User:Kathucka/Hunter's Guide to Karazhan/Hunter's Guide to Karazhan

This guide is intended to educate hunters on how to raid Karazhan. It covers absolutely every bit of hunter-specific information they need to be successful there.

The guide is rather large. Use the navbox to the right to get to all the different pages of the guide.

Most of the guide is dedicated to preparation, so the hunter knows what to bring and how to set up the character and the pet. The bosses section explains the actual fights and lists the loot. The tables section has a list of all the useful tables that appear elsewhere in the guide.

For the impatient, see the end of this page for the short version of what you need to do to succeed in Karazhan.

For the complete version, click on a section in the navbox to the right.

To discuss or make suggestions for this guide, click on the Discussion tab above.

So, you want to go to Karazhan, do you?
Greetings, brave hunter. You have just completed the arduous climb to level 70. Lured by the sagas of adventure in the mysterious tower of Karazhan, and the tempting purple treasures there, you are ready to grab your key and start reaping your loot. Right?

Wrong. You are not prepared.

Karazhan, although it is the easiest endgame raid in the game, is a considerable step up in difficulty and complexity from everything that has gone before. Everyone in the raid, even you, is required to perform well, or the raid will fail. If you are not prepared, you will not perform well. Other people in the raid will notice, and you may have difficulty getting invited to more raids. You must prepare. You must perform well. This guide explains everything you need to know to prepare and perform.

Here is what you must do before you step foot in Karazhan:


 * Understand your roles in a raid.
 * Prepare your gear.
 * Prepare your talent spec.
 * Prepare your enchantments.
 * Prepare your gems.
 * Prepare your macros.
 * Prepare your pet.
 * Install your add-ons.
 * Set up your voice communications.
 * Gather your consumables.
 * Get your Karazhan key.
 * Study the Karazhan fights.

This takes a lot of time and gold. Do it anyway, because all that preparation pays off handsomely once you get there. Your raid will do better, and you will not be known as a "huntard." This guide explains how to do all of those things.

Once you are in Karazhan, you must perform well. This guide explains how to perform.


 * Buffs and grouping.
 * Using skills and spells
 * Dealing damage.
 * Managing threat.
 * Utility.
 * The individual trash and boss fights.

This guide promotes generally-accepted techniques that work well. However, it is not complete. Many different gearouts, talent choices, and boss fight strategies work. In the interest of length, though, this guide discusses only the most widely-accepted choices. It purposely does not take a neutral point of view.

The short version
Oh, my. What a long article. For the impatient or barely literate, here's the short cookie-cutter version of what you need to do to succeed in Karazhan:

Gear up in level 68+ blues or epics. Enchant every piece of gear that can take an enchant. Put a superior-quality gem in every socket that can take one. Prioritize hit rating, agility, and attack power.

Spec for Beast Mastery, with Improved Hunter's Mark, Mortal Shots, Serpent's Swiftness, and Improved Revive Pet.

Choose a cat, ravager, raptor, or wind serpent. Train it with Cobra Reflexes, Avoidance, and Claw, Gore or Lightning Breath, as appropriate.

Set up a shot rotation macro and targeting macros.

Install Omen, Recount, and Deadly Boss Mods.

Use Auto Shot, Steady Shot, and Kill Command to do damage. Keep Scorpid Sting and Hunter's Mark up all the time. Use traps, snares, and stuns to control trash. Feign Death when your threat gets too high. Use cooldown abilities and trinkets when it is safe.

Bring agility food, mana oil, a Flask of Relentless Assault, and plenty of mana potions.

Links
The information in this guide was gathered from a wide variety of sources. Here is a list of resources with information about hunters, raiding, and Karazhan, along with forums where you can ask questions about them.


 * Hunter abilities
 * Karazhan
 * Useful macros for hunters