New skills for Hunter pets incoming
by Eliah Hecht 
Jan 31st 2007 at 3:00PM
A poster in the Hunters forum asked whether Hunters would, any time soon, be able to learn skills from beasts without taming them, or if not, if we could get more stable slots. Nethaera replied to let us know that new skills for Hunter pets are in the works, slated for the "next large patch" (she declined to give a patch number, but I'm thinking 2.1). Here's the pertinent information from her postings in that thread. The summary is that we will be getting new skills that are "trainable and transferable between pets," and autoattack/autoshot will be able to be toggled in the interface options.- We still intend to add more pet abilities and will most likely start with the next large patch we do. I can't give you a specific patch number or date, but it will be the start of the additions that we have been planning to do. We will be adding more gradually over time after that as well.
- When I'm saying adding abilities, I don't mean adding abilities to individual pet types but abilities that are trainable and transferable between pets. I am going to double check that this is correct for you all, but my reading comprehension is fine and I did answer the question. We are not adding more stable slots.
- I put in a query to get a bit more information on anything I can about how the mechanics are changing since it's been awhile even since we last discussed it here. Thus, why I'm working to do some follow-up on it since updates are going to be added before too much longer. Just be patient. Saying "You didn't answer the question" doesn't make the answers come any faster folks. I'm trying to get you what I can.
As for any other feedback, I have one other item I can tell you all about and that is in regard to autoattack and autoshot. We'll be adding an ability to toggle this on and off in the interface options at some point in the near future as well.
Filed under: Hunter, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bad Mojo Jan 31st 2007 3:18PM
This "tidbit" has been picking up steam all day. It's really just wishful thinking at this point since it could be patch 2.1 or 20.1.
I hope it's sooner rather than later, but it probably won't be.
multikast Jan 31st 2007 3:52PM
maybe i'm misunderstanding something, but why would you ever want to turn off autoshot? it's not like you'll start shooting as soon as you target something.
Ragbar Jan 31st 2007 10:12PM
Oh, I can see it now.
Hunter's pets now can learn a silencing skill that causes damage to go along with Silencing Shot.
Eliah Hecht Jan 31st 2007 4:01PM
Bad Mojo: Well, it's not gonna be 2.0.1, seeing as how we're on 2.0.6 already.
multikast: I was wondering this too; maybe someone can enlighten us.
Rich Jan 31st 2007 4:26PM
20.1 ... not 2.0.1
Gwidyon of Alleria Feb 18th 2007 3:07PM
1. Badmojo said 20.1 not 2.0.1;)
2. Right clicking on a mob DOES infact turn on your autoshot, also being able to turn off autoshot when the; Mage sheeps, Lock seduces, Druid roots the mob you were dpsing just makes everyone a whole heck of a lot happier.
Siedre Jan 31st 2007 4:36PM
@2: Actually you do. If you're still in combat and you target something in your shot range you'll auto-shoot it. Can be bad in raids or if you hit someone of the other faction by accident and he and his friends get angry.
I see that "autoattack" is mentioned there. Will we FINALLY be able to auto-attack when attacked? Thank god. It's been far too long since DefendYourself broke.
Zong Jan 31st 2007 9:57PM
I hope this means that spiders will finaly get another ability. I was very disappointed that I could not teach my spider "gore" as had been promised for BC. Well, maybe spiders will get poison and/or webs like they should have. Hell, I'd even settle for "prowl"...there are plenty of stealthing spiders in the game already.
Eliah Hecht Jan 31st 2007 4:55PM
:X Sorry Mojo. l2read, me...
Eliah Hecht Jan 31st 2007 4:57PM
Siedre: I doubt auto-auto-attack like you're asking for will happen, ever. That would make it too easy to just leave your character in the path of some easy but aggressive mobs and walk away from the keyboard, returning to stacks of XP.
Marsh Jan 31st 2007 5:10PM
Actually you do. If you're still in combat and you target something in your shot range you'll auto-shoot it. Can be bad in raids or if you hit someone of the other faction by accident and he and his friends get angry.
Or someone you have targeted closes to melee range, so you drop a freeze trap and move out of melee range... and immediately break your own trap when you go into auto shoot mode.
I've been burnt by this a number of times.
Nyx Jan 31st 2007 5:46PM
I think they're not referring to the auto-attack when hostiles are targeted at range - they're referring to the autoswitch when a mob runs from long range into melee range. Right now, our melee attack toggles on as soon as they get into the deadzone and will toggle back to ranged if they run out [theoretically, is very 'sticky' sometimes].
I absolutely love the ranged-to-melee toggle, but apparently it's less desirable for other hunters. There's been complaints and requests for an on/off switch in Interface Options for a while now.
Crimsonhavoc Feb 1st 2007 4:36AM
the real problem with autoshot is that when pulling, you just want to hit thet target once, then run back to your tank to get aggro... with autoshot you keep shooting and it can be difficult to take aggro from you... then you have to feign death or scattershot blah blah blah... it would be nice to have 1 skill shoot once like aimed shot... or the toggle for the pull..
just my $0.02
Navéen Feb 1st 2007 6:21AM
The thing i hate is that when you set a trap when the mob is out of melee range, and then it comes into range, the trap activates, but because it is now in melee range you start to attack in combat. I have found that this regulary breaks my freeze trap. I would opt to toggle the auto-switch between the two off. I mean all it takes is 1 extra button to start attacking it again in melee anyways.
Navéen
TVC
Ann Feb 1st 2007 9:44AM
You can turn off auto-shot staying on when switching targets. Which is really good because I like to tab through targets to see how many things we have still up and in a PUG to figure out what the warrior is attacking.
As far as the auto shot breaking frost traps, it's really not so difficult: drop trap, arcane shot, escape, escape, escape until you have no target and possibly a FD if you've got a bunch of stuff kicking your ass.
Mekias Feb 1st 2007 10:49AM
Yeah, it hurts my melee strategies in PvP. I put down an ice trap at my feel when I see a melee'er coming at me. I start shooting to get in some damage and prevent warriors from charging. Then the warrior has to blow his intercept and gets frozen by my trap. That's great except that now I automatically start to attack the warrior and break the trap.
What would be ideal is that the autoshot turns off when your target gets crowd controlled. Pets already have this functionality.