Hunter has gone too far from the original concept

[ThrashMetalFtw]

That's because it's piss easy whereas with SV and MM require you to actually learn how to play the spec. BM two abilities with a 10s CD, one filler with a 40 energy cost, and then 1 minute+ cooldowns. BM's obnoxious over-representation is an artifact of most players being utterly unwilling to learn how a spec works and instead play a braindead spec, even if it's garbage. There's a reason BM has always been the "noob" spec, just like with Demonology warlocks.

Edit: Although in thinking about it, I concede that there may also be a fair amount playing BM because Marks is generally considered a mechanical mess that is frustrating and not fun to play.

Demo has been the by far hardest Lock spec to play well every expansion since WotLK. If anything, Demo has always been the tryhard overachiever spec.

On topic:

I actually find the Legion version of MM to be quite fun. The only thing I don't like, is that it no longer has Chimera Shot, which has been MMs "iconic" ability for 4 expansion. It's the first expansion since WotLK where Hunters actually require some skill to play, and the current state of Hunters is also the best it has been since WotLK (WotLK MM is still one of my favourite specs ever).

100% Freecasting while moving was the most retarded designdecision of all time, and it made me abandon my my by far most played alt up until early Cata. Sure, I always lvled it and played it once in a while, but it never became an alt that I actively played during those times.

[Goondicker]

It would not work in today's world of rootcraft.

I can agree with this.

[Deleted]

As someone who has been a hunter main for over a decade, Legion made me switch/quit.

Dead zone was cool. Things like that raised the skill cap.

...of other players.
You, as a hunter, had no say in it whatsoever. Your goal was range, just like it is now.
There is absolutely no difference in skill whatsoever.

[kasuke06]

It is/was supposed to be a choice. You had the option of switching yes but at a cost. Originally that cost could get pretty steep and if you or the OP actually played vanilla, you'd know that cost grew exponentially the more often you attempted to switch. It was never intended that you flippantly swap specs more often than one changes their under garments.

I did play vanilla. I still swapped specs and *audible gasping* they actually played like three interpretations of the same theme, instead of three completely separate themes that realistically only share an armor classification at this point.

[Goondicker]

...of other players.
You, as a hunter, had no say in it whatsoever. Your goal was range, just like it is now.
There is absolutely no difference in skill whatsoever.

There absolutely was. Saving a feign for a frost nova, doing melee runs to clip/scatter, timing intimidates, not to mention pots... and there's more as the game progressed through xpacs.

Saying there's no difference in the play or skill means you either didn't play hunter or you didn't learn the extra quirks.

[Deleted]

You do all of that wheter you have a deadzone or not - you obviously use different tools now than before, like disengage and such.

Not realizing that means you didn't play PvP without deadzone.

There is no hunter that goes into melee by choice or wants to remain there, other than SV hunters now of course.

[Battlebeard]

I LOVED my Hunter in vanilla.
The whole melee, deadzone, ranged mechanic was really fun.
I loved wearing these huge 2h Agility swords. Or dualwielding some other swords.
When a Warrior or Rogue attacked me and I dodged, I loved these huge Mongoose Bites.
I loved having to Wing Clip them and get out of deadzone range so I could hit my ranged abilites.
Sure, in raids you never went melee, but in PvP the melee and deadzone aspects were a huge part of the class.

Today, what is this class?
Survival is this mash your buttons melee spec. While the rotation is fun enough, it's purely melee, no ranged abilities at all.
MM has become this sad no pet and "keep up your Voulnerable debuff" spec. How did it come to this?
BM is OK but it is literally a 3 button dps rotation... come on.

I at least had some fun with the old Survival spec with the Explosive Shot, Kill Shot and Black Arrow with an actual pet on my side.

Also, what happened to the 2 ability you got in the game, Serpent Strike??? Not enough of the class fantasy?

I think the class is at an all time low in Legion.

Just give me an Ranged Melee hybrid like it used to be. Even if it is just one of the specs...

Do you guys like the direction they have taken hunter?

Yes, I agree, most of the class has gotten worse, but having no Pet, I just love that! #hatepets

[Ange]

The lonewolf treatment is still a strange one for me. To sooth the typical mage players who choose the wrong class was a bad decision. It degraded the whole hunter class to an alt-class.

#hatepets <3