Hunter PvE guide

Things Hunters want Non-Hunters to Know

 * It is fine for the tanks to do the easy pull. However, for certain risky pulls, Hunters can do better. We've got tracking, which means we can see patrols when you can't. We also have Feign Death, which means that if we pull from a distance and miscalculate the number of mobs that end up being pulled, we can feign and reset, or die without anyone else being killed.


 * When Feign Death works, we can wipe all aggro from ourselves, allowing a tank to take it. This is why hunters should pull: if the pull goes wrong, we can abort it.


 * When a hunter pulls and it goes bad (e.g. Feign Death fails and huge numbers of mobs swarm the hunter), do not help the hunter (this includes healing). Let him die and you can resurrect him afterward. If, however, you engage the mobs, after killing the hunter they will go after you instead of returning to where they came from.


 * Melee classes shouldn't try to compete with us at ranged combat; If you're a Warrior or Rogue, please ask and make sure the Hunters in the group do not need it before rolling on a high level ranged weapon. Usually, weapons for Warriors would have Strength on them, which is a useless stat for hunters. (Note from a non-Hunter: this seems to contradict the request to allow hunters to freely roll on melee weapons below.)


 * While it's true that melee weapons see more use by melee classes, it's also true that we contributed to the group that caused that weapon to drop, and as such if we want a fair shot at rolling for it, it isn't polite to tell us we can't. A weapon having the combination of Agility and Attack Power on it, is typically intended for a Hunter (or Druid...). Warriors, please don't roll on any weapon with Agility, and Enhancement Shamans, please don't roll on 2-handed weapons! (Note from a non-Hunter: Again, this seems to be a double standard. Pick one, as noted above.)


 * Not all Hunters lack pet control. Some of us take quite a bit of pride in our ability to keep our pets out of trouble. Don't limit us and make us dismiss our pets just because you've worked with bad Hunters in the past. Asking us to dismiss our pets is like asking a Rogue to put away one of his daggers or asking a Warlock to not use DoTs.


 * Stop blaming hunters' pets for your death! There were issues with pets in certain boss fights a long time ago but most if not all have already been fixed. Blaming pets for a random or unexplained death only tells people how ignorant and immature you are.


 * Healers: Please heal the pets when they need it, especially when they are off-tanking. If the pet dies, you are very likely to get the aggro, and you don't want that. If we use our pet to pull a mob off of you, it is nice to at least toss it a Renew. It is especially important for Beastmastery Hunters whose pets can deal significant damage and provide a 3% extra DPS increase aura. Nevertheless, if the tank or other party members need healing more, help them before our pets.


 * As a healer, you'll want to stay close to the Hunter. They are generally adept at picking a spot out of harm's way, and good Hunters will be ready to trap any loose mobs that aggro on you.


 * Traps are a valuable form of crowd control and can be used against all mob types (there are a few exceptions, such as most water elementals), assuming it's not resisted. Please don't break the ice. With Trap Launcher, we can now trap mobs from afar, but unlike spells like Polymorph or Hex, traps need 2 seconds to arm themselves - if you pull when the Hunter launches the trap, then by the time the trap is armed, the mob won't be near it anymore...


 * Also, each hunter can only have one Freezing Trap down (waiting to be triggered), and unless they have Readiness (Marksman), it's on a 30 second cooldown, and only waits 30 seconds to be triggered before it fades away. Give us enough time that we'll be ready with another trap as soon as the first is triggered, but don't take forever to pull. We can't chain trap with our cooldown blown.


 * Feign Death can be, and often is resisted by mobs at our level and higher, especially if there are many mobs and the Hunter has no points in Survival Tactics. Another note on Feign Death, it has a cooldown and we can't simply spam it.


 * We no longer use mana, as we gain Focus by using steady shot and other shots, therefore conjured water is no longer needed.


 * A pet is not a replacement for a tank. The pet is used to draw aggro off the healers or clothies. The pet is not going to be able to hold three mobs at once. The pet is useful, but a group taking on a challenge equal in level to themselves will need a real tank.


 * When tanking a moving target, avoid pulling the mob too close to the hunter if possible; if it gets too close, it may require the hunter to move to a place where the target is in ranged distance again, thereby reducing the hunter's damage output.

Things Non-Hunters want Hunters to Know

 * Hunters' ranged attack does NOT benefit from expertise. Therefore, any gear with expertise should be given priority to melee dps first, even if it has agility, attack power, etc. An epic with high expertise on it is at most on par with an equal level blue with only the relevant stats for hunters.
 * Turn off Growl. The only time it should be used is if you use the pet to pull aggro off another player, and even then should only be used manually.  After all, you don't want to be ressing, feeding and mending your pet after every pull.
 * Whatever you do, please be careful with Multi-Shot. Don't use it around crowd control unless you are absolutely sure one of your shots will not break it. Hunters who do are despised by the rest of the community. Multi-Shot pulling can be done if you know 100% for sure what mobs will be coming towards the party. Multi-Shot combined with Misdirection puts all the aggro from the three shots on the target misdirection was applied to.
 * In combat, be aware of DoTs dropped on mobs before trying to trap it with Freezing Trap. It's a waste of time to do otherwise, and a waste of goodwill to blame the group for "breaking your trap" when the DoT was on the mob prior to the trap being put down.
 * Accidents are inevitable, forgiveness is divine. Know how to control your pet and when to get it off the mob a priest or mage is trying to Polymorph or Shackle. (You should never put your pet away, and if someone asks its either that you have poor control over your pet or that your party is used to playing with an inexperienced hunter.)
 * Hunters who know how and when to use their traps are admired by all.
 * Do not run away if you get aggro. The more the tank has to chase the mob the longer it takes to get the aggro off you. Either Feign Death or run to the tank!
 * Remember to always check your ammo before going to instance or raid. Hunters are not a melee class, and without ammo you are next to useless.
 * Make sure to let your party or raid know when you are feigning death and when it is resisted. Set up macros and put them on your action bar.
 * Try not to draw aggro. If you do, feign death IMMEDIATELY.
 * When using Aspect of the Pack please hang back behind the group (unless you're the only person who knows where the group is going). Group members who are behind you might fall out of the range of the aspect, falling even further behind.  If you've just run back into an instance after a wipe, wait until the last person returns to the entrance and then use the aspect.  You'll speed the last person along and probably pick up the others as you catch up with them. Also, make sure you remember to change back to another aspect before starting the fight. It is a good idea to grab an add-on that automatically removes your Aspect of the Pack if any party member gets hit and dazed.
 * There are a whole sixty-nine levels of the game for which you do not have Misdirection. Until you get it, stop acting like the tank is unreasonable for wanting to pull. Even then, don't pull unless the tank is ok with you pulling.

Things Hunters want new Hunters to Know

 * Become competent. There are a very large number of people in this game who play a Hunter, and most of them have utterly no idea what they are doing.  They cause wipes, their pets run wild pulling half an instance full of mobs at a time, they forget to buy food, water, and ammunition at the beginning of an instance run, and they habitually roll need on items which they shouldn't.  Because of this, our class has the reputation of the average dog with fleas, and we thus also have to work twice as hard as other classes in order to earn the same measure of respect.  Study the abilities that this class has.  Learn about pulling.  Learn about trapping, and then learn about chain trapping.  Figure out which macros you need, and get them.  Also realize that as a Hunter, you're going to be expected to keep track of close to literally half a dozen different things at once in a group scenario, and that's assuming you're not setting marks for the group.  If you as an individual can't handle that, you'll do everyone concerned (including yourself) a favour if you roll another class.


 * In groups, avoid rolling on items unless you're certain that you genuinely do need them. Only roll on appropriate armor, meaning Leather up to level 39, and Mail from level 40 and upwards; never wear Leather once you're past level 40. The only armor types a Hunter should be wearing are leather and mail; although we can wear it, cloth always rightfully belongs to someone else. Avoid items with useless stats, like Strength, Intellect, Spirit, Expertise, Dodge, or Parry. Our weapon classes are the ranged weapons, two-handed weapons, and dual wield daggers in some rare scenarios. Instances are also not the place to try to make money; we have farming areas for that, and the other thing to consider is that if you only roll on items which you truly do need, other people will be a lot more likely to let you have them.  Nobody likes a loot hog, so it is not in your best interests to be one.


 * Take good care of what your pet does, especially when you're in a group. Nobody wants to see some aggressive pet run into the next mob group while the healer is OOM. Aggressive mode can lead to a lot of trouble, defensive or even passive is far better. Note that the pathfinding is not perfect, so jumping down a hole in an instance and having the pet just follow you might be a rather dumb idea. In instance groups, your pet will often have the lowest healing priority, so be prepared to cast "mend pet" or use a bandage, even if there's a healer in the group.


 * Always release your pet before jumping down from a high place. You don't know what it might do, otherwise.


 * Your pets provide valuable buffs that are as strong as similar buffs given by other classes. The most important buffs are given by Raptors, Wolves, Cats, Dragonhawks and Ravagers. Tame and stable them, so you'd have them available for use in dungeons and raids.


 * Map a keybinding to both pet attack and follow. This way if for some reason your pet is going after the wrong mob (tab targeting is somewhat less than optimal) or taking a bad path due to weird pathing and aggro other mobs, you can call it back at a moment's notice.  Mapping a key to pet attack simply makes sending your pet in more convenient. There are default keybindings for Pet Attack and Pet Recall, CTRL+1 will send the pet to attack, and CTRL+2 will recall the pet (follow). CTRL+3 will cause the pet to stay where it is.


 * Remember that you can reset your aggro using Feign Death. This makes healer's and tank's job easier. Another note on this is when you Feign Death in a group, watch where the mob goes, if it heads for the healer, send your pet after it, jump up and pull it off the healer. If for whatever reason the mob simply will not get off the healer, run up to it and drop a freeze trap at its feet.


 * If you pull aggro and force the healer to sit there spamming heals on you, make sure that the tank is still higher on the threat list than your healer before you Feign Death. If your mistake forces your healer to move above the tank in threat, you can kite, trap, try to have your pet take aggro, or call out for your party to focus DPS on the mob that's pounding you, but keep your healer in mind.


 * Note that Feign Death can save you some repair costs if your group has a wipe. However, if there's still a chance that the group can win the battle, you should get up and return to combat, even at the risk of dying. Giving up too early leads to a bad reputation. Ideally, you should be prepared to die in order to attempt to save the healer, as even if you do die in the process, that can prevent a total wipe.  Our repair costs are not high comparatively, either... so it likely won't cost you that much.


 * Pay close attention to the healer once a fight has begun, since acting as a bodyguard for healers is one of the main informal ways that we can justify our presence in a group. If you don't have a mage in the group, try and bring some extra drinks to give to the healer if they run out.


 * Do not multi-shot around crowd controlled mobs.


 * Learn how to trap and chain trap (seeFreezing Trap for how to do it). Be sure to turn off autoshot/autoattack after pulling a mob to your trap so that you don't break your own trap.  When trapping in instances, place the trap early, so that if it's resisted the first time you can drop another one straight away.  Juggle trap duration & cooldown so that you can chain trap a mob (i.e. trap it again and again to keep it out of the rest of the fight, until the group is ready to deal with it).


 * When kiting, Serpent Sting is an excellent way to keep the mob's aggro. Each tick brings more hate. Jump shots are still required, however using Serpent Sting will make the downtime in-between sprints a little less critical.


 * PLEASE memorize the Perfect Zone of Ultimate Safety! While this is what makes the Hunter the best pullers in WoW, many Hunters have never even heard of it; these same Hunters don't understand how to pull mobs without endangering the party, and so they ruin the class's reputation. Most people who say "Hunters can't pull" are probably people who have grouped with Hunters that couldn't use the Perfect Zone of Ultimate Safety correctly.

General tips
Tips for hunters working with particular classes.

Rogue
Let your pet tank and hold aggro as much as possible. This allows the Rogue to build combo points and unload DPS. Keeping Trueshot Aura up will make Rogues happy, too. Rogues should NOT roll on hunter's bows (See Warrior tips for thrown weapon info). By the same token, hunters should not be rolling on anything with expertise, and give dagger priority to any rogues who need them.

Warrior
Don't generally roll either Need or Greed on axes, swords, maces, or anything with +Strength on it. Yes, Warriors have a tendency to take gear which we genuinely do need, but that doesn't mean we should do the same thing back.

Warriors should NOT be rolling against Hunters for guns. Warrior tanks use Strength, Stamina, Defense Rating, etc. on their ranged weapon (such as Rowan's Rifle of Silver Bullets) and DPS warriors can buy a thrown weapon relevant stats using Frost/Triumph/Conquest badges.

Use your pet as an off-tank if you get adds. Otherwise, just add your pet to the attack with Growl disabled.

Buffing your pet with Intimidation at the beginning of a pull is a bad idea for two reasons: the stun effect prevents the tank from building threat and it blows one of your best chances at saving a squishy.

Most warriors prefer your pet to have Growl turned off. If that's the case, then map growl to a key-binding. Your pet will die less and when that trigger happy priest pulls too much hate, you have an instant growl waiting to pull the mob off of him or her (provided your pet has enough focus).

Good use of Misdirection on the tanks, both at the start and in the middle of the fight, help their threat a lot.

Priest
When doing quest in a party of two, let your pet tank and hold aggro as much as possible. If the priest gets aggro, use Distracting Shot to take aggro onto yourself - you can take it better than they can. Following Distracting Shot with Concussive Shot is a little intensive but gets the mob off the healer and into the open where it can be taken away.

Placing a Freezing Trap in front of your priest will freeze the first enemy that aggroes to the Priest, giving your group time to gain aggro on the mob and pull it off the Priest.

Bring an extra 10-20 units of whatever type of drink you use to replenish your own mana, so that you have some to give the Priest if they run out.

If the Priest is willing to heal your pet, be grateful, but don't expect it, since we have Mend Pet and so the Priest's mana is ideally intended to go to healing player characters.

If you've got a Priest in a group, don't roll on staves. We shouldn't use staves. If you've got a staff equipped, rest assured that there is another weapon in the game (generally a polearm) that will be better for you.

Mage
Do not roll on cloth or staves. Although rare, mageblades in the Sword class do exist, and there isn't really such a thing as a Sword which can be considered a true Hunter weapon either.

If you ask a Mage for food or water, do so politely and respectfully, and do not simply demand it.

Let your pet tank and hold aggro as much as possible. Let the mage Polymorph any adds (if humanoid, or beast, or critter).

An Ice mage with Chill and Ice area of effect spells will benefit from your use of Multi-Shot to take down the mobs faster. Laying a Frost Trap or Freezing Trap will also slow down the mobs.

Druid
Feral druids use the same two-handed weapons as you do, since they also need Agility as their primary stat. The exception are maces, which we can't use; those obviously you shouldn't roll on.

Before level 40, you can roll on Leather armor with Agility, even though the feral druid might need it, though if it has Expertise, it's meant for melee. Once you're past level 40, do not roll on leather armor, and obviously, never roll on leather armor with Intellect.

With a Balance druid, let your pet tank and hold aggro as much as possible. Let the druid Hibernate any adds (if beast or dragonkin).

With a healer (Restoration) druid, see the priest section. With a Feral druid, see rogue and warrior sections.

Shaman
Ask kindly for a Strength_of_Earth_Totem, and keep up Trueshot Aura if the Shaman you're working with is Enhancement. BM hunters' Ferocious Inspiration is beneficial to both Elemental and Enhancement Shamans' dps. Remember that Shamans can also heal your pet.

Mail with Intellect, Spirit, or mana regeneration is only useful for Shamans. Maces are also the only weapon class in the game that we cannot use, so make sure you let him have those, as well.

Paladin
This may seem obvious, but don't roll on plate armor as hunters cannot use it. If Healer Paladin, let pet tank and Paladin off-tank and heal. If Protection or Retribution Paladin, see Warrior section. Blessing of Kings is very useful for hunters as it will buff all of the stats on which hunters are dependent. Talk to the Paladin about trapping; Consecrate tends to break traps, so ask the Paladin if he wants traps used or not. If trap is needed, it is your job to put it far away from where he will be/is tanking.

Warlock
See Mage section. Coordinate pets so that one of your pets can tank while the other does DPS. The Warlock's Imp has a handy health buff, although in some cases another pet could well be more useful, particularly if the Warlock is Demonology-specced.

Death Knight
More or less the same as warriors, though they possess fewer aggro grabbing abilities, so be prepared to have your pet grab any enemy that slips off them and onto a squishy. Let them fight the warriors over any swords axes maces or polearms that are strength or stamina oriented.