How do YOU guys solo with your BM hunter?Follow

I just recently made a Hunter and decided to go BM. Needless to say - and despite the hunter-hate I hear occasionally - I just love playing my hunter.

I'm lvl 62 I'n Hellfire Peninsula atm, and I've mostly been soloing until now, doing a bit of instances and a bit of BGs. Everything went smooth until recently, where playing my class most effeciently has become quite a hassle.

Let me explain futher;

Normal mob-rotation so far has been like this:

1) target mob
2) send in pet (boar ftw!) with thumb-mousebutton (love that setup)
3) open with serpent sting ("3" button)
4) autoshot until mob is dead throwing in an arcane ("4" button) when I felt like adding damage.
5) target new mob and repeat 1.

If I got too much hate, I would concuss the mob ("2" button) and hit Intimidation ("R" button) to let my pet get aggro back.

That would be my normal rotation. So my pattern simplified:

"Serpentsting -> Autoshot/Arcane shot -> dead"

Things have gotten a bit more complicated as of the last few levels. I have finished my BM tree, and started building the MM tree and got 5/5 LS, 5/5 efficiency, 1 point in GFtT and 1 point Aimed shot.

Now I got Serpent Sting, Arcane shot, Aimed Shot, Multishot and Steady Shot to choose from, and I have a hard time setting up a new smooth pattern that was as smooth and mana efficient as the old one.

Steady Shot is too nice to be overlooked as it takes only 99 mana pr shot out of my 3000 total. So I considered making my new pattern like this:

"Serpent sting -> Steady/Auto/Steady/Auto/Steady/... -> dead"

Would definately do a lot more damage than my old pattern, but also drain a bit more mana, which would result in more downtime.

So my question is:

How does your pattern look as a BM hunter +62?
Is Aimed shot even worth the point? When do I use it?
Has Arcane shot become redundant after getting Steady?

Input is welcome, and I hope you take my post lightly if I broke any rules (written or unwritten) since I'm new here. I know a thing a two about forum culture, so excuse me if I stepped wrongly.

Regards

-Marc

Very good post btw, you almost answered your own question.

Once you get Aspect of the Viper steady shot doesn't seem so bad. The rotation you said: is essentially what every hunter uses to maximize damage. Leave out the serpent sting and you're set.

Opening shot selection varies among hunters. With a boar and strong initial aggro, you can use aimed shot if you prefer. If you're in a hurry and don't want to stop to drink, a steady shot opening to coincide with your boar's stun also works well.

1. Target mob
2. Send pet in
3. Shoot twice
4. Look for herbs or skin the previous mob
5. Repeat process.

What points are you putting into Natural Armor or Greater Stamina? Boars receive larger benefits from those. I really don't remember how much armour my pet had at 62 to know if that seems "right" or not.

I'm not sure my w'serpent can really solo much either.

For rotation, I generally send in my pet on something. I start autoshooting, but I probably don't start to throw in steady shot until after a few autoshots, so my pet can build a bit more aggro.

If I feel like adding something extra, I'll either start my pet with Intimidate on, or use Bestial Wrath. I try to kill the target and put my pet on something else before all of Bestial Wrath wears off.


P.S. I only find Aimed Shot useful when using misdirection (level 70 talent). I think it's of questionable usefulness. However, I do want at least 12 points in Marksmanship for Go For The Throat and Improved Hunter's Mark...

Edited, May 1st 2007 2:22pm by seroster

Well, that's perfectly reasonable. I didn't think there was anything wrong with your pet health... so it must be that armour ramped up a lot from 60-70 and you should see that too. (Like, I would expect a boar to have ~12k armour at 70.)

I decided that I wanted Hawkeye, then I didn't want just two points in Mortal Shots, so I only went 13 into Marksmanship. But, I think going to full 20 in Marks is perfectly fine too.

How do I solo?

Select target.
Set Freeze Trap at my feet (in case of adds).
Tell pet to attack.
Activate Bestial Wrath
Activate Devilsaur Tooth
Fire Scorpid Sting (if melee target).
Fire Arcane Shot.
Autoshots and Arcane Shots mostly, with Multi-shots weaved in during some fights for extra damage. 30 seconds after I activate the Tooth, my Arcane Shot triggers my other trinket for +AP boost. (Steady Shot is reserved for instances, mostly)
Intimidate if they try to run toward or away from me, followed by Concussive.
Mend Pet when necessary.
In rare case that pet dies, Revive Pet immediately, FD, Frost Trap, run to range.

Pet has Dash, Claw, and Growl all on auto-cast. Max Natural Armor, and some resists.

49/0/12 spec.

Since February.

Need to update my sig at some point.

part joke, as BM (or any other spec really) just send pet, mark >aimed and auto/arcane till it dies.
with aspect of the viper on, you can do that almost endlessly whilst chatting with your guildmates/friends or looking around in Atlasloot for what instance to do to replace that last green or get that 1 pattern/recipe you want.
pop the Beast Within when you get and add, if on cooldown: use +ap trinket and rapid fire.
should do it pretty nicely.
if you happen to grab aggro, feign death and/or intimidate.
kite 1 mob to death while your pet tanks a few other is also an option.

you shouldnt get into any trouble unless you fight multiple elites or so...

They aren't far off. While farming Thick Clefthoof leather to skill up my LW I would try to skin the previous kill(s) while the Pet finished the current target. Now, those are level 64-67 mobs, while I'm a 70 Hunter, but in that environment I had absolutely zero downtime. Just could not find enough Clefthooves fast enough for either my Mana or the Pet's Health to be down by any significant amount.

Shot rotation: Auto -> SS -> Auto -> SS, repeat until dead. No stings necessary unless the mob is a hard hitter. In that case it's Scorpid Sting to keep the Pet's Health up.

Edit: Pet skills. I prefer the STA skill over the Armor skill. The additional armor doesn't add a significant amount of mitigation, and Armor is ignored by many attacks, such as magic, poison, etc. Health is useful against all attacks. My Pets have the highest STA skill, whatever skills I'll be buying, and the remaining points go towards Armor.

Edited, May 2nd 2007 12:26am by Kompera

Oh, in terms of timing. If things are easy (like, for me at 70, level 63 ravagers which I'm harvesting for meat) I like to kill something, send my pet on to the NEXT mob, and then loot & skin the kill.

So long as you get in one shot you'll be able to loot the thing, even if your pet did the rest of the damage.

Edited, May 7th 2007 3:24pm by seroster

1) Hunters Mark
2) Use a sting and consussive shot then one or 2 arcane or multi shots
3) send in pet and faint
4) Auto shot with stings and aran/multi shots
5) target new mob and repeat
6) if mob is strong and is killing oet i use Beastail wrath and if the mob comes torward me i use the cuncossive bite

Its actually quite easy