Asking for innervates was never funnier.
If you played high level as Hunter while others could use their DPS potions, hunters had to use mana pots. Yeah, they were so good.
I personally fucking love my hunter and how it plays in combat wise currently. Let's hope we keep the trend in WoD launch with some tweeks here and there ofc.
I personally love Focus as a resource. I love having total control over it via Cobra/Steady Shot, and I love being able to dump a lot of damage with a full focus bar (as opposed to being cooldown locked with mana).
I've always been quite partial to the Energy-style resource system, and I think Focus is the best iteration of it in the game currently.
I am not a big fan of focus, but I have played hunter since ICC and up to now, and I always preferred mana, (also not being able to cast while on the move, but that is for another thread).
Mana is a strategic resource, if we just look at the ICC fights, never using mana pots since there was never any need, there was plenty of times to use viper without it hurting your DPS a lot, and sure, even if it is a full nuke patchwerk fight for 10 minutes, you have to go viper sometimes, but your damage would be balanced around that fact.
You had to plan not only your cooldowns, but also tme to be in aspect of the viper, and your movement, with only managing cooldowns remaining today. This is what has lowered the skill ceiling for hunter drastically.
On Lich King, a long fight (Like many are today), I would use aspect of the viper in transitions (killing orbs was always hunters job) and in P3 when I was very low, I used it in the down phase, and I always topped damage to wicked spirits anyway.
Also, we were relying on paladins, that was retarded, and the judgement of wisdom should be baked into hunters specs, because the class did far worse without judgement of wisdom, but you still went OOM in a long fight.
Thanks for the responses guys I'll keep working on my shaman to see if enhance is what I'm looking for hopefully I'll be able to get back into my hunter in WoD or so
Hey bud i played hunter in wotlk to.
Mop has been a huge dissapointment with the except of Monks. Rly fun class, if i were to vote on funniest / best "floor" for skills class ingame currently, id say Monks! (Both MW/WW) is very fun :P
lvl 80 hunter had a sort of "finesse-feeling" to playing it, so does monk.
Imho focus was nice chance, I haven't played my hunter in WotLK but I did in TBC, and although having to chunk Fel Mana Potions was fun (min-maxing AotH uptime was), I think focus gave us an unique play style.
The one change I'd make would be getting rid of steady/cobra shot, I would love to see some "reload" ability instead, as suggested on WHU blog. It's so annoying to use cobra and steady while soloing or on AoE packs.
to all the people who keep saying they'd rather have mana again, if blizz reverted it back, you'd start complaining that now hunters are clunky because of mana. focus is a dynamic resource, and fun to manage. you have to plan ahead what your next ability is, and when you want to use off rotation abilities, like tranq shot (20 focus).
Skeptical how much raid activity you had. "stealing" boss mana was not a viable alternative to AotV dancing. It's not like you spent half your time in viper stance; more like 5-10%. It still felt like too much, and the way they do it now with focus regen feels like they integrated what viper was with a fun alternative.
Biggest thing i miss has nothing to do with the mana or focus systems. It is how hunters no longer are played for the role they started as. Back when hunter pulling was done by those who knew howto do things right. When hunters were the ones who decided when and where each mob in a group would be engaged or not. hat is the part i miss. Who cares about being average run of the mill dps class now, give me back utility and control. This is what made the hunter class best. I wouldnt even care about being bottom rung dps if that control was returned.
Made a much bigger difference in my enjoyment of the class. Lost interest after earning Rhok.
I played a hunter in Wrath and I quite liked mana back then and had to get used to focus in MoP but after a bit of playing around with it I reckon it feels a lot better as it gives you a resource to manage whereas with mana you'd just keep doing the same rotation in a different aspect or depending on the boss even Viper Sting to get your mana back.
The only fight I could need to switch to AotV: 10hc lich king after the replenishment nerf (non issue in 25 mans). I really enjoyed mana that time and found it really challenging for 20 seconds over the whole expansion.
i miss mana i used to hit like a truck
Also in TBC Armor pen was so broken. I forgot how much I actually had in full Sunwell, and BT epics. +1 on the fel mana pots. Those got my through most of TBC until i got the Black bow of the Betrayer. Back on topic though, Hunters needed the change to keep the class fresh. Static roations are easy and have low skill cap making the game more about staying out of the bad and turreting things down when you could. I like how hunters play now compared to the Mages we once were. After the changes we are finally a real ranged Physcial DPS class. Best of both worlds. Fast instant attacks, mobile, and attack from a safe place. I like the class where it is today, and understand nostalgia. I could see MM playing as a pre-cata style hunter spec in the future. More of a hunker down and blast away. Hunter specs could use some distinction.