Why I'm not having bug blues

(This post is likely to get me flamed. The methods I'm talking about using here aren't necessarily going to be for everyone; I'm not like the robots in the forums who suggest that if you don't do everything their way, you're a fundamental failure as a human being. What I am saying though is, try it...you might like it. ;-))

There have been a lot of threads posted on the forums recently about mana regeneration issues, reduction of threat generation from pets, and also autoshot getting frozen when using Kill Command.

I admit, I haven't really been affected by any of these issues. I can explain why.

The first thing is, I generally don't use Kill Command outside groups. I certainly wouldn't use it for farming, since I tend to want the mana for other things. So the bug associated with it hasn't affected me.

For the threat and mana issues, I will outline my usual rotation/attack sequence when soloing/farming.

For Single Targets:-

1. Apply Hunter's Mark.

2. Drop an Immolation Trap at roughly 15 yards from the target, if you can measure it. The addon Nudge is invaluable for this. This also becomes partly intuitive with experience.

3. Use Arcane Shot (Rank 1) as an initial low threat pull shot.

4. Apply Mend Pet pre-emptively if necessary, so it is active while the pet engages the target.

5. Time sending the pet so that it reaches the mob when the mob reaches the Immolation Trap. Ideally this macro can be used to combine both Applying Hunter's Mark and sending the pet at once.

6. Move backwards to re-establish maximum range.

7. Apply Serpent Sting.

8. Commence fire with Auto Shot until the target is dead.

This was tested recently by Efri while levelling his new Hunter on my server. He reported substantially greater mana efficiency than when he was using Serpent Sting and Arcane Shot without trapping.

The other benefit of this attack sequence is that for some reason, I have noticed that even if Omen records me as having the same level of threat with a mob as my pet, the mob will still stay with my pet in many cases if I am only using Auto Shot, whereas firing Arcane Shot will pull it instantly. There can sometimes (not always) be an initial burst of threat due to Serpent and Immolation Trap initially ticking simultaneously, but if that happens, Feign and auto shot afterwards will ensure the mob stays with your pet.

Also, you can put Disengage back on your action bars somewhere. Disengage does not clear threat to the degree that Feign does, but it will reduce your threat; and there are times where if Auto Shot is what you're using, that is enough.

There's a particular quote that is worth mentioning here;
"Match the weapon to the target."

What that means in this context is this; if you're in a raid scenario with 24-39 other people and fighting a boss who's a DPS race, then sure, by all means, spec BM and go nuts.

If however, you're farming or against single mobs, alone, you will find that it will serve you better to adopt a very different strategy. Here, you're not pressed for time, and you want to apply sufficient damage to the mob in order to kill it, without engaging in overkill.

Overkill is bad for two reasons:-
a) It wastes mana. If you get adds after the current mob that you're on, and you've gone nuts with a full 1:1.5 rotation, you've wasted mana on the current mob that could otherwise keep you alive with the adds.

b) It raises not only threat with the current mob, but also ambient threat. Ambient threat is a very real thing, but it isn't measured by meters. (Or at least not accurately)

What that means is that if you want to kill crowds of 3-4 mobs, (although more will kill you) you keep Mend Pet up, cycle Growl on the first two targets, drop a Snake Trap, and use Serpent + Auto to kill each one. Yes, it's tricky. Yes, you have to balance your aggro, your health, the pet's health, and that of the mobs. It is, however, doable. I've done it in the Scholomance.

The single most important thing to remember in such a scenario however is actually to have the discipline not to panic and use Arcane Shot to try and kill the mobs more quickly. That will actually make it far more likely that you will die, because it will pull one and possibly more of them from the boar onto you, resulting in your very rapid death.

As I said to Brigwyn on MSN, there have been two occasions recently where I successfully finished a five mob fight in the Scholomance with less than 400 health and mana. To the naked eye my bars were empty; I had to actually mouse over them to see what the values were. It's a technique I've started calling air walking; because in a way, that's what it is.

The recent threat/mana nerfs are actually going to mean, more than anything else, that more Hunters might have to learn to do something that I've already been doing for a while, now.

You'll have to start riding the rapids.

Enough doom and gloom

Ok, the internal black cloud has cleared and I'm back to feeling more positive.

I've already mentioned Efri in a few other posts. I've been spending time with him on Thaurissan, which has actually been some of the most enjoyable time I've spent in this game for a while...he's a great guy, and knows a lot about the auction house, and the game in general.

I've also had some fairly in depth communication recently with Rilgon, as well, who is one of the most intelligent people I've met in connection with this game. I was very glad, as I said earlier, to learn that he has stayed Marks, as well.

Trackhoof, can I ask; have you decided whether you're coming back or not yet?

The State of World of Warcraft

I've been reading the Hunter, Shaman, and General forums tonight...and also over the last several days; As people here know, I've been reading the Hunter and General for a while before that.

When I think about the condition of this game at the moment, though, and everything that's been happening recently...I've found a particular song starting to run through my head. The lyrics, on reflection, are uncannily appropriate; some are bolded for emphasis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH-vrE8fGqs

Through early morning fog I see
visions of the things to be
the pains that are withheld for me
I realize and I can see...

[REFRAIN]:

Suicide is painless,
It brings on many changes,
and I can take or leave it if I please.
I try to find a way to make
all our little joys relate
without that ever-present hate
but now I know that it's too late, and...

[REFRAIN]

The game of life is hard to play
I'm gonna lose it anyway
The losing card I'll someday lay
so this is all I have to say.

[REFRAIN]

The only way to win is cheat
And lay it down before I'm beat
and to another give my seat
for that's the only painless feat.

[REFRAIN]

The sword of time will pierce our skins
It doesn't hurt when it begins
But as it works its way on in
The pain grows stronger...watch it grin, but...

[REFRAIN]

A brave man once requested me
to answer questions that are key
is it to be or not to be
and I replied 'oh why ask me?'

[REFRAIN]

'Cause suicide is painless
it brings on many changes
and I can take or leave it if I please.
...and you can do the same thing if you please.

Howitzer has left

As Rilgon notes on his own blog, Howitzer today announced his departure in the Hunter forum.

I admit Howitzer wasn't someone I knew a lot about; but he apparently contributed a very great deal of information to starting Hunters. He was also playing WoW from almost the very beginning; December 2003, and the closed beta. He would doubtless have some memories of Survival in its' earliest form, even if it was not his own spec at the time.

I am trying to tell myself that the end is as much a part of things as the beginning; to remember that as Kali weaves substance from the formlessness of the void, so it eventually must return there. However, in some cases remembering that does not necessarily ease my pain.

Mater genuit. Mater receipt.

Mother bore me. Mother took me back.

Why I need to focus on my main.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5784439401&sid=1&pageNo=2

"Of course not. You're some terrible scrub with a snowflake complex.

You're not good at the game and you'll never be in an accomplished guild so it really doesn't matter, but I'm right, and you're not."

This is why Efri is right, and I need to focus on progressing with my main. More than anything else, I need to prove people like this wrong.

Also, in case anyone is wondering why I've written previously about having problems with Rogues; this individual is a prime example of why.

I shouldn't admit this, because if the guy quoted reads this, he's the type who'll probably feel a fairly high degree of satisfaction from knowing it...but this got through, and it's stinging...mainly because in terms of my progression at least, part of me is worried he's right.

They nerfed Charge.

I'm a very unhappy Hunter today.

It's apparently official; Charge has been nerfed. Hortus is calling it a bug fix, yet I'd bet half a quiver of arrows that the bug that causes Charge to break Freezing Trap is still entirely present.

I don't usually complain about changes made, even when I privately consider them egregious, but this is an order of magnitude worse than any other nerf I've ever experienced before. This isn't (to use the popular forum expression) merely a slap in the face.

It's a kick in the stomach, Blizzard.

With my crit being the way it is, I've relied on Charge while soloing, and the amount of threat I previously got from it, to literally survive. As it stands now, I'm barreling my boar's threat bar in Omen constantly, and I can only do that if I scale my damage back to the point of it being virtually non-existent.

I wish I understood what I'm meant to do now. In the past, when nerfs came, older Hunters in the forum would tell us to be calm. "We simply need to adapt," they would say. For a long time, I've been able to do that.

Now, however, the nerfs are starting to eat into the core, basic functionality of the class. Keep this up, Blizzard, and you're going to render the Hunter unplayable.

An Invitation

As a follow on from my last post, I don't suppose I could interest any of you in making alts on Thaurissan? ;-) It's actually a very green server. Ahn'Qiraj isn't open yet, and not a lot of guilds have been to the Black Temple yet, either. The economy, consequently, is pretty much ground floor. The upside of that is that it's great for making money, but the downside is that a few other people are doing it too, which makes it expensive for me to buy things.

That may not sound like much of a promotion of the place, (*grin*) but in this case new doesn't necessarily mean low-pop, so there are still some other people we could find to play with.

I know you're probably focused on your mains, but I'd love to see some of you if you're willing to make alts on Thaur. I've spoken to Efri about maybe trying to flesh out my little guild a bit more if so, too. I originally made it purely for the guild bank, but I'm not opposed to the idea of getting some real members. Unfortunately I might have been a bit slow on the draw to recruit Trackhoof in particular, since apparently he's already found another guild. ;-)

I'm thinking of re-forming the guild in order to rename it, since I've unfortunately found that the name has given forum trolls a very convenient way of refuting me in a conversation at times, and feel very clever about doing it. Since I'd be thinking primarily of a Hunter guild, I had thought of as a name. Probably very pretentious, I know...but I've never been very good with names, unfortunately.

Anyway, I hope maybe I'll see some people who read this in game! :)