Slight Revamp to the Blog

First and foremost, what the fudge? No comments on my last blog? By God, it looks like it's time to head to the Hunter forums on the WoW site and on Arena Junkies and get the word out that I'm back, by God.

Now to real content:

2.3.
2.3 didn't look too good on paper, as it definitely appeared that the Hunter class was shafted once again. However, it quickly became evident that things changed dramatically in 2.3, less in class balance and more in appeal.

Allow me to elaborate; in 2.3, every player that kept up with patch notes and PvP decided that Hunters would be brought up to speed in 2.3 by simply reading the notes. Hunters weren't happy with the notes themselves, but almost every Hunter I talked to was happy to hear that their friends' teams wanted to try a Hunter for Season 3. Hunter populations are exponentially higher in Arenas in 2.3, relative to 2.2. While you still don't see a ton of Hunters in Arenas, you can tell by the few there are (more than before) that something really has changed.

The Dead Zone removal (best bug fix ever), and Arcane Shot providing an offensive dispel. Those were the two major changes we received in 2.3 that turned our worlds upside down. Giving Hunters the ability to drop a BOP (or Freedom), an Innervate, a Rejuvenation (gl with Lifebloom though), or any damageshield or Prayer of Mending (or even Presence of Mind, my favorite so far) has extended our arsenal by miles, not yards. While I feel we still need work, this was a major step in the right direction.

In the last two weeks of doing Arenas on my Hunter (popping 2K in 3's in week 1), I've still only fought two Hunter teams at 1700+ (1500 bracket, however, provided us with 6 scrub Hunters in 8 games, while 1600 provided us with 3 in 9), but in 2.2, that number would be zero, so I honestly have no qualms with it overall. It was most definitely a great patch for us, despite what I originally thought, and many other top Hunters believed. I will stand by my prediction that Hunter representation in Arenas will flop a bit once the competition picks up in the next couple of months but, if nothing else, hopefully 2.3 got us noticed.


WoW Star News:
The last few weeks have also seen Hamchook placing high at DreamHack (Sponsored by Dell), who played with an unfamiliar team and still placed third. I will be making an announcement or two regarding Hamchook in the coming weeks, regarding some appearances he'll be making for different sites.

Speaking of players making appearances, my good friend Agnos (the Warlock from fnatic Insurrection) will be making an appearance on the next PvP Source PodCast, so be sure to check that out.


Speaking From Experience
As I mentioned, I'm back to Arena mode with Lileth and a couple others. In doing these games, I've made a few observations as far as what works for us. It may not help you, but this is what works for our playstyles and our comp.

3v3: Warlock, Hunter, Priest.

I tried a new tri-spec for this comp (as well as the 5's we didn't start yet) of 21/22/18 . Weird, right? Maybe not as much as you might think. The pure outlast of this build (in that it keeps your pet alive, and helps you Revive him,) + Imp Stings, all your favorite Survival Talents, and a pair of peels (Intim and Scatter) make this build very formidable... Just not for Lock/Hun/Pri.

I feel that Utility-Whore Spec (my name for 21/22/18) would be much more effective with a Resto Druid over a Priest, where the healing is stronger and you play more defensively. When you're running a Priest, you really need the extra DPS somewhere, but since you're a drain team, you also need pet survivability, self survivability, and DPS. So where does one turn?

41/0/20. My original spec, and one that I truly missed from when BC first hit. Maybe it's that I'm very at home with BM, but when I respecced, we went on a massive winning streak. Not having to concern yourself with Warriors, Rogues, or Frost Mages in the first seconds of the game helps you get a very healthy lead and, contrary to popular belief, a BM Hunter is not useless after TBW, just less useful than he would be with it.

While it's true that TBW is an amazing oh-crap button (family site, lawl), burning it doesn't gimp you completely. Going full BM gives you great long-term DPS and provides your pet with better mobility with Bestial Swiftness. Obviously, if you're full BM, you're not running a Scorpid. I went with a Ravager for the pure DPS, and let me just say that putting the pressure on someone so much harder with a Ravager keeps them too preoccupied with healing to cleanse themselves 90% of the time. It is WORTH the switch.

We have yet to try this setup with me as full Marks, simply because I truly don't believe we'll need to until the later brackets. Being BM allows me to solo grind while still being very effective in Arenas, which I need right now to buy BT gems and an epic flying mount.


Final Notes
Finally, I'll announce that I've fully transitioned back into playing my Hunter 100%. My Warrior and Mage are on the back-burner, as I simultaneously gear my Paladin while finishing my Hunter's honor gear and Heroics. Once that's settled in, I will gear my Warrior and Paladin as alts through arena and honor gear, and hit 70 on my Mage to do the same with him. Having such a widespread arsenal of classes to play will, hopefully, put me in a strong position if I were to play on a bigger stage, as having multiple "masteries" is a major benefit to any team seeking one more.

One final note, I may be rehosting this blog on GameRiot soon, as I've heard nothing but good things about going there, short of them owning everything I write. I'd like some input from my readers before I make the move, but I will promote the idea that GameRiot can get this blog more recognition than GameRiot right now. Your thoughts? Leave me a comment people.

--- To anyone who's reading me here: If you enjoy reading my blog as an informational blog or otherwise, please help spread the word to any other players you think would benefit from reading my work. ---

'Til next time,
-Treisk.