[7.3] Azortharion's Hunter Guides

[Azortharion]

What happened to dire beast on single targer? Is it shit now?

No. o.o

It's just not better than Fervor.

[Tehterokkar]

Reason for Fervor > DB has probably something to do with the BM perks which make actual pet damage better and Adaptation which further increases pet damage and not Dire Beast damage.

I'm glad Fervor is looking to be better, I always preferred it over DB because DB is derpy sometimes.

[Kissthebaby]

Definitely seems like they nerfed basic attack damage this build though, which means fervor lost some value. Think dire beast might be better again. Your basic attack is still your highest damage but it just isn't as high as it was.

[Hayro1]

What changed? all they did was bake the perks into the shots....did I miss something where Fervor > DB now?

[Azortharion]

What changed? all they did was bake the perks into the shots....did I miss something where Fervor > DB now?

It was always > DB (on beta)

[Hayro1]

It was always > DB (on beta)

Really? pretty sure I saw you say DB was better a while back...shrug. Oh well, I assumed it was DB (apparently others did as well, considering lots of people had DB in their logs.)

[Kissthebaby]

It was only fervor because basic attack was doing so much damage, which it still does just not as much, fervor buffs basic attack damage a lot so that's why it was better. Think either choice is fine right now, fervor definitely better for aoe.

[Azortharion]

Really? pretty sure I saw you say DB was better a while back...shrug. Oh well, I assumed it was DB (apparently others did as well, considering lots of people had DB in their logs.)

I believe I recommended DB for its ease of use - they were very close, still are.

Actually, Fervor is 2 simDPS (yes, 2, not 2k) ahead of Dire Beast only, which is well within margin of error, but Fervor can be played optimally for a bit more than that, whereas Dire Beast is just used on cooldown, and is also way more potent the moment Beast Cleave comes in, hence the overall recommendation.

It also feels baller to use.

[Tehterokkar]

Fervor is just more reliable IMO, Dire Beast can sometimes(especially during raid testing) get killed by raid mechanics and there will be pathing issues as usual on bosses. And the fact that it can't charge(Kill Command) or Blink strike a target from afar nor does it have Dash. DB is only really good for stand-still boss fights where the boss doesn't move at all.

[Effinhunter]

Has something changed about Dire Beast's survivability and pathing since 5.4? Why would it suddenly be so vulnerable? Do we really think Basic Attacks are going to stay as supercharged after the numbers pass?

[Deleted]

All pets feel very squishy if they get hit by anything other than non-elites. And I guess they will stay to make BM feel a bit more pet based damage vs 50/50, 60/40 split we see currently. Also the enhanced pet basic attack perk really boosts its damage.

[Kissthebaby]

Has something changed about Dire Beast's survivability and pathing since 5.4? Why would it suddenly be so vulnerable? Do we really think Basic Attacks are going to stay as supercharged after the numbers pass?

Basic attack May or may not be nerfed but rather other moves being buffed. Dire beast is fine from my experience and they have already nerfed basic attack when they did the character reset last week. It's obvious. But fervor is still good. I'd prob use fervor for most fights as of now. Sure it will change. Fervor is the best talent for all 3 specs right now

[Deleted]

Mastery > Crit > Multistrike > Haste

So should i go over the 2.2k mastery now? or should i still aim for 2.2k?

[Azortharion]

The stat weights are based on current beta build, not what I think it'll be like later on.

And no stopping anymore, just full mastery.

[thewallofsleep]

If this isn't the right thread to ask this question, I apologize. I just didn't think it would be a good idea to start a new thread for a quick question.

It's obviously too early to have a 100% firm answer, but I wanted to know if based on the current state of hunters in the beta, and the changes which have been made since the beta started, if you folks think hunters will be fun to play in WoD, and if you think playing a hunter will be "worth it". I am trying to decide if I want to use my boost on a hunter which I'm leveling up to 60 currently for the perks. I'm not a hardcore player at all, but do enjoy progressing through the tiers and putting up decent numbers. Is there decent synergy with other class mechanics and do you think more than one spec will be "valid" if the current trend of hunter changes is any indication?

Sorry to ask such an open ended and potentially subjective question. I'm torn between a couple classes for my boost, the others being shaman and druid, both of which I have at 90 on other servers, but I was considering trying something new. I really like the concept of the hunter class (dig more "natural" and/or nature themed classes), so I figured I'd get some opinions.

[Arcanimus]

It's obviously too early to have a 100% firm answer, but I wanted to know if based on the current state of hunters in the beta, and the changes which have been made since the beta started, if you folks think hunters will be fun to play in WoD, and if you think playing a hunter will be "worth it". I am trying to decide if I want to use my boost on a hunter which I'm leveling up to 60 currently for the perks. I'm not a hardcore player at all, but do enjoy progressing through the tiers and putting up decent numbers. Is there decent synergy with other class mechanics and do you think more than one spec will be "valid" if the current trend of hunter changes is any indication?

Honestly, you're better off saving your boost and taking the leveling experience as a tutorial and as a way to build muscle memory. I'd only use a boost on an off-server alt of a class you already play.

[thewallofsleep]

Honestly, you're better off saving your boost and taking the leveling experience as a tutorial and as a way to build muscle memory. I'd only use a boost on an off-server alt of a class you already play.

Fair enough. I appreciate your honesty. I have a hunter at level 86 on another server, so I'm not entirely unfamiliar with the class. However, I have never raided with a hunter or otherwise used one to participate in "endgame".

Also, as mentioned, I will be leveling my new toon up to at least 60 in order to get the profession boosts.

[Arcanimus]

If you plan to actively play and maintain it, the more time you spend playing it and building muscle memory, the easier it'll be to get into raiding when the time comes.
In your specific situation what I'd do is get your new character to 85 or so, finish the other one to 90 after copying your bindings, then go back and finish the new one, just to get that little bit of extra experience and time played.

I sound like a broken record, I know.

[thewallofsleep]

I sound like a broken record, I know.

Hey, whatever works. If everyone only did things their own way and didn't take suggestions, they would be in rough shape.

I might split the difference. I may end up leveling it to 60, boosting it, and finishing leveling the hunter on my old server, which is no longer my main server, in order to get some more experience. Who knows, in the end I may just end up boosting a shaman to play ele or going to going with old bear tank standby and boosting a druid. I'm going to be playing WoD either way, and the boost is more attractive because of the free riding skills and profession leveling. The actual leveling doesn't matter much to me (I like leveling actually).

In your opinion, does the outlook for hunters in WoD look positive?

[Effinhunter]

I've always enjoyed the BM experience in PvE, so I'm certainly looking forward to the expansion. To me, figuring out how to get the pet to do what I want, despite the AI limitations, has been a challenge rather than a hassle.

People are complaining about MM and SV not being quite what they've expected. But I think the changes that make them enjoyable again are small (e.g. the Lock and Load mechanics), and as long as we have some people rationally explaining the problems to the devs without exaggerating to the point the devs think hunters are lying to make their class overpowered, we should get positive change on those specs soon (whether in Beta/PTR or shortly after Live).

The current numbers are not indicative of where we are likely to be. The mechanics of BM seem fine. Hunters will at least be playable as BM in PvE. MM is also likely to be playable and challenging with the new mastery (i.e. each boss could require some extra investigation to figure out how you can keep your mastery up, despite movement requirements from the boss), and I'm of course not talking about PvP. I have no idea where we'll sit on PvP, but I don't PvP so that's not a concern of mine whatsoever.