Starting a hunter So , you ' d like to become a Hunter ? We ' ve tried to provide a generic plan anyone can follow for the first 10 levels or so , just to get you started on the right foot . If you ' re looking for more of an overview of the class ' s abilities , see the main Hunter page . For more advanced topics , see Hunter Tactics . For a more general overview on starting out playing WoW , see the Newbie Guide . Introduction . A Hunter ' s primary mode of damage is ranged , meaning that hunters favor ranged combat over melee . Hunters are the only non - caster class in the game that possess the Auto - Shot skill which allows them to continuously fire a ranged weapon . Warlocks , Priests , and Mages can auto - shoot with wands . Wands , however , do not derive stat bonuses for damage the way other ranged weapons do . If you ' re considering playing a Hunter , you should ask yourself the following questions first : These are the main things a Hunter has to deal with . Due to the complexity of managing both a pet and a talent tree , Hunters may be tricky for first time WoW players . After acquiring a pet at level 10 , Hunters are one of the easiest classes to level . Having a pet to tank is like having an extra player , and this allows you to go after mobs that are several levels higher than you . Survivability skills like Feign Death and Disengage make it easy to avoid frequent deaths . Being a Hunter can be fun , and played correctly can be very beneficial to your party . The Hunter class has the reputation of being easy to level and easy to play , but difficult to keep control of . Pets can run off and start attacking things randomly , and the Auto Shot ability means it is very easy to shoot things unintentionally , often pulling unwanted mobs . Because of this , other class types tend to look down on Hunters . In addition , the Hunter may be the class that is most affected by gear . A successful Hunter will need to upgrade their ranged weapons as often as possible , which is generally every other level . A level 20 hunter with a level 16 bow is severely undergeared . But a skillful , well - geared Hunter is more than a match for any other class . Like all classes , the Hunter has specific roles to play in Dungeons , Battleground s and other Instance s . If you are comfortable with these roles , then playing a Hunter can be very enjoyable and rewarding . Race selection . You may want to consider the various racial trait s when choosing what race to play as . You might also consider the racial attributes . You can match your preferred playing style to a race ( melee avoidance or mitigation vs . damage or combat focus ) , or you can choose a race based on aesthetics or the pets that are available to you at low levels . For example , bats are available to Undead and to some extent Blood Elves very early on , whereas there are almost no bats available to Alliance races . The impressively damage - producing Hyena is only available to Tauren , Trolls , and Orcs early on . By contrast , all Alliance races will get an early opportunity to tame what is arguably the most effective PvP pet in the game , the spider . ( Note : Undead Hunters start with a spider as a pet . ) Early leveling . The easiest way to progress through the early levels is to simply complete all of the quests you can find . Not only will you breeze through the first 5 to 10 levels , but you ' ll get useful gear and precious money . Money is particularly important so you can purchase your skills , spells and / or abilities as appropriate for one ' s class . Obviously money is also important for purchasing personal items such as potions , jewelery , food , armor , weapons , etc . You should spend levels 1 - 5 near your starting town . Most everything needed at these early levels can be obtained there from one or the other vendor . Likewise , any inventory loot you ' ve gathered hunting can be sold to these same vendors . Also , this is where you ' re going to begin questing and figure out the most efficient ways to go about this most important of tasks . Make sure you get all the abilities and spells you can from your trainer . Between level 5 and 6 you ' ll find yourself heading off to your second town and a new trainer who can teach you upgraded versions of your skills and abilities . At the second town , repeat the process — do each and every quest you can find . It ' s important to keep up with your abilities and your gear . Now is also an appropriate time to start training in your chosen professions . It is especially important for a Hunter to complete all the quests available because of the cash that is needed at level 10 to learn all of the Pet - related abilities . There are at least 7 abilities that become available from Hunter trainers at level 10 , and each of them costs money to learn . The Hunter will need to have more cash than other classes at this level just to keep up . Starting . Initially , you ' re equipped with a ranged attack , melee attack , and Arcane Shot . You can also learn Track Beasts to help with your awareness of the field . Begin each fight at maximum range and start with your ranged attack . Your character will automatically attack until the target is too close . At roughly that point , you will enter automatic melee combat . For orc s , this would be a good opportunity to buff your melee attack with your Blood Fury racial ability . Troll s can use their Berserking ability to attack a bit faster . Many times , however , your pet will be dealing more damage than you are , so the mob will stop to defend itself from your pet . Having a pet tank for you is one of your best strategies throughout the game . To maintain this , don ' t use Arcane Shot right away , but let your pet attack and hold the target ' s focus before you let loose . It is a good idea to practice kiting from early in the game , if you intend to PvP at all seriously ( it is also useful for PvE , allowing a great deal more DPS and survivability ) . The basic idea is to get someone to follow you while you deal damage . Hunters were made for kiting . There are a couple of ways to go about this . You can also practice the strafe kite . You can run away from the target at a slight angle and shoot backwards by strafe - running in the opposite direction , because your ranged attack will work 180 degrees in front of you . Because you can run as fast the mob like this , they don ' t catch up to you . Try it out at this low level so you can get used to it now because it will be a nifty way to out - maneuver melee - class players in PvP later on . Be aware that , unlike PvP players , mobs will chase you for only so far and then give up and run back to their original position . While they ' re running back , they will be immune to attack , and will instantly heal themselves so you ' ll have to start over . There is one game - related option available to all classes that most benefits the Hunter . This is the click - to - move option available in the Options panel , under the " Mouse " menu item . Click - to - Move allows you to right - click on a spot of terrain , and your character will immediately start moving towards that spot . You can also right - click on a target , and you will start running towards and battling that target . Only for the Hunter class does this work differently . When the Hunter right - clicks on a target to click - to - move , you will run towards the target , but the Auto - Shot is triggered when the target becomes in range of your ranged weapon , meaning that you will being firing arrows from 40 yds away automatically . This comes in extremely handy when you also have to control your pet . Levels 3 - 5 . At level 3 , you can learn Steady Shot , which is important because it returns more focus to you . This will be more relevant when you learn to control your pet later on . For right now , it ' s a good focus - friendly DPS strike while your pet is tanking . This is not a shot you want to use while being charged . At level 4 , you learn to track beasts . This is an invaluable survival tool for either steering clear of baddies or finding a quest target , and therefore the best path to that target , in a sea of mobs . Continue to hone your kiting technique . You may find that it can be more efficient to shoot one mob , which causes your pet to attack it , and then let that fight continue while you shoot at another mob . At this level , it ' s very difficult for you to die by fighting one mob at a time , and you can probably kill many of them off with just your weak melee power . Not that this is a good idea everywhere , but you don ' t have to keep attacking one mob at a time when you have so many ways to finish off a lot of them . At level 5 , if you ' re serious about getting a profession , this is the time to start it . Especially in the case of gathering professions , the lower - level zones have all the materials you will need to get started . This is important for skilling up in the profession , because later zones won ' t have materials you will be able to gather unless your skill is high enough . Levels 6 - 9 . At level 6 , you can learn . This is a nice melee tool , which grants you extra power . However , it ' s not a move you should be relying on . It ' s more of a desperation , get - me - out - of - this - fight move . Level 8 is where the fun truly begins . is the Hunter ' s friend . Unless you have a pet who can initially immobilize a target , this should always be your opening shot . This is the key shot for kiting . And , beautifully , it costs no focus . This shot , combined with strafe - running can be maddening to your opponent . You also get the passive ability , which can help for when melee is inevitable . Concussive shot is also handy for mobs that try to run away when they have low health . Hit & Run can be extremely important at these levels since a lot of mobs ( particularly s in the Eversong Woods ) can slice and dice a young hunter , especially one who doesn ' t have the support of a guild or a rich alt . Concussive shot makes Hit & Run easier because it allows you to keep the enemy within range without having to run all that far . Levels 10 + . Level 10 is where the Hunter truly becomes a unique class . Seven abilities are available all at once , six of which have to do with controlling your pet . You have the cash for all of these , right ? But if you don ' t have the cash for all of them , you can skip Beast Lore and Dismiss Pet for now , neither of which is vital . Tame Beast is also optional if you are really short on cash . Do NOT skip Serpent Sting . This a key Damage over Time shot that is brutal on opponents . Also do not skip Kill Command . Basic Pet Handling . From maximum range , command your pet to attack . Let it get in a few hits before starting your volley . The longer you let your pet attack , the less likely you will pull aggro when you start . At later levels you will get the ability to heal your pet to make it last longer as a tank . If you shoot first , open with Concussive Shot , and then Serpent Sting , and then repeat Arcane Shot as it become available from cooldown and focus regeneration . If you send your pet in first , always try to keep at least half your focus available for Kill Command , which causes your pet to deal a high - damage blow . A good pet tanking strategy is to start with Serpent Sting , then Kill Command , and then Steady Shot until you have enough focus to generate another Kill Command ( after its cooldown ) . Both and have auto - cast turned on by default , Growl will allow your pet to hold your enemy while you use your ranged attack from a distance . You can use to lower the damage your pet takes for a few seconds . A tip on Pet abilities . Pet icons that are active ( dancing borders ) , will be automatically cast by the pet at a time of its choosing . You can change this behavior by right - clicking on that icon , which will make it completely under your control . This is extremely useful for cat - type pets with the Prowl ability . If you let the cat self - cast this ability , it will cast it whenever possible , meaning that it will always be invisible and slow unless it is attacking . This can get annoying because it can ' t keep up with you as you ' re running . By de - activating Prowl , you can control when it becomes invisible and slow and when it becomes visible and runs at your speed . On soloing and grouping . Soloing . The primary thing you must learn is that your role is not that of a melee specialist . Hunters are lousy at melee , even when spec ' ed heavily in Survival Hunter Talents . If melee is really what you ' re after , best choose a Warrior type so you can go mano a mano with all comers . However , entirely avoiding melee isn ' t always possible . A good Hunter knows when to use melee skills and when to get back into range as soon as possible . The melee ability Wing Clip , for example , is similar to Concussive Shot , and can help your party in the right situation . Be as alert as possible to the area of operations you find yourself in at any given moment . In the military , this state of alertness is referred to as " situational awareness " . Stop every so often and flip through various camera settings to examine things from all angles ( having both sides and a rear view key bound for easy reference might be an idea to help ) . Terrain looks totally different from the opposite direction if one needs to escape a fight gone bad and beat a hasty retreat . In addition , try pulling the camera out as far as it will go . This allows for both positive situational awareness of terrain , beasts , and humanoid mob s in the immediate vicinity , and for what your pet is doing . It is unnervingly easy for your pet to get out of visual range . Set your traps judiciously . Trap drops have cooldowns per class , so be aware of the appropriate trap in a situation . Try to watch a target for a minute to get an idea of its route and then drop an immolation trap in the path . When it hits it , nail it with concussive shot and serpent sting . Send your pet before you shoot and then switch over to scorpid sting to protect your pet . Don ' t forget to pop the Kill Command whenever possible . Remember that traps can be set in combat , giving you some crowd control , which can help you and any others with you . The Freezing Trap is especially good for Kiting once you get it . It is always better to run away and live to fight another day than it is to go toe - to - toe with a mob that you have no chance of besting . Try always to have a pre - plotted escape route that is relatively free of aggro — one never knows when during the course of any given fight a mob might suddenly spawn nearby and become an add . Plan on having an escape route and you ' ll stay alive much longer . Once you reach higher levels if you start getting beaten down don ' t forget about disengage , feign death , and your frost traps ; i . e . , you ' re losing and getting close to dying — either disengage or FD , drop a frost trap , turn on Aspect of the Cheetah / Pack , and then bolt . Alternatively you can place a cold trap behind you that you can pull the mob over to slow them while you run away . It also doesn ' t hurt to have plenty of health potions on hand . See also : Hunter Tactics Grouping . The Hunter ' s goal is to stay away from the mob and shoot at it from range . When you team up with other players this becomes more difficult . When the mob decides to attack other party members it will get within your minimum range if you ' re standing next to the rest of the party . For that reason , it ' s best to stay away from other party members during combat . That way , if the mob attacks them or rushes toward them , you can still continue to fire at range . Also , let party members know that they should never run toward you because that will also bring the mob within your minimum range . Make it clear to other group members that you ' re going to be slightly away from them during combat to maintain effective maximum range . Another thing to watch out for is other party members pulling the mob . Often it ' s best to use the Hunter or the Hunter ' s pet to pull . Keep your pet in check . You do not want your pet to pull any aggro it doesn ' t absolutely need to . In general , it ' s best to set your pet on Defend , and to de - activate your pet ' s Growl ability to avoid this . Your group should already have a tank , it won ' t have the resources to support your pet as one . For more in - depth information , see : Hunter Tactics Useful professions . The Hunter can benefit directly and indirectly from many of the professions available . Primary professions . For my take on things , the most useful Professions for a Hunter are Engineering or Leatherworking . Certainly one may pursue any of the other professions available . These two , however , benefit the Hunter most in my opinion . Long - term goals . Hunter s are very pet and gear - dependent . Try to ensure your pet is always healed and ready for action . Also , always use the best armor and weapons available for your level ( and budget ! ) - use Wowhead to search for weapons / armor that you might want to aspire to . Once found , either locate the mob ( s ) that drop the item , or find one at one of the auction houses that you can afford and meet level requirements . If you have an option between upgrading your gun / bow , or upgrading your melee weapon , always take your gun / bow . It ' s the one you should be using far more often . But don ' t ignore your melee weapon completely . Although melee weapons for Hunters are used primarily for the stats they give you , you should make sure it ' s at least within several levels of you so it can be used with some effect when you need it . When choosing between similar armor items , the ranged hunter should always favor Agility and Stamina bonuses over Strength . This is because the former stats are more effective for the hunter than the latter . Do not forget completely about Spirit , as this affects health regeneration . Intellect does nothing for the Hunter and neither do Spell - type stats ( with the notable exception of Haste , because it affects casting time of some shots , and for some peculiar reason it boosts Focus regeneration ) . Because hunters don ' t use mana , the abilities they have aren ' t considered spell s . At level 40 , the ability to wear Mail armor can be purchased , but it is not wise to dump all of your nice Leather armor with high Agility bonus simply for the extra armor . Make sure you keep your armor and weapons repaired at all times , as you ' ll be taking a lot of hits , regardless that Hunters really aren ' t melee characters . The better equipment you possess , and the better repair you keep it in , the better the chances you walk away from a given fight alive ! See Hunter Tactics for more advanced information on Hunter s , taking you beyond the first 10 levels .