Fighting Hunters in PvP

I plan on doing an article on every class in WoW to help you beat them in PvP. These guides will not be based on specific class vs class, but more on how to identify what talent spec your opponent is, the dangers of his spec, the weaknesses, and how to defeat them.

Hunters
All hunters can be defeated by taking advantage of the dead zone. The dead zone is the area a few yards around the hunter. You want to be in this area as much as possible. All hunters have to deal with this regardless of spec. Once inside the dead zone, use all skills available to you to keep the hunter as close as possible. Be aware you will be wing clipped if you get into melee range, which is similar to a warrior's hamstring.

All hunters also have access to traps. Traps commonly used in pvp are frost trap, freezing trap, and snake trap. Freezing trap entraps your character in a block of ice, preventing all actions from you until damage has been caused. Once broken, you must close the gap fast in order to stand a chance of beating the hunter. Frost trap places a patch of ice which slows down movement of all enemies standing upon the patch. This trap also has a chance to snare your character if the hunter is specced with the appropriate talent in the survival tree. Snake trap releases many low level snakes that cause poison damage to whoever they land on, usually used on healers to make them focus on cleansing themselves.

Other notable skills all hunters have regardless of spec are concussive shot, viper sting, flare, and hunter's mark. Concussive shot slows down your character shortly, but also increases the damage of steady shot for the hunter while concussive shot is active on you. Viper sting drains mana fairly quickly, and should be removed ASAP if you are able. Flare will take stealth classes out of stealth if you are close enough to the flare. Hunter's mark will also allow the hunter to see you in stealth, however it is not a big deal for classes that do not have stealth.

Identifying the spec of the hunter.

I recommend you read all specs, due to hybrid specs. However if you ever see a 41 talent point ability used, you can rule out 21 talent point skills of another talent tree.




Beastmaster

Pet damage will be higher than other hunters. Also look for how fast skills like claw are occuring. Beast mastery gives hunters a talent granting their pets increased energy regeneration. While Marks hunters get a similar effect, it's not as consistent as beast mastery.

Beast mastery also gets 2 unique skills; Intimidation and Beastial Wrath/The Beast within. Intimidation is a 3 second stun, and when cast, a blue-ish aura will radiate from the pet. Beastial Wrath/The Beast Within is easily seen. Once cast, both the pet and hunter will grow in size, and become red. Once this happens, the hunter and pet are immune to all CC's and get increased damage.




-=- Defeating Beast Mastery Hunters -=-

A significant source of DPS from beast mastery hunters comes from the pet. In group pvp such as the arena, it may be worth your time to kill the pet. Stuns should be used whenever possible on the hunter. While the hunter is stunned, he cannot cast bestial wrath and trigger the beast within, or intimidation. You're going to want to kill beast mastery hunters quickly, and avoid the beast within at all costs.

If the beast within is triggered, you have to either stay in the dead zone, or somehow get away for 18 seconds. Hunters with the beast within active are very deadly. It's basically a god mode for hunters. Some classes can escape the hunter pretty easily though. Rouges can Cloak of Shadows and vanish, or frost mages can double ice block, if you chose to use those cool downs. A good healer should also be able to manage to keep you alive as well.

Overall, once the beast within is gone, beast mastery hunters shouldn't prove to be that tough to take down.

Marks

Marks spec hunters are not easily identifiable visually, however they have some unique skills that can be easily seen. Burst damage is a lot more common with marks hunters, if you're hit by a 3.6k aimed shot followed by a 1.5k multi shot, you're most likely facing a marks hunter. Pet damage is low, unlike beast mastery hunters. Casters can immediately a marks hunter if they are ever interrupted by Silencing Shot.

-=- Defeating Marks hunters -=-

Marks hunters are somewhat glass cannons, due to most stacking high Agility and attack power gear to get the most out of their damage. Once you close the dead zone for the first time, expect to be scatter shot and possibly trapped. If you are trapped, once again close the gap and use all possible CC's to keep the hunter slowed down. Ranged classes are going to want to avoid being nuked by the hunter, due to the high burst damage that is possible.

Marks hunters don't have as many options for survivability as the other specs, however, skilled marks hunters offer the highest threat to you. Avoid letting them get far away from you, and they should fall easily.

Survival Hunters

Survival hunters are generally more PVE oriented and pose the least threat to you as a PVP opponent, unless they are extremely well geared. Survival hunters have increased trap durations, and all traps can snare you with the entrapment talent.

Survival hunters have 3 abilities that can be activated by them; Deterrence, Wyvern Sting, and Readiness. Deterrence increases the hunters chance to dodge and parry by 25%. Deterrence can be easily countered by staying behind the hunter, making it imposable to dodge and parry. Wyvern sting is more of a PVE CC ability. Once shot, you will remain sleeping for 12 seconds, then get a DOT which causes 942 nature damage. Any damage will awaken you. Readiness acts just like rogue's preparation. Readiness will put all of the hunter's cooldowns back to 0, so expect some trap abuse.

-=- Defeating Survival Hunters -=-

Once again, due to survival being PVE oriented, you can generally just use simple hunter tactics to beat them. Get in the dead zone, keep them there, and drop them. However readiness allows the hunter to use some unique strategies, such as chain trapping. If chain trapping occurs, you should trinket out of the second trap, not the first, then close the distance. If you trinket out of the first trap, you may run into the 2nd one right after, and have wasted your trinket. Using your trinket on the 2nd trap will insure you cannot be trapped again for another 30 seconds. I recommend you get some add on that will alert you of the use of readiness, such as Natur Enemy Cast bar.

All specs of hunters are best taken down quickly. If the hunter is ever at a distance from you, and you have no skills off cooldown to reach the hunter once again, consider yourself dead. Identify the talent spec, expect and deal with abilities the hunter has available to him, and remain in control.