So I’m the type of person who likes to experiment with builds that go against the meta because I like being a special snowflake :3 #hipster
And what’s more anti-meta than Hunter due to the crap AI that people are finding ways to get around and make unique.
I’ve read tons of threads on the matter and came up with a few builds that I thought might work well utilizing hunter. I would LOVE to theorycraft and get advise on hunter skill distribution. I currently have a friend working on making a Hunter and we will get there tomorrow with my Rodelero of which I am working on.
Currently my problem with Hunter skill distribution is the lack of practical experience. It seems from what I’ve read that Rush Dog and Snatching should be maxed and everything else should at least have one point in it for utility. It also seems like Retrieve should be purposely kept low as it bugs if the mob dies before Retrieve ends. I also believe reading that coursing doesn’t work on bosses and seems to be a relatively low priority, that the effects of praise aren’t very noticeable except for the movement buff when dragging enemies around, that Pointing doesn’t really scale well either, and that growling is just fine with only 1 point of investment. So I left a lot of my hunter points undistributed until I can get further advise. Though it seems like Pointing would be more helpful for dex builds, while Coursing or Praise for non-dex builds.
The first is what I like to call the “typical” Hunter 3 build which gets Growling for the amazing (at least it looks amazing) support function to lure enemies into a “fearful” paralysis and then uses the Falconers Circling + Multishot or Cannoneer skill to damage the trapped prey. Though I call this the typical build, it’s somewhat a parody of the classic beastmaster build and goes Cannoneer instead of Falconer 2 since it seems to be a lot better.
The next build is a sort of “rainbow” build that utilizes mainly class synergy. The idea is that Ranger and high strength (or spr and cit shot/oblique) will be more useful when leveling up through Hunter. Then you’ll add synergy and some utility by picking up scout for the pet commands while invisible and the flare shot for later synergy. Then finally you’ll get Rogue 1 which just resonate through all your non-hunter skills. You’ll double the damage of Barrage, making it still viable, and be able to capture your Flare Shot for double Flare shot combos. Sneak Hit and Camo will also still be present as a combo in this build. This build seems to be the most tooled to PvP while also still having some PvE element to it. I’m not quite sure how to finish it or if this is too many circle 1s. I also worry that taking just one circle of Hunter isn’t good enough since each skill adds more utility to get around that crappy AI.
The last sort of build that I came up with is my response to those who say that after going three ranks of Ranger, that they don’t use their Ranger skills as a Fletcher (just something that I heard others complaining about). The idea is utilizing the agro and pet control (the rush dog dragging combos) to build mobs and then finish them off with Fletcher as your DPS class. Archer 2 is chosen over Ranger for the Crit bonuses, the quick cast Multishot and Full Draw, and the extra bit of damage on Full Draw. I feel like with build themed on building mobs, that the full draw skew would be more useful. I’m also not sure of Fletcher skill builds so I left them blank.
And so those are my three builds, let me know what you think and I would greatly appreciate the feedback (especially in the skill distribution department). I also had a Wugushi build, but it didn’t seem to light even a spark next to the Wugushi-Sapper build.