Hunter spec change discussion

[pop]

They're still not confirming one way or the other:
https://twitter.com/CosmicGuitars/statu ... 8067491840

The reaction has been pretty positive though. And when you compare hunters to other classes, our spec differences currently are pretty subtle. A bit of a shake up would be good, especially if it's only one spec of three.

I hope if it is a melee spec, it is a Tank spec. We don't have any mail tankers and I always wanted to tank as a Hunter. A cool way to tank is to share damages with pets ala Spirit Link.

[Wain]

They're still not confirming one way or the other:
https://twitter.com/CosmicGuitars/statu ... 8067491840
The reaction has been pretty positive though. And when you compare hunters to other classes, our spec differences currently are pretty subtle. A bit of a shake up would be good, especially if it's only one spec of three.

I hope if it is a melee spec, it is a Tank spec. We don't have any mail tankers and I always wanted to tank as a Hunter. A cool way to tank is to share damages with pets ala Spirit Link.

That would require them adding an entirely new type of armour, across all levels. I don't think it's very likely. Unless they based tanking off agility only. But if they did do a tanking hunter I imagine it would all be on the pet and not related to whether the hunter was in melee.

[pop]

They're still not confirming one way or the other:
https://twitter.com/CosmicGuitars/statu ... 8067491840
The reaction has been pretty positive though. And when you compare hunters to other classes, our spec differences currently are pretty subtle. A bit of a shake up would be good, especially if it's only one spec of three.

I hope if it is a melee spec, it is a Tank spec. We don't have any mail tankers and I always wanted to tank as a Hunter. A cool way to tank is to share damages with pets ala Spirit Link.

That would require them adding an entirely new type of armour, across all levels. I don't think it's very likely. Unless they based tanking off agility only. But if they did do a tanking hunter I imagine it would all be on the pet and not related to whether the hunter was in melee.

Well, leather tanks use agility to tank as well, right? It is possible that if it's a tank, survival hunters will get a unique damage mitigation skill to compensate armor and hit points.

[Lisaara]

I hope if it is a melee spec, it is a Tank spec. We don't have any mail tankers and I always wanted to tank as a Hunter. A cool way to tank is to share damages with pets ala Spirit Link.

That would require them adding an entirely new type of armour, across all levels. I don't think it's very likely. Unless they based tanking off agility only. But if they did do a tanking hunter I imagine it would all be on the pet and not related to whether the hunter was in melee.

Well, leather tanks use agility to tank as well, right? It is possible that if it's a tank, survival hunters will get a unique damage mitigation skill to compensate armor and hit points.

They do, so that's not too far off.

[Layiaissa]

Yeah, I was absolutely floored when they said that spear was survival instead of, say, boomkin. But wasn't a very early build of survival melee? I kinda would like to see it melee again, giving us some differences. That said, my offspec is Survival, and if it is melee dps, I'll be switching to MM so fast my owl's head will spin.

If it is tank, though, it might motivate me to actually learn how to. It would definitely be a skill check, as I am assuming the amount of pet management will be higher than even BM, and healers will probably also have to get used to having a pet on their addons.

Edit: as to new armor, not so much. We already have tanking agility trinkets and cloaks, and intellegence on our gear that's phased off. I can't imagine them not being able to figure out how to make the secondary stats that, say, guardians or, is it prot pallies that use crit work for us.

[Lisaara]

I'll admit, I was hoping BM would be the melee spec rather than Survival.

[Wain]

I'll admit, I was hoping BM would be the melee spec rather than Survival.

Well, yeah, Beastmasters are supposed to wield swords and look like this:



Or am I showing my age?

[pop]

Apparently it's confirmed survival is melee with a pet, beast mastery is ranged with pet and marksman is ranged without pet.

[Malackai]

from: http://www.icy-veins.com/forums/topic/1 ... zzikostas/

As an example of class changes, the Survival Hunter 'spear' Artifact was brought up. In Legion, Survival Hunters will be a melee spec that utilizes a pet. To differentiate specializations, the developers will try to de-homogenize the classes. Further to this, Beast Mastery Hunters will fight at range with a pet, while Marksmanship Hunters will fight at range with NO PET.

ill be honest I would have found it more fitting for BM to be melee (dual axe, claws or spear) beatin the snot out of your target together with your trusty pet.

Surv always reminded me of a person that would camouflage send out a pet (think blood hound) to track prey and then take the prey out from afar or with traps etc instead of being up the preys face like a mindless berserker.

They nailed Marks tho ranged without a pet.

[pop]

from: http://www.icy-veins.com/forums/topic/1 ... zzikostas/

As an example of class changes, the Survival Hunter 'spear' Artifact was brought up. In Legion, Survival Hunters will be a melee spec that utilizes a pet. To differentiate specializations, the developers will try to de-homogenize the classes. Further to this, Beast Mastery Hunters will fight at range with a pet, while Marksmanship Hunters will fight at range with NO PET.

ill be honest I would have found it more fitting for BM to be melee (dual axe, claws or spear) beatin the snot out of your target together with your trusty pet.

Surv always reminded me of a person that would camouflage send out a pet (think blood hound) to track prey and then take the prey out from afar or with traps etc instead of being up the preys face like a mindless berserker.

They nailed Marks tho ranged without a pet.

sur·viv·al
sərˈvīvəl/
noun
the state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances.
"the animal's chances of survival were pretty low"
an object or practice that has continued to exist from an earlier time.
plural noun: survivals
"his shorts were a survival from his army days"

I hope it means survival hunters really mean survival; surviving damage making them tank. Survival of the fittest would be their mastery.

Anyway here's a tweet of the meleeness

https://mobile.twitter.com/icyveinscom/ ... 2107576320

[Lisaara]

from: http://www.icy-veins.com/forums/topic/1 ... zzikostas/

As an example of class changes, the Survival Hunter 'spear' Artifact was brought up. In Legion, Survival Hunters will be a melee spec that utilizes a pet. To differentiate specializations, the developers will try to de-homogenize the classes. Further to this, Beast Mastery Hunters will fight at range with a pet, while Marksmanship Hunters will fight at range with NO PET.

ill be honest I would have found it more fitting for BM to be melee (dual axe, claws or spear) beatin the snot out of your target together with your trusty pet.

Surv always reminded me of a person that would camouflage send out a pet (think blood hound) to track prey and then take the prey out from afar or with traps etc instead of being up the preys face like a mindless berserker.

They nailed Marks tho ranged without a pet.

sur·viv·al
sərˈvīvəl/
noun
the state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances.
"the animal's chances of survival were pretty low"
an object or practice that has continued to exist from an earlier time.
plural noun: survivals
"his shorts were a survival from his army days"

I hope it means survival hunters really mean survival; surviving damage making them tank. Survival of the fittest would be their mastery.

Anyway here's a tweet of the meleeness

https://mobile.twitter.com/icyveinscom/ ... 2107576320

I'll just leave this here....cause he was a Beast Master....in melee.....

http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/Rexxar
http://wow.gamepedia.com/Rexxar

[pop]

snip

That's wc3 Beastmaster. It had to be melee and a STRENGTH hero due to balance and game mechanics. In HOTS, Rexxar is ranged

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4tw-Cyq8vc

[Lisaara]

Still counts. I go by what he originally was and his title. There is a possibility he wasn't technically BM spec and it merely was a title to give homage to the 80s film. I sent a tweet to the devs to hear their reasoning.

[Wain]

MM with no pet is radical. A hunter with no pet!

However I'm not against it. I honestly admire the class designers' bravery. It's also a change that also fits with almost every NPC hunter-type we've seen in the game, which has a gun and no pet.

I wouldn't play it personally because the pet is what I love most about the class. And given the specialty of this forum I daresay a lot of the community here will feel the same, but I really do admire Blizzard for the bold re-think of the class and I hope that plenty of other people will like it. The great thing is that BM will always preserve the core of what the old-style hunter was about so it's not like anyone will lose that if they still want it.

[Kayb]

I sincerely hope no pet for marksman is optional....

I've been marksman since vanilla, i don't wanna change spec, and i wanna keep my pet.... :\

[Wain]

I sincerely hope no pet for marksman is optional....
I've been marksman since vanilla, i don't wanna change spec, and i wanna keep my pet.... :\

I guess we'll have to wait for more info, but I don't know how it could work if pets were optional. If the pet does any damage at all (other than a trivial amount) then it would fast become mandatory and make the change pointless. But if MM hunters can still have a pet out and not have it do any damage then it seems workable. If they didn't want that to confuse new hunters (who might think their pet is doing something important) they could always make it a cosmetic ability at later levels.

[Lisaara]

I agree with Wain. MM, to me, always felt like it shouldn't have a pet at all. Archers, typically, never had one, and that's what MM represents and now can represent that properly.

[Bambu]

I love these changes. I just hope I can still have a pet out as MM, even if just cosmetic through a glyph or something. I'd like to still have an undead pet by my Undead MM Hunter's side.

[Castile]

I really don't like the idea of not having access to my pets as MM. I mean i can handle raiding without them for lone wolf but not at all? Not even questing etc? I play a hunter for the pets and have done so since vanilla...this makes me think I'll have to go BM main in order to keep them. I hope this isn't set in stone tbh.

[Wain]

I guess one possibility for MM would be if they limited pet attacks to the same damage and cooldowns as the lower priority abilities on the MM's rotation. That way you can use your pet, or if it's not out you can use some ranged ability and do the same damage.