In the Forever beta, Survival plays differently at low levels than in familiar Classic: Auto Shot no longer requires casting, and the full melee kit only arrives at level 32. We break down what that means for players and what to do about it.

What to pick up right away

• Ammunition. Restock arrows and bullets at every outpost and town — you can barely do anything without them.
• Pet and Claw. You get Claw by taming a Clattering Crawler, Shore Crawler, Black Bear Patriarch, or Den Mother. Don't forget to feed your companion and visit the pet trainer to learn new abilities and apply them through Beast Training.
• Leatherworking. Skin every mob you kill — new Leatherworking recipes give very strong gear early on.
• Camping. Camping is back in Forever. For Survival right now the best items are Camp Chair, Fish Bowl, and Enchanted Lute (Enchanting). All three give strong combat buffs, ease quests and dungeons; Lodestone is useful for melee hunters.

Build and rotation at 20

Talent choices are slim — take whatever deals damage. Extra points can be earned through the Legacy system.

The rotation is simple: apply Hunter's Mark if you have time, keep Serpent Sting up as your main DoT, and use Raptor Strike when you're in melee range. Alternate between range and melee to stay mobile.

In practice

• Survival's melee kit only opens at level 32 (Strider Kick, Expose Prey); until then, play hybrid — main damage from range, melee strikes when possible.
• Pick up Leatherworking right away and skin everything. Trapper's and Brawler's sets are strong gear options: Trapper's fits almost every slot, with Brawler's needed for the head.
• Wailing Caverns is the main source of gear at level 20: Venomstrike and the Fang set. Don't pass it by.
• The first camping items are Camp Chair, Fish Bowl, and Enchanted Lute. The buffs help in both dungeons and quests.

There's one significant class quest — Taming the Beast at level 10 (or its starter zone version): it unlocks taming and pet training.