Working on My Pet Tank Set

I'm working on my tank set. Or actually, I'm working on making a couple variations of a tank set. One will be high stamina, medium-low threat. Another will sacrifice some stamina for more threat generation.

The above snapshot is me just flipping into my stamina set during a raid. I didn't switch talents or pets. It was a little humorous that a healer tossed me a quick heal and then needed to follow it up with a couple more.

I didn't take my flask yet but I do have an Imp buff. I also obtained two new pieces of PvP gear after this screenshot was taken - which I'll use in my stamina set.

This is fun stuff. Then again, I love to make gear sets.

My Haiku: The Tragic Goodbye

The stables are full.
I choose to abandon.
My children cry out.

I've had to make up stories of what happens to the pets when I dismiss them. Who they go off to see. If other people take them on as pets. Who will love them. And so on.

You can vote for it and/or see other hunter pet haikus over in Mania's Hunter Haiku contest. You'll need to do a forums signup or email Mania in order to vote.

Hunter Buffs and Nerfs

Ferocious Inspiration: This ability is now an aura and provides 1/2/3% damage to all party or raid members within 100 yards and boosts the damage of Steady Shot by 3/6/9%.

So, is this really the case or just a typo in two places? Looks like a BM annoyance. I have to think that it's really what was advertised before by Ghostcrawler: a damage boost to Steady and Arcane by 3/6/9%.

Needle-Encrusted Scorpion: Volley and Explosive Shot can now properly trigger this trinket.

Grats Marksmen and SVs geared a little like marksmen!

Lock and Load: Fixed a bug where Lock and Load always proc'd 100% of the time from the first tick of Explosive Trap and never from additional ticks. It should now be 6% as advertised.

I guess I wasn't aware this was broken. My previous ICC-trash method was: MD-to-tank, drop Explosive Trap, disengage, get LnL proc, fire ES, tab, fire ES, tab, fire ES, multi-shot, Volley. Collect 10k dps on trash. Oh well. 3 mobs, 6% chance per mob per tick means it's a good chance that you'll get the proc in two ticks. The problem will be threat. Chalk this up as a bug fix that nerfs SV hunters - in PvP and trash.

Rapid Fire: Now triggers the global cooldown correctly.

That sucks a CD from our lives. Sucks a couple for Marksmen. Chalk this up as a straight up hunter nerf that wasn't necessary. EDIT: Hmm. Some comments from players at OutDPS think this is a bug fix that lets us use it during the GCD. Terrible wording on the fix if that is the case.

Sniper Training: Reduced the time it takes to gain this effect so with lag it will feel more consistent with the 6 seconds stated in the tooltip.

Mmmkay. So, less than 6 seconds, but perhaps more than 5 seconds? Or maybe custom to the client lag? I guess this is an SV buff. 5.x seconds is still a fairly long time on some fights.

Mortal Shots: This talent was not correctly buffing Serpent Sting by the full amount.

Grats again Marksmen.

And the final one is.. Pets will get the ICC buff in 3.3.3. So grats all hunters, but especially to any people that want to re-try BM there. With the FI change it's supposed to be comparable to SV. And SV can do better than MM on some fights.

BM Love or Not?

If it's just a change from Arcane to Steady, it is a dps-neutral change. If it's what it was on the PTR -- a buff to Steady and keeping the buff to Arcane, then it's a good buff for BM.

Hall of Shame/Fame

Lassira told us of Mordicai's considerable Hall of Fame achievement. He tamed all four spirit beasts. Pretty cool. I have to think they aren't as camped as they once were, but still quite impressive.

So I went to the armory page of this impressive hunter. I was expecting ... well ... I was not expecting to see another bad hunter. I was sad. I was angry. I was mortified.

It wasn't because they were a blood elf.

It wasn't because they are 450 in jewelcrafting but don't use any jewelcrafter-only jewels.

It wasn't the four pieces of PvP gear. That can be a reasonable crutch. And hell, I think I'm logged out in my PvP gear at the moment.

It wasn't the 12.23% hit chance and him still using the +hit/+AP trinket and nearly worthless +hit/+haste trinket as a solo talent tree BM hunter.

It wasn't the bad and sometimes not maxed out pet talents.

It wasn't the tank gun.

It wasn't the spellpower/mp5 pants.

It was everything.

Am I too harsh? "Maybe it's just an alt with a lot of time on his hands." "He didn't ask for this scrutiny! Mind your own business!" Do I have some personal deficit for being offended at how bad this person looks in the armory? Or was it just whiplash from expecting them to be top notch?

EDITED TO ADD: Ah. This guy was not disappointing. Of course he's an insane over-achiever and a hunter.