I was going to be a shaman.

I had finally reached a conclusion. I had it figured out. After countless hours of reading up on class guides, watching old and new videos on Youtube explaining and debating the different classes and having hour-long discussions with my mates, I had landed on the class I wanted to main. I was going to be a shaman: Ghost Wolfing my way through zones, Frost Shocking my way through the alliance, and Chain Healing my way through Molten Core.

Then, a couple of weeks later, I stumbled upon a video on Youtube, where a hunter was soloing some part of DM. Falling down the eternal abyss that is "Recommended" on Youtube, I continued to search for and watch videos of hunters in Classic, and I came to the realisation that this was a class with a lot more depth than I had initially thought. This made me reminisce about my "old" hunter days (WotLK), and how much I enjoyed the solo aspect of that class.

I have my own family now, a job and daily obligations. As with many of us, time is not as expendable of a resource as it once was. This made me reconsider my previous research and conclusion. Well, maybe not reconsider, but at least evaluate and speculate. Would the hunter class fit more to my life schedule? Was this enough to change my choice of class? This speculation peaked yesterday, when I saw a poll MadSeasonShow made regarding class selection, where it showed that quite a large amount of his subscribers wanted to play Shaman. This poll had over 45,000 replies, meaning that it at least has some merit when it comes to the meta game of classic (question-mark).

I am now at a total loss of what to play. On one hand, I think shaman looks great. Ghost wolf, reincarnation, ancestral recall, totems, being a stable raid healer all looks appealing. At the same time, being able to do a lot more solo content, having an easier time leveling up and just the general RPG-gist of the hunter thrills me.

I am really only looking for a healthy discussion regarding what to pick, and what pros and cons I need to consider. I know this is just another post regarding class selection, but I have tried my best to keep my choices to my own, but I am now truly and completely clueless as to what class I should play.

Any suggestions? Personal experience is, of course, a great argument.

Cheers.

If you don't mind healing, Shaman is definitely much easier to find raid spots. Healers are always in demand and Hunter is the DPS class that is least in demand. Shaman is also exceptionally strong in PvP when played well, and has a much bigger impact in BGs.
That said, if you like to challenge yourself by soloing dungeons Hunter might be for you. So many things you can solo as a Hunter, for example Scholomance and even some LBRS bosses.
If you're at a total loss.... roll Shaman and make a Hunter alt for the lols ;) Hunter is easy, fun and fast to level so it's not THAT much of a commitment.

I would probably pick Shaman.

You will see more want for Shamans than Hunters I believe, regarding group play.

By Shaman, I meant healer. If you are alright with that, then go Shaman.

If you want the ultimate solo experience, Hunter is the way to go.

I enjoy healing quite a bit, so that is not an issue for me. I think what morbidmike said makes the most sense: roll shaman and make a hunter alt. After all, hunter is not the worst class to start leveling if I don't feel like shamaning any more.

I'm rolling hunter as my first 60, strictly for the dungeon grinding in Mara early on. I think it will be the most reliable way to farm, and then can see how our guild is shaping up and see if we are overloaded on hunters or not to determine what my alt will be.

I am voting Shaman because I played the S*** out of a hunter and I am a bit burnt out from playing that class.

There is nothing wrong with Hunter, I think it is a fantastic class. It does great in both PVE and PVP but especially in large battlegrounds like Alterac Valley, I think they do great in world PVP too and it's thanks to their tracking ability, Multishot AOE and speed.

I choose Shaman because levelling as this class is a lot more fun than it seems. They have more than one Viable spec and can wear Mail, just like a hunter, so their damage reduction is pretty good for everything. As well as being fun to play they have a good reputation because they are a supportive class and their windfury buffs will get you lots of invites to PVP and raids.

If you roll hunter you will only DPS. If you roll Shaman you can either Heal or DPS. As a hunter I missed the option of having multiple roles.

morbidmike wrote: ↑

5 years ago

If you're at a total loss.... roll Shaman and make a Hunter alt for the lols ;) Hunter is easy, fun and fast to level so it's not THAT much of a commitment.

I agree. Main a shaman and roll hunter as an alt. Shamans are a blast to play and you have many options. Healers are always needed, mid/endgame elemental shaman are strong pvpers, and enhancement has tons of fun with WF when paired with a good hammer.

Hunter made a great main on private because of how they functioned and the availability of Lupos as an early pet. In Classic, I wouldnt advise that you roll hunter as a main. They will be primarily used as alts. For specific details on hunters I would head over to the hunter discord to see what they have to say about hunters in Classic. You may just find yourself dissuaded from playing one and the decision will be easy. I'd specifically head to their "doomposting" text channel... You wont come out of it as the same person, but you will be informed.

Just roll Alliance, then the choice should be easy.