I think part of it is also the spec being called a Survival Hunter, given a spear for a weapon, and having a strong bond with a trusted animal companion.
Lords of War Part Three – Durotan - YouTube
I don’t know what class Durotan is typically associated with, but what we see in this video is very much what comes to my mind when I consider the concepts above.
Wolf Girl 
Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke is a great example of the contrasting themes of a spear hunter surviving in the wild with animal companions versus the destructive force of explosives and modernized weaponry.
Maybe if they had called the spec something like Bounty instead of Survival and had not emphasized the bond between the Hunter and pet so much it wouldn’t feel so out of place.
As it stands, I think it just makes much more sense to give Survival a thrown weapon like a Chakram or Tethered Axe to cover the role that Wildfire Bomb plays in the rotation. The mad bomber theme would have so much more potential if Blizz would just go ahead and give us a Tinker class.
1 Like
how does it make more sense to give it a thrown weapon. why would a tauren use a chakram. why would a gnome use a tethered axe.
what about “survival” makes you think of “primitive that ignores technology”. nothing about the class is against modernized weaponry. do you want guns in the game to go away for the same hang up?
1 Like
At the very least I think the basic premise of respecting the value of resources. This is a fundamental concept in anything pertaining to survival. That is also the biggest value of a melee weapon as opposed to a ranged weapon that requires ammunition. You don’t run out of ammo with a melee weapon. A thrown bladed weapon such as a Chakram or Tethered Axe that would return after use would share this value of conservation of resources.
Explosives on the other hand are one-time use and would actively deplete your potential resources. Imagine burning down half the forest because you decided an incendiary device would be a good tool to use on your hunt. What would even be left of your prey? Obviously we do more than hunt beasts as Survival Hunters in WoW, but would you even be able to salvage armor and weapons after you mangled your target and his equipment with explosives?
I know you enjoy the explosives and we’ve gone several rounds discussing the pros and cons of their use in Survival Hunter. I think right now Blizz is poised to provide a solution that satisfies both sides of the conversation.
The Shrapnel Bomb talent could be replaced with a Chakram or Tethered Axe that would apply the bleeds. As an option, this still leaves players who prefer the explosives to stick with Wildfire Bomb.
They could also make Boomstick a choice node with Fury of the Eagle, which would again allow players on both sides of the conversation to pick their preference.
1 Like
You’re putting concerns that don’t exist on the setting onto a single spec in the game. Why is that?
There is no ammo in the game. You do not gather reagents to make your wildfire bomb. You do not have to go buy material components to cast spells.
You are confusing “hunter” class with “person who hunts animals for food”.
Seeing as how their direct quote was to reinforce the explosive identity I think they are NOT poised to provide a solution that will satisfy you
You guys are putting too much emphasis on real world comparison. We can’t poke an earth elemental to death with a spear, that’s where survival adapted to explosives
1 Like
Ya wish surivial had more access to them. Ive been using the spirit of dambala when i can. But in pvp its raptor or die
Durotan is considered as a Warrior. He just has a strong bond to wolves like most of his clan. There’s nothing to associate him to Hunters.
Different fantasy that’s not relevant to WoW world. Mononoke is heavily inspired by Japanese lore while WoW lore comes from Tolkien and DnD.
Survival fits just perfectly with the concept of a spec that uses what ever at their disposal to fight. They are more relatable to the 80s movies of the lone soldier that uses their years of experience in order to fight someone who has the advantage. This idea of lone survivor with their pet is found in other games as well. Fallout, Haunting Grounds, and more have you play as a character who survives by using their environment as thier weapon.
As an alternative to WfB perhaps, but WfB is too integrated into Survival’s rotation and idenity that removing it completely would require another rework of the spec. Changes to WfB appearance would be a better solution for those who want to have something that looks more natural.
If Tinkerer ever becomes a class it would be better to have one spec a range dps that uses explosives in its rotation, but not as a signature ability.
1 Like
I feel like this debate is going on in like 6 different active threads right now lol.
4 Likes
I take issue with Shadow Priests Insanity being on the Priest instead of their targets when they use spells like Mind Blast and Mind Flay to assault the minds of their targets.
I also think Devouring Plague needs to be renamed to something like Shadow Word: Despair. Plagues are DK territory, not Priest. Devouring Plague worked as the Undead racial Priest ability when every race had a unique spell as a Priest, but not as a core spell for all races.
I’m not. Hence:
There are plenty of people who share this opinion that the bombs feel out of place. And I’m not saying they will make the adjustment to allow players to opt out of them, but that the current set-up of the talent tree makes it an easy task to accomplish.
And since they’re already making significant changes to include allowing Survival to dual-wield, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for a couple of choice nodes that would retain the same gameplay while adjusting the theme from explosives and fire to blades and bleeds.
It’s not about real world, but the established fantasy of the natural hunter archetype surviving and thriving in the wild as part of it.
Lords of War Part Three – Durotan - YouTube
Wolf Girl Princess Mononoke
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal | Spear and Fang vs. Alpha Tyrannosaurid
300 Movie - Wolf Fight Scene HD
[4K60FPS] AVATAR: 2 War Action Scene Final Battle - The Way of Water: Hollywood Movie Review - IMAX
That’s not the entirety of wow’ hunter though. you’re linking completely irrelevant things.
Yes and they also use nonsense bad-faith arguments too, it doesn’t make it correct lol
The Hunter class has never been what you want it to be. It never will be what you want it to be.
1 Like
I’m sure the same thing was said to people who asked for melee Hunter, 2 pets, no pets, etc.
Probably not since Hunter started the game with melee. (and guns, explosives, etc)
1 Like
Melee was a last resort when the deadzone existed, not an intended primary means of offense.
Crazy that it still existed along with explosions and guns and the technology in setting that you seem really adamant on ignoring.
The game is not your realistic grounded low-tech fantasy setting. Sorry. You can say you dislike bombs sure, but to say it doesn’t fit is the nonsense part. It clearly does fit. The setting has tanks and spaceships.
3 Likes
And the face of Melee Survival is Rexxar, a melee Hunter who doesn’t use explosives but survives in the wild with his animal companions and relies on his wit and physical prowess to still be a boss in spite of those things.
2 Likes
What’s your point? In game talent art? The in game talent art of Fury Warrior is a human woman with two axes. Does that mean any fury warrior that doesn’t use axes doesn’t fit? Demonlogy art is just a bunch of imps. Does that mean the Felguard doesn’t fit?
Rexxar is also a half-ogre, which we can’t play at all. How does that make sense?
1 Like
We can play Tauren, Nightelves, Trolls, etc. It makes perfect sense that there would be Hunters who would not use explosives.
1 Like
All of those races can use guns and explosives though. The Hunter class is not racially specific, in fact it was one of the first racially agnostic classes.
Night Elves and Taurens were using guns and explosives when the game first came out too.
And Lightforged Draenei can be Warlocks.
Just because it can be done doesn’t mean it makes sense.
And just because Night Elves and Tauren COULD use guns and explosives doesn’t mean they all did. I would wager the vast majority of players who played those races were using bows, because it falls more in line with how those races are depicted as having a deep connection with nature as opposed to something like Gnome or Goblin.
And just as it made sense for those players to have the option to use a bow instead of a gun, I think it also makes sense for Survival players to have the option to use a Chakram or Tethered Axe instead of a Wildfire Bomb.
1 Like
Well, actually because it can be done means it does make sense in the setting. You may not like it, but that’s just the way the setting works.
completely irrelevant
not going to happen. a chakram isn’t going to deal conal fire damage nor will a tethered axe. if you do not like explosies, I recommend you play beast mastery or marksmanship as they seem more suited to the fantasy you are interested in.
why try to change something that already exists into what you want it to be, instead of playing the already existing alternatives? that makes no sense to me. you can even make a warrior right now and mog it to be a tauren in more primal inspired armor to get the exact fantasy you want