Hunters come in all shapes, forms, sizes and specialties, but in World of Warcraft, all hunters specialize to be marksmen (however, not all hunters choose to specialize in the marksmanship talent tree). All hunters create lifelong friendships with animal companions, who are also often their best and only friends, if the stereotype of the reclusive huntsman is to be believed. The "Hunt" is venerated, and the prey they choose to stalk is given as much respect as the predators hunters choose to learn from and embody. They understand the natural circle of life and death, and the part they must play in maintaining it not simply as researchers, but as active participants. They represent a deep connection between man and beast, and the hunters of Warcraft are not merely individuals who track animals and slay them for food, but custodians of balance. The hunter is one of the oldest classes in history. Their spells focus on the elements and the land. Like the shaman of the Horde, hunters call upon the spirits of the land, wind, and fire to aid them in their hunts and tasks. Orcs of the Horde first learned the ways of the hunter from forest trolls on Lordaeron and tauren have been masters of the hunt since the dawn of the world. A hunter is skilled in stealth, slipping through the woods like a ghost. While an elven ranger prefers the bow, the hunter would rather get up close. Elven rangers are not alone in their mastery of the wilderness. Most hunters seek to aid the balance of nature along with their druidic allies. They come from any race (players are restricted to eleven races, see below), though certain races naturally excel at the hunter's profession.
Hunters are as varied as the world's many climates, but they are universally renowned for their amazing abilities to find their prey and bring it down. Of Azeroth's many creatures, few can resist the hunter's call, and fewer can survive his fury. He is deeply in tune with nature, and some of its mightiest beasts are his allies. The hunter is a stalker in the wilds, living on his knowledge of survival and skill with a bow or rifle.
WOW TBC 2.4.3 WEAPON MASTER THROWN FREE
Most other abilities are free to use such as Mend Pet or their Trap abilities. Hunters use many shots that either deal damage or apply a status effect that costs mana to use.They are unable to use shields or plate armor. They can use all other weapon skills except wands, maces, and two-handed maces. Hunters start with a two-handed axe and a gun, crossbow, or bow. Hunters wear leather and cloth armor until level 40, at which they gain access to equipping mail armor.Hunters excel in outdoor survival skills, such as tracking and laying traps.Hunters are one of two classes that can have controllable combat pets (the other being Warlocks), however, they are the only ones that can name, feed, and assign talent points to their pets.Most elite beasts cannot be tamed, but a few can.If a neutral beast falls into one of the various pet types, it usually can be tamed. A hunter can NOT tame some neutral beasts such as a Kodo, but the limitation appears to be based on model size.Hunters tame the wild beasts of Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms, training them to fight at their side.
In fact, besides auto-attack, Raptor Strike and a few others is all a hunter has as far as melee. The survival tree offers some enhancement to melee defense, but the class's damage mitigation is poor compared to any pure melee classes and its melee abilities are few. In World of Warcraft, this is simply not the case. In some other games, such as Everquest, the hunter is a ranged/melee hybrid that can rely on both, when the need arises. It has been said by many, and throughout history, that hunters consider their weapons and pets to be their only true friends. The well trained pet, on countless occasions, has saved a hunter's life. They can also track, tame and train animals and beasts found in the wild. Hunters have pets that add to their DPS and help manage aggro. The hunter class performs pulling, threat redirection, crowd control, and primarily ranged damage.