Breakfast Topic: Why is this hard?
by Matthew Rossi 
Jul 17th 2008 at 8:00AM
Instead, I've just recently managed to get my draenei hunter, who I created back when TBC launched, to level twenty eight. In the time since I've created this character I leveled my original warrior to 70, created a new draenei warrior and leveled him to 70, and leveled a draenei shaman to 70, plus went back and leveled two horde (warrior and shaman) to 70 and created a BE paladin and got him to 65. I leveled a paladin to 65 faster than I could level a hunter to 28! What is this, bizarro world? My orc and night elf warriors both hit 70 and I created them more or less as alts to play with RL friends on different servers, which means they get played once a month at most, and yet, here is my hunter, a year into the expansion (over a year, in fact) and I am just now heading into the 30's. And to be honest the only reason I even cared enough to level him this much was because I wanted to get him a mount.
I guess part of it might be a fundamental disconnect with the ethos of the class: my warlock is in even poorer shape, I literally cannot force myself to log him on. It's physically painful for me to play a class that consists of sending in the pet and doing damage from behind it. I find myself standing and meleeing on my hunter, to the point where my wife has threatened to take him away from me if I don't start learning how to kite. Since she's one of our raiding hunters I think it's also painful for her to watch me play the class so poorly.
I've recently started at least dropping traps when I see a mob break away from my pet and charge me, and I've been practicing my jump shot and how to use concussive shot to keep mobs from running up to say hello, but half the time I still forget and start swinging my two hander as soon as they get in range. It might be that 90% of my other characters are melee oriented, or it might be that I have some kind of odd brain damage that doesn't let me remember what 'ranged DPS' means, I don't know, but I find leveling the hunter to be just slightly less painful than eating a broken beer bottle burrito. I spend more time gathering ore and learning new cooking recipes because I find the actual gameplay so antithetical to my nature.
So we move on to the topic of discussion: what class did you expect to easily master and didn't? Or are you a jack of all trades and can effortlessly move from class to class, even ones with wildly varying differences in playstyle? And if so, how? How?
Filed under: Hunter, Paladin, Warlock, Warrior, Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics, The Burning Crusade
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
aburt Jul 17th 2008 8:06AM
Im the same, i have a warlock, warrior, and druid level 70 but my hunter is the first character i ever made and hes stuck at 50. Its not that its hard to level, i just get bored of it too easily. And also whenever I pick him up to play all i ever see while leveling is hunter bots running around and it makes me sad to play the class, so i give up.
FireStar Jul 17th 2008 10:49AM
Same here too. Hunter was my first to 60. Now i have 4 70s and my hunter is only 65. I'm levelling a 49 shaman and a 44 mage right now. Oh well.
Boszorkany Jul 17th 2008 11:05AM
My first toon was a hunter as well. Could NOT get her past 26. No idea why. I feel your pain.
My main now is a warlock. She hit 70 a couple of weeks ago. It was a struggle to get to 40 with her, but the class just grew on me and I have to say she's my favorite.
I started a rogue a few months ago but can't seem to get up the energy to get her to 20. I started a rogue with the purpose of eventually taking revenge for all the times I've been ganked by rogues. But, like with the hunter, I'm not getting the hang of the class.
I guess it all comes down to whether or not you're a (insert class here) person. Like anything in life, some people can rock a particular talent, some are mediocre and others just can't do it.
xtole Jul 17th 2008 1:19PM
Its called multi-tag and bag. My hunter is leveling faster than my other 70s, and I dont even quest that much. Grab a tanking pet, like a boar, and learn how to grab multiple mobs at once and hold agro.
Nick S Jul 17th 2008 3:29PM
yep, what xtole said. make it a goal to never be killing one mob at a time - when i was questing on my hunter i often grabbed two or 3 mobs, trapped one, kited one, and pet-tanked another.
hunters are much less visceral than warriors - you lose that feeling of hitting an enemy like a heavily-armed linebacker. there is joy to be found in playing a hunter, though, i promise.
krat2 Jul 18th 2008 12:27AM
Nick S nailed it on the head: Visceral. Hunters (and all ranged DPS) lack the visceral appeal of a lot of other classes. My 70s are, in general, all about the visceral fun of it: Enhancement Shaman (Elemental? yawn), Feral Druid (Laserchickens are okay, but ranged? meh.), Prot Pally (killing 15 things at once ROCKS!). Only my Warlock is a pet class, but he's not nearly as much raw fun as the melee toons. Oh, two healers, too... but those are for grouping, not for raw fun.
I tried my hand at Mages... and they bored me to tears. Hunters, also, are generally dull... mine languishes at 60. Still, maybe they would be more fun if I fought as above... trying to always be fighting 3+ baddies. That sounds like it's worth trying.
Still, "in yer face" toons are much more satisfying. That's what your problem is with Hunters, Mr. Rossi.
native Jul 17th 2008 8:08AM
"In the time since I've created this character I leveled my original warrior to 70, created a new draenei warrior and leveled him to 70, and leveled a draenei shaman to 70, plus went back and leveled two horde (warrior and shaman) to 70 and created a BE paladin and got him to 65. "
lol
Smurk Jul 17th 2008 9:06AM
What, don't you think a weekly "MY 70 WARRIORS LET ME SHOW YOU THEM" post is absolutely necessary?
Matthew Rossi Jul 17th 2008 9:07AM
Fret not, Smurk, I'll get one up for you ASAP. At least by tomorrow, I promise.
pudds Jul 17th 2008 9:15AM
Wow, the nerd-rage is overwhelming.
Rossi wasn't bragging about his vast harem of 70 warriors, he was putting in context just how long he's been avoiding playing this character, because playing a hunter just doesn't suit him.
@Rossi...I feel the same way about my warlock. 1-18ish were a breeze, but from that point on, it was a struggle all the way. He's the second or third character created on my account, but I've gotten two characters to 70, one to 52, and two to 40+ since creating him...because playing him was a chore.
Matthew Rossi Jul 17th 2008 9:20AM
Sail:
Does the fact that I have been nominated for the British Society of Fantasy short fiction award this year hurt you any? Quite frankly, I'd laugh if it did.
The explosion of hate over me having a few 70's is kind of astonishing. Where once in this post did I act like it was a tremendous accomplishment or worthy of any specific praise? You're projecting, dude.
Pucelle Jul 17th 2008 9:25AM
@ Saiforune: Go ahead and cry a little harder; it's okay that your rogue keeps getting a warrior's sword up the ass in PvP. Really. I understand there are even support groups for this. They'll even teach you how to stop holding your breath and flailing when mommy and daddy tell you to get out of the basement and get a job that doesn't involve a nice little paper hat. OMGWTFBBQ I WENT THERE.
Or is it that you stuck it in to some nice trailer trash and now you're stuck raising the podlings? Don't worry, the screaming stops eventually. Oh, not for you. Not without a good six-pack to insulate you from the reality that is your life from now on. Go ahead - have two!
See, I can make ad hominem attacks too - mine are even relevant.
Saiforune Jul 17th 2008 9:30AM
It's not Nerd-Rage by any means of the word.
I just feel that it is my duty to express (Freedom of speech baby) that this website is being overwhelmed by douchebaggy posts such as this.
I understand that it may or may not have been his intent to complain that he is avoiding a certain character because he doesn't like the playstyle.
HE SHOULD NOT though have reinforced how he loaths leveling the hunter by a measure of how many level 70s and their classes. That is just pure E-peen stroking which could have been expressed any other form to get his loathing across to the readers.
That was the whole point of my comment.
Ian S. Jul 17th 2008 9:36AM
@ Matthew
If you could learn to read it's an "F" not an "L".
and Congratulations I hope you win you are a good writer and if you could I'd like to read some of your stories. I love fantasy books such as the Taltos series by Steven Brust.
@Purcell
I don't PvP with my rogue and I have nothing against warriors since I play a mage.
Seriously you missed the entire point of my comment.
It's not like I am some paladin trying to cleanse the Blog site, I just feel that since the comment system is here I can express my personal opinion on what i see as straying from what actually is the intent of this site. I MAY be wrong and this is just a gathering site for "UBER 1337" People.
If so I'll stop visting this site.
Matthew Rossi Jul 17th 2008 9:36AM
Sorry, Saif, but like I said, I think you're projecting.
Lots of people have more 70's than me. With a year of time, playing a couple of hours a night, it doesn't take long at all to level a toon to 70. And saying I have a lot of warriors is just a fact, it's what I play. You're acting like I said "You suck because you don't have a lot of 70's and I do" which isn't the case at all. If you got that out of what I wrote, I suggest you seek medical help, because not a single word like that appears in the post.
Show me one time I bragged about it. You can't, because I didn't. I didn't brag about my gear, talk about how awesome I am because I killed X boss, or anything. And frankly, in a Breakfast Topic post, we're expected to talk about our personal experience in the game. So far, I haven't heard about your characters in your responses, just about what a jerk I am for talking about mine.
If you don't want to hear about World of Warcraft or our experiences in play, why are you reading? What exactly could I have said that wouldn't have irritated you? Nothing. You'd determined to hate on me the second you started commenting. You're free to do that, of course, and others are free to hate on you back, and I'm free to tell you I have no idea what you're going on about.
Snarl Jul 17th 2008 9:41AM
Some people are being a little harsh. At least Mr. Rossi managed to tuck an afterthought discussion point at the end of his "I can't play a hunter" post. Frankly, it's not like he's posting crossword puzzles or the like.
Saiforune Jul 17th 2008 9:43AM
@ Matthew
When i first stumbled on this website it always and stil does have everythign interesting news related to WoW.
That is why I come to this website and when there is an About the bloggers post i'll read it because i enjoy getting a more personal experience with my information. I think I did over do it in that first comment and for the most part I relatively apoligize, but on for the fact that yes it is in FACT a Breakfast topic, which I failed to see.
But when you measure your time avoiding a class in how many seventies you have since you created, that to me is e-peen stroking, because it tells the reader that you have alot of EXTRA time on your hands and you know how things work and yeah you did it so that makes you "cool". Please all I ask from you is to not measure time in 70s.
You could have said that since you started it has taken X months - X year(s) since creating the toon to get him to where he is. People know how long a month is and some go by faster than other's but it is a universal measurement of time, not how many 70s you have made.
Zumwalah Jul 17th 2008 9:45AM
i rather enjoy the amount fo centent provided my wow insider. seems to me they cover all bases and have atricles that will apeal to every type of wow player. they are constantly posting new a fresh materiel, every single day, and in a very timely manner. they talk about up coming stuff, opinions, intervies gamers. not everyone will particurlarly like everything they write becuase they are doing thier best to appeal to a wide range of people all with very different points of view, so seriously STFU that you dont like what he writes.. i dont remember being Tied up and forced to read any of this, were you? cause if not you read this unde your own power, and could close the browser at any point if you didnt like what you were reading.
as for your personal attacks again Mr. Rossi, WTF man? hes here doing work for our community every day, figuring out new content, and Stimulating content.
its people like you that make some aspects of wow, and the related Community unbearable at points. So please Kindly fuck off, your opinions are un wanted.
also seeing as your such an expert on blogging and your blogs must be immensly better, more original, and with alot less "epeen Stroking" id love a link to your better blog please.
pudds Jul 17th 2008 9:48AM
Why not? The time it takes to level to 70 is a well known variable. The fact that he's leveled multiple characters (warrior or otherwise) to 70 in the time his Hunter has been on the shelf is a reasonable indicator of just how little he enjoys playing it.
IMO, you're seeing douchebaggery where none exists.
Saiforune Jul 17th 2008 9:54AM
@ Zumwalah
If you could read you would see that I first off realized my relative mistake on the blog type and second I doubt that I ever ONCE mentioned that I run a Blog site.
I can compare this site to many others like Got frag or MMo-Champion and World of Raids which will give me sometimes more and faster info than WoWinsider.
I come to WoWinsider.com because of the more person aspect of the community and the posts.
I comment when I felt that a post had some un-need content that was basicly filler to the rest of the post to get some point across.
If you can't understand that Negative Feedback such as what I do actually can helpt he site better itself for another percentage of the readers.'
This site is AMAZING and I really love it. I check it probably 20-50 times a day because of the new stories constantly being updated.
I just don't want this site to turn into a piece of trash and I feel that it is my responsibility and a LONG TIME reader to add some feedback positive or negative. Sometimes I go about it unrationally, but hey I'm human.