Hunter's Instance Role...

[Brista]

One strategy, which is much less sophisticated than the preceding analysis but which works pretty well for my Mage in pickup groups is

- let someone pull
- let them fight for a bit
- when the monster's at 80% let loose with everything you have
- in a multi-mob pull only acquire new targets already down to 80% or lower

Hardly ever get aggro no matter how badly the others are playing. Sometimes I don't do a lot before it dies but if that's the case then it was something easy anyway

[Carl]

I am not a hunter so I cannot offer advice on how to play your hunter.

However, as a non-hunter I can offer advice on what to do for the rest of your team, which is to keep control of your pet. You must know absolutely where your pet is and what it is doing at all times.

Specifically, do not let you pet wander around aking up mobs and do not let your pet attack sheeped / stunned / feared mobs, breaking the spell.

As a mage I can assure you that poly causes more aggro than your pet and if I poly an add and then your pet attacks it, the mob will then go after me, not the pet.

[Mirajj]

Some great advice in here, thank you all.

It sounds like I'm doing alright for hunter's in a group, then. Normally in a group, I tend to hang back around the Mage/Priest, as I either range or outrange them. I stand around them, sometimes keeping my pet with me, sometimes having it attack what the 'heavies' are.

I've looked at it as the tank/fighters as heavies, myself as a medium, and the mage/priest as a light, so I figured I should be between them and the enemy. Sounds like I should be ok, though I'm going to work on pet control a little more.

[Drasca]

I recommend keeping your pet in reserve as an 'off-tank.' Talk to your party first, but pets are generally used to hold secondary and tertiary targets to reduce primary heal costs. I've seen hunters heal their pets, and I know warlocks can too.

Damage is useful, but survival is moreso, especially when there's a break-away mob that charges your casters. Always send your pets to attack break-aways chasing your casters, particularly healers.

[Mavfin]

When the warrior gets hit it generates rage, so if the pet draws the aggro if defocuses not only the healing from the warrior, but also rage generation.
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When in an instance, as the designated tank warrior, your goal (not always done, but it's the goal) is to have all the currently-being-fought mobs facing you, the tank, all hating you above all others, so the rest of the party can butcher them. Three mobs all hating me the most, a full rage bar, and a good healer is instance heaven for a tank warrior. If you want to send your pet in, turn off growl, and leave bite and claw on. Let him damage something. The aggro is the tank's to keep. I probably have a 40% damage reduction or more...do you or your pet? If I keep the aggro, the priest doesn't have to heal everyone else very much, and the hunter and his pet can do damage. I generally tell hunters in instances that I tank:

A) keep their pets on passive, but feel free to send them in as damage-dealers once the fight has started and I've got aggro, just leave growl off. A lvl 30 cat can deal some real damage, but not enough to pull them off me if I've got them locked down. I do tell them if the pet dies, it dies. He can res him after the fight, and/or the pet will get healed at the healer's discretion, if the healer thinks it's important for that fight, or has the extra mana. Basically the pet is an expendable damage dealer. A good extra. (I do carry extra meat/food for my hunter friend's pet when we're headed to an instance, though...I do like her cat, he can kill stuff!)

B) Traps, depends on the hunter and the situation.

C) hunter does not necessarily=main puller. Depends on the instance and the group.

Another thing pets are good for is butchering non-elites, if your AoE people are busy with the big boys. Fluffy, my hunter friend's cat, delights in killing non-elites and also is great for runner duty.

With the above listed points , a good hunter is an asset to the group, like any good player.

Edit: Yes, the good hunters who show good pet control, are asked to do 'squishy barrier' duty. They can move their pet around, and off the main target freely to fill holes, as the tank should have it locked.