WoW Hunter Guide: Basics

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Posted November 4th, 2009 by Mem

Race
Professions
Ranged Weapons & Ammo
Pets
Tracking & Trapping
Stats
Main

Looking to find a bare basics guide to the Hunter class? Need that extra little boost of information to make sure you have a good start in becoming an excellent Hunter? Look no further than this basics page which will prove to be an excellent place to get started. Once you’ve gathered all the information you can here head on over to the other informativeon Hunter sections to answer more specific questions. Also be sure to check out our Hunter forums to get real input from other Hunters!

Getting off to a Good Start

The first thing to consider before deciding to play the Hunter class is if it is the right class for you. Playing a class you don’t enjoy is not something anyone should do. The best way to decide if this is the class you want to play is to first look over what exactly the class does and see if sparks your interest. Here is a brief listing of what the Hunter class is all about:

Hunters use their bow, gun, or crossbow to deal the majority of their damage. They have several ranged skills that allow them to deal massive attacks.
Hunters can tame pets that go into combat with them. The pets can learn various skills and become formidable fighters.
Hunters carry a great deal of survival utility. They can track various types of enemies, lay devastating (and often times disabling) traps for enemies to run across, and even apply helpful auras to themselves and their groups.
Melee is a major downside for the Hunter. While Hunters can perform well in melee range with their swords, axes, or spears, they can’t really deal as much damage as they can from ranged.
Hunters can overcome their lack of melee offensive power with their defensive “aspects” and their pets. Their pets can easily tank enemies of their level while the Hunter stands back and deals massive damage from range.

If you are still not sure the class is for you a test run may be in order. Make a Hunter and start leveling, you should know if you are going to enjoy the class or not by the time you reach level 20.

The Races of World of Warcraft (Choosing Your Race)

So, now that you’ve decided to join the ranks of Hunters and you are determined to start with the right foot forward. The first big decision you will find yourself making is what race you will play. Race is a very important decision for any class and it‘s no different for the Hunter. While race selection for the Hunter won’t change your play style dramatically, how you feel about the race you choose could affect how much you enjoy playing your Hunter.

Picking a race is never easy, and there are a lot of good choices that can be made. Remember, it is your character and you will probably be spending tons of time playing it so be sure to be happy with your choice. If you find Trolls more visually appealing than Orcs then by all means pick the Troll. Who wants to stare at something they find horrid for hours on end? To aid you on your race choosing journey here is a list of the benefits each race provides:

Alliance

Night Elf: They gain extra dodge chance and the ability to stealth which will change a lot of your strategies. Shadowmeld will allow you to use your aimed shot ability from stealth as a massive opener.

Dwarf: The additional five skill levels to the Gun skill can greatly help in hitting higher level enemies. Stoneform is useful for getting rid of poisons, diseases, and bleeding effects since you will generally be at a range and won’t be needing to move as much.

Draenei (Burning Crusade): The ability to heal yourself or your pet every two minutes will be amazing. The passive additional chance to hit is a welcome additional to any party and yourself!

Horde

Tauren: War Stomp is extremely helpful when attempting to escape back to where you can fire your ranged weapon. Endurance (5% max health) is beneficial to any class.

Troll: Berserking can very useful in increasing your DPS and a little HP regeneration can’t hurt.

Orc: Command gives an additional 5% pet damage (not a whole lot, but still helpful) and the passive resistance to stun is great. Blood Fury can be used while soloing to help when you need to melee and the additional 5 skills in axes can be somewhat handy.

Blood Elves (Burning Crusade): Mana Tap and Arcane Torrent can be helpful in regaining mana and silencing any nearby enemies. Additional blanket resistance is good stuff.

Work, Work! (Picking a Profession)

Each profession can bring different benefits to you. With the introduction of Wrath of the Lich King these benefits have increased even further. Below is a list of Professions that can be most helpful to the Hunter. Use them as you see fit.

Leatherworking: Gives you a discount on making your Leg Reinforcements, and also offers you Fur Lining which gives you a more powerful Bracer Enchant.

Skinning: Gives the player Master of Anatomy which offers a passive bonus to your critical strike rating

Jewelcrafting: Jewelcrafter only gems which give you that extra edge over everyone else. Not as powerful a profession as it used to be, but still beneficial.

Alchemy: Gives the player Mixology which increases the effect and duration when any flask or elixir a player is able to make is used. A good one for players who want a little extra bonus and like to save money at the same time!

Blacksmithing: Provides 2 extra gem slots on wrists and hands.

Enchanting: Allows the player to enchant both rings. Assault is the enchant of choice for a Hunter.

Inscription: Provides a special shoulder enchant that is slightly better than the one available through Sons of Hodir and saves you the nasty reputation grind.

You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out! (Ranged Weapons and Ammo)

Ranged weapons and the ammo that goes with them are a Hunter’s bread and butter. Ranged weapons are equipped in the ranged weapon slot and all require you to either have arrows (for bows) or bullets (for guns). This ammo can be dragged into the slot next to your ranged weapon and can also provide additional DPS depending on what type you decide to use. Ammo is costly, so be sure to carry lower DPS (and cheaper) ammo for general kills and bring the good stuff when you really want to pump out the DPS such as boss fights. In order to carry your ammo around purchasing a special ammo pouch (made by Leatherworkers) is a good idea.

Cats, Wasps, and Bears, Oh My! (Pets)

There is so much to say about pets that they get their own special section in the guide, see our pet section for complete information.

The basics though are that the pet taming ability can be earned through quests from your trainer at level 10. From there, you will eventually learn how to tame a beast and use it as your pet. Pets can use various skills that are unique to each pet class. As your pet levels up it will gain skill points just like you that can be used in their own personal talent tree!

Operation Track and Trap (The Basics of Tracking and Traps)

Tracking
Hunters gain the ability to track their enemies starting at level two (with Track Beasts). Each type of enemy (beast, humanoid, undead, hidden, elementals, demons, giants, and dragons) can be tracked using a different ability. When an ability is active you will see any of thatose type of those creatures on the mini-map (both friend and foe). Track Hidden of course will only show nearby stealthed creatures and players and increase your stealth detection. The Tracking ability is useful in both PVE and PVP settings.

Traps
Traps allow you to place a hidden trap on the ground that can only be activated by the enemy. When they travel on top of the trap it’s activated and whatever effect the trap had is unleashed on them. Unlike some MMORPGs, there is no need to purchase the traps. You only need the mana in order to use a trap. Traps are placed directly below you and are very handy to use when someone (or some thing) is chasing you. A more recent change allows you to drop one trap from each element.

Here are the traps currently available to Hunters:

Freezing Trap: Stuns one enemy in a block of ice until they are hit with damage or the duration runs out.

Immolation Trap: The first enemy to step on this trap will be set on fire and take damage over time.

Frost Trap: When an enemy steps on this trap, all the enemies in a nearby area are snared by 60% for 30 seconds.

Explosive Trap: A trap that deals damage in an AoE radius whenever an enemy steps on it.

Snake Trap: A trap that lets loose a swarm of small snakes that poison enemies, do light damage and fast attacks. Very useful for interrupting casters.