Hunters: Focus on the Horizon

Today we have our first post from a contributing author. Allow me to introduce Pyros, a seasoned hunter. Pyros sent along this write-up for the site. I hope you enjoy it, and remember if you would like to get involved it's as simple as sending me a well written essay. So let's see what Pyros has to say...

There are a lot of changes on the horizon for hunters. At least that is the post blizcon buzz. Blizzards track record for follow through with hunter changes is less than stellar, (WARE IS ME TRAP LAUNCHER??) but with the changes being discussed for Cataclysm there is a bit more reason to be optimistic this time around. Will we actually see the end of consumable ammo and mana? It is hard to believe that these ideas will be pushed back again. The timing for it is long overdue and Blizzard seems to have set the stage appropriately this go around with the upcoming expansion.

No one argues with the removal of consumable ammo. Well, no one but engineers. It just makes sense. Hunters really are one of the only classes that require a constant investment in craftable items to maintain top dps. But should mana go the way of the dodo? As someone who has played a hunter since day 1 (even longer if you count beta time) I believe so.

Mana as a resource was not the initial design for hunters. Hunters first showed in a beta build with focus. Alas, the mechanics of focus did not work well for the class. Rather than rework it Blizzard made them mana based and shipped the game that way. I don’t have an inside track to Blizzard, but my guess is that it was the easiest way for them to get the game out the door. Hunters were added in so late into the beta process that they really never got the kind of testing other classes did. Blizzard could have gone the way of the Rogue or the way of the Mage, but I am guessing they bolted on an existing resource mechanic since they did not have time to iron out a unique resource for hunters.

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of the class and the world that was tied to that hunter/mana system. Changing it was not just a mater of replacing the resource and calling it a day. A change like that is going to involve changes to existing skills, abilities, talents, gear itemization, boss encounters, and probably a host of other things that the average player just does not consider. Each patch that provided work arounds for hunter issues also provided more elements that would need to be changed if they were to scrap mana as a resource. It was a low priority change with too many long reaching ramifications to make good sense in the past.

So why after all this time is Blizzard finally changing a core tenet that has been with the hunter class since release? I think the answer is because they finally can.

Cataclysm, from what we know of it so far, is going to be a bit different than the last two expansions. Both the previous expansions contained some content for leveling players, but the focus was predominantly on new content and new zones for the 10 new levels. Both centered around new worlds with new zones.

Conversely, Cataclysm looks to be reworking most of the old world in a new light. There will certainly be new zones to explore, but there will also be some compelling reasons to go back to re-experience the changes in our old familiar haunts. What better time to make sweeping class changes that reach all the way back to level 1 than when all that old world content will need to be redone?

There are so many changes slated for Cataclysm that reworking the hunter class from 0-85 is finally feasible. They can change all the old gear because they are simplifying stats for all classes. They can rework talents and skills because all damage modifiers will have to be changed anyway with the ammo and stat changes. They can make all the current high end gear obsolete because a gear reset with an expansion is expected. The fact is, there is no better time to go back and fix the class because they are going to have to rework so much of the initial game anyway. The plans for Cataclysm finally give Blizzard the ability to make the changes they have hinted about making to the class for a very long time.

Many hunters will cry about the change, but most who have been around for a while are probably in the same boat as me. I am excited about the change and I see it as a way to solve some of the issues that have plagued the class since day 1. Still, I can’t help but be a little nervous that we are going to get another “Black Arrow Change.” Black Arrow was a half assed solution that fixed some problems while creating others. I hope the switch to focus is a bit more thought out. Given the timeframe we are talking about here, it should be.

Time will tell, but Blizzard seems to have created an environment with Cataclysm that will make some fundamental class changes possible. Not just for hunters either. I anticipate that the simplifying of stats will mean changes to most, if not all classes. Still, the changes to the hunter class look to be the most sweeping.

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Attack my target... please

Two things have become very clear to me over the past few days while tanking on my recently respecced DK. First, as Frost, if I want the highest threat gen over the course of a trash pack, I need a couple of seconds to wind up my threat. Second, the DPS doesn't give you that time. I've found myself having to ditch a high threat ability rotation for a lower threat "snap aggro" rotation, as well as taunting more often than a tank should. I have a solution for this, however. Attack my target. Please.

As a Frost Death Knight, I rely less on Death and Decay for my AoE threat generation and more on Howling Blast. I'll get into more on those at a later time, but for you damage dealers what that means is I need to burn at least two runes before I can even hit anything but my primary target because of the benefit that one of my disease grants all of my other abilities. In addition, if I do use Death and Decay, I wont be able to effectively use Howling Blast (I can, but like I said this is all in the most ideal threat rotation sense) for at least a full rune rotation. So those extra mobs I'm not targeting are getting hit with minimal threat for anywhere between 3 and 8 seconds.

There's a catch here, however. You see, while I may not be doing much in the way of threat generation on my secondary targets, there are quite a few things that I AM doing to my primary target. First up, auto attacks. Auto attack threat for a DK can be a bit spikey since DK's tank with two-handed weapons, but parry hasting can bump up the auto attack threat a fair bit. The second thing I'm smacking around my primary target with is Rune Strike. Rune Strike is THE ability for a DK tank. It is a high threat, and quite high damage ability that is usable on my target. It can only be used after a successful dodge or parry by me, so it can suffer RNG and take a bit to get active, but it's solid, single-target threat that is only hitting the target I'm staring at. The last thing I'm hitting him with is Frost Strike/Death Coil. Frost strike has the potential to deliver serious damage, especially when combined with a Killing Machine proc. Alas, this ability is only single target. Total them up, though, and you get three very solid sources of threat. And they are all single target.

So what can you, the DPS, do to alleviate some of my stress? Well, if you absolutely insist on AoE abilities, give me an extra second. Wind up a single target cast or auto attack the main target before going nuts. Also, check a target that I'm NOT targeting and look at your Omen window (you do run Omen, don't you?). Does it look like I have threat on it? If so, then blast away. If you are single target, don't wait for me to mark a kill target. If I'm in a heroic, I generally DON'T mark because I will target the kill target (unless I'm on my warrior). Target me and press your assist key. That is your kill target.

You don't want a tank to blow a taunt unnecessarily, and that tank doesn't want to either. Taunt is meant to be a reactive ability to grab a loose mob, not a regularly used ability. It doesn't work like a hunter pet's Growl. Keep an eye on your Omen window, too, or set aggro warnings. Know when you are getting close, and back off a bit or cancel your AoE. Follow my targets so you are always hitting the mob with the most direct threat. Follow these tips and you will live longer and have a happier tank. Don't count on me to taunt that mob that you ripped from me off of you. It may be on cooldown from having to use it for another over zealous DPS. Or if I'm in the right mood, it just might "miss".

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