In which we apply Expose Weakness to hunter myths.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007 by Aura
We all want to be better hunters, and thus we all sift through the almighty internets for tips, tricks, and educational materials. And it works: there's some really great info out there! Unfortunately, as is nearly always the case with the internet, in with all the thorium ore and blue gems you find, there's some really crappy vendor trash in there. Myths abound, and lots of them revolve around the Hunter class (Nelf hunter=retarded chipmunk on crack, for one). I keep seeing this stuff scattered around in the Hunter forums, in blog comments, and in-game, and it's time to clear the air around here. Let's hit the top five.
1. "Beast Mastery pwns all!"
Aagh, this is the one I that drives me nuts. What are we talking about here? Pwns all at WHAT? Melee? Definitely. Will a BM and SV hunter performing at the top of their spec put out the same DPS? Probably not. Will a good SV hunter out-CC a good BM or MM hunter? You bet your bow. Can a good MM hunter out-dps a good BM hunter? YES. The bottom line here is that a spec is only as good as the hunter who's using it. A good hunter will always outperform a mediocre hunter, no matter what spec either one is. Good ALWAYS trumps mediocre. I have never been shamed by BM hunter in a raid. Does this mean my spec is better? No, it means I've put a lot of thought into my spec, and I've been using it for a while. Will a hunter who's been BM for 20 levels put out the same level of DPS right after they respec to MM? No. It's about how you use your talents, and how you work the shot rotation. Note well that if you're looking only to the damage meter to tell you what your value to a raid/party/arena team, you're doing it wrong.
2. "MM is only for PVP/only for raiding."
This myth goes both ways. This in itself should be a clue to the fact that it's utter crap to say a spec is only for one thing. I don't know why people seem to feel that they must pidgeonhole specs like that, but the truth is there will always be more than one application for a talent tree! That silencing/scatter shot works just as well on Moroes' adds as it does on that pesky priest in arena you want to shut down and take out, and also works on that annoying Blood Elven Manaforge mob in Netherstorm who's fixing to flamestrike you.
3. "The Survival tree is worthless."
The disregard for the SV tree that people seem so attached to boggles my mind. SV is absolutely a viable spec, and all that +crit certainly helps them keep their DPS up there. Plus, the utility of the SV tree (you'll hear that word a lot connected to this tree, but it's just so darn appropriate). The SV tree is full of all kinds of useful tricks and skills that have the potential to make you one hell of a hunter. Don't dismiss the Survival tree, my brother and sister hunters: there's some really worthwhile stuff in the SV tree, especially for PVP (Surefooted! Trap Mastery! Wyvern Sting! Readiness! That stuff is so good it hurts, and it also translates well into PVE CC/pewpew action). But don't take my word for it, I'm a Marksman with some survival talents--go read Hunter's Mark for some real SV hunter goodness.
4. "MM is a tough spec to put out dps with, and isn't worth the effort."
Obviously I call shenanigans here. I'm not killing myself over here trying to top the DPS chart, and I can top it pretty consistently in instances/raids, but the key is that I'm NOT watching the damage meter. I'm watching my cooldowns and the threat meter, weaving my shots as best I can. If I'm in the top damage slot, bonus for me. If I'm not, it's usually because I was using my time to CC and keep our squishies safe, or it's just not a ranged-DPS situation (Skeletal Chargers, I'm lookin' at you). Is it easier to play a BM hunter? Possibly. Your pet does some nice DPS, and you can shoot that bow like it was an uzi when Serpent's Swiftness procs alongside your Improved Aspect of the Hawk. But really, it's not actually that hard to get your shot rotation down as a MM hunter. You can even use a macro if you don't feel up to weaving shots. I personally don't use a macro for my rotation, because I have the timing down, and I want my shots to be as responsive as you can get, and that means hitting the buttons myself. Is this the only way to play? Hell no, mash that macro if that's what you really want. Whether that macro is gimping your DPS or helping it depends entirely on how you play best.
5. "MM is easy mode."
I will never understand how people get away with this one. See answer to the above question. I've played BM, and the pet tank/increased pet DPS you get as a BM hunter versus the other two trees makes the solo life lots easier. The smaller number of shots and stings also simplifies your shot rotation. If you want to send your pet in and just slap a macro all day, by all means, DO NOT spec MM. You have to watch aggro very carefully or have one of the world's most awesomesauce tanks as a hunter, or you're pretty well dead. This is especially true as a marksman, since a higher percentage of that almighty DPS is coming from you vs. your pet. This makes it even more important to manage your aggro! Watching your threat meter, cooldowns, and pet can be a lot to juggle, but like chain trapping, learning is worth it.
1. "Beast Mastery pwns all!"
Aagh, this is the one I that drives me nuts. What are we talking about here? Pwns all at WHAT? Melee? Definitely. Will a BM and SV hunter performing at the top of their spec put out the same DPS? Probably not. Will a good SV hunter out-CC a good BM or MM hunter? You bet your bow. Can a good MM hunter out-dps a good BM hunter? YES. The bottom line here is that a spec is only as good as the hunter who's using it. A good hunter will always outperform a mediocre hunter, no matter what spec either one is. Good ALWAYS trumps mediocre. I have never been shamed by BM hunter in a raid. Does this mean my spec is better? No, it means I've put a lot of thought into my spec, and I've been using it for a while. Will a hunter who's been BM for 20 levels put out the same level of DPS right after they respec to MM? No. It's about how you use your talents, and how you work the shot rotation. Note well that if you're looking only to the damage meter to tell you what your value to a raid/party/arena team, you're doing it wrong.
2. "MM is only for PVP/only for raiding."
This myth goes both ways. This in itself should be a clue to the fact that it's utter crap to say a spec is only for one thing. I don't know why people seem to feel that they must pidgeonhole specs like that, but the truth is there will always be more than one application for a talent tree! That silencing/scatter shot works just as well on Moroes' adds as it does on that pesky priest in arena you want to shut down and take out, and also works on that annoying Blood Elven Manaforge mob in Netherstorm who's fixing to flamestrike you.
3. "The Survival tree is worthless."
The disregard for the SV tree that people seem so attached to boggles my mind. SV is absolutely a viable spec, and all that +crit certainly helps them keep their DPS up there. Plus, the utility of the SV tree (you'll hear that word a lot connected to this tree, but it's just so darn appropriate). The SV tree is full of all kinds of useful tricks and skills that have the potential to make you one hell of a hunter. Don't dismiss the Survival tree, my brother and sister hunters: there's some really worthwhile stuff in the SV tree, especially for PVP (Surefooted! Trap Mastery! Wyvern Sting! Readiness! That stuff is so good it hurts, and it also translates well into PVE CC/pewpew action). But don't take my word for it, I'm a Marksman with some survival talents--go read Hunter's Mark for some real SV hunter goodness.
4. "MM is a tough spec to put out dps with, and isn't worth the effort."
Obviously I call shenanigans here. I'm not killing myself over here trying to top the DPS chart, and I can top it pretty consistently in instances/raids, but the key is that I'm NOT watching the damage meter. I'm watching my cooldowns and the threat meter, weaving my shots as best I can. If I'm in the top damage slot, bonus for me. If I'm not, it's usually because I was using my time to CC and keep our squishies safe, or it's just not a ranged-DPS situation (Skeletal Chargers, I'm lookin' at you). Is it easier to play a BM hunter? Possibly. Your pet does some nice DPS, and you can shoot that bow like it was an uzi when Serpent's Swiftness procs alongside your Improved Aspect of the Hawk. But really, it's not actually that hard to get your shot rotation down as a MM hunter. You can even use a macro if you don't feel up to weaving shots. I personally don't use a macro for my rotation, because I have the timing down, and I want my shots to be as responsive as you can get, and that means hitting the buttons myself. Is this the only way to play? Hell no, mash that macro if that's what you really want. Whether that macro is gimping your DPS or helping it depends entirely on how you play best.
5. "MM is easy mode."
I will never understand how people get away with this one. See answer to the above question. I've played BM, and the pet tank/increased pet DPS you get as a BM hunter versus the other two trees makes the solo life lots easier. The smaller number of shots and stings also simplifies your shot rotation. If you want to send your pet in and just slap a macro all day, by all means, DO NOT spec MM. You have to watch aggro very carefully or have one of the world's most awesomesauce tanks as a hunter, or you're pretty well dead. This is especially true as a marksman, since a higher percentage of that almighty DPS is coming from you vs. your pet. This makes it even more important to manage your aggro! Watching your threat meter, cooldowns, and pet can be a lot to juggle, but like chain trapping, learning is worth it.
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