Cataclysm Class Preview: Hunter

[Jumpy]

With the upcoming World of Warcraft: Cataclysm many game elements will be changing, and each class will be receiving a number of tweaks. Here, we will explore the changes that are being made to the gun-wielding, pet-training hunter. The information you’re about to read is certainly not complete, and is only meant to act as a preview of some of the exciting new things to come. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the new hunter abilities!

New Hunter Abilities

Cobra Shot (level 81): A new shot that deals Nature damage instead of Physical damage. This ability will share a cooldown with Steady Shot. This will give hunters an alternative to Steady Shot on heavily-armored targets, and we will have talent incentives in the Beast Mastery tree to make this a signature shot.

Trap Launcher (level 83): When used, the next trap can be shot to a location within 40 yards. This provides the current Freezing Arrow treatment to all traps and, as a result, we will be removing the current ability Freezing Arrow. 1-minute cooldown. No global cooldown.

Camouflage (level 85): The hunter enters an obscured state that prevents him or her from taking ranged damage. The character would still be subject to melee or area-of-effect attacks, and dealing or taking damage will break the Camouflage effect. The hunter can move and set traps when under Camouflage, and will receive a damage bonus when attacking while under Camouflage (which will then break the effect).

Resource Mechanic Change

Here we come to the meat of the upcoming hunter changes.


Hunters will no longer use mana; instead the class will use Focus. Focus generates much like Energy, by building up. It will not be affected by Intellect at all. Haste will improve its generation. Hunters will generate roughly 6 Focus per second, slightly less than rogues' Energy generation rate of around 10 Energy per second. Below, we have listed some examples of how we intend Focus costs to operate:
-Steady Shot/Cobra Shot: No cost. Generates 9 Focus per shot (or 12 per second instead of 6).
-Arcane Shot/Chimera Shot /Explosive Shot: 45 Focus.
-Aimed Shot/Multi-Shot: 60 Focus.
-Concussive Shot/Tranquilizing Shot: 35 Focus.
-Rapid Fire/Master’s Call/Disengage: 30 Focus.

Changes to Abilities and Mechanics

In addition to the resource change and new abilities listed above, we intend to make adjustments to some of the other abilities and mechanics you already know well. This list and the summary of talent changes below it are by no means comprehensive, but they should give you a good sense of what we’re going for with each spec.


A major change coming for the hunter is the removal of ammunition. Guns, bows, and crossbows will now do damage without consuming ammunition at all. There will be no more ammo slot on the hunter’s character display. Any ammunition that a hunter has at the time of the change will become gray sellable items. Existing quivers will be converted into large bags -- though each hunter can only have one and non-hunters will not benefit from this change -- and we will not be making any additional quivers.

Pet management will also change. Hunters will now have two types of attainable pets: active pets and stored pets. Hunters will be able to have up to three active pets (perhaps five for Beast Mastery specialized players) and will have the ability to switch among these pets any time they are out of combat, without going to town. They will also be able to have a large number of pets in storage at the stables. In order to swap a pet from active to passive, a hunter will still need to visit their local Stable Master. However, this should afford ample storage for the many Spirit Beasts wandering the lands of Azeroth.


Additionally, hunters will now start with a race-appropriate pet at level 1 and will be able to tame a different pet at level 10. We are also changing many pet family abilities to provide important buffs and debuffs. The intention is to allow the hunter to be able to swap pets and fill a position if a certain role is missing from the group. The goal is to have all pets provide a damage increase that is very similar and no greater than any other pet. Some examples of the changes we are making to the pet families are listed below:

-Wind Serpents: Will provide a debuff that increases the amount of spell damage taken by an enemy (similar to a weaker version of the warlock ability Curse of Elements).
-Ravagers: Will provide a debuff that will increase an enemy's Physical damage vulnerability (similar to a weaker version of the warrior ability Rampage).
-Hyenas: Will provide bleed damage (similar to a weaker version of the druid ability Mangle).


-Stings and other periodic effects will now benefit from haste and critical strike ratings. Hasted damage-over-time abilities do not lose duration, but instead add additional damage ticks.
-Viper Sting will now restore 9 Focus every 3 seconds.
-We are reinforcing hunters as a ranged class. To this end, the class will now start with ranged abilities at level 1, and we will be removing some melee abilities, such as Mongoose Bite.


New Talents and Talent Changes


Beast Mastery hunters will have a new talent called Careful Aim, which increases the damage of the next Steady Shot or Cobra Shot, but also increases the cast time of these abilities. The intention is to make the combination of spells into a decent damage opener, especially in conjunction with the new ability Camouflage.

-Beast Mastery hunters will also have talents that make Cobra Shot superior to Steady Shot, such as Longevity reducing the cast time of Cobra Shot to 1.5 seconds.
-Rapid Recuperation will cause Rapid Fire to give 20/40/60 Focus immediately and will cause Rapid Killing to generate 3 Focus per second.
-Efficiency will reduce the Focus cost of Chimera Shot, Aimed Shot, and Arcane Shot.
-Thrill of the Hunt grants Focus when you land a critical strike.
-Hunter vs. Wild increases the hunter’s Focus generation when his or her pet is snared, stunned, or rooted.


Mastery Passive Talent Tree Bonuses

Beast Mastery

Ranged Damage
Haste
Pet Damage

Pet Damage: Many of the passive benefits to pet damage will no longer be available in the Beast Mastery talent tree. However, these will be provided through the new Mastery mechanic.

Marksmanship

Ranged Damage
Armor Penetration
Double Shot

Double Shot: The hunter will have a chance to launch a free attack off of the global cooldown for 50% damage.

Survival

Ranged Damage
Ranged Critical Damage
Elemental Damage

Elemental Damage: Hunter abilities such as traps, Black Arrow, and Explosive Shot will do elemental damage of the following types: Arcane, Fire, Frost, Nature, and Shadow.

We hope you enjoyed this preview, and ask that you provide your initial thoughts and feedback on what was presented here. Please keep in mind that what you’ve just reviewed is a work in progress and as we move closer to the Cataclysm beta, you’ll see these planned changes as well as others continue to develop in response to feedback and testing.

Mmmmm

[Hamish]

The loud pop I just heard was from Undras head exploding after reading the pet storage changes.

[Jumpy]

The only thing I am still requesting is an Army of the Dead like effect for Hunters. Summons all your pets to fight for you for a small period of time. Go Army of the Bears!

[Sovrihn]

Heh, just have a 'calling all critters' ability or something...call in all the Critters in the area and have them grow super size and start attacking...Bigglesworth or whatever in Naxx can come pwn KT.

[Undra]

GLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

[Undra]

Okay I think I can talk about this without making high pitched squeals that will wake the pets.

Elemental Damage: Hunter abilities such as traps, Black Arrow, and Explosive Shot will do elemental damage of the following types: Arcane, Fire, Frost, Nature, and Shadow.

The Survival Mastery bonus, and I may be reading this wrong, but it's phrased as though instead of Explosive shot doing Fire damage, Black arrow doing Shadow, and Snake trap doing Nature, that they will be doing some kind of chameleonic shadowfirefrostarcanenature-type Elemental school which will laugh in the face of any type-immune monster or spell-lockout ability. Given that I forsee a lot of combat with Elemental-type enemies this will ensure Survivalists won't miss a beat in their rotations.

Or I'm reading it wrong and it means that the spell damage done by survivalists will be higher.

•Hunters will no longer use mana; instead the class will use Focus. Focus generates much like Energy, by building up. It will not be affected by Intellect at all. Haste will improve its generation. Hunters will generate roughly 6 Focus per second, slightly less than rogues' Energy generation rate of around 10 Energy per second

This focus thing is going to wreck my brain for a while. I'll have to copy Undra to the beta for practice.

Trap Launcher (level 83): When used, the next trap can be shot to a location within 40 yards. This provides the current Freezing Arrow treatment to all traps and, as a result, we will be removing the current ability Freezing Arrow. 1-minute cooldown. No global cooldown.

We've asked for this for a while, and it's yet another thing that didn't pass the Wrath Beta, but I'm looking forward to chucking frost traps on bosses like Saurfang. Every hunter will have fun with this.

Camouflage (level 85): The hunter enters an obscured state that prevents him or her from taking ranged damage. The character would still be subject to melee or area-of-effect attacks, and dealing or taking damage will break the Camouflage effect. The hunter can move and set traps when under Camouflage, and will receive a damage bonus when attacking while under Camouflage (which will then break the effect).

I honestly don't know what to make of this. It's not stealth, it's not quite Smoke bomb. They say we can move and set traps, and won't take ranged damage unless we attack, but will get a bonus on that first move. But does that mean we can walk close to enemies and set those traps? Is it another way to leave combat against a ranged mob? I'll have to see how this is implemented, it's not explained clearly yet.

Cobra Shot (level 81): A new shot that deals Nature damage instead of Physical damage. This ability will share a cooldown with Steady Shot. This will give hunters an alternative to Steady Shot on heavily-armored targets, and we will have talent incentives in the Beast Mastery tree to make this a signature shot.

This is another head scratcher. I guess steady shot will be the focus regen for MM and COOOOO~BRAAAAA! will be the way for BM and Survival. I guess we'll have to see the numbers to decide if steady will ever be used again.

•A major change coming for the hunter is the removal of ammunition. ... Existing quivers will be converted into large bags -- though each hunter can only have one and non-hunters will not benefit from this change -- and we will not be making any additional quivers.

Woo, free 32-slot bag! I'm sorry to see ammo go, given the potential (headache) of specialty ammunition, but at long long last, hunters will not see every shot as a little winged coin flying away. >.> I'm not the only who sees that right?

•Pet management will also change. Hunters will now have two types of attainable pets: active pets and stored pets. Hunters will be able to have up to three active pets (perhaps five for Beast Mastery specialized players) and will have the ability to switch among these pets any time they are out of combat, without going to town. They will also be able to have a large number of pets in storage at the stables. In order to swap a pet from active to passive, a hunter will still need to visit their local Stable Master. However, this should afford ample storage for the many Spirit Beasts wandering the lands of Azeroth.

Mustn't squeal in glee. Mustn't squeal in glee.

•Additionally, hunters will now start with a race-appropriate pet at level 1 and will be able to tame a different pet at level 10. We are also changing many pet family abilities to provide important buffs and debuffs. The intention is to allow the hunter to be able to swap pets and fill a position if a certain role is missing from the group. The goal is to have all pets provide a damage increase that is very similar and no greater than any other pet.

First off, giving hunters a pet to start with instead of waiting 9 levels is perfect and fits right in line with giving rogues dw off the bat. it teaches pet management right there instead of 10 confusing and abusing levels of melee (or if they were smart, kite training).

As for the pets all gaining utility moves, i am also for this, though i think 10mans will get more use out of it than 25s. Sooner or later someone is going to hit the calculator and figure out, assuming all buffs and debuffs, which pet is best. The real question though is what will happen to exotics? Will they remain in the realm of the BM, or will all hunters gain access to all beasts and BMs get more use out of them?

•We are reinforcing hunters as a ranged class. To this end, the class will now start with ranged abilities at level 1, and we will be removing some melee abilities, such as Mongoose Bite.

Mongoose bite is there so that I can whack someone with my fishing pole while gathering fish feast mats in Wintergrasp. taking it away isn't going to make me melee less, it's jsut going to give me less ways to fight back while I try to escape.

And our stings will tick harder and more often in the same timespan based on haste and crit, jsut like everyone elses' over-time spells.


tldr: Undra is happy about the preview and eager to see how everything comes together.

[Hamish]

They calrified the elemental damage thing. It just means the fire/nature/shadow/whataver damage of those shots will be boosted.

And Camo is basically a personal smoke bomb with a bonus on the first attack you use while in it. It's not stealth, people can still see you and target you, mobs will still aggro you, but ranged attacks won't work. ALso it will apparently have totally awesome graphical effect, similar to the cloaking in Predator.

[Undra]

The focus costs are just examples. I wouldn't obsess too much with trying to min / max your rotations just yet. In general, the basic rotations of all three hunters work okay on live today. With focus you might hit moments where you don't need to Steady at all, and you'll never run dry again for long periods of time like you might with mana.

If the costs of some of the defensive cooldowns are too expensive or even need to be free that's certainly the kind of thing we'll consider.

I wasn't really paying attention to costs, but something like Disengage is not the kind of ability you wait for focus for.

[Undra]

Five pets can now be stored with the hunter at all times. Any one of these five pets can be summoned via the Call Pet ability.
Focus has replaced mana as a new resource.
Hunters now start with a pet at level 1.
The Stable will now store 20 pets. If a pet is moved into the Stable, its talents are wiped.

Humans get a wolf
Worgen get a mastiff
Dwarves get a bear
NEs get a white tiger skinned saber cat
Draini get a moth

Orcs get a boar
Goblins get a crab
Tauren get a tall strider
Undead get a bat
Trolls get a raptor
Bloodelves get a dragonhawk

The survival mastery bonus is still regrettably described as

Hunter abilities will do elemental damage.

So who knows if Blizzard is being coy and it's an awesome multi-type spell, or just a boring spell damage increase.

Here's what has my eyebrow pinned high on my forehead:

The hunter takes on the aspects of a fox, increasing your focus regeneration by 20% and allows you to Auto-shot while moving.

I can't but reminence about how Viper used to "work" before they made it actually work. it was a passive boost to mp5 and basically essential for standard hunter operations. I likewise forsee that dragonhawk will fall into disuse and hunters will all be feeling foxy.

[Undra]

knew i forgot something

You camouflage, causing you and your Pet to blend into your surroundings. After 3 sec., you will enter a camouflaged state for 1 min, making you untargetable and providing stealth while stationary. While camouflaged, you and your pet's movement speed is reduced by 30%, but the damage done by your next attack is increased by 15%.
You can lay traps while under the effect, but any damage done by you or your pet will cancel the effect. Cannot be cast while in combat.

I don't know how "untargetable" will apply to mobs, but it feels like Hunters jsut got stealth.

I know I know, it's not real stealth, but it's the closest thing. If we stop, we're stealthed. If we move, you can't click on the ripple. For me, how it applies to mobs will be the selling point, but for pvp'ers they'd already be sold.

And yes, there will be a Predator quote macro for a few days at most. Just like every Dk quoted Scorpion at least once and jsut like every priest will again.

They did something interesting with Sting's, in that there is only Serpent and the talented Wyvern. Viper and scorpid are new types called venom, which avoids having to compete with serpent and instead provides utility shots to reduce healing (the new Widow Venom), stacking sunder (Scorpid venom's new trick), or increase cast times (viper venom).

Tranq shot got dropped all the way down to lvl 35, a far cry from when a raid boss had to die to learn the skill. Misdirect was also thankfully lowered from it's high perch at 80 all the way down to... 76. So hunters will still not be learning the finesse of MD until late in the game. instead trap launcher gets learned at 48, which gives hunters plenty of time to play with it before we're freezing raid trash.

Here's a BM talent that tickles me in ways i haven't felt since i first learned Snake trap:

Rhumba
When you cast two Steady Shot or Cobra Shot attacks in a row, your next Steady Shot or Cobra Shot will summon 3 Rattlesnakes onto the enemy target. If the enemy target attacks a friend or foe, a Rattlesnake will instantly strike the enemy dealing damage equal to [5%/10%/15%] of your Steady Shot or Cobra Shot damage.

I'm sorry, I jsut think it's hilarious to throw snakes at someone.

Marksmen get a talent that increases their chance to crit with Steady/cobra against a moving target. More of a pvp talent, but if the tanks are going to be dragging mobs around the room because warriors want another bleed, then I'm for it.

nothing really new in teh survival tree, they took a point out of Hunting Party, so for 4% agl every steady/cobra shot will spark replenishment. given how much agility a hunter has, and that we have some extra points to spend, i could see using all of it.

Also, it looks like Aspect of the Dragonhawk is going away, because Monkey as we know it, (extra dodge because they lobotomize the hunter agl->dodge conversion rate, or we'd be untouchable) is changing, Which will make future taming a bit rough. maybe they will ease the penalty a bit.

Here's the new monkey:

Whenever you are critically hit by a melee attack, the cooldown of your Disengage is instantly reduced by [2/4] sec.
Whenever you are critically hit by a ranged attack, the cooldown of your Deterrence is instantly reduced by [4/8] sec.

It's a pvp talent for BM's to defend themselves when something is attacking them and they've used their cooldowns.

Here's the new hawk we get way down at lvl 12:

The hunter takes on the aspects of a hawk, increasing ranged attack power by 20 and causes you to generate 9 Focus when your Steady Shot or Cobra Shot abilities deal damage. Only one Aspect can be active at a time.

So the difference here is that you stand still for hawk, like for Festergut or Patchwerk. But you move for Fox, like with Professor or Heigan.

The whole revamping is cleverly done and well balanced. We have new tricks, but they aren't overpowered, and are as fun to read about as some kind of aerial manuever.

Like a barrel roll.

[Rhaegal]

So the difference here is that you stand still for hawk, like for Festergut or Patchwerk. But you move for Fox, like with Professor or Heigan. Which i must say is a brilliant maneuver that is sure to please any crowd witnessing it.

I have to say, I really, really like this mechanic.

[Undra]

And they put the focus regen talents and efficiency for primary shots right on the first row, so Any hunter worth a damn will have at least five points in BM and MM. I am extremely impressed by all of this. I'm sure as the beta moves along there will be trimming and adjustments to numbers or spell purposes. But I must say I can't wait to see a cataclysm hunter in action.

[Toranus]

And yes, there will be a Predator quote macro for a few days at most. Just like every Dk quoted Scorpion at least once and jsut like every priest will again.

GET OVER HERE, SWEETCHEEKS!