The Basics: Philosophy and Role?!

To Be or Not To Be...

That's the question. Very few people actually think about what a hunter is. They log onto World of Warcraft, roll a toon, and begin the mindless killing that will lead them to victory- or a big repair bill. Most people learn the ropes just by stumbling around; some are fortunate enough to have a friend guide them through the beginning. Still more are left to blindly feel out the class. It's not just about point and click- try to understand the class first!

The Hunter Philosophy

Hunters are the expression of humanoid dominance over nature, unlike their partners the druids. The hunter utilizes the forest and all its wealth for his benefit- from plant to beast and back. He tames a pet, takes on more of the wild aspects of life, but is never controlled by it. His mastery is over the physical domains of nature. The spiritual belongs to the druids. This is part of why demons and ghostly spirits aren't tameable as pets!

The Expected Role

Hunters are expected to perform two main roles while in a group: damage and control. While many players understand killing is important, they often neglect to understand that there is only so much damage they can do- and so much that their teammates can handle at once. A tank may ask the hunter to "trap the box", place a trap and lure the requested enemy to it. Be prepared to do as requested. It may not be doing damage, but chances are, that trap is keeping someone else from a swift death! At other times (such as High King) a hunter's Misdirect and pull timing is the difference between a good run and continual wipes. If you roll a hunter, you don't get to gripe about having to trap or misdirect- it actually is part of your job!

The Most Important Rule

The roles listed above are what any idiot is expected to be able to do. The more important part is staying alive! Too often, a hunter goes damage crazy and pulls an enemy off the tank. Thirty seconds later, the group wipes and it's the hunter's fault! Even if the group doesn't wipe, avoid giving the healer a heartattack- use Feign Death and get a threat meter like Omen to get the timing just right. When you hit about 90% of the tank's threat, feign. You may lose out on the dps meters, but you do more damage alive than dead.