There are three vehicles. They all do things a little differently, in that one is a small pickup truck, one is a convertible, and the other a family sedan. They all are capable of driving down the road, and they are all able to hold varying amounts of people and objects within them. They have been this way since their inception.
One day, the ruling body of vehicles says all small pickup trucks are now sheds, and are to have their wheels removed and be stationary objects like the other sheds already in existence. There are people that enjoy driving their pickup trucks, and they voice their opinion loudly and consistently about how the primary function of their truck is transportation and, while also important, holding things isn’t the ONLY reason they purchased one.
Time goes on, and people begin to accept that all small pickup trucks are sheds and nothing is going to change. There are some people that never knew small pickup trucks as anything BUT sheds, and now argue with the people who still lament the olden days.
They say, “These trucks may have, at one point, been able to drive down the road, but now they are just as useful as storage. You’re foolish to want to drive it, it’s a great shed and you just can’t let go of the past!”
“But they are vehicles!” reply the old-timers. “They are meant to be driven the same as a sedan or a convertible!”
"They were once vehicles, true. But the thing that makes them the same is that they can hold people or objects, NOT that they can drive down the road. I love sheds and even though there are many other varieties of sheds to choose from, I don’t want to lose this style in particular because it has grown on me. " say the new users.
Sounds crazy, right? HUNTERS were intended to kite because they were supposed to be ranged. Arguing that the common thing across specs is animal themes and shot names is disingenuous, or just plain incorrect. Using a ranged weapon to deliver damage and enjoying a pet were their common traits.
“WAHH I don’t want a pet! I want to shoot things without having a pet!” Right this way to the caster section!
“WAHHH!!! I don’t like the 47 other melee specs and specifically want to play something that is less cohesive and a greater liability to my party/raid in PvE and needlessly complicated in PvP!” Let me talk to you about your life choices…
“But Jaggles, people like Bicmex and Dilly exist! Jelly does well on SV, too! It can work!” Before murdering his significant other, Oscar Pistorius was a heck of a runner with no legs. I wouldn’t suggest anyone Lt. Dan themselves because one guy was really good at being an amputee. I sometimes wonder if those outliers - WHOM ARE PROFFESSIONALS - are maybe the reason SV survivability isn’t buffed for the proletariat. They would be unstoppable.
So what’s the answer? PERSONALLY, I would like SV to be ranged - it would make balancing survivability SO MUCH EASIER if fixing one didn’t break the other. I would like the class, generally, to be an analog for Warlock - BM/Demo, MM/Chaos, SV/Aff. I think the fundemental commonality across the class should be delivering damage with a ranged weapon, preferably with a pet at your side. I think SV could be mostly elemental/nature magic and deliver that via flaming arrows, poison darts, traps, etc., with some bleeds thrown in for good measure. Nothing that would require mana, in other words.
If anyone is itching to respond to this with lame counter arguments and revisionist history, please save yourself the effort. I can tell you with certainty that you are already objectively wrong. I do enjoy MSV, btw. I just have to play it as a different class. I had to unlink years of Hunter playstyle to make it work in my brain.