enjoy a spec is by no means quantifiable. Still, I feel it has as much bearing on your DPS as how you talent, or gem, or what pet you use. If you don’t love playing the game, it’s not a game anymore but rather a job that you pay to perform. And it will make you stop paying as much attention to your rotation, or the fireball that just got lobbed your way, or a million other things that not paying attention to with either cause your demise or lower your DPS.

And honestly, I’m as competitive as anyone I know when it comes to aiming for the top slot on Recount. But I have to be enjoying how I play to even care.