A Friendly Reminder: Hunters Rule

This is a guest post from Talsin, GM of <Starsong Tribe> Emerald Dream-US.

Setting the Scene

It was only a Saronite node…

Flying high above Sholazar Basin, mining was fresh and exciting. Perhaps it would have been rather boring for some, but not only had I just maxed out mining (Favoring it enough to drop 450 Herbalism), but it was my first log in that day. You know the kind? The first time logging in, even if only to check your mail, can seem to give you an extra boost of unobstructed enthusiasm. Or maybe it’s only me.

In any case, it wasn’t long before my tracking picked up my first node. I began my decent, and before long my red drake had touched down right next to some rich Saronite. Even though I play on a PVP server, and am an avid world PVPer, for some reason the attack caught me by surprise. A tauren warrior had decided the precious metal would instead be his, and he wasted no time charging up to me and beating me in my night elf face. Instincts took over, and my well placed wing clip plus disengage macro got me some distance. I laid down a frost trap, snake trap, and the kiting began. The warrior hit both my traps, and I just pecked away at him and watched as my dots ticked happily like a great symphony. As he neared the edge of the frozen ground, I did the trick I had so many times before. Activating my nitro boosts, I ran right toward him. His momentum plus mine would be all I needed to finish him off. I jumped gracefully over his head and continued to run. Once the boost wore off, I turned to face him again. He had turned around and was walking through the frozen ground, for the second time. Knowing that his charge would be off cool down again soon enough, I had to finish him off now. As luck would have it, lock and load chimed in and I sent a few extra explosive shots his way. It was enough.

Now, to that Saronite. I walked back over to it and began to mine it. I should have thought to use a bandage first…

This time, a death knight wanted it. Landing right next to me he put me in chains of ice, and started his DPS rotation on my head. I knew I couldn’t stand that for long considering I was at half health as it was, so I laid down a freezing trap and prayed his trinket wasn’t ready for use. The trap worked, and while he was inside a large frozen block of ice, I mined the node in front of him, feigned death out of combat, and summoned my flyer to escape safely. Once I healed, I’d come back for him.

The Moral of the Story

What is the point I’m trying to make? Hunters have it made. The kiting, hard hitting shots, and the escape tricks wouldn’t have been possible if not for my choice of class. Now granted, I realize that all classes have their own strengths and weaknesses. I have an 80 Rogue and an 80 Death Knight as well, and I’ll admit that both of those classes are fun in their own way, however, I always had that burning interest in having a hunter and I haven’t been able to put it down since level 1. I’d like to simply take a moment where we can stop what we’re doing and think to ourselves… Do we get burned out on the game mechanics at times? Sure! But we have the best class in the game! We get our own pets, powerful traps, explosive burst damage, a large range of weapons to use, and more CC than you can shake a bow at.

I’m not going to claim to be an expert hunter who has played since the launch of the game, because I’m not. My Hunter was my third character, but it’s become my main and I’ve gotten pretty decent at playing it. This round of fisticuffs in Sholazar was simply one of those moments where I became thankful all over again for the very core that is our class. We have a move for everything it seems like, and more toys than we know what to do with. Does your team in Arathi Basin need to know which bases would be best to attack? Use Eagle Eye, and you can tell how many enemies are at every single node (depending on where you use it from of course). Think a rogue or druid is close by? Lay down some traps and throw up a Flare to give yourself the advantage.

My point as a whole here is this… If you’re getting jaded on the game, stop thinking about the game, and go back to the roots of the hunter class. Remember those group quests that you soloed? Remember that first pet you tamed? The Hunter continues to be one of the most popular classes in the game to date, and this is why: We’re freakin’ awesome! Take a moment and remember these things. I promise that if you truly reflect on it, that you will gain that obsession all over again. Then you can rain down arrows on your opponent with a fresh outlook once more.