Choosing the Right Melee Weapons

This is the first of my selected "reader questions" that I'm going to try and tackle.

A reader noted that all the "raiding" hunters he sees have big two-handed axes. He wanted to know if there were good weapons for double-wielding and if so, why he rarely saw them.

It's a great observation. And the answer is an emphatic YES, there are some phenomenal weapon combos out there that can help hunters excel. So, why don't you see us wielding more sword-dagger combs? Before I get to that. Let's look at some weapons.

First, what factors make a good melee weapon for a hunter? Let's look at a few appropriate epic choices:

First we have "standard" hunter fair...

Legacy drops from the Opera event in Karazhan and is my current melee weapon. It's got a little of most everything a hunter wants: Agility, Stamina, Attack Power and even some much needed MP5. The only things that could make it better would be extra crit & hit.

Now, a one-hander to consider...

Netherbane is a reward for killing Al'ar the Pheonix God in the Eye. It has a ton of Agility, Stamina & Attack Power to be combined with the right second weapon.

And for those of you who want epic quality, but aren't raiders, let's consider a faction reward.

Guile of Khoraazi is avaliable for those who have reached exalted with the Consortium. Yes, it's very "basic" epic fair, but it can really make a solid second weapon.

Finally, an example of things to not choose.

Heartrazor drops from Solarian in the eye. It's stats are deceptive. You see agility, stamina & attack power. Don't be fooled! The attack power bonus only works in melee. If you're doing enough melee to make this worthwhile, roll up a rogue because you're playing the wrong class! Watch for this stuff. Don't waste DKP, badges or gold on functions that don't work for hunters. (This goes for enchants too!)

OK, so we now see what works: agility, crit, hit, stamina & Mp5. We've also seen what to avoid: strength, abilities that only work in melee...OH and caster weapons!

There's actually a huge list of one-handed weapons that give us most, if not all, of the things in the first category. So, why do so many raiding hunters run around with Legacy? For me, it comes down to two key factors: competition & availability.

When Legacy dropped in my run, it was handed to me. There were no points, rolling, or loot council. It was me or disenchant. And that's the key. The only real competition for that item are other Hunters or the occasional Enhancement Shaman. On most other appropriate choices, I can have a ton of competition.

When Netherbane dropped the other night, all three hunters salivated, but one of our enhancement shaman practically fell out of her chair and screamed into vent. It was a perfect weapon for her. How could we compete with that?

When a really nice dagger drops, how can I justify asking for it when it would mean so much more for a rogue or shaman?

And in order to replace Legacy with two one-handers, I'm going to have to compete with the shaman, the rogues, dps warriors, and other hunters. And, to make it worth doing, I'm going to have to win not once but twice.

No matter how you do loot in your guild, this is not a win-win situation. Especially since I just want the freaking stats! I don't care what kind of dps the weapon does.

Yes, I know that was a long-winded answer to something I could have said in a paragraph or less. This was more fun. So, let me throw two questions out there.

What item do I most want as a replacement for Legacy?

Looking only at our current content (We've not reached Black Temple or Mount Hyjal yet,) my #1 choice is currently Trollbane. It's got solid agility, stamina & attack power. It beats Legacy because the gem slots enable me to customize based on my other gear.

Are there any two-weapon combos that would make me consider going for them?

Admittedly, based on the competition & time, I've not put a lot of thought into it. That said, I have a "fun" answer. I'd have to go with the two fist weapons from Al'ar: the Talon of the Phoenix & the Claw of the Phoenix.

Anyway, I hope this was helpful and informative. It was certainly fun to write. I know that all of my focus was on epic gear. Don't worry. There's a lot of good options to choose from while leveling. So before signing off on this post, here are a few tips to help with that.

- You never know when a new "perfect fit" weapon will turn up. Skill everything and try to keep them skilled up as much as possible. That way you can always equip that upgrade right away.

- Don't overlook Polearms. I used Grimlok's Charge for a very, very long time.

- Unless you're skilling that weapon, learn to avoid using it for more than a wing clip or a disengage attempt.

Now, go shoot something!