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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsHunters in the Arena
by Elizabeth Harper 
Jul 19th 2007 at 2:55PM
Well, CM Nethaera is attempting to reassure concerned Hunters. While she doesn't yet have any information to share with us, she can say that the subject has been discussed in developer meetings. And while we wait to hear back on what Blizzard might do, what do you think needs to happen to make Hunters a viable choice in the Arenas? Or do you think they are already?
Update: Updated the link. Nethaera accidentally deleted the original post -- someone Fedex her some coffee!
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
ChrisDam Jul 19th 2007 6:14PM
Actually I have been playing my hunter for over 2 years now and I have been PVPing and doing Arena since day 1. My 3v3 group is myself, an arms war and a restro druid and the 3 of us are amazing. I have ZERO problem in Arena. Sure the deadzone is a pain but thats what makes it fun, I have 10k health and 8k mana so surviving in Arena isn't a problem at all. All i need is a few heals here and there and I am ready to rock and roll. Aim shot, follwed by an instant multishot and arcande shot and i just layed instant death to all casters. If they get close, scatter shot and a trap will do it. Sap? who cares, got that trinket. Mongoose and Clip wing FTW. So as of right now, working on my entire arena t2 set, i can safely say I love Arenaing it out with him.
Birthmark Jul 19th 2007 8:30PM
Hunters are fine. Just becasue there aren't alot in the top 20 teams doesn't mean they're broken. Nice try to get insane buffs tho. Every class is viable in every bracket.
tuanha2000vn Jul 19th 2007 9:58PM
I given up my main hunter and leveling a new warrior.
My pvp skill not so bad (80.000 lifetime) In WSG, AB... my hunter still doing great, mostly top 5 damage dealer.
But in arena I feel totally useless. A ranged class with a deadzone in a confined area = quit playing game :(
masta Jul 20th 2007 9:33AM
blizz has just worked out the hunter class design doesn't work in arena? the underlying problem is we are the only class that has to fight and run away at the same time, while every other class is effective holding/gaining ground.
Diaz Jul 20th 2007 11:32AM
No one is afraid of hunter melee dps, so why all the resistance to removal of the deadzone? If you can get into the deadzone, you can get close enough to melee.
The deadzone only provides a crutch for those people who like to fight an opponent who cannot fight back.
Freeze the hunter in place and power up so you can two shot him. Good Job.
It's basically the same story with arena LOS issues.
The fact that a heavily played PVP class cannot compete at the PVP arena proving ground should tell you something is amiss.
Josecphus Jan 17th 2008 11:32AM
When playing as a hunter, if you have been tracking a named target and if you know your target is hidden behind a column or inside a house etc., and you can't click on it to target it, command your pet to attack it by typing in /petattack [target name] ... hit enter and your pet will run around the column and or into a house and start whupping butt. Normally it will hold agro long enough for you to join the fight or get range.
Lex Jul 20th 2007 4:10PM
"Hunters are fine. Just becasue there aren't alot in the top 20 teams doesn't mean they're broken."
Sure it does. What other measure could we possibly use?
Hunters are the most popular class, yet the least successful in arenas. Blizzard is too smart to just reason that it's because less talented gamers choose the class (which I think is true to some degree; hunters are the easiest class to play, so when someone is bad at the game, they'll stick around to play a hunter when they would have quit trying to play, say, a mage).
The thing is, serious PVPers don't just stick with their first character; they play the class they think gives them the best chance to win. So think of that stat on hunters as a poll of all the best PVPers in the world: "What class gives you the best chance to win in arenas?"
2% of respondents said hunters. 6-8 times as many said warriors, warlocks, paladins, and priests.
Diaz Jul 23rd 2007 5:02PM
@26.
Hold agro on another player? Say what?? The discussion is on arena viability. Send the pet in alone against another player when you have no LOS = dead pet.
Orden Aug 14th 2007 12:57PM
The biggest issues with hunters could be addressed by modifying the arena maps. Line of Sight is what takes a hunter out of a fight.
Nagrand Arena: Change the pillars to walls that are connected to the outer wall of the arena. They would still provide line of sight for those that need it, but would prevent players from running around in circles.
Blade's Edge Arena: Widen the bridge so that it is a flat surface as wide as the 2 columns currently connected by the ropes. Then connect the two columns on the bottom and make it a wall instead of pillars.
Walls = good line of sight
Pillars = bad line of sight
It is way too easy for classes with lots of instant spells to exploit pillars by running around them and preventing any ranged class from casting spells on them.
seriph Oct 2nd 2007 8:32AM
simple as that, the enviroment in arenas needs to be changed and to all you naysayers try play a hunter in any arena against a non newb team that knows how to exploit the pillars.