Challenge Modes with Hunters

[timoseewho]

Hello, I've been thinking of giving challenge modes a try. To anyone who's had experience with getting golds on their Hunter, what's the go-to spec/talent/glyph setup for this? SV for quicker trash clear or BM for slightly better damage? My thought is possibly SV to get trash over with, giving up just a little bit of DPS on boss. What other advice do you have? Anything is good.

[Rascal]

I haven't done them but from what I can gather SV is the go to for aoe dps. The bosses aren't really the crux of challenge modes its the trash packs and what not and for that SV pulls ahead. I was watch the hunter from Paragon doing it and he recommended the standard SV spec but use the stun instead of silence in the tier 2 talent. Hope that helps

[Micfeind]

Aint tried challenge modes yet but i think survival would be the way to go if you want to go for fastest time. Once you get your rotations and what not I find Surv to be just as good as BM.
This is jus my opinion because i have always prefered surv to either of the other specs

[Playintrafic]

SV would be better on trash. BM on bosses. Do both? Dual spec costs like 5 gold now.

[timoseewho]

Ya I might just switch and stuff, but I'm not sure how valuable the seconds are.

[Malvision]

I have gold/silver on my hunter. Always go SV for trash. Chances are, even if you are bringing an important buff as BM, the amount of AoE dps your SV spec will do outweighs any buff you could bring to the party. If you have enough downtime to swap to BM, do so because its definetly stronger single target. (For example on Stormstout gold I was SV for the whole instance, then after the trash that you LoS outside the room on the final boss I swapped to BM).

Just gotta play it by ear really. Silencing shot is huge, but binding shot has its uses too.

[Spiralphoenix]

Binding Shot is very useful for group-CC for just AoE'ing things down, assuming your tank is informed of it being there. BM is also nice if your group lacks a heroism.

[Shoot-]

Done all of them US 2nd Niuzao still somehow woolol =P. SV is definitely the way to go, if you have opportunities to switch for a boss to BM do so, but I was SV for pretty much everything. Talent wise I was using fervor to be able to have a good multishot spam/ExS trap AoE storm going on, all the other talents I remember using were pretty standard PvE stuff. Glyph wise I honestly don't think I really had anything different than normal, some situational, disengage farther on Scarlet Halls if you're the arrow blocker dude so you activate that pack quickly etc.

[Deleted]

I was BM for the vast majority of all of them, swapping to SV only for a select few number of trash packs.

[warex00]

Hello, I've been thinking of giving challenge modes a try. To anyone who's had experience with getting golds on their Hunter, what's the go-to spec/talent/glyph setup for this? SV for quicker trash clear or BM for slightly better damage? My thought is possibly SV to get trash over with, giving up just a little bit of DPS on boss. What other advice do you have? Anything is good.

Go SV and get that barrage shit. You'll just melt through trash. Its quite the dps loss on boss tho :/

[Deleted]

Go SV and get that barrage shit. You'll just melt through trash. Its quite the dps loss on boss tho :/

Female Dwarf has it at a sub 1000 dps loss compared to glaives (at 484 ilvil though). So not massive. Could argue (until 5.1) you loose some mobility though, you also need to be carefully has it has habit of pulling nearby packs.

[Aertea]

Go SV and get that barrage shit. You'll just melt through trash. Its quite the dps loss on boss tho :/

Survival's AE damage comes from Improved Serpent Sting/Serpent Spread. Barrage means you aren't spreading, which is bad.

Glaives are great TotH bait on trash, and better single target for bosses.

[timoseewho]

I guess the general consensus is to go SV to get trash over with faster, thanks! We won't be having a lust/warp though, you think it's worth it to spend a good 10-15 secs (switch specs and focus regen) to go BM before every boss (without Sated of course) for the pet lust/warp?

[Spiralphoenix]

I guess the general consensus is to go SV to get trash over with faster, thanks! We won't be having a lust/warp though, you think it's worth it to spend a good 10-15 secs (switch specs and focus regen) to go BM before every boss (without Sated of course) for the pet lust/warp?

You don't have to wait for focus regen. Just lead with cobras and pop cds after. And yes, you will gain more time than you lose in switching if you are using hero, but it won't (and shouldn't) be up on every boss.

[timoseewho]

Ya I just thought about it, I should only be using it once if we're aiming for gold lol.

[Paulosio]

SV would be better on trash. BM on bosses. Do both? Dual spec costs like 5 gold now.

Dunno if you really have time to stop and change specs for each boss if you are going for gold....

If you were that far ahead of time then there wouldn't be any point changing spec anyway. Any time you saved by killing bosses faster as BM would be lost by having to reset before and after every boss and starting on 0 focus every time you respecced.

[warex00]

Female Dwarf has it at a sub 1000 dps loss compared to glaives (at 484 ilvil though). So not massive. Could argue (until 5.1) you loose some mobility though, you also need to be carefully has it has habit of pulling nearby packs.

DPS loss on single target yes. But its a major increase on trash, wich matters abit in CM

[Apellosine]

Ya I might just switch and stuff, but I'm not sure how valuable the seconds are.

Also in challenge modes you are rarely out of combat as to beat the gold time you are pretty much chain pulling between bosses and even bosses when trash is almost down.

[Gringgotts]

It varies by dungeon. Some dungeons such as brewery you have a chance to do both. In most cases though, survival.

[PowerGamez]

If you're going for best times possible - you wont be spec switching.