Hunter PvP Starter Kit: Tips, Tricks and Strategies
As per my last, poorly-constructed post on hunter PvP, it’s time to talk about more than just the gear, because that’ll only get you so far. Last time, I described the rep-reward starter PvP set available for 70s and some gems and enchants that are great to go with those pieces. Once you’ve got yourself some stamina and resilience, it’s time to start ganking cats. I’ll (try to) cover some macros, addons and strategies for dealings with other classes 1v1. Keep in mind, I’m full of fail when it comes to hunter PvP, and commenters will likely know way more about it than I do, but I’m going to flail around and try to make some sense of all this for you just the same. 
Macros
Here are some useful macros I’ve found while browsing the web that have obvious PvP applications. Some I have personally tested, some I have not. If you notice any that either don’t work, or are out-dated as a result of patches, please let me know! (Via comments, or by using the contact page; whichever you prefer is just fine.)
#showtooltip Scatter Shot
/cast [target=mouseover, harm, nodead] [] Scatter Shot
This particular macro casts Scatter Shot on a target you mouse over, rather than making you switch targets to do it. (Particularly great if you’re working on downing a clothie/healer, and notice some dps/tanks coming to their aid.)
/cast [target=focus] Wyvern Sting
If you’re a fan of focus macros (which I most certainly am), you’ll immediately understand why this is so great. The major difference between this macro and the one above (which can be easily modified to become a mouse-over macro), is that you actually have to a) switch targets, and b) set your focus target. This is nice if you’re in arenas, but probably not as great in battlegrounds.
Personally, I may modify that macro to be more like this:
#showtooltip Wyvern Sting
/focus
/targetlasttarget
/cast [target=focus] Wyvern Sting
What this modification does is sets your new (current) target as your focus, then targets the player you previously had targeted, and casts Wyvern Sting on the focus target the macro set for you. For example: you’re targeting a rogue, then you target a priest. This macro sets the priest as your focus target, re-targets the rogue, and casts Wyvern Sting on the priest.
#showtooltip hunter’s mark
/petattack
/cast hunter’s mark
This one is a PvE classic that has practical PvP applications. Spot a rogue, mark ‘im, and send in the clowns! Er–pet.
#showtooltip Heavy Netherweave Bandage
/use [target=player] Heavy Netherweave Bandage
This macro is a quick auto- self-bandage. Saves you the trouble of rummaging through your bags, or accidentally bandaging someone else.
#showtooltip
/cast [tar=focus, harm] Viper Sting; Viper Sting
A focus (or, if no focus is set, nearest harmful player/npc) macro for casting Viper Sting. Great for mana-burn arena teams.
#showtooltip Silencing Shot
/cast [target=mouseover, harm][harm] Silencing Shot
Much like the Scatter Shot macro above, this one uses mouse-overs to cast Silencing Shot.
/castsequence [modifier:ctrl] reset=target/combat Concussive Shot, Steady Shot; Wing Clip
This macro uses key modifiers to cast Conc Shot/Steady Shot and Wing Clip. Great for when you’re forced into melee combat and want to gtfo.
/petattack [target=earthbind totem]
/petattack [target=searing totem]
/petattack [target=grace of air totem]
/petattack [target=mana spring totem]
/petattack [target=windfury totem]
/petattack [target=strength of earth totem]
/petattack
As you might imagine, this one’s great for having your pet take out any shaman totems you may encounter.
There are a lot more macros out there, certainly, but these few cover a lot of the big things I would consider necessary for PvP. If you have any macro(s) you’d like to suggest, please feel free.
AddOns
If you’re an AddOn junkie like me, you know there’s always something out there you haven’t seen or haven’t tried that might further enrich your gaming experience, and provide more information. (Information overload is non-existent, if you ask me!) Here are a few PvP-related addons you may find helpful in giving you that extra edge.
Paranoia Enemy Player Alert
This addon attempts to alert you when there are enemy players nearby. This is particularly good for PvP servers and battlegrounds, although likely not as useful for arenas.
Arena Historian
As the name would imply, this addon is only useful for arena matches. It analyzes arena match data such as race, gender, talents, healing and damage done for both the enemy arena team and yours, along with which map it was in, how long it took and if you won or lost. Particularly good if you like to go back and review data to find new ways to improve your play.
Duct Tape
Not a mod related to PvP gameplay, but one that relates to the quality of your overall experience. This mod filters out all the “ZOMG NOOB!” “Lrn2play!” comments that frequently scroll through battleground chat so you don’t have to see it.
Proximo
This addon is designed for arenas, to provide enemy unit frames to help your team coordinate targets.
Antagonist
An Ace2 mod that displays enemy castbars.
Battlefield Commander
Shows data for battleground matches, such as resources, reinforcements, and data pertaining to the likelihood of an opposing preform (shows percentages of players from the same server), and more.
No doubt, there are addons I’ve missed, but those are at least a few to get you started.
1v1 Tips
Here are some quick little 1v1 tips I’ve picked up from my own experiences, other players, forums and online resources.
Rogues
First, snake trap and hunter’s mark are your friends. If you’re guarding objectives, Flare is also a must. Put down a snake trap, and stand on it. Throw up a flare and Track Hidden so you could potentially see them coming. Letting a rogue catch you unawares is suicide. Once you’ve spotted the rogue, get a mark on him. If he/she uses Cloak of Shadows to get shake off the poison from your snake trap and/or mark, throw up another flare in the last place you saw him/her. If you can, fire off a Concussive Shot and/or Serpent Sting. With CloS burned, the DoT damage will keep him/her from Vanishing. Don’t bother trying to use your Freezing Trap to CC the rogue, they’ll likely just trinket out of it. Whenever your trap cooldown is up, use it for a snake trap. If the rogue manages to get in close, use Wing Clip (and, hopefully, the poison from your snakes) to slow him/her down while you get ranged again. Keeping out of melee combat is crucial. Use whatever means necessary (Conc Shot, Wing Clip, Snake Trap) to slow them down. Kite them around as much as possible. And whatever you do, keep moving. Do not stay stationary. Stationary hunters quickly become dead hunters.
Warriors
Warriors, for me, are tough. They naturally have high stamina and damage mitigation, and they’re extremely good at keeping you in melee combat through the use of Charges/Intercepts and Hamstrings. One thing that works in our favor, however, is that Charge and Intercept have a 25-yard range, whereas we can deal damage from 30+ yards. If you can keep them far enough away, they’ll never have the chance to engage you in melee combat. Kiting them is key. Use a Frost or Snake trap to keep them away from you. If they engage you in melee combat, that’ll likely be the end of the fight. They will keep Hamstring up making it harder for you to get away to ranged combat, and as soon as you think you’re getting away–Intercept will start the whole process over again, in their favor. To buy yourself time if they do engage you in melee combat, lay a Freezing Trap and run. Get at least 30-yards out, and start the fight again on your terms. Use Conc Shot liberally.
Priests
Priests are easily my favorite thing to come across in PvP. For me, they’re quick honor. However, good Shadow and/or Discipline priests can present a challenge. Keep a Viper Sting up at all times. As another ranged class, chances are slim that they’ll attempt to get within melee range of you (though it can, and does, occassionally happen), if they do, throw down a Snake Trap. The DoTs will give you time to get back to ranged combat, and also interrupt their casting.
Warlocks
These dudes are notorious, and rightfully so. If they can’t kill you, their DoTs will. For BM hunters, they’re not as big a threat thanks to Bestial Wrath and The Beast Within, but they’re still formidable. Wyvern Sting is also a great tool against warlocks. The longer you can keep them from casting, while still doing damage yourself, the better. Use Silencing Shot if you have it, as soon as you see them start casting a Fear. The trick with warlocks, in reality, is not so much keeping them away from you (as another ranged class, it’s unlikely they’ll run into melee range at the start of the fight–they’ll usually only run into melee range when they’ve determined you’re a real threat and want to minimize the amount of damage you’re dealing, in which case a quick Wing Clip will get you back where you need to be to fire off a Conc Shot and get back to business), but making sure you’re putting up bigger numbers than they are. Toss up a hunter’s mark and a scorpid sting to improve your damage. Use Multi- and Arcane Shot liberally. If they get in close, throw down a Snake Trap to help slow their casting and add some damage.
Mages
While hunters are extremely poor at dealing melee damage, mages are even more so. (Are they going to beat you to death with their staff, which likely only has a skill rating of like 200? Seems unlikely, doesn’t it?) Like hunters, mages have plenty of means to keep you away from them and allow them to get ranged (Frost Nova, for example). Try to stay ranged if you can, since that’s where your best damage (and abilities) come from, but if you’re having problems beating a mage from range, get yourself in close. Throw up a Scorpid or Serpent Sting, use Conc Shot and Wing Clip as needed. Mages can Ice Block out of Freezing Trap, so your best bet is likely with Snake or Immolation traps. In my experience, mages like to do a lot of running/blinking around to keep you from maintaining line of sight, so watch and try to anticipate their movements. Use your pet to keep their spellcasting pushed back. For MM hunters, Scatter and Silencing Shots are your friend.
Druids
Scare Beast. Trust me, its hilarious. Even if you lose, its still really funny watching them run in terror. (Would be even more amusing if we could temporarily tame/MC them…) Treat kitties much the same way you would a rogue or warrior. Keep them away from you! You’re pretty unlikely to see bears in arenas or battlegrounds (unless you’ve got them near death), but a Freezing Trap and/or Wing Clip/Conc Shot combo will help you get back to ranged combat. Bears are dangerous in that it will take much longer to kill them. Fortunately, they do much less damage in bear form than cat (or caster) forms. Unfortunately, Snake Trap has limited usefulness against druids, as they’re likely to just keep dispelling the poison effects. Kite them around as best you can. For Moonkins, Scatter and/or Silencing Shot will be invaluable. Anything you can do to interrupt their casting will be a life-saver.
Hunters
I usually don’t seek out other hunters to deal with, but if forced into a fight, the key is determining the other hunter’s spec and knowing your own class well enough to gauge where their weaknesses are. If you’re up against a BM hunter, it’s crucial to get their pet under control. Scare Beast, or Freezing Trap, depending on whether or not the other hunter has popped Bestial Wrath. Get their pet out of the fight ASAP. For MM hunters, engage them in melee combat (particularly useful if you are not, yourself, a MM hunter). MM hunters will put up big numbers if allowed to stay in ranged combat, so get in close, throw up Wing Clips and/or Frost Traps/Conc Shots and stay in their face. Use Raptor Strike and Mongoose Bite liberally. SV hunters are trickier to deal with, as they excel at both ranged and melee combat. They also have Readiness and Wyvern Sting at their disposal. Stay ranged, get your pet on them, and be sure to put up bigger numbers than they do. Burst damage is not an SV hunter’s forte, so if you can front-load your damage, so do.
Paladins
Stings are largely useless against Paladins–they’ll continue cleansing them off (and use less mana in the process than it cost for you to use the sting in the first place). Fights against Paladins are generally long, drawn-out affairs. Treat them largely like you would a warrior. Paladins have a lot of stuns and AoE (consecrate) and lack any substantial ranged abilities. Use Conc Shots, Wing Clips, and Frost Traps to your advantage. For MM hunters, this fight is going to be a lot easier. You can use Silencing Shot and Scatter Shot to keep them from bubbling and healing. For BM hunters, Intimidate will help you stay ranged and/or stop their casting. Wyvern Sting will accomplish much the same thing for SV hunters. The part where we usually lose fights against paladins is if we let them heal. (Given half a chance, they will continue to do so.) Do whatever it takes to keep them from casting. If you can keep them from healing, and stay in ranged combat, you’re golden.
Shamans
I don’t know about you, but I really hate shamans for some reason. I hate seeing them, I hate playing one… I just really don’t like them. (Might just be that, for the longest time, I enjoyed being the only class rolling on mail drops, and didn’t have to see all this dumb +spell damage and/or +healing mail.)
The big advantage that hunters have over shamans is that shamans lack any form of crowd control (aside from the Tauren racial–warstomp). They only have a couple abilities to slow you down: Frost Shock and Earthbind Totem. Run circles around them, make them have to move to maintain line of sight on you. If it’s an enhance shaman, keep Conc Shot and/or Wing Clip up on them, toss down Frost Traps. If you’re up against a resto shaman, count your blessings, front-load your damage, use Silencing Shot and Scatter Shot, and wipe him/her off the map. Elemental shammies will provide a bigger challenge, because they’re also great at ranged combat. Anything you can do to interrupt casts–do it. BM hunters, Intimidate. MM hunters, Silencing/Scatter shot. SV hunters, Wyvern Sting. Keep your pet on their totems. (Macro provided above )
A lot of that probably sounds pretty redundant. I’m by no means a PvP guru, in fact, I rarely PvP on my hunter (I vastly prefer my priest or rogue, if you want the truth of it). Any tips commenters may provide (because I’m convinced someone will know more about this than I do) are probably going to be much more useful. 
However, I was asked to provide a guide to hunter PvP, so… there ya go. And I will be the first to admit: when it comes to PvP, I’m a huntard who probably needs to lrn2play. What a scrub!
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Comments
That Duct Tape addon would come in handy in most AVs I’m in… >.>
Paladins I use Aimed Shot on a lot. So when they try to heal themselves, they do it less.
Moonkins are my favorite victim of Viper Sting. Hunters are my second favorite actually.
For other BM hunters (I myself being one, cause I’m too lazy to respec for PvP, or I’d probably go MM/Surv for it) the trick is to CC the pet and then blow all your cooldowns and hope they forget to do so. Rapid Fire, trinkets, and do not under any circumstances use Steady Shot (unless you’ve just got an Intimidate off or something). If the other hunter is trying to use Steady Shot and does not significantly out-gear me then I’ve pretty much won.
I actually enjoy fighting warriors and rogues, I can typically kite them indefinitely (unless they’re good…)
Re: Aimed Shot… I would generally frown on it in a PvP situation, mostly because standing around while it casts is generally a bad idea. Although, the (somewhat) recent changes made to the shot make it much more feasible than it was in the past, certainly. 
Indeed, it’s definitely situational, there are a lot of times when it’s simply not feasible to try and cast it in PvP. However, there are times when the Paladin is engaged with somebody else and is too busy to focus on you and that’s when I tend to use it. (Guess I should have clarified that I wouldn’t suggest you use it so much 1 on 1! My bad )
aimed shot is now instant cast which completely removes that old channeled cast argument, and your best bet if up against a BM hunter under BW effect is outrun the pets spawn range so he de-spawns , then go back and kill the petless hunter
Vs: don’t use simply ice trap if your damage taken is too heavy. Use in combination with Scatter (+ Ice Trap). Else the rogue will activate CloS and run into your trap.