Hunter pet aggro may be fixed in Wrath
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Jul 24th 2008 at 11:00AM
The story of Hunter pets and aggro in Burning Crusade, especially since patch 2.4.2 or so, has been a very stormy one. Even deep Beastmastery Hunters have had to learn to kite, as pet aggro grows worse and worse. Growl in 2.4.2 was supposed to scale, but almost every Hunter that tested it said it didn't, despite Hortus' insistence that it did.
Luckily, it looks like there may finally be some real relief coming in Wrath of the Lich King.
According to Ghostcrawler, they now realize that it's very easy for BC-era Hunters to pull aggro off their pets, and it's something that will be fixed in Wrath. Although they haven't done a full pass on threat generation yet, they want to make sure that a pet will be able to hold aggro against a Hunter in solo play. Even more so, a tanking pet should ideally be able to effectively offtank a 5-man instance and even main tank in some group circumstances, such as 5-man quests.
A preliminary look at both the Beastmastery tree and the Hunter pet Tenacity tree would certainly seem to bear this out. Beastmastery gets a Longevity talent which looks like it should reduce the cooldown of Growl. If it then stacks with Improved Growl in the Tenacity tree, that should make it a lot easier for tank pets to keep aggro, especially if you add the Taunt talent on top of that.
After a long Burning Crusade spent learning to kite, I know this news make me look forward to Wrath of the Lich King more than ever. It should provide Hunters both with an extra hook to grab 5-man groups, and make Beastmastery Hunters feel like effective soloers once again.
Filed under: Hunter, Analysis / Opinion, News items, Instances, Expansions, Leveling, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Kolo Jul 24th 2008 11:05AM
Fix Vanish bug, k thunkz
dpoyesac Jul 24th 2008 11:11AM
Pets don't vanish, silly! So what're you talking about?
Arturis Jul 24th 2008 12:34PM
They should add a tamable "Blink Beetle" that uses the warpstalker pet mechanics. Then Kolo's Vanish Bug comment would retroactively be on topic. ^_^
dpoyesac Jul 24th 2008 11:10AM
The day I can use Furtle the Turtle to tank is the day I give up my warrior and go back to my original Hunter main.
Sounds like that day may be coming closer. Exciting times are ahead!
Offhand Jul 24th 2008 11:12AM
Yeah, I'm going to agree that this premise is very silly. Hunters with soloing problems? Do tell.
Lets up pally soloability or fix rogues vanish. Much better uses of time imo.
Eternalpayn Jul 24th 2008 11:17AM
pally soloability? Have you realized that a pally is one of the few classes who can solo some pre-BC endgame raids?
Falcio Jul 24th 2008 11:23AM
Fix what you can, one class at a time.
Pets have had problems with growl in TBC, and the problems grew worse with each patch. This is a fact. It's good that they're fixing this in Wrath.
If they know about the Vanish bug, they'll work on it.
Doffencrag Jul 24th 2008 11:21AM
Up next: hunter mana! :)
Mel Jul 24th 2008 12:40PM
oh, god, yes please! *flails*
j.s.taylor Jul 24th 2008 11:23AM
I am upset that the tenacity tree for my boar means my boar will no longer have Charge, since charge is now in the Ferocity tree.
Free_Hunter_Bow_Jobs Jul 24th 2008 11:26AM
OMGZ NOE WAIZ we getz da aggroz. I want my pet to be able to aoe tank, have a million HP, conjure mana biscuits, and do my Daily quests for me. Until then I am not satisfied.
gareth Jul 25th 2008 3:57AM
Got to wonder here too, I've seen a hunter pet go in AV and tank a boss, and hunters are already one of the easiest classes to solo already.
I guess people just want it even easier :P
I have a warlock as an alt, even with the improved voidwalker it never holds aggro for more than a brief time, its never been a problem since I can deathcoil, fear, CoEx the mob. Hunters have even more options + a real cheap aggro dump.
Naix Jul 24th 2008 11:27AM
QQ some more hunters. Welcome to the nerf/fix bat of Blizzard. We have been here for a long time and it's a long road out.
Rogues
onyx.ceilican Jul 24th 2008 11:35AM
Yah... says the Rogue...
So sorry your 99% cheat death got nerfed... boo hoo... what will you ever do?
*GASP* I know, cloak of skill and run away next time Blizz looks over your class for a "nerf" it's all you scumbag rogues do anyway.
Naix Jul 24th 2008 11:57AM
Casting self snare and running away is all we have left! Yeah I can go invisible and hide. What an awesome skill!
Throck Jul 24th 2008 12:37PM
...must...be jerk...to self...*internal struggle*...
--player of a hunter and a rogue
On topic: I'm with Charcuterie on this. Plus, what's wrong with a little kiting? Legs get tired?
onyx.ceilican Jul 24th 2008 11:27AM
Then maybe they can use this to make the Voidwalker more than a punchline to the joke "...and then the warlock pulled aggro 2 seconds later..."
Babe Jul 24th 2008 11:32AM
Will the wrath of the lich king fix the awkward animation of lay a trap while on the move?
Seriously... my eyes bleed...
Nick S Jul 24th 2008 5:18PM
what, the power-knee-slide bothers you? it's not a bug, our hunters are just very slippery.
Charcuterie Jul 24th 2008 11:33AM
Don't hunters have something on a 30 second cooldown that wipes aggro for them?
I play a hunter, too. I've learned that part of being a hunter is recognizing that it's okay to stop shooting for 5 or 6 seconds to let your pet attack the mob alone. The pet isn't in danger of dying if you stop DPS for a bit, trust me.