World Of Warcraft Hunters

The last class left for review is the Hunter. Hunters are the only pure dps class with a mana pool, yet they still perform as good as their counterparts. Hunters balance (or lack thereof) has recently come under scrutiny as they are non existent in top 2v2/3v3 and only decent in 5v5. What do Hunters bring to the Arena? Hunters bring the ability, like Warriors/Rogues, to absolutely decimate casters especially when they are accompanied by their pet. Hunters also have a nice ability called Viper Sting, a mana drain, which when coupled with mana burn is very nice. Hunters also have the ability to drop various traps; the most common one used in Arena is a frost trap. The frost trap releases a huge frozen area, which slows down anyone entering into it. Alot of top 5v5 teams use this to kite opponents around, minimizing their damage done and forcing the team to spread out. A new change to Hunters mana buff allows them to regain mana faster when it's lower, meaning Hunters do not become useless when nearing 0 mana. Hunters have two speccs that are proven to be effective in 5v5 arena.

 

 

One spec that has recently been a favorite amongst Hunters on 5v5 teams is Beast Mastery specc. Beast Mastery is a specc that greatly increases the Hunters pets damage and then at the same time makes the Hunters damage greatly improve too. Bestial Wrath is an ability that turns the pet and Hunter into a 20 second "god mode" where they do 25% more damage and cannot be stunned/crowd controlled/anything. They are untouchable for that time. This is great because it removes pressure off of the healers as they don't need to dispell any cc's off of the Hunter. Beast Mastery Hunters can also shut down a healer or a caster very effectively. The speed of their pet coupled with the speed of the Hunters attacks makes Casting almost impossible.

 

 

If Beast Mastery is known for it's burst dps, then Marksmanship is known for its consistant dps. Marksmanship still has the ability, through Aimed Shot, to bring down an opponent quickly but it is more known for its ability to harrass the target quickly and constantly. Marksmanship is the specc used by the only Hunter on a top 20 2v2 team, and he leads his bracket with it. He plays with a priest, the only healer chemisty a Hunter has, and believes that Markmenship is the only real specc for top 2v2. He has tried Beast Mastery but prefers the constant damage of Markmenship and the abilities he gains through the specc.