Hey all, I wrote this guide a long time ago so a lot of it may be incorrect or outdated, but I shall update and expand it constantly over some time.
I will structure this in the following format:
1. Gear
2. Talents & Pets
3. Strategies
Introduction
In the 70 bracket, rogues and mages are generally accepted as being the apex classes in the bracket; hunters are generally seen as being considerably weaker. However, with the correct gear and if played to their full potential, the hunter class can offer similar burst as well as unrivalled CC, and abilities unique solely to hunters.
The main problem with the class at this level is that their lack of defensives often make them easy prey for other classes, and their damage can be shut down almost entirely by 'deadzoning' them (i.e. standing in their face). In this guide however, I hope to outline basic strategies on how to counter this.
Race
A quick note about race selection - hunters can be every race apart from Gnomes, and though indeed, the racial passive resistances or abilities offered by particular races may appear gamebreaking at this level, and to a degree, they can help in PvP, on the whole I would suggest playing the race you enjoy the look of the most.
Gear
As a hunter in the 70 bracket, we lack many defensive cooldowns that allow us to survive at 85 - these are Deterrence, Master's Call, Camoflauge and even Aspect of the Fox; compare this with a rogue or a mage, who have almost all of the cooldowns they need to stay alive.
This lack of abilities requires hunters to gear differently from some other dps classes, as we need higher resilience and stamina values to help us survive.
Ideally, you should aim for 450 resilience, which is exactly 30% mitigation, and a minimum of 14k health; any more than this however, and your offensive side may start to become lacking!
Keep in mind this is only a guideline however, and different hunters often use slightly different gear setups to reflect their playstyles (armories can be found below).
In addition to higher stamina and resilience values, hunters also require at least 70 spell penetration to negate the resistance effects of spells such as BoK, MotW, Resistance Aura, as well as inherent racial resistances offered by dwarves, tauren, night elves, blood elves, gnomes, worgen, draenei and undead. As almost all of our abilities are now magical, without this spell penetration, our shots may hit up to 30% less on targets with resistance! My personal recommendation to obtain this spell penetration is to use the +35 Spell Penetration cloak enchant, and two Stormy Majestic Zircons.
As well as increasing shot damage, spell penetration will eliminate that chance that your Freezing Trap may be resisted - which can be gamebreaking.
You should also not forget the 5% hit cap required in PvP to eliminate the change that any of your shots or traps will miss.
Here are some armories of slightly differently geared hunters:
-Slightly less resilience (higher burst) - http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/thrall/Esotra/advanced
-Balanced - http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/character/hellfire/mëat/advanced
-Slightly more resilience - http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/character/ravencrest/Khrysos/advanced
In case armory goes down or the links stop working, here is a list of the gear I'd recommend using, followed by the appropriate enchants (that use myself):
Head - Coif of Alleria
-> Arcanum of the Gladiator
Neck - Guardian's Pendant of Triumph
Shoulder - Brutal Gladiator's Chain Spaulders
-> Greater Inscription of the Gladiator
Cloak - Cloak of Unforgivable Sin
-> Spell Piercing
Chest - Brutal Gladiator's Chain Armor
-> Exceptional Resilience
Bracer - Guardian's Linked Bracers
-> Major Stamina // Fur Lining - Stamina
Gloves - Thalassian Ranger Gauntlets
-> Major Agility
Belt - Gronnstalker's Belt
-> Eternal Belt Buckle
Legs - Starstalker Legguards
-> Jormungar Leg Armor // Jormungar Leg Reinforcements
Boots - Gronnstalker's Boots
-> Tuskarr's Vitality
Ring 1 - Guardian's Band of Triumph
Ring 2 - Band of the Eternal Champion
Trinket 1 - Medallion of the Horde/Alliance - if you have the epic version of this, you should obviously use it (and continue being a jammy bastard).
Trinket 2 - Sonic Booster
Mainhand Weapon - Hand of the Deceiver
-> Superior Potency
Offhand Weapon - Blade of the Unrequited
-> Titanium Weapon Chain
Ranged - Golden Bow of Quel'thalas
-> Heartseeker Scope
Gems
Socket bonuses don't matter, just fit them in wherever you like:
8x Mystic King's Amber
7x Lucent Ametrine
5x Delicate Cardinal Ruby
2x Stormy Majestic Zircon
1x Relentless Earthsiege Diamond
About Thori'dal
If you are lucky enough to own a Thori'dal, do not feel that you should not use it; however, there are a couple of reasons why it is not Best in Slot, though these are only minor and it is largely a matter of choice.
Talents, Glyphs & Pets
I strongly recommend going marksman as in the 70 bracket, it offers the largest burst and highest utility (and arguably survivability, through correct use of Readiness).
Here is my recommended spec for Marksmanship:
Glyphs
At level 70 we have access to two of each glyph slot.
Prime
Glyph of Arcane Shot
Glyph of Chimera Shot
Major
Glyph of Concussive Shot
Glyph of Freezing Trap
Minor
Glyph of Scare Beast
Glyph of Feign Death
Pets
In the 70 bracket, hunter pets lack several talent points that allow them to progress down their talent tree; as a consquence, pets in the cunning tree, such as monkeys and spiders, are unable to obtain Roar of Sacrifice - one of our most important abilities, used to keep both ourselves and our teammates alive, whether it be in arena or rated batlegrounds.
This means that in order to gain access to this key ability, we must select a pet in the tenacity tree, the two most useful of which are the Scorpid, as it provides a disarm, and the Crab, as it provides an immobilize.
Strategies
Here are some personal strategies that I use against other classes in battlegrounds (if anyone thinks I'm doing something wrong, please correct me! Positive feedback is always welcome! This assumes you are Marksmanship and, for the majority, are in an open area (think WSG mid). If you ever get below 40 focus, pop Rapid Fire for the focus regen.
Frost Mage - Open with a silence and begin spamming tranq shot - I usually use rapid fire early on in this fight to avoid being focus starved once the barrier is off. If they use mirrors, feign immediately and retarget the 'real' mage. If they start to use offensive cooldowns such as icy veins and attempt to shatter, use roar of sacrifice and trinket the first deep freeze. If at any point they trinket, scatter/trap them as soon as possible and if you have enough focus, begin lining up an aimed shot (this is also a very effective way of forcing a block). Generally this fight is winnable if done correctly, though of course we are prone to lance spam + tazik.
Fire Mage - DoTs are a major weakness for us, but fire mages lack the large absorb offered by Ice Barrier. Just start unloading straight away, keeping them silenced or scatter/trapped. Much from the above paragraph applies, and if you can force an early block it makes then less likely to live through cauterize.
Blood Death Knight - Kite for your life. An average Blood DK will Death Strike you for about a third to half of your health. Their weakness lies in being kited. Try to predict Death Grip and use silencing shot preemptively. I would suggest perhaps using a bird or scorpion for this fight due to the disarm, as many Blood DKs choose not to engrave their 2h with a weapon chain. If they AMS, do not use chimera, it is a magic attack and will be wasted. This can be a difficult fight depending on the opponent, but you may be able to come out of it at 100% health.
Frost Death Knight - Much of the same applies from a Blood DK. Try to force trinket with a scatter or monkey stun. After they've used AMS, get them in an Ice Trap and line up and Aimed-Chimera combo. They may pop Lichborne and heal, so use this time to get away. They're going to be spamming chains and Howling Blast at you, so use silencing shot appropriately. They hate double scatter.
Rogue - Much of the outcome of this fight depends on the skill of the rogue. They are probably going to open with cheap shot, in which case you should trinket immediately and lay down a trap - your flare should already be down at this point. If they trinket the trap then immediately scatter them, pop rapid fire and begin lining up an aimed -> chimera. Use roar of sacrifice as soon as they open, and if they attempt to reset the fight, use this time to dismiss your pet and resummon a different one.
Hunter - If you're gemmed correctly, you should beat a full-agi hunter all of the time. If they feign, you should feign immediately, and try to retarget them as quickly as possible. Scatter them out of feign or if you are out of range, open with a chimera. Send your pet in to disarm immediately, and use Roar of Sacrifice at the beginning of the duel. A full-agi hunter's going to take an immense amount of damage so the fight should be over quickly.
Discipline Priest - As you should be using resilience, you will not be able to simply burst through their heals, so you must use your CC wisely. Open by trying to tranq off their shield, if you dip below 40 focus pop rapid fire (RNG of tranq can be a fail sometimes). As soon as shield is off, open with a chimera and if they get to around 60-70%, silence and start spamming arcane. If they trinket at any point, hit them with a scatter (use readiness if you have to) and start channeling aimed. When scatter has around 1 sec remaining, start casting monkey stun so that it hits as soon as scatter is finished. Follow up with a chimera. Try to trap them and get as many aimeds in as possible, and feign their Holy Fire/Mind Blast. A fight like this can be won if you get your 4-stack Master Marksman then get them into a CC and use Steady-Aimed-(instant)Aimed-Chimera-Kill Shot.
Shadow Priest - A good shadow priest can pose a major threat to hunters, as they have the capacity for large burst, as well as having strong defensive cooldowns. DoTs are a major weakness for hunters, so the longer this fight goes on, the more likely they are to win. The main point in this duel is to never let Mind Blast hit you. Use silence/scatter/trap/feign to avoid this, as this ability his extremely hard. Start off by tranqing off the priest's shield (no grace stacks to interfere ;3), and open with a chimera. Try to keep them at range. Shadow priests often open with their Psychic Horror (stun/disarm), so expect this and be ready to trinket immediately, as they will use the time in the stun to get vampiric touch up on you. If you get feared, use your uber sexy undead racial if applicable. Save a silencing shot or Readiness-silence in case they start to flash heal. When they use dispersion, use the time they spend in it to get range, so they cannot fear you again. With the correct use of control and cooldowns, a hunter can win this fight.
Protection Paladin - Prot palas have high armor, and large burst. Keep them at range and tranq off their Hand of Freedom accordingly. If they bubble, nitro away (unless they are healing, in which case gain range normally). If you notice they have Sacred Duty, kite for your life or you may be globalled. Avenger's Shield is hellish if they've glyphed it for a daze effect, so kiting can be difficult - use disengage if they get too close. Other than that, save silence for when they heal and use scatter defensively. The main object of this fight is to keep them out of melee range so they can't gain Holy Power stacks or stun you (use trinket on stun if they do get it in). Remember, if they use Hand of Protection the fight immediately slants in your favour as you can tranq it off and then have 1 min where they cannot bubble or Lay on Hands.
Holy Paladin - They have an insane amount of instant heals and high armor, so control is key in this fight. Bubble is devilish and exo does a large amount of damage. Keep them out of melee range and feign/silence their exo when possible. If they bubble, use this time to gain range. If they use Aura Mastery (immunity to silences for 6 sec), counter it with a scatter/ice trap. Holy paladins are extremely difficult to take down and trying to get your 4-stack Master Marksman is really the only thing you can do in many circumstances. Other than this, key points from Protection Paladin apply.
Retribution Paladin - Keep to the basic pointers for the other two specs, Ret is one of the weaker specs at 70. If it's a 72 Ret, feign immediately when they pop wings and attempt to disarm them whilst tranqing off wings. Ret palas are liable to WoG for huge amounts, so a good ret can be an issue.
Restoration Druid - Resto druids have moderate burst heals and very good HoTs. The beauty of this is that if their 3-stack lifebloom ends whilst in a CC, they are taken to full health. This fight can be challenging, and the key to winning is through burst. If they pop tree, keep pressure on them to keep them defensive to avoid them going offensive on you (if they spam regrowth then they're gonna start running out of mana). Try to chain-CC them just before their lifeblooms are about to end so you can get maximum burst damage in. If they shift to travel/cat/bear form, use Scare Beast! This will allow you to get an aimed in or a steady. As with all other healers, if you can get your 4-stack Master Marksman then set up your burst chain this will help you immensely. Widow venom may be useful in this fight, do not be afraid to use it!
I will continue to write and edit this to eventually include all classes.
I will structure this in the following format:
1. Gear
2. Talents & Pets
3. Strategies
Introduction
In the 70 bracket, rogues and mages are generally accepted as being the apex classes in the bracket; hunters are generally seen as being considerably weaker. However, with the correct gear and if played to their full potential, the hunter class can offer similar burst as well as unrivalled CC, and abilities unique solely to hunters.
The main problem with the class at this level is that their lack of defensives often make them easy prey for other classes, and their damage can be shut down almost entirely by 'deadzoning' them (i.e. standing in their face). In this guide however, I hope to outline basic strategies on how to counter this.
Race
A quick note about race selection - hunters can be every race apart from Gnomes, and though indeed, the racial passive resistances or abilities offered by particular races may appear gamebreaking at this level, and to a degree, they can help in PvP, on the whole I would suggest playing the race you enjoy the look of the most.
Gear
As a hunter in the 70 bracket, we lack many defensive cooldowns that allow us to survive at 85 - these are Deterrence, Master's Call, Camoflauge and even Aspect of the Fox; compare this with a rogue or a mage, who have almost all of the cooldowns they need to stay alive.
This lack of abilities requires hunters to gear differently from some other dps classes, as we need higher resilience and stamina values to help us survive.
Ideally, you should aim for 450 resilience, which is exactly 30% mitigation, and a minimum of 14k health; any more than this however, and your offensive side may start to become lacking!
Keep in mind this is only a guideline however, and different hunters often use slightly different gear setups to reflect their playstyles (armories can be found below).
In addition to higher stamina and resilience values, hunters also require at least 70 spell penetration to negate the resistance effects of spells such as BoK, MotW, Resistance Aura, as well as inherent racial resistances offered by dwarves, tauren, night elves, blood elves, gnomes, worgen, draenei and undead. As almost all of our abilities are now magical, without this spell penetration, our shots may hit up to 30% less on targets with resistance! My personal recommendation to obtain this spell penetration is to use the +35 Spell Penetration cloak enchant, and two Stormy Majestic Zircons.
As well as increasing shot damage, spell penetration will eliminate that chance that your Freezing Trap may be resisted - which can be gamebreaking.
You should also not forget the 5% hit cap required in PvP to eliminate the change that any of your shots or traps will miss.
Here are some armories of slightly differently geared hunters:
-Slightly less resilience (higher burst) - http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/thrall/Esotra/advanced
-Balanced - http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/character/hellfire/mëat/advanced
-Slightly more resilience - http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/character/ravencrest/Khrysos/advanced
In case armory goes down or the links stop working, here is a list of the gear I'd recommend using, followed by the appropriate enchants (that use myself):
Head - Coif of Alleria
-> Arcanum of the Gladiator
Neck - Guardian's Pendant of Triumph
Shoulder - Brutal Gladiator's Chain Spaulders
-> Greater Inscription of the Gladiator
Cloak - Cloak of Unforgivable Sin
-> Spell Piercing
Chest - Brutal Gladiator's Chain Armor
-> Exceptional Resilience
Bracer - Guardian's Linked Bracers
-> Major Stamina // Fur Lining - Stamina
Gloves - Thalassian Ranger Gauntlets
-> Major Agility
Belt - Gronnstalker's Belt
-> Eternal Belt Buckle
Legs - Starstalker Legguards
-> Jormungar Leg Armor // Jormungar Leg Reinforcements
Boots - Gronnstalker's Boots
-> Tuskarr's Vitality
Ring 1 - Guardian's Band of Triumph
Ring 2 - Band of the Eternal Champion
Trinket 1 - Medallion of the Horde/Alliance - if you have the epic version of this, you should obviously use it (and continue being a jammy bastard).
Trinket 2 - Sonic Booster
Mainhand Weapon - Hand of the Deceiver
-> Superior Potency
Offhand Weapon - Blade of the Unrequited
-> Titanium Weapon Chain
Ranged - Golden Bow of Quel'thalas
-> Heartseeker Scope
Gems
Socket bonuses don't matter, just fit them in wherever you like:
8x Mystic King's Amber
7x Lucent Ametrine
5x Delicate Cardinal Ruby
2x Stormy Majestic Zircon
1x Relentless Earthsiege Diamond
About Thori'dal
If you are lucky enough to own a Thori'dal, do not feel that you should not use it; however, there are a couple of reasons why it is not Best in Slot, though these are only minor and it is largely a matter of choice.
source
Talents, Glyphs & Pets
I strongly recommend going marksman as in the 70 bracket, it offers the largest burst and highest utility (and arguably survivability, through correct use of Readiness).
Here is my recommended spec for Marksmanship:
Glyphs
At level 70 we have access to two of each glyph slot.
Prime
Glyph of Arcane Shot Glyph of Chimera ShotMajor
Glyph of Concussive Shot Glyph of Freezing TrapMinor
Glyph of Scare Beast Glyph of Feign DeathPets
In the 70 bracket, hunter pets lack several talent points that allow them to progress down their talent tree; as a consquence, pets in the cunning tree, such as monkeys and spiders, are unable to obtain Roar of Sacrifice - one of our most important abilities, used to keep both ourselves and our teammates alive, whether it be in arena or rated batlegrounds.
This means that in order to gain access to this key ability, we must select a pet in the tenacity tree, the two most useful of which are the Scorpid, as it provides a disarm, and the Crab, as it provides an immobilize.
Strategies
Here are some personal strategies that I use against other classes in battlegrounds (if anyone thinks I'm doing something wrong, please correct me! Positive feedback is always welcome! This assumes you are Marksmanship and, for the majority, are in an open area (think WSG mid). If you ever get below 40 focus, pop Rapid Fire for the focus regen.
Frost Mage - Open with a silence and begin spamming tranq shot - I usually use rapid fire early on in this fight to avoid being focus starved once the barrier is off. If they use mirrors, feign immediately and retarget the 'real' mage. If they start to use offensive cooldowns such as icy veins and attempt to shatter, use roar of sacrifice and trinket the first deep freeze. If at any point they trinket, scatter/trap them as soon as possible and if you have enough focus, begin lining up an aimed shot (this is also a very effective way of forcing a block). Generally this fight is winnable if done correctly, though of course we are prone to lance spam + tazik.
Fire Mage - DoTs are a major weakness for us, but fire mages lack the large absorb offered by Ice Barrier. Just start unloading straight away, keeping them silenced or scatter/trapped. Much from the above paragraph applies, and if you can force an early block it makes then less likely to live through cauterize.
Blood Death Knight - Kite for your life. An average Blood DK will Death Strike you for about a third to half of your health. Their weakness lies in being kited. Try to predict Death Grip and use silencing shot preemptively. I would suggest perhaps using a bird or scorpion for this fight due to the disarm, as many Blood DKs choose not to engrave their 2h with a weapon chain. If they AMS, do not use chimera, it is a magic attack and will be wasted. This can be a difficult fight depending on the opponent, but you may be able to come out of it at 100% health.
Frost Death Knight - Much of the same applies from a Blood DK. Try to force trinket with a scatter or monkey stun. After they've used AMS, get them in an Ice Trap and line up and Aimed-Chimera combo. They may pop Lichborne and heal, so use this time to get away. They're going to be spamming chains and Howling Blast at you, so use silencing shot appropriately. They hate double scatter.
Rogue - Much of the outcome of this fight depends on the skill of the rogue. They are probably going to open with cheap shot, in which case you should trinket immediately and lay down a trap - your flare should already be down at this point. If they trinket the trap then immediately scatter them, pop rapid fire and begin lining up an aimed -> chimera. Use roar of sacrifice as soon as they open, and if they attempt to reset the fight, use this time to dismiss your pet and resummon a different one.
Hunter - If you're gemmed correctly, you should beat a full-agi hunter all of the time. If they feign, you should feign immediately, and try to retarget them as quickly as possible. Scatter them out of feign or if you are out of range, open with a chimera. Send your pet in to disarm immediately, and use Roar of Sacrifice at the beginning of the duel. A full-agi hunter's going to take an immense amount of damage so the fight should be over quickly.
Discipline Priest - As you should be using resilience, you will not be able to simply burst through their heals, so you must use your CC wisely. Open by trying to tranq off their shield, if you dip below 40 focus pop rapid fire (RNG of tranq can be a fail sometimes). As soon as shield is off, open with a chimera and if they get to around 60-70%, silence and start spamming arcane. If they trinket at any point, hit them with a scatter (use readiness if you have to) and start channeling aimed. When scatter has around 1 sec remaining, start casting monkey stun so that it hits as soon as scatter is finished. Follow up with a chimera. Try to trap them and get as many aimeds in as possible, and feign their Holy Fire/Mind Blast. A fight like this can be won if you get your 4-stack Master Marksman then get them into a CC and use Steady-Aimed-(instant)Aimed-Chimera-Kill Shot.
Shadow Priest - A good shadow priest can pose a major threat to hunters, as they have the capacity for large burst, as well as having strong defensive cooldowns. DoTs are a major weakness for hunters, so the longer this fight goes on, the more likely they are to win. The main point in this duel is to never let Mind Blast hit you. Use silence/scatter/trap/feign to avoid this, as this ability his extremely hard. Start off by tranqing off the priest's shield (no grace stacks to interfere ;3), and open with a chimera. Try to keep them at range. Shadow priests often open with their Psychic Horror (stun/disarm), so expect this and be ready to trinket immediately, as they will use the time in the stun to get vampiric touch up on you. If you get feared, use your uber sexy undead racial if applicable. Save a silencing shot or Readiness-silence in case they start to flash heal. When they use dispersion, use the time they spend in it to get range, so they cannot fear you again. With the correct use of control and cooldowns, a hunter can win this fight.
Protection Paladin - Prot palas have high armor, and large burst. Keep them at range and tranq off their Hand of Freedom accordingly. If they bubble, nitro away (unless they are healing, in which case gain range normally). If you notice they have Sacred Duty, kite for your life or you may be globalled. Avenger's Shield is hellish if they've glyphed it for a daze effect, so kiting can be difficult - use disengage if they get too close. Other than that, save silence for when they heal and use scatter defensively. The main object of this fight is to keep them out of melee range so they can't gain Holy Power stacks or stun you (use trinket on stun if they do get it in). Remember, if they use Hand of Protection the fight immediately slants in your favour as you can tranq it off and then have 1 min where they cannot bubble or Lay on Hands.
Holy Paladin - They have an insane amount of instant heals and high armor, so control is key in this fight. Bubble is devilish and exo does a large amount of damage. Keep them out of melee range and feign/silence their exo when possible. If they bubble, use this time to gain range. If they use Aura Mastery (immunity to silences for 6 sec), counter it with a scatter/ice trap. Holy paladins are extremely difficult to take down and trying to get your 4-stack Master Marksman is really the only thing you can do in many circumstances. Other than this, key points from Protection Paladin apply.
Retribution Paladin - Keep to the basic pointers for the other two specs, Ret is one of the weaker specs at 70. If it's a 72 Ret, feign immediately when they pop wings and attempt to disarm them whilst tranqing off wings. Ret palas are liable to WoG for huge amounts, so a good ret can be an issue.
Restoration Druid - Resto druids have moderate burst heals and very good HoTs. The beauty of this is that if their 3-stack lifebloom ends whilst in a CC, they are taken to full health. This fight can be challenging, and the key to winning is through burst. If they pop tree, keep pressure on them to keep them defensive to avoid them going offensive on you (if they spam regrowth then they're gonna start running out of mana). Try to chain-CC them just before their lifeblooms are about to end so you can get maximum burst damage in. If they shift to travel/cat/bear form, use Scare Beast! This will allow you to get an aimed in or a steady. As with all other healers, if you can get your 4-stack Master Marksman then set up your burst chain this will help you immensely. Widow venom may be useful in this fight, do not be afraid to use it!
I will continue to write and edit this to eventually include all classes.
Last edited by a moderator:
