Are the new hunter specs fun?

[spinner981]

BM for me is almost the same in terms of play style, i am currently leveling a Survival and its cool and all but, nothing special.
Overall the spec changes took the same steps as all other classes, with a clear simplification process, of reducing the number of abilities.

BM is nowhere near what it ever has been. BW was turned into nothing but a miniature avenging wrath, stripped of all other additional effects that once made it interesting. You cobra shot so you don't focus cap, and then hit everything else on cooldown (everything else being dire beast, BW, wild and KC). That's the entire spec. No focus generation at all. Anyone who thinks it is similar to what it used to be didn't really play hunter.

[Deleted]

Pretty weird that you praise hunters as a non-caster class and then defend this steady shot spam crap we had to deal with since cataclysm...as much as I hate spamming arcane shot to regenerate energy, its still better than spamming a boring 1.5 sec cast twice in a row every 5 seconds.It would be like a fire mage having to generate mana with scorch, how awful would that be?

What i meant about non-caster is that hunter is not in the robe-wearing, spellweaving class section.

I had no issues "casting" steady shot, i felt it was blending into my special shots nicely, giving me the feeling of fluidity, perpetuity. I found that system logical, so me liked it.
Casting steady - gives me focus.
Casting anything else - removes focus.

The new iteration is a weird proc/buffwatcher style (we have other classes for that niche), which i dont like, but thats just me.

[threads]

I don't think MM is the most complex thing ever, but it sure as hell is more complex than it was before 7.0. Maybe you don't have to hit a button every second, but you have to plan ahead and know when to use your abilities and more importantly when not to use them. That is especially true in movement heavy encounters and without instant aimed shot. You can't just cast your abilities when they come off cooldown and spam aimed shot in between. So in my opinion arguing that MM somehow got less complex because it now has a few seconds downtime is ridiculous.

planning ahead and knowing when to spend focus has been true since cataclysm. you also had to plan for movement with the old mastery.

more downtime arguably makes things less complex when you have more time to make decisions. especially when there's a total of like 2 possible decisions.

how is one superior talent build for everything complex too? nothing changes between ST, cleave, or aoe. everyone just takes sidewinders and PS and does the same thing for everything.

[Huntaer]

Personally I'm having a blast with Survival!

[Deleted]

MM is fun if you like doing the best dps with the smallest effort and no skill required.

[djen]

Guess you are right, Spinner.
But for me it didn't felt that different, although i have to say that i start playing BM at the beginning of WOD and end up as MM when i start raiding.

[Deleted]

https://youtu.be/-yolH8INcnU
Preach his comparison of ranged specs
BM terrible in his eyes and MM pretty good but not amazing
He shares my opinion
I dont understand all the MM hate
Im having more fun with MM in prepatch then in 6.2 (unless i get unlucky with procs)

[blankfaced]

I actually like all the changes to hunter, only thing i miss is Aotcheetah. And of course from way back i still miss eyes of the beast.

[Kwaai]

I wrote a longer post, but, i just think GCD classes have way less thought that non GCD capped classes. I think spamming 100% of the time is a generally awful play style, for melee specifically, but it goes for old hunters too. Being GCD capped, there's way less thought..But.. regardless, Hunters are now not so GCD capped depending on talents, so it's just down to subjective thoughts really. Hunters are a bit different now, so it's like, a take it or leave it situation.

It being a take it or leave it situation isn't relevant. What's the point of a discussion forum if not to be able to say "I dislike these changes." We've had a GCD capped playstyle since at least Wrath, and if I wanted to have a melee playstyle at any point in the last 8 years I would have rolled a class with a rotation like that. To have it shoved down my throat is unfortunate at best. Complexity aside, I think downtime is boring. I was running HFC today and there were a number of times the following happened:

Sidewinders
>AiS
>MS
>AiS
>AiS
>Barrage
Then, no focus, sidewinders coming up in > 5 seconds, no procs. Just standing there. Waiting for Marking Targets. Having fun.

I don't hate the spec, and honestly I'll probably get used to it and stop caring, but if there was any other class I cared about remotely as much as Hunter I'd consider rerolling.

So im having so much fun testing hunter on beta atm. Prolly gonna make it my main alt. I really like MM, and BM will prolly be more enjoyable with higher levels of proper gear. Because the 110 test realm is low ilvl versa gear with 0 haste.

I just watched a 6.2 MM guide out of curiosity, and i dont even... Im baffled how MM/BM is getting so much negativity after watching that pile of shit faceroll, i dont even have the words. All i can say without bias is MM/BM fun factor is up there for me along with spriests.

It had a very predictable cadence to it, and sniping high health adds with AiS and low health ones with KS added some extra depth. AiS crits and TotH changed the pace of the rotation enough to keep from being boring.

[turboether]

Having to manage focus by waiting feels awkward. Will probably get used to it after a while, though.

[Felfaadaern Darkterror]

I haven't played any of the test servers so can only speak to Live & pre-patch.

BM is fun but simple. You're mobile and you can do competitive damage in the right situations. Good spec for when I'm too tired to think but want to pull my weight.

SV is an intriguing challenge and the spec I am playing most. Lots to learn and think about and tweak and try and theory-craft. I don't think anyone believes they have all the answers for SV yet. Which makes it fun being in on the ground floor with a new spec.

I've never been drawn to MM but do see MM hunters still topping meters in some of my instances. Haven't inspected them so can't say how much of that was the spec and how much was their gear.

- - - Updated - - -

Having to manage focus by waiting feels awkward. Will probably get used to it after a while, though.

SV has a nice mix of charges and focus-costing abilities, so you essentially manage focus by planing which to use when.

[threads]

i think the main problem is they cut out so much baseline just to fill up talent trees and make specs look unique. so now we feel incomplete even after talents.

[Deleted]

I enjoy MM, havent tested BM yet. I just cant decide if i should main hunter or mage in legion :/

[Grimbold of Skullcrusher]

Fun spec in this shitty game? What? Remember, there are no fun specs in wow, just shit specs.

/end of sacrcasm

Do not ask if a spec is fun, it is very relative and mostly, you get answers from ppl who dislike the class/spec/whatever. Go find out yourself.

[Deleted]

https://youtu.be/-yolH8INcnU
Preach his comparison of ranged specs
BM terrible in his eyes and MM pretty good but not amazing
He shares my opinion
I dont understand all the MM hate
Im having more fun with MM in prepatch then in 6.2 (unless i get unlucky with procs)

HAHAHAHAHHAHA
Ele Shamy Tier 1
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

This guy has literally absolute no fcking clue what he is talking about, but ok, "preach" his shit, may the unedcuated plebs follow his lead.

Ele Shamy Tier 1 ...... made my fucking day.

Edit: Oh wait, i get it. Its about F U N! Yeah great, let me break your illusions: What benefits do i have, if i play a class (or specc rather say) that is F U N to play with, but sucks so hard big balls that no sane leader will take you for ANYTHING serious gameplay in this game? Yeah? Nobody? You there, Hans, in the last row, do you have the answer? No? Well, then pick up your books and read page 1337 .....

[Deleted]

HAHAHAHAHHAHA
Ele Shamy Tier 1
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

This guy has literally absolute no fcking clue what he is talking about, but ok, "preach" his shit, may the unedcuated plebs follow his lead.

Ele Shamy Tier 1 ...... made my fucking day.

Edit: Oh wait, i get it. Its about F U N! Yeah great, let me break your illusions: What benefits do i have, if i play a class (or specc rather say) that is F U N to play with, but sucks so hard big balls that no sane leader will take you for ANYTHING serious gameplay in this game? Yeah? Nobody? You there, Hans, in the last row, have you the answer? No? Well, then pick up your books and read page 1337 .....

U are stupid to decide what to main on what does best dps in prepatch or in beta
The best way to look at things right now is "fun"
And I find ele shaman fun, as long as I dont look at my damage
Ofc once the game hits live u will want to main one of the top tier specs
But ele is likely to get buffed, and knowing blizzard they dont do minor balancing
Only major buffs and hard nerfs
If affli lock does the most damage does that make the spec better? No
Will every lock play it? Yes
Doesnt change anything about preaches list tho

And yes, I will play the hunter spec that does the most dps
God I hope it isnt BM

- - - Updated - - -

Fun spec in this shitty game? What? Remember, there are no fun specs in wow, just shit specs.

/end of sacrcasm

Do not ask if a spec is fun, it is very relative and mostly, you get answers from ppl who dislike the class/spec/whatever. Go find out yourself.

I agree , but not having acces to beta I want to know how specs play with completed artifacts
But mostly I just look at ppls opinions, in the end, I decide for myself and so should everyone

[Bepples]

https://youtu.be/-yolH8INcnU
Preach his comparison of ranged specs
BM terrible in his eyes and MM pretty good but not amazing

It's pretty rich how he was claiming that BM was literally so easy that it made you a worse player, while he played it in the most inept manner possible. Here are all the mistakes he made:

- (Almost) never using Cobra Shot
- Never using Aspect of the Wild
- Using Dire Beast with less than 8 secs remaining on Bestial Wrath CD
- Delaying Bestial Wrath unnecessarily
- Capping focus several times
- Specced into Intimidation
- Specced into, and prioritising, Barrage on single target
- Not specced into Stampede (worse still: he is either specced into Killer Cobra and making literally no use of it due to the first point, or he is specced into Aspect of the Beast which is comparable to picking Exotic Munitions before 7.0)
- Delaying Kill Command frequently
- Spamming Multi-Shot, refreshing Beast Cleave several seconds early and wasting all focus

I dont understand all the MM hate
Im having more fun with MM in prepatch then in 6.2 (unless i get unlucky with procs)

You say you don't understand, yet on the very next line you say the exact reason why people don't like the spec. Excessive RNG dependence. Add to that immobility and an almost complete lack of cooldown management and you have a dull, barely-functional, and blatantly annoying spec to play.

[Sastank]

Fun? No. The "Ranged mobile Physical class" became a "immobile unless BM but with a melee spec and immobile spec is clunky and RNG heavy af " class

[Ryzek]

Just finished leveling my hunter from 95-100 at Surv and had a lot of fun while doing so.

[Bepples]

And yes, I will play the hunter spec that does the most dps
God I hope it isnt BM

The way it looks now is:
- BM and MM are very close on the sims, with BM pulling very slightly ahead
- Most of the raiding hunters here are preferring MM since its AoE is automatic and it pulls ahead on fights with a lot of priority add bursting, spread-out targets, and burst AoE

Personally I'm playing BM because I feel the opposite: MM plays like hot garbage. I played it for 2 hours in mythic HFC and it was driving me crazy. I felt like half the time I was waiting for a proc and it somehow felt even simpler than BM due to having only 1 base CD (which doesn't even fit well with Sidewinders) and knowing that when I lost the 4-set I would have to stand still most of the time was the nail in the coffin.

I think there will be fights where BM pulls ahead and fights where MM pulls ahead, just like the situation in pretty much any tier other than T18 and it's shitty spec balance (although BRF was totally BM-dominant). I realise that MM may be better in the end but I don't think the difference is as significant as it was in 6.2 and I'm not playing in a cutting-edge progression guild, and I'd rather stop playing entirely than playing MM for an entire tier or longer.