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WORLD OF WARCRAFT THE BURNING CRUSADE Hunter Guide Systems: PC, Mac Author: UltimaZER0 (ultimazer0@msn.com, Jonathan Wong) On Eredar Server: Eldrethor, Lv.70 Dwarf HunterInitial Release: 04/25/06 Current Release: 05/08/08 Current Version: 3.04.0 =============================================================================== ----------------------------------[ UPDATES ]---------------------------------- =============================================================================== Version 3.04.0 – 05/08/08 - Miscellaneous has been updated to reflect the fact that Unstable Mana Potions are no longer rewarded to players that complete the quest. - Updated tooltip entries for changes made to abilities in Patch 2.4.2. - Information on Season 4 Arena gear has been added. Information on previous Seasons have been updated to reflect changes in vendors. - The Talent Specialization chapter has been revised significantly. > Sample templates have been redone to feature viable talent builds. Each one now includes a description of the build’s intents. > Each section now has general information on how to use each build for raiding and for PvP. Version 3.03.0 – 04/19/08 - The Equipment section has been renamed to Gear Management. Weapons and armor sets have been moved to a new cataloging chapter called Weapons & Armor. - Minor updates to texts to reflect changes made in Patch 2.4. - A new Raiding section has been added to address the concerns of players who are planning on raiding. - Many commentaries on talents and abilities have been rewritten. - Several articles have either been revamped or rewritten entirely. Version 3.02.0 – 01/29/08 - Tooltip for all abilities as of Patch 2.3.2 have been updated. - Chapter A has been removed. - Some sections have received minor updates to reflect some in-game changes. - Some new items such as ammo containers and set armors have been added. Version 3.01.0 – 11/16/07 - Tooltip for all abilities as of Patch 2.3.2 have been updated. - Added a Chapter A, which will address recent Patch changes and what they mean for you. - Some new items such as ammo containers and set armors have been added. Version 3.00.0 – 09/18/07 - Massive rewriting of the entire guide. Although Version 2.00 and later kept raw data up to date, many articles and commentaries were never updated to accommodate the major changes in gameplay. Some overviews that were felt to be too lenient on weak talents and abilities have been readjusted. All sections are now up to date and are more user-friendly. - Permission granted for www.stvsweets.com to host this guide. - Much of the item data has been reorganized into charts. - Chapter A has been removed. The details of the 2.01 Patch are now under the new Milestones chapter, which lists abilities and mechanics of yesteryear. - Added a Miscellaneous section under Equipment. - All sections under Playing As A Hunter have been completely reorganized and revamped to accommodate players of different skill levels. - The Updates log has reached the point where it is excessively long. Listings that date back to Version 2.XX and older have been removed. - Added a new Chapter called Talent Specialization. =============================================================================== ---------------------------[ TABLE OF CONTENTS ]------------------------------- =============================================================================== I. Introduction II. Legal Information III. Combat Basics a. About The Hunter b. Choosing Your Race c. Choosing Your Professions IV. Hunter Abilities a. Marksmanship b. Survival c. Beast Mastery V. Hunter Talents a. Marksmanship b. Survival c. Beast Mastery d. Choosing Your Specialization VI. Talent Specialization a. The Marksman b. The Survivalist c. The Beast Master VII. Pets a. Pet Taming & Care b. Available Pets c. Pet Abilities d. Building Your Pet VIII. Gear Management a. Basics of Gear Selection b. Technical Issues c. Melee Weapons d. Ammunition e. Ammo Storage f. Scopes g. Gear Enhancements h. Gems i. Miscellaneous IX. Playing As A Hunter a. Hunter 101: The Basics b. Hunter 201: Intermediate c. Hunter 301: Advanced Tactics d. Player Versus Player e. Raiding X. Weapons & Armor a. PvE Armor Sets b. PvP Armor Sets c. Uncommon Ranged Weapons d. Rare Ranged Weapons e. Epic Ranged Weapons XI. Future Plans XII. Milestones XIII. Credits =============================================================================== ------------------------------[ I. Introduction ]------------------------------ =============================================================================== Although the Hunter class is one of the simplest to pick up and is a very popular choice when it comes to pure firepower, it has its share of complexities that not everyone understands. This guide is designed to show you what the class has to offer, how each ability is used, and how to improve yourself as a Hunter. =============================================================================== ---------------------------[ II. Legal Information ]--------------------------- =============================================================================== This document is Copyright ultimazer0@msn.com. All rights reserved. This document may not be altered or used for profit without the written consent of its original author. As of the nineteenth of April, year two thousand and eight, the following establishments have my permission to host their guide on their websites or publications under said conditions: GameFAQs.com 1Up.com SuperCheats.com GamersGuides.com Gameabolic.com Gamerstemple.com DLH.net s13.invisionfree.com/Ehgeiz/ (www.randomactsguild.net) Orderofarcane.com www.honestgamers.com Fatal Legacy (www.fatallegacy.org) WoW Newsletter from “Melissa” of Topvideogameguides.com [Title Pending] www.world-of-warcraft-tipps.de www.hunterftw.com www.gamertales.com www.stvsweets.com www.curse.com, www.curse-gaming.com www.GamersHell.com If you bought this guide from auctioneers, such as Beinc777 from eBay, you’ve been ripped off. This guide is primarily hosted on GameFAQs for free. =============================================================================== ----------------------------[ III. Getting Started ]--------------------------- =============================================================================== This chapter will help you get started by introducing you to what the Hunter has to offer, what each selectable race has to contribute to the class, and what each profession has in store for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. About The Hunter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So what does a Hunter have to offer? Here is what you need to know... ------------- Ranged Damage ------------- The Hunter is basically the Archer or Ranger archetype of a typical role- playing game. As such, they excel in inflicting ranged physical damage using bows, crossbows, and guns. They can attack their targets from as far as 41 yards away, which is beyond the reach of most other classes, and can utilize an arsenal of Shots and Stings that cause a variety of effects. ---- Pets ---- What makes the Hunter so different from the traditional Archer/Ranger archetype is the ability to have an animal companion by your side. It typically serves as a tank that soaks up damage while you fire away at your target, though with the proper molding, a pet can become a lethal predator. There are plenty of animals to choose from, some of which have their own unique spells and abilities, and many of them come in a variety of skins and colors. ------------- Survivability ------------- As a Hunter, you have a lot of protection against enemy fire. In addition to attacking from a distance and having a pet for a damage sponge, you can wear leather armor until level 40. Once you reach that point, you can train the ability to wear mail. With a full set of pre-raiding armor from the local endgame dungeons, you can have an average of 30% damage reduction. If all else fails, the Feign Death ability can save you from a painful death by completely removing you from combat. No other class has that kind of life-saving capability. ------- Utility ------- As a Hunter, you can do much more than provide firepower for a group. Your abilities give you a lot of unmatched utility. For example, you can turn your minimap into a personal radar, thanks to your Tracking abilities. Along with Eagle Eye, Flare, and Eyes of the Beast, and an Ornate Spyglass, you can carefully observe and spot enemies from afar. Your Freezing Trap and Wyvern Sting can also be used to keep most mobs under control when the situation calls for it. As you can see, a Hunter can do a lot with the tools they have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b. Choosing Your Race ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the start of the game, you’re given the choice of faction and race. While faction affects your allegiance and communication with in-game characters, your choice of race will affect mainly three things: your racial abilities, your starting stats, and your location. Between the two factions, you have seven races to choose from. For convenience, here is quick Stats Comparison chart for each race. Assume that these numbers are for a level 1 Hunter. ==================================================================== | RACE | STR | AGL | STA | INT | SPR | ARMOR | HEALTH | MANA | ==================================================================== | Dwarf | 22 | 19 | 24 | 19 | 20 | 40 | 86 | 84 | | Night Elf | 17 | 28 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 58 | 46 | 85 | | Draenei | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 42 | 46 | 100 | | Orc | 23 | 20 | 23 | 17 | 24 | 42 | 76 | 82 | | Troll | 21 | 25 | 22 | 16 | 22 | 52 | 66 | 81 | | Tauren | 25 | 18 | 23 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 80 | 80 | | Blood Elf | 17 | 25 | 19 | 24 | 20 | 54 | 45 | 145 | ==================================================================== ----- Dwarf ----- 22 Strength Health: 86 19 Agility Mana: 84 24 Stamina Armor: 40 19 Intellect 20 Spirit Racial Traits: Frost Resistance: +10 Frost Resist Find Treasure: Activate to see treasure chests on mini map. Gun Specialization: Your chance to critically hit with Guns is increased by 1%. Racial Ability: Stoneform EFFECT: While active, grants immunity to Bleed, Poison, and Disease effects. In addition, Armor increased by 10%. Lasts 8 sec. COOLDOWN: 3 min. Racial Mount: Ram --------- Night Elf --------- 17 Strength Health: 46 28 Agility Mana: 85 20 Stamina Armor: 50 20 Intellect 21 Spirit Racial Traits: Nature Resistance: +10 Nature Resist Quickness: +1% Dodge Rate Wisp Spirit: Become a wisp when dead with movement speed increase of 50% (25% faster than normal ghost). Racial Ability: Shadowmeld EFFECT: Activate while immobile and out of combat to enter stealth mode. Lasts until canceled. COOLDOWN: 10 sec. Racial Mount: Nightsaber ------- Draenei ------- 21 Strength Health: 46 20 Agility Mana: 100 20 Stamina Armor: 42 21 Intellect 23 Spirit Racial Traits: Shadow Resistance: +10 Shadow Resist Gemcutting: +5 Jewelcrafting Heroic Presence: Increases chance to hit by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards. Racial Ability: Gift of the Naaru EFFECT: Heals the target 50 + 15/Level over 15 seconds. RANGE: 40 yards CASTING TIME: 1.5 sec. COOLDOWN: 3 min. Racial Mount: Elekk --- Orc --- 23 Strength Health: 76 20 Agility Mana: 82 23 Stamina Armor: 42 17 Intellect 24 Spirit Racial Traits: Axe Specialization: Expertise with Axes and Two-Handed Axes increased by 5. Command: Pet melee damage increased by 5%. Hardiness: +15% resistance to stun and knockout effects. Racial Ability: Blood Fury EFFECT: Increases attack power by about 4 per character level (282 at 70), but reduces healing effects on you 50%. Lasts 15 sec. COOLDOWN: 2 min. Racial Mount: Wolf ----- Troll ----- 21 Strength Health: 66 25 Agility Mana: 81 22 Stamina Armor: 52 16 Intellect 22 Spirit Racial Traits: Beast Slaying: +5% Damage Bonus to Beasts Throwing Specialization: Your chance to critically hit with Throwing Weapons is increased by 1%. Bow Specialization: Your chance to critically hit with Bows is increased by 1%. Regeneration: 10% health regen bonus, 10% active in combat. Racial Ability: Berserking EFFECT: Increases your attack speed by 10% to 30%. At full health the speed increase is 10% with a greater effect up to 30% if you are badly hurt when you activate Berserking. Lasts 10 sec. COST: 6% of Base Mana COOLDOWN: 3 min. Racial Mount: Raptor ------ Tauren ------ 25 Strength Health: 76 18 Agility Mana: 80 23 Stamina Armor: 38 15 Intellect 23 Spirit Racial Traits: Cultivation: +15 Herbalism Skill Endurance: +5% Max Health Nature Resistance: +10 Nature Resist Racial Ability: War Stomp EFFECT: Activate to stun up to 5 opponents within 8 yards. Lasts 2 sec. COOLDOWN: 2 min. Racial Mount: Kodo --------- Blood Elf --------- 17 Strength Health: 54 25 Agility Mana: 25 19 Stamina Armor: 54 24 Intellect 20 Spirit Racial Traits: Arcane Affinity: +10 Enchanting Magic Resistance: +5 All Resists Racial Ability: Mana Tap EFFECT: Reduces target's mana by 51 and charges you with Arcane energy For 10 min. This effect stacks up to 3 times. Amount of mana reduced is 50 + 1/Level. RANGE: 30 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec. Racial Ability: Arcane Torrent EFFECT: Silences all enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec. In addition, you gain 5 + 1/Level Mana restored per Mana Tap charge currently affecting you. RANGE: 8 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 2 min. Racial Mount: Hawkstrider ------------------- The Choice Is Yours ------------------- There are lots of factors when it comes to deciding which race you want. Some players choose their race based upon stats, racial bonuses, and abilities, while others choose their race based upon their overall aesthetics. Others may prefer the sleek finesse of the Blood Elves while others prefer the stalwart composure of the Night Elves. In the end, what really matters is not which race has what but how you apply your skills and knowledge to the game with whatever abilities you may have. A character is only as good as its player. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c. Choosing Your Professions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your profession will be a major helping hand to you in this game and choosing the right ones will benefit you a lot. Here are your choices: ------------------------- Leatherworking + Skinning ------------------------- BENEFITS Mail Armor Patterns Ammo Containers Leg Patches Drums This combination allows you to skin the corpses of slain mobs and use their leathers to craft leather armor. In the later levels, patterns for mail armor becomes available. The gear is relatively limited for Hunters due to the fact that there isn’t much in the way of Agility or Attack Power. In fact, most of it easily caters to Shamans, though if you specialize in Dragonscale Leatherworking, there are some very rewarding late-game patterns at your disposal. As a leatherworker, you may also craft a variety of armor kits, which can be patched onto various parts of your armor. You also have the ability to craft your own ammo pouches and quivers, which is a nice plus for players that prefer to craft their own goods. One major perk of being a leatherworker is the series of drums that you can make, which cause different area effects. The two most notable effects are the Haste and attack power bonuses from the Drums of War and Drums of Battle. Since they affect all party members, they are perfect for groups. And on a side note, Comfortable Insoles do absolutely nothing. -------------------- Engineering + Mining -------------------- BENEFITS Epic Mail Helm Pattern Crafted Guns & Ammo Jumper Cables & Repair Bots Lots of Fun Toys Engineering allows you to create a whole arsenal of gadgets and gizmos for you to use at your disposal. You have target dummies, mechanical animals, explosive sheep, shrink rays, teleporters, seaforium charges, goggles, and much more. Some come in the form of one-time-use items while others are permanent trinkets. As a Hunter, you can benefit greatly from being an engineer, thanks to your ability to craft guns and bullets. While most of the uncommon guns are easily replaced, the bullets that you can craft are significantly better than the ones that are normally sold in stores. You can also craft an excellent epic helm called the Surestrike Goggles v2.0, which do not require obscenely rare materials. The only downside to Engineering is that many of the best patterns require a wide variety of materials and reagents that Mining alone cannot provide, though the end results are usually worth the effort. ------------------- Alchemy + Herbalism ------------------- BENEFITS Potions & Elixirs Transmutations With this combination, you can gather herbs and turn them into potions, and this goes well beyond Health and Mana Potions. As an alchemist, you can create potions that boost your stats, absorb magic damage, underwater breathing, make you invisible, and much more. As you progress in skill, you can eventually transmute metals, essences, primals, and gems into other materials of the same type, though transmutes tend to have long cooldown timers. Alchemy branches off into two specializations: Potion and Elixir. Depending on which of the two you have, you can learn various kinds of endgame consumables such as Flasks. -------------- Enchanting + ? -------------- BENEFITS Do-It-Yourself Enchants As an enchanter, you can disenchant items into powders, shards, and essences, and use them to permanently apply buffs to your weapons and armor. It’s a very rewarding profession but it’s also a costly one. Because the only source of enchanting materials are weapons and armor, you must constantly find gear to disenchant. Eventually, you can quickly run through low-level dungeons on your own and walk away with bags full of items, but as you progress, you need higher-level items, and those aren’t as easy to come by. You can try the local Auction House for items but that can cost you a fortune. Since enchanting materials come from disenchanted items, you don’t need a gathering profession to go with it, but some players recommend tailoring. Most patterns only need cloth, which drop off of humanoid mobs, and you can disenchant whatever armor you make. As an added bonus, being a tailor gives you the opportunity to craft your own bags. ---------------------- Jewelcrafting + Mining ---------------------- BENEFITS Crafted Rings, Necks, & Trinkets Cut Your Own Gems Cut Exclusive Epic Gems Jewelcrafting allows you to create a variety of rings and neckpieces with the minerals and gems found through mining, as well as statuettes that heal you. Although gems can be rare, the Prospecting ability that comes with the profession allows you to sift through ore to find the gems you need. At a certain point, you will start finding patterns for figurines, which are trinkets that come with different abilities. Once you reach Outland, you will find gems that can be cut for use in sockets. The big kicker to taking Jewelcrafting over simply asking another player to cut your gems is the fact that some very potent gems are exclusive to whoever crafts them. For example, the Crimson Sun is a red gem that gives +24 Attack Power but becomes bound to whoever cuts the gem. ---------------------- Blacksmithing + Mining ---------------------- BENEFITS Some Upgradeable Endgame Weapons Some Mail Armor Patterns The weapons, armor, and other materials that come from Blacksmithing caters mostly to Warriors and Paladins. However, there are a few late-game patterns that may be useful to you as a Hunter. Armorsmithing features a series of excellent mail armor for your chest such as the Stormforged Hauberk. A few of the melee weapons also have stats that are suitable for you. The problem with this route is that getting the materials can be time-consuming, and most of the gear goes to waste on the way to 375. The early mail armor is too weak to be worn at level 40, plate armor is worthless to you, and the majority of the weapons are not well suited for Hunters. --------------------- Secondary Professions --------------------- First Aid With First Aid, you can take plain cloth and turn it into bandages, which recover a large amount of your health in just a few seconds. This is an extremely important profession due to the fact that bandages can be used in combat. There will be times when the healer in your group is either heavily focused on other party members, or simply cannot reach you. When you find yourself in such a situation, bandaging is the next best thing. First Aid also allows you to make antitoxins, which remove poison effects, but their uses are so situational that you can easily do without them. Cooking With Cooking, you can take the meats that you find from slain animals, and turn them into edible goods. The big kicker to this is the buffs that certain foods give, which show up as “Well Fed” on your list of buffs. The most basic form of that buff gives you a boost to Stamina and Spirit, but certain foods will boost your other stats as well. For example, the Warped Flesh from Warpstalkers can be cooked into Warp Burgers, which give you 20 Agility and Spirit for 30 minutes. Although it’s tempting to feed your pet some of the raw meats that drop, save them and work on this profession. Your pet can live off of vendor foods. Fishing Fishing will yield raw fish, which can be cooked or used as reagents for Alchemy recipes. Occasionally, you’ll find something funky, like a fish that can be held in your off-hand. If you find little whirlpools or floating wreckage, you can fish those areas to get some loot. It’s also something to do while you’re waiting for a friend or a boat. The only problem with Fishing is that it’s incredibly boring and it takes a lot of time to raise your skill. Still, if you’re an alchemist, this is a must-have profession, and if you’re not, it’s something to do when you have little else to do. =============================================================================== --------------------------[ IV. Hunter Abilities ]----------------------------- =============================================================================== This section will give you a full analysis of each of your abilities. As a Hunter, you will have many abilities to work with, which will easily take up most of your action bars. The Trackers already account for eight of your slots. I recommend that you enable all of your action bars and set hotkeys to them. Some players assign their Function keys to their top-left action bar. I prefer to use my Shift-number keys instead. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. Marksmanship ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This branch of abilities makes up the core prowess of every Hunter. These abilities are associated with your ranged weapon, and will provide the majority of the damage you inflict. The bulk of your Shots and Stings are in this area. ---------- Aimed Shot ---------- ACTION: An aimed shot that increases ranged damage by 70 and reduces healing done to that target by 50%. Lasts 10 sec. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: 3.0 sec. COOLDOWN: Weapon Speed +6 sec. NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 20 1 75 Ranged damage bonus starts at 70. 28 2 115 Ranged damage bonus increased to 125. 36 3 160 Ranged damage bonus increased to 200. 44 4 210 Ranged damage bonus increased to 330. 52 5 260 Ranged damage bonus increased to 460. 60 6 310 Ranged damage bonus increased to 600. 70 7 370 Ranged damage bonus increased to 870. OVERVIEW: This ability works by allowing your first shot to be a heavy hitter. What sets this Shot apart from the others is that it resets your Auto-Shot timer, which means that in timing your shots, you have to treat an Aimed Shot as though you had just fired a single Auto-Shot. Because of this and its long casting time, using it within a regular shot rotation not recommended. However, the reduced healing effect can be useful in situations where healing can be an issue. This also applies to PvP but keep in mind that enemy players can interrupt its cast or move out of your line of sight. ----------- Arcane Shot ----------- ACTION: An instant shot that causes 15 Arcane damage plus 15% of your ranged attack power. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 6 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 6 1 25 Base Arcane damage equals 15. 12 2 35 Base Arcane damage equals 23. 20 3 50 Base Arcane damage equals 36. 28 4 80 Base Arcane damage equals 65. 36 5 105 Base Arcane damage equals 91. 44 6 135 Base Arcane damage equals 125. Dispels one Magic effect. 52 7 160 Base Arcane damage equals 158. Dispels one Magic effect. 60 8 190 Base Arcane damage equals 200. Dispels one Magic effect. 68 9 230 Base Arcane damage equals 273. Dispels one Magic effect. OVERVIEW: This is your primary Shot ability, which you will use very often in your shot rotation until Steady Shot comes into play. You can also fire it while jumping or running, making it a vital tool for kiting. Curiously, magic shields cannot reflect the damage back to you, but anything that is immune to Arcane damage will not take damage from this Shot. --------- Auto-Shot --------- ACTION: Automatically fire your ranged weapon at the target until cancelled. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Roughly 0.25 sec. COOLDOWN: Based on Weapon LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 1 n/a n/a n/a OVERVIEW: This is your basic auto-attack but with a ranged weapon. As a Hunter, the T key by default serves as your Auto-Shot when in firing range, which means that there is no need to keep this slotted in an ActionBar unless you have trouble knowing when your Auto-Shot is active. Note that unlike melee weapons, Auto-Shot has a very slight casting time. Therefore, you have to be standing still in order for you to fire a shot. With a little practice, you can time your Auto-Shots so that you can do hit-and-run tactics with it. --------------- Concussive Shot --------------- ACTION: Dazes the target, slowing movement speed by 50% for 4 sec. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 12 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 8 n/a 8% n/a OVERVIEW: Concussive Shot serves both an offensive and defensive purpose. You can use it to either catch targets that are trying to flee, or slow down an enemy that’s trying to get near you. It also serves as a setup for Steady Shot’s bonus damage, though most shot rotations do better without it due to the global cooldown and the mana used by this Shot. ---------------- Distracting Shot ---------------- ACTION: Distract the target, causing threat. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 8 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 12 1 20 Increases your threat. 20 2 30 Causes more threat than Rank 1. 30 3 50 Causes more threat than Rank 2. 40 4 70 Causes more threat than Rank 3. 50 5 90 Causes more threat than Rank 4. 60 6 110 Causes more threat than Rank 5. 70 7 140 Causes more threat than Rank 6. OVERVIEW: Usually you would want to keep your aggro as low as possible but there are those times when you need to draw attention to yourself to keep someone else alive. This causes no damage but it should draw a mob’s attention to you when stacked on top of your other shots. It can also be used with Misdirection. Note that this ability is classified as an Arcane effect, which means that it has no effect against enemies that are immune to Arcane damage. ----- Flare ----- ACTION: Exposes all hidden and invisible enemies within 10 yards of the targeted area for 20 sec. RANGE: 30 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 20 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 32 n/a 50 n/a OVERVIEW: Flare is good for spotting hidden mobs and players early but it is always a hit or miss. If you don’t catch your target the first time, you will either have to wait for a second Flare or hope that something walks into it. Of course, most Rogues and Druids will not step into the Flare once it has landed, and the craftiest players will catch you off-guard by the time your Flare spots them. So while it does have its uses, it’s a bit limited. ------------- Hunter’s Mark ------------- ACTION: Places the Hunter's Mark on the target, increasing the ranged attack power of all attackers against that target by 20 and by an additional 2 each time they are struck by a ranged attack, up to a maximum of 80. In addition, the target of this ability can always be seen by the hunter whether it stealths or turns invisible. The target also appears on the mini-map. Lasts for 2 min. RANGE: 100 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 6 1 15 Base power set to 20. Increases by 2, up to 80. 22 2 30 Base power set to 45. Increases by 4, up to 180. 40 3 45 Base power set to 75. Increases by 7, up to 300. 58 4 60 Base power set to 110. Increases by 11, up to 440. OVERVIEW: Many Hunters overlook the importance of this ability, and with its stacking effect, it’s not an ability that should go ignored. You need to shoot your target thirty times to reach the top of the stack. In most cases, enemies die so quickly that you’ll never get that high, but against bosses, you have a better chance of getting there. This effect also makes faster weapons much more useful, as it would mean reaching the top of the stack in a shorter amount of time. ---------- Multi-Shot ---------- ACTION: Fires several missiles, hitting 3 targets. Higher ranks cause bonus damage. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: 0.5 sec. COOLDOWN: 10 sec. NOTE: Rank 5 is only available through a book that teaches it. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 18 1 100 No bonus damage. 30 2 140 Increases ranged damage by 40. 42 3 175 Increases ranged damage by 80. 54 4 210 Increases ranged damage by 110. 60 5 230 Increases ranged damage by 150. 67 6 275 Increases ranged damage by 205. OVERVIEW: Despite its high mana cost, Multi-Shot is extremely potent. It can hit three targets at once, and can be boosted with two powerful talents. The key to knowing what targets the Shot will hit is knowing that Multi-Shot will hit up to two targets that are within 8 yards of your first target. With that in mind, you can judge when it is safe to use it without breaking any nearby crowd control. ---------- Rapid Fire ---------- ACTION: Increases ranged attack speed by 40% for 15 seconds. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 5 min LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 26 n/a 100 n/a OVERVIEW: Rapid Fire is your trump card for those moments when you need a little extra push in firepower. It also reduces the casting time on Aimed Shot and Steady Shot so it doesn’t interfere with the Auto-Shot timer as much as you would think. Rapid Fire goes great with any effects that increase ranged attack power. ------------ Scatter Shot ------------ ACTION: A short-range shot that deals 50% weapon damage and disorients the target for 4 sec. Any damage caused will remove the effect. Turns off your attack when used. RANGE: 15 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec. NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 30 n/a 6% n/a OVERVIEW: What makes Scatter Shot such an excellent ability is the fact that it can interrupt spells from as close as melee range, and you can use the dazed time to your advantage. You can use that time to either plant a trap or get away from your target. The short cooldown also allows you to use it more liberally than many of the other talent-based abilities that the class has to offer. ------------- Scorpid Sting ------------- ACTION: Stings the target, reducing chance to hit with melee and ranged attacks by 5% for 20 sec. Only one Sting per Hunter can be active on any one target. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 22 n/a 8% Chance to hit reduced by 5%. OVERVIEW: A 5% reduction in hit rate equals to a 5% reduction in damage output but it’s not very useful for short battles. Against bosses, however, this Sting truly shines. The longer the fight goes on, the more mileage you’ll get from this Sting. Also, if you happen to accidentally use Serpent Sting on a target that’s being crowd-controlled, this Sting will safely overwrite the target without breaking whatever control is in place. ------------- Serpent Sting ------------- ACTION: Stings the target, causing 20 Nature damage plus 10% of your ranged attack power over 15 sec. Only one Sting per Hunter can be active on any one target. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 15 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 4 1 15 Base damage dealt starts 20. 10 2 30 Base damage dealt increased to 40. 18 3 50 Base damage dealt increased to 80. 26 4 80 Base damage dealt increased to 140. 34 5 115 Base damage dealt increased to 210. 42 6 150 Base damage dealt increased to 290. 50 7 190 Base damage dealt increased to 385. 58 8 230 Base damage dealt increased to 490. 60 9 250 Base damage dealt increased to 555. 66 10 275 Base damage dealt increased to 660. OVERVIEW: This is a Hunter’s primary damage-over-time ability, which causes damage every three seconds for a total of five ticks. At the time you learn it, the damage comes in handy since you have little else to work with at that level, but as you grow, its uses become much more limited, mostly due to its lack of mana efficiency. This is further confounded by the mana-friendly Steady Shot at level 62. Even with the scaling damage bonus, the total damage is lackluster compared to all the other abilities you have. Still, if nothing else, it can take up an empty debuff slot on your target. -------------- Silencing Shot -------------- ACTION: Deals 50% weapon damage and silences the target for 3 seconds. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 20 sec. NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 51 n/a 6% n/a OVERVIEW: Silencing Shot can be devastating because of your ability to hit casters from as far as 41 yards away. It’s great for mobs that like to stand in one place and cast spells. The best time to use it is just near the end of a spell, which is when you can interrupt it but be sure to time the shot carefully. The only downside to this Shot is that most bosses are immune to its silencing effect, though the damage portion still takes effect. ----------- Steady Shot ----------- ACTION: Inflicts 150 damage plus 20% of your ranged attack power. If the target is dazed, the ability inflicts an additional 175 damage. RANGE: 6-25 yards CASTING TIME: 1.5 sec COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 62 1 110 Base damage set to 150, dazed +175. OVERVIEW: Steady Shot is basically a smaller Aimed Shot but it has no exclusive cooldown, and does not reset your Auto-Shot timer. Its short casting time also makes it easily compatible with ranged weapons of any speed, and the casting time is affected by any Haste bonuses, including the speed bonus from your ammo pouch or quiver. Once you get this Shot, it will become a vital part of your shot cycle, as you will frequently use this alongside Arcane Shot. In some cases, it replaces it entirely. The bonus damage that you can get from dazing your target is great but your only real source of daze effects is Concussive Shot, and you would usually fair better without having it in a shot rotation. ------------------ Tranquilizing Shot ------------------ ACTION: Removes one Frenzy effect from the target. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 20 sec LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 60 n/a 12% n/a OVERVIEW: Note that this Shot only removes Frenzy effects, and not Enrage effects. In the olden days, this played a key role versus specific raid bosses at level 60. In Outland, there are very few situations where this Shot may come in handy. ------------- Trueshot Aura ------------- ACTION: Increases the attack power of party members within 45 yards by 50. Lasts 30 min. RANGE: 45 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 40 1 0 Attack power bonus starts at 50. 50 2 0 Attack power bonus increased to 75. 60 3 0 Attack power bonus increased to 100. 70 4 0 Attack power bonus increased to 125. OVERVIEW: Trueshot Aura was once one of the handiest buffs that a Hunter could have, but this ability scales poorly with level. Not that it’s a bad ability. 125 attack power is still a sizeable amount of force but intervals of 25 just don’t cut it by the time you hit 70. Regardless, it’s still a decent ability for both you and any party members that use attack power. ----------- Viper Sting ----------- ACTION: Stings the target, draining 616 mana over 8 sec. Only one Sting per Hunter can be active on any one target. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 15 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 36 1 135 Total mana drained starts at 616. 46 2 175 Total mana drained increased to 848. 56 3 215 Total mana drained increased to 1108. 66 4 270 Total mana drained increased to 1368. OVERVIEW: Most caster mobs have such little health and armor that most of the time, you will kill it before it ever runs out of mana, but this ability is valuable in PvP, especially when backed up with Improved Stings, which makes it tougher to dispel and boosts a Rank 4 Sting from 1368 to 1778. ------ Volley ------ ACTION: Continuously fires a volley of ammo at the target area, causing 50 Arcane damage to enemy targets within 8 yards every second for 6 sec. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: 0.5 sec cast, 6-sec channel COOLDOWN: 1 min. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 40 1 350 Damage dealt per second starts at 50. 50 2 420 Damage dealt per second increased to 65. 58 3 490 Damage dealt per second increased to 80. 67 4 585 Damage dealt per second increased to 105. OVERVIEW: This is your ranged area damage ability. It doesn’t cause much damage but it can be reinforced with Barrage and Improved Volley. You can cause much more damage if you pair it with Explosive Trap. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b. Survival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Survival consists of a variety of supportive and defensive abilities, which includes traps, melee abilities, Trackers, and more. ------------- Counterattack ------------- ACTION: A strike that becomes active after parrying an opponent's attack. This attack deals 40 damage and immobilizes the target for 5 sec. Counterattack cannot be blocked, dodged, or parried. RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 5 sec. NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 30 1 45 Damage dealt starts at 40. 42 2 65 Damage dealt increased to 70. 54 3 85 Damage dealt increased to 110. OVERVIEW: For what it does, Counterattack is a great ability but you don’t get many chances to use it because of your low Parry chance, which has a base of roughly 5%. If you offset this with Deterrence and Deflection, it becomes your ticket to freedom, allowing you to run away from an enemy that gets too close for comfort. ---------- Deterrence ---------- ACTION: When activated, increases your Dodge and Parry chance by 25% for 10 sec. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 5 min. NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 20 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: Deterrence is your trump card for those occasions when something mean wants to take a swing at you. Combined with Aspect of the Monkey, it can help fend off melee attacks until you get a chance to make an escape. The cooldown is rather long but that can be offset with Readiness if you have it. --------- Disengage --------- ACTION: Attempts to disengage from the target, reducing threat. Character exits combat mode. RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 5 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 20 1 50 Reduces your aggro. 34 2 100 Reduces more aggro than Rank 1. 48 3 150 Reduces more aggro than Rank 2. 62 4 205 Reduces more aggro than Rank 3. OVERVIEW: The tooltip is very confusing for most players. Disengage does not actually cause you to exit combat. Instead, it reduces your threat and turns off your auto-attack. Many players disregard this ability because of the way Feign Death completely wipes you clean of all threat but Feigning may not always work, which leaves you with this ability. The threat reduction is low but it can be enough to save you from being stomped into hamburger meat. -------------- Explosive Trap -------------- ACTION: Place a fire trap that explodes when an enemy approaches, causing 100 to 130 Fire damage plus 10% of your ranged attack power and 150 additional Fire damage over 20 sec to all within 10 yards. Trap will exist for 1 min. Only one trap can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 34 1 275 Inflicts 104-135 damage with 150 area damage. 44 2 395 Inflicts 145-193 damage with 240 area damage. 54 3 520 Inflicts 208-265 damage with 330 area damage. 61 4 650 Inflicts 263-337 damage with 450 area damage. OVERVIEW: Unlike Immolation Trap, this trap causes instant damage along with a damage-over-time component. Because of the high mana cost and the nature of the effect, it’s best used against entire packs of mobs that will stay in one place while the trap ticks. ----------- Feign Death ----------- ACTION: Feign death which may trick enemies into ignoring you. Lasts up to 6 min. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 30 n/a 80 n/a OVERVIEW: Feign Death wipes you clean of all threat and takes you out of combat, allowing you to escape from dangerous mobs. Be aware that even though a mob will not target you, you can still get hit with area effects, and disorienting and fear effects will cancel Feign Death by causing you to stand up. In PvP, this ability can cancel a spell while it is being cast, and will cause enemies to un-target you. ------------- Freezing Trap ------------- ACTION: Place a frost trap that freezes the first enemy that approaches, preventing all action for up to 10 sec. Any damage caused will break the ice. Trap will exist for 1 min. Only one trap can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 20 1 50 Freeze time starts at 10 sec. 40 2 75 Freeze time increased to 15 sec. 60 3 100 Freeze time increased to 20 sec. OVERVIEW: Freezing Trap is a very handy form of crowd control because it’s not limited to specific subtypes, and with Clever Traps, Rank 3 will grant you a total of 26 seconds. At that point, you can easily keep a single mob under control for a long time. The only problem is that it has a cooldown, which means that if it breaks, you may have to wait a while before you can set another trap. ---------- Frost Trap ---------- ACTION: Place a frost trap that creates an ice slick around itself for 30 sec when the first enemy approaches it. All enemies within 10 yards will be slowed by 60% while in the area of effect. Trap will exist for 1 min. Only one trap can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 28 n/a 60 n/a OVERVIEW: Frost Traps are extremely handy in situations where you need to slow an army down by a lot. It’s especially handy in PvP but it’s also a good way to slow down a mob that’s chasing you. Tanks will also find this trap useful, as it means not having to chase mobs very far if someone pulls aggro. --------------- Immolation Trap --------------- ACTION: Place a fire trap that will burn the first enemy to approach for 105 Fire damage plus 10% of your ranged attack power over 15 sec. Trap will exist for 1 min. Only one trap can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 16 1 50 Total damage starts at 105. 26 2 90 Total damage increased to 215. 36 3 135 Total damage increased to 340. 46 4 190 Total damage increased to 510. 56 5 245 Total damage increased to 690. 65 6 305 Total damage increased to 985. OVERVIEW: This trap is the strongest damage-over-time ability in your arsenal, and can help you quickly tear down a mob when paired with Serpent Sting or Wyvern Sting. With Clever Traps, Rank 6 will cause a solid 1280 base damage. ------------ Misdirection ------------ ACTION: Threat caused by your next 3 attacks is redirected to the target raid member. Caster and target can only be affected by one Misdirection spell at a time. Effect lasts 30 sec. RANGE: 100 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 2 min. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 70 n/a 9% n/a OVERVIEW: With the amount of threat that Hunters can cause, Misdirection is a great way to keep enemies glued to your tanks, especially bosses. Of course, it’s also a great way to turn your least favorite party member into an aggro magnet. This is a vital ability for endgame encounters. ------------- Mongoose Bite ------------- ACTION: Counterattack the enemy for 25 damage plus 20% of your attack power. Can only be performed after you dodge. RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 5 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 16 1 30 Base damage starts at 25. 30 2 40 Base damage increased to 45. 44 3 50 Base damage increased to 75. 58 4 65 Base damage increased to 115. 70 5 80 Base damage increased to 150. OVERVIEW: Mongoose Bite is a bit weak but it can help you turn the tables when fighting in melee range. When bolstered with Aspect of the Monkey, Deterrence, and Savage Strikes, you can do quite a bit of damage between this and Raptor Strike. ------------- Raptor Strike ------------- ACTION: A strong attack that increases melee damage by 5. RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Next Melee Swing COOLDOWN: 6 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 1 1 15 Damage dealt starts at 5. 8 2 25 Damage dealt increased to 11. 16 3 35 Damage dealt increased to 21. 24 4 45 Damage dealt increased to 34. 32 5 55 Damage dealt increased to 50. 40 6 70 Damage dealt increased to 80. 48 7 85 Damage dealt increased to 110. 56 8 100 Damage dealt increased to 140. 63 9 120 Damage dealt increased to 170. OVERVIEW: This is your primary melee ability, which simply gives your next swing some extra force. It doesn’t do much else but it gets the job done, especially if it lands as a critical strike. --------- Readiness --------- ACTION: When activated, this ability immediately finishes the cooldown on your other Hunter abilities. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 5 min. NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 50 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: It’s hard to appreciate this ability if you’ve never used it before. On the defensive, Readiness is basically an emergency switch that you can hit if you happen to need an ability that’s cooling off. It helps to alleviate long cooldown timers from abilities such as Deterrence and Wyvern Sting. On the offensive, you can use it to buy yourself a second Rapid Fire, another Volley, or maybe even another Multi-Shot. Whatever the case is, Readiness is a very handy ability to have. ---------- Snake Trap ---------- ACTION: Place a trap that will release several venomous snakes to attack the first enemy to approach. The snakes will die after 15 sec. Trap will exist for 1 min. Only one trap can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 68 n/a 305 n/a OVERVIEW: What makes Snake Trap so potent is the fact that they are a huge annoyance to whatever the snakes are attacking. They have three different poisons: one causes damage over time, another slows spell casts, the third slows movement speed. A simply area effect can obliterate the snakes but once the poisons are applied, removing them one by one can become tedious. ------------ Track Beasts ------------ ACTION: Shows the location of all nearby beasts on the minimap. Only one form of tracking can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 1 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: This is the first of a handful of Trackers that you will learn as a Hunter, and it’s quite a handy one, especially if you’re looking for a specific beast to tame. ------------ Track Demons ------------ ACTION: Shows the location of all nearby demons on the minimap. Only one form of tracking can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 32 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: This is just as handy as the other trackers, but the game’s demon population resides mostly within Kalimdor. They are not very common throughout the Eastern Kingdoms. Seeing how the Burning Legion has such a large role in Outland, demons are more abundant once you step foot into Hellfire Peninsula. --------------- Track Dragonkin --------------- ACTION: Shows the location of all nearby dragonkin on the minimap. Only one form of tracking can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 50 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: Dragonkin are a very territorial breed of creatures. They reside in specific regions of the world, and tend to stay near other dragons of their respective colors. ---------------- Track Elementals ---------------- ACTION: Shows the location of all nearby beasts on the minimap. Only one form of tracking can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 26 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: Being that elementals are a prominent source of Primals, Essences, and other materials vital to various crafts, they are often sought out and hunted regularly. This ability gives you the upper hand by allowing you to see them on your radar. ------------ Track Giants ------------ ACTION: Shows the location of all nearby beasts on the minimap. Only one form of tracking can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 40 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: This ability exists despite the fact that giants are arguably the rarest of the different subspecies that exist throughout the world. ------------ Track Hidden ------------ ACTION: Greatly increases stealth detection and shows hidden units within detection range on the minimap. Only one form of tracking can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 24 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: This is used more for its stealth detection than its actual tracking since invisible units will only appear on the minimap if they’re visible to you. This ability is easily thwarted by talents that reduce stealth detection, but against stealthy enemies, it is still a handy option for your radar. --------------- Track Humanoids --------------- ACTION: Shows the location of all nearby humanoids on the minimap. Only one form of tracking can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 10 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: Humanoids are everywhere. They are extremely common, all players count as humanoids, and dungeons of all sizes are full of them. You will be using this more often than any other tracking ability. ------------ Track Undead ------------ ACTION: Shows the location of all nearby undead on the minimap. Only one form of tracking can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 18 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: Undead are very regional but if you see withered trees, broken ruins, desolate houses, cemeteries, or undead buildings, then you are guaranteed to run into them. --------- Wing Clip --------- ACTION: Inflicts 5 damage and reduces the enemy target's movement speed by 50% for 10 sec. RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 12 1 40 Damage starts at 5, slows target to 50%. 28 2 60 Damage increased to 25, slows target to 45%. 60 3 80 Damage increased to 50, slows target to 40%. OVERVIEW: Wing Clip is potent due to the fact that its speed reduction is greater than that of most movement-impairing abilities in the game. Rank 3 shaves off 60% of your target’s speed, which gives you enough legroom to outrun most mobs and enemy players if you happen to get snared. ------------ Wyvern Sting ------------ ACTION: A stinging shot that puts the target to sleep for 12 sec. Any damage will cancel the effect. When the target wakes up, the Sting causes 300 Nature damage over 12 sec. Only one Sting per Hunter can be active on the target at a time. RANGE: 5-35 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 2 min. NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 40 1 115 Total damage dealt starts at 300. 50 2 155 Total damage dealt increased to 420. 60 3 205 Total damage dealt increased to 600. 70 4 255 Total damage dealt increased to 942. OVERVIEW: This Sting acts as both a form of crowd control as well as a fast- acting poison. Twelve seconds may not seem like a lot of time but in PvP, it’s just enough time to hold an enemy player down. It’s also great for stopping anything that may try to flee, including players on mounts. The only problem is that anything that is immune to the sleep effect will not be inflicted with the poison. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c. Beast Mastery ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This set contains abilities that are related to your pet, as well as an assortment of Aspects and several other support abilities. ------------------- Aspect of the Beast ------------------- ACTION: The hunter takes on the aspects of a beast, becoming untrackable. Only one Aspect can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 30 n/a 50 n/a OVERVIEW: This ability is so situational that you will almost never have to use this. What it does is make you not appear on the minimap when someone is tracking humanoids, which can be using if you happen to be hiding somewhere and need a moment to recover. --------------------- Aspect of the Cheetah --------------------- ACTION: The hunter takes on the aspects of a cheetah, increasing movement speed by 30%. If the hunter takes damage, he will be dazed for 4 sec. Only one Aspect can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 20 n/a 40 n/a OVERVIEW: This Aspect makes life without a mount much easier, and it’s also a great way to quickly run through towns and dungeons. It’s also an important part of kiting, as it allows you to stay ahead of a dangerous mob. Just be careful not to get hit by anything while running around with this Aspect. ------------------ Aspect of the Hawk ------------------ ACTION: The hunter takes on the aspects of a hawk, increasing ranged attack power by 20. Only one Aspect can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 10 1 20 Ranged attack power bonus starts at 20. 18 2 35 Ranged attack power bonus increased to 35. 28 3 50 Ranged attack power bonus increased to 50. 38 4 70 Ranged attack power bonus increased to 70. 48 5 90 Ranged attack power bonus increased to 90. 58 6 110 Ranged attack power bonus increased to 110. 60 7 120 Ranged attack power bonus increased to 120. 68 8 140 Ranged attack power bonus increased to 155. OVERVIEW: This is your primary self-buff, which simply boosts your ranged attack power. This is the one Aspect that you will be using the most often. In fact, once you learn it, you will have it active nearly all the time. -------------------- Aspect of the Monkey -------------------- ACTION: The hunter takes on the aspects of a monkey, increasing chance to dodge by 8%. Only one Aspect can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 4 n/a 20 n/a OVERVIEW: This is the first of several Aspects that you will learn as you grow. At level 4, it is a vital ability since you have to withstand melee attacks with nothing that would help you get back into firing range. Once you have a pet to soak up damage, however, Hawk becomes your most active Aspect. Still, when you do have to go toe-to-toe with something, Monkey’s extra chance to dodge is much more beneficial than Hawk’s ranged attack power bonus. ------------------ Aspect of the Pack ------------------ ACTION: The hunter and group members within 30 yards take on the aspects of a pack of cheetahs, increasing movement speed by 30%. If a pack member takes damage, they will be dazed for 4 sec. Only one Aspect can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 40 n/a 100 n/a OVERVIEW: This is basically Aspect of the Cheetah for the whole party. It’s good for running a group through long indoor environments. Just remember to turn it off when your party runs into a fight. ------------------- Aspect of the Viper ------------------- ACTION: The hunter takes on the aspects of a viper, regenerating mana equal to up to 55% of his/her Intellect every 5 sec. The lower the hunter's current mana, the more mana will be regenerated. Only one Aspect can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 64 n/a 40 n/a OVERVIEW: Whenever max firepower isn’t needed, Viper is a good way to keep going for longer periods of time without having to sit and drink. As the tooltip indicates, it’s most effective when you’re low on mana, and works best if you have the Intellect for it, but it also gives you a Mana Tick equal to 35% of your level. At 70, this means having an instant 25 Mana/5 sec. ------------------ Aspect of the Wild ------------------ ACTION: The hunter and group members within 30 yards take on the aspect of the wild, increasing Nature resistance by 45. Only one Aspect can be active at a time. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 46 1 90 Nature resist bonus starts at 45. 56 2 115 Nature resist bonus increased to 60. 68 3 150 Nature resist bonus increased to 70. OVERVIEW: This works the same way as a Paladin aura. It helps during encounters that require Nature resistance but that’s not very common. One major problem with this Aspect is that its range is only 30 yards. With Hawk Eye, this is a massive 11-yard difference. ---------- Beast Lore ---------- ACTION: Gather information about the target beast. The tooltip will display damage, health, armor, any special resistances, and diet. In addition, Beast Lore will reveal whether or not the creature is tameable and what abilities the tamed creature has. RANGE: 40 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 24 n/a 40 n/a OVERVIEW: Beast Lore is more for fun than anything else, though it’s good for finding out if a certain animal has pet abilities that you may need. Lasts thirty seconds. ------------- Bestial Wrath ------------- ACTION: Send your pet into a rage causing 50% additional damage for 18 sec. While enraged, the beast does not feel pity or remorse or fear and it cannot be stopped unless killed. RANGE: 100 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 2 min. NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 40 n/a 12% n/a OVERVIEW: This ability is scary, and not just because of the damage bonus. It’s the fact that with several talents that increase your pet’s damage output, Bestial Wrath can turn your pet into a killing machine that can’t be stunned, feared, or crowd-controlled. It’s especially lethal when combined with Intimidation. --------- Eagle Eye --------- ACTION: Zooms in the hunter's vision. Only usable outdoors. Lasts 1 min. RANGE: 50,000 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 14 n/a 25 n/a OVERVIEW: Eagle Eye is good for those times when you want to get a nice open view of an area before you step into it, though it’s only useable outdoors. For indoors, you can pick up an Ornate Spyglass. ----------------- Eyes of the Beast ----------------- ACTION: Take direct control of your pet and see through its eyes for 1 min. RANGE: 50,000 yards CASTING TIME: 2 sec. COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 14 n/a 20 n/a OVERVIEW: This ability useful for scouting if you have a fast or stealthy pet. It’s also a good way to dismiss your pet without having to lose Happiness through Dismiss Pet. -------- Feed Pet -------- ACTION: Feed your pet the selected item. Feeding your pet increases happiness. Using food close to the pet's level will have a better result. RANGE: 10 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global NOTE: You receive this skill as a quest reward. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 10 n/a 0 n/a OVERVIEW: Feeding your pet is important because its happiness affects loyalty and base damage. Each time you use Feed Pet, it gives your pet a ten-second buff that increases its happiness over time, maxing at 35 Happiness per tick. However, if it takes damage, the buff goes away. ------------ Intimidation ------------ ACTION: Command your pet to intimidate the target on the next successful melee attack, causing a high amount of threat and stunning the target for 3 sec. RANGE: 100 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1 min. NOTE: This move is accessible only through its respective talent. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 30 n/a 8% n/a OVERVIEW: Use this as you would with an interrupt ability. The high threat is nice but the real kicker is that stun that comes with it. Even though the effect only occurs on the next melee attack, Cobra Reflexes and Serpent’s Swiftness can help speed up the process. ------------ Kill Command ------------ ACTION: Give the command to kill, causing your pet to instantly attack for an additional 127 damage. Can only be used after the Hunter lands a critical strike on the target. RANGE: 45 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 5 sec LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 66 1 75 Bonus damage set to 127. OVERVIEW: From the moment you land a critical hit, you have five seconds to hit the button. For what it is, Kill Command causes a decent amount of damage. It also counts towards your pet’s damage, which means that whatever threat that this ability causes is attributed to your pet. This is an especially important ability if you are planning on building up on Beast Mastery talents. Note that silencing effects will prevent you from using this. -------- Mend Pet -------- ACTION: Heals your pet for 125 health over 15 sec. RANGE: 20 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec global LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 12 1 40 Total healing starts at 125. 20 2 70 Healing increased to 250. 28 3 100 Healing increased to 450. 36 4 130 Healing increased to 700. 44 5 165 Healing increased to 1000. 52 6 200 Healing increased to 1400. 60 7 250 Healing increased to 1825. 68 8 300 Healing increased to 2375. OVERVIEW: This ability will help keep your pet alive during intensive fights, and it heals for quite a bit. At Rank 8, it heals for a respectable 475 health per tick. This spell is unaffected by healing bonuses. ---------- Revive Pet ---------- ACTION: Revive your pet, returning it to life with 15% of its health. RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: 10 sec COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global NOTE: You receive this skill as a quest reward. LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 10 n/a 80% n/a OVERVIEW: This spell is very costly but that’s the price to pay for letting your faithful companion die. Unlike Paladins and Priests, you can actually use this ability while in combat. Not that I’d recommend it but if you really need to do so, the option is there. ----------- Scare Beast ----------- ACTION: Scares a beast, causing it to run in fear for up to 10 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect. Only one beast can be feared at a time. RANGE: 30 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec LEVEL RANK MANA CHANGE 14 1 35 Fear time starts at 10 sec. 30 2 50 Fear time increased to 15 sec. 45 3 75 Fear time increased to 20 sec. OVERVIEW: Even though Scare Beast is only limited to beasts, there are enough of them in the game to make this ability worthwhile. It also works wonders against Druids. =============================================================================== ----------------------------[ V. Hunter Talents ]------------------------------ =============================================================================== What will set you apart from every other Hunter are the talents you invest in your talent trees. These enhance your current moves and gives you access to new ones based on whatever tree your talent points into. Here is a breakdown of the Hunter’s available talents. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. Marksmanship ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These talents are mainly associated with your ranged attack abilities. The key goal of this tree is to maximize your ranged attack power and the damage that your Shots and Stings inflict. ------------------------ Improved Concussive Shot ------------------------ EFFECT: Gives your Concussive Shot a 4/8/12/16/20% chance to stun your target for 3 seconds. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 1 OVERVIEW: This is one of those talents where the effect occurs when you least expect it. Though when it does happen, you will be glad that it did. The stun time can give you extra kiting distance or a few additional shots at your target. With a bit of luck, it may even interrupt a spell. ------------ Lethal Shots ------------ EFFECT: Increases your chance to land a critical strike with your ranged weapon by 1/2/3/4/5%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 1 OVERVIEW: This is an increase in damage output that should not ever go untouched. No matter how you distribute your talent points, be sure to leave room for this. ---------------------- Improved Hunter’s Mark ---------------------- EFFECT: Cause 20/40/60/80/100% of your Hunter’s Mark ability’s base attack power to apply to melee attack power as well. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 2 OVERVIEW: Many players tend to throw this talent aside due to the fact that it does nothing for ranged damage, but it makes a difference in groups. 110 Attack Power comes nowhere near what Blessing of Might or Battle Shout has to offer, but it still contributes to all melee damage, and can be refreshed for an easy 60 mana. This also benefits your pet’s attacks as well. ---------- Efficiency ---------- EFFECT: Reduces the mana cost of your Shots and Stings by 2/4/6/8/10%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 2 OVERVIEW: You can dry up your mana supply very quickly as a Hunter, especially if your gear is lacking in Intellect. True to its namesake, this talent can help offset that problem. ----------------- Go For The Throat ----------------- EFFECT: Your ranged critical hits cause your pet to generate 25/50 Focus. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: Pets don’t get much attention when it comes to managing Focus. Even though they regain Focus quickly, they can use it up in only a few seconds. This talent can help offset that a little bit. ---------- Aimed Shot ---------- EFFECT: Grants you access to the move Aimed Shot. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: Aimed Shot is no longer needed for maximizing your firepower as it was the case years ago, but it is still a valuable ability to have. Plus it also bridges the way to Mortal Shots. -------------------- Improved Arcane Shot -------------------- EFFECT: Reduces the cooldown of your Arcane Shot by 0.2/0.4/0.6/0.8/1.0 seconds. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: Five points for one second may sound like a waste but it actually makes quite a difference in your overall firepower. If you are planning on proceeding further down the tree, be sure to keep this talent in mind. ------------- Rapid Killing ------------- EFFECT: Reduces the cooldown of your Rapid Fire ability by 1/2 min. In addition, after killing an opponent that yields experience or honor, your next Aimed Shot, Arcane Shot, or Auto Shot causes 10%/20% additional damage. Lasts 20 sec. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: That quick boost to your shot is decent but the real kicker is the reduction in Rapid Fire’s cooldown. By bringing it down to three minutes, it allows you to be less conservative when using it, which means not having to hold it back as an emergency button. --------------- Improved Stings --------------- EFFECT: Increases the damage done by your Serpent Sting and Wyvern Sting by 6/12/18/24/30%, increases the mana drained by your Viper Sting by 6/12/18/24/30%, and reduces the chance Stings will be dispelled by 6/12/18/24/30%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 4 OVERVIEW: 30% is a sizeable number for your Stings, as you can tell from this chart below: NAME RANK PER TICK IMPROVED TICKS Serpent Sting 10 132 171-172 5 Wyvern Sting 4 157 204-205 6 Viper Sting 4 342 444-445 4 Note that the increase in damage only affects base damage, not the scaled damage. This talent always comes off as somewhat iffy. The nice thing about it is that it makes Viper Sting that much tougher to remove in PvP. Aside from that, it doesn’t really make your other Stings that much more mana efficient. ------------ Mortal Shots ------------ EFFECT: Increases your ranged weapon critical strike damage bonus by 6/12/18/24/30%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 4 NOTE: You need 1 point in Aimed Shot to gain access to this. OVERVIEW: This talent is a staple for players wanting to invest their points in Marksmanship. Be sure to make room for this. ------------------ Concussive Barrage ------------------ EFFECT: Your successful Auto Shot attacks have a 2/4/6% chance to Daze the target for 4 sec. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 5 OVERVIEW: Basically, one out every seventeen Auto Shots becomes a free Concussive Shot. This talent goes hand-in-hand with Steady Shot, especially if you use a fast weapon, but you could do just fine without it. ------------ Scatter Shot ------------ EFFECT: Grants you access to Scatter Shot. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 5 OVERVIEW: Scatter Shot is undeniably one of the most useful abilities that a Hunter can have. Its ability to interrupt spells and leave your target open to traps while giving you time to keep your distance makes it a powerful counter against mobs and players alike. Some players have even gone as far as skipping key talents in their builds in favor of leaving room for Scatter Shot. ------- Barrage ------- EFFECT: Increase the damage done by your Multi-Shot and Volley by 4/8/12%. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 5 OVERVIEW: Barrage is one of the reasons why Hunters can rack up damage very quickly against multiple targets. Even though it is generally not very useful against single targets, it is a very good talent to have for when you do have to attack several enemies at once. Improved Barrage, on the other hand, is open to debate. ----------------- Combat Experience ----------------- EFFECT: Increases your total Agility by 1/2% and your total Intellect by 3/6%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 6 OVERVIEW: It’s a shame that this talent gives such a small bonus because the concept is actually quite good. For every 100 Agility and 100 Intellect, you get an additional 2 Agility and 6 Intellect. There are so many better talents to choose from that it is hard to justify investing two points in this. ---------------------------- Ranged Weapon Specialization ---------------------------- EFFECT: Increase the damage you deal with ranged weapons by 1/2/3/4/5%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 6 OVERVIEW: This is yet another important staple to the Marksmanship tree. No reason to pass this one by. Be sure to include it. ----------- Careful Aim ----------- EFFECT: Increases your ranged attack power by an amount equal to 15/30/45% of your total Intellect. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 7 OVERVIEW: Intellect is usually hard to come by when looking for new weapons and armor, but much of the Hunter-oriented gear that you will find late in the game has enough of it to make it worthwhile. Give this talent some thought when mapping out your tree. ------------- Trueshot Aura ------------- EFFECT: Grants you access to Trueshot Aura. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 7 NOTE: While it is true that this ability scales poorly to level 70, Trueshot Aura is still worth having. As a standalone buff, you get 125 Attack Power for one point. ---------------- Improved Barrage ---------------- EFFECT: Increases the critical strike chance of your Multi-Shot ability by 4/8/12% and gives you a 33/66/100% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling Volley. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 7 NOTE: You need 3 points in Barrage to gain access to this. OVERVIEW: This talent can allow you to score some flashy numbers in PvP, but with Steady Shot becoming a major key player in your shot rotation, you will find that there are not many situations in PvE where you would need to repeatedly use Multi-Shot or Volley. --------------- Master Marksman --------------- EFFECT: Increases your ranged attack power by 2/4/6/8/10%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 8 OVERVIEW: This talent is one of the reasons why players that path down this tree tend to have such high Ranged Attack Power. Unless you are creating a hybrid build, be sure to invest your points in this. -------------- Silencing Shot -------------- EFFECT: Grants you access to Silencing Shot. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 9 OVERVIEW: While it looks unusually simple for a 41-point talent, few can deny its potency: just ask any caster what they think of it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b. Survival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The talents in this tree are geared towards bolstering your defense by reducing your intake of damage, and giving you much more utility when in melee range. --------------- Monster Slaying --------------- EFFECT: Increases all damage caused against Beast, Giant, and Dragonkin targets by 1/2/3% and increases critical damage caused against Beast, Giant, and Dragonkin targets by 1/2/3%. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 1 OVERVIEW: This mainly targets the game’s beast population since dragonkin tend to be rare, and giants even rarer. It comes in handy when questing in the wild but many endgame dungeons contain few of these three species. Still, it makes a great filler for whatever your talent build may be. ---------------- Humanoid Slaying ---------------- EFFECT: Increases all damage caused against Humanoid targets by 1/2/3% and increases critical damage caused against Humanoid targets by 1/2/3%. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 1 OVERVIEW: Although this talent only covers one specie as opposed to Monster Slaying’s three, the game is heavily populated with humanoids. Nearly every zone and dungeon is full of them, and this doubles as a PvP staple since all players count as humanoids as well. -------- Hawk Eye -------- EFFECT: Increases the range of your ranged weapons by 2/4/6 yards. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 1 OVERVIEW: Six yards may not seem like a lot but having that extra shooting distance means being able to stay farther away from deadly area damage spells, and it gives you more distance to work with when kiting. You can make do without it but it definitely comes in handy often. -------------- Savage Strikes -------------- EFFECT: Increases the critical strike chance of Raptor Strike and Mongoose Bite by 10/20%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 1 OVERVIEW: Even though most of your firepower comes from your ranged attacks, this talent is what makes some hard-hitting melee weapons worth using from time to time. In some cases, this makes Raptor Strike worth having in your shot cycle if you can manage shooting from near melee range. ---------- Entrapment ---------- EFFECT: Gives your Immolation Trap, Frost Trap, Explosive Trap, and Snake Trap a 8/16/25% chance to entrap the target, preventing them from moving for 5 sec. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 2 OVERVIEW: This talent works with four different traps but it truly shines when paired with Frost Trap. Think of it as putting a giant sheet of sticky paper on the floor. Especially great for narrow passageways and pathways in Battlegrounds and arena matches. ---------- Deflection ---------- EFFECT: Increases your chance to parry by 1/2/3/4/5%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 2 OVERVIEW: This talent makes the most out of Deterrence and Counterattack, but it is hard to justify putting five points into this talent when you are not even in melee range most of the time. Unless you plan on experimenting with a melee-oriented build, there are more favorable talents to choose from. ------------------ Improved Wing Clip ------------------ EFFECT: Gives your Wing Clip a 7/14/20% chance to immobilize your target for 5 sec. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 2 OVERVIEW: This talent can let you land a few free potshots on a kited mob but it especially counts in PvP. Against other players, Wing Clip’s ability to cut your target’s speed to 40% gives you a lot of leeway but if they have snares of their own, it can make escaping melee range very difficult. This talent will you a better chance of running back into firing range. You can also keep Clipping your target until the effect triggers. ------------ Clever Traps ------------ EFFECT: Increase the duration of Freezing and Frost Trap effects by 15/30% and the damage of Immolation and Explosive Trap effects by 15/30%, and the number of snakes summoned from Snake Traps by 15/30%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: More snakes, bigger fires, and longer-lasting ice. What more could you want? This talent does a lot for all of your traps, and is worth having regardless of your preferred tree. The extended Frost and Freezing Trap times are especially a key highlight for this talent. The only problem is that it stretches far enough down the Survival tree that not everyone is able to afford it. ----------- Survivalist ----------- EFFECT: Increases total health by 2/4/6/8/10%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: This talent is usually overlooked in favor of the more offensive talents that the Survival tree has to offer. You can usually do without the extra Health in PvE but it can give you a bit more staying power in PvP, especially if you are collecting PvP rewards, which have a lot of Stamina, Armor, and Resilience. ---------- Deterrence ---------- EFFECT: Grants you access to Deterrence. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: This move is one of the Survival tree’s emergency switches that you can hit when the going gets rough, and it paves the way to another handy talent. Be sure to drop a point in this on the way down the tree. ------------ Trap Mastery ------------ EFFECT: Decreases the chance enemies will resist trap effects by 5/10%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 4 OVERVIEW: At 10%, your traps will become nearly irresistible, but traps don’t get resisted very often so it is hard to decide if this talent is worth putting your points into. ---------- Surefooted ---------- EFFECT: Increases hit chance by 1/2/3% and increases the chance movement- impairing effects will be resisted by 5/10/15%. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 4 OVERVIEW: For players who are trying to raise their Hit rating, this talent shortens that base 5% Miss rate by a lot. The greater resistance to snares is alright to have in PvE, but it is priceless in PvP. No matter how you play your game, be sure to put three points into this talent on the way down. -------------------- Improved Feign Death -------------------- EFFECT: Reduces the chance that your Feign Death will be resisted by 2/4%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 4 OVERVIEW: Feign Death will not fail you very often but when it does, it is usually when you are up against something that is higher than you in level, namely raid bosses. It can be a lifesaver but if you watch your aggro carefully and can get far away before Feigning, you will not need this talent. ------------------ Survival Instincts ------------------ EFFECT: Reduces all damage taken by 2/4% and increases attack power by 2/4%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 5 OVERVIEW: This talent gives you more of a fighting chance in close-range combat. 4% more attack power is decent but 4% damage reduction is a lot. Be sure to consider investing your points into this one. --------------- Killer Instinct --------------- EFFECT: Increases your critical strike chance with all attacks by 1/2/3%. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 5 OVERVIEW: There may be fewer points in this talent than the tier-1 Lethal Shots talent in the Marksmanship tree but this 3% conveniently counts towards your melee attacks as well as your ranged attacks. That can be very important when having to deal with close encounters. ------------- Counterattack ------------- EFFECT: Grants you access to Counterattack. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 5 NOTE: You must have 1 point in Deterrence to access this talent. OVERVIEW: Counterattack is one of those abilities that can turn the tides for you when the going gets rough, and although its uses can be limited, you shouldn’t pass up on this ability, especially if you’ve gone this far down the tree. --------------- Resourcefulness --------------- EFFECT: Reduces the mana cost of all traps and melee abilities by 20/40/60% and reduces the cooldown of all traps by 2/4/6 sec. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 6 OVERVIEW: With lower mana costs on traps and melee abilities, you can go for longer without having to drink a mana potion, but the real winning element to this talent is its reduced cooldown on all traps. Traps are very powerful but are limited only by their long cooldown duration. With this talent, it gives you more of a chance to have the next trap ready to be set. It especially makes a difference for Freezing Trap. Combined with Clever Traps, there is no gap between the moment your trap thaws and the moment your cooldown finishes. ------------------ Lightning Reflexes ------------------ EFFECT: Increases your agility by 3/6/9/12/15%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 6 OVERVIEW: This talent is one of the reasons why Agility is such a vital stat for Survivalists. Be sure to drop your points into this talent when you have access to it. ------------------ Thrill of the Hunt ------------------ EFFECT: Gives you a 33/66/100% chance to regain 40% of the mana cost of any shot when it critically hits. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 7 OVERVIEW: Hunters can exhaust their mana supply very quickly but this talent can help you last longer by retaining some of that mana spent. With the high critical strike rate that Survivalists tend to have, this can be a great asset to you. ------------ Wyvern Sting ------------ EFFECT: Grants you access to Wyvern Sting. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 7 NOTE: You must have 3 points in Killer Instinct to access this talent. OVERVIEW: Wyvern Sting’s crowd-control effect and fast-acting damage ticks make it one of the most powerful abilities in your arsenal. If you have come this far down the Survival tree, be sure to learn this handy Sting. --------------- Expose Weakness --------------- EFFECT: Your ranged criticals have a 33/66/100% chance to apply an Expose Weakness effect to the target. Expose Weakness increases the attack power of all attackers against that target by 25% of your Agility for 7 sec. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 7 NOTE: You must have 5 points in Lightning Reflexes to access this talent. OVERVIEW: Expose Weakness is yet another reason why Agility is such a vital stat for Survivalists. This is a very powerful talent whose potency goes hand in hand with Lightning Reflexes. Even though it has a short duration, a high enough critical strike chance can keep it going for a long time. In raids, you can especially do this by having a Feral Druid with you in the party with the Leader of the Pack buff, which grants you +5% critical strike chance. ---------------- Master Tactician ---------------- EFFECT: Your successful ranged attacks have a 6% chance to increase your critical strike chance with all attacks by 2/4/6/8/10% for 8 sec. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 8 OVERVIEW: This talent’s usefulness is usually open to debate. It seldom triggers whenever you need it to during short battles, and even though it can be more useful in long fights, the eight-second window of opportunity seems a bit short considering that you need a whole five talent points to make the most out of this. The iffy nature of this talent is the reason why few Hunters ever invest their points beyond tier-7. However, it is still needed to reach Readiness. --------- Readiness --------- EFFECT: Grants you access to Readiness. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 9 OVERVIEW: This is the ultimate emergency switch: a reset button for all of your abilities, including ones with long cooldown timers like Rapid Fire and Deterrence. Some turn it down in favor of other talents, particularly Scatter Shot. The choice is yours but Readiness is the pinnacle of what the Survival tree offers you: being able to endure and survive the worst that the game has to throw at you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c. Beast Mastery ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These talents are associated with boosting the effects of your Aspects while strengthening your pet’s offensive and defensive capabilities. --------------------------- Improved Aspect of the Hawk --------------------------- EFFECT: While Aspect of the Hawk is active, all normal ranged attacks have a 10% chance of increasing ranged attack speed by 3/6/9/12/15% for 12 sec. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 1 OVERVIEW: No matter how you look at it, this talent hastens your casting times and gives you an overall boost in damage output, but most mob battles and PvP matches are too short for the effect to truly make a difference. In fact, you will often find it triggering when it least matters. This talent truly shines in long battles, which makes this a valuable asset in raids and against bosses. ------------------ Endurance Training ------------------ EFFECT: Increase the Health of your pets by 2/4/6/8/10% and your total Health by 1/2/3/4/5%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 1 OVERVIEW: More Health is never a bad thing, especially since your pet is always within range of area damage spells. That and players in PvP will know to kill your pet just in case you happen to have Bestial Wrath. This is also the better choice over Improved Aspect of the Hawk if you find yourself using other Aspects often, namely Viper. ------------ Focused Fire ------------ EFFECT: All damage caused by you is increased by 1/2% while your pet is active and the critical strike chance of your Kill Command ability is increased by 10/20%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 2 OVERVIEW: Early in the game, the bonus to Kill Command is of no use to you, but the 2% extra damage for simply having your pet around is always a good thing. Once you do get Kill Command, the 20% plays a significant role in your overall damage output, making it a valuable talent for any talent build. ----------------------------- Improved Aspect of the Monkey ----------------------------- EFFECT: Increase the Dodge bonus of your Aspect of the Monkey by 2/4/6%. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 2 OVERVIEW: 6% is a solid boost to this Aspect but there are few occasions when you would actually need Monkey to begin with, making it an iffy investment. Against Warriors and Rogues, you have a better chance of survival with Frost Trap and Wing Clip than you do by going toe-to-toe. Regardless, it makes a good filler if you have nothing else. ---------- Thick Hide ---------- EFFECT: Increases the armor rating of your pets by 7/14/20% and your armor contribution from items by 4/7/10%. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 2 OVERVIEW: The extra armor that you pet receives as a result of this talent gives it roughly 3-4% in damage reduction, depending on the diminishing returns that come with armor. It can be very useful for any outdoor encounters but unless you plan on using your pet for some serious tanking, you could get away with not having it. ------------------- Improved Revive Pet ------------------- EFFECT: Revive Pet's casting time is reduced by 3/6 sec, mana cost is reduced by 20/40%, and increases the health your pet returns with by an additional 15/30%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 2 OVERVIEW: This talent greatly alleviates the downside from reviving your pet but if you can keep your pet alive, then you can do without this talent. ----------- Pathfinding ----------- EFFECT: Increase the speed bonus of your Aspect of the Cheetah and Pack by 4/8%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: At 8%, it’s a decent increase in speed, but the Aspect’s current speed bonus of 30% is usually enough. Your mount makes this talent obsolete outdoors, and you won’t find many situations indoors where you really need an additional 8%. As for kiting, you will usually outrun most mobs at 30%, and 38% is usually not enough to outrun anything that can catch you at 30%. ----------------- Bestial Swiftness ----------------- EFFECT: Increase the outdoor movement speed of your pet by 30%. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: This ability is excellent if you do a lot of outdoor PvP, which applies to all four Battlegrounds. Otherwise, you can easily build a Beast Master without having to touch this talent. An extra 30% will not speed up your grinding speed by all that much. -------------- Unleashed Fury -------------- EFFECT: Increase the damage done by your pets by 4/8/12/16/20%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 3 OVERVIEW: This component is vital to a Beast Master. Be sure to invest in this talent as soon as you have access to it. ----------------- Improved Mend Pet ----------------- EFFECT: Gives Mend Pet a 25/50% chance of cleansing one Curse, Disease, Magic, or Poison effect from your pet each tick. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 4 OVERVIEW: Since your pet has a mob’s attention most of the time, your loyal companion will be the one that takes the bulk of a mob’s debuffs. This talent covers just about every debuff type except for Bleed but Mend Pet is enough to take care of that. -------- Ferocity -------- EFFECT: Increase the critical strike chance of your pets by 3/6/9/12/15%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 4 OVERVIEW: Excellent talent. That boost in critical strike chance is vital to a Beast Master not just because of the extra damage. It’s the key to triggering Ferocious Inspiration more often. Be sure to invest a full five points into this talent. ----------- Spirit Bond ----------- EFFECT: While your pet is active, you and your pet recover 1/2% of your health every 10 seconds. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 5 OVERVIEW: Free Health recovery isn’t a bad thing but 2% Health every 10 seconds seems awfully low. At 8000 Health, this talent would tick for a meager 160 Health. The fact that your pet vanishes whenever you mount up also means that once you get your mount, you will not get the benefit of this while traveling. You may have to do some heavy thinking before investing your points into this one. ------------ Intimidation ------------ EFFECT: Grants you access to Intimidation. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 5 OVERVIEW: Always a good talent to have around. Not only is Intimidation a great ability for both PvE and PvP, it also bridges into Bestial Wrath and The Beast Within. ------------------ Bestial Discipline ------------------ EFFECT: Increase your pet’s Focus regeneration by 50/100%. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 5 OVERVIEW: Even though Focus generates quickly, your pet’s abilities are very taxing on it. By doubling the rate, it gives your pet much more Focus to work with, which is always a good thing. -------------- Animal Handler -------------- EFFECT: Increases your speed while mounted by 4/8% and your pet's chance to hit by 2/4%. The mounted movement speed increase does not stack with other effects. POINTS: 2/2 TIER: 6 OVERVIEW: An 8% boost to your mount speed is nice but the real winning component to this talent is the +4% chance to hit. This is the only way to reduce your pet’s Miss rate, and notching it down to 1% certainly makes a big difference. ------ Frenzy ------ EFFECT: Gives your pet a 20/40/60/80/100% chance to gain a 30% attack speed bonus for 8 seconds after inflicting a critical strike. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 6 NOTE: You must have 5 points in Ferocity to access this talent. OVERVIEW: This is one of the many reasons why Beast Master pets are so deadly. That extra speed means more damage and more spell interrupts. It’s especially lethal when chained with Ferocious Inspiration, Cobra Reflexes, Serpent’s Swiftness, and a Drums of Battle. --------------------- Ferocious Inspiration --------------------- EFFECT: When your pet scores a critical hit, all party members have all damage increased by 1/2/3% for 10 sec. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 7 OVERVIEW: What makes this talent so good is the fact that the bonus benefits any class, and can trigger repeatedly in combat, thanks to all of those talents that support it such as Focused Fire, Ferocity, Frenzy, and Serpent’s Swiftness. If you really want to milk this talent for all it’s worth, be sure to pick up a pet with Gore, an ability that has a whopping 50% critical strike chance. ------------- Bestial Wrath ------------- EFFECT: Grants you access to Bestial Wrath. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 7 NOTE: You must have 1 point in Intimidation to access this talent. OVERVIEW: No Beast Master is complete without this talent. Along with all of the attack-boosting talents on the higher parts of the tree, Bestial Wrath turns your pet into a unstoppable killing machine. ---------------- Catlike Reflexes ---------------- EFFECT: Increases your chance to dodge by 1/2/3% and your pet's chance to dodge by an additional 3/6/9%. POINTS: 3/3 TIER: 7 OVERVIEW: Think of this as an Advanced Improved Aspect of the Monkey. While the extra Dodge isn’t healthy versus a Warrior’s Improved Overpower, it’s still a valuable asset to your pet for those times when you need it for tanking. ------------------- Serpent’s Swiftness ------------------- EFFECT: Increases ranged combat attack speed by 4/8/12/16/20% and your pet's melee attack speed by 4/8/12/16/20%. POINTS: 5/5 TIER: 8 OVERVIEW: For going this far down the tree, both you and your pet get this as a special treat: a delightful 20% boost to attack speed. Be sure to pick this one up as soon as you can. ---------------- The Beast Within ---------------- EFFECT: When your pet is under the effects of Bestial Wrath, you also go into a rage causing 10% additional damage and reducing mana costs of all spells by 20% for 18 sec. While enraged, you do not feel pity or remorse or fear and you cannot be stopped unless killed. POINTS: 1/1 TIER: 9 NOTE: You must have 1 point in Bestial Wrath to access this talent. OVERVIEW: Cloth wearers already lament the thought of being torn to shreds by a Beast Master’s pet. This allows you to share in the fun. This is a must-have for any Beast Mastery Hunter. =============================================================================== -------------------------[ VI. Talent Specialization ]------------------------- =============================================================================== Having three talents trees gives you a lot in the way of customization but sometimes, it’s hard to truly get an idea of what to expect from each tree. This chapter will cover the benefits and downsides of each tree. Each section will cover specific highlights, as well as detailed strategies on how to get the most out of your talents. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. The Marksman ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Marksman is a specialist in ranged combat. With unmatched firepower, his shots pierce through his targets like bolts of lightning through a tree. --------------- Sample Template --------------- =============================================================================== | Primary: Marksmanship | Secondary: Survival | =============================================================================== | 5/5 Lethal Shots | 3/3 Monster Slaying | | 5/5 Improved Hunter’s Mark | 3/3 Humanoid Slaying | | 5/5 Improved Arcane Shot | 3/3 Hawk Eye | | 1/1 Aimed Shot | 2/2 Savage Strikes | | 5/5 Mortal Shots | 2/2 Clever Traps | | 1/1 Scatter Shot | 1/2 Savage Strikes | | 3/3 Barrage ===================================== | 5/5 Ranged Weapon Specialization | Tertiary: Beast Mastery | | 3/3 Careful Aim ===================================== | 1/1 Trueshot Aura | 5/5 Improved Aspect of the Hawk | | 5/5 Master Marksman | 2/2 Focused Fire | | 1/1 Silencing Shot | | =============================================================================== NOTES This template maximizes your firepower while giving party members a boost in attack power. Note that I’ve made room for Clever Traps in this build. This gives you a very high degree of crowd control and kiting capability when combined with Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot. --------------- Design Function --------------- Benefits - High ranged attack power and Auto-Shot damage. - Greatly boosts ranged weapon firepower. - Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot give you a high degree of utility. - Trueshot Aura and Improved Hunter’s Mark benefits party members. - Higher Serpent Sting and Immolation Trap damages. Downsides - Snare effects can severely hamper your damage output. - Few offensive options when fighting at melee range. - Little in the way of mana efficiency. The idea behind the Marksmanship tree is to increase your ranged damage output by increasing the damage of your Shots and Stings, and boosting your ranged attack power to its maximum potential. A Marksman will always have much higher ranged attack power than a Survivalist or a Beast Master wearing the same gear. This means that each of your bullets and arrows will hit hard. Your Arcane Shot and Steady Shot damages are significantly higher than those of other talent builds, and your Auto-Shot benefits greatly from all of that ranged attack power that you get from Trueshot Aura, Master Marksman, and Careful Aim. The tree also gives you quite a bit of utility for both you and your party members. While Trueshot Aura and Improved Hunter’s Mark gives everyone a boost in physical damage, Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot can disrupt your enemies from a distance. Silencing Shot is especially great for shutting down mobs that insist on standing in one place to cast spells rather than running after you. ------------- Disadvantages ------------- The biggest downside to being a Marksman is that melee range is your weakness. Even though Agility and Attack Power conveniently apply to your melee weapons, you are significantly weaker without your gun or bow, and have very few abilities to handle mobs or enemy players at that range. This forces you to do whatever it takes to get back into firing range. Against mobs, that might not be too hard but against other players, a snare or a slow effect could be the end of you. Another downside is your mana inefficiency. This isn’t a major problem while questing and running instances, but it gets troublesome when you suddenly find yourself scraping for mana in raids. Although the Efficiency talent helps cut mana costs, it can’t hold a candle to what other builds have to offer. Beast Masters save mana by relying solely on Steady Shot and Kill Command for the bulk of their damage, while Survivalists can retain mana with Thrill of the Hunt. --------------------- Playing As A Marksman --------------------- As a Marksman, you have it easy. Since all of your power comes from your ranged weapon, it’s really just taking what the Hunter does best and enhancing it. The inclusion of Aimed Shot gives you the option of starting a battle with a hard- hitting attack but remember that its long casting time and Auto-Shot reset makes it unviable to use within a normal shot cycle. Remember to keep Trueshot Aura up at all times. Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot may take some time to get used to. You need to get accustomed to knowing when to use each one. Silencing Shot is simple: time it so that you will silence a caster just as it is about to finish casting a spell. A healer is especially an important target to silence. You may also use it to silence a player just as they are about to flee. A Mage cannot Blink their way to safety if you hit them with this Shot, though keep in mind that unlike Shield Bash or Kick, your Shot does not lock out schools of magic, and does not count as a spell counter. As for Scatter Shot, it serves a defensive purpose, as you can tell from the fact that it can be used at short range. It can be used to disrupt a spell near the end of its casting time but more importantly, the daze time allows you to safely freeze your target in a Freezing Trap. Four seconds is enough time for you to spring it open. If you already have one set, keep in mind that as you pull a mob into the trap, that daze time also allows Freezing Trap’s cooldown to run down. --------------------- Raiding As A Marksman --------------------- As a Marksman, you need to push for as much damage as possible. The Steady- Arcane-Auto Shot trio is your most effective attack pattern. Serpent’s Sting is generally unwanted because its overall damage is weaker than that of other classes, and it uses up a debuff slot that could otherwise be filled with let’s say a Warlock’s Corruption spell. Although you have Multi-Shot and Aimed Shot at your disposal, both of them cost a lot of mana, and are therefore not recommended unless you are Misdirecting threat to a tank. Be sure to use Rapid Fire and whatever other power-boosting abilities whenever they are available. A Marksman can bring a lot of personal firepower to any raid. Once you get enough gear, you can cause some hefty damage. However, this build is currently the least favored of the three. This is mainly because it is comparatively not as beneficial to a raid as the other two builds. Here are some key problems that players have noticed: 1. Trueshot Aura. 125 Attack Power to your group is decent but it pales in comparison to what Ferocious Inspiration and Expose Weakness has to offer. Whereas the latter two scale with endgame content, the static bonus that this Aura gives does not, thereby making it the least beneficial of the three. 2. Mana inefficiency. Compared to the first two builds, a Marksman will burn through his mana supply very quickly, and this is mainly because of Arcane Shot. Beast Masters can do without it, and Survivalists can compensate with Thrill of the Hunt. Even with Efficiency, your mana will not last long without some way to replenish it. For all of the firepower that a Marksman can bring, a Beast Master can achieve just as high a damage output but for less mana, and can bring a better raid buff to his group, thereby making Marksmanship the least favored of the three trees. ----------------- PvP As A Marksman ----------------- With Scatter Shot and Silencing Shot at your disposal, you can quickly shut down caster classes, especially healers. Priests in particular loathe Hunters due to the fact that there is little they can do against your abilities. Not only are your talent-exclusive Shots disruptive to their bigger heal spells, your Viper Sting counts as a poison, which they are incapable of removing. That and Arcane Shot has a chance to remove their most protective spells such as Pain Suppression and Power Word: Shield. If you happen to have armor mitigation bonuses on your gear, that also has a significant impact on anything that wears cloth. The classes that are a cause for concern are melee-oriented. As a Marksman, you are extremely vulnerable at melee range. Though Wing Clip and Scatter Shot can help you escape, there is little you can do if you get Hamstrung or Frost Shocked. If you’re in a Battleground or an Arena, keep your distance and stay close to your teammates. ------------------------ Marksmanship Itemization ------------------------ To get the most out of Marksmanship, you need an ample supply of Attack Power from your gear but the key to building a successful Marksman is finding a balance between base damage and critical strike percentage. In the way of armor, a good example would be a Beast Lord Cuirass with this configuration: Beast Lord Cuirass 652 Armor +20 Agility +30 Stamina +24 Intellect [o] Red Socket: Bright Living Ruby (+16 Attack Power) [o] Red Socket: Bright Living Ruby (+16 Attack Power) [o] Blue Socket: Balanced Nightseye (+8 Attack Power, +6 Stamina) SOCKET BONUS: +4 Agility EQUIP: +40 Attack Power EQUIP: +4 Mana/5 sec. ENCHANT: +6 Stats You can also try this setup if you prefer more critical hits: Beast Lord Cuirass 652 Armor +20 Agility +30 Stamina +24 Intellect [o] Red Socket: Delicate Living Ruby (+8 Agility) [o] Red Socket: Delicate Living Ruby (+8 Agility) [o] Blue Socket: Shifting Nightseye (+4 Agility, +6 Stamina) SOCKET BONUS: +4 Agility EQUIP: +40 Attack Power EQUIP: +4 Mana/5 sec. ENCHANT: +6 Stats A Marksman has a lot of flexibility when choosing gear. Attack Power is just as beneficial to you as Agility. However, raiding requires that you stack more heavily on Agility. More on this in Chapter IX. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b. The Survivalist ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Survivalist is a skilled tactician who prefers to fight defensively. With traps in hand and a bag full of tricks, he is always prepared to survive worst- possible scenarios. --------------- Sample Template --------------- =============================================================================== | Primary: Survival | Secondary: Marksmanship | =============================================================================== | 3/3 Monster Slaying | 5/5 Lethal Shots | | 3/3 Humanoid Slaying | 5/5 Hunter’s Mark | | 3/3 Hawk Eye | 1/1 Aimed Shot | | 2/2 Savage Strikes | 2/2 Rapid Killing | | 3/3 Improved Wing Clip | 2/2 Go For The Throat | | 2/2 Clever Traps | 5/5 Mortal Shots | | 1/1 Deterrence | | | 3/3 Surefooted | | | 2/2 Survival Instincts | | | 1/1 Counterattack | | | 5/5 Lightning Reflexes | | | 1/1 Wyvern Sting | | | 3/3 Expose Weakness | | | 5/5 Master Tactician | | | 1/1 Readiness | | =============================================================================== Though not ideal, this template dabbles with the Survival tree’s best talents, and is good for anyone who wants a full taste of what the tree has to offer. For questing and instances, it’s a workable template. However, prospective raiders require a few modifications in the setup. --------------- Design Function --------------- Benefits - Excellent crowd control capabilities. - High critical strike chance. - Has methods of resisting snares and escaping from melee range. - Is capable of enduring and surviving close encounters if needed. Downsides - Very difficult specialization to master. - Leveling with Survival is considerably slower than with other trees. - Significantly weaker damage output than what other trees have to offer. Whereas Beast Masters and Marksmen focus on offense, being a Survivalist means that you will tactically stay on the defense. Talents such as Wyvern Sting, Clever Traps, and Resourcefulness allow you to carefully keep your enemies detained for as long as possible with an unmatched level of crowd control. At the same time, Deterrence and Deflection allow you to stay alive in melee range. If worse comes to worst, you have abilities that can help you escape from your enemies by rooting them to the ground. You have a remarkable amount of staying power, and can outlast your enemies. Playing as a Survivalist is not an easy task because what you are doing is trying to maximize your offense as a specialist in defense. Against your average mob, your basic shot rotation will suffice. Elites from small dungeons give you a little more legroom for damage. In that case, Wyvern Sting and Immolation Trap will cause a lot of damage over time, though remember that Wyvern Sting is useless against anything that is immune to the initial sleep effect. Against enemy players, you have a very good of beating them with what you have. Most players will always try to get within melee range so that you cannot use your ranged weapon but notice how many of your talents affect your melee capabilities. Any Survival talent that boosts your ranged attack damage also enhance your melee weapon damage. You also have the benefit of Wyvern Sting and Clever Traps to help wear your opponent down, and with your high Agility and The optional Improved Aspect of the Monkey, you can dodge attacks very often. With the support of Exposed Weakness, Master Tactician, and Improved Hunter’s Mark, you can go quite far with a melee weapon. ------------- Disadvantages ------------- A Survivalist is not an easy job to get accustomed to. The abilities that you gain from that talent build are very situational. Counterattack and Deterrence are only good when something decides to take a swing at you. In most PvE scenarios, that usually does not happen, and it should never happen in a raid encounter. Wyvern Sting causes a healthy dose of damage over time but the downside is that the damage effect only occurs if the target awakens from the sleep effect. That means that if anything is immune to that sleep portion, the damage will not occur. Tragically, this means that it is nearly useless in raids and against some heroic dungeon elites. Finally, Readiness is an excellent ability but deciding when to use it can be a complicated process. On the offense, it’s great for double Rapid Fires, Wyvern Stings, and Traps, but the five-minute cooldown prevents you from using it often. Ideally, it seems to serve best as a defensive option. You can save it until you really need. If a Freezing Trap gets resisted, or if happen to quickly need a Wyvern Sting, it serves as your Second Chance button. ------------------------ Playing As A Survivalist ------------------------ Even though you are built for defense, you still have enough in your arsenal to push a strong offense. Against your typical mob, your shot rotation will do just fine but keep in mind that Raptor Strike is a potent source of damage. With Savage Strikes, its critical strike chance exceeds that of your ranged weapon, and if you have a strong 2H weapon, the result can be devastating. Keep in mind that your melee attacks share many of the same talent bonuses as your ranged attacks as well. Because dungeon elites take longer to kill, they give you much more room for you to cause damage. Wyvern Sting and a Clever Immolation Trap together can wear an elite down, as would having double Rapid Fires with the help of Readiness. These same tactics can also be used against players as well, though you will need to find a way to convince them to step into your trap without them seeing it. You can use Raptor Strike as a source of damage as well but against heroic elites, that could be very risky. On the defense, you will not use Deterrence against mobs very often. The time that you usually use it is when you are either swarmed by multiple mobs or elites. In that case, it becomes your escape button. In those ten seconds, you have Wing Clip, Freezing Trap, and Counterattack at your disposal. You might even be able to squeeze in a Raptor Strike and Mongoose Bite before making a run for it. If the situation really gets dire, you still have Readiness, which can give you one extra Wyvern Sting, another trap, and more Deterrence. That can occur if you just happened to get ambushed by mobs while all three are still cooling down. ------------------------ Raiding As A Survivalist ------------------------ Even with all of the damage bonuses that you get with Survival talents, you will never cause anywhere as much damage as a Marksman or a Beast Master, but what you lack in firepower, you compensate with the utility that you can bring to a raid. Survivalists are wanted for one thing: Expose Weakness. This talent benefits anything in the raid that causes physical damage, but making the most out of it means having to stack as much Agility as possible. With the right selection of gems, enchants, and buffs, Lightning Reflexes can raise that stat to staggering numbers. A key talent that I had not listed in the sample template is Thrill of the Hunt, which restores mana whenever your Shots critically hit. Without it, you will burn through your mana supply very quickly. Making room for it means cutting down on mana potion consumption. -------------------- PvP As A Survivalist -------------------- Survivalists are fun to play with in PvP because of all of the handy abilities that you have at your fingertips. Melee-oriented classes will find you a little tougher to kill because of all of the snare effects that you have in your arsenal, including Entrapment, Improved Wing Clip, and Counterattack, though you will still want to keep your distance as much as possible. There is actually a very nice crowd control trick that you can use if you’re careful. Use Wyvern Sting to shut your enemy down, preferably one that has a poison-cleansing feature. When the effect is about to wear off, plant a Freezing Trap under his feet and quickly replace the Wyvern Sting with Scorpid Sting. This should buy you additional control time. If you want to push it even further, you can also quickly hit Readiness and do it all over again. -------------------- Survival Itemization -------------------- As a Survivalist, you need to be a bit more careful when you look for weapons and armor. While Beast Masters and Marksmen can be a little more lenient in their choice of gear, you need a lot Agility to make the most out of your build, which leaves the Desolation Armor set out of the question. Agility contributes to your armor, chance to dodge, and critical strike chance. You could take the Beast Lord Cuirass mentioned above and simply replace the two Bright Living Rubies with Delicate Living Rubies, which add +8 Agility each. Conveniently, the PvP set armor is a solid choice for a Survivalist, thanks to the high Stamina, Resilience, and the inclusion of red and yellow sockets. Consider this configuration: Gladiator’s Chain Armor 866 Armor +27 Agility +51 Stamina +17 Intellect [o] Red Socket: Delicate Living Ruby (+8 Agility) [o] Red Socket: Delicate Living Ruby (+8 Agility) [o] Yellow Socket: Glinting Noble Topaz (+4 Agility, +4 Crit Rating) SOCKET BONUS: +4 Crit Rating EQUIP: +12 Crit Rating EQUIP: +16 Resilience EQUIP: +12 Attack Power ENCHANT: +6 Stats In the way of neckpieces and rings, be aware that most jewelry that has Agility comes with Attack Power. There are few, if any, rings and neckpieces that have strictly Agility. As for enchants, you need Agility on whatever pieces of armor can receive it. Weapons should be enchanted with either +20 Agility or +35 Agility, depending on whether it’s one-handed or a two-handed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c. The Beast Master ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Beast Master relies on his loyal animal companion to fight by his side. By the breath of his command, a tamed beast can become a destructive force. As they fight, their spiritual bond allows one to feel the rage of the other. --------------- Sample Template --------------- =============================================================================== | Primary: Beast Mastery | Secondary: Marksmanship | =============================================================================== | 5/5 Improved Aspect of the Hawk | 5/5 Lethal Shots | | 2/2 Focused Fire | 5/5 Improved Hunter’s Mark | | 3/3 Thick Hide | 1/1 Aimed Shot | | 5/5 Unleashed Fury | 2/2 Go For The Throat | | 2/2 Improved Mend Pet | 5/5 Mortal Shots | | 5/5 Ferocity | | | 1/1 Intimidation | | | 2/2 Bestial Discipline | | | 1/2 Animal Handler | | | 5/5 Frenzy | | | 3/3 Ferocious Inspiration | | | 1/1 Bestial Wrath | | | 5/5 Serpent’s Swiftness | | | 1/1 The Beast Within | | =============================================================================== A powerful setup of talents that maximizes both you and your pet’s firepower. Though it’s not enough to create a viable tanking pet, it allows you to cause a lot of damage in instances and raids. Your pet will almost never have any problem with Focus, thanks to Bestial Discipline and Go For The Throat. --------------- Design Function --------------- Benefits - Pet’s offensive power greatly increases. - The right pet can tank well if properly built. - Both you and your pet attack much faster. - Ferocious Inspiration benefits all classes, and effect can be sustained. - Total damage contribution from both you and your pet is very high. - May allow for a high dodge chance. - A bit more lenient in the way of gear dependency than other builds. Downsides - Lower damage output without pet. - Fewer options for handling melee range combat. - Fewer crowd control features. Beast Masters have the ability to cause heaping tons of damage, thanks to talents that augment a pet’s offensive power. Unleashed Fury, Serpent’s Swiftness, and Ferocity greatly increase your pet’s damage output, while your pet’s critical strikes trigger Frenzy and Ferocious Inspiration. By throwing Bestial Wrath into the mix, your pet becomes powerful enough to shred your target to pieces. At the same time, talents that boost your pet’s Health and armor may allow your pet to turn into a viable tank. Note that as your pet grows more powerful, you are not excluded. Several of the tree’s talents boost your damage output as well. In addition to Improved Aspect of the Hawk and Focused Fire, you gain benefits from Ferocious Inspiration and Serpent’s Swiftness. Once you get The Beast Within at the bottom of the tree, that’s additional damage for you as well. ------------------------- Playing As A Beast Master ------------------------- As a Beast Master, you need to be able to control your pet with precision. The best way to do so is by getting used to using your Ctrl key with the numbers near the top of your keyboard. These correspond to the commands on your pet’s action bar. Since your pet is a vital source of damage, you need to be able to quickly direct it towards whatever you are targeting. You can just as easily click the buttons on the action bar but that delay time can be avoided by practicing with the Ctrl key. If using it is problem, you can also change the Key Bindings, preferably to F1 through F9. Look for the Secondary Action Bar bindings. Beast Masters are very straightforward when it comes to their abilities. Thanks to the haste bonuses from Serpent’s Swiftness and Improved Aspect of the Hawk, Steady Shot quickly replaces Arcane Shot in your rotation. You can get away with nothing more than a back-and-forth rotation between Steady and Auto-Shot and still do incredibly amounts of damage, hitting Arcane Shot only when running or dispelling a buff. Your other ability is Intimidation, which should be used defensively. The high threat is nice but the kicker is the stun effect, which can be used to interrupt spells. The stun time also gives you enough time to drop a trap if needed. Because the effect occurs on the next melee attack, be sure to watch your timing. Use it early if you have to. Try enhancing your pet with Cobra Reflexes and Serpent’s Swiftness to brings it attack speed to 1.27. ---------------------- Building The Right Pet ---------------------- Because your pet is such an important factor to you as a Beast Master, you have to choose your pet and its abilities more carefully than a Marksman or a Survivalist. To maximize your damage output, you will want an offense-oriented pet, which has high attack damage in exchange for Health or Armor. You will especially want one to get the most out of Kill Command. Cats are a popular choice because of their high damage and ability to Dash and Prowl. Be sure to also teach it Cobra Reflexes. When combined with Serpent’s Swiftness, your pet’s attack speed will reach 1.27, even higher if Frenzy kicks in. If you prefer a tanking pet, you will need an animal with naturally high Stamina and armor. Bears have a decent mix of both but if you truly want a sturdy pet for elites, you need a turtle for its high armor and Shell Shield ability. ------------------------- Raiding As A Beast Master ------------------------- Raids will want you for two reasons. One would be your firepower. For your damage output, you simply need to do nothing more than use your Steady-Auto Shot rotation, remembering to use Rapid Fire and Bestial Wrath whenever they’re both active. If you happen to be a leatherworker, you can also throw Drums of Battle into the mix. Mana is usually not an issue due to Steady Shot’s economically low mana cost. The only exception is if you wear a lot of PvP gear, which could affect your mana pool without a supply of mana potions to refuel it. The other reason would be Ferocious Inspiration. It affects all sources of damage from everyone in your group, and it stacks. Throw five Beast Masters into a group, and you’re looking at 15% more damage for all five of you. To get the most out of it, your pet needs to land critical strikes as often as possible, and there are several ways to do just that. Focused Fire and Ferocity both give your pet an increased critical strike chance, while the haste bonuses from Cobra Reflexes, Frenzy, and Serpent’s Swiftness increases your pet’s chance of landing that key hit. Drums of Battle helps as well. --------------------- PvP As A Beast Master --------------------- Cloth wearers will hate you for being what you are. Bestial Wrath allows you to quickly put an end to anything that has low armor. Both you and your pet has such a high attack speed that it will easily interrupt spells that have a casting time. Intimidation leaves an enemy player open for several seconds while you fire away. Of course, there is always Arcane Shot for those moments when you need to snipe off protective buffs. Higher-armored players, on the other hand, is a different story. Your damage output is still absurdly high but most classes that have high armor tend to be classes that fight you at melee range, where your Steady Shot is useless. You will want to keep your distance, remembering to drop a Freezing or Frost Trap to slow down anything that tries to get near you. If needed, use Intimidation to pin your enemy down for a moment. ------------------------- Beast Mastery Itemization ------------------------- Since your pet gains a portion of your Ranged Attack Power, you will need to focus on Attack Power as your main stat. The configuration for Beast Lord Cuirass in the Marksman section is ideal for a Beast Master. Generally, whatever works for Marksmanship will work for this tree as well. There are some pieces of armor that specifically cater to your pet such as the Leggings of Beast Mastery, which boosts your pet’s Attack Power, armor, and Stamina, but such specific gear is very hard to come by. Once you find yourself raiding, you will need to switch over to Agility. While it’s true that your pet would benefit more from you having more Attack Power, your overall damage output in raids will be higher as a result of your higher rate of critical hits. More on this in chapter IX. -------------------------- Managing Your Attack Speed -------------------------- Because of all of the haste bonuses that you can get, your ranged weapon can reach speeds well below 2.00, and the casting time of your Steady Shot is significantly lessened. What you will want to do is achieve a 1:1 speed ratio between Auto-Shot’s cooldown and Steady Shot’s casting time, meaning that you would ideally want to get as close as possible to a 1.50 attack speed. Ranged weapons whose speeds vary from 2.60 to 2.80 are most ideal for reaching that point. It gets a bit trickier for weapons that are 2.90 and up. =============================================================================== --------------------------------[ VII. Pets ]---------------------------------- =============================================================================== Pets are extremely important to a Hunter. They serve as your personal companion in battle, and are a key factor in a Hunter’s utility. This chapter will teach you the mechanics of pet care, and will cover the different species that are available in the game, as well as abilities that you can teach your pets. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. Pet Taming & Care ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the beginning of the game, you are on your own. Your quest to earning your pet abilities begins at level 10, at which your local Hunter Trainer will tell you to go tame a few beasts with an item. Once you have completed the quest chain, you will gain a lineup of pet-based abilities, including Tame Beast, which you will use to obtain your pet. ------------------ The Taming Process ------------------ Once you have your abilities, it’s now time to look for a suitable pet. When you use Tame Beast, make sure that you are at full health and have plenty of food for your new pet. For 20 seconds, your armor will drop to 0, and you will have to take hits until the spell finishes channeling. If successful, the beast will go from hostile to friendly, and you will notice that your newfound pet will have its own health meter and action bar. Congratulations! One of the perks of being a Hunter is that you can name your pet. Simply right- click on its portrait and the option will show itself. You may also abandon it if you prefer something else but remember that you can have up to three pets, two of which can stay with the local Stable Master. ------------------- The Feeding Process ------------------- Once you have your pet, you may notice a tiny red square next to its health meter, indicating that it’s unhappy with you. The happiness of a pet affects its damage output, which is why it’s important to keep your pet happy at all times. Happiness goes through three difference states: Happy (Green): Pet inflicts 125% damage and gains loyalty with you. Content (Yellow): Pet inflicts 100% damage and gains loyalty with you. Unhappy (Red): Pet inflicts 75% damage and loses loyalty with you. To cheer up your pet, use the Feed Pet ability on the food in your inventory. Your pet will gain a buff, which will raise its Happiness over time. Don’t give it a second serving until it’s done with the first one. Keep feeding it until the Happiness indicator is green. If you look in your Combat Log, you will notice Feed Pet taking effect. Any foods that are near your pet’s level will grant 35 Happiness per tick. Anything lower will give smaller amounts. As your pet grows, it will need higher-level foods. The best thing to do is to keep a stack of food in your bag just for your pet. One final note: pets have a very picky diet. If you look at its profile, mouse over the Happiness indicator. It tell you exactly what kinds of foods your pet will eat. Most predators eat meat and fish, while the more docile creatures eat fruit, bread, fungus, and cheese. Bears are very lenient when it comes to eating. They will eat just about anything you have in your inventory. ------------- Loyalty Level ------------- You may also notice that on your pet tab, your pet has a loyalty level. At lower loyalty levels, it may lose Happiness more quickly, which means more feeding. As your pet gains loyalty with you, it will increase in loyalty level, which reduces the amount of Happiness that depletes over time. Loyalty goes through six stages: Level 1: Rebellious Level 2: Unruly Level 3: Submissive Level 4: Dependable Level 5: Faithful Level 6: Best Friend At level 6, your pet requires the least amount of food to stay happy. As an added bonus, with each jump in loyalty level, your pet gains a few training points. ----------- Caster Pets ----------- You have heard this term once before. It refers to an animal that previously had a mana bar before it was tamed. Such pets have noticeably more Intellect and Spirit but less armor, Health, and damage. Since Intellect and Spirit are useless to pets, the end result is a pet that is weaker than it should be. At lower levels, the stats between a normal pet and a caster pet are close, but that gap grows wider with levels. Fortunately, beasts with mana bars are not that common in the game. ----------------- Benefits From You ----------------- Your pets gain stat bonuses from your own stats. After doing some math, I found some rough estimates as to what your pet benefits from. These are the percentages that I found from examining my own gear. These numbers could vary, depending on level and other possible factors. Attack Power: About 22% of your Ranged Attack Power Spell Damage: About 12.8% of your Ranged Attack Power Armor: About 35% of your Armor Stamina: About 30% of your Stamina Resistances: 40% of your Resistances ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b. Available Pets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With up to three stable slots, you can have three pets in your reserve. Here is a list of the different species that are available to you. Each listing shows an animal’s abilities, diet, and any modifiers it has to its damage, armor, and health. --- Bat --- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Claw, Screech, Dive DIET: Fruit, Fungus DAMAGE: +7% ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Bats are one of two animals that can learn Screech, the other being the owl. They are a popular choice because of their intimidating appearance. Anyone looking for bat country early on should go to Tirisfal Glades. ---- Bear ---- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Claw DIET: Bread, Cheese, Meat, Fish, Fruit, Fungus DAMAGE: -9% ARMOR: +5% HEALTH: +8% OVERVIEW: Bears make great companions because of their ability to soak up damage well and will eat anything you give it. There are also lots of bears all over the world. ---- Boar ---- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Gore, Dash, Charge DIET: Bread, Cheese, Fish, Fruit, Fungus, Meat DAMAGE: -10% ARMOR: +9% HEALTH: +4% OVERVIEW: Boars are plentiful in Azeroth, and will eat just about anything. They are also great at holding single-target aggro, thanks to the high amount of threat that their Charge ability causes. ------------ Carrion Bird ------------ MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Claw, Dive DIET: Meat, Fish DAMAGE: Normal ARMOR: +5% HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: This is the general name for the game’s variety of buzzards, rocs, vultures, and condors. You will find them in barren areas, such as the Badlands and Tanaris. --- Cat --- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Claw, Prowl, Dash DIET: Meat, Fish DAMAGE: +10% ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: -2% OVERVIEW: Cats are great for offense because of their high damage and Dash ability. Their Prowl ability also makes them great for recon. There is also a huge variety of them all over the place. ---- Crab ---- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Claw DIET: Bread, Fish, Fruit, Fungus DAMAGE: -5% ARMOR: +13% HEALTH: -4% OVERVIEW: Crabs are not very popular among Hunters, probably because they are not very common in most parts of the world. They make great tanking pets because of their innately high armor, which rivals that of turtles. Crabs can be found along beaches and shorelines. --------- Crocolisk --------- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite DIET: Meat, Fish DAMAGE: Normal ARMOR: +10% HEALTH: -5% OVERVIEW: Crocolisks are a cross between a crocodile and a basilisk, which does not explain why they have six legs. They can be found in marshes, swamps, and wetlands, though players can confuse them with real basilisks. ----------- Dragon Hawk ----------- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Dive, Fire Breath DIET: Fish, Fruit, Meat, Raw Fish, Raw Meat DAMAGE: Normal ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Dragon Hawks may not have any outstanding stats in particular but they have a unique cone-area spell called Fire Breath, which scales with level. They also look very elegant, and for Blood Elf Hunters, taming one is very easy. For Alliance Hunters, they have only two options: they can either make the dangerous trip to Quel’thalas, and tame one early, or wait until they reach the higher-level areas of Outland. ------- Gorilla ------- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Thunderstomp DIET: Fungus, Fruit DAMAGE: +2% ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: +4% OVERVIEW: Gorillas are the owners of Thunderstomp, which is one of few area damage abilities that a pet can have. They can be mostly found in jungle habitats such as Stranglethorn Vale and Feralas. ----- Hyena ----- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Dash DIET: Meat, Fruit DAMAGE: Normal ARMOR: +5% HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Hyenas are not favored by most players for some reason. Whatever the case may be, the majority of the hyenas reside in parts of Kalimdor but there are some in the Blasted Lands. ---------- Nether Ray ---------- MOVES: Growl, Bite, Cower, Dive DIET: Meat, Raw Meat DAMAGE: +3% ARMOR: -10% HEALTH: +10% OVERVIEW: Nether Rays look like warped manta rays with teeth, and are found only in Outland. They have a mana bar, which fills as it drains your mana. This technically makes them a caster pet. --- Owl --- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Claw, Screech, Dive DIET: Meat DAMAGE: +7% ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Owls are built for offense, and are one of two animals that can learn Screech. They also look very elegant, especially the ones that are found in Winterspring. ------ Raptor ------ MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Claw DIET: Meat DAMAGE: +10% ARMOR: +3% HEALTH: -5% OVERVIEW: Raptors are the only dinosaurs that can be tamed. They come in a wide range of colors, and can be found in jungles, though one specie of raptors exists in Outland. ------- Ravager ------- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Dash, Gore DIET: Meat, Raw Meat DAMAGE: +10% ARMOR: +5% HEALTH: -7% OVERVIEW: Ravagers are great for offense. They have high damage, can Dash, and have Gore. This makes them a popular choice for PvP. At low levels, you can find them around Azuremyst and Bloodmyst Isles, which gives Alliance Hunters easy access to them early on. They can also be found in Hellfire Peninsula and other areas of Outland. ------- Scorpid ------- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Claw, Scorpid Poison DIET: Meat DAMAGE: -6% ARMOR: +10% HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Scorpids are really just giant scorpions. They have high armor and the exclusive Scorpid Poison, the only pet ability with a stacking effect. ------- Serpent ------- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Poison Spit DIET: Fish, Meat, Raw Fish, Raw Meat DAMAGE: Normal ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Serpents are fun because of their ranged Poison Spit and their fearsome appearances. The only downside is that finding one is not an easy task. Most of the serpent population resides within dungeons. ------ Spider ------ MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite DIET: Meat DAMAGE: +7% ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Spiders may not have much in the way of abilities but they come in a huge assortment of colors and skins, and can be found everywhere. -------- Sporebat -------- MOVES: Growl, Cower DIET: Bread, Cheese, Fruit, Fungus DAMAGE: Normal ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Sporebats have an odd appeal to them but are plain and boring. No special abilities, no major stat differences. There isn’t much fun in that. ----------- Tallstrider ----------- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Dash DIET: Cheese, Fungus, Fruit DAMAGE: Normal ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: +5% OVERVIEW: Tallstriders are like small ostriches. They can be found in parts of Kalimdor but are pretty much nonexistent beyond the early levels. Two popular locations are Darkshore and Mulgore. ------ Turtle ------ MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Shell Shield DIET: Fungus, Fruit DAMAGE: -10% ARMOR: +13% HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Turtles make incredibly sturdy tanks, thanks to their thick armor and Shell Shield ability. There aren’t many of them in the world but the majority of them can be found along beaches and shorelines. Try the Hillsbrad Foothills and Tanaris. ------------ Warp Stalker ------------ MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Claw, Warp DIET: Fish, Fruit, Raw Fish DAMAGE: -6% ARMOR: +5% HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Warp Stalkers are like giant komodo dragons and are native to Terrokar Forest. Tracking one down is easy but they tend to fade in and out of sight, allowing them to ambush you when you least expect them. ------------ Wind Serpent ------------ MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Dive, Lightning Breath DIET: Bread, Cheese, Fish DAMAGE: +7% ARMOR: Normal HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: The best way to describe wind serpents is snakes with wings. They look amazing and are the only creatures that can learn Lightning Breath. ---- Wolf ---- MOVES: Growl, Cower, Bite, Growl, Furious Howl DIET: Meat DAMAGE: Normal ARMOR: +5% HEALTH: Normal OVERVIEW: Wolves are great for groups because of their Furious Howl ability, which gives everyone a damage bonus to their next attack. The world is also full of them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c. Pet Abilities ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What will make one pet stand out from the others are the abilities that you teach it. You can learn abilities from your local Pet Trainer and teach them to your pet. Doing so requires training points, which your pet gains as it grows in level and loyalty. Some abilities can only be learned by taming animals that come with it. Once you use the ability a few times, you will automatically learn it, allowing you to teach it to other pets. ----- Focus ----- Pets use Focus to fuel their abilities, which works the same way as a Rogue’s Energy. You pet starts with 100 Focus and it regenerates as your pet uses its abilities. Your pet gains back Focus much more quickly than you do with mana but it always gets used up right away. You can always offset this with your talents if your build allows for it. ----------------- Arcane Resistance ----------------- EFFECT: Increase your pet’s Arcane Resistance by 30. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 20 1 5 Resistance starts at 30. 30 2 15 Resistance increased to 60. 40 3 45 Resistance increased to 90. 50 4 90 Resistance increased to 120. 60 5 105 Resistance increased to 150. OVERVIEW: Arcane damage isn’t very common for most of your leveling in Azeroth, but you’ll see it a lot in Outland. A minimum of Rank 1 would be nice to have. --------- Avoidance --------- EFFECT: Reduces the damage your pet takes from area of effect attacks by an additional 25%. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 30 1 15 Damage reduction set to 25%. 60 2 25 Damage reduction increased to 50%. OVERVIEW: Most mobs and bosses will always have their attention on the tank in a party but that isn’t going to stop area damage attacks from harming your pet. This is an extremely valuable ability. ---- Bite ---- ACTION: Bite the enemy, causing 7 to 9 damage. FOCUS: 35 RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 10 sec. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 1 1 1 Damage starts at 7 to 9. 8 2 4 Damage increased to 16 to 18. 16 3 7 Damage increased to 24 to 28. 24 4 10 Damage increased to 31 to 37. 32 5 13 Damage increased to 40 to 48. 40 6 17 Damage increased to 49 to 59. 48 7 21 Damage increased to 66 to 80. 56 8 25 Damage increased to 81 to 99. 64 9 29 Damage increased to 108 to 132. OVERVIEW: Bite is a very basic physical attack. There isn’t much to it but the extra bit of damage is always good to have. It’s also very easy to find beasts with higher ranks. ------ Charge ------ ACTION: Charges an enemy, immobilizes it for 1 sec, and adds 50 melee attack power to the boar's next attack. FOCUS: 35 RANGE: 8-25 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 25 sec. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 1 1 5 Attack power bonus starts at 50. 12 2 9 Attack power bonus increased to 100. 24 3 13 Attack power bonus increased to 180. 36 4 17 Attack power bonus increased to 250. 48 5 25 Attack power bonus increased to 390. 60 6 29 Attack power bonus increased to 550. OVERVIEW: Charge is good for either catching someone by surprise or stopping a runner from getting too far ahead of you. One second may not seem like a lot but it can help you catch up to a fleeing mob or player. ---- Claw ---- ACTION: Claw the enemy, causing 8 to 12 damage. FOCUS: 25 RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec global LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 1 1 1 Damage starts at 4 to 6. 8 2 4 Damage increased to 8 to 12. 16 3 7 Damage increased to 12 to 16. 24 4 10 Damage increased to 16 to 22. 32 5 13 Damage increased to 21 to 29. 40 6 17 Damage increased to 26 to 36. 48 7 21 Damage increased to 25 to 49. 56 8 25 Damage increased to 43 to 59. 64 9 29 Damage increased to 54 to 76. OVERVIEW: If you prefer quick doses of damage as opposed to Bite’s slow bursts, then Claw is your solution. Like Bite, higher ranks of Claw are also easy to find in the wild. -------------- Cobra Reflexes -------------- EFFECT: Attack speed increased by 30%, but damage done is reduced. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 30 n/a 15 Attack speed increased by 30%. OVERVIEW: With this ability, your pet’s 2.00 attack speed will increase to 1.54. If you’re a Beast Mastery Hunter, that speed jumps to 1.28, and when that pet gets Frenzied, it rises to 0.99. Although your pet’s base damage drops, the overall increase is roughly 12%. A lower base damage means that Kill Command’s damage will be lessened, but the plus side is that the faster attack speed helps in maintaining Ferocious Inspiration. ----- Cower ----- ACTION: Cower, causing no damage but lowering your threat, making the enemy less likely to attack you. FOCUS: 15 RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 5 sec. LEVEL RANK FOCUS CHANGE 5 1 8 Reduces threat. 15 2 10 Reduces more threat than Rank 1. 25 3 12 Reduces more threat than Rank 2. 35 4 14 Reduces more threat than Rank 3. 45 5 16 Reduces more threat than Rank 4. 55 6 18 Reduces more threat than Rank 5. 65 7 21 Reduces more threat than Rank 6. OVERVIEW: Cower is arguably a waste of an ability slot. Pets make up a significant part of your damage output but unless Growl is set to auto-cast, they cause much less threat than any human player would. Even with Bestial Wrath and several other Beast Mastery talents, the only way that they can pull aggro is if a nearby tank is doing a terrible job at maintaining threat on your target. ---- Dash ---- ACTION: Increases movement speed by 40% for 15 sec. FOCUS: 20 RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 30 1 15 Speed bonus starts at 40%. 40 2 20 Speed bonus increased to 60%. 50 3 25 Speed bonus increased to 80%. OVERVIEW: Dash is a great ability for chasing down targets or for times when you need to lure a mob towards you. It’s especially useful in PvP. ---- Dive ---- ACTION: Increases movement speed by 40% for 15 sec. FOCUS: 20 RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 30 sec. LEVEL RANK FOCUS CHANGE 30 1 15 Speed bonus starts at 40%. 40 2 20 Speed bonus increased to 60%. 50 3 25 Speed bonus increased to 80%. OVERVIEW: Dive is basically Dash for flying animals. ----------- Fire Breath ----------- ACTION: Targets in a cone in front of the caster take 6 Fire damage over 2 sec. FOCUS: 50 RANGE: 10 yards CASTING TIME: 2 sec. channeled COOLDOWN: 10 sec. LEVEL RANK FOCUS CHANGE 1 1 5 Fire damage set to 6. 60 2 25 Fire damage set to 111. OVERVIEW: Fire Breath inflicts quite a bit of damage for a pet ability, and like most magic spells, its base damage increases with level. The downside to Fire Breath is its ability to break crowd control easily because of its cone. --------------- Fire Resistance --------------- EFFECT: Increase your pet’s Fire Resistance by 30. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 20 1 5 Resistance starts at 30. 30 2 15 Resistance increased to 60. 40 3 45 Resistance increased to 90. 50 4 90 Resistance increased to 120. 60 5 105 Resistance increased to 150. OVERVIEW: Fire damage at level 70 is not as prominent as it was at level 60 but a minimum of Rank 1 would be very beneficial to your pet. ---------------- Frost Resistance ---------------- EFFECT: Increase your pet’s Frost Resistance by 30. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 20 1 5 Resistance starts at 30. 30 2 15 Resistance increased to 60. 40 3 45 Resistance increased to 90. 50 4 90 Resistance increased to 120. 60 5 105 Resistance increased to 150. OVERVIEW: Frost damage can usually be found in cold-themed places, such as Winterspring, but water elementals will almost always cause Frost damage with each of their melee attacks. Like the other resistances, you should give you pet Rank 1 at the very least. ------------ Furious Howl ------------ ACTION: Party members within 15 yards of the wolf receive an extra 9 to 11 damage to their next Physical attack. Lasts 10 sec. FOCUS: 60 RANGE: 15 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 10 sec. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 10 1 10 Damage bonus starts at 9 to 11. 24 2 15 Damage bonus increased to 18 to 22. 40 3 20 Damage bonus increased to 28 to 34. 56 4 25 Damage bonus increased to 45 to 57. OVERVIEW: This ability is what makes wolves such great companions for just about any situation but most players often never stand close enough to their pet for this to affect them. If you need to stay at a distance, simply keep your pet by your side and manually use Furious Howl whenever it is active. Be sure to also conserve your pet’s Focus. Without talents, your pet cannot regain a full 60 Focus within the 10 seconds it takes for the ability to cool. ---- Gore ---- ACTION: Gores the enemy, causing 3 to 5 damage. This attack has a 50% chance to inflict double damage. FOCUS: 25 RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: none LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 1 1 1 Damage set to 3 to 5. 8 2 4 Damage increased to 6 to 10. 16 3 7 Damage increased to 9 to 13. 24 4 10 Damage increased to 12 to 18. 32 5 13 Damage increased to 15 to 23. 40 6 17 Damage increased to 18 to 30. 48 7 21 Damage increased to 24 to 40. 56 8 25 Damage increased to 30 to 48. 63 9 29 Damage increased to 37 to 61. OVERVIEW: Gore can be a rocky ability to work with but when it works, the payoff is there. At Rank 9, you are basically looking at 74 to 122 damage for 25 Focus. This is part of what makes ravagers such favorable pets for offense. ------------- Great Stamina ------------- EFFECT: Increases your pet’s stamina by 3. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 10 1 5 Stamina bonus starts at 3. 12 2 10 Stamina bonus increased to 5. 18 3 15 Stamina bonus increased to 7. 24 4 25 Stamina bonus increased to 10. 30 5 50 Stamina bonus increased to 13. 36 6 75 Stamina bonus increased to 17. 42 7 100 Stamina bonus increased to 21. 48 8 125 Stamina bonus increased to 26. 54 9 150 Stamina bonus increased to 32. 60 10 185 Stamina bonus increased to 40. 70 11 215 Stamina bonus increased to 64. OVERVIEW: Stamina is always good for survivability. For pets that are built for offense, I prefer it over Natural Armor. The way I see it is that damage mitigation is not really needed if your pet is not taking most of the hits. ----- Growl ----- ACTION: Taunt the target, increasing the likelihood the creature will focus attacks on you. FOCUS: 15 RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 15 sec. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 1 1 0 Causes threat. 10 2 0 Causes more threat than Rank 1. 20 3 0 Causes more threat than Rank 2. 30 4 0 Causes more threat than Rank 3. 40 5 0 Causes more threat than Rank 4. 50 6 0 Causes more threat than Rank 5. 60 7 0 Causes more threat than Rank 6. OVERVIEW: A pet’s attacks alone will never hold aggro. Growl is what keeps mobs glued to your companion. Keep it on auto-cast when your pet is tanking but disable it when there is already a tank doing his job. ---------------- Lightning Breath ---------------- ACTION: Breathes lightning, instantly dealing 11 to 13 Nature damage to a single target. FOCUS: 50 RANGE: 20 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 1 1 1 Damage starts at 11 to 13. 12 2 5 Damage increased to 21 to 23. 24 3 10 Damage increased to 36 to 40. 36 4 15 Damage increased to 51 to 59. 48 5 20 Damage increased to 78 to 90. 60 6 25 Damage increased to 99 to 113. OVERVIEW: This is the only single-target spell attack that a pet is capable of learning. It is quite potent despite its high Focus cost, which can be offset with certain talents. ------------- Natural Armor ------------- EFFECT: Increases your pet’s armor count by 50. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 10 1 1 Armor bonus starts at 50. 12 2 5 Armor bonus increased to 100. 18 3 10 Armor bonus increased to 160. 24 4 15 Armor bonus increased to 240. 30 5 25 Armor bonus increased to 330. 36 6 50 Armor bonus increased to 430. 42 7 75 Armor bonus increased to 550. 48 8 100 Armor bonus increased to 675. 54 9 125 Armor bonus increased to 810. 60 10 150 Armor bonus increased to 1000. 70 11 175 Armor bonus increased to 1600. OVERVIEW: Giving your pet more armor is very important if you are planning on using it to soak up physical damage. At 1600 Armor, that equals to roughly 3-4% damage mitigation. ----------------- Nature Resistance ----------------- EFFECT: Increase your pet’s Nature Resistance by 30. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 20 1 5 Resistance starts at 30. 30 2 15 Resistance increased to 60. 40 3 45 Resistance increased to 90. 50 4 90 Resistance increased to 120. 60 5 105 Resistance increased to 150. OVERVIEW: Nature damage is most common with tribal and shamanistic creatures such as furbolgs. Like the other four resistances, your pet should at least have Rank 1. ----------- Poison Spit ----------- ACTION: Spits poison at an enemy, dealing 20 Nature damage over 8 sec. FOCUS: 35 RANGE: 30 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 10 sec. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 15 1 5 Nature damage set to 20. 45 2 20 Nature damage increased to 72. 60 3 25 Nature damage increased to 96. OVERVIEW: Poison Spit is amazing because of its massive 30-yard range, and it sinks in quickly at two seconds every tick. ----- Prowl ----- ACTION: Puts your pet in stealth mode, but slows its movement speed by 50%. The first attack from stealth receives a 120% bonus to damage. Lasts until cancelled. FOCUS: 40 RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 10 sec. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 30 1 15 Speed reduced by 50%. Damage bonus at 120%. 40 2 20 Speed reduced by 45%. Damage bonus raised to 135%. 50 3 25 Speed reduced by 40%. Damage bonus raised to 150%. OVERVIEW: Prowl is great for keeping your cat hidden from enemies but it also works well for times when you need to scout with Eyes of the Beast. -------------- Scorpid Poison -------------- ACTION: Inflicts 10 Nature damage over 10 sec. Effect can stack up to 5 times on a single target. FOCUS: 30 RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 4 sec. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 8 1 10 Total damage starts at 10. 24 2 15 Total damage increased to 15. 40 3 20 Total damage increased to 30. 56 4 25 Total damage increased to 40. 64 5 29 Total damage increased to 55. OVERVIEW: Scorpid Poison is a good ability but most mobs will die before you will ever get a full stack. Against bosses, that full stack is entirely possible and is deadly. A full stack will cause 275 damage per tick for a total of 1375. This is also before you apply spell damage bonuses, which means that this poison can go much higher. ------- Screech ------- ACTION: Blasts a single enemy for 7 to 9 damage and lowers the melee attack power of all enemies in melee range by 25. Effect lasts 4 sec. FOCUS: 20 RANGE: 5 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1.5 sec. global LEVEL RANK FOCUS CHANGE 8 1 10 Damage at 7 to 9. Attack power reduced by 25. 24 2 15 Damage at 12 to 16. Attack power reduced by 50. 48 3 20 Damage at 19 to 25. Attack power reduced by 75. 56 4 25 Damage at 26 to 46. Attack power reduced by 100. 64 5 29 Damage at 33 to 61. Attack power reduced by 210. OVERVIEW: Screech’s damage is low but its attack power reduction is excellent. It can also cause quite a bit of threat against several mobs at once, which makes it a great way to hold aggro against several targets. ----------------- Shadow Resistance ----------------- EFFECT: Increase your pet’s Shadow Resistance by 30. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 20 1 5 Resistance starts at 30. 30 2 15 Resistance increased to 60. 40 3 45 Resistance increased to 90. 50 4 90 Resistance increased to 120. 60 5 105 Resistance increased to 150. OVERVIEW: Shadow damage is very common in any area that features some kind of corruption or dark magic, which is quite common in this game. Give you pet a minimum of Rank 1. ------------ Shell Shield ------------ ACTION: Reduces all damage your pet takes by 50%, but increases the time between your pet's attacks by 43%. Lasts 12 sec. FOCUS: 10 RANGE: n/a CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 3 min. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 20 1 10 Damage reduction at 50%, attack speed decreased by 43%. OVERVIEW: Shell Shield is basically a lesser Shield Wall for your turtle. The great thing about it is that it works against both magic and physical damage. As for the speed reduction, it’s not as bad as you would think. ------------ Thunderstomp ------------ ACTION: Shakes the ground with thundering force, doing 67 to 77 Nature damage to all enemies within 8 yards. This ability causes a moderate amount of additional threat. FOCUS: 60 RANGE: 8 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 1 min. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 30 1 15 Damage set to 67 to 77. 40 2 20 Damage increased to 87 to 99. 50 3 25 Damage increased to 115 to 133. 60 4 29 Damage increased to 153 to 177. OVERVIEW: Thunderstomp is great for holding aggro on several mobs at once, which is good for those times when you need to cause some area damage. The only downside is its long cooldown. ---- Warp ---- ACTION: Teleports to an enemy up to 30 yards away and gives the pet a 50% chance to avoid the next melee attack. Lasts 4 sec. FOCUS: 25 RANGE: 30 yards CASTING TIME: Instant COOLDOWN: 15 sec. LEVEL RANK TRAIN CHANGE 60 1 1 n/a OVERVIEW: Warp is a handy way to quickly engage your pet in combat but it can be particularly annoying in PvP to have a warp stalker magically teleport behind its target. Nearly all trainable warp stalkers come with this ability. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- d. Building Your Pet ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When it comes to teaching your pet new abilities, you can customize them any way you’d like, but sometimes it can be hard deciding on what abilities your pet should have. This section will help you figure out how you should build your pet. ------------ Prioritizing ------------ When your pet reaches level 70 and attains Loyalty Level 6 (Best Friend), you will have a total of 350 Training Points to work with. To get the most out of your pet’s training, you need to prioritize your points. Train the abilities that are most important to you first. I personally go in this order: 1. Active Abilities (Growl, Bite, Charge, etc.). 2. Cobra Reflexes and Avoidance. 3. Magical Resistances (Rank 1 of each is preferable). 4. Greater Stamina for offense pet. Natural Armor for defense pet. 5. Some Natural Armor for offense pet. Some Greater Stamina for defense pet. ------------------- Going Down The List ------------------- First, train whatever active abilities your pet is capable of learning. The only ability that I would not recommend is Cower. There are so many other ways to manage threat that you can do without it. For pets that can learn both Bite and Claw, train only one of the two. Unless you have Go For The Throat or Bestial Discipline, most pets will not be able to generate enough Focus to make having both worthwhile. Second, train Cobra Reflexes and Avoidance. While one increases your pet’s overall damage output, the other cuts area damage attacks in half. Both of these abilities are extremely valuable everywhere you go and should not be left untouched. Third, train Rank 1 of each magic resistance. Having one of each will give your pet some protection against any magic attacks that will come your way. Fourth, train the highest rank of Natural Armor for a defensive pet, and Great Stamina for an offensive pet. The idea is that if your pet is going to be a damage sponge, you it needs to be sturdy. Having more armor will also make Mend Pet more effective in terms of the amount of damage it has to heal. For an offensive pet, you will want more Stamina. A pet on offense will most likely not have aggro in a group, and in PvP, most enemy players will go after you instead of your pet, which defeats the purpose of having more armor. Finally, with whatever points you have left, train whatever rank of Great Stamina you can get for a defensive pet, and Natural Armor for an offensive pet. -------------- Making Changes -------------- You don’t have to strictly train abilities in the order that I have listed above. Depending on your situation, you might want more of one thing and less of the other. For example, if you are building a pet specifically for Karazhan, you may want to train higher ranks of Arcane Resistance to protect your pet against the high amounts of arcane damage. There are lots of ways to customize your pet. Mix and match abilities and see where it goes. After all, you can always pay a little cash to redo everything. =============================================================================== --------------------------[ VIII. Gear Management ]---------------------------- =============================================================================== Although Hunters are not as gear-dependent as other classes, they still need a good selection of weapons and armor to make the most out of their abilities. This chapter will help you understand your stats, and will cover the equipment that you will need on the road to level 70 and beyond. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. Basics of Gear Selection ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All weapons and armor come in seven levels of item quality. Its rarity is marked by the color of the lettering used in its name. Most players refer to item rarity by these colors up until purple. People tend to refer to purples and oranges as “epics” and “legendaries.” It’s more appropriate if you think about it. Poor (Gray) Common (White) Uncommon (Green) Rare (Blue) Epic (Purple) Legendary (Orange) Artifact (Gold) The gear quality gets progressively better as you advance further into the game. Grays and whites will make up the majority of your gear until about level 20, which is when greens becomes much easier to find. Most quests at that point offer greens gear as rewards. On your way to level 70, you will wear mostly greens with the occasional blues from dungeons. Once you reach that level, it’s time to replace your greens with blues from endgame dungeons. After that, you will need heroic and raid dungeons for epics. In the way of legendaries, the only weapon that you have access to is the level-60 Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker. It is actually not all that great for Hunters, and since few guilds go to the old raid dungeons these days, your chances of getting the sword are very low. As for artifacts, you have no chance of getting them. Game-breaking weapons like the Martin Thunder are reserved for game developers. ------------------------ Understanding Your Stats ------------------------ As a Hunter, the three most important stats to you are: Agility: increases your attack damage and critical strike chance. Stamina: increases your total Health. Intellect: increases your total mana. Strength only increases your melee attack damage, and you have no abilities or talents that can properly make full use of Spirit. The three stats mentioned above are very common up until level 60, which is when you begin to see weapons and armor with other stats. Here are some of those other stats that will become important to you: Attack Power: increases your attack damage. Crit Rating: increases critical strike chance. Hit Rating: increase chance to hit. Mana Tick: regenerates mana every 5 sec. Dodge Rating: increases your chance to dodge. Haste Rating: increases your attack speed. Most greens will have two or three stats, whereas blues may have a balanced mix of several stats, which is why you are often encouraged to run through dungeons for gear. As you grow in level, you also need higher stats to make up certain percentages such as your critical strike chance. At level 10, it might take only about 5 Agility to raise that chance by 1% but at level 70, it takes 40 Agility to make up that 1%. To give you an idea of what your stats are doing for you, here is a conversion table of stats, numbers, and percentages for a level 70 Hunter. Certain numbers have been rounded up to make gear planning easier. ========================================================= | STAT | CONVERSION | ========================================================= | 14 Attack Power | 1 Damage Per Sec. | | 1 Agility | 1 Attack Power | | 1 Agility | 2 Armor | | 25 Agility | 1% dodge rate | | 40 Agility | 1% critical strike chance | | 23 Crit Rating | 1% critical strike chance | | 1 Stamina | 10 Health | | 1 Intellect | 15 Mana | | 16 Hit Rating | 1% to hit | | 11 Haste Rating | 1% attack speed | | 19 Dodge Rating | 1% chance to dodge | | 11 Haste Rating | 1% Haste | | 32 Parry Rating | 1% Parry | | 1 Strength | 1 melee Attack Power | | 5 Spirit | 1 mana/5 sec. | | 1 Expertise | 0.25% reduced Dodge/Parry | | 4 Expertise | 1% reduced Dodge/Parry | ========================================================= --------------- Hit Percentages --------------- As you know, there is a base miss rate of 5% for any kind of attack, which can be reduced with Hit Rating. With enough of it, your shots will stop missing against mobs at certain levels. Listed below are the Hit Ratings needed for a level-70 player to reach perfect accuracy against mobs at four different levels: ========================= | LV. | HIT% | RATING | Since raid bosses count as level 73, and endgame ========================= mobs go no higher than that, you will need no more | 70 | 5.00% | 80 Hit | than 144 Hit Rating for perfect accuracy. At 9% to | 71 | 5.50% | 88 Hit | Hit, you will never miss a single shot against | 72 | 6.00% | 96 Hit | any target. Shots can still be blocked, however. | 73 | 9.00% | 142 Hit | Of course, a shield would be needed for that. ========================= Note that this is for your ranged weapon shots. For melee weapons, your target can still block, dodge, or parry the swing. -------------- Uncommon Armor -------------- For most of your trip to level 70, greens will make up the bulk of your gear. They have a high drop rate, can easily be found at the local Auction House for decent prices, and most quests reward you with greens. Some will have unique names but most will have a suffix at the end. That suffix decides what stats are on that piece of armor. Here is a handy chart of suffixes: =================================================================== | SUFFIX | BONUSES | =================================================================== | of the Monkey | Agility, Stamina | | of the Falcon | Agility, Intellect | | of the Tiger | Agility, Strength | | of the Wolf | Agility, Spirit | | of the Eagle | Intellect, Stamina | | of the Gorilla | Intellect, Strength | | of the Bear | Strength, Stamina | | of the Whale | Spirit, Stamina | | of the Boar | Spirit, Strength | | of the Owl | Spirit, Intellect | =================================================================== The chart below features the suffixes that were in place at the time of the release of The Burning Crusade. These suffixes feature three stats instead of two. Note that some of the stat combinations occur twice. This is because some of those suffixes are exclusive to blues. Presented in alphabetical order: =================================================================== | EXPANSION | BONUSES | =================================================================== | of Blocking | Block Rating, Strength | | of the Ancestor | Strength, Crit Rating, Stamina | | of the Bandit | Agility, Stamina, Attack Power | | of the Battle | Strength, Stamina, Crit Rating | | of the Beast | Strength, Agility, Stamina | | of the Champion | Strength, Stamina, Defense | | of the Crusade | Spell Damage, Intellect, Defense | | of the Elder | Stamina, Intellect, Mana Regen | | of the Grove | Strength, Agility, Stamina | | of the Hunt | Attack Power, Agility, Intellect | | of the Hierophant | Stamina, Spirit, Healing | | of the Invoker | Intellect, Spell Damage, Spell Crit | | of the Knight | Stamina, Spell Damage, Defense | | of the Mind | Spell Damage, Spell Crit, Intellect | | of the Nightmare | Shadow Damage, Stamina, Intellect | | of the Physician | Stamina, Intellect, Healing | | of the Prophet | Intellect, Spirit, Healing | | of the Shadow | Attack Power, Agility, Stamina | | of the Soldier | Strength, Stamina, Crit Rating | | of the Sorcerer | Stamina, Intellect, Spell Damage | | of the Sun | Spell Damage, Stamina, Intellect | | of the Vision | Spell Damage, Intellect, Stamina | | of the Wild | Attack Power, Stamina, Agility | =================================================================== Other suffixes exist but all of these are the ones that you will see most often. The ones that you will want to get your hands on are: of the Monkey of the Falcon of the Hunt of the Shadow of the Wild Single-stat suffixes like “of Agility” are nice but the total number of points on that kind of armor is always lower than that of a dual-stat or triple-stat item of the same level. Here is an example: Mail Bracers of Agility: +20 Agility Mail Bracers of the Monkey: +14 Agility, +13 Stamina This is just a rough comparison but it is more or less what you would see if you were to find two of the same bracers with those suffixes. ---------- Rare Armor ---------- Whereas greens usually have two or three stats, blues can have a whole wide range of them. As you grow, you will find that the blues you find will progressively become more complex. Here is your old level-60 dungeon set chest armor, compared with your level-70 equivalent: Beaststalker’s Tunic Beast Lord Cuirass Chest Chest 370 Armor 652 Armor +6 Spirit +20 Agility +14 Agility +30 Stamina +13 Intellect +24 Intellect +5 Strength [ ] Red Socket +16 Stamina [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +28 Attack Power [ ] Blue Socket SOCKET BONUS: +4 Agility EQUIP: +40 Attack Power EQUIP: +4 mana/5 sec. Ignore the Spirit and Strength on the Tunic. The gem slots make the comparison a bit skewed but you get the idea. No matter what, blues are very rewarding and are superior to greens of the same level. Finding them, however, might not be an easy task. Blues are found mostly from bosses in 5-man dungeons but there are some group quests and outdoor encounters that offer them as rewards. Occasionally, you may get lucky and get a blue item on an easy kill but the chances of that happening are slim. ------------------ Epic Quality Items ------------------ The next step up from blues are epics. Items with that level of quality are amazing for their given level and many have their own unique graphics but are very hard to obtain without having to go through great lengths to get them. A few epics are simply random world drops that can appear when you least expect them but the two most common sources are raids and crafting. Both require a lot of time, dedication, and patience. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b. Technical Issues ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are a lot of technical issues that have been argued over the years over Hunter gear, what works, and what fails. This section catalogs and summarizes some of the larger discussions that players have had. --------------- Hit Versus Crit --------------- Whenever you find new weapons and armor with sockets, you can choose to put either Hit Rating or Crit Rating gems in them. Both will increase your damage output but in two different ways. On paper, they are about equal but to understand how it works, you must first understand what goes into an attack. The game uses a table of outcomes and the chances of each one occurring to decide what will happen when you make an attack. Everything adds up to 100% and can go no higher. When an increase in one outcome occurs, there has to be a decrease somewhere else. Let’s assume the following. You fire your ranged weapon at a mob: 1. You have a 20% chance to score a critical hit. 2. You are fighting a mob of equal level. Therefore, 5% base miss chance. 3. The mob has no shield. Therefore, it cannot block. Here is your attack table: ======================= | OUTCOME | ODDS | Note that the order of these outcomes is listed in a ======================= certain way. An event at one entry here precedes the | Miss | 5% | one beneath it. When the random rolls occur, the | Block | 0% | chance to miss is determined first. If it does not | Critical Hit | 20% | miss, then the chance to block is determined next. | Normal Hit | 75% | This keeps going until one outcome occurs. Otherwise, ======================= the end result is a Normal Hit. Let’s say that you have just equipped some new gear. Below are two more tables. Table 1 features +5% Hit. Table 2 features +5% Crit: Table 1: +5% Hit Table 2: +5% Crit ======================= ======================= | OUTCOME | ODDS | | OUTCOME | ODDS | ======================= ======================= | Miss | 0% | | Miss | 5% | | Block | 0% | | Block | 0% | | Critical Hit | 20% | | Critical Hit | 25% | | Normal Hit | 75% | | Normal Hit | 70% | ======================= ======================= Note how each stat works. +5% Hit simply reduces your chance of missing, while +5% Crit shifts your Normal Hit percentage into Critical Hit. You may also notice that there is a certain limit to each of the two stats. Anything higher than 5% Hit in this case does nothing. The limits of Hit is obvious here but the same cannot be said for Crit. So let’s assume that the mob indeed does have a shield with a 15% chance to block. Table 3 features the table with shield in place. Table 4 features that same shield along with Shield Block, which gives it +75% Block. Table 3: +25% Block Table 4: Shield Block ======================= ======================= | OUTCOME | ODDS | | OUTCOME | ODDS | ======================= ======================= | Miss | 5% | | Miss | 5% | | Block | 25% | | Block | 90% | | Critical Hit | 20% | | Critical Hit | 5% | | Normal Hit | 50% | | Normal Hit | 0% | ======================= ======================= Since Shield Block has caused the mob’s Block to jump to 90%, something has to give way to maintain 100%. The 5% Miss rate stays untouched so that leaves Normal Hit. However, that only makes up 60%. That means that you have to take away 15% from Critical Hit to make up that 90% Block. So what does this mean for you? Both Hit and Crit are great but each are affected by the limitations of the attack table. Hit will allow you to make more consistent shots, whereas Crit will increase your chances of scoring double damage before it becomes a normal hit. Build your character according to what you need. For raiding, you may want +9% Hit to knock out the Miss rate against level-73 targets. On the other hand, if you are a Survivalist, you may need that Crit for talents that rely on it such as Expose Weakness and Thrill of the Hunt. Of course, the tables above only refer to your ranged attacks, which cannot be parried, dodged, or become a glancing blow. For melee attacks, where all of that can occur, the table gets a little bigger. Let’s assume the following: 1. You have 15% Critical Hit, 15% Dodge, 5% Parry. 2. The mob has 5% Critical Hit, 5% Dodge, 5% Parry, and 5% Block. Table 5 is your attack table against your target. Table 6 is your mob’s attack table against you: Table 5: Your Swings Table 6: Mob’s Swings ======================== ======================== | OUTCOME | ODDS | | OUTCOME | ODDS | ======================== ======================== | Miss | 5% | | Miss | 5% | | Dodge | 5% | | Dodge | 15% | | Parry | 5% | | Parry | 5% | | Glancing Blow | 0% | | Glancing Blow | 0% | | Block | 5% | | Block | 0% | | Critical Hit | 15% | | Critical Hit | 5% | | Normal Hit | 65% | | Crushing Blow | 0% | ======================== | Normal Hit | 70% | ======================== Note that you are not capable of Crushing Blows, nor are mobs capable of Glancing Blows. More on this in Chapter IX. ------------------------------------ Slower Weapons Versus Faster Weapons ------------------------------------ One of the most common questions that players ask is whether slower or faster ranged weapons are better for a Hunter. The answer to this question depends on what you are looking at. The following are affected by your choice in weapon speed: 1. Aimed Shot & Multi-Shot The only three Shots that are affected by weapon speed are these two plus Auto-Shot. Having done some math with several ranged weapons and the 2.8 speed normalization in mind, slower weapons will always cause more damage due to their higher base damages, but these two Shots tend to be used only in certain situations. Their costs and casting times make them difficult to use in a regular shot rotation. Arcane Shot and Steady Shot are based entirely off of your Ranged Attack Power so they are unaffected by speed. 2. Shot Rotation Until you get Steady Shot, speed matters very little. After you learn it at level 62, trying to carefully fit its casting time into the mix gets tricky. As you reach closer to 1.5 speed, the global cooldown from Arcane Shot actually hampers your firepower but conveniently leaves plenty of room for Steady Shot and Auto-Shot. This is why Beast Masters tend to use the Steady/Auto combo for most encounters. Players generally refer to it as the golden 1:1 ratio. 3. Haste Bonuses There are quite an assortment of items that are rich in this stuff. Your ammo container, the Quel’Danas Heroic Badge rewards, various trinkets, and Rapid Fire among other things can give you one massive boost in attack and casting speed, but this can only go so far. Your attack speed will never fall below 0.99 seconds, and if the rules that apply to casters apply to Hunters as well, then Steady Shot’s casting time will be limited by the fact that the global cooldown cannot fall below one second. Fortunately, most ranged weapons past level 60 fall within the 2.6 to 3.0 range, and most of the best endgame ranged weapons do not fall anywhere below that range. Only a select few are 2.0 or faster. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c. Melee Weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranged weapons are not too hard to pick out but finding the right melee weapons can be a challenge. This section will help you look for a weapon that will suit you. Before we start, note that you have a wide range of weapons that you can use. You start out with only a few weapon skills but you can acquire more by training at the Weapon Masters in each major city. Here are the weapons that you can use: Sword Two-Handed Sword Axe Two-Handed Axe Dagger Staff Polearm Fist Bow Crossbow Gun Throwing So basically, you can learn to use anything but wands and maces. -------------------------------- Supporting Your Ranged Firepower -------------------------------- Ideally, you will want a melee weapon whose stat bonuses will support your ranged weapons. You will not be swinging your melee weapons a lot so the base damage of the weapon itself is not quite as important as the bonuses it has to offer. Look for weapons with plenty of Agility and Attack Power. Here are two level-70 endgame weapons that are excellent for Hunters: Stellaris One-Hand, Axe 94-177 Damage, 1.90 Speed (71.6 DPS) +21 Agility +12 Stamina EQUIP: +22 Attack Power This drops off of Nethermancer Sepethrea. She is an incredibly annoying boss but as you can see, the reward is excellent. Note that it is labeled One-Hand and not Main Hand. While a One-Hand weapon can be equipped in either hand, a Main Hand weapon can only be equipped in your main hand. Sonic Spear Two-Hand, Polearm 261-392 Damage, 3.50 Speed (93.3 DPS) +35 Agility +30 Stamina EQUIP: +24 Hit Rating EQUIP: +62 Attack Power This is a drop from Murmur, the last boss of the Shadow Labyrinth. This is the best two-handed weapon that you can obtain before going to raid dungeons. --------------------------- The Mechanics of Dual Wield --------------------------- At level 20, you get the ability to dual wield but most players who are new to the game do not fully understand how it works. Here is the science behind it: Whenever you wield a single weapon, it will always inflict whatever damage is indicated with a base 5% miss rate. When you add an off-hand weapon, however, the numbers change. While the main-hand weapon’s damage is unchanged, the off-hand weapon only inflicts half its normal damage. Dual-wielding also gives you a base 19% miss rate for either hand. So why the massive handicap? If you were to remove the damage and miss rate penalties, you would be way too powerful. Two Stellaris axes would cause a total of 143.2 DPS as opposed to Sonic Spear’s 93.3 DPS. With the penalties in place, the overall DPS of the axes are brought down to the Spear’s DPS. -------------------------- Calculating Dual Wield DPS -------------------------- Even though melee damage is not a major concern for you, there may be times when you will have a two-hander equipped and are wondering if a pair of one- handers will yield higher melee DPS than what you already have. Here is how you can get a rough estimate of how much DPS your weapons are giving you: 1. Take whatever weapon will go in your off-hand, and divide the indicated DPS in half. 2. Add the resulting number to your main-hand weapon’s DPS. 3. Take the sum and multiply it by 0.86. Why 0.86? To give you an accurate comparison to a two-hander, 0.86 is taking into account 19% Miss rate for dual-wielding but is setting aside 5% of that to make up for the base 5% Miss rate that does not get calculated into your two- handed weapon DPS indicated in your character tab. The end result is the rough total DPS of your two weapons. It will give an accurate idea of where your 2H melee damage stands when shopping around for one-handers. ----------------------------- Dual Wield Versus Two-Handing ----------------------------- One of the most popular questions that arise is which of the two is better, and the answer is neither. Both have their own benefits as well as their downsides. Here is what players have said over the years. Players in support of two-handing argue that as a Hunter, you will not stay in melee range long enough for dual wield to take its course. What you will do is throw as hard a Raptor Strike as possible before Wing Clipping and running back into shooting range. A two-handed weapon is slow enough that the high base damage will allow you to score that knockout punch, especially if you have Savage Strikes. On the other hand, players in support of dual wield argue that if the first swing with a two-handed weapon misses, you will have to wait several seconds before you can get a second chance, which you may not get if your plan is to Wing Clip and run back into shooting range. The faster attack speed also means less of a delay between an auto-attack and a following Raptor Strike. Dual wield also allows you to cleverly enchant both of your weapons with +30 Intellect, which has been found to be very useful in raids. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- d. Ammunition ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Needless to say, ammo is important. Your bows always need arrows, and your guns will never fire without bullets. This section will cover ammunition. All ammo comes in stacks of 200. ------------------ General Goods Ammo ------------------ These bullets and arrows are the ones found at your local General Goods store. This is the cheapest kind of ammo that money can buy, and it gets the job done when there is nothing better. ====================================================== | BULLETS | DPS | LEVEL | COST | ====================================================== | Light Shot | 1.5 | 5 | 9c | | Heavy Shot | 3.5 | 10 | 50c | | Solid Shot | 7.5 | 25 | 3s | | Accurate Slug | 13.0 | 40 | 9s | | Impact Shot | 22.0 | 55 | 14s | | Ironbite Shell | 32.0 | 65 | 30s | ====================================================== ====================================================== | ARROWS | DPS | LEVEL | COST | ====================================================== | Rough Arrow | 1.5 | 5 | 9c | | Sharp Arrow | 3.5 | 10 | 50c | | Razor Arrow | 7.5 | 25 | 3s | | Jagged Arrow | 13.0 | 40 | 9s | | Wicked Arrow | 22.0 | 55 | 14s | | Blackflight Arrow | 32.0 | 65 | 30s | ====================================================== ------------ Crafted Ammo ------------ Engineers have the opportunity to craft their own bullets. Even though you have to find your own materials, these bullets are stronger than store-bought shells, and have lower level requirements to boot. Thorium Shells can be traded in for Thorium Headed Arrows at your local city. =============================================== | BULLETS | DPS | LEVEL | =============================================== | Crafted Light Shot | 2.0 | 5 | | Crafted Heavy Shot | 4.5 | 15 | | Crafted Solid Shot | 8.5 | 30 | | Hi-Impact Mithril Slugs | 12.5 | 42 | | Mithril Gyro-Shot | 15.0 | 44 | | Thorium Shells | 17.5 | 52 | | Fel Iron Shells | 26.0 | 57 | | Adamantite Shells | 37.0 | 62 | =============================================== ---------------------- Faction-Exclusive Ammo ---------------------- There are several kinds of arrows and bullets that can be bought from exclusive factions. Most require that your reputation with them be at a certain level, usually Honored at the very least. =============================================================================== | BULLETS | FACTION | REP | DPS | LV. | COST | =============================================================================== | Ice Threaded Bullet | Stormpike/Frostwolf | Honored | 16.5 | 54 | 54s | | Felbane Slugs | Honor Hold | Revered | 37.0 | 68 | 50s | | Hellfire Shot | Thrallmar | Revered | 37.0 | 68 | 50s | | Halaani Grimshot | [Halaa, Nagrand] | n/a | 38.5 | 66 | 60s | | Mysterious Arrow | The Violet Eye | Revered | 46.5 | 70 | 80s | | Timeless Shell | The Scale of the Sands | Honored | 53.0 | 70 | 2g | =============================================================================== =============================================================================== | ARROWS | FACTION | REP | DPS | LV. | COST | =============================================================================== | Ice Threaded Arrow | Stormpike/Frostwolf | Honored | 16.5 | 54 | 54s | | Scout’s Arrow | Cenarion Expedition | Honored | 26.0 | 61 | 20s | | Warden’s Arrow | Cenarion Expedition | Revered | 37.0 | 68 | 50s | | Halaani Razorshaft | [Halaa, Nagrand] | n/a | 38.5 | 66 | 60s | | Mysterious Arrow | The Violet Eye | Revered | 46.5 | 70 | 80s | | Timeless Arrow | The Scale of the Sands | Honored | 53.0 | 70 | 2g | =============================================================================== ------------------ Miscellaneous Ammo ------------------ The rest of the ammo can be found either as drops from bosses or quest rewards. =============================================================================== | AMMO | SOURCE | TYPE | DPS | LEVEL | =============================================================================== | Flash Pellet | Quest: Sharing The Land | Bullet | 2.0 | 7 | | Smooth Pebble | Drop: Var. Darkshore Mobs | Bullet | 4.0 | 13 | | Precision Arrow | Drop: Baelog (Uldaman) | Arrow | 11.5 | 35 | | Feathered Arrow | Quest: Stealing Supplies | Arrow | 9.5 | n/a | | Exploding Shot | Quest: Stealing Supplies | Bullet | 9.5 | n/a | | Rockshard Pellets | Drop: Lord Roccor (BRD) | Bullet | 18.0 | 47 | | Doomshot | Drop: Shad Hunt Vash’gajin | Arrow | 20.0 | 54 | | Miniature Cannon Balls | Drop: Cannon Master Willey | Bullet | 20.5 | 56 | =============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- e. Ammo Storage ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ammo pouches and quivers do a lot more than store your ammo. They also add to your ranged attack speed, which is why they are such an important asset to you. This section will help you locate upgrades to your current ammo containers. As an added visual bonus for bow users, whenever you have your bow actively in your hand, your quiver will appear strapped to your back. ----------------------- The Local Hunting Store ----------------------- Apparently, the locals have a thing with not keeping up with the latest trends. These are containers that can be bought from a hunting shop at a major city near you but you may quickly outgrow them. ============================================================== | AMMO POUCH | LEVEL | SLOTS | ATK.SPD | COST | ============================================================== | Small Ammo Pouch | none | 6 | +10% | 4c | | Small Shot Pouch | none | 8 | +10% | 1s | | Medium Shot Pouch | 10 | 10 | +10% | 10s | ============================================================== ============================================================== | AMMO POUCH | LEVEL | SLOTS | ATK.SPD | COST | ============================================================== | Light Quiver | none | 6 | +10% | 4c | | Small Quiver | none | 8 | +10% | 1s | | Medium Quiver | 10 | 10 | +10% | 10s | ============================================================== ------------------ Crafted Containers ------------------ Leatherworkers can craft their own ammo pouches and quivers. The benefit to this is that it makes it easier for them to upgrade from one container to the next. =========================================================== | AMMO POUCH | LEVEL | SLOTS | ATK.SPD | =========================================================== | Small Leather Ammo Pouch | none | 8 | +10% | | Heavy Leather Ammo Pouch | 30 | 14 | +12% | | Thick Leather Ammo Pouch | 40 | 16 | +13% | | Knothide Ammo Pouch | 60 | 20 | +15% | | Netherscale Ammo Pouch | 70 | 24 | +15% | =========================================================== =========================================================== | QUIVER | LEVEL | SLOTS | ATK.SPD | =========================================================== | Light Leather Quiver | none | 8 | +10% | | Heavy Quiver | 30 | 14 | +12% | | Quickdraw Quiver | 40 | 16 | +13% | | Knothide Quiver | 60 | 20 | +15% | | Quiver of a Thousand Feathers | 70 | 24 | +15% | =========================================================== ------------------ Dungeon Containers ------------------ Ribbly Screwspigot, one of the regulars at the bar in Blackrock Depths, is the proud owner of his own containers. Put an end to him and you just might walk away with a brand new ammo pouch or quiver. ======================================================= | CONTAINER | LEVEL | SLOTS | ATK.SPD | ======================================================= | Ribbly’s Bandolier | 50 | 16 | +14% | | Ribbly’s Quiver | 50 | 16 | +14% | ======================================================= --------------------------- Battleground PvP Containers --------------------------- Once you are revered with either the Stormpike or Frostwolf factions, you have the chance to buy the best possible container that you can get before walking into Outland. Try one of these out for the low price 10 Alterac Valley Marks of Honor and 2250 Honor Points. ======================================================= | CONTAINER | LEVEL | SLOTS | ATK.SPD | ======================================================= | Gnoll Skin Bandolier | 55 | 16 | +15% | | Harpy Hide Quiver | 55 | 16 | +15% | ======================================================= ---------------------------- Faction-Exclusive Containers ---------------------------- The two Nagrand factions and the Consortium both feature their own containers, which you can obtain once you are honored with either of them. Their ammo pouch and quiver are currently the best ones in the game, standing at 18 slots and +15% ranged attack speed. =============================================================================== | CONTAINER | FACTION | ATK.SPD | LV. | SLOTS | COST | =============================================================================== | Smuggler’s Ammo Pouch | The Consortium | +15% | 68 | 18 | 10g | | Worg Hide Quiver | Kurenai (Alliance) | +15% | 68 | 18 | 10g | | Clefthoof Hide Quiver | The Mag’har (Horde) | +15% | 68 | 18 | 10g | =============================================================================== The best quiver and ammo pouch in the game are currently the Netherscale Ammo Pouch and the Quiver of a Thousand Feathers, both of which can be crafted by your local leatherworker. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- f. Scopes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While melee weapons can be enhanced with the help of enchanters, ranged weapons can receive similar treatment with the help of an Engineer. They can craft a variety of scopes that can be attached to any ranged weapon, though it will never show on your weapon’s graphic. Here are the kinds of scopes that an engineer can craft: =========================================================================== | NAME | LV.REQ | QUALITY | EFFECT | =========================================================================== | Crude Scope | 5 | Common | +1 Weapon Damage | | Standard Scope | 10 | Common | +2 Weapon Damage | | Accurate Scope | 20 | Common | +3 Weapon Damage | | Deadly Scope | 30 | Common | +5 Weapon Damage | | Sniper Scope | 40 | Common | +7 Weapon Damage | | Biznicks 247x128 Accurascope | 50 | Rare | +30 Ranged Hit Rating | | Adamantite Scope | 55 | Uncomm | +10 Weapon Damage | | Khorium Scope | 55 | Rare | +12 Weapon Damage | | Stabilized Eternium Scope | 60 | Rare | +28 Crit Rating | =========================================================================== Since Blizzard is always adding new content to the game, you will never know what other kinds of scopes will show up next. ------------------------------------------ Khorium Scope or Stabilized Eternium Scope ------------------------------------------ One of the most critical pieces of equipment is the scope that you put on your ranged weapon. Once you reach level 70, you have two choices: the Khorium Scope’s +12 damage or the Stabilized Eternium Scope’s +28 Crit Rating. On the surface, it looks seemingly equal; choose Khorium for consistent damage, and Eternium for burst damage. However, it gets a lot more complicated than that. The Khorium Scope is about as basic as scopes get: increase the base damage by 12 and that’s that. The problem with this, however, is that it does nothing for abilities that don’t factor in weapon damage. Aimed Shot, Auto-Shot, and Multi- Shot will benefit from this but Steady Shot and Arcane Shot will not. The latter two are affected by your total Ranged Attack Power. On the other hand, the +1.27% critical hit percentage from the Eternium Scope affects all four of these Shots. This is especially handy for raids because the bulk of your damage will come from three of them: Auto-Shot, Steady Shot, and Arcane Shot. Note that the latter two are the ones that are unaffected by the Khorium Scope. That’s not to say that the Khorium Scope is necessarily useless. Keep in mind that no matter what your server economy is like, the materials needed for crafting an Eternium Scope cost more. The Khorium Scope is also exceptionally good for players with fast attack speeds. Since most ranged weapons past level 60 tend to be no faster than 2.70, this requires a mix of haste bonuses, talents, trinkets, and Rapid Fire. In that case, Khorium may have a slight edge over Eternium. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- g. Gear Enhancements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section covers the various armor enchantments and book-based abilities that you’ll encounter in the later parts of the game. Although they aren’t cheap or easy to get by any means, they add very beneficial bonuses to your stats. Listed below are the most ideal enchants for a Hunter. --------------- Weapon Enchants --------------- Enchant Weapon – Agility EFFECT: Adds +15 Agility to your Weapon. MATS: 6x Large Brilliant Shard 6x Greater Eternal Essence 4x Illusion Dust 2x Essence of Air Enchant Weapon – Greater Agility EFFECT: Adds +20 Agility to your Weapon. MATS: 8x Arcane Dust 4x Greater Planar Essence 6x Large Prismatic Shard 2x Primal Air Enchant 2H Weapon – Agility EFFECT: Adds +25 Agility to your 2H Weapon. MATS: 10x Large Brilliant Shard 6x Greater Eternal Essence 14x Illusion Dust 4x Essence of Air Enchant 2H Weapon - Major Agility EFFECT: Adds +35 Agility to your 2H Weapon. MATS: 10x Large Prismatic Shard 6x Greater Planar Essence 20x Arcane Dust Enchant 2H Weapon – Savagery EFFECT: Adds +70 Attack Power to your 2H Weapon. MATS: 4x Large Prismatic Shard 40x Arcane Dust Enchant Weapon – Major Intellect EFFECT: Adds +30 Intellect your Weapon. MATS: 2x Large Prismatic Shard 10x Greater Planar Essence ------------- Boot Enchants ------------- Enchant Boots – Greater Agility EFFECT: Adds +7 Agility to Boots. MATS: 8x Greater Eternal Essence Enchant Boots - Dexterity EFFECT: Adds +12 Agility to Boots. MATS: 8x Greater Planar Essence 8x Arcane Dust -------------- Glove Enchants -------------- Enchant Gloves – Greater Agility EFFECT: Adds +7 Agility to Gloves. MATS: 3x Lesser Eternal Essence 3x Illusion Dust Enchant Gloves – Superior Agility EFFECT: Adds +15 Agility to Gloves. MATS: 3x Nexus Crystal 8x Large Brilliant Shard 4x Essence of Air Enchant Gloves – Assault EFFECT: Adds +26 Attack Power to Gloves. MATS: 8x Arcane Dust -------------- Cloak Enchants -------------- Enchant Cloak – Lesser Agility EFFECT: Adds +3 Agility to Cloak. MATS: 2x Lesser Nether Essence Enchant Cloak – Greater Agility EFFECT: Adds +12 Agility to Cloak. MATS: 1x Greater Planar Essence 4x Arcane Dust 1x Primal Air -------------- Chest Enchants -------------- Enchant Chest – Stats EFFECT: Adds +3 to all Stats to Chest. MATS: 1x Large Radiant Shard 3x Dream Dust 2x Greater Nether Essence Enchant Chest – Greater Stats EFFECT: Adds +4 to all Stats to Chest. MATS: 4x Large Brilliant Shard 15x Illusion Dust 10x Greater Eternal Essence Enchant Chest – Exceptional Stats EFFECT: Adds +6 to all Stats to Chest. MATS: 4x Large Prismatic Shard 4x Arcane Dust 4x Greater Planar Essence --------------- Bracer Enchants --------------- Enchant Bracers – Minor Agility EFFECT: Adds +1 Aglity to Bracers. MATS: 2x Strange Dust 1x Greater Magic Essence Enchant Bracers – Assault EFFECT: Adds +24 attack power to Bracer. MATS: 6x Arcane Dust ------------- Ring Enchants ------------- Enchant Ring – Stats EFFECT: Adds +4 to all Stats to Ring. NOTE: Only useable on your own rings. MATS: 6x Void Crystal 6x Large Prismatic Shard ---------------- Faction Enchants ---------------- Glyph of Ferocity FACTION: Cenarion Expedition REPUTATION: Revered LEVEL: 70 COST: 90g EFFECT: Permanently adds 34 attack power and 16 hit rating to a head slot item. Does not stack with other enchantments for the selected equipment slot. Inscription of Vengeance FACTION: The Aldor REPUTATION: Honored LEVEL: 64 COST: 2x Holy Dust EFFECT: Permanently adds 26 attack power to a shoulder slot item. Does not stack with other enchantments for the selected equipment slot. Greater Inscription of Vengeance FACTION: The Aldor REPUTATION: Honored LEVEL: 70 COST: 8x Holy Dust EFFECT: Permanently adds 30 attack power and 10 critical strike rating to a shoulder slot item. Does not stack with other enchantments for the selected equipment slot. Inscription of the Blade FACTION: The Scryers REPUTATION: Honored LEVEL: 64 COST: 2x Arcane Rune EFFECT: Permanently adds 13 critical strike rating to a shoulder slot item. Does not stack with other enchantments for the selected equipment slot. Greater Inscription of the Blade FACTION: The Scryers REPUTATION: Exalted LEVEL: 70 COST: 8x Arcane Rune EFFECT: Permanently adds 15 critical strike rating and 20 attack power to a shoulder slot item. Does not stack with other enchantments for the selected equipment slot. -------------------------- Leatherworking Leg Patches -------------------------- Cobrahide Leg Armor LEVEL: 60 MATS: 4x Heavy Knothide Leather 2x Cobra Scales 4x Primal Air EFFECT: Permanently attach cobrahide armor onto pants to increase attack power by 40 and critical strike rating by 10. Nethercobra Leg Armor LEVEL: 60 MATS: 4x Heavy Knothide Leather 4x Cobra Scales 8x Primal Air 1x Primal Nether EFFECT: Permanently attach nethercobra armor onto pants to increase attack power by 50 and critical strike rating by 12. Clefthide Leg Armor LEVEL: 60 MATS: 4x Heavy Knothide Leather 8x Thick Clefthoof Leather 4x Primal Earth EFFECT: Permanently attach clefthide armor onto pants to increase stamina by 30 and agility by 10. Nethercleft Leg Armor LEVEL: 60 MATS: 4x Heavy Knothide Leather 16x Thick Clefthoof Leather 8x Primal Earth 1x Primal Nether EFFECT: Permanently attach clefthide armor onto pants to increase Stamina by 40 and Agility by 12. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- h. Gems ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sockets are a blessing in disguise. It can cost you a fortune to get the gems it gives you a lot of room for customization. You can try to go by the colors, and get the socket bonus. You can also ignore the colors and socket bonuses entirely by putting in whatever gems you want. This section catalogs whatever gems may be of use to you. ============================================================================= | RED GEMS | QUALITY | BONUSES | ============================================================================= | Bright Tourmaline | Common | +8 Attack Power | | Bright Blood Garnet | Uncomm | +12 Attack Power | | Mighty Blood Garnet | Rare | +14 Attack Power | | Bright Living Ruby | Rare | +16 Attack Power | | Bold Ornate Ruby | Epic | +20 Attack Power | | Bright Crimson Spinel | Epic | +20 Attack Power | | Delicate Tourmaline | Common | +4 Agility | | Delicate Blood Garnet | Uncomm | +6 Agility | | Delicate Living Ruby | Rare | +8 Agility | | Delicate Crimson Spinel | Epic | +10 Agility | | Flashing Living Ruby | Rare | +8 Parry Rating | | Flashing Crimson Spinel | Epic | +10 Parry Rating | | Subtle Living Ruby | Rare | +8 Dodge Rating | | Subtle Crimson Spinel | Epic | +10 Dodge Rating | ============================================================================= ============================================================================= | YELLOW GEMS | QUALITY | BONUSES | ============================================================================= | Smooth Amber | Common | +4 Crit Rating | | Smooth Golden Draenite | Uncomm | +6 Crit Rating | | Smooth Dawnstone | Rare | +8 Crit Rating | | Smooth Ornate Dawnstone | Epic | +10 Crit Rating | | Smooth Lionseye | Epic | +10 Crit Rating | | Rigid Amber | Common | +4 Hit Rating | | Rigid Golden Draenite | Uncomm | +6 Hit Rating | | Rigid Dawnstone | Rare | +8 Hit Rating | | Rigid Lionseye | Epic | +10 Hit Rating | | Brilliant Amber | Common | +4 Intellect | | Brilliant Golden Draenite | Uncomm | +6 Intellect | | Brilliant Dawnstone | Rare | +8 Intellect | | Brilliant Lionseye | Epic | +10 Intellect | | Sublime Mystic Dawnstone | Epic | +10 Resilence | | Mystic Lionseye | Epic | +10 Resilience | ============================================================================= ============================================================================= | BLUE GEMS | QUALITY | BONUSES | ============================================================================= | Solid Zircon | Common | +6 Stamina | | Solid Azure Moonstone | Uncomm | +9 Stamina | | Solid Star of Elune | Rare | +12 Stamina | | Solid Empyrean Sapphire | Epic | +15 Stamina | | Lustrous Zircon | Common | +1 Mana/5 Sec. | | Lustrous Azure Moonstone | Uncomm | +2 Mana/5 Sec. | | Lustrous Star of Elune | Rare | +3 Mana/5 Sec. | | Lustrous Empyrean Sapphire | Epic | +4 Mana/5 Sec. | ============================================================================= ============================================================================= | ORANGE GEMS (RED/YELLOW) | QUALITY | BONUSES | ============================================================================= | Wicked Flame Spessarite | Uncomm | +6 Attack Power, +3 Crit Rating | | Unstable Citrine | Rare | +8 Attack Power, +4 Crit Rating | | Wicked Noble Topaz | Rare | +8 Attack Power, +4 Crit Rating | | Deadly Fire Opal | Epic | +8 Attack Power, +5 Crit Rating | | Inscribed Ornate Topaz | Epic | +10 Attack Power, +5 Crit Rating | | Wicked Pyrestone | Epic | +10 Attack Power, +5 Crit Rating | | Pristine Fire Opal | Epic | +10 Attack Power, +4 Hit Rating | | Empowered Fire Opal | Epic | +8 Attack Power, +5 Resilience | | Glinting Flame Spessarite | Uncomm | +3 Hit Rating, +3 Agility | | Glinting Noble Topaz | Rare | +4 Hit Rating, +4 Agility | | Glinting Fire Opal | Epic | +5 Agility, +4 Hit Rating | | Glinting Pyrestone | Epic | +5 Agility, +5 Hit Rating | | Empowered Fire Opal | Epic | +8 Attack Power, +5 Resilience | | Beaming Fire Opal | Epic | +5 Dodge Rating, +4 Resilience | | Nimble Fire Opal | Epic | +5 Dodge Rating, +4 Hit Rating | | Assassin’s Fire Opal | Epic | +5 Dodge Rating, +6 Crit Rating | | Splendid Fire Opal | Epic | +5 Parry Rating, +4 Resilience | ============================================================================= ============================================================================= | GREEN GEMS {YELLOW/BLUE} | QUALITY | BONUSES | ============================================================================= | Jagged Deep Peridot | Uncomm | +3 Crit Rating, +4 Stamina | | Barbed Deep Peridot | Rare | +4 Crit Rating, +3 Stamina | | Jagged Talasite | Rare | +4 Crit Rating, +6 Stamina | | Jagged Chrysoprase | Epic | +5 Crit Rating, +6 Stamina | | Jagged Seaspray Emerald | Epic | +5 Crit Rating, +7 Stamina | | Dazzling Deep Peridot | Uncomm | +3 Intellect, +1 Mana/5 Sec. | | Dazzling Talasite | Rare | +4 Intellect, +2 Mana/5 Sec. | | Dazzling Chrysoprase | Epic | +5 Intellect, +3 Mana/5 Sec. | | Unstable Peridot | Rare | +4 Intellect, +6 Stamina | | Timeless Chrysoprase | Epic | +5 Intellect, +6 Stamina | | Steady Chrysoprase | Epic | +5 Resilience, +6 Stamina | | Sundered Chrysoprase | Epic | +5 Crit Rating, +2 Mana/5 Sec. | ============================================================================= ============================================================================= | PURPLE GEMS (RED/BLUE) | QUALITY | BONUSES | ============================================================================= | Shifting Shadow Draenite | Uncomm | +3 Agility, +4 Stamina | | Shifting Nightseye | Rare | +4 Agility, +6 Stamina | | Shifting Shadowsong Ameth. | Epic | +5 Agility, +7 Stamina | | Balanced Shadow Draenite | Uncomm | +6 Attack Power, +4 Stamina | | Unstable Amethyst | Rare | +8 Attack Power, +6 Stamina | | Balanced Nightseye | Rare | +8 Attack Power, +6 Stamina | | Brutal Tanzanite | Epic | +10 Attack Power, +6 Stamina | | Pulsing Amethyst | Epic | +10 Attack Power, +6 Stamina | | Balanced Shadowsong Ameth. | Epic | +10 Attack Power, +7 Stamina | | Regal Tanzanite | Epic | +5 Dodge Rating, +6 Stamina | | Defender’s Tanzanite | Epic | +5 Parry Rating, +6 Stamina | ============================================================================= ============================================================================= | CHROMATIC GEMS | QUALITY | BONUSES | ============================================================================= | Prismatic Sphere | Epic | +3 All Resists | | Void Sphere | Rare | +4 All Resists | ============================================================================= --------- Meta Gems --------- Meta gems have incredibly powerful stats and effects but will not come into effect unless you fulfill specific requirements that are listed in the gem’s text. Depending on your selection of gear, those requirements can be very easy or very hard to work with. The majority of items that feature meta gem sockets are set helms. Below is a list of the meta gems that you may find useful. Enigmatic Skyfire Diamond QUALITY: Rare BONUS: +12 Crit Rating, +5% Snare and Root Resist REQUIREMENT: Requires more red gems than yellow gems Potent Unstable Diamond QUALITY: Rare BONUS: +24 Attack Power, +5% stun resistance REQUIREMENT: Requires more blue gems than yellow gems Powerful Earthstorm Diamond QUALITY: Rare BONUS: +18 Stamina, +5% stun resistance REQUIREMENT: Requires at least 3 blue gems Relentless Earthstorm Diamond QUALITY: Rare BONUS: +12 Agility, +3% critical strike damage REQUIREMENT: Requires at least 2 red gems, 2 blue gems, 2 yellow gems Swift Skyfire Diamond QUALITY: Rare BONUS: +24 Attack Power, Minor Run Speed REQUIREMENT: Requires at least 2 yellow gems, 1 red gem Swift Windfire Diamond QUALITY: Rare BONUS: +20 Attack Power, Minor Run Speed REQUIREMENT: Requires at least 2 yellow gems, 1 red gem Thundering Skyfire Diamond QUALITY: Rare BONUS: Chance to increase melee and ranged attack speed REQUIREMENT: Requires at least 2 red gems, 2 blue gems, 2 yellow gems ---------------------------- Getting The Meta Gem To Work ---------------------------- Trying to fulfill both the meta gem’s requirements and the socket bonuses on your weapons and armor is not an easy task. Fortunately, that is where the dual-color gems come in handy. Orange, green, and purple gems each count for two colors, which makes meta gems that require a minimum of certain colors much easier to work with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i. Miscellaneous ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section will cover some tools that will be very useful to you. Be sure to keep an eye out for these items. --------------- Ornate Spyglass --------------- This little item is great for peeking into the distance beyond what your computer is capable of rendering. Eagle Eye is superior to this but the fact that it can be used indoors is a plus. There is no cooldown so it can be used as often as you want. The Ornate Spyglass can be crafted by engineers with 135 skill. ---------------------------- Everlasting Underspore Frond ---------------------------- This item creates 10x Underspore Pods with a 12-hour cooldown. The fact that it restores Health and mana is nice but what makes it even neater is that it serves as free food for any pets that eat fruit. To get this item, you need to become neutral with Sporeggar and get a level-65 quest called “Oh, It’s On!” from T’shu in Sporeggar. It takes a 5-man trek through the Underbog to complete it but the reward is well worth it. --------------------- Bounty of the Harvest --------------------- Around the fall season, there is a festival that takes place in Ironforge and Orgrimmar that honors casualties of war. If you complete the holiday quest that is available during that time, you will get this item, which conjures four Harvest Breads but has a 12-hour cooldown. Like the Frond mentioned above, this is another source of free food for both you and your pet. ------------------------------- Sporeling Snack & Kibler’s Bits ------------------------------- These fun little treats will buff your pet with either +20 Stamina or Strength for 30 minutes. They also give an additional +20 Spirit but Spirit for pets is never a priority. Sporeling Snacks can be cooked up by anyone with 310 skill in cooking and the recipe from Sporeggar. Kibler’s Bits required 300 skill but the recipe can only be found from the crates that you receive as a reward for the daily cooking quests in Lower City. ------------------- Crystal Mana Potion ------------------- Even with Aspect of the Viper, you will use up your mana very quickly, which is why mana potions are essential when having to endure long battles. The Consortium have only a limited supply of Super Mana Potions on sale, and shopping at the Auction House can be costly. Thankfully, you have one easy sources for replenishing your supply of potions. Your key source is the ogres of Ogri’la. Once you are exalted with them, you may purchase Crystal Mana Potions from their local quartermaster for 32 silver and 50 Apexis Shards each. Each one gives you 1800 to 3000 mana, which is the same as a Super Mana Potion. Since you gain a lot of reputation, money, and Shards from doing their Daily quests, getting access to the potions is easy. =============================================================================== --------------------------[ IX. Playing As A Hunter ]-------------------------- =============================================================================== This chapter will cover the basic play styles and tactics that a Hunter will typically use when going solo, in a group, or in PvP. These are mostly tactics that I use, however. Many players will fight differently, depending on their Talent builds, preferences, and play styles. This chapter will serve you as a guideline as to how to play but as you grow, you’ll develop your own style. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. Hunter 101: The Basics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section will teach you the basics of the shot rotation and how to get used to using some of your abilities. Much of this caters to novice players from levels 1 through 40 but it can serve as a refresher for experienced players as well. ---------------------- Setting Up Your Attack ---------------------- Every Hunter develops a specific setup routine before they begin attacking. If you have just recently started playing a Hunter, you are not going to have most of your core abilities but once you have them, you will naturally develop your own setup. Against a typical mob, the most common routine is this: 1. Cast Hunter’s Mark on target. 2. Command pet to attack target. 3. Begin your shot rotation. You can add traps and Stings to this but most mobs die so quickly that neither will really make a massive difference in the way you kill them. More on the shot rotation below. ------------- Shot Rotation ------------- You may have heard other players using this term. The shot rotation refers to your continuous pattern of shots, which you use in cycles against your target. Setting up a good rotation is critical to establishing an effective damage output. A very basic rotation against a single mob is usually: 1. Arcane Shot 2. Auto-Shot 3. Serpent Sting 4. Auto-Shot 5. Arcane Shot As you start gathering more abilities and talents, the rotation is going to change a lot. By level 60, a shot rotation versus an outdoor elite might look like this: 0. Aimed Shot 1. Arcane Shot 2. Multi-Shot 3. Auto-Shot 4. Serpent Sting Note that Aimed Shot here is intentionally labeled “0” to indicate it as an opening shot and nothing more. A shot rotation can contain just about anything but a guideline to remember is to not waste mana or abilities that take a while to cool down if there is no need to do so. For example, Multi-Shot and Bestial Wrath are great ways to increase your firepower but using them is costly. ------------------------- Learning to Use Auto-Shot ------------------------- Auto-Shot is your auto-attack with a ranged weapon. The concept is simple enough but there is a whole lot that you can do with it. Learning how to make full use of it will give you better control over your Hunter. One of the biggest mistakes that Hunters make early on is their tendency to use a Shot or a Sting as their way of enabling their Auto-Shot. Arcane Shot is usually that trigger. The problem occurs when the Shot is still cooling down after using it. Most players will either use another Shot or Sting that might not be needed or wait for their key Shot to finish cooling. Having Auto-Shot slotted to an action bar will let you freely attack whenever you need to. It also serves as an indicator that flashes whenever you have it active. Another way to use your Auto-Shot is with the T key. For most classes, it enables auto-attack with a melee weapon. For you, it does double duty. Near melee range, you will pull out your melee weapon but at firing range, you use automatically use Auto-Shot instead. Getting used to firing with the T key means not having to use up a slot on your action bar. That would mean losing the flashing indicator but if you can tell when you have Auto-Shot enabled, that will not be problem. ----------------------- The Importance of Melee ----------------------- Once you obtain a pet, you will not be attacking with your melee weapons often but raising your melee weapon skills is just as important as your ranged skills. Wing Clip and Raptor Strike are useless if your skills are too low. Remember to occasionally spend some time attacking weaker mobs with your melee weapons. The last stretch to 350 is always the toughest but the most rewarding. ------------------ Escaping From Mobs ------------------ In the wild, whenever a mob decides to run after you, you only have to give chase for several seconds before it gives up and runs back to its spot but what many new players are not aware of is the fact that if you continuously attack the mob as it chases you, it will not give up until either one of you is dead. In fact, a single mob can chase you for miles across the continent until you stop your assault. If you are running away from a mob in the wild, be sure to not attack it. If you want to minimize the damage, you can use Wing Clip and run away. Remember to hit Aspect of the Cheetah once you reach a safe distance. Another method is to have your pet distract it while you run. Eventually, your pet will safely vanish due to it being too far away from you. If you are still in combat by the time your pet’s portrait is gone, it can chase you all it wants but you will be too far ahead. ------------------------------ Understanding Dungeon Behavior ------------------------------ Once in a while, you will want to run through dungeons with a 5-man group for better loot. Dungeon elites are indeed stronger than anything in the wild but they behave very differently as well. Here are a few things to keep in mind: 1. Dungeon elites will chase you to no end. Normal mobs will stop chasing you after a while but these elites will chase you until you either die or run out of the instance. You can run until your computer can no longer see them but they know where you are and they will find you. 2. Elites tend to fight in packs. When you pull one, you will pull the others regardless of how far apart they are. These packs will also either be stationary or patrol certain areas. 3. Many elites are designed to handle groups. Many of them will have Cleaves, Bolt Volleys, and other area damage effects. 4. Whereas most mobs of equal level are more or less the same in terms of overall stats, the stats of elites can vary greatly. Elites that tend to fight on their own are stronger than the ones that fight in packs. 5. In the wild, getting too close to a mob while another player attacks it will usually not cause you to enter combat. In dungeons, it will. Remember, most elites are still susceptible to most spells and effects. Stuns, snares, and other crippling effects still work and are encouraged. Your Feign Death will also cause mobs to stop chasing you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b. Hunter 201: Intermediate ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section goes more in-depth into some of the more complex aspects of what you are capable of. This caters to players who have a firm grasp on the mechanics of the class and have acquired most of their abilities. ------------------------ Adjusting to Steady Shot ------------------------ Once you reach level 62, you will get an ability called Steady Shot. After 61 levels without it, it will feel awkward using it but it is indeed one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. It has a low mana cost, increases your firepower, does not interfere with the Auto-Shot timer, and has no cooldown. It comes in handy in just about any situation you can think of. Getting used to Steady Shot must first start with your ability to time your Auto-Shots properly. Try this example rotation against a single mob: 1. Auto-Shot 2. Steady Shot 3. Auto-Shot 4. Steady Shot 5. Auto-Shot The idea is to get a feel for how Steady Shot weaves between each Auto-Shot. Once you are comfortable with this, start mixing in Arcane Shot into the rotation. Eventually, your basic rotation should look like this: 1. Auto-Shot 2. Steady Shot 3. Arcane Shot 4. Auto-Shot 5. Steady Shot If your ranged weapon speed is roughly 2.50 after applying the ammo container’s haste bonus, the Auto-Shot should fire on its own after the Arcane Shot goes off. However, it is possible to miss that Auto-Shot if you start recasting Steady Shot too quickly. Because of the Shot’s flexibility, you can safely remove Serpent Sting from your rotation when you are up against a typical mob. Steady Shot’s low mana cost makes it more efficient for mobs. The same can be said about Multi-Shot. ---------------------- Running With Auto-Shot ---------------------- As you probably already know, Auto-Shot only fires if you are not moving, even if you have it enabled. From the moment you stop moving, it takes roughly half of a second to fire your weapon. After that, your weapon speed accounts for when the next shot fires. There are other options for whenever you have to be on the move but with a little practice, you can learn to take potshots without having to spend mana on the more mobile Arcane Shot. The key to potshots is knowing when your next Auto-Shot will fire, which will vary depending on weapon speed and Haste bonuses. The best way to practice this is by letting your pet tank a single mob as you sidestep in circles, stopping every few steps to fire your weapon. Once you get a feel for when the shot is about to fire, it will also give you an idea of when it is okay to start moving again without disrupting Auto-Shot. That will also vary depending on your lag. ------------------------------------ Using Freezing Trap As Crowd Control ------------------------------------ With Clever Traps, Freezing Trap will keep targets frozen for up to 26 seconds, just 4 seconds shy of its cooldown. Since it is also useable against every known species of mobs, that makes it one of the powerful crowd-control tools in your arsenal. Pulling mobs into the trap itself is easy. Making full use of it, however, requires a bit of extra know-how. When trying to keep a mob frozen for as long as possible, your timing is crucial. There are three things to take into consideration: 1. The cooldown of the trap itself is 30 seconds. 2. The freeze duration is 26 seconds. 3. The trap takes 2 seconds to arm. From the time that your target is frozen, you need to have the next trap set and ready by the time the first one thaws. There are two ways to keep the mob in check as you prepare for the second trap: 1. Set your trap early. If you let the cooldown timer run before the first pull, you will have the second trap ready immediately. 2. Use Concussive Shot or Scatter Shot as the mob is running towards the trap. By slowing it down, you give your trap some time to let the cooldown run. You can keep a mob frozen for as long as you want. In fact, you can kill an elite doing this by shooting it as you lure it into each trap. ------ Kiting ------ Kiting is when you attack a mob as it chases you. You will usually need to do this when fighting a mob while your pet is not around. The key to a successful kite is keeping your target from taking a swing at you. As you fire away, keep moving, stopping only for an occasional Auto-Shot or Steady Shot. Be sure to use Concussive Shot or Frost Trap to slow it down. If you are not using Serpent Sting, you can even use Freezing Trap. If you have Wyvern Sting or Scatter Shot, those will work nicely as well. Aspect of the Cheetah is very useful for kiting but if you get dazed, there is little room for recovery. All of this is assuming that you are stopping every few seconds to shoot your target. If you master jump shots, which is listed in the next section, you can attack your target without losing any momentum on your run. That will be important against elites. -------------------------- More Control Over Your Pet -------------------------- If you are like most players, you probably click the Attack, Follow, and Stay commands on your pet’s action bar rather than use the shortcut keys. This is actually the least effective way to give your pet commands because of the time it takes for you to click those tiny buttons on the bottom-left corner of your screen. To cut down on that response time, learning to give commands with your hotkeys is highly recommended. By default, the shortcut keys are Ctrl plus the corresponding command key. 1 would be Attack, 2 is Follow, 3 is Stay, and the rest are your pet’s actions. Depending on the size and shape of your hand, hitting Ctrl and a number key could be a bit tricky. You can always go to your Key Bindings settings and change the Secondary Action Bar hotkeys. I suggest trying the F keys at the top of your keyboard. F1 through F5 are normally used to target party members but they conveniently correspond to the position of your pet’s action bar on your screen. You should also try to keep your pet set to Passive at all times. Defensive is great for those moments when you get attacked by mobs or hostile players but it can sometimes cause problems when you are trying to attack something without having to cross paths with something nasty, in which case your pet will aid you by running after your target. As for Aggressive, that is not recommended. It might have some use in PvP but most of the time, it is best that you not use that setting. ------------------------------- The Mechanics of Threat & Aggro ------------------------------- Every spell, attack, and ability that a player uses causes a certain amount of threat against a mob. Some naturally cause high threat while most cause relatively low threat. A few cause absolutely none at all. Even heals and buffs cause threat. Abilities that cause high amounts of damage tend to cause a lot of threat, especially if it critically hits. Unless there is something special about the mob, it will always attack whoever has the highest amount of threat. Aggro refers to that person sitting at the top of the threat count. When a player says that you have aggro, that means that the mob is now targeting you. As a Hunter, most of your threat is caused by quick bursts of critical hits, which is easy to do with the right gear. Disengage is one way to reduce your threat but the one surefire way to remove all of it is by Feigning Death. Unless it is resisted, you will end up at the very bottom of the threat chain. This is very important because in any given instance, if a tank loses aggro, it can be hard for him to regain that aggro. There are third-party add-ons available that will allow you to visually see how much threat you cause when compared to other players. KTM is a popular add-on that gauges the threat of all party or raid members with the same add-on. Many raiding guilds highly recommend it. ------------------------------- Crushing Blows & Glancing Blows ------------------------------- As you already know, normal mobs that are within two levels of you are not too tough to kill but when that gap expands to three or more levels, it takes much more effort to kill them, almost to the point where they might as well be elites. There is actually more to it than just the level difference. If you look in your Combat Log after fighting an orange- or red-level mob, you will notice two peculiar things: Crushing Blows and Glancing Blows. A Crushing Blow is when a mob hits you for 150% damage. It only appears on its attack table when its Weapon Skill is 15 more than your Defense, which is a difference of three levels. To calculate the Crushing Blow chance, double the difference between Weapon Skill and Defense, and subtract 15. To give you an idea of what that number may be, here is a chart that assumes that you are level 60. These are what the Crushing Blow percentages would be: ================================= | YOUR LV. | MOB LV. | CRUSHING | ================================= | 60 | 63 | 15% | | 60 | 64 | 25% | | 60 | 65 | 35% | | 60 | 66 | 45% | | 60 | 67 | 55% | | 60 | 68 | 65% | | 60 | 69 | 75% | | 60 | 70 | 85% | Note that with a base 5% Miss chance, the | 60 | 71+ | 95% | Crushing Blow percentage cannot exceed 95%. ================================= A Glancing Blow is somewhat the opposite. It is when an attack made against a higher-level mob is reduced in damage. There is still ongoing discussions as to how the chances of a Glancing Blow are calculated and how much damage is reduced when it occurs. All you need to know is that when you fight a mob that is significantly higher in level than you, that mob has a chance to cause more damage per attack, while you have a chance to cause less damage per attack. Fortunately, Glancing Blows are not included in the attack table for ranged attacks, which means that any shots that you make will never result in a Glancing Blow. However, they can still miss, and that Miss chance against higher-level mobs is significantly higher than the base 5%. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c. Advanced Tactics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section contains some of the more difficult aspects of life as a Hunter. Listed here are techniques that are extremely valuable to you but require practice. ------------- The Jump Shot ------------- The jump shot is not an ability but is actually a technique in which you jump and shoot your target with Arcane Shot while it is behind you. It is usually done while running since it allows you to attack your target without stopping. Making a 180 degree turn while on the ground will slow you down. Getting this technique down will require practice with your control over the direction you are facing. Note that the right mouse button controls whatever direction you are facing. While you are in midair, what you want to do is turn your character 180 degrees with the right mouse button so that you are facing your target. At that point, fire Arcane Shot, and turn your mouse back the other way so that when you land, you are still running in the same direction. The best time to practice this is while kiting. Try to have the mob chase you down a straight path. Use Rank 1 Arcane Shot as you turn in midair. When you land on your feet, you should still be running along that same path. Your biggest mistake at first will be running to the side of the path when you land but as you get better at it, keeping on a straight course will get easier. ---------------- Mounted Reversal ---------------- Mount up and start charging towards your target. Once you are within firing range, quickly turn around and leap back in the opposite direction while firing your favorite Shot or Sting. If done correctly, you will dismount and fire but the leap that you make while you are mounted will cause you to fly backward and out of harm’s way. This technique makes an excellent opener for arenas due to its ability to quickly launch dispelling Arcane Shots or mana-zapping Viper Stings without getting too close to your opponents. ---------------------- Double Freeze Trapping ---------------------- Most Hunters assume that because the tooltip says that only one trap can exist at a time, you can only keep one target frozen at a time. This is only true if the trap has not gone off. Once a target has become frozen, you can set a second trap of any kind without causing your first trap to thaw. With this is mind, you can keep up to two targets frozen at any given time. To trap two targets, what you need to do is set the first Freezing Trap and let the 30-second cooldown timer run. Now pull the first target into the trap. Once the trap goes off, immediately set the second Freezing Trap and lure the other mob into it. Remember to take into account the two-second trap delay. If you have Readiness, you can use it to end the cooldown on Freezing Trap, allowing you to freeze a third target. --------------------------------- Using Your Pet As An Escape Decoy --------------------------------- One of the advantages to being is a Hunter is that the game treats your pet as a separate entity. Whenever a patrolling mob decides to attack your pet, note that you yourself will not enter combat unless you interact with your pet in some way. This includes commanding it to attack or healing it with Mend Pet. With this in mind, your pet is a valuable tool in entering and exiting combat with ease. To see this for yourself, command your pet to attack to a mob. Notice that it has caused you to enter combat. Now command your pet to come back to you. As it comes running back, quickly Feign Death to exit combat and then stand back up. Keep an eye on your level indicator beneath your portrait. You will notice that the mob is still attacking your pet but you yourself are completely free to do whatever you need to do outside of combat. Try eating, drinking, or mounting. Keep in mind that if you get hit with any area damage effects while Feigning, you will reenter combat, preventing you from doing what you need to do. Fortunately, as long as you keep Feigning, the mob will leave you alone. Remember that as you Feign Death, you will stay in combat if you do not command your pet to stop attacking. Another thing to keep in mind is that once you stop Feigning, dungeon elites can cause you to reenter combat if they get too close to you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- d. Player Versus Player ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also know as PvP. When you have to fight against another player, the rules of engagement are very different. This section will help you prepare for encounters against enemy players in arena, battlegrounds, and in the world. ------------------ A Much Smarter Foe ------------------ Mobs only behave in a certain way. They are designed to do little more than attack you blindly and chase you on foot. Human players, on the other hand, are much smarter than that. They will walk into a battle knowing what you are capable of, and what your weaknesses are. They will run in circles to evade your attacks, and will do whatever they can to cause as much damage as possible. Here is what they will know when they see you: 1. You are weakest at melee range. 2. You probably have a Freezing/Snake/Frost Trap ready somewhere near you. 3. They will judge you by looking at your gear. Your helm and shoulders are most prominent. 4. They know what abilities you have in general. 5. If they inspect your buffs carefully, they can see your Trueshot Aura or Spirit Bond, which gives away your talent build. Here is what they do not know: 1. They cannot tell what spec you are until they get a taste of you. 2. They assume that you will probably not use consumables unless you have a Warlock with you, in which case they would assume that you probably have a Healthstone. With what they know, most players will use the same strategies against you, hoping to cause as much damage as possible while keeping you in melee range. Most melee classes will try to snare you, while casters will try to burn you down as quickly as possible at close range. -------------- On The Offense -------------- Keep Your Distance Your chances of winning are usually best if you stay as far away as possible. You may be wearing the second-best armor type in the game, but you can still get demolished if you wander too far into the fray. Judge Your Enemy Sometimes you can get a feel for the overall gear level of a certain player. Helms, shoulders, and robes are usually the most prominent part of a player’s appearance. Also take note of how often you are landing critical hits and how much damage those hits are causing. That can serve as an indicator of how much Resilience that player has. Disable The Healers Put Viper Sting on any Paladins, Priests, or Druids that are evidently healing. Even though it can be removed with a simple Cleanse, it can still leave its mark before your enemy notices it. Plus removing it can be tough if there are other debuffs alongside it. Hit The Fragile Players Be sure to deal with cloth-wearing casters first. You specialize in the one category that they are weak against: ranged physical damage. If you happen to have Aimed Shot, you can also use it to cripple their attempts at healing, though you will need something to speed up its casting time such as Rapid Fire. Otherwise, it is slow enough that anyone who notices you casting it will look for safety. Watch Yourself When Casting Many players get themselves caught in a situation where they are in the middle of a Steady Shot or Aimed Shot but being bombarded with so many hits that it gets interrupted. Watch yourself carefully. If you are getting pelted with attacks, lay off abilities that have a casting time unless you have something that can speed it up. -------------------- Use Your Environment -------------------- As a hunter, your environment is everything, especially in Battlegrounds and Arenas. Most players know that you can’t touch them as long as they are not within your line of sight. They will look for corners and pillars to run around, and you will not be able to give chase if you get snared. At the same time, your environment is a great way to protect yourself from enemy fire. Just as they can hide from your shots, you can do the same against theirs. You can take position around the corner of a nearby doorway, remembering to hide when needed. ------------------- Using The Right Pet ------------------- Your pet is a very important part of your prowess. Its damage output can’t come close to yours but your choice of pets can make or break you. Here are some pets that do well against other players: Boar The boar’s Charge ability can be a great way to stop an enemy player from fleeing when used correctly. One second may not sound like a lot but it can be enough for you to gain the upper hand on a runner. Ravager Nothing too fancy here. Thick armor, good offensive power, and the added bonus of Gore and Dash make this one of the best pets to use against other players. Scorpid Even though most cleansing abilities target their debuffs randomly, Scorpid Poison’s stacking effect makes it more difficult for healing classes to cleanse off more potent poisons like Viper Sting. ---------------------------- The Importance of Resilience ---------------------------- The game’s typical mix of weapons and armor are undoubtedly great for PvP but the one stat that makes a crucial difference against other players is Resilience. It reduces your opponent’s chance of landing a critical hit, and the amount of damage a critical hit and damage-over-time abilities cause. For every 100 Resilience, this is what you get: - Chance for an enemy to land a critical strike reduced by 2.50%. - Critical strike damage reduced by 5%. - Damage from damage-over-time abilities reduced by 2.50%. Resilience grows linearly, which means that at 400 Resilience: - Chance for an enemy to land a critical strike reduced by 10%. - Critical strike damage reduced by 20%. - Damage from damage-over-time abilities reduced by 10%. Let’s go back to the PvP Season 1 chest armor and compare it side-by-side with the Tier-4 chest armor: Gladiator’s Chain Armor Demon Stalker Harness Chest Chest 866 Armor 846 Armor +27 Agility +26 Agility +51 Stamina +24 Stamina +17 Intellect +35 Intellect [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Blue Socket [ ] Yellow Socket [ ] Blue Socket SOCKET BONUS: +4 Crit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +8 Attack Power EQUIP: +18 Crit Rating EQUIP: +70 Attack Power EQUIP: +20 Resilience EQUIP: +6 Mana/5 Sec. EQUIP: +26 Attack Power While Resilience allows you to survive critical hits, the higher Armor and Stamina allows you to soften the blows. This makes you very tough to kill, and it is this high level of survivability that will give you the edge against other players. ------------------ Fighting As A Team ------------------ Teamwork and communication is very important in PvP, especially if you are fighting in Battlegrounds. Be sure to coordinate your attacks, and keep your eyes and ears open for what your teammates have to say. The greater your numbers are, the less likely your enemies are going to engage you head-on. Be sure to keep a close eye on your healers. Enemy players will always go after your healers first whenever possible. Keep them alive and they will do the same for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- e. Raiding ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Raiding is no easy task. Raid dungeons feature vigorous demands that take into account everything you have, including your personal skill, time, equipment, and knowledge of each encounter. This section will help you make your transition into a raid environment. ------- Add-Ons ------- I tend to not advocate add-ons but there are a few that are extremely helpful to you when raiding. There are many websites that have them readily available. Omen USES: Tracks the threat and aggro gains of party and raid members. Based on the popular KLH Threat Meter, this add-on charts out the amount of threat you cause in form of a live bar graph. Because threat management is such an important part of raiding, Omen allows you to keep an eye on how close you are to getting a mob’s attention. CalendarMod USES: Schedules and manages guild events and signups. This add-on is like an in-game secretary with built-in clock and date. Many guilds use this as a clean and efficient way to organize and schedule raids. DeadlyBossMod USES: Provides in-game warnings when bosses perform special attacks. This is a must-have for raid leaders. It warns players when bosses are about to perform their signature attacks, who is affected by what spells, and keeps track of how long a boss has before it Enrages. Although its timers are sometimes off-sync, it is a valuable asset to you as a raider. SWStats USES: Keeps track of damage and healing statistics over time. This add-on keeps track of how much damage a player is causing and receiving, as well as how effective a player’s healing is. Since it tries to synchronize itself with other players that have it installed, the information tends to be very accurate. Although it is strenuous on computers with low resources, it is a great way to keep track of a raid’s overall numerical progress, and it allows you to see if anyone is slacking. ------------- Communication ------------- Communication is a key factor in any raiding team’s performance, and because of the fast pace of many encounters, typing your messages to other players is not enough to get your thoughts across to others. This is where voice chat comes in. Depending on the quality of the microphones that you and your fellow players use, those messages can vary in clarity, but voice chat is the fastest way to speak your mind. While the game has a built-in Voice Chat feature, most guilds prefer third- party voice chat programs such as TeamSpeak and Ventrilo. Although running a server requires that you pay a fee, players are generally happier with the quality that these services provide. ---------- Attunement ---------- Unlike 5-man dungeons, raid dungeons may require some kind of attunement or key, which is usually acquired through a long quest chain. Be sure to do your homework and know how to get attuned for a particular dungeon. ---------- Gearing Up ---------- Because of the high health and damage that these elites cause, most raiding groups require you to be as well-geared as possible before stepping in, and this requirement increases in a step-by-step progression for each dungeon. For example, for you to perform well in Black Temple and Mount Hyjal, you need weapons and armor from Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep. Here is a general tree outline of how you should progress in terms of gear, starting with the endgame 5-man dungeons: [ Steamvaults [ Botanica/Mechanar/Arcatraz Dungeon-3 -[ Shattered Halls [ Shadow Labyrinth/Sethekk Halls [ Black Morass | [ Karazhan -> Zul’Aman Tier-4 -[ \ / [ Gruul’s Lair -> Magtheridon’s Lair \ / Tier-5 -[ Serpentshrine Cavern [ Tempest Keep | [ Battle For Mount Hyjal [ | Tier-6 -[ Black Temple [ | [ Sunwell Plateau Check with Armor Sets in Chapter VIII to get an idea of what is available to you. For you to be fully prepared to enter Karazhan, you will want to collect Dungeon Sets A or B, and have a matching set of rare rings, neckpiece, trinkets, and weapons. All of this can be found at the top of this tree. Once you have the right gear, you can enter Karazhan and work with your raid to make your way down. ------------------------- Agility Over Attack Power ------------------------- Once you make your way into the world of raiding, you will find that most hunters prefer Agility over Attack Power, and will adjust their gear to stack as much Agility as possible. This may seem odd due to the fact that the game weighs 1 Agility as being equal to 2 Attack Power but once you reach that point, your critical hit percentage becomes a key factor in your overall damage output. That and if worse really comes to worst, the little bits of extra armor and dodge rating could mean the difference between life and death. Agility also scales with Blessing of Kings, which you will most likely have in the 25-man big leagues. This makes Agility a superior raiding stat over pure Attack Power. ------------------------------ Tailoring PvP Gear For Raiding ------------------------------ PvP gear is generally not recommended for raiding because of the way the stats are distributed. Although there is absolutely no shortage of Agility, the low Attack Power and Intellect, and lack of Mana Ticks cripple your overall firepower in raids. However, if you are like many players, then PvP gear is all you really have. Fortunately, there are a few ways to compensate for this. Although Agility is preferred over Attack Power in raids, you need to make up for the lack of Attack Power. Bright Living Rubies give +16 Attack Power apiece, and you can add Savagery to your 2H weapon for an additional +70. Depending on where your raid is in terms of progression, some PvP gear is en par or better for raiding than what is available to you. Let’s compare your Tier-4 helm with its Season 3 equivalent: Tier-4 Season 3 Demon Stalker Greathelm Vengeful Gladiator’s Chain Helm Head Head 604 Armor 830 Armor +35 Agility +33 Agility +28 Stamina +61 Stamina +27 Intellect +22 Intellect [ ] Yellow Socket [ ] Meta Socket [ ] Meta Socket [ ] Red Socket SOCKET BONUS: +4 Agility SOCKET BONUS: +4 Resilience EQUIP: +66 Attack Power EQUIP: +12 Hit Rating EQUIP: +26 Crit Rating EQUIP: +22 Resilience EQUIP: +58 Attack Power EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 84 of your opponent’s armor. Note that while the Tier-4 helm has slightly higher Agility and Attack Power, the Season 3 helm outmatches it with its Hit and Crit Ratings and Armor mitigation. The simple addition of an Attack Power gem can compensate for the difference in net power loss. Generally, most of the gear from the Season 3 bracket is better than Tier-4 but not as well-rounded for raiding as Tier-5. As for the low Intellect and lack of Mana Ticks, there isn’t much that you can do to make up for it. Until you start acquiring PvE gear, bring an ample supply of mana potions, and be sure to make full use of whatever sources of mana you can get your hands on such as Aspect of the Viper, Blessing of Wisdom, and your local Shadow Priest. ---------- Hit Rating ---------- Raid mobs are anywhere from levels 70 to 72, and bosses are technically level 73. Since you are only level 70, the chance for your shots to miss goes up. Fortunately, Hit Rating bonuses can help offset this problem but deciding how much of it to have can be an issue. To have a 0% Miss rate against a raid boss, you need 142 Hit Rating, which converts to about +9% to Hit. At the early stages of raiding, reaching that number is a bit of a challenge but once you move into the Serpentshrine Cavern/Tempest Keep bracket, you will find that much of the gear there is rich in Hit Rating. Gems are a valuable source of Hit Rating but you can do without with in favor of having more Agility or other stats. -------------------- Bringing Consumables -------------------- Consumables are an absolute staple of a raiding environment. Super Health and Mana Potions and Netherweave Bandages are always needed but don’t forget some of these other vital goods: 1. Elixir of Major Agility Use: Increases your Agility by 35 and your critical strike rating by 20 for 1 hour. Battle Elixir. 2. Scroll of Agility V Use: Increases the target's Agility by 20 for 30 min. 3. Ravager Dog Use: Restores 4320 health over 30 sec. Must remain seated while eating. If you spend at least 10 seconds eating you will become well fed and gain 40 attack power and 20 Spirit for 30 min. 4. Warp Burger Use: Restores 7500 health over 30 sec. Must remain seated while eating. If you spend at least 10 seconds eating you will become well fed and gain 20 Agility and Spirit for 30 min. 5. Flask of Relentless Assault Use: Increases attack power by 120 for 2 hrs. Counts as both a Battle and Guardian elixir. This effect persists through death. Remember, raids demand that you push your firepower to its limit, and such consumables are one way to do just that. It also compensates for the loss in firepower when switching from Aspect of the Hawk to Viper. -------------------- Taking Out The Trash -------------------- Like most 5-man dungeons, a raid dungeon’s elites are separated into packs that can be pulled group by group. Commonly known as “trash,” they have a lot of health and can chop you down in as little as two hits. Most of them also run faster than you, and are immune to snare effects and crowd control. Against any kind of trash, your job is to cause as much damage as possible, taking care not to hit targets that are subdued by crowd control. Your three primary attacks are Auto-Shot, Steady Shot, and Arcane Shot. Be sure to use your trinkets and Rapid Fire whenever they are active. Of course, this is going to cause a lot of threat so be sure to Feign Death whenever your threat comes close to the tank’s threat. You can keep track of this with the Omen add-on. -------------------- Area of Effect Pulls -------------------- Occasionally, you may run into unusually large packs of ten to fifteen weaker mobs, which most raids call “AoE packs,” referring to the need for area damage to effectively kill them. For these, you will need a different strategy. Once your tank has sufficient threat, use this pattern: 1. Run into the AoE pack and drop an Explosive Trap. 2. Fire a Multi-Shot and immediately Feign Death. 3. As soon as the Trap blows, use Volley. 4. As soon as Volley finishes, use Multi-Shot. 5. Fire into the crowd until they die. This pattern will cause a lot of damage across the entire pack. It may not come close to what a mage can do but it definitely contributes a lot. Chances are good that Feign Death will fail because of the high number of elites but if your tank is competent, then you should be able to safely do your job while taking minimal damage. --------------- Fighting A Boss --------------- Generally, raid bosses are different from trash only in terms of health, firepower, and abilities, but they have enough health to last for several minutes, and successfully slaying one requires strategic planning and proper execution. Here some are things to keep in mind when you are about to tackle a boss: Your Mana Supply Unlike all previous encounters, the moment your tank pulls the boss, you stay in combat for the duration of the fight. This means that while Feigning Death can still save your life, drinking is not an option. Use your Auto/Arcane/ Steady Shot combo while refraining from wasting mana on costly abilities such as Multi-Shot and Aimed Shot. Blessing of Wisdom is an absolute must. Keep an ample supply of mana potions on hand, and know when to use them. Switch to Aspect of the Viper when you’re running low on mana and can’t drink another potion for some time. Your Aggro Gain Bosses move very quickly and hit very hard. Many bosses are immune to Taunt effects, which means that it is very hard to recover once a tank loses aggro. Even with Blessing of Salvation, you can cause a lot of threat, especially early on when the tank still has to build threat on himself. Omen is very helpful in keeping track of how close you are to getting the bosses attention. Be sure to Feign Death if you see yourself accumulating too much threat. -------------- Final Thoughts -------------- Above all else, be patient. It takes time for a team to learn and adjust themselves to each encounter in a dungeon. Until your team fully understands how to handle each pull, the learning process can be frustrating and expensive. With enough practice and dedication, everything will fall into place. =============================================================================== ---------------------------[ X. Weapons & Armor ]------------------------------ =============================================================================== This chapter catalogs and highlights the game’s assortment of equipment, including the endgame armor sets and a plethora of weapons. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. PvE Armor Sets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Listed here are the game’s variety of dungeon-found armor sets. Many of their stats cater to the PvE aspect of the game, and are considered to be the game’s standard faire of gear to attain at level 70. You will find that unlike the original armor sets at level 60, the majority of these new sets feature only five pieces but there are bracers, belts, and boots whose graphics and stats match the rest of their sets. -------------------------------- Dungeon Set 3A: Beast Lord Armor -------------------------------- Beast Lord Cuirass Beast Lord Handguards Chest Hands 652 Armor 407 Armor +20 Agility +25 Agility +30 Stamina +12 Stamina +24 Intellect +17 Intellect [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Blue Socket [ ] Blue Socket SOCKET BONUS: +3 Hit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +4 Agility EQUIP: +34 Attack Power EQUIP: +40 Attack Power EQUIP: +4 Mana/5 Sec. Beast Lord Helm Beast Lord Leggings Head Legs 520 Armor 570 Armor +25 Agility +30 Agility +21 Stamina +25 Stamina +22 Intellect +19 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +52 Attack Power [ ] Meta Socket EQUIP: +7 Mana/5 Sec. SOCKET BONUS: +2 Mana/5 Sec. EQUIP: +50 Attack Power Beast Lord Mantle Girdle of Ferocity Shoulders Waist 489 Armor 399 Armor +25 Agility +27 Agility +12 Intellect +19 Stamina [ ] Yellow Socket +21 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +42 Attack Power SOCKET BONUS: +4 Stamina EQUIP: +13 Hit Rating EQUIP: +34 Attack Power EQUIP: +5 Mana/5 Sec. Boots of the Endless Hunt Bracers of the Hunt Feet Wrist 488 Armor 311 Armor +25 Agility +18 Agility +18 Stamina +15 Stamina +22 Intellect +16 Intellect EQUIP: +46 Attack Power EQUIP: +34 Attack Power EQUIP: +6 Mana/5 Sec. EQUIP: +4 Mana/5 Sec. SET BONUSES 2: Reduces the cooldown on your traps by 4 sec. 4: Each time you use your Kill Command ability, your attacks ignore 600 of your victim's armor for 15 sec. LOCATIONS BOSS DROPS The Mechanar Palatheon The Calculator Helm The Botanica Warpsplinter Chest The Steamvaults Warlord Kalithresh Shoulders, Legs Shattered Halls Warchief Kargath Bladefist Gloves Sethekk Halls (Heroic) Talon King Ikiss Bracers Shadow Labyrinth (Heroic) Murmur Belt The Botanica (Heroic) Warpsplinter Boots OVERVIEW This is your basic set armor for when you hit level 70. It has everything that you would need as a Hunter. Lots of red and blue sockets means plenty of room for basic stats such as Agility and Stamina, and the set bonuses are very good. This set is perfect for any talent build, and the pieces are easy to find. The only part of this set that is arguably underpowered is the leggings. The stats are perfectly well-rounded for a Hunter but the raw power that comes from this piece is a bit weaker than other leggings in the game. -------------------------------- Dungeon Set 3B: Desolation Armor -------------------------------- Hauberk of Desolation Gauntlets of Desolation Chest Hands 652 Armor 407 Armor +28 Stamina +25 Stamina +25 Intellect +16 Intellect [ ] Yellow Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Yellow Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket SOCKET BONUS: +3 Resilience SOCKET BONUS: +4 Crit Rating EQUIP: +17 Crit Rating EQUIP: +16 Crit Rating EQUIP: +32 Attack Power EQUIP: +50 Attack Power Helm of Desolation Greaves of Desolation Head Legs 530 Armor 570 Armor +21 Stamina +24 Stamina +25 Intellect +33 Intellect [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +12 Hit Rating [ ] Meta Socket EQUIP: +22 Crit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +4 Hit Rating EQUIP: +66 Attack Power EQUIP: +14 Crit Rating EQUIP: +66 Attack Power Pauldrons of Desolation Girdle of the Blasted Reaches Shoulders Waist 489 Armor 367 Armor +25 Agility +16 Agility +16 Stamina +22 Stamina +19 Intellect +20 Intellect [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket SOCKET BONUS: +3 Hit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +3 Intellect EQUIP: +17 Hit Rating EQUIP: +30 Attack Power Outland Striders Feet 448 Armor +18 Stamina +24 Intellect EQUIP: +21 Crit Rating EQUIP: +50 Attack Power SET BONUSES 2: Increases your hit rating by 35. 4: Your attacks have a chance to grant you 160 attack power for 15 sec. LOCATIONS BOSS DROPS The Black Morass Aeonus Helm Old Hillsbrad (Heroic) The Epoch Hunter Chest The Slave Pens (Heroic) Quagmirran Shoulders Shattered Halls Warchief Kargath Bladefist Gloves Sethekk Halls Talon King Ikiss Legs Hellfire Ramparts (Heroic) Omor The Unscarred Belt The Arcatraz Zereketh The Unbound Boots OVERVIEW This is the alternative to Beast Lord Armor, and is actually a golden recolor of the set. Personally, I am not a fan of Desolation. The stats are fitting for Hunters but some of the set pieces are very hard to get. Not only do you need to run through heroic dungeons for your chest and shoulders, you must also compete with Enhancement Shamans for them. The low Agility also makes it unviable for Survivalists. Another big letdown is the fact that the four-piece set bonus does not trigger off of ranged attacks, and you will never swing your melee weapons enough to make it worthwhile. In the way of boots, belt, and bracers, I didn’t find any matching bracers that go with the set, though I did find a belt and boots whose graphics matches the set perfectly. --------------------------- Tier-4: Demon Stalker Armor --------------------------- Demon Stalker Harness Demon Stalker Gauntlets Chest Hands 846 Armor 528 Armor +26 Agility +28 Agility +24 Stamina +24 Stamina +35 Intellect +24 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +58 Attack Power [ ] Blue Socket EQUIP: +6 Mana/5 Sec. [ ] Blue Socket SOCKET BONUS: +8 Attack Power EQUIP: +70 Attack Power EQUIP: +6 Mana/5 Sec. Demon Stalker Greathelm Demon Stalker Greaves Head Legs 687 Armor 651 Armor +35 Agility +40 Agility +28 Stamina +30 Stamina +27 Intellect +30 Intellect [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +15 Hit Rating [ ] Meta Socket EQUIP: +82 Attack Power SOCKET BONUS: +4 Agility EQUIP: +66 Attack Power Demon Stalker Shoulderguards Girdle of the Prowler Shoulders Waist 558 Armor 457 Armor +23 Stamina +25 Agility +23 Intellect +21 Stamina [ ] Red Socket +22 Intellect [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +17 Hit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +3 Intellect EQUIP: +48 Attack Power EQUIP: +19 Crit Rating EQUIP: +6 Mana/5 Sec. EQUIP: +44 Attack Power EQUIP: +5 Mana/5 Sec. Fiend Slayer Boots Stalker’s War Bands Feet Wrist 588 Armor 355 Armor +26 Agility +21 Agility +24 Stamina +18 Stamina +16 Intellect +17 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +44 Attack Power [ ] Blue Socket SOCKET BONUS: +3 Agility EQUIP: +17 Hit Rating EQUIP: +34 Attack Power SET BONUSES 2: Reduces the chance your Feign Death ability will be resisted by 5%. 4: Reduces the mana cost of your Multi-Shot ability by 10%. LOCATIONS BOSS DROPS Karazhan Prince Malchezaar Helm Karazhan Attumen The Huntsman Bracers Karazhan The Curator Gloves Karazhan Terestian Illhoof Belt Karazhan Gameroom Chest Reward Boots Gruul’s Lair High King Maulgar Shoulders Gruul’s Lair Gruul the Dragonkiller Legs Magtheridon’s Lair Magtheridon Chest OVERVIEW Unlike its predecessors, the Demon Stalker set features no magic resistances in favor of having more of the stats that you need such as Agility, Stamina, and Intellect. The mana ticks on this set give you some much-needed sustaining power for the more advanced raid dungeons. Despite being an epic set, some of its pieces have been the target of scrutiny from the Hunter community. The gloves have received negative feedback due to the fact that the Beast Lord Handguards can yield a bit more firepower when properly gemmed. The shoulder piece in this set is also arguably weaker than the more easily acquirable Beastmaw Pauldrons, which has a more well-rounded set of stats. Regardless, the set is an overall upgrade over Beast Lord, and the stats are vital for anyone seeking to attempt Serpentshrine Cavern or Tempest Keep. -------------------------- Tier-5: Rift Stalker Armor -------------------------- Rift Stalker Hauberk Rift Stalker Gauntlets Chest Hands 934 Armor 583 Armor +40 Agility +34 Agility +40 Stamina +29 Stamina +19 Intellect +20 Intellect [ ] Blue Socket EQUIP: +19 Hit Rating [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +68 Attack Power [ ] Yellow Socket SOCKET BONUS: +4 Agility EQUIP: +80 Attack Power EQUIP: +7 Mana/5 Sec. Rift Stalker Helm Rift Stalker Leggings Head Legs 759 Armor 817 Armor +40 Agility +40 Agility +36 Stamina +39 Stamina +25 Intellect +26 Intellect [ ] Yellow Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Meta Socket SOCKET BONUS: +2 Crit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +6 Stamina EQUIP: +18 Hit Rating EQUIP: +82 Attack Power EQUIP: +92 Attack Power EQUIP: +10 Mana/5 Sec. EQUIP: +7 Mana/5 Sec. Rift Stalker Mantle Belt of the Black Eagle Shoulders Waist 700 Armor 506 Armor +26 Agility +17 Agility +26 Stamina +20 Stamina +24 Intellect +23 Intellect [ ] Red Socket [ ] Blue Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Yellow Socket SOCKET BONUS: +4 Stamina SOCKET BONUS: +3 Agility EQUIP: +13 Hit Rating EQUIP: +17 Crit Rating EQUIP: +52 Attack Power EQUIP: +66 Attack Power Cobra-Lash Boots Bands of the Celestial Archer Feet Wrist 665 Armor 394 Armor +33 Agility +17 Agility +25 Stamina +24 Intellect +25 Intellect EQUIP: +17 Crit Rating [ ] Blue Socket EQUIP: +48 Attack Power [ ] Red Socket SOCKET BONUS: +3 Agility EQUIP: +66 Attack Power SET BONUSES 2: Your pet's attacks have a chance to heal your pet for 172 to 198. 4: Your Steady Shot ability has 5% increased critical strike chance. LOCATIONS BOSS DROPS Serpentshrine Cavern Lady Vashj Helm Serpentshrine Cavern Lady Vashj Boots Serpentshrine Cavern Leotheras the Blind Gloves Serpentshrine Cavern Fathom-Lord Krathress Legs Tempest Keep Trash Mobs Bracers Tempest Keep Void Reaver Shoulders Tempest Keep Kael’thas Chest OVERVIEW Once you step foot into the two major 25-man raid dungeons, you are treated to the Rift Stalker set. Unlike the jump from Beast Lord to Demon Stalker, the jump to Tier-5 feels like an assured upgrade. The bosses from which each piece drops are difficult, especially Vashj and Kael’thas, but are doable with a well-coordinated raiding team. It is also interesting to note that Void Reaver is surprisingly very easy. In fact, it is easier than many of the Tier-4 bosses. The Cobra-Lash Boots are not the only boots with a matching set graphic. The Star-Strider Boots from High Astromancer Solarian in Tempest Keep share the exact same graphic. Both are more or less equal to one another. ---------------------------- Tier-6: Gronnstalker’s Armor ---------------------------- Gronnstalker’s Chestguard Gronnstalker’s Gloves Chest Hands 1022 Armor 639 Armor +40 Agility +35 Agility +52 Stamina +31 Stamina +37 Intellect +21 Intellect [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Yellow Socket SOCKET BONUS: +2 Crit Rating [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +13 Crit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +4 Agility EQUIP: +62 Attack Power EQUIP: +19 Crit Rating EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 140 of EQUIP: +90 Attack Power your opponent’s armor. Gronnstalker’s Helmet Gronnstalker’s Leggings Head Legs 830 Armor 894 Armor +45 Agility +37 Agility +45 Stamina +43 Stamina +29 Intellect +28 Intellect [ ] Red Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Meta Socket [ ] Blue Socket SOCKET BONUS: +4 Crit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +2 Agility EQUIP: +90 Attack Power EQUIP: +19 Crit Rating EQUIP: +8 Mana/5 Sec. EQUIP: +106 Attack Power EQUIP: +11 Mana/5 Sec. Gronnstalker’s Spaulders Gronnstalker’s Belt Shoulders Waist 766 Armor 556 Armor +34 Agility +29 Agility +39 Stamina +36 Stamina +17 Intellect +17 Intellect [ ] Yellow Socket [ ] Red Socket [ ] Blue Socket SOCKET BONUS: +2 Crit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +3 Crit Rating EQUIP: +25 Crit Rating EQUIP: +68 Attack Power EQUIP: +86 Attack Power EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 126 of EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 140 of your opponent’s armor. your opponent’s armor. Gronnstalker’s Boots Gronnstalker’s Bracers Feet Wrist 679 Armor 432 Armor +30 Agility +23 Agility +30 Stamina +25 Stamina +21 Intellect +16 Intellect [ ] Yellow Socket [ ] Red Socket SOCKET BONUS: +2 Agility SOCKET BONUS: +2 Agility EQUIP: +28 Crit Rating EQUIP: +22 Haste Rating EQUIP: +86 Attack Power EQUIP: +64 Attack Power EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 98 of your opponent’s armor. SET BONUSES 2: Increases the mana you gain from your Aspect of the Viper by an additional 5% of your Intellect. 4: Increases the damage dealt by your Steady Shot ability by 10%. LOCATIONS BOSS DROPS Battle of Mount Hyjal Archimonde Helm Battle of Mount Hyjal Azgalor Gloves Black Temple Illidari Council Legs Black Temple Mother Shahraz Shoulders Black Temple Illidan Stormrage Chest Sunwell Plateau Brutallus Belt Sunwell Plateau Felmyst Boots Sunwell Plateau Kalecgos Bracers OVERVIEW This set is the crème of the crop. Loaded with lots of the stats you need, plus some armor mitigation, this set at level 70 is very powerful but also very difficult to acquire. The pieces of this set are scattered across three different instances, all of which are challenging to the unprepared. It is interesting to note that this is the only true eight-piece set at level 70, a trend that has not been seen since the days of old, though the set bonuses remain unchanged. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b. PvP Armor Sets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the game’s collection of PvP armor sets, which are vastly different from their PvE counterparts. Graphically, they are simply color variants of their respective tiers but stats-wise, they are designed to give you more staying power against other players. Unlike PvE gear, which are mainly found in dungeons, PvP gear must be acquired by accumulating Arena Points and Honor Points in Arena Matches and Battlegrounds. Note that although these are four entirely different sets of armor, they are interchangeable, allowing you to keep your set bonuses as you upgrade from one set to the next. ---------------------------------------- PvP Rare Set: Stalker’s Chain Battlegear ---------------------------------------- Stalker’s Chain Armor Stalker’s Chain Gauntlets Chest Hands 652 Armor 407 Armor +42 Stamina +31 Stamina +20 Agility +21 Agility +15 Intellect +6 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +11 Crit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +14 Resilience [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +20 Attack Power SOCKET BONUS: +4 Crit Rating EQUIP: +5 Multi-Shot Damage EQUIP: +12 Crit Rating EQUIP: +16 Resilience EQUIP: +12 Attack Power Stalker’s Chain Helm Stalker’s Chain Leggings Head Legs 530 Armor 570 Armor +30 Stamina +42 Stamina +20 Agility +28 Agility +14 Intellect +8 Intellect [ ] Meta Socket EQUIP: +14 Crit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +25 Resilience SOCKET BONUS: +4 Resilience EQUIP: +28 Attack Power EQUIP: +14 Crit Rating EQUIP: +15 Resilience EQUIP: +28 Attack Power Stalker’s Chain Spaulders Shoulders 489 Armor +31 Stamina +14 Agility +4 Intellect [ ] Red Socket [ ] Yellow Socket SOCKET BONUS: +3 Resilience EQUIP: +17 Crit Rating EQUIP: +16 Resilience EQUIP: +22 Attack Power SET BONUSES 2: +35 Resilience. 4: Reduces the cooldown of your Multi-Shot by 1 sec. FACTION REPUTATION PIECE Honor Hold/Thrallmar Honored Gloves Cenarion Expedition Revered Legs The Sha’tar Honored Shoulders Lower City Revered Helm Keepers of Time Revered Chest OVERVIEW This entry-level armor set may not have the Resilience that Season 1 has but it is a good place to start for players who have just turned 70 and are looking forward to more PvP action. In terms of item level, it is roughly the same as the Beast Lord set, though Intellect and Attack Power is reduced in exchange for Resilience and Crit Rating. Note that this set can be acquired from the various reputation vendors throughout Outland and in the Caverns of Time. --------------------------------------------- PvP Set - Arena Season 1: Gladiator’s Pursuit --------------------------------------------- Gladiator’s Chain Armor Gladiator’s Chain Gauntlets Chest Hands 812 Armor 486 Armor +21 Agility +24 Agility +48 Stamina +36 Stamina +15 Intellect +8 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +12 Crit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +17 Resilience [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +24 Attack Power SOCKET BONUS: +4 Crit Rating EQUIP: +5% Multi-Shot Damage EQUIP: +16 Crit Rating EQUIP: +16 Resilience EQUIP: +20 Attack Power Gladiator’s Chain Helm Gladiator’s Chain Leggings Head Legs 632 Armor 681 Armor +30 Agility +32 Agility +44 Stamina +48 Stamina +15 Intellect +10 Intellect [ ] Meta Socket EQUIP: +16 Crit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +24 Resilience SOCKET BONUS: +2 Resilience EQUIP: +34 Attack Power EQUIP: +15 Crit Rating EQUIP: +16 Resilience EQUIP: +30 Attack Power Gladiator’s Chain Spaulders Shoulders 583 Armor +24 Agility +36 Stamina +6 Intellect [ ] Red Socket [ ] Yellow Socket SOCKET BONUS: +3 Resilience EQUIP: +7 Crit Rating EQUIP: +7 Resilience EQUIP: +14 Attack Power SET BONUSES 2: +35 Resilience. 4: Reduces the cooldown of your Multi-Shot by 1 sec. OVERVIEW As a counterpart to Demon Stalker, the stats on the Gladiator’s Pursuit set are geared towards PvP. In exchange for less Intellect and Attack Power, this set offers more Armor, Stamina, Crit Rating, and Resilience. This gives you greater survivability against other players. Compared to their PvE equivalents, the total net Attack Power may seem rather low but the more frequent critical strikes themselves will make up for that. Due to the low amounts of Intellect and mana ticks, this set is not as viable as Demon Stalker for raid instances. Note that this set is only available through Karynna , and must be purchased with Tier-4 item tokens. The Marshal/General pieces that matched this set have been discontinued. ------------------------------------------------------- PvP Set - Arena Season 2: Merciless Gladiator’s Pursuit ------------------------------------------------------- Merciless Gladiator’s Chain Armor Merciless Gladiator’s Chain Gauntlets Chest Hands 954 Armor 596 Armor +31 Agility +30 Agility +57 Stamina +48 Stamina +17 Intellect +13 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +17 Crit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +21 Resilience [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +34 Attack Power SOCKET BONUS: +4 Crit Rating EQUIP: +5% Multi-Shot Damage EQUIP: +21 Crit Rating EQUIP: +21 Resilience EQUIP: +32 Attack Power Merciless Gladiator’s Chain Helm Merciless Gladiator’s Chain Leggings Head Legs 775 Armor 835 Armor +37 Agility +38 Agility +55 Stamina +58 Stamina +19 Intellect +15 Intellect [ ] Meta Socket EQUIP: +21 Crit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +33 Resilience SOCKET BONUS: +4 Resilience EQUIP: +52 Attack Power EQUIP: +22 Crit Rating EQUIP: +22 Resilience EQUIP: +50 Attack Power Merciless Gladiator’s Chain Spaulders Veteran’s Chain Girdle Shoulders Waist 715 Armor 537 Armor +32 Agility +30 Agility +45 Stamina +45 Stamina +10 Intellect +20 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +16 Crit Rating [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +21 Resilience SOCKET BONUS: +3 Resilience EQUIP: +32 Attack Power EQUIP: +14 Crit Rating EQUIP: +21 Resilience EQUIP: +24 Attack Power Veteran’s Chain Sabatons Veteran’s Chain Bracers Feet Wrist 656 Armor 388 Armor +30 Agility +20 Agility +45 Stamina +29 Stamina +20 Intellect +10 Intellect EQUIP: +16 Crit Rating [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +21 Resilience EQUIP: +8 Crit Rating EQUIP: +32 Attack Power EQUIP: +13 Resilience EQUIP: +18 Attack Power SET BONUSES 2: +35 Resilience 4: Reduces the cooldown of your Multi-Shot by 1 sec. OVERVIEW For Season 2, it’s more of the same stat distribution as Season 1, including a bit more Resilience. Note that while the main set pieces can be purchased with Honor, the matching Veteran’s pieces must be purchased with Badges of Justice from Kayri at Quel’Danas. ------------------------------------------------------ PvP Set - Arena Season 3: Vengeful Gladiator’s Pursuit ------------------------------------------------------ Vengeful Gladiator’s Chain Armor Vengeful Gladiator’s Chain Gauntlets Chest Hands 1022 Armor 639 Armor +27 Agility +33 Agility +63 Stamina +52 Stamina +21 Intellect +15 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +19 Crit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +21 Resilience [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +40 Attack Power SOCKET BONUS: +4 Crit Rating EQUIP: +5% Multi-Shot Damage EQUIP: +12 Hit Rating EQUIP: +25 Crit Rating EQUIP: +21 Resilience EQUIP: +38 Attack Power EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 84 of your opponent’s armor. Vengeful Gladiator’s Chain Helm Vengeful Gladiator’s Chain Leggings Head Legs 830 Armor 894 Armor +33 Agility +34 Agility +61 Stamina +64 Stamina +22 Intellect +18 Intellect [ ] Meta Socket EQUIP: +12 Hit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +25 Crit Rating SOCKET BONUS: +4 Resilience EQUIP: +33 Resilience EQUIP: +12 Hit Rating EQUIP: +60 Attack Power EQUIP: +26 Crit Rating EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 84 of EQUIP: +22 Resilience your opponent’s armor. EQUIP: +58 Attack Power EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 84 of your opponent’s armor. Vengeful Gladiator’s Chain Spaulders Vindicator’s Chain Girdle Shoulders Waist 766 Armor 575 Armor +35 Agility +33 Agility +49 Stamina +48 Stamina +12 Intellect +23 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +18 Crit Rating [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +21 Resilience SOCKET BONUS: +3 Resilience EQUIP: +38 Attack Power EQUIP: +16 Crit Rating EQUIP: +21 Resilience EQUIP: +30 Attack Power Vindicator’s Chain Sabatons Vindicator’s Chain Bracers Feet Wrist 702 Armor 432 Armor +33 Agility +23 Agility +48 Stamina +33 Stamina +23 Intellect +13 Intellect EQUIP: +18 Crit Rating [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +21 Resilience SOCKET BONUS: +2 Resilience EQUIP: +38 Attack Power EQUIP: +11 Crit Rating EQUIP: +13 Resilience EQUIP: +24 Attack Power SET BONUSES 2: +35 Resilience 4: Reduces the cooldown of your Multi-Shot by 1 sec. OVERVIEW When you look at the numbers, Season 3 does not appear to be a very big upgrade from the previous Season, but note the 252 armor mitigation in this set, and the addition of Hit Rating. This makes up for the seemingly meager jump in stats from Season 2, though note that there is no increase in Resilience. ---------------------------------------------------- PvP Set - Arena Season 4: Brutal Gladiator’s Pursuit ---------------------------------------------------- Brutal Gladiator’s Chain Armor Brutal Gladiator’s Chain Gauntlets Chest Hands 1110 Armor 694 Armor +32 Agility +37 Agility +70 Stamina +56 Stamina +25 Intellect +19 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +23 Crit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +21 Resilience [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +48 Attack Power SOCKET BONUS: +4 Crit Rating EQUIP: +5% Multi-Shot Damage EQUIP: +16 Hit Rating EQUIP: +29 Crit Rating EQUIP: +21 Resilience EQUIP: +46 Attack Power EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 84 of your opponent’s armor. Brutal Gladiator’s Chain Helm Brutal Gladiator’s Chain Leggings Head Legs 902 Armor 971 Armor +37 Agility +38 Agility +67 Stamina +70 Stamina +27 Intellect +23 Intellect [ ] Meta Socket EQUIP: +17 Hit Rating [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +29 Crit Rating EQUIP: +17 Hit Rating EQUIP: +33 Resilience EQUIP: +30 Crit Rating EQUIP: +68 Attack Power EQUIP: +22 Resilience EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 84 of EQUIP: +66 Attack Power your opponent’s armor. EQUIP: Your attacks ignore 84 of your opponent’s armor. Brutal Gladiator’s Chain Spaulders Guardian’s Chain Girdle Shoulders Waist 832 Armor 624 Armor +39 Agility +37 Agility +53 Stamina +52 Stamina +16 Intellect +27 Intellect [ ] Red Socket EQUIP: +22 Crit Rating [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +21 Resilience SOCKET BONUS: +3 Resilience EQUIP: +46 Attack Power EQUIP: +20 Crit Rating EQUIP: +21 Resilience EQUIP: +38 Attack Power Guardian’s Chain Sabatons Guardian’s Chain Bracers Feet Wrist 763 Armor 471 Armor +37 Agility +26 Agility +52 Stamina +36 Stamina +27 Intellect +15 Intellect EQUIP: +22 Crit Rating [ ] Yellow Socket EQUIP: +21 Resilience SOCKET BONUS: +2 Resilience EQUIP: +46 Attack Power EQUIP: +14 Crit Rating EQUIP: +13 Resilience EQUIP: +30 Attack Power SET BONUSES 2: +35 Resilience 4: Reduces the cooldown of your Multi-Shot by 1 sec. OVERVIEW This is as good as it gets before entering Wrath of the Lich King. While the total Resilience and socket bonuses remain unchanged, you get a little more of everything when upgrading from Season 3. Some Agility here, a bunch more Stamina there. You get the idea. SLOT RATING The only catch to all of this is that nearly every Belt none piece in Season 4 has an Arena team rating requirement, Gloves none including the pieces that are bought with Honor. Legs 1550 Here are the ratings needed for each item: Bracers 1575 Chest 1600 Boots 1700 Helm 1700 Shoulders 2200 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c. Uncommon Ranged Weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An Asterisk (*) after the Level Requirement indicates additional stats that are not listed here. Note that many of these will feature suffixed bonuses when found in-game. ============================================================================ | UNCOMMON GUNS | BASE | SPEED | DPS | LV.REQ | ============================================================================ | Rough Boomstick | 10-19 | 2.30 | 6.3 | 5 | | Compact Shotgun | 11-21 | 2.00 | 8.0 | 8 | | Hunter’s Muzzle Loader | 13-25 | 1.80 | 10.6 | 14 | | Deadly Blunderbuss | 21-31 | 2.60 | 11.5 | 16 | | Lovingly Crafted Boomstick | 16-31 | 1.80 | 13.1 | 19 | | Silver-Plated Shotgun | 27-50 | 2.70 | 15.3 | 21 | | Moonsight Rifle | 19-35 | 1.70 | 15.9 | 24 | | “Mage-Eye” Blunderbuss | 33-62 | 2.80 | 17.0 | 26 | | BKP “Sparrow” Smallbore | 21-40 | 1.70 | 17.9 | 28 | | Explosive Shotgun | 30-56 | 2.10 | 20.5 | 32 | | Smoothbore Gun | 38-72 | 2.50 | 22.0 | 34 | | Mithril Blunderbuss | 48-90 | 2.90 | 23.8 | 36* | | Mithril Heavy-Bore Rifle | 53-99 | 2.90 | 26.2 | 39* | | Sniper Rifle | 72-85 | 3.00 | 26.2 | 39 | | Richochet Blunderbuss | 46-87 | 2.30 | 28.9 | 43 | | Percussion Shotgun | 48-91 | 2.30 | 30.2 | 45 | | Thorium Rifle | 55-102 | 2.50 | 31.4 | 47* | | Burnside Rifle | 59-111 | 2.50 | 34.0 | 51 | | Unsophisticated Hand Cannon | 63-118 | 2.50 | 36.2 | 55* | | Sharpshooter Harquebus | 56-104 | 2.20 | 36.4 | 55 | | Lead-Slug Shotgun | 84-156 | 2.70 | 44.4 | 57 | | Longbeard Rifle | 86-160 | 2.70 | 45.6 | 58 | | Gnomish Assault Rifle | 88-164 | 2.70 | 46.7 | 59 | | Croc-Hunter’s Rifle | 90-168 | 2.70 | 47.8 | 60 | | PC-54 Shotgun | 91-171 | 2.70 | 48.5 | 61 | | Sawed-Off Shotgun | 93-173 | 2.70 | 49.3 | 62 | | Fel Iron Musket | 99-185 | 2.80 | 50.7 | 63* | | Cliffjumper Shotgun | 96-179 | 2.70 | 50.9 | 63 | | Dragonbreath Musket | 99-184 | 2.70 | 52.4 | 64 | | Tauren Runed Musket | 102-190 | 2.70 | 54.1 | 65 | | Sporting Rifle | 104-195 | 2.70 | 55.4 | 66 | | Nesingwary Longrifle | 107-200 | 2.70 | 56.9 | 67 | | Sen’jin Longrifle | 110-206 | 2.70 | 58.5 | 68 | | Game Hunter Musket | 113-211 | 2.70 | 60.0 | 69 | | Adamantite Rifle | 126-234 | 3.00 | 60.0 | 69* | | Big-Boar Battle Rifle | 115-215 | 2.70 | 61.1 | 70 | ============================================================================ ============================================================================ | UNCOMMON GUNS | BASE | SPEED | DPS | LV.REQ | ============================================================================ | Hunting Bow | 12-24 | 2.60 | 6.9 | 6 | | Heavy Shortbow | 15-29 | 2.50 | 8.8 | 10 | | Fine Shortbow | 20-37 | 1.70 | 10.6 | 11 | | Light Bow | 13-26 | 1.70 | 11.5 | 16 | | Short Ash Bow | 16-31 | 1.90 | 12.4 | 18 | | Naga Heartpiercer | 18-34 | 1.80 | 14.4 | 21 | | Precision Bow | 27-51 | 2.60 | 15.0 | 22 | | Long Battle Bow | 24-46 | 2.20 | 15.9 | 24 | | Archer’s Longbow | 31-59 | 2.60 | 17.3 | 27 | | Ravenwood Bow | 23-43 | 1.90 | 17.4 | 27 | | Study Recurve | 27-50 | 2.20 | 17.5 | 27 | | Whipwood Recurve Bow | 23-44 | 1.80 | 18.6 | 29 | | Dense Shortbow | 25-47 | 1.90 | 18.9 | 30 | | Long Redwood Bow | 37-70 | 2.80 | 19.1 | 30 | | Trueshot Bow | 31-59 | 1.90 | 23.7 | 36 | | Crusader Bow | 41-77 | 2.20 | 26.8 | 40 | | Massive Longbow | 55-104 | 2.80 | 28.4 | 42 | | Sylvan Shortbow | 41-77 | 2.00 | 29.5 | 44 | | Harpy Needler | 58-108 | 2.70 | 30.7 | 46 | | Siege Bow | 62-117 | 2.80 | 32.0 | 48 | | Quillfire Bow | 53-100 | 2.30 | 33.3 | 50 | | Voone’s Twitchbow | 40-76 | 1.60 | 36.2 | 55 | | Ogre Toothpick Shooter | 80-80 | 2.20 | 36.4 | 55* | | Blasthorn Bow | 67-125 | 2.60 | 36.9 | 56 | | Azerothian Longbow | 84-156 | 2.70 | 44.4 | 57 | | Hawkeye Bow | 45-84 | 1.70 | 37.9 | 58 | | Ashenvale Longbow | 86-160 | 2.70 | 45.6 | 58 | | Telaari Longbow | 88-164 | 2.70 | 46.7 | 59 | | Archstrike Bow | 61-115 | 2.30 | 38.3 | 60 | | Windtalker Bow | 90-168 | 2.70 | 47.8 | 60 | | Viper Bow | 91-171 | 2.70 | 48.5 | 61 | | Razorsong Bow | 93-173 | 2.70 | 49.3 | 62 | | Thalassian Compound Bow | 96-179 | 2.70 | 50.9 | 63 | | Expert’s Bow | 99-184 | 2.70 | 52.4 | 64 | | Talbuk Hunting Bow | 102-190 | 2.70 | 54.1 | 65 | | Ranger’s Recurved Bow | 104-195 | 2.70 | 55.4 | 66 | | Rocslayer Longbow | 107-200 | 2.70 | 56.9 | 67 | | Orc Flatbow | 110-206 | 2.70 | 58.5 | 68 | | Windspear Longbow | 115-215 | 2.70 | 61.1 | 70 | ============================================================================ ============================================================================ | UNCOMMON CROSSBOWS | BASE | SPEED | DPS | LV.REQ | ============================================================================ | Steelarrow Crossbow | 40-61 | 3.40 | 14.9 | 22 | | Tower Crossbow | 84-156 | 2.70 | 44.4 | 57 | | Ram’s Head Crossbow | 86-160 | 2.70 | 45.6 | 58 | | Stronghold Crossbow | 88-164 | 2.70 | 46.7 | 59 | | Citadel Crossbow | 90-168 | 2.70 | 47.8 | 60 | | Repeater Crossbow | 91-171 | 2.70 | 48.5 | 61 | | Collapsible Crossbow | 93-173 | 2.70 | 49.3 | 62 | | Archer’s Crossbow | 96-179 | 2.70 | 50.9 | 63 | | Mighty Crossbow | 99-184 | 2.70 | 52.4 | 64 | | Battle Damaged Crossbow | 102-190 | 2.70 | 54.1 | 65 | | Assassins’ Silent Crossbow | 104-195 | 2.70 | 55.4 | 66 | | Pocket Ballista | 107-200 | 2.70 | 56.9 | 67 | | Barreled Crossbow | 110-206 | 2.70 | 58.5 | 68 | | Well-Balanced Crossbow | 113-211 | 2.70 | 60.0 | 69 | | Rampant Crossbow | 115-215 | 2.70 | 61.1 | 70 | ============================================================================ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- d. Rare Ranged Weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An Asterisk (*) after the Level Requirement indicates additional stats that are not listed here. ============================================================================ | RARE GUNS | BASE | SPEED | DPS | LV.REQ | ============================================================================ | Lil Timmy’s Peashooter | 26-48 | 2.60 | 14.2 | 16 | | Double-Barreled Shotgun | 27-52 | 2.30 | 17.2 | 22 | | Hi-Tech Supergun | 29-55 | 2.30 | 18.3 | 24 | | Chesterfall Musket | 34-64 | 2.30 | 21.3 | 28 | | Ironweaver | 40-75 | 2.60 | 22.1 | 29 | | Glass Shooter | 46-87 | 2.90 | 22.9 | 30 | | The Silencer | 55-103 | 2.80 | 28.2 | 37* | | Shadowforge Bushmaster | 58-109 | 2.90 | 28.8 | 38* | | Galgann’s Fireblaster | 56-106 | 2.60 | 31.2 | 42* | | Guttbuster | 62-116 | 2.70 | 33.0 | 45* | | Megashot Rifle | 41-77 | 1.70 | 34.7 | 48* | | Houndmaster’s Rifle | 56-104 | 2.30 | 34.8 | 48* | | Dark Iron Rifle | 68-127 | 2.70 | 36.1 | 50* | | Burstshot Harquebus | 67-125 | 2.60 | 36.9 | 51* | | Shell Launcher Shotgun | 61-114 | 2.30 | 38.0 | 53* | | Flawless Arcanite Rifle | 83-155 | 3.00 | 39.7 | 56* | | Willey’s Portable Howitzer | 80-150 | 2.90 | 39.7 | 56* | | Xorothian Firestick | 73-137 | 2.60 | 40.4 | 57* | | Crystal Slugthrower | 82-153 | 2.80 | 42.0 | 60* | | Silithid Husked Launcher | 86-160 | 2.80 | 43.9 | 60* | | Legion Blunderbuss | 110-205 | 3.00 | 52.5 | 61* | | The Gunblade | 112-210 | 2.80 | 57.5 | 65* | | Recoilless Rocket Ripper X-54 | 131-244 | 2.90 | 61.7 | 68* | | Felsteel Boomstick | 104-194 | 2.40 | 62.1 | 70* | | Wrathfire Hand Cannon | 90-168 | 2.00 | 64.5 | 70* | | Telescopic Sharprifle | 139-259 | 3.00 | 66.3 | 70* | | Ornate Khorium Rifle | 144-268 | 3.10 | 66.5 | 70* | ============================================================================ ============================================================================ | RARE BOWS | BASE | SPEED | DPS | LV.REQ | ============================================================================ | Venomstrike | 26-50 | 2.40 | 15.8 | 19* | | Ranger Bow | 30-57 | 2.70 | 16.1 | 20* | | Nightstalker Bow | 24-45 | 1.70 | 20.3 | 27* | | Harpyclaw Short Bow | 25-48 | 1.80 | 20.3 | 27* | | Quillshooter | 49-93 | 2.80 | 25.4 | 33* | | Skystriker Bow | 38-72 | 2.10 | 26.2 | 34* | | Monolithic Bow | 52-97 | 2.70 | 27.6 | 36* | | Stinging Bow | 45-85 | 2.10 | 31.0 | 42* | | Needle Threader | 43-81 | 2.00 | 31.0 | 42* | | Houndmaster’s Bow | 44-82 | 1.80 | 35.5 | 48* | | Gryphonwing Long Bow | 68-127 | 2.70 | 36.1 | 50* | | Satyr’s Bow | 64-119 | 2.40 | 38.1 | 53* | | Riphook | 59-111 | 2.20 | 38.6 | 54* | | Deep Strike Bow | 74-138 | 2.70 | 39.3 | 55* | | Screeching Bow | 90-90 | 2.30 | 39.1 | 55* | | Ancient Bone Bow | 78-145 | 2.80 | 39.8 | 56* | | Malgen’s Long Bow | 80-150 | 2.90 | 39.7 | 56* | | Eaglehorn Long Bow | 51-96 | 1.80 | 40.8 | 58* | | Hoodoo Hunting Bow | 86-160 | 2.80 | 43.9 | 60* | | Splintermark | 93-174 | 2.50 | 53.4 | 62* | | Ethereal Warp-Bow | 120-181 | 2.70 | 55.9 | 64* | | Skyfire Hawk-Bow | 108-202 | 2.40 | 64.6 | 68* | | Melmorta’s Twilight Longbow | 135-252 | 3.00 | 64.5 | 68* | | Starbolt Longbow | 130-242 | 2.80 | 66.4 | 70* | | Valanos’ Longbow | 130-242 | 2.80 | 66.4 | 70* | ============================================================================ ============================================================================ | RARE CROSSBOWS | BASE | SPEED | DPS | LV.REQ | ============================================================================ | Crystalpine Stinger | 46-69 | 2.80 | 20.5 | 27 | | Swiftwind | 43-65 | 2.00 | 27.0 | 35* | | Skull Splitting Crossbow | 66-99 | 2.60 | 31.7 | 43* | | Heartseeking Crossbow | 91-137 | 3.10 | 36.8 | 51* | | Blackcrow | 99-149 | 3.20 | 38.8 | 54* | | Carapace Spine Crossbow | 105-158 | 3.30 | 39.8 | 56* | | Stoneshatter | 93-141 | 2.90 | 40.3 | 57* | | Coilfang Needler | 124-187 | 2.90 | 53.6 | 62* | | Adamantine Repeater | 159-239 | 3.00 | 66.3 | 70* | | Emberhawk Crossbow | 159-239 | 3.00 | 66.3 | 70* | | Truestrike Crossbow | 138-207 | 2.60 | 66.3 | 70* | ============================================================================ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- e. Epic Ranged Weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An Asterisk (*) after the Level Requirement indicates additional stats that are not listed here. ============================================================================ | EPIC GUNS | BASE | SPEED | DPS | LV.REQ | ============================================================================ | Precisely Calibrate Boomstick | 48-56 | 1.50 | 34.7 | 43* | | Dwarven Hand Cannon | 83-155 | 2.90 | 41.0 | 53* | | The Purifier | 89-165 | 3.00 | 42.3 | 60* | | Core Marksman Rifle | 79-148 | 2.50 | 45.4 | 60* | | Gurubashi Dwarf Destroyer | 93-174 | 2.80 | 47.7 | 60* | | Blastershot Launcher | 89-167 | 2.60 | 49.2 | 60* | | Dragonbreath Hand Cannon | 104-194 | 2.80 | 53.2 | 60* | | Grand Marshal’s Hand Cannon | 129-195 | 2.90 | 55.9 | 60* | | High Warlord’s Street Sweeper | 129-195 | 2.90 | 55.9 | 60* | | Blessed Qiraji Musket | 103-192 | 2.60 | 56.7 | 60* | | Toxic Injector | 82-153 | 2.00 | 58.8 | 60* | | Larvae of the Great Worm | 123-229 | 3.00 | 58.7 | 60* | | Don Santos’ Famous Hunting Rifle | 136-253 | 2.70 | 72.0 | 70* | | Veteran’s Musket | 136-253 | 2.70 | 72.0 | 70* | | Wolfslayer Sniper Rifle | 139-259 | 2.70 | 73.7 | 70* | | Gyro-Balanced Khorium Destroyer | 148-275 | 2.80 | 75.5 | 70* | | Barrel-Blade Longrifle | 137-256 | 2.60 | 75.6 | 70* | | Arcanite Steam-Pistol | 171-319 | 2.90 | 84.5 | 70* | | Tuskbreaker | 175-326 | 2.90 | 86.4 | 70* | | Rifle of the Stoic Guardian | 120-224 | 1.90 | 90.5 | 70* | | Vengeful Gladiator’s Rifle | 223-336 | 3.00 | 93.2 | 70* | ============================================================================ ============================================================================ | EPIC BOWS | BASE | SPEED | DPS | LV.REQ | ============================================================================ | Bow of Searing Arrows | 58-109 | 2.70 | 30.9 | 37* | | Hurricane | 42-79 | 1.60 | 37.8 | 48* | | Mandokir’s Sting | 84-157 | 2.60 | 43.3 | 60* | | Bow of Taut Sinew | 73-137 | 2.20 | 47.7 | 60* | | Striker’s Mark | 84-158 | 2.50 | 48.4 | 60* | | Heartstriker | 97-180 | 2.60 | 53.3 | 60* | | Grand Marshal’s Bullseye | 80-121 | 1.80 | 55.8 | 60* | | High Warlord’s Recurve | 80-121 | 1.80 | 55.8 | 60* | | Huhuran’s Stinger | 105-196 | 2.70 | 55.7 | 60* | | Soulsting | 123-229 | 2.90 | 60.7 | 60* | | Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix | 157-292 | 2.90 | 77.4 | 70* | | Marksman’s Bow | 206-207 | 2.80 | 73.8 | 70* | | Wrathtide Longbow | 151-281 | 3.00 | 72.0 | 70* | | Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix | 169-314 | 2.90 | 83.3 | 70* | | Ancient Sin’dorei Longbow | 181-337 | 3.00 | 86.3 | 70* | | Serpent Spine Longbow | 214-321 | 3.00 | 89.2 | 70* | | Vengeful Gladiator’s Longbow | 223-336 | 3.00 | 93.2 | 70* | | Bristleblitz Striker | 201-374 | 3.00 | 95.8 | 70* | | Black Bow of the Betrayer | 201-374 | 3.00 | 95.8 | 70* | ============================================================================ ============================================================================ | EPIC CROSSBOWS | BASE | SPEED | DPS | LV.REQ | ============================================================================ | Polished Ironwood Crossbow | 124-186 | 3.10 | 50.0 | 60* | | Crossbow of Imminent Doom | 126-189 | 3.10 | 50.8 | 60* | | Ashjre’thul, Crossbow of Smiting | 149-225 | 3.40 | 55.0 | 60* | | Grand Marshal’s Repeater | 129-195 | 2.90 | 55.9 | 60* | | High Warlord’s Crossbow | 129-195 | 2.90 | 55.9 | 60* | | Steelhawk Crossbow | 144-269 | 2.80 | 73.8 | 70* | | Gladiator’s Heavy Crossbow | 202-304 | 3.20 | 79.1 | 70* | | Merc. Glad’s Crossbow of the Phoenix | 211-318 | 3.00 | 88.2 | 70* | | Legionkiller | 184-342 | 2.90 | 90.7 | 70* | | Crossbow of Relentless Strikes | 182-339 | 2.80 | 93.0 | 70* | | Vengeful Gladiator’s Heavy Crossbow | 223-336 | 3.00 | 93.2 | 70* | ============================================================================ As more content is released, more weapons will be added to these charts. =============================================================================== -----------------------------[ XI. Future Plans ]------------------------------ =============================================================================== More cleanup is in the works. =============================================================================== -----------------------------[ XII. Milestones ]------------------------------- =============================================================================== Many of today’s new players missed out on the many different changes that the game has gone through over the years, and the Hunter class of today is certainly not the same as it was in the game’s earlier years. This section stands as a reminder to all players of what the class went through since the time of the game’s initial release. -------- Lacerate -------- The 31-point Survival talent Wyvern Sting wasn’t always there. Before the Hunter talent review in Patch 1.7, an entirely different ability stood in its place: Lacerate. It was a melee bleed effect whose total damage was so incredibly poor that few could ever consider it to be more than just a joke. At Rank 3, it inflicted a miserable total of 133 damage for 95 mana. To add insult to injury, this was its total damage at level 60. ----------- Black Arrow ----------- Before the release of the game, the Hunter had an interesting ability in its arsenal of shots and stings. Known as the Black Arrow, it was basically a combination of Concussive Shot, Serpent Sting, and Viper Sting. This shot would slow the target's movement speed by 70% and cause 150 Shadow damage while draining 150 mana over 30 seconds. Although the spell never received additional Ranks, the ability was deemed too powerful and was removed from the game before its initial release. ------------------------------------------ Rhok’delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers ------------------------------------------ Hunters were once treated to an epic quest line, which began with the Ancient Petrified Leaf from Molten Core. You had to go kill four demons, all of which were disguised as humanoids. You had to fight each of them alone, without your pet to assist you. Your raid would also take you to Onyxia’s Lair in hopes of coming home with a Mature Black Dragon Sinew. Once you had gathered all of the materials, your final reward was an amazing epic bow. Today, you can still get your hands on the Leaf but finding a group that is willing to do Molten Core and Onyxia may not be an easy task. ---------------------- The Version 2.00 Patch ---------------------- On 12.05.06, Blizzard released a patch that would pave the way for their Burning Crusade expansion. This patch drastically changed Hunter mechanics, ultimately changing the way the class is played. So what was the game like before the big changes? Here’s how life once was: - 1 Agility = 2 Ranged Attack Power. You needed 56 Agility for 1% Crit. All of the old Hunter set armors had only Agility before this was changed. - Talent were limited to 31-point trees, ending with Spirit Bond, Trueshot Aura, and Lacerate. After the Hunter talent review, Bestial Wrath and Wyvern Sting took their place as last-tier talents. - Aimed Shot’s casting time used to be 3.0 seconds but always had a 6-second cooldown. It also wouldn’t reset the Auto-Shot timer so Hunters would use it over Arcane Shot. - Arcane Shot was pretty weak back in the day. It would cause base damage without the bonus from ranged attack power. - Viper Sting never had a cooldown, which meant that you could hit every caster you saw with it. - Scorpid Sting used to reduce Strength and Agility rather than Hit chance. - Pets were bland when the most they had were Growl, Cower, Bite, and Claw. Their Growl ability was also weak. It wouldn’t take more than a few shots to pull aggro off your pet. - Traps had a 15-second cooldown but could only be set out of combat. For the Double Trapping effect to work, a Hunter would have to Feign Death before he could plant the second trap. - Wyvern Sting couldn’t be used while in combat. - Ranged weapons were relatively weak back then. The great Rhok’delar was only 44.0 DPS before the 2.00 Patch upped it to 53.3. - Hit and Crit percentages were once stats, not just the result of Hit and Crit Ratings. When a weapon said +1% Crit, it was an absolute +1% Crit. ------------ The Deadzone ------------ For over two years after the game’s initial release, all Shots and Stings were limited to a 8-35 yard range. Melee range is roughly 5 yards. This left a troubling 3-yard area in which a Hunter could not cause any damage. This made Hunters easy prey for nearly every other class in the game, and this was especially bad in Arenas where an enemy could simply immobilize you and stand within your deadzone. Blizzard finally made the decision to close the gap in Patch 2.3 by increasing the minimum range of all Shots and Stings to 5 yards. While this has weakened the usefulness of some of the Survival tree’s talents, this was a welcome change for the Hunter community. =============================================================================== ------------------------------[ XIII. Credits ]-------------------------------- =============================================================================== I give thanks to the following people: CJayC (Jeff Veasey) - If it weren't for you and GameFAQs, I would never have had the opportunity to even consider writing this FAQ. Thanks Jeff Veasey. DJellybean (Dingo Jellybean) - It was you who came up with the style of borders that I use now for my FAQ's. Thanks Dingo! Aaron Wright - Thanks for providing me the formulas to how weapon speed affects a Hunter’s overall DPS. Samuel Meder - Thanks for notifying me of the Burning Crusade enchants. You, The Reader - I’ve received a lot of e-mail from you guys and I must say that I’m grateful for all of your feedback. Thank you for your support of my guide! A very special thanks to the kind and loving folks at ! Phoebus Nehalennia Lorillus Surion Rize Zelos Spook Jkealy Euripades Fuqua Graphico Ainvar Demodocus Joonho Flan Taiju Blowy Leith Masterofone Nickademus Ismaela Fuzukuraki Villar Boram Derjager Aachor Raithen Lennex Taelar Warbeard Minionite Trogdornator Barristan Ainvar Manthoray Darkdrizzt Davidmelech Riodon Kw Lelania (There’s a lot more but that’s all I can remember off the top of my head right now!) I also give thanks to the many fine folks who have hung up their tabards and have moved on to greener pastures. I hope you guys do well in wherever life takes you! END
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