I'm in Misery

Sometimes Google Reader makes a suggestion that actually sticks and rings a bell. This morning, they suggested a Shadow Priest blog to me. On these suggestions, I often will check out the site and make sure it's something that appeals and is well written. I'm also doing an assessment at that time if it's something that I'll a) read through once and not miss again or b) read every time it's updated and look forward to.

So, anyway, this suggested blog. I was mid-way through my assessment when this post rang so true with what I was discussing last week with a friend. Go skim, I'll wait.

I think it's summed up wonderfully there, however, I'd add one further thing. By PVPing you're really training yourself to rely only on yourself, listen only to yourself, and be responsible only for yourself. If you try that crap in a raiding guild, you're likely going to find yourself back at your hearth location (unwillingly). PVE content is very much about having a strategy, following the strategy, and listening. Since PVE is scripted, it is predictable. If it's predictable, you can plan for and follow a pattern. PVP is unscripted and thus you must adapt. But if 10 (or worse, 25) people who've all trained themselves to rely only on themselves each start trying to tackle PVE content with a PVP mindset, you've just set the raid back about a million miles.

So, as I keep reading this wonderful new blog, think about why PVP is bad for raid progression.

Good Skills for PVP

As you look over your skills you're likely to find a few that are of limited usefulness in the PVE environment. The skills that you've maybe removed from your bars because that valuable space can be taken up by skills that actually need to be used in raids.

Today I'm going to highlight skills from several classes that are useful in PVE but they really shine when (or if) if you start getting into PVP.

The good news is that for most classes there are only one or two skills that truly are of much more usefulness in the PVP arena. And for many of these classes, the skills while situational are still truly useful in the PVE setting. I'll break them down by class in no particular order.

Warlock
Many warlock skills are truly useful in all sorts of tough spots and are not going to be the sorts of things that are forgotten. Here are two.

• Curse of Exhaustion Slow down those pesky melee types that are trying to give you some chin music. This is a talented (i.e. you only get it in the Affliction Tree) skill so not all warlocks will have it.
  
• Banish Banishing of demons & elementals is well known in the PVE arena. Here's two things to keep in mind though. Other warlock pets are demons. Pets of Shamans and (Ice) Mages are elementals. Also, if you happen to find a druid silly enough to be in Tree form they are also elementals.
• Devour Magic Your felhunter has a skill for removing magical debuffs on you and magical buffs from enemies. This is as good as a dispel magic or an arcane shot.
• Spell Lock Your felhutner also has the spell lock ability which is great for stopping enemy casters. Don't forget about it.
  

Mage
Since quite often the focus is not on healing in the battlegrounds, Dampen Magic can significantly reduce the incoming magical damage. It's not much to mention, but it is something you might not think of during a BG.

Shaman
Mind Vision allows you to look far into the distance (50,000 yards). While no BG is this large, it will allow you to look at any node from the Arathi Basin Lumber Mill. Depending on where you are, you should also be able to view any other node from any place in Eye of the Storm.

Paladin
With patch 2.4, Turn Undead became Turn Evil. This means it will apply as well to demons; the demons your (not so) friendly opposing warlock spends time with.

Priest
I have only Mind Vision to offer here. But that skill can be used to great effect. It does give your target a debuff, so astute enemy players may notice you there in their grey matter.

Hunter
And the hunter seems to have the most extensive list. Here are a list of skills that I think truly shine in PVP

• Scare Beast This applies not only to Roar in Karazhan, but also to other hunter pets and druids in travel, cat or bear forms. Most druids know cognitively that it's possible, but just aren't thinking about it. Don't try it on opposing pets that are big and red (i.e. Under Bestial Wrath)
• Eagle Eye This is the hunter equivalent of the Shaman Far Sight skill. Lets you look at any node (depending where you are) in EOTS or AB.
• Aspect of the Beast I know that I tend to run Track Humanoids (or rarely Track Hidden) in BGs. I assume other hunters do as well. This aspect can allow you to get into place undetected.
• Flare This is no secret. All hunters seem to do it in BGs that I'm in. But if you've forgotten that you can Flare and light up invisible targets, let this serve as your reminder
• Wing Clip If you've read my other articles on PVP, you'll know some classes (rogue, druid, warrior) can be successfully kited. This skill will apply a movement debuff on them allowing you to get back to range where you do your best work as a hunter.
• Track Hidden I mentioned above that I sometimes use Track Hidden. This seems to work best when I've actually targeted the unit prior to it going into stealth. Your mileage may vary.
  

And that's all I gots. If you're PVPing and have these skills buried in an out of the way place, or worse, off your bars completely, think about putting them back on. They are useful enough in PVP that they just might save your life.

PVP Tips & Tricks - The Battlegrounds

As a companion to my extensive class-based strategies for PVP, I thought it would be nice to have some general guidelines for battlegrounds and some specifics for each of the four battlegrounds. Since there is less in general to say about each battleground, I’m not splitting this up into multiple posts. Keep in mind, this is still written from the perspective of a Marksman Hunter.

General Observations:

• While players are not subject to taunt mechanics, many classes have aspects to them that are subject to taunt (for example, other hunters’ pets, warlocks’ pets, shadowfiends, snakes from snake traps, shamans’ and mages’ elementals). You may not want to turn growl off on your pet.
• Going alone is dangerous. It is almost always counterproductive to assault a node, tower or flag if you are the only one. There are clearly examples where a solo character has taken out two defenders and managed to capture the objective. However, these are most likely the exception rather than the rule.
• Your various tracking abilities shut off upon your death. If you were tracking humanoids prior to dying, you will need to reactivate it.
• You will die. There are exceptions to dying, but generally you will die multiple times in a battleground. When you first resurrect you will have a buff that reduces the cost of buffing. Buff yourself. I buff Aspect of the Hawk, Trueshot Aura and Track Humanoids. Some buffs will dismount you. Others will not. Generally auras and tracking won’t. Thus, when I resurrect, I buff Aspect of the Hawk, mount, and then buff Trueshot and Track as I ride to my destination.
• As a hunter you can’t really buff anyone else. However, before the game begins other classes can buff. Ask for the buffs you want and remind folks that there is no mana cost to buff if they aren’t bothering. Often people say “they disappear when you die” as an excuse to not do it. Don’t buy it!! Having 700 or so more HP from a fortitude buff can mean the difference between living and dying.
• If there is a refreshment table, take what you need but don’t be greedy.
• If there is a soulwell, take a healthstone. If there are two soulwells, take two stones if they are of different "sizes."
  
• If your pet dies, it is often better to let him (or her) auto resurrect with you at your next death. This doesn’t seem to have the happiness loss that raising him mid battle does.
• While most conventional wisdom says to ignore hunter and warlock pets, these classes can be limited by removing their pets. If you spy a pet that can be killed with one or two shots, it may be worth it to do just that.
• Pay attention to which battleground is giving bonus honor on a weekend. The competition is generally better on those weekends. Queue times however can be much longer.
• If the BG you’re in has the concept of nodes or towers, then someone must guard the nodes you capture. Taking the lumber mill, for example, is of very little long term use if it’s recaptured a minute and a half later.
• If a goody chest spawns somewhere you are guarding, it is better to use that chest even though you don’t need it than leave it for an attacker.
• Situational awareness is king! You must know where your enemies will be resurrecting.
• Be aware of AFKers. These people are handicapping your team by not taking part. I report as AFK people that I notice are not moving. (Note: “Not moving” is not the same as “Defending.” Someone stationary at the Mage Tower is not the same as someone stationary at the start area.)
• Battlegrounds are a horrible place to level pets. Remember experience isn’t gained in a battleground, thus that pet will never level.
• A combination of target acquisition via Tab and range coloring on abilities can sometimes allow you to target and fire on targets that are not in your line of sight (i.e. through mountains, rocks, bushes, etc.)
• Make sure you check what the daily battleground quest is. Nearly 12 gold and 419 honor is not bad just for winning.
  

Warsong Gulch:

• There are two primary roles for you in WSG: escorting your flag carrier and slowing pursuit and defending your flag. You may also be called on to hunt down (I pun) a hiding enemy flag carrier. If it’s safe to use Aspect of the Cheetah, you can be a good choice for running the flag.
• The layout of the two bases is nearly identical. Be aware that it is possible to somehow enter through the log chute on the side of the Horde base.
• Teams primarily support their flag carrier by healing and protecting. If you can get an Aimed Shot on the EFC, it’ll reduce healing by 50%.
• Using Aspect of the Pack to escort your flag carrier is risky. First they’d have to be in your group and second they’ll be dazed if hit. Use this aspect only if you are 110% sure there isn’t anything to attack the flag carrier.

Arathi Basin

• Your primary roles here are attacking a new node and defending. I tend to defend a lot as most other people won’t.
• When attempting to wrest a node from the other side, the flag must me attacked as quickly as possible. Not claiming the node just means everyone you’ve already killed will resurrect at the same node in a short period of time.
• Know when a fight is “worth it.” If you’re attempting to re-take the node closest to your starting area (stables for Alliance, farm for Horde) and die, you resurrect at your starting area. The opposing team can quickly determine where the choke point for that is. It may make sense to run around that node to get to a node you hold.
• Merely holding one more node for the majority of the game than the other side will win you the game.
• Look logically at where their forces “must be.” If they hold three and are heavily represented at two of them, the third is likely lightly defended.
• AB is a game of mobility. Call out when a node you’re defending is about to be hit. It gives the unengaged members of your team time to get to you.
• If you are defending fight at nodes you control. It can prevent the other guys from claiming the node long enough for your teammates to arrive.

Alterac Valley

• AV is the most raid-like battleground. As such, your role is most like PVE raids – massive quantities of sustained DPS. This, in my experience, is also the BG you are most likely to be healed in.
• This is not your father’s AV. The rules of the game changed significantly with patch 2.3 with the introduction of “reinforcements.”
• The game is usually won by fighting at your most defensible choke point.
• AV Quests contribute little to winning a match, however they will gain you reputation with Stormpike or Frostwolf.

Eye of the Storm

• Your roles here are like that of Arathi Basin. Additionally, if you have a clear shot from flag spawn to your tower, you make an excellent flag runner.
• You must understand the scoring. Points awarded for flag captures are proportional to the number of towers you control. Even if your team never captures the flag but controls three towers, you’ll win.
• Have paladins in your group turn off Crusader Aura prior to game start. It’ll prevent needless loss of health at the beginning.
• “Hiding” the flag can be a tactic to allow your team time to take an additional tower.
• Quite often hunters can shoot enemies guarding a base that are hidden by terrain. If you can target them, quite often you can shoot them.

PVP Tips & Tricks - Warriors

Today I’m finalizing a new mini-series of PVP from the viewpoint of the Marksman Hunter. I’ll cover each class and what you should look for each of them to do. We finish today with Warriors.

Warriors

Wow these dudes are hard to kill! Warriors just wind up having tons of hit points and lots of armor. The most successful I’ve been in dealing with them was killing them while they were focused on someone else. I keep my range and keep plugging away.

What to Watch for:

• Charge (and Intercept) Stun can be removed with your trinket.
• Warriors seem most susceptible of melee classes to being kited. Use your movement impairing abilities (Wing Clip, Frost Trap, Scatter Shot, Concussive Shot) to kite them.
• Serpent Sting will do continuous damage to them. Scorpid Sting will lower their chance to hit (and thus crit).
• Warriors are the most likely of melee classes to fall for a Feign.
• Warriors that are being healed should have an aimed shot applied.
• If you’re a dwarf, use Stone Form to stop damage from big bleeds.
• At all costs, stay above 20% health. Going under 20% puts you in execute range.
• If you're not using your traps to kite, Snake Trap may be quite effective against them.

PVP Tips & Tricks - Warlocks

Today I’m continuinga new mini-series of PVP from the viewpoint of the Marksman Hunter. I’ll cover each class and what you should look for each of them to do. We continue today with Warlocks.

Warlock
Dot. Fear. Dot. Fear. Dot. Fear. Yes, you’ll experience each of these. Warlocks are quite fond of either standing way back and dotting everyone, especially with Seed of Corruption or running in for the mass fear bomb. Either way, I’ve found Warlocks particularly troublesome in that quite often killing them comes at the cost of my death.

Things to Watch for:

• Demon Armor/Fel Armor, Detect Invisibility and Unending Breath can all be dispelled by Arcane Shot.
• If a warlock dies and leaves you all dotted, eating is (probably) enough to keep you alive through the dots.
• You can feign death or freezing trap a warlock’s pet.
• If you are Death Coiled, don’t trinket. Wait for the follow up fear to trinket.
• When you are fighting a Warlock, check to see if he or she has a soul stone. If so, be prepared to fight them again.
• Channeled leash spells (drain life, drain mana, drain soul) and channeled AOE spells (Rain of Fire, Hellfire) are both interruptible with Scatter Shot or Silencing Shot.
• The voidwalker is almost never used as a pet.
• If an imp is the warlock’s pet, it will die easily if it is attacking. If it’s not attacking it is phase-shifted.
• If a succubus is the warlock’s pet, expect seductions. If you are seduced, send your pet to either the lock or its pet. The succubus is lightly armored and doesn’t have a lot of hitpoints.
• If a fel hunter is the warlock’s pet, they will generally be fighting casters and using Spell Lock. Not many hunter abilities can be spell locked.
• If a fel guard is the warlock’s pet, treat it as a hunter’s pet. That is, freezing trap or feign.
• Warlocks are not generally as familiar with hunter abilities and may not realize they need to retarget us after we feign and send their pet.

PVP Tips & Tricks - Shamans

Today I’m continuinga new mini-series of PVP from the viewpoint of the Marksman Hunter. I’ll cover each class and what you should look for each of them to do. We continue today with Shamans.

Shaman
Shamans come in three pretty distinct flavors and it’s not always possible to tell what spec they are at a glance. Seeing two melee weapons (usually slowish maces) means Enhancement. The two casting types (Elemental and Restoration) will use either a staff or a one hander and a shield.

Things to watch for:

• You can get an earth or fire elemental off of you by feigning.
• If a shaman is healing, use silencing shot or scatter shot to interrupt. This is especially useful if the spell is Chain Heal.
• Most shaman totems have very little health and are immune to AOE attacks. They must be single target killed. Auto Shot works wonderfully for this. Be aware that the Earth and Fire Elemental Totems have a ton of hit points.
• An enhancement shaman will want to be into melee range with you. Such a shaman will use Frost Shock to help close the distance. Use your movement inhibiting effects (Wing Clip, Frost Trap, Scatter Shot, Concussive Shot) to prevent or minimize that.
• Totem buffs cannot be removed with Arcane Shot. You must kill the totems instead.
• Shamans have some rather shallow mana pools. A Viper Sting can help keep that shallow pool drained.
• If you choose to use a Serpent Sting on a shaman, make sure to kill any Poison Cleansing Totems first. Shamans can also cleanse without the totem, but this is a single target cleanse.
• Beware of tab-targeting with Auto Shot on. Shooting at an Earth or Fire Elemental Totem can draw its aggro.
• If a shaman lays down new totems too quickly, kite them away from their totems. Most have a fairly limited range.
• While Ghost Wolf form has fewer defenses and attacks, many Shamans will use that to run away. In this case, treat them like a fleeing druid. Concussive shot to slow them and keep them in range. If you are lone chasing a fleeing shaman, consider Aspect of the Cheetah to keep up.
• (From Owaru) Earth shield is removable with Arcane Shot. Simply stripping this buff from a resto shaman will make them lose health much faster. The shaman will usually (but not always) apply this buff to themselves. Watch for it in a number of places.
  

PVP Tips & Tricks - Rogue

Today I’m continuing the mini-series of PVP from the viewpoint of the Marksman Hunter. I’ll cover each class and what you should look for each of them to do. We continue today with Rogues.

Rogue
Rogues are sneaky buggers. A good rogue will fight on his (or her) terms and not on yours. Your primary goal when trying to kill these dudes is to shift the terms to your own. Stun will quite often be their primary means of locking you down, and if you can mitigate that, a rogue will sometimes not know how to deal with it.

Things to watch for:

• You can trinket out of stun. Doing so and dropping a freezing trap can get you back to range.
• Hunter’s Mark forces them to use Cloak of Shadows prior to vanishing. If you can catch them between the Cloak and Vanish and apply a Serpent Sting, you’ve just caused them to waste a cool down. The other thing to consider is that Cloak has a longish cool down (at least in the time frames associated with PVP) and it will not always be available to a rogue.
• During fights where they aren’t vanishing, Scorpid Sting will cause them to miss more which translates to fewer crits.
• Stoneform (if you’re a dwarf) removes poisons or bleed effects on you.
• A pet on aggressive will sometimes spot a rogue in stealth before you do.
• If you happen to see a stealthed rogue, a Scatter Shot can set you up for moving to range. Rogues hate range, hunters love it..
• Evasion is a buff that can be Arcane Shotted off.
• Kiting a rogue can work. Use your movement impairing (Wing Clip, Frost Trap, Scatter Shot, Concussive Shot) abilities to keep them at range.
• When you have a rogue at distance, be prepared for them to Shadowstep, putting them instantly behind you. You won’t necessarily know they have this as there isn’t a good way to tell one rogue spec from another.
• If a rogue saps or gouges you, don’t become paralyzed. Your pet is still able to lay the smack-down on the rogue.
• Track hidden seems to work better if you’ve seen and/or targeted the rogue prior to them going into stealth. (I have no real evidence of this other than anecdotal.)
• Feigning death sometimes fools the rogue allowing you to get up and freezing trap them.

PVP TIps & Tricks - Priest

Today I’m continuing the mini-series of PVP from the viewpoint of the Marksman Hunter. I’ll cover each class and what you should look for each of them to do. We continue today with Paladins(er, Priests. Yeah Priest. Thanks K!).

Priest
I generally don’t have many problems with priests. If they’re holy, they die fairly quickly and if they’re shadow, I die fairly quickly. Most often when I’m PVPing with my hunter I take it as my personal goal to interrupt the healers. While the healers are often paladins, priests fill this role quite often as well. Be aware that you’re not necessarily going to be able to differentiate between holy and discipline priests until you see particular spellcasts.

Things to watch for:

• Priests have potentially a lot of buffs. Arcane shot them all.
• If you are facing the hard to detect discipline priest you’ll be able to see Pain Suppression. This, along with Silent Resolve, gives a huge boost to resisting dispel attempts. Expect buffs to not disappear when facing a discipline priest.
• Channeled spells (like Mind Flay) can be interrupted with Silencing Shot or Scatter Shot.
• Priests who close distance with you are going to fear. Be ready. If you see a priest running into melee distance you know what to do. Scatter, Concussive, Frost Trap to keep them away from you.
• A priest will almost always have a shield up. This too is a buff ready to be arcane shotted.
• A Shadow Fiend that is freezing trapped returns no mana to its caster. And since Shadow Fiend has a short lifespan, one trap will take care of it.
• The most effective sting for a priest is Viper Sting.
• Save Silencing Shot to interrupt Greater Heals (if holy)
• A priest can sometimes fade out of a pet attack. Be ready to send your pet back onto the priest.
• Your Hunter’s Mark is dispel-able by a priest.
• For holy priests, the best trap is a snake trap (especially with points in Survival) for the interrupts.
• You cannot dispel the Shadowform buff with Arcane Shot.
• Beware of being kited. A priest with shields, presence of mind, and renew can generally keep themselves upright for a while. If you’re kited far away from the battle, it’s not a forgone conclusion that you’ll return without a trip to the graveyard.
• Since I’m writing as a Marksman hunter, I don’t have access to Bestial Wrath making my pet immune to fear. A priest getting beat on by a pet will generally fear them off if he can get them away.
• My mana pool is about 80% of the size of my health pool. I find that quite often (non-shadow) priests will use mana burn on me. Watch out for this. It hurts and if you survive you’ll either need to drink if possible or run the less damage efficient

PVP Tips & Tricks - Paladin

Today I’m continuing the mini-series of PVP from the viewpoint of the Marksman Hunter. I’ll cover each class and what you should look for each of them to do. We continue today with Paladins.

Paladin
Paladins come in exactly two flavors – chocolate & vanilla. No. I kid. The two flavors are the kind that are impossible to kill and those that kill you with all swiftness. No matter what I’ve called them. Both types are indeed killable. And since I always have to work extra hard to take them out, when they do go down it is especially satisfying. I guess what I’m saying is I like both chocolate AND vanilla.

Things to Watch for:

• Few paladins in BGs are anything other than healers.
• They will bubble. There’s not much you can do at this point unless a class that can deal with that pesky bubble is there with you.
• Paladins are energizer bunnies as far as healing goes. Even so, no mana supply is inexhaustible. I keep a Viper Sting up on them at all times.
• Auras cannot be dispelled. Blessings and Seals can.
• Silence Shot any heals. The three seconds of silence can be used to scatter shot, aimed shot or arcane shot a buff.
• Don’t attempt to preemptively apply scatters, aimed or stings to a paladin before the bubble. The bubble will strip most debuffs.
• If you’re one on one, when the paladin bubbles, bandage. If the paladin notices, he or she may attempt to consecrate and prevent you bandaging. However, if he’s running to your location, he’s also not healing. Also, paladins are unlikely to bubble unless they’re in danger of dying.
• Since the very act of bubbling will strip debuffs from the paladin, aimed shot is better used on the paladin’s healing target.
• Your Hunter’s Mark is cleansable by a paladin.
• A paladin will likely consecrate the ground they’re standing on and run auras that cause reflective damage. You may be better off putting your pet somewhere else other than on the paladin. The combined auras & consecrate will kill the poor pet pretty quickly

PVP Tips & Tricks - Mage

Today I’m continuing the mini-series of PVP from the viewpoint of the Marksman Hunter. During the series, I’ll cover each class and what you should look for each of them to do. We continue today with Mages.

Mage
I hate fighting mages. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I thoroughly enjoy standing far away from a mage and plunking them full of lead (or arrows if I used a bow). What I don’t like is when the mage notices that he’s turning into a sieve and turns his or her attention to me.

Things to watch for:

• Ice mages (the only kind I ever find in BGs) will specialize at locking you down and killing you. If you break free, they’ll kite you. Don’t follow an ice mage to your death.
• Don’t rely on a mage’s cool downs, especially in frost. Cold Snap refreshes the cool down period on most frost spells.
• If you’re facing a fire mage, you must remove a buff with Arcane Shot every chance you get. Presence of Mind allows instant cast pyroblasts, and these hurt a lot.
• Use your trinket to get out of the first frost nova then don’t let them get close to you again.
• Silencing shot when it’s up. It’s better to silence something worthwhile (like a Pyroblast) or anything in the main tree, which is probably frost.
• Scatter shot can put them out of commission long enough to get an aimed shot off.
• Generally, Viper Sting isn’t going to drain enough mana to make it worthwhile. I tend to stick with Serpent Sting to keep the damage trickling in.
• Feign Death will deselect you as a target and get an elemental off of you.
• While resilience is important in all PVP, mage crits can get disgustingly big. If you’re gunning for mages, get all of this you can.
• Mages don’t have a ton of HP normally and only wear cloth. If you can get the drop on them, you can burst DPS them down.
• Mages generally blink after they ice block. However, dropping a freezing trap at their feet while ice-blocked can sometimes trap them.
• Fire and Arcane mages won’t kite you. They want to be close to you to capitalize on their short cast point-blank spells. Blast Wave at least also has a stun component. For these types of mages, use the strategy for melee types. Employ your movement impairing effects (Wing Clip, Frost Trap, Scatter Shot, and Concussive Shot) and keep them at range.

PVP Tips & Tricks - Hunters

Today I’m continuing the mini-series of PVP from the viewpoint of the Marksman Hunter. During the series, I’ll cover each class and what you should look for each of them to do. We continue today with Hunters.

Hunter
The mirror-match is always exciting. You should expect hunters to know your class inside and out. The winner of this battle will often be the hunter who knows the class better. Even if both hunters know the class equally well, the hunter who understands the difference in the specs will more often than not be victorious. As a Marksman hunter, you should know what to look for from both the populous Beast Mastery Hunter and less known Survival Hunter.
Things to watch for:

• Feign Death will cause an attacking pet to disengage. It will also deselect them as your target. Watch for this and get the pet back on them as soon as possible.
• Frost Trap will lock your pet in place (this is either immediately before or immediately after the feign)
• If you run into a BM hunter, the only way to deal with Bestial Wrath (i.e. Big Red Dinosaur) is to feign. Trapping will not work.
• If you’re a dwarf (like me), Stoneform will get rid of Serpent Sting. The sting you use is situational. I like Scorpid Sting for the hit rating debuff. Serpent Sting keeps a poison debuff ticking away and Viper Sting can drain their normally smaller mana pools.
• Hunters generally aren’t getting healed much in BGs, so Aimed Shot is wasted on them. If they are BM spec, it may make sense on their pet since the mend pet will then be cut in half.
• Neither aspects nor auras are removable with Arcane Shot.
• Feign Death can also get the snakes from a snake trap off of you. However, they may quickly reacquire you as a target.
• Survival Hunters have a chance to get an immobilization component with their traps.
• The 41-point Survival Talent is Wyvern Sting. This puts the target to sleep for 12 seconds and applies a DOT after the sleep expires.
• If a Survival Hunter recognizes you as Marksman, he or she may attempt to close to melee. In that case, use immobilizing tricks (Wing Clip, Frost Trap, Scatter Shot, and Concussive Shot) and treat them like another melee class. Most hunters will be very content to stay at range though.
• Because of the tree, expect Survival Hunters to have more health than other hunters.
• Since the pet’s damage is such a large component of a BM Hunter’s attack, the pet can actually kill you all on its own. You must keep a BM hunter in range of your attacks at all times.

PVP Tips & Tricks - Druid

Today I’m starting a mini-series of PVP from the viewpoint of the Marksman Hunter. During the series, I’ll cover each class and what you should look for each of them to do. We start today with Druids.

Druid
A battle with a druid will almost never be boring. Druids as a class are used to adapting their play style to the situation. They know when to go to bear and tank three mobs. They know when to pop out of animal form and entangle. As such, the fight will never feel scripted or formulaic. Expect a druid to react to what you do. If you don’t react to them, the battle will be over shortly and you’ll be the one waiting on the AOE rez near the Mage Tower.

Things to watch for:

• Druids can hibernate your pet. While a MM doesn't have a huge reliance on pet damage, any kind of interruption they offer can help. A druid can take your pet out of the game for 12 seconds.
• Druids will cast Entangling Roots on you or your pet. This will be to either neutralize the interruption from the pet or lock you in place to get inside your range.
• You can kite a bear druid with your various slowing abilities. Most druids don't fall for this as long as other melee counterparts will
• A pet on aggressive will often detect a prowling druid before you do.
• Both of the Druid HOTs are buffs and strippable with arcane shot.
• Feral druids won’t have as much mana as resto druids. Keeping a Serpent Sting up will consume their mana if they dispel it and their health if they don’t.
• Many druids are masters of switching forms in PVP. The bear, dire bear, cat and travel forms of druids are considered beasts and are vulnerable to Fear Beast.
• Feral druids will want to be in melee with you. Use your movement impairing abilities (Wing Clip, Frost Trap, Scatter Shot, and Concussive Shot) and get back to range.
• Druids in Moonkin form will be busy little casters. Interrupt their casts with your abilities and get the pet on them. Moonkin will have deeper mana pools than feral types, but with less than ideal itemization may wind up wearing a bunch of cloth pieces. This lowers their armor and can make beating them a little easier.
• Druids in cat form can Track Humanoids. If you suspect this, you can switch to Aspect of the Beast.
• Cyclone will take your pet, or more likely you, out of the battle for six seconds. Cyclone has diminishing returns if continually applied to the same target.
• If a druid is healing someone, you can interrupt with Scatter Shot or Silencing Shot (unless it’s an instant).
• When the battle is going against them, most druids will run. Look for the shift to travel form or cat form. A concussive shot can allow a dashing raptor or cat to catch up.
• Feigning death sometimes fools the druid allowing you to get up and freezing trap them. Druids tend to fall for this gimmick less than other melee classes.
• Leader of the Pack cannot be removed by Arcane Shot. If a feral druid crits you with this buff, they will heal.
• Druids have no good way of removing Hunter’s Mark. They cannot stealth while marked.
• If a feral druid does manage to close to melee, switch your aspect to Aspect of the Monkey for the increased dodge.
• Pounce is an opening move from stealth that stuns. Generally the druid uses the stun to set up a high damage attack from behind. If you trinket out of the stun, you can eliminate the high damage attack that is planned.
• A feral druid can also use Feral Charge to close the gap with you. This ability also has a root effect. This is a good candidate for using your trinket.