It's been a while! I've been going through the process of applying to, interviewing for, and (I hope!) getting the job I've been doing for the past year. Now! Hunter races.
Races
Your Alliance options for playing a hunter are Night Elves, Dwarves, and Draenei. (No humans, no gnomes.)
Night Elves' racial abilities are Shadowmeld (a kind of stealth during which you can't move), a reduced chance to be hit, better resistance to nature spells, and wisp form (you move faster while dead). If you're playing Alliance and want to PVP, Shadowmeld gives Night Elves another ace up their sleeve, since, combined with a cat for Prowl, your opponants won't have quite as easy a time getting the drop on you. It's also great for laying ambushes if you're on defense - a couple of Night Elves, or in combination with rogues, can lure opponents into an area by making it look unguarded. (My first character was a Night Elf.)
Dwarves' racial abilities are a bonus to hit with guns, Stoneform (increases armor and removes bleeds, poisons, and diseases), better resistance to frost spells, and Find Treasure (tracks chests and some other objects on the minimap). (They also have a bonus to maces, but since hunters can't use maces...) I've never actually played a Dwarf (mostly because I switched to Horde before I got around to it). However, some of my favorite pet models (the snow leopard, the black bear) are available in Dun Morogh. (Before Wrath, Dun Morogh was the only place to get a snow leopard.) The gun bonus is also nice. A Dwarf hunter with engineering would be able to make his/her own guns and ammunition, find chests, and blast them open with seaforium if needed. Lots of potential.
Draenei's racial abilities are Gift of the Naaru (a small heal), a bonus to party members' hit rating, a bonus to jewelcrafting, and better resistance to shadow spells. They actually begin play with crossbows, and are the only hunter race to do so. The heal and the hit rating bonus both make them a good option. (I have a level 15 or so Draenei hunter.)
Your Horde options for playing a hunter are Taurens, Trolls, Orcs, and Blood Elves. (Basically, you can't be undead.)
Taurens' racial abilites are Warstomp (an AOE stun), better resistance to nature spells, an herbalism buff, and increased hit points. Warstomp is fantastic in both PVE and PVP - you can use it to help chain Freezing Traps, or any time you need to briefly stun mobs to set up for doing something else. The herbalism buff is nice if you want to go into Alchemy or Inscription, or just for the cash. (My main is a Tauren.)
Trolls' racial abilities are Berserking (a haste boost), Da Voodoo Shuffle (reduces the duration of snares), faster hit point regeneration, a bonus to hit with bows, a bonus to throwing weapons (ahem, lol), and deal more damage to beasts. The haste boost and the bonus with bows both make Trolls an attractive option for a Marksman hunter. Faster hit point regeneration can also mean less down time. The snare reduction is fairly new, and I haven't actually tried it yet. (I have a level 13 or so Troll hunter on an RP server.)
Orcs' racial abilities are Blood Fury (an attack/spellpower boost), increased pet damage, better resistance to stuns, and a bonus to axes. Orc is the other race of hunters I haven't actually played (as a hunter, anyway). The AP boost and the increased damage both make orcs good hunter options, although the latter is more attractive to Beast Masters. The stun resistance is always nice in PVP. And a lot of good hunter weapons are axes.
Blood Elves' racial abilities are Arcane Torrent (an AOE silence which also restores some mana), a bonus to enchanting, and better resistance to spells. Blood Elves start with a larger mana pool than any other hunter race, so that favors the Marksman mana-intesity. The silence can be good both in PVE and PVP, especially before you pick up a spell interrupt through talents. (I'm currently leveling a Blood Elf hunter.)
So, none of the hunter races are particularly bad for the class, but if you're looking at a particularly niche (PVP, PVE, farming) or spec, some of them might have better perks than others.
Next up: the actual leveling guide! Woo! (Hopefully 3.2 patch notes don't make me revise more than Aspect of the Cheetah for what's already written...)
6/4/09
Missed Screenshots
There are quite a few screenshots I wish I'd taken, but just didn't think to at the time. (This applies to most max-level dings on my toons - I don't remember where most of them hit 60/70/80.) The one that comes to mind first, though, is the gnome in Warsong Gulch.
I used to do a lot more PVP, and despite how much I loathe it, I was, for whatever reason, in WSG. I think I was actually on my priest at the time, probably around level 59, probably getting marks for her level 60 undead pony.
Anyway, I'd just run into the Alliance base via the upper upstairs door, heading for the balcony. I was in that space between the balcony and the ramp when a little female gnome mage pops out. Now, my priest has always been mostly Discipline with a good deal of Holy, and this was well before the healing/spellpower change. She did most of her WSG by healing the flag runner, or running it herself until she died and someone else could pick it up.
The mage almost immediately sheeped me, and then, as I'm wandering around all sheepy-like, she pulled out a rocket launcher.
Yeah.
I so wish I'd gotten a screenshot of that.
I used to do a lot more PVP, and despite how much I loathe it, I was, for whatever reason, in WSG. I think I was actually on my priest at the time, probably around level 59, probably getting marks for her level 60 undead pony.
Anyway, I'd just run into the Alliance base via the upper upstairs door, heading for the balcony. I was in that space between the balcony and the ramp when a little female gnome mage pops out. Now, my priest has always been mostly Discipline with a good deal of Holy, and this was well before the healing/spellpower change. She did most of her WSG by healing the flag runner, or running it herself until she died and someone else could pick it up.
The mage almost immediately sheeped me, and then, as I'm wandering around all sheepy-like, she pulled out a rocket launcher.
Yeah.
I so wish I'd gotten a screenshot of that.
6/1/09
Marksman 1-80 (Part 7: Pets)
Ok, back to the guide! This time...
Pets
Being a Marksman hunter, your pet isn't going to be as tough or do as much damage as a Beast Master's pet. Although a pet with the Tenacity tree may make leveling easier, it's not hard-and-fast required. (I've been using a tallstrider with my current baby hunter because it's a pretty blue.)
Your best source for pet information is Petopia. Between the skill information and the gallery, you can pick a pet that will fit your preferred playstyle and your taste. There are 11 cunning pet families, 11 ferocity, and 10 tenacity.
I haven't leveled with a broad variety of pets - I used a cat 1-70 on my night elf, a wolf 1-70 and a bear 70-80 on my tauren, and my blood elf has used a cat, crab, and tallstrider at varying points. I've played at some point with a cat, wolf, bear, tallstrider, crab, and hyena (and dabbled at one point with a boar and a spore bat), but other than taming most things once or twice for skill ranks (way, way back), I haven't done much with the rest.
At the upper end, for raiding, you'll want a wolf. Their AP buff now stacks with other AP buffs (Might, Battle Shout), but is hunter/pet only. That's okay - it's enough to give them a competitive edge over a cat. Cats are still solid DPS, and the difference in output between a cat and a wolf isn't huge. Noticeable, but not enough that you're likely to catch flak for it.
For soloing, the bear's swipe, combined with Thunderstomp at higher levels, makes group pulls easier. (Note that the bear will indiscriminately break your traps if you let him Swipe at will, though.) The crab's Pin and the hyena's Tendon Rip both help keep things at range longer. (The crab is sturdier, though.) The tanking pets are good for quite a lot of group quests if you have a healer with you - the bear tanked the Headless Horseman multiple times at 67 or 68.
If you're a Night Elf, Shadowmeld + Prowl (cat) never really gets old in PVP. It's not as sweet as when Aimed Shot was a 3 second cast and didn't break your stealth till it went off, but it's still nice. Tenacity pets, though, do generally fare better in PVP, just from their survivability. Cunning pets aren't bad (I hear the spider's Web is nice), but are a bit squishier.
Pet talents start at 20; there are several good combinations, but these are the ones I tend to use:
Note that I don't put points into the pet happiness talents in ferocity; I do in tenacity because it's an extra threat talent. I have the Mend Pet glyph (happiness from healing), and I always have food on me, so I figure it's a waste of points that could go to a better DPS boost. If pet happiness drops to yellow in combat, I just toss up a Mend Pet. I don't have talents for a cunning pet up because I don't have any, but you can easily gear them towards damage (Wolverine Bite, Feeding Frenzy, etc.) or utility (Roar of Recovery, etc.).
Regarding food, bears eat everything - you can toss them whatever random food you find while questing, and it's all good. Crabs are a bit pickier, but they'll do fish, so if you're fishing, you should be all set. Most pets eat meat, and if they don't eat meat, they probably don't eat fish (crabs and turtles are the exception) and will eat everything else (bread, cheese, fruit, fungus). There are some oddballs out there, but Petopia's got a good table if food type is important to your pet choosing process.
Current stables:
Pets
Being a Marksman hunter, your pet isn't going to be as tough or do as much damage as a Beast Master's pet. Although a pet with the Tenacity tree may make leveling easier, it's not hard-and-fast required. (I've been using a tallstrider with my current baby hunter because it's a pretty blue.)
Your best source for pet information is Petopia. Between the skill information and the gallery, you can pick a pet that will fit your preferred playstyle and your taste. There are 11 cunning pet families, 11 ferocity, and 10 tenacity.
I haven't leveled with a broad variety of pets - I used a cat 1-70 on my night elf, a wolf 1-70 and a bear 70-80 on my tauren, and my blood elf has used a cat, crab, and tallstrider at varying points. I've played at some point with a cat, wolf, bear, tallstrider, crab, and hyena (and dabbled at one point with a boar and a spore bat), but other than taming most things once or twice for skill ranks (way, way back), I haven't done much with the rest.
At the upper end, for raiding, you'll want a wolf. Their AP buff now stacks with other AP buffs (Might, Battle Shout), but is hunter/pet only. That's okay - it's enough to give them a competitive edge over a cat. Cats are still solid DPS, and the difference in output between a cat and a wolf isn't huge. Noticeable, but not enough that you're likely to catch flak for it.
For soloing, the bear's swipe, combined with Thunderstomp at higher levels, makes group pulls easier. (Note that the bear will indiscriminately break your traps if you let him Swipe at will, though.) The crab's Pin and the hyena's Tendon Rip both help keep things at range longer. (The crab is sturdier, though.) The tanking pets are good for quite a lot of group quests if you have a healer with you - the bear tanked the Headless Horseman multiple times at 67 or 68.
If you're a Night Elf, Shadowmeld + Prowl (cat) never really gets old in PVP. It's not as sweet as when Aimed Shot was a 3 second cast and didn't break your stealth till it went off, but it's still nice. Tenacity pets, though, do generally fare better in PVP, just from their survivability. Cunning pets aren't bad (I hear the spider's Web is nice), but are a bit squishier.
Pet talents start at 20; there are several good combinations, but these are the ones I tend to use:
Note that I don't put points into the pet happiness talents in ferocity; I do in tenacity because it's an extra threat talent. I have the Mend Pet glyph (happiness from healing), and I always have food on me, so I figure it's a waste of points that could go to a better DPS boost. If pet happiness drops to yellow in combat, I just toss up a Mend Pet. I don't have talents for a cunning pet up because I don't have any, but you can easily gear them towards damage (Wolverine Bite, Feeding Frenzy, etc.) or utility (Roar of Recovery, etc.).
Regarding food, bears eat everything - you can toss them whatever random food you find while questing, and it's all good. Crabs are a bit pickier, but they'll do fish, so if you're fishing, you should be all set. Most pets eat meat, and if they don't eat meat, they probably don't eat fish (crabs and turtles are the exception) and will eat everything else (bread, cheese, fruit, fungus). There are some oddballs out there, but Petopia's got a good table if food type is important to your pet choosing process.
Current stables:
- Duskhawk: wolf, bear, cat, hyena, tallstrider (wolf for raiding, bear for soloing)
- Duskmoon: wolf, cat, crab, tallstrider (crab for soloing, wolf for instances)
- Mabs: cat (she's only ever used the cat)
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