Game DameVersus: Shaman and Hunter (Level 1 - 19)
Holy. Moly. HOLY MOLY!
Hunters. Where do I start??
I’m probably going to upset some folks by saying this but OH MY GOSH are hunters overpowered for PvE! I’m still shaking my head because there really is no comparison to shamans at this level. Or for that matter, to any other class I’ve played.
Melee Power
No comparison here: the shaman wins this contest at the lower levels. Even when the hunter gets her pet (and maybe especially then?) up-close fighting is a non-starter for the hunter whereas the shammy can pound some skulls. Now, of course, after level 10, the hunter’s pet can do some melee damage, but it greatly depends on which pet you choose as to whether they lean towards tanking or DPS.
Ranged Attacks
Here I’ll call it a draw. With the shaman’s spell casting and the hunter’s bow/crossbow they are very close to being equal. By the way, can I just say that the crossbow class of weapons is teh awesome?? Wow, how cool — a bow that shoots like a shotgun. Love it!
Defense
Win goes to the shaman in this category. Even though they both wear leather, the shaman’s higher stamina and ability to heal on demand make him much more durable under fire. At level 10, when you add in the a pet that can hold aggro, the hunter’s defense improves. However, if that mob breaks for you, you’d better drop a trap or stun him and then head for the hills!
Questing
It might be a little bit easier to level to 10 as a shaman because of your healing capabilities. But if you’re a Draenei hunter, that difference boils down to the cooldown on Gift of the Naaru. (If you’re another race, you’re pretty much hosed.) After you get your pet — I chose a Nightstalker — questing is a breeze. As Dammerung said, you can actually SOLO the red quests! Then you can skip through the forest and blithely take on mobs that are 3-4 levels higher than you are. My elemental shammy couldn’t do that until… oh… after level 60. (No joke.) The competition goes hands down to the hunter for power leveling.
Ease of Play
I can only speak for myself here, but I believe the hunter is a bit more complicated to play than the shaman. I say this because not only do you have to figure out how to use spells that are both melee and ranged, but you also have to manage your pet and learn to pull or avoid aggro. My second WoW toon was a hunter and I had no clue how to play him so I struggled a lot. I was able to play the class a bit more skillfully this time around because I’ve had two years of watching hunters who grouped with me and reading Big Red Kitty for educational purposes. The shaman is a bit easier to master because the mechanics are simply: cast, whack, and heal. But, admittedly, this is pure opinion.
The Winner
For these first 19 levels, the hunter class wins for speed of leveling and solo capability — as long as you put some study into handling a pet.
Filed under: Shaman Blog | Tagged: hunter, leveling, Shaman, world of warcraft, wow
I did just the opposite actually, started with a hunter and then later tried to level a shaman, my shaman managed to make it to 18 I think before I got frustrated trying to learn the mechanics of the class. The hunter on the other hand seemed much simpler to me.
I could never get down what totem I should be using when and such, and oddly enough it was lonely leveling without a pet. sounds silly, but it’s true.
I was looking for shaman info for a friend (I’m still trying to find some good shaman specific add-on advice) I was trying to find a shaman specific blog/site, something like BRK but for shamans, when I came across this site, I haven’t finished looking around but this doesn’t seem to be quite what I was looking for. In any case, since I play a hunter I thought I’d add something here.
PvE, the hunter is easily one of the best classes early on IF you can learn the mechanics. Even before you get your pet at level 10, as a hunter IF you learn to catch your enemies at max range, and properly use concussive shot and arcane shot, you can kill enemies either before they reach melee range or with one or two melee hits. (which is good because their melee is bleh, and their defense isn’t anything special) I was hit so rarely that any damage taken was easily restored from one fight to the next. As you go farther along first aid/food/potions can allow you some relief from being unable to heal otherwise
But I think it all comes down to playing style, I don’t believe there are any cut-and-dry winners in this kind of comparison.
That said, I’m not sure how you come to your conclusion, since you say the druid wins, or draws in nearly every case, yet you say the hunter wins in the end. But maybe I’m missing something.
Shhhh. No telling anybody that we’re overpowered-blizzard might hear about it ……..
Oh and I never could get the hang of shamans. I like having a little kitty that does all the work for me and trusts me to micro-manage everything. And I don’t like having mobs anywhere near me. I think I’d like a nice chair to sit in while Boru kills stuff for me ….. kk, ready for your next post now =)
I’ve just never managed to lvl a shammy that high… I just don’t seem to enjoy playing one, but then I have been told I should keep going til at least lvl 30, so maybe that’s where I’ve been going wrong?
I just noticed that at the end of my reply I said druid when I meant shaman, just wanted to clear that up (hopefully it was obvious, but still)
You are completely right for low levels. Shaman really only take off (in my humble experience) at around level 30. However, you’re kind of comparing apples and oranges. If, say, you compared a shaman to a warrior, the ability to heal while doing comparable melee damage seems completely overpowered.
Probably, this wasn’t the point, but I am just mentioning it as worth bearing in mind.
A good comparison is hunters and warlocks. Both are very powerful early on, with perhaps a slight advantage to the warlock through fear. But when a hunter gets Feign Death at level 30, only 1 other class comes even close for speed and ease of leveling (feral druid).
It’s all about playing what you enjoy, though =) It seems like you really are enjoying your hunter - keep it up!