Way back (or it seems a long time ago . . .) when I made my first hunter, I mostly definitely fell under the name 'huntard' as I was totally clueless as to what a good hunter did.
- I didn't really like the class, having just max leveled a Shadow Priest I thought hunter was easy mode!
- The class was overplayed - you tripped over hunters - most really badly played
- How hard could it be - you have a pet and shoot things
- Kiting, chain trapping, jump shots - huh???
So, I muddled through my first 10 levels to get to tame a pet that was the goal - tame that pet! I did the taming training, and ended up (as a Blood Elf) with the start area cat. Boring! I love cats, but in the Belf area - a dime a dozen. I want exotic! Interesting! Unusual! Where do they hide those ones?
Google for the win! Up pops the site name Petopia! Must have good information, right? Wrong!!! It has fantastic information! It is one of the best resources for hunters out there IMHO! So, wanting a cool pet (at level 11), I searched
PETOPIA and a whole world opened up!
(Blogs and links on how to be a hunter too - that's a whole 'nother eye opener for this noob-hunter! People actually studied to be hunters!!! Oh my naive days!)
Back to taming - So I'm thrilled with all this pet information. and have narrowed the 'new and unique' pets a level 11 can tame and settle on an owl and a ravager. Both deep in the Alliance start areas - I figured those are it! Definitely don't see those every day in Orgrimmar!
At this point in my WoW playing, I had not played on the Alliance side past level 4 (things have changed - lol!), but then I was Horde all the way! The only time I saw alliance was when I was fighting - battlegrounds, world pvp, etc., I didn't even know how the Alliance travelled around at that time - by boat? Who knew? So getting to Darnassus or The Exodar was going to be an interesting adventure!
I decide to get an Owl first. It was lower level and would need additional training (this was back in the you need to level and train skills by taming other beasts pre-Wrath era, no auto five levels below you, etc.), so I'd have to tame other beasts for the additional skills - a bird for dive, something for bite, etc. As the
Strigid owls on Darnassus (
now classes in the Birds of Prey family in WoW), were the only low level Owl family. The next group were available at level 48! Definitely have to get one of these! How cool to have for many, many levels!!!
So, I have my quarry's name and location -the Night Elf island of Darnassus – more specifically in Taldrassil the start area. We can do this!
I asked around and was told that at my level 11 could get to Darnassus via The Barrens to Ashenvale to Darkshore to Auberdine.
Once there, I was suppose to swim out under the dock avoiding people, guards, mobs in the water and drown myself under the boat on the dock (frankly I was lucky on the boat pick as I didn’t know there were three boats!). Then ghost run back onto the dock and rez on the ship, hoping they're wouldn't be any Alliance taking the boat ride to Darnassus. This was on a PvP server and before guards were on boats/zeps, so easy peazy, right?
Off I go (definitely a huntard at that point!), level 11, crap gear, no idea where I’m going but off to get an owl! Armed with a general idea of where the Alliance docks are in Darkshore. I confess I swam half the way as I figured I wouldn't miss the dock then! Oh yea - no one told me about the temporary pet idea - which would have helped immensely with the Loch Ness Monsters guys in the water near the docks!
The long, long, long trip resulted in many deaths - a wolf in Ashenvale; three deaths on the road from high level Alliance one shotting me (love PvP servers); a few by guards on and around the dock in Abuerdine. But I was rezzed on the ship with no Alliance - almost home!
Oh yea, they forgot to mention that gorgeous glowing pink gate into Darnassus! Try getting off the dock and sneaking up to look for an entrance, aggro guards, dead again - back in Auberdine sneak on the boat again . . . well you get the picture! By the time I made it through the gate to die inside Darnassus which rezzes you in Taldarassil, my armor and weapon were completely red and I got killed by a level 7 with a bow!! Thank goodness he didn't camp me, as all I could do was punch him. When I rezzed I just ran and hid - LOL!!
I did get my owl though! Zamir (he unfortunatel has been on ice as I've been loving the Alliance lately) was my experiment in Hunters. He tamed, Elsa the Owl, Fluffy the ravager, and Honor, his boar (Bellygrub) along with a series of temporary pets that taught the others their skills. The run through Duskwood for a higher level bite on a Worg was another funny story.
That experience though made me try other hunter classes - and started that love affair with the hunter class!
Since that time I’ve learned the tricks to taming and traveling without too many deaths, and have tamed most pet families since then. I'm working my way through the Exotics with a second account spec'd 51 for Beast Mastery for the exotics).
I'm purposely dragging my feet on the Wrath Expansion, and don't plan to spend time there until Spring. I rushed through content the first two times - no more! So, whenever I get around to exploring Northrend the devilisaur,
King Krush is on the list to tame! Can't trap him, he has fears - ahhh it shall be an exciting one!
Finally did part of 10 man Ulduar - Flame Leviathan and XT-002 Deconstructor (love his exercise regime!!. Seven Ulduar newbies in the group, including yours truly!! We'd been playing most of the day, and did heroics, a 10 man OS, etc., so quit at Auriaya as we were all TIRED! It was fun though.
