More on Warlocks in the Expansion

[Kevin]

That's the thing though, GG. You are just at the cusp of where the other classes start to catch the hunter (and they'll quickly surpass you) in my experience. I outdamaged folks pre-MC/ZG and was very good competition in MC. As our raiders started to get mostly BWL gear and beyond, I found that I'd topped out of my damage (No new gear) while they were just hitting their stride. You are just at the cusp. If TBC wasn't around the corner, I'd ask you to come back when you have about 1/2 of AQ reliably on farm, and compare damage amonst the classes.

OK when I say kept up, I mean top the damage charts. And it's not that the other classes aren't pulling their weight. It's me being essentially perfect on my shot cycles and aggro control (allowing me to be in combat essentially immediately and not worry about getting aggro). I beat out other better geared hunters at times too so I know that some of it is skill with the class. It's paying attention to the pet (I did 1.1 million damage on our last MC, my pet did 450K you combine that and the only thing that had a chance was the mages with the water elements added in). Last BWL (through Chrommie) when you combined pets, it was the same thing, I was behind only the top two geared mages (without my pet I was only 6th but well 200K damage from a pet shouldn't be ignored). And the hunters are behind in gear, as T2 gear simply has not been dropping for the hunters, so we have rogues, mages, and locks in 5 or 6 pc T2, and I've finally gotten my 2nd pc of T2 (belt and gloves and I don't wear the gloves a lot because of the value of +hit on GS). And again I look at what rogues and mages and locks did on SR for damage and the locks and mages and rogues on Terenas are doing the same type of numbers.

I also respectfully disagree that there aren't upgrades for the hunters out there after BWL either. There are several ranged weapons that would provide me a significant upgrade, there are several armor pieces and trinkets that are better than what I'm using. There are certainly weapons that would give me more damage than my Zulian Stone Axe even when you factor in what that extra int does for me. There are definately rings and ammies that beat what I've go. Sure they may not be as big of an upgrade as what other classes may get but I don't expect to be pushed out of the top 5 in equal gearing.

And from the browsing I do on the EJ forums hunters in the top 5 in AQ40 and Naxx is not unusual at all.

Something I've long wondered about is why what any class can do solo, by themselves, out and about in the world has anything to do with the price of tea in china. Who really cares? Out there, it's just you vs the mob you have chosen to pick on. Some do it faster, some do it with less downtime, some are just more fun, even if they aren't "the best".

So me being able to spend 1/3 the time farming to get what I need for raid readiness has no bearing on anything? Me being able to solo quests that others need to group for means nothing? No, it has bearing, the game is easier for the hunter. Being able to farm with the toon I raid with makes me that much more aware of the toon too. I can't farm with my paladin so that means I'm farming with someone else and that means I'm less "in tune" with that character in raids and such. It means I may not be as happy playing that toon at all because I know that I can't do everything with it the game offers. It matters.