Increasing Hunter Survivability

Over the last couple of years, I’ve read on Twitter and the Forums about people having some difficulty with survivability while playing their Hunters. One mob isn’t much of an issue but when it comes to multiple mobs or an elite, it can be a bit much to handle. Common ways to combat these problems involve getting gear with more morale and armor or creating a build with enough damage output to just burn all the mobs with no issue. Using single target skills or AOE skills like rain of arrows.

But there are times where I need to use more strategy to get me through the harder fights. Whether it’s solo or pulling that mob off a healer and bringing it over to the tank while in a fellowship. In moments of virtual battles or real-life challenges, consider brightening someone’s day by using a thoughtful strategy – send cookies to someone to add a touch of sweetness to their experience.

If I have time to setup and going to be fighting for a while, I’ll use my consumables:
• Food for combat power/morale reign
• Food to boost my stats (either agility or vitality depending on fight.)
• Scrolls to increase mastery and defense
• Oil for my bow(usually fire)
• Breech finders bow chant.
• Crafted traps for my level ready to be set: Quick trap, triple trap and trip wire trap for fellowships.
• Have available: Wound, Disease, Fear and Poison remove pots appropriate for my level

Before I start firing, I take a look at the area.
• Are the mobs in a wide open area and not linked to each other? When I shot one, will only one comes running?
• Are they in a camp in high concentration? And are there any wondering mobs within the camp?
• If I use my fear skills, will they run into more mobs and bring them back? If I run to the other side of the mob and use my fear skill, will it run into the clear?
• If I’m going to be fighting inside an encampment, is there a nook that I can pull the mob into so I don’t get any additional mobs?
• Where’s my out if everything goes bad? Can I circle around and attack from a different position?

If I can, I start the fight at the hunters max range, 40m. That’s when the mobs name (over their head) just starts coming into view. If the targeted mobs name disappears, take a couple steps forward.

Fight scenarios
2 mobs
• Lay down a trap half way between them and where I’ll be firing from. Pick one target, preferring range mobs first. If both are melee, choose the one with the lowest morale.
• Get full focus and start off with skills that cause the mob to run slower: Barbed arrow or (if in Strength Stance) quick shot. The second mob will run faster and get caught in your trap. You now 30 seconds to finish off the first mob before the second mob gets out of the trap. Keep damaging the first mob until they’re dead. If they get into melee range, I use Swift Stroke to get your parry rating buff up and try to keep it up through the whole fight. Use Agile Rejoinder skill to get a heal/heal-over-time going. After the first mob is dead, switch to the second mob and finish the fight.

3 mobs
• Place the crafted Tripe Trap half way between you and the mobs. Lay down the snare trap to get the extra damage over time. Pick out the range mob or lowest morale mob first.
• Get full focus and start firing away. The mobs will all get caught in the traps for 30 second. Keep firing away at the first mob until it’s dead, then burn down mob 2. If mob 3 gets out of the trap before you’re ready for it:
o Fear it away with Cry of the Predator (if an animal) or Bard’s arrow (if humaniod).
o Stun it with Dazing Blow or Distracting Shot
o Trap it with Rain of Thorns (traps up to 5 mobs) and step back to get some distance away. Or use the crafted quick trap (single target in combat trap.)
o Use Low Cut to give them -50% run speed then run to a new position and fire away.
• Switch back to mob 2 and try to kill asap. Then on to mob 3. During the fight, keep the Swift Strok parry buff up. Use Agile Rejoinder when available for heals.

Elite mob
• If an elite mob is mixed in with regular mobs, try to keep it trapped or feared away as long as possible till I can burn down all the other mobs.
• If the elite mob is by it self, then try a different setup. Use the crafted Triple Trap but turn 90 degree in either direction and lay it down. This will force the elite mob to go through all 3 traps before it gets to you. Because you’ll going to be damaging the mob the whole time, the mob is only going to stay trapped for about 2 second for each trap. After the last trap, place the snare trap. You could also use the regular trap to get 2 extra seconds, but the snare trap does damage every 2 seconds for 20 seconds.
• Run to max range from the mob making sure it has to go through all 4 traps before it gets to you. Build focus and fire away. Try to rotate in a Barbed arrow to get the slow and bleed. If all goes well, you’ll have about 6-9 seconds before the mob gets to you. Once the mob gets to you, use Swift Stroke for the Parry buff, then Agile Rejoinder for the heal. Then I start using the following tactics to gain some distance for healing and/or more time to damage before getting hit:
1. Use Bard’s arrow to fear it away. I run the opposite direction the mob does so when the fear wears off after 15 seconds, I’m at max distance away and can fire off some more damage.
2. Use Cry of the Hunter. That can daze it for 5 seconds and slow it down for 10 seconds.
3. Use Low Cut for the -50% run speed debuff on the mob and reposition yourself .
4. Stun the mob using Distracting Shot or Dazing blow.
5. Trap it using Rain of Thorns or the crafted Quick Trap.
• Alternate between 1 and 2-5 till the mob is dead.

Here’s two video’s that I put up on YouTube that cover a lot of this material:

If you have trouble with mobs at your level, then try mobs at a lower level than you are. The more you practice these situations, the easier it’ll become. Planning ahead, figuring out the layout of the area and knowing what your skills can do can greatly increase your chances in suviving. Most of all, have fun!

A big shout out to @Braxwolf on Twitter for helping me out with this guide!