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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast 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 7 of 7)
Ormus Jul 17th 2008 2:18PM
"Not to jump in on all the trash talking, but this article did have a tinges of:
-Pet classes are easy.
-Easy is bad.
-Hard is good.
-Look at the hard classes I play."
I read this and the first thought was "wow, talk about projecting".
I have the same trouble with playing a hunter. It just seems boring. Absolutely nothing to do with the pet. I have a lock and I loved playing him. As for the "look at the hard classes I play" I read it as "look at how I can do the same thing over and over and not get bored, but this new class bores me." I could roll several locks and still not be as bored as playing a hunter makes me feel.
Of course, then I got to "I live in a city where people are very opinionated, but VERY passive-aggressive about it" and laughed out loud (in my mind). You actually believe that entire cities are opinionated and passive-aggressive? You seriously do not see that perhaps your world view affects your perceptions. /shakes head in dismay.
Anyway, I can't level a rogue past 20. I try. I just can't do it. I have a 70 feral druid. Very similar, but for whatever reason, FAR more interesting. I have never been able to level a mage past level 2. That's right, I level once and I am bored. My priest is level 64. I have a series of locks are various levels to play with friends and their alts. I have an up and coming warrior at level 66, and a shaman at level 70. Can't get a paladin past the mid-20's. I have a bunch more shamans and warriors at various levels.
It's not "oh it's a pet class". It's not "oh, you just like melee". It is not "maybe playing a ranged caster is more for you". Something about rogues, hunters, and paladins leaves me unfulfilled. I know I see my friends who love their hunters, I think I would enjoy one too, but in practice, I would rather level another of any of the classes I already have at 70. Maybe that is why the game has more than one melee class, more than one caster class, and more than one pet class.
Ircasha Jul 17th 2008 2:54PM
My first toon was a warlock. Since then I've leveled a warrior, shaman, hunter, pally, and a priest to 70, plus a rogue and mage to 65. I'm working on a druid at present (I couldn't force myself to play a cow and had to have my wife convince me to play alliance to pick up the druid). I have a goal of having every class to 70 before Wrath comes out.
Of all those toons, the hunter was probably the easiest and fastest to level. It's a matter of dealing with multiple mobs at once and reducing your downtime to as little as possible. I actually enjoy playing the hunter quite a bit. He's a ton of fun in the BGs and it's interesting to see what group quests you can complete solo. Except for elites, you really don't need to know how to jump shoot to be successful. The basics are pet aggro management, traps, and knowing how to kite.
If you like to get up close and personal, then you need to stick with another class. Melee combat means downtime for a hunter, which dramatically slows your leveling pace.
darian Jul 17th 2008 3:04PM
Jack of All Trades here.
Effortlessly moving from class to class takes effort. That is to say, there's no magic button I or anyone else like me pressed that made us able to jump between differently class/specs without headache or issue.
First, you need experience. You need to struggle and level up classes with idiosyncrasies and dynamics you aren't used to, and play to them rather than against them. This is the most basic and fundamental step because it teaches you more about the game than anything else ever will. Push yourself on this and you'll gain key insights into the fundamental principles that govern all classes and specs. Without understanding those you have no common language between your characters. You need a solid base that can be stood upon no matter what character you're playing, otherwise smooth transitions are impossible.
Second, you need a fundamental methodology for how you manage your UI. This is absolutely crucial. It's hard enough remembering where you put (Insert Rarely Used Ability Here) on your main. Imagine trying to do that across multiple toons. You start forgetting where your most basic spells and skills are. However, if you have a memorable principle by which you organize your action bars and addons, it's as simple as remembering that and working from there.
Third, once you have your basics and your UI you need to really key in to the fundamental design of your class. There's a little bit of this in the first step, but this is really where you go crazy. Challenge yourself to do things that are hard, like kiting an elite mob into town. Pull more mobs than you can handle, and handle them. Tank something you know you can't tank. If you just grind/easy your way to 70, you won't have any of the "basic" skills people expect from your class.
I accomplished the first two steps by spending my first year and a half of play leveling characters to 20-40ish then dumping them for new characters. That's not exactly a timely solution for someone having problems now.
The bottom line is, I can effortlessly switch classes now because of all the effort I gave back then. You're not going to be able to just flip a switch and play a Hunter, you're going to have to work at it. However, if you do it right it'll be that much easier to learn to play your Warlock, or your Mage, or your Death Knight, or your Candymancer.
Solex Jul 17th 2008 10:14PM
That has absolutely nothing to do with anything it's more like e peen stroking over thinly veiled advice. It has nothing to do with any of that crap, simply put some people just don't like playing certain classes. If you're a lock maybe jumping to a feral druid isn't your thing, maybe you're a mage and you just don't like the mechanics, fine. But for you to flaunt that you're some amazing player just cuz you have a bunch of 70's is stupid and arrogant.
darian Jul 18th 2008 2:16AM
"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?"
I was answering this specific set of questions. I'm not sure how noting my awesome ability to burn out halfway to 70 constitutes epeen waving.
UberNoober Jul 17th 2008 3:07PM
Firstly, Sail:
"God go outside and get a hobby, or a girlfriend.."
Take your own advice my friend. Do you really have nothing better to do than downright insult people who take the time to write in this blog for our enjoyment?
"Matthew you've just become the second canidate for the WoWinsider Douchebag award for 2008"
"we need less people like you in the world"
This is not nerd rage? Well WTF is then? It isn't these bloggers that make the internet suck. IT IS PEOPLE LIKE YOU SIR! Seriously, you went off your nut and had a complete go, when nothing was done to you. If you don't like reading this sort of thing in these blogs, simple solution. Don't read them.
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Now that is out of the way, in response to the actual post, I would suggest just not logging on the character at all. If it is really that painful for you to level then the class obviously isn't for you and you won't be enjoying yourself banging your head up against the wall.
As for myself, three classes that I have never been able to get past the teens are the shaman, warlock, and priest. Specificly memories of trying to level a shaman come to mind where I have just been dying over and over again. Meh, I'll go back to my hunter and enjoy playing that instead :)
wowinsider Jul 17th 2008 4:37PM
Here's a tip: don't be a melee huntard.
You've never leveled a ranged as far as I can tell. All your shamans were enhancement and warriors, well, they're warriors.
For the record, I still think it's braindead that you've leveled so many of the same classes. As much as I love hunters and as easy as they are to level (soloing group quests anyone?), I can't imagine leveling another unless it's to be a farmbot so I can drop the gathering professions on my mains.
Hurode Jul 17th 2008 4:40PM
When I lost my EU account, I ordered the game and a 60-day game card from Newegg so I could have the US version. I had a friend invite me to a trial account in the mean time, and on it I created a human warlock that I eventually got to 25 (after I activated the full game) and realized I was bored to tears with that character. I wanted a Draenei Priest to begin with, but I couldn't with the trial account. I figured the warlock would be a fun alt if nothing else, but I wound up deleting her. Maybe because I never bothered to do the succubus quest, I don't know. But that was the first warlock out of about a dozen I made that even got talent points, I just can't get into the class. Maybe it's because I don't like playing the bad guy, but with that logic I'm not sure why I want to eventually make a Death Knight.
I've had similar issues trying to play Warriors, Druids, and Shamans. I'm working on a Warrior and a Shaman with a friend, and I keep telling myself the class will "click" with me once I hit a certain landmark, probably Windfury with my shaman and god knows what with the warrior. It probably doesn't help that I'm leveling them as Prot and Resto respectively, but oh well. If I could get my Priest up to 62 without ever putting a point in shadow (she's still at 62, by the way. I don't plan on -ever- putting a point in shadow, 23/x/0 the entire way), I can handle this.
cynmoon Jul 17th 2008 4:47PM
I have a problem playing anything BUT pet classes. For example: you're looking for a named target. /tar name. It's in the area, but where the hell is it? Alone, you just have to search. With a pet? /petattack. Done.
Also I hate getting hit. My main is a warlock, and considering about 98% of the time leveling I was solo, I loved my felguard tank. Good dps, and almost always held aggro.
I've tried every class at this point. As far as ease of leveling I've found it goes Warlocks>Hunters>Shaman. Everything else I've found almost unlevelable due to the fact that I hate getting hit. Once my health starts going down, it's almost like I panic. I thought I might do okay with mages, but low level mages suck. They're like warlocks without pets or dots. :-/ not my idea of fun.
STereo Jul 17th 2008 4:57PM
I think once you've leveled to 60, any class is easy to level . In
my opinion, locks and shadow priests are the 2 easiest classes to
level. Hunters are easy too and rogues are annoying till you get
some speed buffs. Shamans are a pain till you get ghost wolf.
tehvoid Jul 17th 2008 5:02PM
i can't play my warrior or paladin more than 1h straight, and have some difficulties leveling my druid and shaman. I have leveled 5 70 toons in that order : rogue, hunter, warlock, priest, mage, with the mage stuck at 63 for months. I should have problem with non pure dps and cc-less classes ;p (except for the priest, healing is surprisingly fun when you're bored with dps)
c.alleyne Jul 17th 2008 5:06PM
# 26 utterly dominated this thread. Sums up exactly what was trying to be said by Rossi. How it could have been seen as something different is difficult for me to comprehend. Saif, please stop defending your ridiculouly weak argument.
Kevin Jul 17th 2008 11:20PM
I have 5 70s(2 hunters, 2 wars, and 1 shaman) I ve tried leveling a paladin but for some reason its totally unbearable to be honest i find more amusement in making a twink than actually forcing myself to sit there and try to level a paladin. Granted the blessings are awesome and all i just cant seem to find my groove when it comes to leveling a class that bothers me so much in end game pvp while on my hunter or another 70.
Taytayflan Jul 17th 2008 6:22PM
I just can't start a priest. I've played all the other classes up past 20, the only one I aborted was my hunter because there didn't seem to be much variety when you keep hearing either bang-bang or swoosh-swoosh, but every attempt at a priest (6 tries now) has never made it to 20. I've tried with different races, UD, BE, 2 Trolls, Human, and a NE. I just can't seem to kill stuff with it.
jbodar Jul 18th 2008 6:39PM
I started an undead priest as sort of a goof, and breezed through level 30 before I knew what was going on. He's stalled at 45 ATM though. Too many alts not enough time...
anonymoose Jul 17th 2008 7:52PM
Matthew, after the shaman post you put up (which I still believe needs reworking and focus) I decided I had to come view this post since it was critically referenced in the comments on the other article.
I actually liked this article and found it to be more focused, although I think I wanted a tad more intro. My favorite line in the whole piece "I don't know, but I find leveling the hunter to be just slightly less painful than eating a broken beer bottle burrito." Excuisite imagery!
I too can relate--I've got I rolled over 2 years ago and at various turns she has been stalled--currently she's in the 50s. I feel your pain, I find it confusing to be focusing on dps when I typically play healing classes, and the whole trapping and not breaking my own CCed mobs (or anyone elses) is far more difficult than I care to admit. Quite honestly, I try to play solo so I don't embarrass myself.
The changes to mp5s regen based upon spirit had a really bizarre effect on hunters, so I'm very grateful I got into the 50s before this went into place because that could possibly be part of what is affecting your experience too. I remember 20-30 on the hunter as a time when I didn't really want to play the class, but it has gotten much better. If I can ever get to 70 she will be an amazing farmer.
As for other classes--yeah I've had great difficulty leveling anything that can't heal. Warlock and hunter have been somewhat tolerable, warrior and rogue make me want to cry. I've tried leveling a paladin and it's just an ugly experience. Everyone tells me it gets better in the 50s but I don't see a hint of that now in the 30s--where with the hunter I could at least see it was improving.
Good luck, and I share your pain as an altoholic.
songur Jul 18th 2008 1:32AM
I realise it's a bit moot to post now to this thread that seems to have exploded by now.
However, I actually agree with Matt Rossi's original sentiment: Hunter is the only class I never felt a temptation to play. Similar with the warlock. For both, I've been a bit tempted by their dps / strength. But the thought of not beating/hitting the monster up front my self - in fact leaving all the fun to the pet - turns me off :-(.
And to keep in style: Yes, I also have a number of 70's. And more on the way. And when I reach 70 with one, I pick a new class to level to 70. And when doing that choice, hunter + warlock are still at the bottom of my list. So there :-).
equiraptor Jul 18th 2008 9:11AM
Matthew, I don't know if you're still reading the comments or not. I can't be bothered to sort through the ranting to see what's been said and what hasn't, so I may be repeating something. But, just in case...
If you would like to learn to play your hunter "properly," may I make a suggestion? Level a mage. Not necessarily all the way to max level, but for a while. Learn to kite on the mages. Then, come back to the hunter and identify the skills that could help you kite and, while you're at it, grab zhuntermod (or something similar) so you can track when your autoshots will go off.
I say this as someone who's first 60 (before TBC) was a hunter, who's second 70 was a hunter, who has more hunters at various levels than she wants to think about, but who didn't learn to kite on her hunter until she played a mage. It didn't really "click" for me until I was such a squishy class that really needed to kite. Suddenly, I understood the importance, and I found myself kiting on my hunter without really realizing I was doing it. "Crap, it's close, where's wing clip?" Now, with ZHunterMod allowing me to pause my strafe just in time for an autoshot to fire, I don't need to bother with jumpshots to kite mobs effectively.
At this point, I have at least one level 50 of each class. My "strongest" classes are the hunter, druid, and warlock. My "weakest" are rogues and warriors. I am adjusting my talents and gear to my playstyle, and my playstyle to my talents and gear, on those two classes, and they are becoming less of a chore for me. Still, the lack of heals on either bothers me.
Descentia Jul 18th 2008 7:34PM
I know there's been a ton of answers, and many might have already said something to this extent, but here's mine: For over two years I played just one single character: a resto druid. I loved it! It is my forté. My niche. I could never get myself to waste time on another character...there was just too much to do on my night elf.
But I felt like I was missing out on so much of the game, so I forced myself to venture out and am quickly becoming an official altaholic, with three level 70s now, and a forth character in Outlands. Switching classes has never been an issue for me.
What I do struggle with: rolling a Horde character. I cannot, for the absolute life of me, enjoy rolling a Horde character. I try so very hard. I have to struggle to get them to level 20. I try to blame it on things: their leveling areas are more boring, I can't support them financially like I can Alliance alts, their character models are uglier (I love my BE mage, btw...just can't get into that one either :(
What's wrong with me? I have no clue. =( Other than there are probably a ton of little tiny factors that go into each and every time I log in, I lean toward my Alliance server rather than my Horde server. I hear ya, Matt. I feel your pain. :D
desiree fawn Aug 9th 2008 1:53PM
My main is my 70 hunter and I feel your pain when it comes to leveling. The last few levels didn't seem so bad though.