How do I hunter?

[dragonhawker]

I just reached 90 yesterday on my hunter -- first time I've ever gotten a hunter to max level! And since this is also the first time I've substantially played a hunter since Wrath, I realized that I basically have no idea what the class is capable of any more. Specifically, I only just realized that I have five pet slots, even as Marks (which I

Comments

[faerierhona]

If you want a bit of raid utility I recommend a Sporebat, ravager an dhyena. You could also look at a raptor and a wolf :-) If you use BM then definitely a corehound for the heroism77

[dragonhawker]

Are the triceratopses Beast Mastery only? Because I definitely have a soft spot for those, they were always my favorite dino.

[faerierhona]

I think so, yeah :-) Petopia is a really good site for it

[dragonhawker]

Yeah, but part of my problem is being overwhelmed by too many choices. And a lot of the 'special' hunter stuff seems like an immense headache to get.

Ooh, wolves and cats, Hunter classics :D Maybe I could get a kitty pet to match my Winterspring Frostsaber...

I think I'll stick with Ferocity for the DPS pets, then.

I never did understand Expertise :< but I'll go by what Noxxic says I guess.

[enveri]

Cunning is a pvp spec, so unless you're pvping, you'll want to use ferocity for dps.

If you are concerned about bringing the right buffs to LFR or 5 man dungeons- wolf, cat, hyena, ravager and a tanking pet are the standard lineup recommended.

Personally, I like using the glyph that has 5 copies of my current pet going for stampede. I'm told that my stabled pets will no longer growl, but not everyone believes that, and I don't want to give people an excuse to fuss at me.

I looked at your armory- you'll want to ditch the stamina enchants. (Don't bother with the expensive shoulder enchant right now- get the Lesser Tiger Inscription, it's cheaper) Ask MrRobot is really good about forging, gems and enchant suggestions. Don't worry about socket bonuses unless they give you agil. You will want to reforge your hit and expertise to 7.5

[enveri]

And to add- I've been told Noxxic isn't as good as Icy Veins, but... *shrug* They both seem to give the same advise, as near as I can tell.

[dragonhawker]

I've been using stampede in dungeons, and it comes out with a mix of my tanking and DPS pets, and I've never seen them pull off a tank once yet, so maybe they really did fix it!

I don't think I want a hyena or a ravager :( They're kind of ugly (yes, I'm shallow.) I haven't honestly been too fussed about bringing buffs to raids, since in 5 mans it usually doesn't matter and in 10 mans odds are good someone else will bring the buff.

[enveri]

It's purely personal preference. :D

If you don't want to, then absolutely don't! It's all about having fun. :)

[regen]

I prefer Icy Veins for general class info over Noxxic, but that's just my personal preference.

In terms of pets, the Petopia site lists all of the possible pet buffs. It doesn't hurt to have one of each in your stable and just swap as needed if you're soon group content. Honestly unless you're raiding you probably don't have to worry too much about buffs. I keep a cat and wolf on me, but many times I switch to other pets that I like appearance-wise even if they don't bring any helpful/unique buffs.

[dragonhawker]

One pet for every possible buff? Now I'm definitely feeling overwhelmed >_

[regen]

Like I said, min-maxing buffs isn't really necessary for casual play. Keep a couple "main" buff pets with you for LFD groups - stats, crit, and maybe attack speed - and then whatever else you want. Some pets don't provide buffs at all and instead use utility spells like sleep/disarm, but I still use them regularly because I like the way they look. XD

[jestana]

I'm the opposite. My first toon was a hunter. She was the first I got to 85 in Cata and first to 90 in MoP. Anyway, all specs can have five pets to call and 50 in the stable. Personally, I favor cats, but that's because I love cats. I agree with sleepyscribbles about using a wolf or cat in dungeons. I tend to try to make complete sets. When I got the blue dragonhawk mount, I decided to tame a matching dragonhawk and have my blue dragonhawk companion pet out. *sheepish* And I want the black panther mount from Zul'Gurub to go with my panther pet and companion. That's just me. As for exotic pets for your BM spec, definitely go for a corehound. There's a white one on Azuremyst that you have to kill for a quest, so it's sure to be there. A water strider is useful because it can cast water walking on you. Quilens have a battle rez that might help in a scenario if you end up in a group that doesn't have anyone who can rez (say with a warrior and a mage). A spirit beast might be helpful because they'll cast a heal on you if you're running low on health, but

[dragonhawker]

I have the water strider mount, so I think I'll pass on the WS pet. Maybe a blue dragonhawk pet though... (See my name, I mean, I love dragonhawks. :)

Ohh, a white corehound!! Do want!!! I'll be sure to get that one in my BM spec.

Quilens, hrm, that sounds pretty good... Any recommendations for pretty ones, or should I just pick up the nearest one handy?

Spirit pets always seemed like way too much hassle. ;-;

[jestana]

The blue dragonhawk is only in an instance (I think Sunwell). I ended up pulling some of the other mobs when I tamed mine and died, but I got the dragonhawk, so I was happy anyway.

The corehound is in the caves at the north end of the island. Look for the furbolgs grouped around the entrance.

Depends on personal preference. There's a hunter-only rare that pats around Vale of Eternal Blossoms that can spawn in four different colors: green, purple, blue, and red. Petopia has pictures of all the colors available and if you click on one you like, it'll list all the mobs with that skin and tell you where you can find them.

I lucked out with Loque'nahak on my human hunter and found one of the porcupines without really looking for it. Either way, it takes time and patience.

[dragonhawker]

I think I will go with a non-blue dragonhawk, if only because my character's color theme is more reddish and a blue one might clash. (AGAIN WITH THE SHALLOWNESS)