STOP ALL DPS!!!

As a raider who blogs, there's a temptation to write lengthy boss strategies. A number of my friends specifically devote themselves to this cause. You won't see that here. Why not?

Dude, we point and shoot...then we shoot some more! We aren't bears, trees, locks, AoE or any of that shit. There's no secret strategy for hunters in this fight or that. We find a target and we kill it dead! Any general boss guide will tell you the basics of what you need to know.

There are, however, tidbits that improve this fight or that. There are specific questions that can be answered like: "How do I use my pet in the Lurker fight?" and "What kind of MD rotation should be used on Void Reaver?" So, from time to time, I'm going to list those tips.

Dealing With The "STOP ALL DPS" Call

On several fights, there will be moments when the raid leader calls for a dps stop. Everyone, including healers, must stop all threat generation immediately. This is usually because of add spawn or a boss aggro dump. You stop or you die. Heck, you stop or the whole raid could die.

Here are some tips to help you prepare for those moments.

• First off, don't use Serpent Sting in these fights. Personally, as a general rule, I don't use stings in boss fights. Don't worry if you disagree with me about their use in general. Just be careful about their use in fights with aggro dumps. You've got enough to worry about without timing their use.
• Use a macro button to recall your pet. You want your pet to live, hotkey it! Oh and obviously turn growl off! One of the hunters in my group takes this one step further and doesn't even teach his raid pet growl!
• Because sometimes FD is on cooldown, don't rely on it for the stop all dps call. You'd rather save it in case you come in too soon after the tank picks up the mob anyway. Instead, come up with something else to stop your rotation. Make sure it's something you can do fast and instinctively. I personally like to turn around fast and start hopping. I know, it looks silly, but it works. You can't shoot stuff that are behind you and most of your shots stop when moving. Once you've done your little turn on the catwalk, then you can click whatever buttons you need. Again, instinct is the key here. Redundancy is also important. That's why you saved FD in case you F'ed up the spin.