Email to a Friend Pt2

This is the continuation of my discussion with my friend about his hunter alt.

Pets

We've already had a lengthy discussion about pets. The key to pets is to find something you like. It's essential to know when to pause and learn key new abilities. Finding the right pet for you is also important. Here are the best final tips I can give you.

1) For BM's, DPS pets are superior to tank pets. However, armor is still good, especially for leveling. You've got to let your pet build threat. The best way to achieve this w/out MD's is by waiting. Armor in this case are good. That's why I think you'll really like the Boar for leveling. It's got the armor of a tank while still having dps potential thanks to Gore. The charge ability will allow it to build threat without taking damage. But wait, you're already sold on leveling a boar.

2) Keep your pet well fed until it's fully loyal. Keep your main pet fully trained and focus on it. I don't believe a smart hunter "plays" around with pets. The only time you should be without your pet is to train new abilities for your pet. The only time you should abandon all that hard work is when your pet lags behind and it's time to start a new main pet.

On Hunter in General

There is a simple reality that PBC & BC hunters are simply different beasts. There's shot rotation & then there's shot rotation. Until you get to level 63 (Steady Shot,) you've got no real work to do. Tricks and tactics are also iffy because a lot of key hunter abilities come as you level. FD dramatically changes the game for you. The beast within & kill command (66) dramatically change the game for you. When you get to high level you MUST use a combination of keyboard macro buttons and clicks. There are two "camps" on how to achieve this process. But it's moot since you're not even out of the starting area.

Steady vs Burst

Much like the Crit vs Hit camp in mage, there are two schools of thought. PvP'ers will tell you that crit is where it's at. For PvE, I'm telling you that steady time on target always wins. This is why I hate Aimed Shot. The burst of damage it puts out is not worth the aggro it generates, the mana it uses or the time it takes to cast. It's helpful for building threat on MD pulls & I have to cast it now that it has the debuff, otherwise you'd almost never see it on my damage table. Note: I'm making this statement as a BC Raider & not as a player leveling hunter.

Your Rotation

So, your move for now should basically be...

1) Mark Target (when you get it)
2) Send Boar in on Charge (1 sec stun w/ burst of damage on first pet swing)
3) Serpent Sting
4) Time Auto/Arcane - Any timer that shows you the autoshot will help. You do not need a uber-timer until you have Steady Shot, but you might like it since some also time abilities like stings.
5) Concussive shot if you steal aggro & then decide to either kill it or stop dps'ing in hopes that Potroast can pick it back up.

But wait, why not concuss early? Well, your call. Consider this: Not having an ability that proc's off of concussive (Steady does extra damage on stunned targets,) you're basically generating a burst of threat to slow the target (who's staying on your pet anyway.) Then it goes on cooldown. Now, let's say your 2nd arcane shot grabs aggro and your concuss is still on cooldown. Now, you're in melee.

Talents

Beast Master is generally 41/20/0. There's a lot of play in that. Look at my build and look at any talent guides. There's a ton of places to put your own individual spin on the build.

Endurance Training vs Thick Hide: The school of thought here is 5 points split between them any way you want.

Taking Bestial Swiftness, Improved Mend Pet, Animal Handler & Spirit Bond: In the "final analysis" a hunter gets 1 "free" talent point. Most Raiders put this point in Animal Handler to reduce miss chance. Most PvPers put this point in Bestial Swiftness. Your instinct may be to race to the refined points of a raid's build, but don't ignore the potential value of any/all of these abilities for leveling your alt. Improved Mend Pet gets rid of debuffs. Spirit Bond lets you go longer without stopping to eat/drink.

Note: The best level 70 farming build is to have Bestial Swiftness, Improved Mend Pet & Spirit Bond. Turn on Aspect of the Viper and you will go until you drop. No drinking, no eating, just farming.

P.S. Professions? Skinning & Leatherworking. Mining & Engineering is a distant second, but you can't track nodes & use Hunt-dar at the same time. So, skinning & leatherworking.