Why can Hunters move, but Other Ranged Can't?

[HardlyWaken]

I'm not trying to whine here, I have an Ele shaman (the feels, though) and a hunter myself. I'm genuinely curious as to why it's okay for hunters to be a practically FULL mobile ranged dps, but not only that, most of their attacks are frontal/instant. They are decently close to a "ranged-melee". So my question is, why was mobile lightning bolt (and Fel Flame) such a big deal, yet hunters are allowed to maintain full mobility? Especially if they're supposed to be balanced for equal potency and damage why can't ranged have some non-clunky mobility while casting as well?

Anyone care to shed some light on this? I'm willing to be convinced, it just tends to boggle me and frustrate me as it stands.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Because hunters aren't casters; they are considered melee DPS, just at long range.

Mageys, Boombooms, Lockies, and Shammys are considered casters, and it is a little unfair (balance wise) for them to be able to deal devastating attacks from far away and keep moving. That's why 1. they have cast times and 2. they have to decide where they are going to stand. And stay there.

[Bad Ashe]

Because hunters aren't casters; they are considered melee DPS, just at long range.

Mageys, Boombooms, Lockies, and Shammys are considered casters, and it is a little unfair (balance wise) for them to be able to deal devastating attacks from far away and keep moving. That's why 1. they have cast times and 2. they have to decide where they are going to stand. And stay there.

i might agree with that, except hunters cant even equip a melee weapon anymore...

[Vasaru]

Yeah I don't get how it's fair either.

[Snes]

Hunters have to spam casted weak steady/cobra shots to recover focus, giving the opponent some time to breathe. They are also partially balanced around the fact they have autoshots.

Casters start off with a full mana bar that never runs out.

[mistahwilshire]

Because there needs to be something to keep us from being the completely inferior version of Warlocks.

[ComputerNerd]

Because hunters aren't casters; they are considered melee DPS, just at long range.

Mageys, Boombooms, Lockies, and Shammys are considered casters, and it is a little unfair (balance wise) for them to be able to deal devastating attacks from far away and keep moving. That's why 1. they have cast times and 2. they have to decide where they are going to stand. And stay there.

That's a poor argument.
They are ranged, so the same should apply.

[Gimlix]

Each class should feel different, and hunters began to feel like a mage. that is not what they were suppost to be.

[Deleted]

True casters are supposed to do more DPS when standing still VS. a hunter. I can't tell if that is the case atm since I don't have active sub. But I heard in WoD that will be the case.

[Rosstafa]

I guess it's supposed to set hunters apart from other ranged classes, but also they're somewhat of the 'noob class' (I say this as a someone who plays a hunter as a main). They're supposed to be easier to play, but I do agree that they are at a bit too much of an advantage against other ranged classes, and I see this only increasing in WoD.

[Traveler Voltin]

hunters arent casters and they rely on auto attacks(and mostly instant cast abilities) like melee dps

[HardlyWaken]

That's what I mean though, balance wise. Ranged is ranged, and I was pretty sure the immobility was supposed to balance out versus melee having to avoid hazards (leaving melee range) and to damped the effects of kiting. However I don't see where this places Hunter. Come WOD hunter will have instant ice trap (ground targeted) CC, full mobility potential etc. And of course if they fall behind in damage it'd be mostly a tuning issue, not mechanical.

I guess my point is, if a hunter can be mobile and still be considered balanced as a range AND with instant damage, casters should be able to be balanced in a similar manner, and moving while casting just simply FEELS soo much better. I don't mind, as ELE atm, having to stop for big nukes and running with my filler. In fact, I think it's cool to hunker down for the big bursts, but with the change it really diminishes the fun of Lightning Bolt, it goes from a unique part of the Ele kit to a weak Elemental Blast that you use when you can't use the actual Elemental blast.

Maybe I'm just a bit bitter, but full mobility even with their "casted" abilities just doesn't seem very fair when most ranged already had limited mobility yet hunters retained all of theirs. x.X

[Ssateneth]

Because thats what makes a hunter a hunter. Their defining trait is being able to do full damage while moving.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

That's what I mean though, balance wise. Ranged is ranged, and I was pretty sure the immobility was supposed to balance out versus melee having to avoid hazards (leaving melee range) and to damped the effects of kiting. However I don't see where this places Hunter. Come WOD hunter will have instant ice trap (ground targeted) CC, full mobility potential etc. And of course if they fall behind in damage it'd be mostly a tuning issue, not mechanical.

I guess my point is, if a hunter can be mobile and still be considered balanced as a range AND with instant damage, casters should be able to be balanced in a similar manner, and moving while casting just simply FEELS soo much better. I don't mind, as ELE atm, having to stop for big nukes and running with my filler. In fact, I think it's cool to hunker down for the big bursts, but with the change it really diminishes the fun of Lightning Bolt, it goes from a unique part of the Ele kit to a weak Elemental Blast that you use when you can't use the actual Elemental blast.

Maybe I'm just a bit bitter, but full mobility even with their "casted" abilities just doesn't seem very fair when most ranged already had limited mobility yet hunters retained all of theirs. x.X

To put this way: Blizzard doesn't divide the classes by the range they fight at but by their strategic playstyle: Fighters (insta-use abilities, but are weak) and casters (devastating attacks with a cast time). Hunters are fighters, and unlike mages and the other casters; they don't have particularly powerful attacks. Only when they use their attacks in rapid succession (aka bursts) do they deal large chunks of damage. Casters are heavily damaging, and likewise that's why they are forced to wait for their attacks and to stand still.

[clevin]

it's not that hunters are melee dps at range, it's that we're PHYSICAL dps at range. Lore-wise, there's no 'must concentrate to cast spell' logic needed.

In terms of gameplay, they've balanced around the fact that we can shoot while moving. If that changed, they'd need to rebalance the cast time shots we use to hit harder.

[HardlyWaken]

hunters arent casters and they rely on auto attacks(and mostly instant cast abilities) like melee dps

That doesn't change the major advantage gained over casters having to stop for their DPS. In fact it's only worsened by the fact that their damage cannot be interrupted and is instant.

[Daetur]

I suppose I see hunters as having their own disadvantages.

We typically have significantly less self-healing than casters, fewer defensive options, fewer mobility options besides simply running, and our DPS can be full-stopped with a disarm, something other ranged do not need to worry about.

Also, our abilities hit for significantly less than a single casted ability from a magic-damage ranged.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

That doesn't change the major advantage gained over casters having to stop for their DPS. In fact it's only worsened by the fact that their damage cannot be interrupted and is instant.

But it's weak compared towards a caster's devastating spell, which makes up for it.

[Daetur]

But it's weak compared towards a caster's devastating spell, which makes up for it.

Exactly. In PvP, it's much easier to deal with steady incoming damage than sudden massive bursts.

[mistahwilshire]

That doesn't change the major advantage gained over casters having to stop for their DPS. In fact it's only worsened by the fact that their damage cannot be interrupted and is instant.

The advantage is nullified because steady/cobra shot do literally fuck all for damage and are required to be used quite a lot in order to use other abilities.