How Not To Attack a Hunter

BRK » 12 January 2007 » In Best of, PvP »

Offense, baby, and specifically graveyard guarding, is my bag. It’s what I do, you know what I’m saying? I don’t go into towers because I can’t maneuver, can’t get line-of-sight. Basically, I stink there. Meet me at a graveyard flag, and now you’re in my domain, My House. And if you’re gonna come into My House, you best bring it, and hard.

Have I been stomped silly at my prefered post? Of course. Every class, at one time or another, has smacked me around, taken my lunch money, and sent my ghost on its way. It happens. Whether through superior strategy, gear, or just dumb luck, I have fallen. We all have. That’s PvP.

Doesn’t happen often though. I’m not saying… I’m just saying. You know what I’m saying? Good.

So last night I’m guarding Frostwolf graveyard. Just me, my Flare, my Freezing trap, and Hobbes. Alliance hasn’t taken the Relief Hut because some Hordie is taking it every 30 seconds using their new exploit. We basically just recap RH to keep their NPCs from respawning, but otherwise, we’ve got a Druid in bear-form who I know is one of the best pullers I’ve ever met. He’s just on tonight; it’s his game, we’re all just renting here. RH? Who needs it.

Sitting on Frostwolf and just keeping Hobbes fed, when two Hordies start across the snow from their tunnel. Here they come, just trotting along, and about 100 yards out, they stop and look at me.

You stop near my graveyard, you get Hunter Marked. Nothing personal, just business. I know you’re there. Do what you gotta do… They dismount. Apparently, they wanna play. Undead priest and Tauren warrior. Same guild, they’re probably on vent.

(Is there any combo more ubiquitous than UD priest/T warrior? There are more Night Elf Hunters than anything else, followed by Undead Rogues. But the combo of UD priest/T warrior really seems to be the most popular duo I’ve seen. Thoughts?)

Back to AV, the Horde pair are talking strategy on vent, I’m assuming. Maybe they’re thinking that it’s 2-on-1, that they can take the graveyard. Warrior charges me, priest heals him, Horde wins, right?

There is a great scene in the movie “Patton”. George C. Scott is in an old, bombed out building looking over an intelligence product denying the possiblity of a German offensive, and he says to the officers,

“No German army has staged a winter offensive since Frederick the Great. That’s why, gentlemen, that’s exactly what I expect them to do.”

What is the number one tactical lesson of Alterac Valley? Defend your flag by fighting on it. So what do I do? Target the priest and charge the Horde. Hobbes is sent after the priest with my PetAttack macro that does not invoke Intimidation, and neither Horde do a thing until Hobbes is just about to launch at the priest.

The Priest begins to cast Fear a moment to late; Big Red Kitty is activiated and tears into the priest. Two hits into the fight, Frenzy procs. BRK has an attack speed of 1.26 achieving 150dps while Bite 8 and Claw 8 are chewing up focus as fast as it’s generated. I pop off a Concussive Shot on the priest before beginning my rotation away from the warrior.

I swear I know what that priest said over vent. He screamed, “GET THIS THING OFF ME!” I believe this because when the warrior finally moved, he attacked my cat.

BRK has almost 7000 armor and 4600 health points. The warrior could kill him, given enough time, and most certainly if he had a priest healing him. But most certainly not in time to save the priest’s undead-life when the priest is still spamming Fear.

Four seconds into the fight, the priest is un-undead. It’s the Tauren warrior, me, and approximately 10 seconds of BRK remaining. Tab target the warrior and hit the PetAttack macro that also activates Intimidation. BRK leaps at the warrior and smacks the three second stun on him. This is more than enough time to go into kiting-mode. Fire Serpent Sting, run to max distance, and hit him with Concussive Shot as the stun wears off. BRK is winding down but still Frenzied, and now we both have Ferocious Inspiration buffs; another 3% damage for both BRK and me for ten seconds.

Dropping a Frost Trap, I start my kite. First to the left, then to the right; I don’t try to run behind him because I don’t know who else is out there, so I want to keep myself between him and my flag. The Concussive Shot wears off and the warrior Charges. Sorry, but I’m still under the effects of The Beast Within, so I cannot be stunned or hamstrung. He does hit me for some good damage, but his Charge is used up and I’m still running. Circling back away from the flag, I get him to follow me and he trips the Frost Trap. Now he’s slowed and I get to distance again.

BRK fades but, with no way for the warrior to get to melee range, the fight is basically over. Arcane Shot, kite, stop for Multi Shot, kite… Arcane Shot crit, kite… and Hobbes gets the Killing Blow. In my desire to get mana and health back to 100%, I forget to loot the corpses, run back to the flag, Flare and Trap, and down some cheese and mage-water. Hey, my timer says we almost have RH… … oh, no we don’t. Exploit, right.

It was a combination of luck and strategy that allowed me to win. Had I attacked the warrior first, I would’ve died easily. Had the Priest done something other than try Fear on BRK, he might have helped the warrior, had he attacked me instead of my pet. BRK only lasts for 18 seconds. Had the priest survived through that time, Hobbes could be feared and I’d really have taken one in the keister.

Go rent Patton. Great movie.

Best of, PvP | January 12, 2007

Comments

4 Responses to “How Not To Attack a Hunter”

Anonymous on January 12th, 2007 8:08 pm

Hey BRK - fun blog. My main is a Druid but my alt is a Hunter. Only lvl 26, but fun reading about your high-level hunter encounters.

I see you have links to other class-specific blogs. Check out my blog at nedruid.wordpress.com. If you think it’s worthy, add me to your list. I’m adding you to mine.
Damh on January 12th, 2007 8:24 pm

Thank you for the kind comments. I will certainly check out your site. I am trying to keep my list of blogs I link to small, my criteria: they must very informative AND updated frequently. I completely new to blogging and want to take it very slow when I link myself to anybody yet. I haven’t visited your site yet, but I most certainly will.
Excaliber1 on January 13th, 2007 5:34 am

Great win over those horde nubs Had it been me, and had i had the same gear / level, I would probably have died =( due to “fear of 2vs1 = uber pwnage”
Sapphira on January 13th, 2007 1:48 pm

The Horde Oven makes really good players, and sometimes noobs. I have seen such things in AV, when some skilled hunter saved the situation, giving the raid a little time more to act and…win. In my situation, i actually dont like to guard a flag, because almost everytime, not a priest/warrior, but a 2 assassination rogues team, comes and visit me no way, u can be the best hunter all over the world but u have no chance again 2 rogue, expecially assassination. I prefer the ambushes on the snowy hills near our Gy, defence, u know. But if the things u have said are right, then i will be glad to work with u in some bg…pity that our servers are not in the same pvp-grp cya and take care

Sapphira, lvl 60 ne hunter, Burning Blade