MC Class Guides
Class-Specific Guides for MC
Link to main Molten Core page.
Druid
Horde
Alliance
Hunter
Horde
Hunters actually have a purpose in MC besides being (inferior) DPS in most other instances, our job is to pull mobs to the MT, and to peel mobs off the MT to off-tanks so the MT doesn’t get swarmed.
Things to do before and in the raid:
- Join the hunter channel (basinhunter on Tich, aim2please on SR), this is the channel the hunters, MT and Off-tanks communicate.
- If you get assigned to an Off-tank, communicate in regard to where to peel to, and let him know you're his designated peeler.
- The main puller and secondary puller should run up and be ready for the next pull as fast as possible after a kill, if one of the hunters is dead assign a third Hunter to sub, and take the task of the current dead hunter(s).
- On peels, the only target getting Hunters Marked, is the one that’s going down first. Most often peeled by the secondary puller.
- Get “Wardrobe-mod”, (unless you use a better mod, in which case link it), even experienced pullers will die frequently, and you will notice that the repair bill will be steep if you pull in your primary gear, in addition to the possibility of rendering yourself useless in the raid due to broken gun/bow. Most classes find “Wardrobe” to be cumbersome, due to the fact that you have to be out of combat to be able to use it, as hunters we have the possibility to FD, and get out of combat, so you will be able to change gear mid battle. Note! Most of the hunters on Tich don't do this anymore, mainly due to the fact that we've gotten better gear, and don't die that much anymore :) I really recommend doing this, if your guild is starting out in MC though. Note2 Personally I swap to my Rag, (fire res gear), on fun packs.
Pulls:
Solo pulls: Lava Annihilators, 'Surgers, Fire lords and Core Hounds.
Usually the Core hound can be pulled by the MT, but if needed the hunter may be asked to pull it. Freezing trap will work on Annihilators/Surgers, which makes it possible to buy some time getting back to the MT.
Some of these pulls may require a peel, (Distracting Shot), from a second hunter, depending on how far away the mob is, this is especially important on the way to Lucifron/Magmadar, where there are 3 Annihilators/Surgers, a Firelord and a Core Hound that needs to be pulled from the bridge area. (Note! The last pull here, is a Surger which should be pulled on his way to the right, if you try to pull him on his way to the left, you will get imps).
Giants:
These come in pairs, either Giant/Giant(G/G), Giant/Destroyer(G/D) or Destroyer/Destroyer (D/D), these guys have an AoE stomp, so expect to die a lot . Our way of doing most of these pulls is that the secondary puller, marks his target and when the main puller has pulled, peels him off to the off-tank. The main puller runs to the MT, usually a bit aways from the raid. As we do it, the destroyer always goes to the MT if G/D. If dual, G/G or D/D, the puller gets the closest one, and the furthest away one gets marked and peeled to the off-tank. If the Destroyer is the furthest away one on G/D’s, I, personally, prefer to let the secondary puller pull, and have the main puller peel to the MT, (according to Vlo this is not necessary though ;)).
Note! In Garr’s part of the instance there will be two D/D pairs with a random spawn mob in front of each pair, these pulls can be very hard. It's recommended to pull the giant pair closest to the entrance near the cave wall, (behind the pillar), as the single mob in front of them will not add.
Other multipulls:
Through the tunnel from Garr to Baron Geddon and Shazzrah, you will have to pull some packs consisting of Flameguard, Flamewalker and two ‘Reavers, (gets banished), to clear the way for "clean" boss pulls. Lately we’ve been doing pet pulls on these “tunnel pulls”, as it’s very hard to get a successful peel off in there, and have the time to run back. Having Dash/Dive is helpful. (Baron Geddon and Shazzrah is pulled the same way).
These packs will also be on the way to Sulforon and Golemagg. Usually we pull either the Flamewalker or the Flameguard, (whichever is easiest to pull), and peel the other one. It's important that the hunters, MT and off-tank communicate on who gets what.
Boss encounters:
Lucifron/Gehennas:
Requires 3 hunters, one to pull closest guard, one to peel the second guard and one to peel Lucy/Gehennas himself. Note! The peeling of the boss should be done as fast as possible after the initial pull!
Magmadar:
This encounter requires Tranquility shot, a special attack you learn by a book that drops off Lucifron. Mag will every 15 seconds or so, go into a frenzied state, where he will cause more dmg to the MT, this state must be shut down as fast as possible with Tranq. (Timer is 20 seconds). The way Basin on Tich do it, is that we pair up hunters, where the players in each pair fire at the same time when he gets into frenzy, the hit rate is like 90% with an average decked character, so it’s very unlikely that both will miss. If the tank has him facing the end of the cave the sides are a good way to stand. Hunters with improved range will have no problem firing from outside his fear range.
Requirements:
- Magmadar mod. (Gives you a warning when he gets into frenzy, and when his fear will be released).
- Macroes for /Basinhunter; “<charactername> Hit” and ”<charactername> missed”.
- Isolate your "combat spell hits" in combat log for this encounter, as it's important that you can easily see if you hit/missed to send the hit/miss macro to /basinhunter channel.
Garr:
Pending on the amount of Warlocks for banish, Hunters get assigned to off-tanks, where each team gets assigned to a location in the cave by the raid leader, and peels the assigned “guard” to the off tank, freezing traps will buy some time here too.
Baron Geddon/Shazzrah:
DPS duty, besides pet pulling. (Note! The hunter pet-pulling, should stay in the middle of the room with the MT, and stay there until he’s sure the MT has aggro).
Sulforon/Golemagg/Majordomo:
Peel assigned guards to off-tanks. On Majordomo we have 2 hunters Distracting Shot'ing Domo to the MT.
Ragnaros
DPS.
Sjur
Note! some additional info in regard to gear on:[1]
Alliance
(written by Mirajj, the main puller on the Avarice raids on Stormrage)
The primary role of the Hunter is single target, smooth, aggro-free, high, ranged DPS output. We are (or should be) nearly heal-free damage. We are pullers or splitters. We bring the mob to the tanks toes. Then we stay there, hoping that the tank gets it off us before we die. If not...well, we died well in service to the raid.
There are several ways to pull, and as you are likely 60 by the time you are raiding, you've got your favorite already. All I will add is to use a low ranking instant cast (my pulling macro is currently set to fire a single Arcane Shot, Rank 1) so the tank has no trouble getting aggro from the puller. Don't use a DoT, as those can be tricky to beat for aggro.
When I am pulling and need a hand or a split, I will randomly pick a hunter from the rank and file. It could be you. IMHO, if you are in the raid, you can be called on to perform raid duties. I will quickly explain (in our class channel) what I want you to do. Generally, it'll be something like "I need you to split the Giant off my Destroyer pull, and pull him to the MA." Step up quickly, acquire your target, stand on/near your tank, and tell me when you are ready. Remember that while the raid is waiting for you...I'd rather be sure that you are sure of what you are doing than botch the pull. If you aren't clear on what needs to be done, please ask for clarification.
Pulling in MC can be both as easy as it looks, or harder than you can imagine. Lots of little tricks to learn, as several of you will be learning when raids resume.
Pets have a place in MC now, and I'm not going to tell you how to use your pet. You ought to know by now. Just, please, be careful with them.
Spec...As far as I'm concerned, all three Hunter talent trees are viable. We hunters are a widespread bunch through the trees though, and have passed several "I'm just standing here waiting" times discussing builds and specs. Bring yours to the 'table'.
The last point of discussion is gear. What is the well dressed endgame Hunter wearing these days? It comes down to, IMHO, 3 choices. Well, really 2 choices and a special case. The special case is the Black Dragonscale Armor 'set'. High fire resist plus Ranged attack power bonuses make it a shoo-in for the second half of MC. Not required, but nice, to be sure.
The two choices boil down to the full BeastStalker set, or the DM "Crit Set". From my tests, and what I can tell from TheoryCraft, there is very little to distinguish one from the other, aside from your damage preference. I'd say pick one or the other (The DM set would be easier to get, imho) and go for it. It's something else we'll talk about in channel, during the downtimes.
Mage
Horde
Alliance
Paladin
Alliance
Priest
Horde
Alliance
Rogue
Horde
Alliance
Rogues get the lousy job in raiding. We have probably the best single-target damage output in the game, but are at the most risk while doing so. Unlike the rest of the DPS classes (with the exception of the DPS warrior), we will be in melee range and will probably get squished by an errant footstep. Alternately, the overanxious rogue will draw attention by doing too much damage and get flattened. Tip - don't do that
Feint - this ability is essential in raiding. A sucessful hit with Feint will reduce your threat to that mob, making it less likely to attack you. While Alliance rogues may get 30% less threat due to Blessing of Salvation, it is still important to use Feint liberally. Depending on the mob, the tank, and your damage output, you may not need to feint all that much. Other mobs may require you to feint every time you can and to back off in addition to that so the tank can establish aggro. This is something you learn through practice.
Vanish - also known as "poof." If you have been feinting liberally and you still get hit, Vanish is probably your best choice in a raid. If it works (sometimes a big IF), you leave combat and wipe aggro. This is good, since it lets you start in again. Just remember the 5 minute timer and reagent cost.
Utility skills - these don't get much use in raiding, see Mirajj's section on hitting one button. Sap is usually safe, but usually doesn't quite cut it; especially when you need to be in melee range. As someone who has used Improved Sap to pull UBRS, I can say that it was one of the most stressful runs ever. Distract can be useful to stop patrols, but will not be used all that often.
Poison - Instant Poison is pretty much all you use. Once in a while, Mind Numbing and Crippling. I usually keep 2 stacks of Instant, 2 stacks of Crippling, 1 stack of Mind Numbing, 2 stacks of Flash Powder and 1 stack of Blinding Powder. There have been reports of Mind Numbing being helpful in encounters like Onyxia.
Talent Spec - again, almost all talent specs will work. Some will work better than others. Personally, I would recommend 31/8/12 for a dagger rogue where Imp. Ambush gives you a solid opener, and Improved Backstab and Seal Fate allow quick generation of combo points for finishers. Alternately, sword/mace/fist rogues may want a 31+ combat build to maximize their Sinister Strike damage (remaining points often end up in Assassination). These builds focus on damage output, which is really all a rogue brings to the table in a raid.
Gear - Shadowcraft is decent as a whole, the standout pieces are probably the helm, belt, and boots. Depending on your build and preference, other blue items may be more preferable. For example, a Seal Fate Rogue might prefer items with straight +crit%, while a SS rogue might prefer items with +Attack Power to get a more consistantly powerful attack. Shadowpanther.net is a good place to start your wish list.