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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsDisengage and trap changes coming to Wrath Beta
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Aug 15th 2008 at 8:00PM
With all the Hunter changes we've been promised in relation to PvP, one that has recently been announced may be the biggest yet. Disengage will be getting a new trick.
In a future Beta build, Disengage will cause the Hunter to jump back from their target 10-15 yards. As a result of this buff, however, the cooldown will be extended to 30 seconds.
This really is the change Hunters need, more that the recent Aspect of the Beast and Mongoose Bite changes by far. What we really needed is a way to get back to range, and between this and Master's Call, we should now have a relatively dependable non-talented way of doing just that. 10-15 yards may seem a bit low, but it should be more than enough to get off a quick concussive shot, set a trap, or use a talented crowd control ability such as Intimidation, which will become instant cast rather than on next attack.
Another set of baseline ability changes has to do with traps, and should be very helpful in both PvE and PvP. Freezing Trap will no longer break on any damage, but will instead break on a set amount of damage -- meaning a stray cleave or a miscast DoT won't completely ruin you. With this new functionality, Bear Trap will be removed and replaced at level 80 with Camouflage, which is returning after being discarded. Since setting a trap won't break Camouflage, it will become incredibly useful for setting PvP ambushes as well.
There's plenty of other exciting changes on the way for Hunters, including a talent tree revamp that's currently up on Blizzard's official Beta site. Look for analysis of that in the coming days on WoW Insider. It's looking more and more like Wrath's going to be a great time to be a Hunter, and we're looking forward to seeing how the class plays with all their new toys at level 80, in both PvP and PvE.
Filed under: Hunter, Analysis / Opinion, News items, PvP, Expansions, Talents, Wrath of the Lich King, Battlegrounds, Arena
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 4)
stevens.ce Aug 15th 2008 9:57PM
I wonder if it will stack somehow with Night Elf Shadowmeld - will Camouflage have the same quality/duration for dwarves and NEs? Maybe it's been said somewhere, but I've missed it...
Talauris Aug 17th 2008 2:26PM
Well, I assume that Night elves could still use shadowmeld, due to it not causing damage. I mean, if that is how camouflage works. But, I doubt they would even it out seeing as that is a Night Elf racial, and would not exactly be fair.
J. A. S. Aug 15th 2008 9:05PM
Oh man I can not wait to hear the huntard QQ when they find out this spell has the same pathing as Blink.
"Disengage broken I lept in place."
Kyle Aug 15th 2008 9:11PM
Oh, nice. Disengage always seemed lacking, allowing hunters to jump back would be great. But I gotta echo BitterCupOJoe about jumping off a cliff, heh.
Camouflage is back, eh? And interesting news about traps, too.
Kyle Aug 15th 2008 9:11PM
Oh, nice. Disengage always seemed lacking, allowing hunters to jump back would be great. But I gotta echo BitterCupOJoe about jumping off a cliff, heh.
Camouflage is back, eh? And interesting news about traps, too.
Phoulmouth Aug 15th 2008 9:39PM
Wow, like its not easy enough for hunters to get away from people already, so lets give them an instant attack that lets them jump 10-15 yards away? Is this some kind of horrible joke? MM hunters are going to absolutely rape EVERYTHING in PvP now its rediculous.
Camouflage? And they can set a trap without breaking it? Wow..... At least no one will be complaining about rogues anymore.
They need to add a first tier talent into every hunter tree increase hunter damage by 1000% and just call it good. At least that way hunters cant "try" to tell anyone that playing a hunter takes skill.
There is a reason why hunters are known as huntards throughout the game and blizzard just reinforced it.
Heilig Aug 15th 2008 9:56PM
"Wow, like its not easy enough for hunters to get away from people already"
Are you retarded? What exactly is your plan to get away from Rogues/Warriors/Frost mages?
Phoulmouth Aug 16th 2008 2:54AM
Freeze trap
Improved wing clip
Scatter shot
Bestial wrath + Frost trap
4 ways of getting away from people aren't enough for you retards? Its bad enough the cut your dead zone in half! Now your gonna QQ about other classes being able to touch you once in a while? Give me a freaking break.'
Its bad enough when a BM hunter looks at my elemental shammy (~430 resilience with 12.5k hp) and kills him before I can even manage to get off a single spell. But now you can instantly escape from melee classes so you can do the same to them. Like I said, blizzard should just up hunter damage so they can one shot every other class in the game and just get it over with.
Falcio Aug 16th 2008 3:59AM
There's also a reason why we get these distance-enhancing abilities.
For the love of God, man, our main skills are at a distance. We're literal cripples up close compared to the other classes. All we got is a more powerful strike and an extra attack when we dodge, so anyone that has gone up against a meleeing Hunter and LOST just doesn't deserve to play the game until they learn their class.
It's not just our advantage to be at a distance...it's our saving grace. Our range is our sword and our shield. In melee, we're essentially swinging around a plastic stat axe while our kitty scratches the plated Warrior, hoping to break its skin sometime soon. Even Mages and Warlocks have more powerful attacks than us up close.
If Blizzard didn't give us a way to at least get the distance, then every single class would destroy us without a second thought. Is that even fair?
Instead of complaining about how very "easy" it'll be for Hunters to get away, why don't you figure out how to improve your own ability and KEEP us from getting away, hmm? I don't see us getting very far away from Rogues once they get the upper hand, and again, once you get us in melee range and have us stuck there, we're screwed. And just because we have all these extra range-gaining abilities doesn't mean they'll all be useful in the end. Even the best Hunter can die, I hope you realize, and there's a good reason why even the best Arena teams are without a Hunter. Take out the range and we're /dead/, pure and simple.
This is why we have the utility moves to get us out of range: Because we THRIVE on it.
And please stop saying playing a Hunter doesn't take skill just because we kicked your butt once or twice in a random AV. Skills of a Hunter in a BG can be questionable, but complaining about it just makes you look like a QQing whiner. No offense to you.
Phoulmouth Aug 16th 2008 8:45AM
Oh no I am totallying QQing. Hunters get buffed buffed buffed and then buffed again. Camo and this jump away BS is totally un-needed. And I am sorry if I offended you but no, hunters = no skill as it is and its only gonna be worse once WotLK comes out.
Marc Aug 16th 2008 9:38AM
You talk as if hunters lead PvP charts. Read: http://www.realmhistory.net/arena-statistics/class-breakdown.html
Falcio Aug 16th 2008 10:14AM
Surprisingly enough, the buffs that we HAVE been getting have been needed tremendously.
We have no idea what Camo will do in the end. We don't know if we'll be able to move while hidden, we don't know if we can actually do anything while hidden, and we definitely won't be able to do what a Rogue does while hidden. Quite simply, it's useless to complain about a talent we have no idea how it'll work. It could be completely useless in Arena. [BGs, maybe...]
And the jump. Like I said, the skill before it was more or less a dumb spell for a Hunter to have in the first place. A revamp is good.
I'm just trying to make sure you remember that Hunters without range = easy pickings. Almost every other class has some utility for both Ranged and Melee range, but Hunters do not. We only have abilities that help us gain range. You could say enough is enough, but again, we have absolutely no viability if we're up close.
Why should Arena be impossible for us when everyone and their grandma knows to attack a Hunter up close? All I'm saying is, there can be a time where enough is enough, but now is not that time. Hunters NEED a bit more PVP utility. And no matter how many Huntards do it stupidly in BGs, there will be Hunters trying to do it right.
Phoulmouth Aug 16th 2008 12:45PM
MS effect on aimed shot was needed? Purge effect on arcane shot was needed? I am sorry but "NO".
As far as arena goes hunters have no problem getting away from my rogue even with crippling poison and shadow step. Its called bestial wrath and frost trap. Or scatter shot then freeze trap. Let alone you have this retarded pet ripping into you the entire time your trying to keep up. I can't count the number of times i have popped CoS just to get scatter shotted or to realize that it doesnt effect frost traps snare in the least.
Camo is going to be a more powerful version of shadowmeld from all accounts. As if all hunters need the ability to be stealthed (even standing still) to get the drop on everything else in the BGs. One of the FEW useful PvP racial abilities alliance has is the NE ability to shadowmeld. Now all hunters in the game are going to be able to do it but better. Not needed.
Oh explosive shot on top of all that. Seed of corruption is OP enough so lets give hunters an even better version of it.
Screw it, I am gonna jump on the bandwagon and finish leveling my hunter. Just like every other player in the game is going to.
Kassius Aug 16th 2008 5:59PM
Seriously guys, DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS
lol L2internet
machieldejager Aug 15th 2008 9:45PM
Well, if they give "the class that needs to be at range" more ways to get at range, I suppose we will see a lot of new moves for "the class that needs to be in melee" to get people actually in melee.
This looks like a great change for hunters. I bet retribution paladins will get an extra dps upgrade, to make up for the lack of moves to get in melee.
"Heck, I have no answer to auto-run"
Hokuto Aug 15th 2008 10:16PM
Like Chains of Ice, Hamstring, a rogue's poison, Deadly Throw, Judgement of Justice or something like that?
Makes sense.
Heilig Aug 15th 2008 11:54PM
While i agree with you in principle, I can't as a paladin let this stand.
Judgement of Justice is NOT an answer to being kited by hunters. It only keeps them from using cheetah, which they're not doing anyway. Paladins need a REAL snare before they're no longer infinitely kitable. Repentance and hammer are nice, if only they weren't laughably resistable. But until we have a way to slow movement BELOW 100% and not just keep it from going above 100%, we are kites.
Colin Aug 15th 2008 9:52PM
Is it just me here, or is the Survival tree looking really damn good these days? Lock and Load is a sick talent, especially when if we end up getting Camouflage in the release, and Hunting Party is looking like the best of the Hunter group buffs right now. Readiness was always good, and Explosive Shot could end up being the most practical of the 61-point talents. (though Exotic pets are really cool, and I'm sure there'll be a bunch of good ones to train)
drunkencheese Aug 16th 2008 2:48PM
Yes it is, and thank god, its getting better at pvp, however it still hasnt got nearly as much dps as BM, you need the heigh end teir armour at the moment to get them about the same. Its still good but for raids im still going to have to respec to get the most damage.
stevens.ce Aug 15th 2008 9:55PM
I care about these other changes, but I think the most important to me is that little fact about freezing traps - I know I suck playing my hunter, but it's pretty easy for the stray aoe effect from a druid tank or a dot to slip in there and ruin a perfectly good trap pull. I'm very happy that with no additional skill I will look better playing my class :-)