Lanikai - MM Hunter

[:::Make a short but informative presentation of the character with whom you are applying.]

:::Make a short but informative presentation of the character with whom you are applying.

Lanikai, my first character, was created shortly after the release of the Burning Crusade. I found the process of levelling painful and dull on the whole, but have come to love raiding a lot. Since I am in a very casual guild I have to pug a lot of raids and thus do not have a lot of raiding experience. However, I have led ICC10 raids and am mature, patient, intelligent and very occasionally spectacularly foolish, with decent gear. I have a deep love of my class and would like to take part in some more experienced raiding with a guild.

However, it should be noted that I am an officer in my guild and it would take the right guild to lure me away from my current home. If you accept my application I would like the opportunity to take part in one or two trial raids nights (without any loot privileges) so that I can make sure that I am not leaving friends that I love behind without knowing if I will fit in to BotE.

http://www.wow-heroes.com/index.php?zone=eu&server=Argent%20Dawn&name=lanikai


:::Link a screenshot of your UI as it appears during a RAID (link, NOT embedded image)

I have nearly perfected my UI after a long time of researching and fine-tweaking addons.
Since I do not regularly take screenshots during raiding, all of my current pics are out of date. Here is a recent non-raid screenshot which does not differ much: http://tinyurl.com/yazr2av
The only non-visible UI frame for raiding is Grid - which I use to keep an eye on when the rogues die. An example of grid with a similar set up to mine can be seen here: http://tinyurl.com/ybow3sx
I will post an update with a raid screenshot as soon as I can. Which will include my power auras, dbm, cooldowns etc.
UPDATED: UI screenshot in ICC - http://tinyurl.com/ya3an9r


:::What type of computer do you have and what are the core specs, and your average framerate?)

I have an Apple iMac 2.4 ghz core 2 duo. 2g ram (with another 2g on the way). ATI RadeonHD2600. 24 inch screen.
My fps idles at over 100 (see sceenshot below) and doesn't drop below 30 except in UP on skadi, my latency varies from 60-120ms avg.
I always raid with graphics set to minimum so I am guaranteed the best frame rate I can get. But don't worry I can still see the goo!


:::Talent build i.e. X/X/X. Please include a discussion about it's strengths and weaknesses.

7/57/7 - standard MM build.
0/3 - Improved Arcane Shot - I don't use this in my rotation.
1/3 - Improved Hunters Mark
3/3 - Improved Steady Shot
I take points out of the last two above, and put into Focused Aim when I need more hit to be capped.


:::Do you have The Ashen Verdict / Astral Walker / Starcaller or any other notable titles? (Not necessary for social applicants)

No. So far I have not been part of a raiding guild or community so I have not had the opportunity to work on these. I am revered with the Ashen Verdict though, not that that counts for much.


:::What is your current glyph set up? Please explain why you have chosen these glyphs.

Kill Shot, Serpent Sting, Steady Shot.
Revive Pet, Feign Death, Mend Pet.
If anyone disagrees with me on the first three, I would be very happy to point out where they are wrong.


:::Are you open for constructive criticism regarding the way you have spent your talent points? Do you follow theorycrafting regarding your class? Would you consider respeccing for another raid role? Please discuss these questions in your answer.

As suggested above, I love to get into the details of my class. Debates with other hunters have helped to educate me and although I do feel that it is more important for me to be proven wrong than for me to prove someone else wrong, it will not stop me discussing a point if I (or imo the other person) has not fully grasped the point.

n.b. I do not argue with raider leaders... thats just silly. They are always right. Even when they are wrong, they are right. They are only every wrong on the 12th wipe, and only then if I think I can get away with it.

I have an unused second spec (since I do not PvP or use care for the dps drop involved in using SV) and use it for testing crazy ideas.
I read warcrafthuntersunion.com and listen to the huntingpartypodcast.com and the instance podcast.


:::Please discuss your current gear set up and the theory behind it (If there's a theory at all). What is your average dps in heroic/raids? How would you choose to gear your character to maximize your damage/healing/tps output / or survival?

DPS is very dependant on the raid. In ToC10 normal I maintain a raid average of about 7k. VoA is pretty much standing still these days still so 7-8k. ICC is of course much less because of my lack of experience and because those bosses that I have done (the first 4) are very high movement fights.
There is no theory about my gear. I get what I can when I can. For the time being I am focusing on Agility and maintaining my hit cap. But I am just starting to put aside ArP pieces for when I can reach the ArP hard/soft cap. I believe that Blizzard want to have less classes rolling on the same gear as they have hinted at for Cataclysm which should make things less conflicting. But be warned if it has Agility on it - then I'm interested.
On a more serious note. I plan to get a second trophy in ToC so that I can re-equip my 2pc T9 set. I love the SS crit bonus and understand it to be more beneficial than the 4pc T10 bonus (which I have).


:::Will you be able to keep up with the minimum attendancy requirement of signing up for 2 out of 3 raids per week? (Raid days are: tuesday, thursday and sunday)

Yup. I would not be applying except that your three raid nights fit perfectly with my work/life/wow balance. My average acceptance would probably be about 2.5 a week, maybe more.


:::Please summarize your raiding experience in WoW. Suggestion of things to include are guilds, reason for leaving them and what dungeons you have experience from.

I believe that my introduction summarises this. I am currently pugging ToC10 and 25 when I can, and attending one guild raid night a week in ICC10 only if we can get a group together. I have completed the first wing of ICC25. Since I lack experience, and there is a lot of WotLK raid content that I have not seen I'm sure I will go back and have a peep at some stage. But there is not much for me to learn from it since I am overpowered for Ulduar and before. Maybe I could learn from some hard mode content. But lets be honest, despite my lack of raid experience I am geared for ICC and should be focusing on that.


:::What are your views, in general, on loot and the way it should be distributed? In your opinion, what is the purpose of gear?

I might lust after the latest drop just as much as the next guy, but I understand that I want to enjoy the content and the experience. Gear is only a way of enabling the guild to progress through the content - whomever may pick it up. Thus, I am keen to experience raiding with an EPGP system as it seems to be the best system for the raid team as a whole.


:::Have you read our guild and raid rules and do you agree with them? Is there anything that you are uncertain of or have questions about?

It looks sound to me. I will probably try to propose some preferential rules for dwarven hunters, but if I do get this far - feel free to work up a suitable punishment.

 
:::Who is the person behind the screen? Do you have a life? Give us some basic facts about yourself.

I am a married 30 year old living near Bath in the UK. I am a freelance website designer/developer. I honestly do have a life when the sun is out and my wife disconnects the router, or if I can smell beer or gin..... or cake. Or when I can get the band back together (I play bass very very loud). Oh and I'm partially deaf in both ears, I was born like it. And no we don't know why. I hate tomatoes. And reading other peoples source code. That about covers it.


:::Do you have a reliable internet connection or do you tend to d/c frequently? Tell us the truth, we will notice eventually. Are there any other things that might occassionally prevent you from raiding? (Girlfriend, mother, obesity etc.)

I have never DCd in a raid. Sounds good, doesn't it. I must admit though that there was this one time in ToC when my Marrostrike dropped and I DC'd after looting it, so I know it could happen. But it has not as yet been a probelm - touch wood.
Since I work freelance there is the chance that work will pile up and get in the way of wow.


:::How did you hear about BotE and do you know anyone in the guild who would vouch for you? What are your expectations of the guild?

You guys do get around, I am familiar with the guild name and its reputation, but do no know anyone in the guild personally.
I believe that Ardante is a real life friend of a friend though. Not that that counts, he wouldn't know me from Adam.


:::Why should you be a member of BotE? What can you offer us that others can't?

I am dependable, and occasionally make a spectacular tit of myself. I may need schooling on a few areas of my game, but I will be fun to teach.

Nice app, and welcome to the forum!

I couldn't help but check out your Flickr stream, some nice work in there! I'm a self employed designer living and working in central London at the moment so it's always good to meet new people working in the same or similar field. I've yet to have the pleasure of meeting Laurie/Ardante IRL but our professional paths may cross at some point!

Not entirely sure we -need- another hunter at the moment. Our current group of pet-whoring, misdirecting one-shotters are doing rather well, but having said that, we don't like to turn down a good application purely based on numbers...well...not -too- often anyway *grin*

Will have a chat internally and get back to you!

Can't say I recognise you, but which friend might this be, I'm curious now!

It's always good to have more designer people in the guild! I did freelance design work before hopping to the client side.

Great app, hope you get in for a trial!

(And we should do that beer sometime Celeb!)

edit: It just clicked, you're Tom's friend Ollie! Tom was my rock of a friend at Uni! I couldn't recommend this guy highly enough now!

Yup. Tom and I go back many a year, he is a rock, a legend.

Celebrion, as nice as the designs are on my Flickr they are not mine - I wish. They are just a source of inspiration for me.

It looks like I will not be able to post a raid screenshot until the reset. The ICC10 guild run that I was due to lead tonight is lacking casters and healers. Meh.

I look forward to hearing from you all in due course.

... did someone say beer?

Love the UI...


... and beer too! 

Finally, here is a recent UI screenshot during the first boss of ICC10. 5.7k dps is ok on Marrowgar, but would have liked to have done more.
http://tinyurl.com/ya3an9r

Also if any knowledgeable hunter fancies getting in touch (in-game or here), I have a couple of gear questions regarding my next Emblem of Frost purchase. I was going to get Herkuml War Token but I can't get it to out perform my current rubbish combination (Needle-Encrusted Scorpion & Darkmoon Card: Greatness) and have refunded the 60 tokens. I want to go into more detail about this but since this is the application forum so I'll save it for the moment.

I look forward to hearing from you all soon.

I'll give you a /w in game about it later today, if you're on, but it was a good call getting the tokens back for the trinket. The static haste on it is almost worthless to all hunter specs and, really, the trinkets you have aren't bad at all. The stacking AP is a nice effect but doesn't do enough to compensate for the wasted passive stat.

It's really annoying that there aren't too many good hunter trinkets around in WotLK and both that you have are still being worn by a good many hunters who are raiding in ICC.

I only got rid of DMC: Greatness about a month ago and it is an insanely good trink for its item level. 300 agility 35% of the time is nothing to be ashamed of at all.

As a MM hunter the NES is also very good, especially if you combine it with enough ArP from gear to hit 100% ArP during procs. Although Mjolnir Runestone is better, as it procs from all hits instead of just crits, it is probably harder than it is worth to get hold of requiring, as it does, Thorim 10 man HM which I doubt many people are running now.


Realsitically the only upgrades which are worth seeking are, in this order;

Deathbringer's WIll (hc)-- Whispering Fanged Skull (hc)-- Deathbringer's Will-- Death's Verdict (hc)-- Whispering Fanged Skull-- Death's Verdict and, if you can get it, Mjolnir Runestone. Essentially 3 trinkets which you will almost defiinitely have to roll against other dps classes for, even those who have very good other options available including the badge trinket.The rest are not upgrades to what you have.

Deathbringers, especially, is by miles the best in slot for MM hunters as the static ArP makes it possible to really go for gemming ArP as close to the cap (1400) as you can get.

Good luck getting one of these, I share your pain :p

Thanks for the response.

Well to be honest I never thought that the haste on Herkuml War Token was going to rock my DPS much. Actually I only tried it because Frosheim seems to rate it higher than DMC:Greatness and NES (see here: http://www.wow.com/2010/02/22/scattered-shots-hunter-trinkets/). FYI though the unbuffed DPS drop is somewhere between 300-600 DPS which is not as much as I thought it would be. Thanks for the advice on trinket drops, from here onwards I am going to have to rely on luck for trinkets then.

Regarding the T10 set this is my current setup:
Helm: T10 251
Shoulders: T10 251
Chest: Not set - Crusader's Dragonscale Breastplate
Legs: T10 264
Hands: T10 264

I think I need to save the rest of my frost for when I win the 264 T10 token and can get the T10 chest, which will allow me to get the Logsplitters for the ArP. Since I am now just waiting for another 95 EoF before I can think about making that switch I wanted to explore other options for spending EoF.

The only other DPS increase available to me is to consider replacing my Crusader's Dragonscale Breastplate with Longstrider's Vest. But since I will loose ArP with that change, and I am also planning for the ArP hard/soft cap it doesnt make sense to spend the frost this way.

So I just wanted to check that the above logic is sound and that I am not missing a trick.

Thanks again,
Lanikai

Thank you very much for considering my application, I understand from celeb's post in the main recrutment section that you are not looking for any more people. I will keep an eye on your recruitment and re-apply should you need a hunter. I would appreciate it if you too could keep me updated on this.

Thanks again, Lanikai

Well given the hibernation status of the raiding in your guild. If there are any of you who decided to start up raiding in any other form, I would be very interested to hear from you. /w me in game or reply here.