I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this post, but the jist of it concerns plans I have for the site.
This blog needs an overhaul. I spent the better part of last night looking through various themes in order to try and provide both new and regular visitors with a better Huntery experience. I’ve been meaning to perform an upgrade on the site for a few months, but that’s a time consuming and potentially problematic endeavor. I’d put it off because of the ol’… “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” saying. However, as much as I like this theme, it lacks a few core features I desire, plus the lightbox feature is now broken on posts – courtesy of WordPress 2.8. 
Threaded comments are important to me, so that needs to happen. There’s some additional functionality I’d like to add to the site as well, but I won’t get into that just yet. Apart from fixing a few minor glitches and adding some extra bells and whistles, I’m also a firm believer in keeping a site “fresh”. Updated and interesting content is the most important, but a new look is always good too.
In addition to “upgrading” the site so to speak, I’m also looking to add some more engaging content. As you may have noticed, after some prodding I’ve picked up the Hunter Talent Guide once again. I was a bit overly ambitious when I began that project, and quickly found out that it was not going to be the auto-pilot type of posting that I thought it was. Some of the posts actually required a great deal of critical thought so as to not misinform or confuse the aspiring Hunterers out there.
However, I’ve found that it does become a little easier to analyze, and recommend or dissuade players from taking certain talents once you move further down the trees. I’ll hope to have this series of posts knocked out this month. Of course, I’ll have to revisit a few talents once 3.2 hits.
My User Interface is something that I plan on showcasing in the near future. As is the case with most players who tweak ther UIs, I am not 100% happy with it at the moment so I want to make a few minor adjustments before I feature it on the site. I doubt I’ll ever be “completely happy with it”, since to me, a UI is an ever evolving entity. As players, we’re always finding new and better ways of doing things. I’d say I’m 92.075% happy with it right now, but once I’m 98.95% satisfied I’ll then break it down for you all. 
I may even make a video explaining the UI. We’ll see…
Like many other WoW blogs out there, this site began as a place for me to post random musings, stories, advice, and to eventually cultivate community discussion. My initial intention was to have it be more of a BM specific blog, but that too has changed. I am still a Beast Mastery Hunter for PvP, but with the introduction of dual specs I’ve actually become just simply a “Hunter”.
While I don’t really have any specific aspect of play that I try to focus on, I suppose the intent of the site is to help enhance others’ enjoyment of the class. I’m really all over the place when it comes to what I like doing in-game. I truly enjoy every aspect of the game as it pertains to the Hunter class, therefore my blog has sort of a jack-of-all-trades, master of none approach. Then again, Hunters are in a sense a “jack of all trades” class. We do most everything well, but there are other classes better suited for different situations.
Obviously, pets are of huge interest to me. One reason I created this site was to chronicle my adventures while on the trail of Loque’nahak. After watching BRK’s videos of the WotLK Beta, I knew that acquiring the Spirit Beast was going to be a necessary diversion at level 76.
Being the first player to ever post a video and complete guide covering the solo taming of King Krush not only brought me a lot of satisfaction, but it was also was one of the subjects that attracted people to this site. As long as there are taming challenges and new pets being added to the game, you can be sure that I’ll be all over those things.
While I do enjoy raiding, due to family and other commitments, my raid calendar is pretty sparsely marked. I try to cover the occasional end game topic, but I don’t delve too deeply since it’s not exactly an area of expertise for me. I know how to maximize pew-pew, but I’m not as steeped when it comes to specific encounters and how best to handle them. As it stands now, I’ve only seen the interior of Ulduar about 4 times. I look forward to going back sometime soon though. 
Although I do enjoy soloing old content, I haven’t done much of that since WotLK was released. It’s possible I may cover some solo Huntering topics aside from pet taming, but not likely. I did my fair share of solo dungeoning just before WotLK while trying to attain the Baron’s Mount from timed Stratholme runs (which I never saw), and the Sawbones Shirt (which I eventually did get) from the Butcher in Scholo.
An area of discussion that I’m probably going to give more attention to is PvP. Apart from ArenaJunkies, there aren’t really any good sources of information out there on the subject of Hunter PvP. Although I’m not Gladiator material, I would consider myself to be pretty experienced and adept when it comes to Hunter PvP. After 3 1/2 years of PvPing as a Hunter I’m bound to know a few things…
While I may not be able to be the 2450 rated role model for the Hunter class, you can bet that I’ll take the lessons I’ve learned from those players and deliver it to you in an easy to follow format. I spend a lot of time researching class mechanics, so it only makes sense for me to pass that knowledge along to my readers.
PvP appeals to me quite a bit for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, I find it to be the most accurate representation of a player’s skill. Unlike raiding, PvP encounters are comletely random – there is no script to follow for success. In addition to that, a player must utilize his entire arsenal of abilities, not just a portion of them.
To me nothing is more exciting than playing against another live player capable of intelligent thought, rather than a predictable raid boss. Furthermore, skilled PvP players typically make the best raiders anyway. True story.
For players that are competitive, yet are not able to make the time commitment to raiding, PvP can fill that void quite nicely. Each battleground or arena match is in essence, an instance. What’s even better… the rewards are definite. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll attain the arena record you desire (I’m proof positive by peaking out at 1846… *cries*), you can at least be rewarded via battleground play.
I know there are tons of players that absolutely detest PvP, but not me. I never get tired of it. Having said that, I see a void that needs a little filling, so I’m taking it upon myself to sing the praises of Hunter PvP a little more. Besides, 3.2 is looking a bit more promising considering the other class nerfs, not to mention the couple of bones Blizz is throwing our way.
I’ll admit… I cry a little bit about how imbalanced arena play is, and how difficult Hunters have it. Truth is though, as I’ve stated before, I actually enjoy being an underdog. It makes the little accomplishments as a Hunter feel more rewarding.
Oh jeez… I’ve done it again… This post was supposed to be around five or six paragraphs… oops!
More thoughts and updates coming soon, but I gotta go fire up the grill. BBQ chicken breasts, apple sausage, baked potatoes and grilled zucchini tonight… yum, yum.
