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Class Codex => Hunter => Topic started by: Thraice on Mon, 2010-10-11 : 14:01

Title: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Thraice on Mon, 2010-10-11 : 14:01
With Patch 4.0.1 right around the corner (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=27189088752&sid=1), the Hunter as we know it now is no more.  Hunters have replaced Mana with Focus, gotten rid of ammunition and our pet system has been completely reworked. As if this wasn't enough of a change, our role in a Party or Raid environment has also expanded (or some might say returned) from just being another DPSer to that of a DPS, a Kiter, a contributer to the Crowd Control (CC) and also a "Buff Gapper".

Roles
DPS
Our role as a consistent and decent producer of DPS isn't changing. Sure, some of the numbers have gone up and others have gone down but overall, the Hunter will continue to perform well in the DPS department. As far as the actual numbers go, it looks like with the release of Patch 4.0.1 the Marksmanship spec will continue to top the DPS charts in the current end-game environment. That being said, though, Survival and Beast Mastery (for the first time in a long time) Hunters won't be far behind them.

Everything will get tossed up in the air once we can begin leveling again and making our way to the new end-game content. I am not going to try and tell the future here as we still have another Patch and the release of Cataclysm before we will know where our numbers will finally wind up. I suspect the DPS tweaking to continue up until December 6th (or whatever day is before the actual expansion release) for us.

Kiter
This actual role won't be as present with the release of Patch 4.0.1 as I believe it will be with the release of Cataclysm. When the expansion drops, don't be surprised if you're asked to perform this job to take a little bit of the stress off the Tank (and Healer ideally) if a certain mob's not ideal for the use of CC. Not familiar with Kiting as a Hunter? There hasn't been a better time to learn than now! Questions!? Ask! :D

Crowd Control (CC)
Patch 4.0.1 is not going to require much of this capability we will provide but the actual Expansion very likely will. Again, we will be called upon to use our Freezing Trap to keep the "Square" (or any other Lucky Charm symbol the Guide chooses) mob CCed until the Tank's ready to deal with them. Sure, in the current environment we don't have to bother with this type of thing but it's coming back. Tanks that try to just grab everything and hold onto it will wind up dying, followed by the healer that tried to keep them up and then the rest of the party (except the Hunter, of course, that saw this coming and saved themselves with Feign Death ;) )!

Buff "Gapper"
Unlike the last 2 roles which I have said will likely wait until Cataclysm's actual release, this one won't. From the day that the Patch goes live we will be expected to fill in the "Buff" holes that might be left because we're missing a specific class or buff from our Party or Raid composition. With the reworking of the Pet system that Blizzard has done, we can now provide one of 12 useful raid buffs depending on what the Group's missing! Heck, they were even so kind as to increase the Pet Stable capacity to allow us to keep up to 25 pets (20 in the Stable, 5 on us) at a time! Along these lines, though, if I have a Hunter in my raid (myself included) I would expect him to have 12 of those 25 slots filled up with atleast one of the pets for each type of Party/Raid Buff. "Well, James, how the heck am I going to figure all that out!?" Don't worry, I'll toss up some of the information later on!

Hunter Builds
In case you have played from under a rock for the past, I don't know, year, Blizzard has taken the 51-point talent system and reduced it to a 31-point tree system with a total of 41 points at Level 85. Another new aspect with Patch 4.0.1 is the requirement to put ATLEAST 31 points in your chosen tree (which you choose at Level 10) before you will be allowed to venture outside of the tree (i.e., If you choose to level Marksmanship you will have to be Level 71 before you will be able to have the opportunity to put points into Beast Mastery or Survival).

So, I'm going to toss up the Specs I have been using for testing purposes that I have found to work the best (for me). If you guys notice or spot anything you think that might work better or that you think I may have missed, don't hesitate to reply! We're all working together here to get us to be the best Hunters out there!

Beast Mastery recommended Talent Trees and Glyphs (http://wowtal.com/#k=vKf1O7t.a5o.hunter.-9Byw9)
Mastery - "Master of Beasts": Increases the damage done by your pets by 13.6%. Each point of Mastery increases pet damage by an additional 1.7%.

Marksmanship recommended Talent Trees and Glyphs (http://wowtal.com/#k=SsyJ9fs.a5o.hunter.-wUwmv)
Mastery - "Wild Quiver": Grants a 14.4% chance for your ranged attacks to also instantly fire an additional ranged shot for 100% normal damage. Each point of Mastery increases the chance by an additional 1.8%.

Survival recommended Talent Trees and Glyphs (http://wowtal.com/#k=-wARkx1X.a5o.hunter.-dH4qX)
Mastery - "Essence of the Viper": Increases all elemental damage you deal by 8%. Each point of Mastery increases elemental damage by an additional 1%.

Which one is the "Top DPS"? Well, if we look at Patch 4.0.1 alone - it's still Marksmanship. The changes to the Beast Mastery spec has greatly increased their performance but until Beast Mastery and Survival Hunters pick up Cobra Shot at level 81, they will not have their main Focus regeneration spell that Blizzard used to balance them with at Level 85. Don't worry, though, SV Hunters! You guys are currently looking to be the top performers when it comes to the next "end-game" content!

My recommendation? Play whatever spec makes you happy and you enjoy! All three of the specs are viable DPS options - especially in a 5-man party environment. Raiding wise? Well, based on all the testing I've done and the results I have seen from both the PTR and the Beta, I would recommend familiarizing yourself with how to play Survival and Beast Mastery well.


Shot Rotations
Continuing with Patch 4.0.1, all of the Hunter spec rotations remain priority-based. The overall goal is to be managing your Focus such that you are using the necessary abilities to keep from wasting it (sitting at 100 or full). In doing so, though, you will also want to ensure that you have enough 'stored' Focus that you can use your spec's primary shot when it's off its cool-down.

All Hunter specs begin the fight by tossing up Hunter's Mark (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=1130) and opening with Serpent Sting (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=1978).

Beast Mastery
1. Kill Command (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=34026) when available, ideally having stored Focus to use when it's CD is up.
2. Focus Fire (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=82692) when your pet is full on Frenzy (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=19623) stacks.
3. Refresh Serpent Sting (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=1978) when it drops.
4. Arcane Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=3044) as a Focus dump, which as a Beast Mastery Hunter is very often.
5. Steady Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=53220) to restore Focus. This will most likely be replaced by Cobra Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=77767) at Level 81.

Marksmanship
1. Chimera Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=53209) when available, ideally having stored Focus to use when it's CD is up. This will refresh your Serpent Sting (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=1978).
2. "Free" Aimed Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=82928) shot from the Master Marksman (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=34487) proc, when available.
3. Arcane Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=3044) as a Focus dump if necessary.
4. Steady Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=53220) to restore Focus. When using Steady Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=53220), do so in pairs to pickup/reset the Improved Steady Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=53220) buff.

Survival
1. Explosive Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=53301) when available, ideally having stored Focus to use when it's CD is up.
2. Black Arrow (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=3674) when available
3. Refresh Serpent Sting (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=1978) but not before higher priority shots. Keep in mind, this will not be an issue after you learn Cobra Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=77767).
4. Arcane Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=3044) as a Focus dump if necessary.
5. Steady Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=53220) to restore Focus. This will be replaced by Cobra Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=77767) at Level 81.

Macros
Have you been using any of the Macros I previously posted (http://hordedefenseleague.org/index.php/topic,1884.msg11877.html#msg11877) to the Hunter forum (http://hordedefenseleague.org/index.php/board,16.0.html)? Well, if so - DELETE most of them. Don't use them. If you do, you're just wasting precious Focus! I'm serious, you will thank me later - watch!

Ok, so, why am I telling you to stop using them? Well, let's take a look at one of my OLD (Do NOT use this after tonight):

Code Select

#showtooltip arcane shot
/cast [@pettarget,exists,combat]kill command
/cast arcane shot
/cast [nomod]silencing shot


For starters, Arcane Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=3044) is our Focus dump shot. We know this spell is going to cost us 25 Focus and no more. If we were able to get the other 2 abilities (Kill Command (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=34026) and Silencing Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=34490)) off that would be another 40 Focus used (if you even had it there to begin with) and Silencing Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=34490) doesn't even provide damage any more - it's just a 'silencing' shot. Now, if you take those two sections out of the macro, there's nothing left but the actual casting of Arcane Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=3044). At this point, it's a waste to even have in our Macro UI.

That's the deal with my shot macros. Now, my stings macro? Nah - don't need it any longer, either. We're only using Serpent Sting (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=1978) now. There was also the Multi-Shot (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=2643) and Volley (http://www.wowhead.com/spell=58434) macro but Volley (http://www.wowhead.com/spell=58434)'s been removed from the game entirely.

So, of the macros I previously posted, the only ones I plan on continuing to use will be:

Hunter's Mark
This will put your Hunter's Mark (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=1130) on the target and will have turn your Pet's growl ON if you're solo - otherwise it will disable it.
Code Select

#showtooltip hunter's mark
/cast hunter's mark
/petattack [combat]
/petautocastoff growl
/petautocaston cower
/stopmacro [group:raid/party]
/petautocaston growl
/petautocastoff cower


Misdirection
Code Select

#showtooltip Misdirection
/stopattack
/cast [@focus,exists,nodead] [@pet,exists,nodead] Misdirection;


Disengage or Deterrence
Pressing ALT when activating this macro will fire Deterrence (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=19263), otherwise it will fire Disengage (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=781).
Code Select

#showtooltip [mod:alt] deterrence; disengage
/cast [mod:alt] deterrence; disengage
Title: Re: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Thraice on Mon, 2010-10-11 : 14:05
Pets
This area is actually one of the ones I'm more excited about! Blizzard has gone and upped our ability to have up to 5 pets at any time to 25!

Party/Raid Buffs by Pet Family
Not only have they increased the number pets we can collect, they have actually given them a purpose to be collected! Each pet "family" will now bring with it a Party/Raid Buff which was previously only brought by specific classes. With a decent Hunter, gone are the days that groups will have to worry about overcoming that challenge without Bloodlust, Fortitude, or a number of the buffs! Actually, here's a breakdown of the buffs we will now be able to provide based onthe Pet's class:

Of course, if a buff is colored maroon and the pet family is labled as "(exotic)" you will have to be a Beast Mastery Hunter with a point in Beast Mastery (http://www.wowhead.com/spell=53270) to be able to tame and then use them. If you take a look at the benefits of the exotic pets, though, you will see that there will likely come times that the Hunter will be called upon to provide this if they are capable. Heck, and we're not even including the Cataclysm pets like the exotic Shale Spider (http://cata.wowhead.com/pet=55) which will allow us to grant the +5% to stats! Blizzard wanted to make Beast Mastery Hunters a viable option and it looks like they have done just that.

Along with having these pets tamed, though, it will likely fall on the Hunter to remember which pets provide which buffs and to check before joining the group - especially in a raid type environment. Although we can have up to 25 pets now, we are still restricted to 5 pets on our person at any given time. So, the Hunter should find out what you're group's missing and make a trip to the Stable UI before heading in! If you forget which pet does what, just come back to this list! :)

Now, on top of having the right pet and buff available you need to make sure you coordinate with your group so they know you're covering the buff and when they want the buff active. Sure, certains buffs such as the Silithid (http://www.wowhead.com/pet=41)'s Health, or Fortitude, buff will idealy be active 100% of the time. However, other buffs like the Core Hound (http://www.wowhead.com/pet=45)'s Anchient Hysteria, or Bloodlust, will not only temporarily buff everyone but it will also casue them to gain Sated preventing the use of Bloodlust again until it wears off!

The Pet Short List
Out of the different Pet Families and their associated buffs above, we only really NEED to have one of each raid buff type. The following list assumes that you would prefer ferocity over cunning, and cunning over tenacity - so that you always have the highest DPS pet providing your buff. It also assumes that you'd prefer a non-exotic pet over an exotic pet, so you will have more flexibility in what spec you choose to play.

Note that two buffs are only provided by exotic pets: the burst haste (heroism) and stamina (fortitude).


Pet Management
If you're unfamiliar with how to control your Pet's abilities, it's as simple as opening up your Skill/Spell pane and clicking on your Pet's at the bottom. Now, you can RIGHT click (LEFT clicking will actually cause the ability to be used if it's possible) on the abilitiy to toggle whether or not the Pet can "auto-cast" it. If a sparkling border is surrounding an ability, that means your Pet CAN auto-cast it without your interaction. Some of the buffs you will want your pet to manage in order to ease your job as a DPS, Kiter, or CC but others - such as Bloodlust, you want to make sure you're controlling 100%. The way I normally do this is to turn off the abilities auto-cast and then move it down to the Pet's Action Bar. From there, I can just push click to activate it when ready. Just make sure you know when the right time to actuate it is, though! We are supposed to be benefiting the Party and Raid, not hindering them by blowing raid-wide buffs before the right time.

Thanks to Frostheim (http://www.warcrafthuntersunion.com/about/) for his work on putting a lot of this information together for the rest of the Hunter community!
Title: Re: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Thraice on Mon, 2010-10-11 : 14:06
Gear Stats
Conversion!
Here's the breakdown for the way Blizzard converted most of our Gear stats:

Note that while these rules hold true for most gear, every now and then one might be different. For example, the passive ArPen on Deathbringer's Will turned into Critical Strike Rating instead of Haste, the ArPen on Hersir's Greatspear turned into Critical Strike Raiting instead of Haste. The ArPen on Stakethrower just went away, rather than adding to its Haste.

Gems and Enchants
So, if you have something other than the base stat (Agility, Intelligence, etc.) gems in your gear right now, you will find the gems in your gear will have most likely changed after logging into the game following the release of Patch 4.0.1. I will be focusing on the changes pertinent to Hunters, here, but you can check out the Spreadsheet I found a while back on EJ: link (http://hdlzj.us/cp1112).

As far Enchants go, you will (most likely) be happy to hear that our Enchants aren't changing. The enchants you normally used as a Hunter prior to Patch 4.0.1 will remain the sought after enchants until the release of Cataclysm.

Reforging
Reforging is actually a newly implemented method that Blizzard has put into place which allows us to actually reallocate "Secondary" stats on items at or above item level 200 as we have the need for! No, you won't be able to touch the Stamina or Agility on items, but if you are at the Hit Cap already and you pick up an upgrade with even more Hit you can reforge the item to put about 40% of the extra Hit into another secondary stat such as Critical Strike Rating or even Mastery! The important thing here would be to make sure that you don't bring yourself either below or way over any of our caps. If you're too far under, say, the Hit Cap your DPS will be greatly affected since you won't actually be hitting your target to do damage!

All it is going to cost to reforge your items is the vendor sell price of that particular item. One of the good things about reforging an item, also, is that if you dislike the changes you made you can revert the item back to its original state!

So, how do you reforge an item? All you have to do is head to a Reforger which can be found in the major cities near the Enchanting trainers. As with the rest of the points of interest in a city, though, the City Guards will happily point you in the right direction!

So how much of each do we need to meet the "caps"?
As far as the Hit Rating cap goes, that's pretty simple. Our Hit Raiting cap is 8%. Any more than that and you are simply wasting it! At level 80, that winds up being about 273 Hit Rating. At Level 85, our new "end-game" though, we are going to be chasing 961 Hit Rating! Right!?

Haste has a nice high number also! 523, to be exact, that is - again, at Level 80.

The Critical Strike Rating cap is pretty absurd as well. Right now, when Patch 4.0.1 releases our numbers will be higher than they have ever been but also higher than they ever will be again! Once we start leveling up it's going to plummet, percentage wise! That being said, the Critical Strike Rating cap is approximately 104.8%.

Allow me to reitterate, though, these numbers will only be accurate until we begin pushing to Level 85!

Armor Specializations!?
Yep! Blizzard has made note of how often we used to mix and match gear for better stats (such as when Hunters were starving with Armor Penetration). When they design certain gear, they do so with particular classes in mind. So, in an effort to provide us a benefit for using our classes particular armor type, they have implemented Armor Specializations. For Hunters, that's Mail Specialization (http://cata.wowhead.com/spell=86528) which provides us with a 5% increase to our Agility while we wear Mail in all armor slots. For the vast majority of us, this will just be a free 5% boost to our Agility!

Glyphs: Prime, Major and Minor Glyphs
Not only are our abilities and talents changing but the Glyphs that support those skills are as well! Now, instead of simply having Major and Minor glyphs you will also have the means of applying Prime glyphs to your character - further expanding and customizing your Hunter.  Prime Glyphs will now be the glyphs with the most impact on your Hunters skills, Majors will take the place of the current minors and Minor glyphs will be more for your convenience or flavor for the class.

I tossed up my recommendation for glyphs in the OP but I also wanted to make sure I covered the Charred Glyph (http://cata.wowhead.com/item=42916), below.

Charred Glyphs?
If you log into the game to find a Charred Glyph (http://cata.wowhead.com/item=42916) (or a lot of them) in your bags and banks you happened to have in your possession one of the glyphs that Blizzard has since completely removed from the game. No worries, they were useless as of Patch 4.0.1 so don't worry too much. That just means you couldn't have used it anyway! As of right now, the only Charred Glyph (http://cata.wowhead.com/item=42916) for Hunters is the Glyph of Volley (http://www.wowhead.com/item=42916). Curious about the Charred Glyph (http://cata.wowhead.com/item=42916) for your other classes? You can check out the list of Charred Glyphs (http://cata.wowhead.com/item=42916) at WoWHead's Cataclysm (http://db.mmo-champion.com/search/all/charred_glyph/) site!
Title: Re: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Thraice on Mon, 2010-10-11 : 19:07

Beast Mastery
Primary Spells
Intimidation - Command your pet to intimidate the target, causing a high amount of threat and stunning the target for 3 sec. Lasts 15 sec. / 100 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown
Animal Handler (Passive) - Attack Power increased by 15%.
Master of Beasts (Mastery) - Increases the damage done by your pets by 13.6%. Each point of Mastery increases pet damage by an additional 1.7%.

Skills
Aspect of the Monkey has been removed from the tree.
Aspect of the Dragonhawk is gone. (Aspect of the Hawk replaces it at high levels)
Aspect of the Beast has been removed from the tree.
Aspect of the Viper has been removed from the tree.
Kill Command has been revamped - Give the command to kill, causing your pet to instantly inflict [ 35% of RAP + 772.27 ] damage to its target. Your Pet's happiness increases the damage done. The pet must be in combat and within 5 yards of the target to Kill Command. 40 Focus, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
Aspect of the Wild now increases Nature resistance by [ Level 1-70 : (Level) / Level 71-80 : (Level + 5 * (Level - 70)) / Level 81 or above : (Level + 5 * (Level - 70) + 7 * (Level - 80)) ]
Scare Beast now costs 25 Focus.
Mend Pet is now free to cast. Heals your pet for 25% of its total health over 10 sec.
Tame Beast no longer reduces your armor while taming.
Revive Pet now costs 35 Focus.
Master's Call is now a baseline skill - Your pet attempts to remove all root and movement impairing effects from itself and its target, and causes your pet and its target to be immune to all such effects for 4 sec. 25 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown
Widow Venom *New* - A venemous shot that reduces the effectiveness of any healing taken by 25% for 30 sec.

Talents Changes
Beast Mastery is now a Tier 7 talent, down from Tier 11.
Kindred Spirits is now a Tier 6 and 2 Ranks talent, down from Tier 10 and 5 Ranks. Revamped - Increases you and your pets maximum focus by 5/10.
Longevity is now a Tier 4 talent, down from Tier 9.
The Beast Within is now a Tier 6 talent, down from Tier 9. Crowd control immunity removed.
Cobra Strikes is now a Tier 3 talent, down from Tier 9. You have a 5/10/15% chance when you hit with Arcane Shot to cause your pet's next 2 Basic Attacks to critically hit.
Invigoration is now a Tier 6 talent, down from Tier 8. Now regenerates 3/6 focus when your pet scores a critical hit with a Basic Attack.
Ferocious Inspiration is now a Tier 5 and 1 Rank talent, down from Tier 7 and 3 Ranks and no longer increases the damage dealt by Arcane Shot and Steady shot - All party and raid members have all damage increased by 3% within 100 yards of your pet.
Bestial Wrath now causes 20% additional damage, down from 50%. No longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
Frenzy is now a Tier 2 and 3 Points talent, down from Tier 6 and 5 Points. Changed to a stacking effect - Your pet gains 6% attack speed after attacking with a Basic Attack, lasting for 10 sec and stacking up to 5 times.
Spirit Bond is now a Tier 2 talent, down from Tier 5.
Intimidation is now a primary spell of the Beast Mastery tree.
Bestial Discipline is now a Tier 1 talent and 3 Ranks, down from Tier 5 and 2 Ranks. Now increases the Focus regeneration of your pets by 10/20/30%. (Down from 50/100%)
Improved Mend Pet is now a Tier 2 talent, down from Tier 4. No longer reduces the cost of your Mend Pet spell (it's free now).
Pathfinding is now a Tier 2 talent, down from Tier 3.

New Talents
Improved Kill Command - Increases the critical strike chance of your Kill Command by 5/10%.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Chimera - Whenever you are hit by a melee attack, the cooldown of your Disengage is instantly reduced by 2/4 sec. Whenever you are hit by a ranged attack or spell, the cooldown of your Deterrence is instantly reduced by 4/8 sec. These effects have a 2 sec cooldown.
Killing Streak - When you score two Kill Command critical hits in a row, your third will deal 10/20% more damage and have its cost reduced by 10 focus.
Fervor - Instantly restores 50 Focus to you and your pet. / Instant, 2 min cooldown
Focus Fire - Consumes your Pets Frenzy effect, restoring 4 Focus to your pet and increasing your ranged haste by 3% for each Frenzy stack consumed. Lasts for 15 sec. / Instant, 15 sec cooldown
One with Nature - Increases the attack power bonus of your Aspect of the Hawk by 10/20/30%, and increases the amount of focus restored by your Aspect of the Fox by 1/2/3.

Removed Talents
Serpent's Swiftness has been removed from the tree.
Catlike Reflexes has been removed from the tree.
Animal Handler has been removed from the tree.
Ferocity has been removed from the tree.
Aspect Mastery has been removed from the tree.
Unleashed Fury has been removed from the tree.
Focused Fire has been removed from the tree.
Improved Aspect of the Monkey has been removed from the tree.
Thick Hide has been removed from the tree.
Improved Revive Pet has been removed from the tree.
Improved Aspect of the Hawk has been removed from the tree.
Endurance Training has been removed from the tree.

Reposted from MMO-Champion (http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/2010-Patch-4.0.1-on-live-servers-this-week).
Title: Re: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Thraice on Mon, 2010-10-11 : 19:09
Marksmanship
Primary Spells
Aimed Shot now deals [ 31% of RAP + 776 ] damage. No longer reduces healing. Now has a 3 sec cast time. 50 Focus, 40 yd range.
Artisan Quiver (Passive) - Ranged auto-attack damage increased by 15%.
Wild Quiver (Mastery) - Grants a 14.4% chance for your ranged attacks to also instantly fire an additional ranged shot for 100% normal damage. Each point of Mastery increases the chance by an additional 1.8%.

Skills
Kill Shot now deals 150% weapon damage plus [ 30% of RAP + 362 ], down from 200% weapon damage plus [ 40% of RAP + 410 ]. No longer has a Mana/Focus cost. Cooldown reduced from 15 sec to 10 sec.
Volley is gone.
Tranquilizing Shot now costs 35 Focus and no longer has a cooldown.
Steady Shot no longer causes additional damage against Dazed targets. Now generates 9 Focus. Max range increased to 40 yards, up from 35 yards.
Flare now has a 40 yards range, up from 30 yards.
Rapid Fire no longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
Multi-Shot has been revamped - Fires several missiles, hitting your current target and all enemies within 8 yards of that target for 55% of weapon damage. 40 Focus, 5-35 yd range, Instant
Distracting Shot no longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
Concussive Shot no longer has a Mana/Focus cost. Now has a 40 yards range, up from 35 yards. Now has a 5 sec cooldown.
Arcane Shot now causes weapon damage plus [ 4% of RAP + 252 ] arcane damage, up from [ 15% of RAP + 15 ] Arcane damage. Now costs 25 Focus, range increased to 40 yards, up from 35 yards. Cooldown removed.
Hunter's Mark no longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
Auto Shot now has a 40 yards range, up from 35 yards. No longer increases ranged attack speed by 15%.
Serpent Sting is now a Survival skill.
Viper Sting is gone.
Scorpid Sting has been removed from the tree.

Talents Changes
Chimera Shot is now a Tier 7 talent, down from Tier 11. No longer affects Viper Sting or Scorpid Sting (removed from the game). Now deals weapon damage plus [ 24% of RAP + 401 ], up from 125% of weapon damage. Now refreshes the duration of Serpent Sting and heal you for 5% of your total health. 50 Focus, 40 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown
Marked for Death is now a Tier 6 and 2 Ranks talent, down from Tier 10 and 5 Ranks. Revamped - Your Arcane Shot and Chimera Shot have a 50/100% chance to automatically apply the Marked for Death effect. Marked for Death is the same as Hunter's Mark, but undispellable, does not restrict stealth or invisibility and lasts 15 sec.
Silencing Shot is now a Tier 3 talent, down from Tier 9. No longer deals damage. No longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
Improved Steady Shot is now a Tier 2 talent, down from Tier 9. Revamped - When you Steady Shot twice in a row, your ranged attack speed will be increased by 5/10/15% for 8 sec.
Master Marksman is now a Tier 5 and 3 Ranks talent, down from Tier 8 and 5 Ranks. Revamped - You have a 20/40/60% chance when you Steady Shot to gain the Master Marksman effect, lasting 30 sec. After reaching 5 stacks, your next Aimed Shot's cast time and focus cost are reduced by 100% for 10 sec.
Rapid Recuperation is now a Tier 5 talent, down from Tier 8. Updated for Focus - You gain 12 focus every 3 sec while under the effect of Rapid Fire, and you gain 50 focus instantly when you gain Rapid Killing.
Piercing Shots is now a Tier 3 talent, down from Tier 7.
Trueshot Aura is now a Tier 4 talent, down from Tier 7.
Concussive Barrage is now a Tier 3 talent, down from Tier 5.
Readiness now also affects Bestial Wrath.
Efficiency is now a Tier 1 and 3 Ranks talent, down from Tier 4 and 5 Ranks. Now educes the focus cost of your Arcane Shot by 1/2/3, and your Explosive Shot and Chimera Shot by 2/4/6.
Go for the Throat now procs from auto-shot critical hits, and generates 5/10 Focus. (Down from 25/50 Focus)
Rapid Killing now affects Steady Shot and Cobra Shot. No longer affects Arcane Shot or Chimera Shot.
Careful Aim is now a 2 Ranks talent, down from 3 Ranks. No longer increases AP from Intellect and has been revamped - Increases the critical strike chance of your Steady Shot, Cobra Shot and Aimed Shot by 30/60% on targets who are above 80% health.

New Talents
Bombardment - When you critically hit with your Multi-Shot your next Multi-Shot's focus cost will be reduced by 25/50%.
Posthaste - Reduces the cooldown of your Rapid Fire by 1/2 min, and your movement speed is increased by 15/30% for 4 sec after you use Disengage.
Termination - Your Steady Shot and Cobra Shot abilities grant an additional 3/6 Focus when dealt on targets at or below 25% health.
Resistance is Futile - When your marked target attempts to run, flee or move, you have a 4/8% chance to cause your next Kill Command on the marked target within 8 sec to refund the focus cost.
Sic 'Em! - When you critically hit with your Arcane Shot, Aimed Shot or Explosive Shot the focus cost of your Pet's next basic attack is reduced by 50/100% for 12 sec.

Removed Talents
Wild Quiver is gone. (Reintroduced as Mastery)
Improved Barrage has been removed from the tree.
Combat Experience has been removed from the tree.
Ranged Weapon Specialization has been removed from the tree.
Barrage has been removed from the tree.
Improved Stings has been removed from the tree.
Improved Arcane Shot has been removed from the tree.
Improved Hunter's Mark is gone
Mortal Shots has been removed from the tree.
Improved Concussive Shot has been removed from the tree.
Focused Aim has been removed from the tree.
Lethal Shots has been removed from the tree.

Reposted from MMO-Champion (http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/2010-Patch-4.0.1-on-live-servers-this-week).
Title: Re: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Thraice on Mon, 2010-10-11 : 19:11
Survival
Primary Spells
Explosive Shot - You fire an explosive charge into the enemy target, dealing [ 15% of RAP + 463 ] - [ 15% of RAP + 559 ] Fire damage. The charge will blast the target every second for an additional 2 sec. / 50 Focus, 40 yd range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
Into the Wilderness (Passive) - Agility increased by 15%.
Essence of the Viper (Mastery) - Increases all elemental damage you deal by 8%. Each point of Mastery increases elemental damage by an additional 1%.

Skills
Misdirection is no longer permanent, and fades after 30 sec. No longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
Snake Trap, Ice Trap, Explosive Trap now lasts 1 min, up from 30 sec.
Freezing Trap now prevents all action for up to 20 sec (up from 10 sec). No longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
Feign Death no longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
Mongoose Bite has been removed from the tree.
Wing Clip no longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
Raptor Strike is now Instant instead of Next Melee. No longer has a Mana/Focus cost. Now has a 6 sec cooldown.
Trap Launcher is now a baseline skill. When used, your next Trap can be launched to a target location within 40 yards. Lasts for 15 sec. 20 Focus, Instant
Deterrence now has a 2 min cooldown, up from 1.5 min.
Scatter Shot is now a baseline skill.
Serpent Sting has been moved to Survival. Now scales from 40% of your Ranged Attack Power, up from 20%.

Talents Changes
Hunting Party is now a Tier 5 and 1 Rank talent, down from Tier 10 and 3 Ranks. Replenishment effect removed. Now Increases your total Agility by an additional 10%, and increases the Ranged and Melee Attack Speed of all party and raid members by 10%.
Point of No Escape is now a Tier 2 talent, down from Tier 9.
Black Arrow is now a Tier 7 talent, down from Tier 9. No longer increases all damage done by you to the target. Now scales from 12% of Ranged Attack Power, up from 10%. Now shares a cooldown with Fire trap spells only. Range increased from 35 to 40 yards. Costs 35 Focus.
Sniper Training is now a Tier 6 talent, down from Tier 9. No longer affects Aimed Shot, Black Arrow, or Explosive Shot. Now affects Cobra Shot.
Noxious Stings is now a Tier 5 and 2 Ranks talent, down from Tier 8 and 3 Ranks. Increases your damage done on targets afflicted by your Serpent Sting by 5/10% (up from 1/2%). Increases your damage done on targets afflicted by your Serpent Sting by 5%. If Wyvern Sting is dispelled, the dispeller is also afflicted by Wyvern Sting lasting 25/50% (up from 16/25/50%) of the duration remaining.
Wyvern Sting now costs 10 Focus.
Thrill of the Hunt is now a Tier 3 talent, down from Tier 7. You have a 5/10/15% chance when you Arcane Shot, Explosive Shot or Black Arrow you instantly regain 40% of the base focus cost of the shot.
Resourcefulness is now a Tier 4 talent, down from Tier 6. No longer reduces the mana cost of all traps, melee abilities and Black Arrow.
Hunter vs. Wild is now a Tier 1 talent, down from Tier 5. No longer increases you and your pet's attack power. Now increases stamina by 4/7/10%.
Counterattack is now a Tier 3 talent, down from Tier 5. No longer has a Mana/Focus cost.
T.N.T. is now a 2 Ranks talent, down from 3 Ranks. Revamped - When you deal periodic damage with your Immolation Trap, Explosive Trap or Black Arrow you have a 6/12% chance to trigger Lock and Load.
Lock and Load is now a Tier 3 and 2 Ranks talent, down from Tier 4 and 3 Ranks. Now procs from Freezing Trap and Ice Trap only. Now has a 50/100% chance to cause your next 2 Arcane Shot or Explosive shot to cost no focus and trigger no cooldown.
Survival Tactics is now a Tier 2 talent, down from Tier 3.
Entrapment is now a 2 Ranks talent, down from 3 Ranks. Now entraps the targets for 2/4 sec, up from 2/3/4 sec.

New Talents
Pathing - Increases ranged haste by 1/2/3%.
Serpent Spread - Targets hit by your Multi-Shot are also afflicted by your Serpent Sting equal to 6/9 sec of its total duration.
Toxicology - Increases the periodic critical damage of your Serpent Sting and Black Arrow by 50/100%.
Mirrored Blades - When attacked by a spell while in Deterrence, you have a 50/100% chance to reflect it back at the attacker.
Improved Serpent Sting - Your Serpent Sting also does instant damage equal to 15/30% of its total periodic effect.

Removed Talents
Master Tactician has been removed from the tree.
Expose Weakness has been removed from the tree.
Lightning Reflexes has been removed from the tree.
Killer Instinct has been removed from the tree.
Survivalist has been removed from the tree.
Scatter Shot is gone. Now a baseline skill.
Deflection has been removed from the tree.
Surefooted has been removed from the tree.
Survival Instincts has been removed from the tree.
Improved Tracking has been removed from the tree.
Hawk Eye has been removed from the tree.
Savage Strikes has been removed from the tree.

Reposted from MMO-Champion (http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/2010-Patch-4.0.1-on-live-servers-this-week).
Title: Re: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Thraice on Mon, 2010-10-11 : 19:17

Pet Skills
Bloodlust / Heroism
Ancient Hysteria (Core Hound - Exotic) - Increases melee, ranged, and spell casting speed by 30% for all party and raid members. Lasts 40 sec.
Allies receiving this effect will become Sated and be unable to benefit from Bloodlust or Time Warp again for 10 min. / Instant, 6 min cooldown


Healing
Spirit Mend (Spirit Beast - Exotic) - The Spirit Beast heals the currently friendly target for {1237.75+((RAP*0.35)*0.5)} plus an additional {475.97+((RAP*0.35)*0.335)} over 10 sec. / 25 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown


Stat Boost (BoK)
Embrace of the Shale Spider - Fills all friendly party and raid members with the Shale Spider's embrace, increasing Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intellect by %. / Instant


Stamina Buff
Qiraji Fortitude (Silithid - Exotic) - Increases party and raid members' Stamina by 584.76. / Instant


Critical Strike Buff
Furious Howl (Wolf / Dog) - The wolf lets out a furious howl, increasing the critical strike chance of all party and raid members by 5%. / Instant, 45 sec cooldown
Terrifying Roar (Devilsaur - Exotic) - The devilsaur lets out a terrifying roar, increasing the critical strike chance of all party and raid members by 5%. / Instant, 45 sec cooldown


Casting Speed Reduction
Lava Breath (Core Hound - Exotic) - Your pet breathes a double gout of molten lava at the target, reducing the target's casting speed by 25% for 10 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 8 sec cooldown (No longer deals damage)
Spore Cloud (Sporebat) - Dusts nearby enemies with spores, reducing all enemy targets within 6 yards casting speed by 25% for 9 sec. / 6 yd range, Instant, 12 sec cooldown


Attack Speed Reduction
Dust Cloud (Tallstrider) - Your tallstrider kicks up an obscuring cloud of dust, causing all enemies within 10 yards to have their melee and ranged attack speed reduced by 20% for 8 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown
Tailspin - Your fox twirls its tail around, kicking up an obscuring cloud of dust, causing all enemies within 10 yards to have their melee and ranged attack speed reduced by 20% for 8 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown


Movement Speed Reduction
Ankle Crack (Crocolisk) - Snap at the target's feet, reducing movement speed by 50% for 6 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown (Replaces Bad Attitude)
Frost Breath (Chimaera - Exotic) - Your pet simultaneously breathes frost and lightning at an enemy target, slowing the target for 5 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown (No longer deals damage)
Time Warp (Warp Stalker) - Slows time around the enemy, reducing their movement speed by 50% for 6 sec. / 25 yd range, Instant, 15 sec cooldown


Healing Debuff
Monstrous Bite (Devilsaur - Exotic) - Your devilsaur ferociously bites the enemy, reducing the effectiveness of any healing received by 25% for 8 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 8 sec cooldown


Root
Venom Web Spray (Silithid - Exotic) - Sprays toxic webs at the target, preventing movement for 5 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown (Up from 4 sec, no longer deals damage)
Web (Spider) - Encases the target in sticky webs, preventing movement for 5 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 40 sec cooldown


Silence / Interrupt
Serenity Dust (Moth) - The moth's wings produce a cloud of dust that interrupts the enemies spellcasting and preventing any spell in that school from being cast for 2 sec. / 25 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown


Armor Reduction (Sunder Armor)
Tear Armor (Raptor) - Tears at the enemies armor with the raptor's talons, reducing it by 4%. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts 30 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
Corrosive Spit (Serpent) - Spits poison at an enemy, corroding their armor, reducing it by 4%. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts 30 sec. / 30 yd range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown


Increased Bleed Damage
Gore (Boar) - Your boar gores the enemy, causing it to take 30% additional damage from bleed effects for 15 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown
Tendon Rip (Hyena) - Tears at an enemy's legs, increasing damage taken from bleed effects by 30% for 15 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown


Increased Magic Damage
Fire Breath (Dragonhawk) - Breathes Fire on the target, increasing magic damage taken by 8% for 45 sec. / 40 yd range, Channeled, 30 sec cooldown
Lightning Breath (Wind Serpent) - Breathes lightning, increasing magic damage taken by 8% for 45 sec. / 40 yd range, Channeled, 30 sec cooldown


Increased Physical Damage
Acid Spit (Worm - Exotic) - Your worm spits acid, causing the enemy target to take an increased 4% physical damage for 25 sec. / 20 Focus, 30 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown
Ravage (Ravager) - Violently attacks an enemy, causing the enemy target to take 4% increased physical damage for 25 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 15 sec cooldown


Stun
Sonic Blast - Emits a piercing shriek, stunning the target for 2 sec. / 20 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown (No longer deals damage)
Sting (Wasp) - Your wasp stings the target, stunning them for 2 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 45 sec cooldown


Physical Damage Reduction
Demoralizing Roar (Bear) - The bear roars, reducing the physical damage caused by all enemies within yards by 10% for 15 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 10 sec cooldown


Disarm
Clench (Scorpid) - The scorpid clenches the enemy's weapon with its talons, and disarming their main hand and ranged weapons for 10 sec. / 5 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown


DPS Abilities
Bite - Bite the enemy, causing {187.74+((RAP*0.35)*0.40)} damage. / 25 Focus, 5 yd range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown
Claw - Claw the enemy, causing {187.74+((RAP*0.35)*0.40)} damage. / 25 Focus, 5 yd range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown
Smack - Smack the enemy, causing {187.74+((RAP*0.35)*0.40)} damage. / 25 Focus, 5 yd range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown


Reposted from MMO-Champion (http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/2010-Patch-4.0.1-on-live-servers-this-week).
Title: Re: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Jarelynn on Tue, 2010-10-12 : 09:29
This is AMAZING James, thank you for taking the time to put all the hunterness in one easy to get to spot!
Title: Re: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Mallethas on Tue, 2010-10-12 : 20:00
The return of the kiting hunter, maybe I'll dust my hunter off.  I was once the man at kiting pre-BC!!  Or so I like to think....
Title: Re: The 4.0 Hunter
Post by: Skippy on Thu, 2010-10-14 : 16:03
Going to have to take my hunter around and pick up some of these pets.  More and more I'm liking my hunter to be my alt come Cata.
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