Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsAdieu to double trapping
by Amanda Rivera 
Nov 15th 2007 at 2:37PM
As Robin discussed earlier today, hunters are going through a some growing pains with the release of Patch 2.3. As with many topics that you are interested about, this sparked a discussion amongst the WoW Insider staff about the changes to trapping now that the patch is live. While some hunters lamented the loss of something called "Chain Trapping," our own beloved BRK stepped in to clarify what exactly has changed in Patch 2.3.
There are three types of hunter trapping strategies that pertain to this discussion. They are:
Chain Trapping: Our hunter friend drops a trap, plinks away at a mob to pull him into the trap and then runs back to drop a second trap for when the first one breaks. This strategy is excellent for keeping one mob controlled.
Double Trapping: This same hunter drops his first trap and lures a monster into it. He then drops a second trap before the first breaks and draws a second mob into it, thus controlling two mobs at once.
Triple Trapping: Now, if our hunter friend has taken certain Survival talents, he can also drop a third trap along with the first two to control three monsters at the same time.
Chain trapping is still a viable hunter strategy even after the patch. Double and Triple trapping, however, have gone the way of parachute pants and the dodo bird. Many of us will miss the hunter's ability to control multiple mobs at once in an instance (I'm leaving kiting out of this because we're talking traps here), but I suppose the real issue was how multiple trapping was being used in PvP. In any case, now that it is gone, is the hunter class more balanced, or have they been dealt a blow that will take them a while to recover from?
There are three types of hunter trapping strategies that pertain to this discussion. They are:
Chain Trapping: Our hunter friend drops a trap, plinks away at a mob to pull him into the trap and then runs back to drop a second trap for when the first one breaks. This strategy is excellent for keeping one mob controlled.
Double Trapping: This same hunter drops his first trap and lures a monster into it. He then drops a second trap before the first breaks and draws a second mob into it, thus controlling two mobs at once.
Triple Trapping: Now, if our hunter friend has taken certain Survival talents, he can also drop a third trap along with the first two to control three monsters at the same time.
Chain trapping is still a viable hunter strategy even after the patch. Double and Triple trapping, however, have gone the way of parachute pants and the dodo bird. Many of us will miss the hunter's ability to control multiple mobs at once in an instance (I'm leaving kiting out of this because we're talking traps here), but I suppose the real issue was how multiple trapping was being used in PvP. In any case, now that it is gone, is the hunter class more balanced, or have they been dealt a blow that will take them a while to recover from?
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
MartinC Nov 15th 2007 5:27PM
Great change (fix). No class should be able to have more than one CC up at once.
dpoyesac Nov 15th 2007 5:45PM
Lots of hunters have given thoughtful, detailed explanations of how double-trapping worked and why & when it was useful. The tone of these posts have been moderate and have generally ended with a sense that we hunters are capable and will be able to soldier on -- it's just the poor clothies who will suffer.
All in all, it's hard to reconcile these posts with the general view that the class is full of 'huntards.' Kudos to my fellow hunters for disproving the stereotype.
Rutger Nov 15th 2007 5:51PM
I'll miss it.
I'm one of those rare survival hunters and double trapping was my trademark.
I would go to instances and people would be amazed at the crowd control a survival hunter can bring.
Now, I guess my only option is to go back to BM or MM
shame really
Flippie Nov 15th 2007 6:47PM
I hear ya Rutger. I just switch myself to survival for heroics and now i am thinking about going back to MM. I wish blizz would have said somthing about his "fix" in the patch notes tho. Looks bad.
Tarbh Nov 15th 2007 7:00PM
So, if I have a chain trap ready, and another mob runs across my trap, does that mean that the original mob is now free to have it's way with me?
Erbodie Nov 15th 2007 8:19PM
My main is a hunter, and I have used the double trap in several occasions, most solo or group PVE. The hall pulls in Shattered Halls when your pug does not have enough CC would be a good time to double trap, for example.
All in all, having no dead zone is so neat that I would not want to go back, but I don't think that double trapping was an exploit. I had not seen it used that often.
foxkreig Nov 15th 2007 11:01PM
my main has always been my hunter. and multi-trapping has many times made heroics workable and saved the lives of many of my healers and other squishies.
also it's not a result of the "in combat" changes. i did the same thing using FD and trap back in strat and scholo.
even without a survival spec i was multi-trapping. and while yes it isnt a huge issue it does make things harder for little or no reason. i've rarely seen it in pvp to be honest if for no other reason than you cant controll the movements of players.
Diaz Nov 16th 2007 9:37PM
@21. So Locks shouldn't be able to fear one mob and seduce another?
Eolair Nov 20th 2007 2:25AM
It makes me sad that many so-called hunters don't understand how this is a huge nerf. It makes our single trapped target a bit more unreliable due to the possibility that a second mob, for one reason or another, will run over your second pre-laid trap, thus breaking your first trap. And if reaction times are not extremely quick, or if the second mob is DoT'ed, both mobs are now running free. If our cooldown is not up yet, both mobs will now be free until antoher trap is ready.
It is also an enormous hit to survival hunters' versatility. To all the people who say you've never seen a hunter trapping even 2 mobs, then I'm sorry that you have never seen a decent hunter in action. I have locked down 4 mobs simultaneously with the proper survival spec. Not for prolonged periods of time of course, but for a good 25 seconds, and at least 1 or 2 for longer. Here is a strategy I used extensively in both normal and heroic instances when CC was short, particularly shattered halls.
Lead with Wyvern sting on Mob A. Mob B gets primary freezing trap. Mob C gets pre-laid secondary freezing trap. Use Readiness. Mob D gets new freezing trap thanks to Readiness. Reapply wyvern sting to Mob A upon break. Thanks to BL gear and talents, and with proper timing, I can also get another trap down by the time Mob B breaks trap. If I allowed Mob D to be distracted by the warrior for a few seconds in the beginning of the fight, I will be able to retrap him very shortly after he breaks so the tank doesn't have to handle him as well for very long.
That's 24 seconds of 4 mobs being locked down completely. 1 mob will continue to be locked down for over 50 seconds provided no early breaks. And I will be able to retrap D when freezing trap becomes available again.
This strategy has allowed me to run Shattered Halls with nothing but a rogue for additional CC, and never need the tank to handle more than 2 mobs at a time, with rare exceptions. The gladiator encounters were freaking trivial even without the rogue using sap thanks to speccing and gearing properly.
Now, that's all gone. Trapping has been reduced to nothing but a single target distraction. Once again, something that separate idiots from those who have pride in their class and strive to excel has been eliminated in favor of dumbed down mechanics. Way to go blizzard, you just ruined something that many hunters made their trademark.