style="background: transparent url('http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/61386') no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; width: 565px; vertical-align: top;">

Flavor



The Hunter is best used as a ranged fighter. They
are most effective
from a distance where they can safely utilize their ranged attacks and
target="_blank">Hunter's Mark to aid in dealing
damage and enhancing the ranged attacks
of allies. The Hunter can also serve as the group's tracker. With their
tracking abilities they can locate nearby enemies and help detect any
stealth foes before they can sneak up on their allies. Then by using
their Hunter's Mark, they can expose any hidden enemies for their
allies to see.



Hunters can also aid a group with crowd control abilities. They have a
number of skills that can hinder an enemy's movement speed or freeze
them in place for a few seconds, temporarily removing them from the
battle. A Hunter's pet can also be used to assist in crowd control by
becoming an off-tank to deal with any extra enemies. Through certain
talents and skills the Hunter can help out his group by enhancing
the group's damage output, making them a useful ally in many situations.



Hunter Strengths

• High damage ranged attacks.
• Ability to slow enemy
  movement speed.
• Feign Death ability.
• Pets can provide a nice distraction or deal high
  damage of
  their own.

Hunter Weaknesses

• Not naturally adept at close quarter combat.
• Cannot take much damage.

While you can
spec your talents to build up your melee skills with the Survivability
School, it's really a waste of good talent points. Even if you spec for
full melee you will find that the Hunter doesn't take a beating well
and getting up close and personal with a class like the warrior is just
plain suicide. Going this route is kind of like watching a Paris Hilton
home movie, it might last a while but eventually it's going to end with
you going down. See what I did there?



That being said, Hunters are not totally weak in melee and with certain
talent builds you can make your Hunter more adept at surviving a melee
encounter without surrendering the benefits of your ranged combat
talents. This by no means makes the Hunter the guy you want in the
enemy's face, but it can improve your chances of coming out of
a close
encounter alive.



Defining Abilities



As a Hunter, ranged combat is your greatest asset
and melee should be
carried out as a last resort or when the main tank goes down and you're
the next best thing. In the early levels the Hunter can wear leather
armors, but as you progress in the game you will eventually earn the
ability to wear mail armors at level 40. This will increase your
ability to take a beating and aid in your survivability. At higher
levels the Hunter gains access to skills that can enhance her own
attack power greatly such as Aspect of the Dragonhawk and skills like
Aspect of the Wild that can assist a group by enhancing their Nature
Resistances.



Pets



Blizzard went all out to ensure that the hunter has
a variety of pets
to choose from. There are many different variations ranging from tanks
to damage dealers and a large number of different creatures that can
serve each role.  As you level up you can even train talents
that will enable you to tame exotic pets, providing you with an even
larger pool of pets to choose from. Your pets also gain a talent tree
that will allow you to customize them even further. So when it comes to
the pets, you will have no shortage of options. All you need to do is
tame the one you want and train it like you want it.



A Hunter's pet is key to solo survivability. If you like going it
alone, the pet is a needed commodity. They can distract your enemies
and enable you to deal damage with your ranged attacks without having
the enemy jump right in your face and force you into melee combat.



The PvP Hunter



If you play WoW long enough you will inevitably find
yourself in a
Player vs Player (PvP) situation. If this happens there are a few
things you can do to ensure that your Hunter doesn't become a rich
fertilizer for the landscape. Always make sure you stick with your
group, if you have one. If you don't have a group and it's an open PvP
event, make sure to move with the crowd. Soloing can be fun but doing
so in a PvP field can get you killed pretty quickly. Always make use of
your ability to track both humanoid and invisible characters as those
Rogues will sneak up on you and jam a dagger in your back in a second.
Lastly, always make sure you use your pet and movement speed debuff
skills to aid in dealing ranged damage. This works best if your group
is engaging the enemy and you stand back and blast away from the
distance. Just be ready to use your traps if one breaks off and makes a
dash at you.



In PvP the Hunter can stand his own, but you need to play it smart.
Melee classes and high damage dealers can be a problem for you so bring
potions, bandages, and be prepared to retreat or use crowd control if
need be.



Who will like the
Hunter?



If you enjoy controlling pets and attacking from a
distance the Hunter
is the class for you. MMOG veterans that
are familiar with classes like the Ranger or style="font-style: italic;">EverQuest's
Beastmaster
and Mage will find it an enjoyable class. For all intents and purposes
the Hunter is a ranged fighter with a pet.  If you're looking
for a strong melee class, the Hunter is not what you need.