WoWGrrl's World

Pets are inarguably one of the very best parts of being a Hunter.

Moving from solo to group situation involves some changes for all classes to work together effectively. Hunters tend to be one of the popular answers for the question "who actually engages the opponent to start the dungeon battle?" but pulling strategies from solo play may not be the best for group play.

For example, what's the "best way" to use your pet in group situations?

I can't claim to know the "best way" but I'd really like to hear other people's opinion on this, even though I'm already stating what I think about the strategies at this exact moment. I learn a huge amount about how to play my class by hearing about how others play their class!

[May 2008 Edit: In the Outland now, generally it's the Tank pulling in instances, from what I can see. Hunters need to be more aware of how to properly trap and re-trap mobs along with DPSing now, instead of worrying about the pull]

My Pulling And Pet Use Style

I don't remember when it was that I started doing the "main puller" role in most of the parties I was in, but it was probably after I had joined a guild and was going with guildmates. Pick Up Groups at a low level tend to be all about chaos, so if I was a main puller in those situations, I'd have to be fast and familiar with the terrain, both of which I wasn't since my Hunter was my first toon through the game.

Eventually, tho, I settled into a Main Puller job, and on occasion my pet turtle became the party tank when we couldn't find a Warrior to join us (back before Druid was a viable alternative and before Pally was on the Horde side too).

The biggest tricks I learned from my playing experiences, with very little "training" from others other than watching other hunters and reading a lot about strategies online, were these:

• Pull timing is critical. Be patient, don't rush it.
• Pull from the edges of the group, not the middle
• Pull when a nearby mob has its back to the one you're pulling, if possible
• Pull with a single low-level Arcane Shot, not with autoshot (especially important if trapping)
• If there are casters in the group, be sure to run out of range or line of sight after shooting, to drag them back towards your group.
• Even if there aren't casters in the group, pull the entire group back before having everyone engage - then if patrols come by or mobs run near the end, they don't start a whole new fight
• Warn others if you're going to be freeze trapping anything so they don't attack it or DOT it up
• Pet pulls make people nervous - it's better to pull with an arrow and immediately send the pet in to meet the mobs halfway, and have your tank ready to intercept. As a hunter you CAN take a few hits without dying, and it's easier for the Tank to pull aggro off of one semi-durable target than pulling off of clothies who tend to run around panicked a lot.

Are there any I should be adding or considering further on the topic of Pulling as a Hunter?

I know there are a lot of dungeon tricks that are important for Hunters as well, but let's just start with the pulling topic as it tends to be a hot one between the various roles that CAN pull in a dungeon.

Related posts:

1. The Great Debate: Who Pulls?
2. The Art of the (PvE) Pick Up Group
3. Horde Newbie Hunter Warcraft Instance Guide (Levels 1-20)