World of Warcraft - Classes / Hunters

Hunters
Stalkers of the wild, hunters rove the land in search of prey. Skilled trackers and ever vigilant, they attack with gun and bow, while sending their animal companion to keep their adversaries at bay. If the hunter weren't fearsome enough alone, having a tiger or bear assail you to boot is enough for other members of the world to respect the power of a hunter.

Hunters are a class that is known for its ease in soloing and general lack of skills to bring to a group, however that isn't entirely fair. Many hunters are loners, who have figured out how to work by themselves, and are not always exposed to the rigors of party combat until much later in their career.

Hunters are capable in close quarters, with many weapon proficiencies and wearing moderately heavy armor, but their strength lies in their ranged skills. Because of this, their "pet", a beast that they tame out of the wild to fight alongside them, provides a distraction for the hunter to maintain range. Some hunters have great reliance on their pets, as a tiger's claws are still rather sharp.

In instance groups, hunters will typically fill a damage-dealing role, although the good ones will also provide decent utility. Hunters are good "safe" damage on raids, as they are generally not exposed to opponents' dangers from afar and are not nearly as limited by mana as a mage. Hunter PvP roles vary greatly, but a skilled hunter often uses their tracking skills and lies in wait to surprise opponents.

Tanking: moderate
Healing: none, except a pet heal
Damage: high
Utility and support: good

Strengths:

•     Can tame nearly any beast in the world to join their hunt
•     Highly-skilled at ranged combat, making it hard to reach or escape a hunter
•     Very self-sufficient, and often capable of fighting difficult world elites alone
•     Very wide array of available equipment

Drawbacks:

•     Cannot use ranged attacks within 8 yards of their target
•     Loses considerable inventory space to carry ammunition and food for pet
•     Highly-maligned reputation
•     Lack of a clear group role

Available races: Night Elf, Dwarf, Draenei, Orc, Troll, Tauren, Blood Elf
Usable armor: Cloth and leather, mail at level 40
Usable weapons: Axes, Two-handed axes, Swords, Two-handed swords, Daggers, Polearms, Fist Weapons, Bows, Guns, Crossbows, Thrown Weapons (starting weapons vary by race)
Talent trees: Beast Mastery (pet focus), Marksmanship (ranged damage focus), Survival (utility and self-preservation)