Hunter Guide For Noobs and Veterans

First let me start this off by saying that this is going to be a comprehensive guide for both veteran players and "newbies" alike. I'm not going to base it around just one aspect and as such it should be easy enough for a new player to understand, yet thorough enough for a veteran player to skim through and have a good idea of what's going on. This guide's sole intention is to get you to that ever so magical level (for most classes at least)... 20. From that point on you as a Hunter should know well enough what's going on to make good enough choices on your own and as such I don't see much need to explain anything beyond that point. For A full alliance guide on leveling to 60 check out

Section I: What a Hunter is and what it is not.

A Hunter is foremost a solo artist, especially at lower levels. Now there's quite a bit of debate as to who "the grand ole daddy of solo'ing" is (Hunter Vs. Warlock), but setting that topic aside it's safe to say that a Hunter is a well designed class for solo'ing. So if you're looking for a class which fits well in groups and does exceptionally well flying solo when the need arises, a Hunter is a prime choice for you.


There are two aspects of which a Hunter is centered around: His pets and his rifle. Sure, a Hunter can go melee but to be quite honest, it's not his forte. A Hunter's melee abilities are far below that of his counterparts (Warriors, Paladins and Rogues) and you should leave the melee'ing to those who excel in that area. You, as a Hunter, melee only when the absolute need arises (i.e. your pet drops aggro). That's not to say that a Hunter CANNOT melee. Far from it. It's just not what his build is intended for. When the chips are down and your back is against the wall, don't worry. You'll do fine. But overall you're better off letting your pet do it's job and you do yours; setting your opponent ablaze from a distance.



Section II: Races

Next to your selection of Talents, what race you choose is going to be your single most important choice when it comes to your Hunter build. No one race is better than another. Each has it's own pro's and con's and as such you should choose a race which will fit more to your playing preference and cosmetic choice (the way you want your hunter to look). As a Hunter you have five choices to choose from. From the Alliance you have Dwarves and Night Elves. For the Horde you have Trolls, Orc's and Tauren. I think it's important to note at this point that later on down the road (i.e. in the end game) there is very little difference between any of the five. Your major pro's and con's are going to stem from your talent choices and the gear that you have on your character. But in the beginning game race does play a role. As you begin to get into the higher echelon of levels, you'll see what I mean. = )


Alliance:


Out of the two choices which you have for the Alliance there is one major difference. Dwarves start out with a much higher amount of hit points and Elves start out with a much higher percentage of dodge (that's in addition to the +1% they get as a racial benefit). What does that mean? That means that dwarves can take more of a beating, which is nice since you don't actually get your pet until level 10, and Elves get hit less often then dwarves do. In the end it all evens out, but that is pretty much the only major difference between the two. Which would you prefer? Double the amount of HP or double the amount of Dodge percentage?


Setting that difference aside Dwarves have a racialy innate talent with Guns (+5 bonus) which pretty much makes them one level higher then other hunters in respect to their skill with their ranged weaponry. Once again, in the lower levels (prior to 30) this is going to give you a slight advantage. But in the longrun it really won't make much difference when you hit the endgame. Elves on the other hand, even though they lack this inherent bonus get a nifty little trick which is unavailable to dwarves and which I find quite invaluable given the right situation... stealth. Elves can stealth, albeit a stationary stealth. Meaning they can't move at all. BUT this ability is quite nice if you're going AFK for a few moments and don't feel like getting ganked by a passing mob or Horde opponent. Or if you're setting yourself up into a nice sniping position. Stationary stealth is the best sort of camoflage you need to prevent from being noticed from a distance. Now this stealt! h pales in comparison to that of a rogue, pretty much anyone who passes within melee range of you will discover you sitting there all by your lonesome. But, considering its a free ability... you can't really complain.


On the flipside Dwarves have a nice tracking ability which allows them to spot treasure chests on their overhead minimap. Not in itself a very Hunter oriented ability but it's just a nice little bonus. But Dwarves also recieve a stoneform ability which gives them some nice immunities at the cost of speed. A nice little ability to have when put in a bind. For instance if your pet drops aggro and you're stuck melee'ing the beast. But those are the differences between the two. You also have their resistance bonuses. Elves get a +10 nature resistance while Dwarves get a +10 frost resistance. Basically Elves are better off against Druids and Dwarves are better off against frost spec'd mages. That's pretty much what it boils down to.


Horde:


Now with the Horde you have a bit more of choice. Statistically Orc's and Tauren start out with a little bit more hitpoints then a Troll does. However the Troll has more of a dodge bonus then his counterparts. See my previous comments for the Alliance for a reminder of the pro's and con's of this aspect.


Now on the upside Troll's have a higher regeneration rate then his counterparts which helps with having slightly less hitpoints. But on the downside Troll's have a bonus (+5) to thrown weaponry. Which is, for lack of a better word, absolutely useless to a Hunter. If you're using thrown weaponry as oppossed to your rifle/bow/crossbow then you're doing something wrong with your Hunter. However, Trolls get two other abilities which are very nice. A +5% damage bonus against beasts (which you will be fighting primarily) and an instant cast rage which you can use when your backed into a corner. Both are very handy to have.


Tauren seem to be the popular choice for Hunters on the Horde side. Why? I'm not to sure but that's what I see running around all the time. Tauren, like Night Elves, recieve a +10 resist bonus to Nature spells as well as a really nice racial trait: War Stomp. Basically it stuns up to five creatures within your area. Nice to have if your pet drops aggro. They also get a +15 bonus to Herbalism but that's not really pertinent to Hunters. If you want to be an apothacary, that's fine, but we're not discussing that in this guide.


Finally you have Orc's which, is my primary choice for Horde Hunters. Orcs, other then having the second highest HP rating, recieve a +5 racial bonus to Axes, his pet's melee damage is increased by +5% which is really nice, a +25% resistance to knockout and stuns which is really REALLY nice and an instant cast fury which ups his strength by 25%.


Overview:


Now like I said before each race has it's pro's and con's but ultimately there is no single "best" race of which to choose from. Each has it's perks and it's ultimately up to you to decide how you want to play your hunter. No one race is better then the others and it's not really possible to "gimp" yourself in this regard. So choose carefully and enjoy your choice.



http://www.marsgamer.com/freeguides/hunter_guide.html

A Hunter is foremost a solo artist, especially at lower levels. Now there's quite a bit of debate as to who "the grand ole daddy of solo'ing" is (Hunter Vs. Warlock), but setting that topic aside it's safe to say that a Hunter is a well designed class for solo'ing. So if you're looking for a class which fits well in groups and does exceptionally well flying solo when the need arises, a Hunter is a prime choice for you.