Thread: Why do you play the Hunter?

Reason for topic: So that we have a topic to show to people in the future if they're considering playing this class.


What made you try out the Hunter? What are some of the things you love about the Hunter? Are there certain characteristics that stand out from other classes that you like?, etc.

Explain in detail as if you were trying to talk someone into playing this class. Looking forward to replies




Like this topic? Also see:

• Why do you play the Burglar?
• Why do you play the Captain?
• Why do you play the Champion?
• Why do you play the Guardian?
• Why do you play the Hunter?
• Why do you play the Lore-Master?
• Why do you play the Minstrel?
• Why do you play the Rune-Keeper?
• Why do you play the Warden?

Why did you decide to start 8 threads all at once that have already been discussed?

Originally Posted by Widoch

Why did you decide to start 8 threads all at once that have already been discussed?

I had several Personal Messages sent to me (following the Warden topic) requesting me to do so So I thought 'why not?' and posted them. I didn't post them all at once, just most of them. The Warden one has been around for a while already (and I've been happy with the feedback so far). The other topics before seemed kind of messy, to be honest.

I think putting all of these in one topic would be extremely messy. People would have to weed out what reply was for what class, and possibly spend hours weeding through replies instead of just being sent to a single topic.

Hunters, I love mine so much. For two main reasons:

Taxi, I can go anywhere and take people with me!

I also put out a ton of DPS all the time, its great solo, however I feel that it is really hard to switch into groups because I always pull the aggro from the tank, and I always rush in and use my melee because im used to it, however there still a ton of fun to play, but they get a little boring after awhile.

I wanted to play a ranged class since I played a ranger mainly in GW. It turned out to be completely different, way more than expected so I stayed with it all the way since pre-order time.

I am not much of an alt person anymore, not with all these LIs around, and started to PvP on my hunter in May 2007 already, so because I could not bother starting another class I sticked with the hunter there as well. So far I never regretted it, since it turned out that I know my class and I am considered to be a very capable hunter. Now I know this might not be the case with another class. So I play the hunter because my capabilities lie that way.

This is my first online gaming experience, started at the suggestion of two of my sons. Frankly, I had no clue how to play when I started, so I wanted a ranged class to learn on. Also, the travel skills appealed to me. And, after a year on the game, and seeing how HUGE the world is, I appreciate them even more. Also, her tracking skills are really great, especially when looking for that last warg or named bad guy I need to finish a quest! As I learn to play (yes, I'm still learning after a year), the hunter gets better and easier for me to use.

I solo almost exclusively and I have alts of other classes. My guardian is really good when I'm in a "close combat" sort of mood. I also have a lore master, minstrel and burglar because I like to try out other forms of combat. But I have found the hunter to be the easiest, most forgiving class to learn on.

In a nutshell, I play a hunter because I've always been fascinated with archery. It was the one part of summer camp that I always looked forward too (even though I couldn't hit a barn). I've also played similar characters in other MMOs and RPGs.
I consider my Hunter to be my main character. He's the first one to jump into new content and essentially lets me gauge the survivability of my other characters. He's also the one I've spent the most time on, it's never a waste of time to gear him up.
I love the damage output, the porting ability (he can be anywhere at any time).
The Hunter, when properly played, can be so overwhelmingly effective in raids and instances.

I play(ed) the hunter because I was stupidly foolish enough to believe that the Hunter Dev might just one day get it right. The potential for the class is enormous, the development is pathetic.

I picked the hunter because of my love of archery. My brother carves longbows, and my most cherished memory is picking what tree my longbow would come from. Unfortunately, it is sad that the only true archer class in the game is having trouble.

I only started playing my hunter because my girlfriend started playing and got to level 18-20 and I happened to have a lvl 19 hunter already. We ended up duoing through the high 40's and then her laptop broke and she hasn't played since... I took my Hunter to end-game b/c I enjoyed playing him and has been my main ever since.

I would love the class a LOT more if got a complete overhaul, but if they simply gave us either a passive -20-25% perceived threat (to make a quick and easy fix) or gave us -5% accumulated threat every 2s for the 10s duration of Beneath Notice (along with the -60% perceived threat during those 10s) I would be happy.

In the beginning I chose the hunter for a few reasons.
I wanted an easy class to start my first MMO. I love archers in general. I had visions of standing on the walls of Helm's Deep mowing down the oncoming waves of orcs. (we will see how that goes, hopefully). And it said it was easy

As time went on I find it's the easiest class to lead a raid with. Fire your rotation. Emergency cc. Lead the troops. Call the targets.

I loves me hunter. Ranged attacks are awesome, as are the tracking skills in Moors. There are alot of us out there, but the ones that stand out, are well played. I aspire to be one of the great hunters as time goes by.

Always tweeking me skillz, and having fun as a lone free-ranger!

i LOVE my hunter. i originally created one because i had the opportunity to play my gf's hunter and i loved just about all aspects of the class.

i guess if i had to put down exactly what i like about the class, it would be the following:

1. ranged DPS
2. tracking skills
3. middle earth taxi service
4. always thought archery was cool
5. did i say ranged DPS already?

i've had a few opportunities for the gf and i to play our toons side-by-side when helping her complete come of her class quests and a few harder quests she couldn't solo. putting two of us together was simply amazing. whatever we targeted dropped before it could even catch wind of us.

now that she's approaching max level, i've been helping her set her hunter up for raiding and survivability. nearly forgot to mention that she loves her hunter for a lot of the same reasons i do.

Hunters are extreamly overpowered. i leveled a hunter up to level 30 and here is what i found.
1 Ranged dps is amazing. taking out half an opponents morale before they get to you is great.(unless your on the moors)
2 way overpowered melee dps. i see no reason a ranged dps class should have stronger melee skills than ranged skills.
3 why should a hunter have all the fun? they are way too strong to be a challenge too play. i mean at least a champ has to get close to a opponent to fight them. and a cap is not nearly as strong.
there i said it. i know i am going to get so much flak for that but it is the truth. turbine needs to make alot of changes to balance this game. but what do you expect selling you compainy to Warner Brothers?
the hunter really shows how over powered it is out on the moors. we have one class that can think about taking them on at range. and the all the hunter has to do is run up at kill it in melee. hunters (like most freep classes) need a lot of balanceing to make the game more fun and challenging and(the big one) fair out on the moors.

Originally Posted by Light12

Hunters are extreamly overpowered. i leveled a hunter up to level 30...

No, please, tell me more...

Loved Cattibrie in the Forgotten Realms books by Bob Salvatore, so played Ranger/Hunter characters in Guild Wars, WoW and now LOTRO (as well as playing Rangers in my AD&D games).

Just a shame that they're always down as the easiest class to play. I agree they are easy to play but can be pretty hard to master. It's one thing to put out a #### load of dps, it's another thing to work well with your FS on ranged pulls, kiting monsters and providing some CC.

There are also levels of dps you can output, working out the ideal rotation of skills is what I like to do (I spent a long time playing with skill combinations). It would just be great if they could make the CC role much more viable rather than the Hunter being a one trick pony.

I love my hunter because of the planning process. You really have to think it out before the fight; preparation is a hunters best friend.

And the pew-pew... obviously

I love Pent. Shot and blood arrow with Faron set and dev. pot. I love fleetness and attack when running. I love intent conc. for 9 focus= nearly 6-7 pent shot(add 1focus when crit. hit)= 12-13k damage in 3-4 sec.Thus, I love hunter.

I enjoy playing a physical ranged dps class.. and right now Hunter is the only class like that .

Well...I started a hunter to do ale association reputation runs...

And I just...kept...going...

I fell in love with my hunter lol...i love my hunter than my wife since he got better stuff than she does..shhh don't tell my wife lmao.
From DPS to ports, I love it. I love that I can crit up to almost 20k with just one skill. I do miss the moors hunter where i could have go DF if I saw a warg pack lol. I enjoy the class so much, I have 3 hunters lol.

i chose a Hunter mainly because i prefer taking out or injuring an enemy before i even engage them face to face.. i just hope they are capable of "hit and run tactic" too.

Originally Posted by Odin_of_Freyr

I play(ed) the hunter because I was stupidly foolish enough to believe that the Hunter Dev might just one day get it right. The potential for the class is enormous, the development is pathetic.

Could not agree more. :P

At one time I bow hunted in real life, so the hunter class seemed to fit my real life personalty.

I have played the Archer Class in every MMO I have tried.

I love the Hunter in LotRO because of the quick travel, the ranged combat, and the big hits.
I wish the Hunter had a few more non-combat skills, like cures and minor out of combat heals. A revamp of the camp fire skill would also make for a nice bonus.

Ah quite simple... Ports ports ports... and fast run speed... you really do not notice the benefit of these until you level a hunter to max, and then try to play a different class.. Dont get me wrong the ranged dps has always been a favorite of mine. The abilty to track mobs is quite nice too, nothing i hate more than running around forever looking for mobs... all these together makes for a smooth leveling experience.. Hence the reason all my crafting alts are hunters, all 6 of them

i would like to see the ability to drop a campfire, bind to it, and be able to port back to that camp site! DO EET TURBINE!!

Originally Posted by Deacon51

At one time I bow hunted in real life, so the hunter class seemed to fit my real life personalty.

I have played the Archer Class in every MMO I have tried.

I love the Hunter in LotRO because of the quick travel, the ranged combat, and the big hits.
I wish the Hunter had a few more non-combat skills, like cures and minor out of combat heals. A revamp of the camp fire skill would also make for a nice bonus.

1st off a hunters melee skills are meant to be used as a killing blow/utility, you hit them at range, get them down, and when they stand at your feet, slap them with a Imp Scourging Blow... Got more than one mob on you...Low Cut and run... Got a heavy hitter smashing you in melee range, Slice them with a Swift Stroke to increase your parry... And last but not least, Blindside... OMG who doesnt love Blindside, Stab them with an arrow, Pull it out, then shoot them with it If your Melee'ing a Hunter more than that, your doing it wrong... Second, I seriously doubt that Turbine will use PvmP as a reference when it comes to updates on any class... World Of Warcraft did this soo much, that people just stopped playing (i.e. Nerfing a class beacuse it was too OP in pvp...screwing over PVE) LOTRO is 1st and foremost a PVE game... the PVP component is used to draw in those who like to PVP.... that much is obvious..

Originally Posted by Light12

Hunters are extreamly overpowered. i leveled a hunter up to level 30 and here is what i found.
1 Ranged dps is amazing. taking out half an opponents morale before they get to you is great.(unless your on the moors)
2 way overpowered melee dps. i see no reason a ranged dps class should have stronger melee skills than ranged skills.
3 why should a hunter have all the fun? they are way too strong to be a challenge too play. i mean at least a champ has to get close to a opponent to fight them. and a cap is not nearly as strong.
there i said it. i know i am going to get so much flak for that but it is the truth. turbine needs to make alot of changes to balance this game. but what do you expect selling you compainy to Warner Brothers?
the hunter really shows how over powered it is out on the moors. we have one class that can think about taking them on at range. and the all the hunter has to do is run up at kill it in melee. hunters (like most freep classes) need a lot of balanceing to make the game more fun and challenging and(the big one) fair out on the moors.

First time gamer here.

Um....I chose the hunter because I like killing from afar.....makes me feel like I have more control of the situation. I can't stand running up to a mob to do damage.

So far, I've been playing my hunter for about 3 months now....and I'm focusing on becoming a more strategic group player for end game raids. At this point, I'm trying to learn all I can from the forums about what I can do to advance my hunter character, and rise above mediocrity.

What I like about the hunter class.....
- porting
- great class for soloing LOTRO
- it's a basic enough class to help ease me into LOTRO without too much difficulty
- it's surprisingly a difficult class to master, especially in group work.....don't underestimate the hunter class.

Enough said.

Originally Posted by zombie3000

1st off a hunters melee skills are meant to be used as a killing blow/utility, you hit them at range, get them down, and when they stand at your feet, slap them with a Imp Scourging Blow... Got more than one mob on you...Low Cut and run... Got a heavy hitter smashing you in melee range, Slice them with a Swift Stroke to increase your parry... And last but not least, Blindside... OMG who doesnt love Blindside, Stab them with an arrow, Pull it out, then shoot them with it If your Melee'ing a Hunter more than that, your doing it wrong... Second, I seriously doubt that Turbine will use PvmP as a reference when it comes to updates on any class... World Of Warcraft did this soo much, that people just stopped playing (i.e. Nerfing a class beacuse it was too OP in pvp...screwing over PVE) LOTRO is 1st and foremost a PVE game... the PVP component is used to draw in those who like to PVP.... that much is obvious..

dude. the PvP is there to give Vips who made level 75 a reason to keep paying turbine. they do that by killing everything because all the creeps are so weak and mocking them because of it. PvE is even more repetitive than Free Realms. at this point the only good thing about LotRO is the RP.
Speaking of Op have you seen a Mini in combat? they have the most dps in the game, and their the freaking healer class. and wardens? i have seen one warden Take an Entire Keep alone....... plus all the lore breaking going on.
Tolkin would be ashamed of you Turbine.

Originally Posted by Light12

dude. the PvP is there to give Vips who made level 75 a reason to keep paying turbine. they do that by killing everything because all the creeps are so weak and mocking them because of it. PvE is even more repetitive than Free Realms. at this point the only good thing about LotRO is the RP.
Speaking of Op have you seen a Mini in combat? they have the most dps in the game, and their the freaking healer class. and wardens? i have seen one warden Take an Entire Keep alone....... plus all the lore breaking going on.
Tolkin would be ashamed of you Turbine.

Bud, I can out dps ANY minst for a minute, that I'm quite sure about.

Originally Posted by TQDesign

Bud, I can out dps ANY minst for a minute, that I'm quite sure about.

Any huh? then why are Roykor,Nittir-1,Elninor-1,Mrmole,Yamon, and Albaderran all more Rekowned/Infamous and feared than you?

Why NOT play the Hunter?

We have all of that dope, stupid, bomb$#!t, fly, wiggity-wack, mad, dumb, stupid, r-tarded DPS!! (Champs, RKs, and Burgs routinely match or exceed our DPS and now Guards will too and generally have a much easier time of it)

Oh yeah? We still have superfly CC!! (No we don't)

Um...ranged damage...on the move? (Wardens can do that and survive, RKs can do it best)

Uh...um...we have...travel skills? (Since the majority of people have more then enough gold, fast traveling between stables is generally not a concern)

I've got it! We can cure group poison! (In RoR, Burglars will be able to as well, while still providing superior CC and debuffs)

Uh, why am I even bothering with a Hunter?

Because a lil gal hobbit on +21% run speed is so bouncaliciously fun. The dps, taxi ports, and traps are just the extra perks. The only thing that would make me re-roll her, was if I can make her a hobbit LM. Since that is highly unlikely, I'll continue on runnin' her around zippity zoom. She definitely perks me up when I play her.

Originally Posted by Light12

Any huh? then why are Roykor,Nittir-1,Elninor-1,Mrmole,Yamon, and Albaderran all more Rekowned/Infamous and feared than you?

Feared is a whole different word. Not saying I can survive better than them, and I'm saying I can out dps minstrel for a minute.

Originally Posted by TQDesign

Feared is a whole different word. Not saying I can survive better than them, and I'm saying I can out dps minstrel for a minute.

yeah that minute between when the fight starts and when you tank your focus meter.

Originally Posted by Light12

Any huh? then why are Roykor,Nittir-1,Elninor-1,Mrmole,Yamon, and Albaderran all more Rekowned/Infamous and feared than you?

you know, few of those players hold any skills when it comes down to it. there is a big difference, where hunters can pew pew pew, minstrels can, dps, heal, tank at the same time. Minstrel is the most OP class at the moment. where they got OP tagged all over Sklavorn got pure skills, im more afraid of facing him than anyone of those you mentioned.
Hunter > Minstrel in dps any day, any time.
You should fear the good players, not those who choose to play easy.

Why I play the hunter?
So I can do decent range damage and not feel left out on the QQ

It feels the most Ranger-y of the 9 classes.
Ranged attacks, dual wielding, traps, tracking.

Other things about the LOTRO Hunter that I like:
1. Camouflage, very nice flavour-wise.
2. Ports
3. Use of oils to modify the bow damage, it feels very slightly Arcane Archer-ish
4. Trapper of Foes (thematically), I like the theme of having a strong cc line, which is different from another direct damage line

The reason I rolled my hunter was for the ability to port and the +21% run speed. Seriously. And I was inspired to try a hobbit after enjoying the LOTR stage show. My first character was a human guardian. While I loved tanking, I got fed up with all those quests where you have to keep running back and fore between Evendim and Rivendell, Eregion and Rivendell, etc.

Because I'm a diva.

Here are my reasons why I want to be a hunter

*I can kill enemies from a distance,they'll drop dead before they get close enough to harm me
*I want to be a hunter like Archet's John Brackett
*bows and arrows are the LoTRO counterpart of guns, *bang bang*