The Glorious Marksman Hunter

A New Talent Spec

I always enjoy reading Frostheim’s posts at Scattered Shots.  Not only does he provide valuable information about the Hunter class, but he writes it with style and humor.

I was looking up information on Hunter gems and had a good laugh reading Frostheim’s description of the Hunter class in Scattered Shots: Hunter gems.

I have my main spec set to an Extreme Solo BM build, but I really need to start learning the Survival or Marksman spec so I, too could become a wondrous hunter.

I decided to try my second spec as Marksman since, according to the spreadsheets, there is nothing more DPS deadly than the MM hunter.

I found a recommended MM spec, tamed a nice spider, set-up my shot priorities, practiced on a few mobs and then queued for Wintergrasp.

And there it was – the hunter Frostheim writes about in his columns.  A Marksman hunter in all his glory – amazing DPS, a shining beacon of deadly force wiping out the enemy in an effortless display of skill and talent.

Unfortunately, that Marksman hunter wasn’t me.  It was a Horde hunter, and his pet – his pet – took me down faster than flipping a pancake.

Where was my new spider pet?  Nipped at his heels a couple of times than gave up and died.  I was already in the graveyard wondering if more practice would help or if I should just work on fishing achievements.

Oh well.

Argent Tournament

On the bright side, I finished up the last Alliance city I needed for the Exalted Champion of the Alliance Achievements .

Champion of the Alliance

Unfortunately only two Achievements at a time are shown on the screen, but I did get the “Crusader” title and it unlocks more dailies.

The best part is getting access to the Crusader Quartermaster to purchase BoA gear.  I purchased a Tattered Dreadmist Robe for my Priest and now I have to start saving up those Champion Seals for more gear and of course, the Argent Pony Bridle for my Squire – looks like I’ll be needing those extra dailies.

The Daily Grind

Speaking of dailies, it can become quite a juggling act deciding what dailies take priority with a 25 daily quest limit.

Trying to reach Exalted with the Alliance Vanguard, Knights of the Ebon Blade, etc., etc. can fill the daily quota quite quickly so one needs to pick and choose quests that are efficient in terms of time and location.

I also had to back track quite a few regular quests I had overlooked – particularly those in Zul’Drak for the Knights of the Ebon Blade and Argent Crusade reputations (that 10 gold reputation “bribe” one can purchase from Squire Artie won’t help much.)

Eventually the quests opened up the infamous dailies of the…..

Troll Patrol

The premise is simple – complete all the Troll Patrol dailies in less than 20 minutes (timer starts after picking up the first quest) and one can receive a Patroller’s Pack containing a wonderful (?) item.

The Alchemist’s Apprentice is purportedly the most difficult of the quests and there are various addons specifically to help, but as a visual artist I have a fairly decent “visual memory”, so this was actually the easiest and fastest for me (I also switched to Aspect of the Cheetah for a speed boost.)

I didn’t finish it in time in my first attempt, but the second day I completed all the quests with plenty of time to spare, turned it in and got the “Congratulations!” quest.

Unfortunately I didn’t realize I had already maxed out my 25 dailies so I couldn’t pick it up – one of those “bang your head on the keyboard” moments.

The next day I did Troll Patrol first, got the “Congratulations!” quest and received my Patroller’s Pack – with a lovely “Scruffy Toe Lint” worth 50 silver inside.

Oh well.

At least I found one quest in WoW that I’m actually good at even if the rewards are less than stellar.

Just for the Record

Jeweled Fishing Pole – 0
Bone Fishing Pole – 0 (my Warrior friend got one)
Reins of the White Polar Bear – 0
Reins of the Green Proto-Drake – 0

What I Got Instead…

Stinky Cheese – 12
Mountain Water – 3
Snowballs – 0
Worthless Glass – 5
Mysterious Egg – Aged Yolk