I have a dilemma. I originally started this blog at the request of a friend who wanted me to share my knowledge of Warcraft related things. So I did. I created a new Blogger account, tossed the site together, and modified as time went on. I eventually got it to the shape it is in now. I update my banner when my in-game appearance changes, just for kicks. And other than guild progression posts, I try to write things useful and relevant to the Hunter class.
I make sure my research is accurate, my mechanics are up-to-date, etc. And I’ve had some success. My Shot Rotations guide and my Shot Macro list are my two most viewed pages. This is followed by the Hunter Gem/Spec/Enchant pages. The friend I started the blog for has since quit the game so I was left posting to help share my knowledge with anyone who cared to listen and maybe learn a thing or two about Hunters.
There are a lot of Hunter blogs out there, some talking about game mechanics, some talking about general endeavors in Azeroth, etc. And there are a few readers who check out the blog, leave comments, etc. But in the end most things seem to fall on deaf ears so to speak. So I’ve been wondering if I should just wrap up my Hunter blogging and get ready for my Death Knight, or perhaps see if my wife would be interested in posting on the blog about her endeavors from a different point of view.
There are a few sites people visit quite frequently even if said sites are providing wrong information, out-dated information, etc. So I guess I just need to decide what I want to do. Blogging is quite entertaining. And while I wish I could say “Oh, I blog for myself”, I would be lying. I have the information in my head and don’t really need to write it down for my personal use. I just thought I would try and be helpful.
So my advice for the day:
Do not use cast sequence macros for your shot rotations. They are subject to lag, and can cause significant DPS loss. The effectiveness of those types of macros were greatly diminished with the modification of the Auto Shot functionality. Use one of the many macros I have listed on my site or many of the other sites which are using updated information. Any 3:2 macro will automatically switch to a 1:1 macro when your attack speed passes that threshold. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, until a game mechanic happens to change.
Also if you have chosen to use the “click” functionality in your macro to help prevent the Auto Shot lockout with a macro like this:
/console Sound_EnableSFX 0
/cast !Auto Shot
/click [target=pettarget,exists] MultiBarBottomLeftButton12
/cast Steady Shot
/console Sound_EnableSFX 1
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()
#showtooltip Kill Command
/castsequence reset=4 Kill Command, !Auto Shot, !Auto Shot, !Auto Shot
The MultiBarBottomLeftBottom12 is the far right button on the bar that appears directly above your main bar on Blizzard’s UI. The main bar is referred to as ActionBar, so ActionBarButton12, and the bar that appears above your bags, etc is known as MultiBarBottomRightButton12. Replace the 12 in those references with whichever button you placed your Kill Command macro on, numbered 1-12, left to right.
Questions, comments, concerns, etc. See you tomorrow.
Please dont stop bloging =) this is the only site i have found that suite my needs, aspect of hare is great for a good read but i like the theroy craft and game mechanic descussion of this site. btw i saw you was speced 7/20/34 on the armory the other day, how did that go? would love to hear somthing about that.
also you typed buttom right bar when you was referig to the bar just over our main action bar, just so you know =)
I just found your blog while trying to find Cheeky’s spreadsheet. If I were to write one, it would end up an awful lot like yours. What you choose to do is ultimately up to you, but from my perspective I hope you don’t close up shop. There is a ton of good info here, and you actively look to increase your knowledge base. Our hunter community is full of people who refuse to admit they are wrong, and refuse to do the work to prove they are right.
You giving up because of the idiocy on BRK (I followed that link… I’m just starting raiding, but wow… really? Use your biggest DPS gain ability to mask the fact that you stopped DPSing? Really?) would be a huge loss. Those who back BRK based solely on traffic are who are wrong, not you.
I missed almost all raiding this weekend trying to increase my knowledge to further my lead as the top hunter in my guild. I’m also the most ill-equipped of the raiding hunters, but knowing what the hell I am doing has me outperforming everyone else by a good deal.
You do what’s best for you, don’t keep this up due to one comment if it will kill your love for the game and your writing. But if you enjoy this half as much as it seems, please keep doing it to get another intelligent perspective that’s not just rehashing stuff you can find 15 other places. (I’m looking at you, BM guid on Hunter’s Lodge.)
Remua of Baelgun
Thanks for the kind words. It is reassuring to know people appreciate it. It makes me smile knowing that someone got something out of my posts. Makes the hours at work less dreary. :) As far as the 7/20/34 went, I liked the spec a lot. IAotH did what it’s suppose to, and let me drop into a 1:1 rotation quite frequently. Tomorrow we start a fresh raid week, so I will be able to see what kind of DPS it outputs on some of those Hyjal fights where I really get to focus on my rotation.
I’d hate to see you go. I stumbled upon your blog through a google search and I’ve come back daily since then. Although I am not a hunter, I still find your posts interesting. It was all because of you that I now know most of the Flight of the Conchords songs. I am a rogue on Illidan and enjoy reading about your progress through the higher level instances. My guild is just starting TK/SSC and it’s almost like I get to experience the higher end instances vicariously through your blog since it provides so much more detail than a simple How To video of a boss kill. Although this is technically a hunter blog, I enjoy it. Please, keep up the good work. We have put progression on hold temporarily while we farm sunwell trash while the prices on these items are still insane. Hope to see you on the Isle.
Are you Horde or Alliance? That way I know if I shouldn’t be attacking someone. :) Thanks for reading the blog. I will make sure to keep up with some detailed boss descriptions.
And yeah, those Sunmotes are craaaazzy money right now.
There was a time where I was fresh 70, not too long ago really. Only about two months. I thought I wasn’t a huntard, jeez, did I ever get proved wrong. I started doing more research, googling stuff, Stumbled upon this website and it has been the greatest hunter tool I’ve used yet. Even as a fresh 70 I looked at BRK an d saw the video for the jump shot. I asked myself who this video was directed towards and found out the website was indeed directed to the 12 year olds of azeroth and beyond.
Anyways, the point being… Keep on posting if that’s what you you want to do. You’ve helped me out more than anybody else, and shoot, I don’t even know you.
In the words of Joe Dirt (which has been on Comedy Central all weekend) keep on keepin on.
Yeah, I always find this a very informative, well-researched and well-argued blog. Not only do you give good pointers, you also make sure what you say is up to date. That last fact is sorely missing from a lot of other sites, including Elitist Jerks, the general forums (yeah, I know, but lots of people there, and there are pearls inbetween the swines), and Nihilum’s big hunter thread.
Would be nice if you went on :-).
Uncle Mario Whenever someone can take such a horfriic experience & turn it into something positive it becomes very special; and that great energy flows into the gala & encompasses the people attending. I’ve left both the last 2 galas feeling empowered.
Like the other people who have commented thus far – I enjoy your blog because it’s entertaining and interesting while also being accurate and useful. Unlike some other hunter blogs that contain inaccurate information, I’ve always found your posts to be in line with all that proper theorycrafting would suggest. When I’m looking for a perspective from the other half of the hunter experience(my character is bm/mm), I come here first.
(Even though I know that you’ve switched to the more pewpew spec as of late ;-)
@ First Anonymous – thank you for the compliment!
@ Drotara – As a lot of the comments have said, this is a very informative blog and you have done lots to improve my hunter skills. I will admit, I am also a big fan of BRK and he has improved me a lot too… but I like the point-counterpoint of you and BRK (or other hunter bloggers or commenters) because it encourages me to test things myself or find out what works best for me, myself, and in the end makes me a much better player instead of just using one person as a “bible”.
If you feel like a break would be good or you would like to get some guest posts in here, I’m sure we wouldn’t blame ya. But you have a lot of loyal readers who appreciate what you do. =)
This makes me glad to know that people read read the blog for the reason I originally set out to do. I appreciate the support in knowing you guys are out there reading the information. :) As Charles said, I’ll “keep on keepin’ on.”
Hopefully Anonymous Illidan posts again so I know who to wave to or to say hi to. :)
Woah, woah ,woah. Dont you dare stop :oP
I never post but ALWAYS read, from a hunter on a EU server this is the 3rd site i vist dailt and always love what you post and take it on board. Eletist Jerks has taken me from a 500 DPS hunter to a 1300 DPS hunter (with little gear change)
Keep it up and thanks!
Ever since I found your blog–
googling for tips on how to be a better hunter–
I’ve been checking it daily. Not only entertaining but RIDICULOUSLY informative.
My hunter is my main, always will be, had him at level 70 for about a year, and always came up lackluster on this DPS charts– basically all I could do was chain trap. Sigh.
Then I found this spot (not to take away from any other blogs, especially, Alu’s Corner!) and now I’m hitting #1, or pretty damn close rather regularly.
Don’t go! Don’t go!
Hey Daniel please don’t stop the blog. If it wasn’t for your great advice information I for sure wouldn’t have able to take Wolf Rider as far as he has come!
The ‘other’ site I found amusing, I visited it a few times and really never returned. At least with Less QQ I can find the information that I need to help me better my hunter.
Many thanks to you for all your hours into the blog and your hard work, some of us really do appreciate your efforts!
There’s not much to say here that hasn’t already been said, but I counldn’t agree more with Pike’s point-counterpoint statement. While I do try to skip around for some balance; your blog, BRK, and alu are the only remaining WoW sites I hit up daily.
Obviously it boils down to whatever’s best for you, but don’t stop writing based on the assumption that no one’s listening…
When we need someone to bounce ideas off of, it’s a lifesaver to have a knowledgable player who isn’t afraid to disagree with the conventional wisdom of the month.
…It’s been a very long day, hopefully this comment still seems coherent in the morning ;)
Love the site. I have being reading it for a while now. Your 1:1 rotation macro helped me out a ton. My guild is just getting Kara on farm so it is nice to read about what I got coming up thru your eyes. Keep blogging.
P.S. I got the relentless crossbow and the chest piece as well. I got my speed at 2.0. Should I move to the 3:2 rotation you think? My lock friend is on my butt and I don’t want her to catch me. :)
Telrunya – Baelgun Server US
Thanks for the great blog. I have you in my GoogleReader, so you won’t see me in the page views count. But, every post is viewed in full. Thanks for all the advise. Once the bathroom renovations, WoW here I come.
Ernie
I started my hunter blog because my real life and live journal friends really didn’t want to hear about the world of warcraft. I mostly post things for myself… just tracking my own personal progress. Its really not anything I expected people to read, though some people do seem interested and ready to offer advice.
Your blog is the other type though, the useful information type. I’ve never played a video game before that required research and math to be good at it. The whole thing is still kinda boggling to me.
I’ve learned a lot from you. And from reading the comments on this post, it looks like a lot of other people have to.
I know how discouraging it can be to put a lot of time into something and not get any feedback. I’m guilty of reading your posts every day in my google reader and not clicking onto the site to comment. I suspect you have a lot more readers than you are aware of.
I hope you keep blogging. But even if you don’t, keep the site up. The old pages are good resources for us noobie hunters.
I really hope that you don’t throw it in. I know how frustrating blogging can b at times – but please know that I value your hunter advice above all others. I have a level 66 hunter that is approaching 70 and is kicking ass thanks to advice I find here.
All the best.
And just to be sure I understand.. I can use this 3:2 macro with good results REGARDLESS of my weapon speed? I understand that a 2.9ish speed is optimal but I don’t want to have to change my macro every time I get a different weapon.
That is correct, the macro works regardless of weapon speed. That was the beauty of the Auto Shot change, allowing this type of shot rotation to work, allowing Hunters to focus more on the stats and damage of a weapon rather than being overly obsessed about the weapon speed.
Thanks for reading everyone.
Daniel–
As you can see, just because you don’t always get a lot of comments doesn’t mean you don’t have a lot of readers. Keep at it.
PTD
Hey – sorry for the late comment, but I really enjoy your blog – it is one of my favorites!
I really enjoy it because I know that I will probably never get to see the high end content that you are enjoying so it’s fun to live vicariously through your videos.
Plus where else will I /drool over all the phat loot you get?
Halberd of Desolation……/wipe drool.
Anyhow, please keep it up!
Thanks for all you do.
I also love the blog.
I am a huge BRK fan, and while he is not responsible for pulling myself out of huntardness (I did that myself), he is the one who provided most of the information and links to allow me to become a valuable member in groups as a hunter. Which is, I think, exactly the reason for his blog.
I come to this blog to get information that is just that much more accurate and useful to fine tune my hunter to be the best I can be.
And I sorry I’m going to call it, even if you don’t mention it. A lot of your entries are direct responses to his post on whatever class mechanic of the day (for example the macros in this post). But yours are generally more accurate or have some way to fine tune past what is presented there. Reading both posts gives me the bigger picture, and after reading his posts I’ll often eagerly wait for your response.
I have attempted to refrain from directly responding to his posts. A lot of his posts are humorous in nature and are entertaining no doubt. Such as the Running of da Bulls and things like that.
But sometimes I just have to post some of the clarifications regarding game mechanics.
I appreciate the comment as well. :)