The Hunter
A guide to the Hunter class by Templar Errochis and Grey Lord Brennan.
Introduction
As most have figured out, the goal of the Hunter is to do ranged damage. No other class in Azeroth can inflict so much steady ranged damage as us. Mages can hit hard and quick, but cannot keep it up. Even Warlocks have their limits. But a hunter can provide a continuous rate of fire.
The Hunter is a pretty easy class to play. But believe it or not, there are many
bad Hunters out there.
The Art of the Hunt (solo)
When you are alone on the hunt, your pet is vital as you know. Your pet must keep aggro of the mob for you to live. When you reach the higher levels, you cannot tank as well yourself as you once did. Mail armor just does not provide all that much protection. So, allow your pet to fight the creature for a few seconds to build up aggro. Then let loose your arrows or fire your bullets. If it is a creature that will flee, use your concuss. shot to slow the fleeing prey.
There is also another way to pull. Use a low damage shot instead of sending your pet in first, I prefer arcane shot or venom shot. Then as it closes in on you, send your pet in and let it go to work for a moment or two before you begin your fire again. If you cannot get the aggro off of you, use wingclip and back away. letting your pet eat their backside all the way. Hopefully by the time the prey gets close, it is no longer interested in you.
If your pet is having a hard time getting aggro off you you can use the disengage ability (works like rogue feint I believe) or feign death once you learn it.
Grouping
Introduction
When you are hunting with a group, your role is a bit different. You still need to provide steady damage, but you become a bit of a guard. But first, know that hunters excel at pulling, but we are not allowed to do so in most groups. Why? No idea, I suppose that people think that a warrior can do a better job. But that is a debate for another time.
Traps
If there are many mobs that will be coming, you will need to use your ice trap to keep one from beating down on the tank for a few moments. This will make it easier for the group to survive the encounter.
Aggro Control
As a Hunter
(especially if you are Marksmanship spec), you will dish out a steady stream of
damage, with some 'blips' of very high damage hits. We must be careful to NOT
pull aggro off of the tank, so be careful of using some of your special shots (ie
aimed shot). This is especially important if your groups tank is mediocre or
worse. Most Tanks will want you to have Growl OFF. You do not want to pull
aggro from tank, mainly due to the fact that a tank needs rage to maintain aggro,
and he/she gets rage by being beaten on by the mobs. The healer will keep the
tank alive.
Your primary role, besides the steady damage to the target of your main tank, is to protect the healers and casters. If your casters or healers take aggro, use your distracting shot then close in and start to melee. You are NOT a tank, but you can tank long enough to be of some use. Your job is to "off tank". Your pet is invaluable in this as well. Many times, your pet can pull aggro off the caster better than you can, because of the Growl ability. But your job is to protect the supporters of the group. In a good group, this will be easy. If you have a bad healer this can be a nightmare.
Be careful using multishot, as you do NOT want to have 3+ mobs bearing down on you, as you likely will not survive.
If You Pull
Should you be allowed, you have 2 (or 3) methods of getting rid of aggro, and allowing the tank (or pet) to take it from you.
First method is to use disengage when the mob gets to melee range. This works well, especially if you haven't build up much hate yet.
If this doesn't work, use Feign Death. Care must be used with these methods, and you should probably pull the mobs away from the healers and other "squishies", so if these don't work, you will die, but you will be far enough away that the "squishies" won't get touched.
A 3rd method only works if you are beast mastery spec'd. Use Intimidation on your pet...the mob will/may get stunned for a couple seconds, and force him to target your pet.
Instancing and Pets
A Hunter's pet is an integral part of who he/she is, and their fighting style. However, the pet must be closely controlled in an instance so that it doesn't bring a bunch of "adds" onto your group.
The pet should
ALWAYS be set to PASSIVE in an instance. Some groups/raids will ask you to
dismiss your pet, and that is fine, as the need for a pet in a good group is
minimal. Probably the best use for a pet in an instance is for emergency aggro
control (for lack of a better phrase). Use the pet to pull mobs off the healer!
Ranged vs. Melee
Keep in mind that you are NOT a melee class. You are a ranged class. This is where you will do the most damage. Melee is a last resort. Ranged is where it is at. That is what your pet is for, to get up close and personal.
Pet Selection
As to the pet you keep. That is your own choice. Most pets are balanced. Some tank better than others, while others have a higher damage output. It is all a matter of your personal taste in the end.
Errochis has a cat, Winterfall for when he does PvP. She has outstanding speed and damage output and can chase down a fleeing opponent. But, she does not tank well. Errochis's windserpent, Windwaker, can out-tank most pets. She was not given any special abilities but Growl and Dive 3. She has high armor and hit points, most times higher than the tank in the group I am in.
But it is your choice in the end.
Closing
We hope that this
guide has been somewhat helpful to you. Our last bit of advice to you, is to
remember to use your traps. They are often overlooked by most Hunters. Keep it
simple, attack from afar, and send your pet in to do the dirty work.
Templar Errochis (Asyri)
Grey Lord Brennan
Editing by Templar Sturn