Serebihm's 10 Tips on how not to be a Huntard

We all make mistakes sometimes. It's natural. The WoW-playing community is very unforgiving, however. So I've compiled a list of things not to do, for your amusement and your education. Some of these things are things I've done myself, most are things I've observed on other hunters. And, no, I'm not telling you which of these I've done. A gentleman never tells. 

1. Gemming for Intellect is not a good idea. It will only make your gear appear smarter than you are. Agility, Critical Strike, Mastery and Haste in some circumstances are the way forward.

2. Although it appears in your buff list, during combat, Aspect of the Pack is not a buff, it's actually more of a group wide de-buff, with all its dazing and slowing glory. So if your tank is screaming about getting dazed, check that it's turned off, and make sure to always have the correct Aspect (usually Hawk) before combat commences.

3. Leather pieces, as nice as they may look, are not good for you anymore. You see us hunters now get a bonus when wearing all mail. But this isn't a Hell's Angels meeting or a Rocky Horror rehearsal, so put your leather pieces back in the closet, or, alternatively, roll a shifty, hated, rogue and forever be outcast from the class of hunters.

4. Tenacity pets (turtles, gorillas, Rhinos, etc) are not ideal raid pets. Why? Because they have a tendency to growl and taunt off a tank, which generally makes him very unhappy, and, in most cases, kills your pet (well, the healers weren't expecting your pet to tank).You see, Tenacity pets need to have growl and taunt turned off if they aren't tanking, they need to be told. So, if you are not sure what to do with your little pet tank, just bring your cat (or other ferocity pet) in future.

5. Do not pull threat, and if you do, don't walk backwards until the mob smacks you over the head. It is not the tanks job to taunt back, it is your job to control your threat. I know you've just blown all your cooldowns and you're getting some sexy dps numbers on the meter, but trust me, you'll still do less than even the tank if you're dead. You have Misdirection and Feign Death for a reason. Use it!

6. Walking backwards with a mob beating you to a pulp is not kiting, it's just stupid. Kiting is dropping frost traps, running forward while jump-shotting your target with concussive shots, Distracting Shots, and don't forget Scatter Shot and Wyvern Sting if the mob is not immune. And if the mob does get a little close, it's nothing a jump-Disengage can't fix, just watch... the .....cliff edge....that you just... Disengaged off....oh well. Kiting means keeping your distance, whilst maintaining aggro-control, but also being aware of your surroundings. So if kiting isn't your forte, let the rest of the group know, there's no shame in that. Then, at the next opportunity read up and get some practice kiting. Best way to practice, you ask? Easy, dismiss your pet and go kill stuff.

7. You see that stuff on the ground? You know, the stuff that your dead body is still lying in! Yes? Good. Don't stand in that, it's bad. If you stand in it, healers won't heal and you will die...and then if you do it again, they will probably get annoyed...and then if you do it again, they'll probably kick you from the group. And then you'll be upset, and you may start trolling and complaining in trade chat about them. Then they are going to tell everyone what really happened, and everyone is going to laugh at you. So, unless you're specifically told to stand in something (i.e. Power Generator on Omnotron), don't stand in stuff!

8. So your tank just died, as did the rest of the group, except you, you feign deathed, and there's this mob, it's all big and red and angry...enraged even...but everyone else is dead, because YOU forgot to tranquilize the mob. Don't be that guy. Know your skills available to you and know what to use them on. Know what targets can be CCed and how.

9.So you just wiped on trash, because this mob was casting this big spell that needed interrupting, because it heals all the mobs, but nobody did. And then the healer ran out of mana and couldn't heal the tank. Now everyone is asking why you didn't interrupt this mob. "I don't have any interrupts. I'm a Survival hunter!" you say. Then the group kicks you. And rightfully so. Because, every hunter spec has trash interrupts in disguise (unless the mob is CC immune in which case you were right). They are called Scatter Shot and Wyvern Sting (for Survival only obviously). Yes, besides disorienting targets or putting them to sleep, they also...you guessed it...interrupt their spell casting.

10. "So this one run, i was in this PUG and I linked the DPS meter, because I was totally the highest DPS with my Survival hunter, by 0.01% over the mage, the ret pally and the tank, and they kicked me those bastards!" You deserved to get kicked! No one likes a show-off, especially when playing a proven to be slightly over-powered class. Oh and don't ask others to link DPS meters either, we know you are running one and just want people to see how awesome you think you are. Don't make me link the Total deaths. I'm warning you! I'll link CC breakers as well! No, you know what? You're a huntard. /Gkick. :)

Keep on hunting and don't be huntards :)

Serebihm