The design can be changed depending on what blizzard wants it to be.
See: the numerous class and spec reworks over the years.
Appealing to the, ‘but that’s how it’s always been!’ isn’t a valid argument.
It can but it’s no longer a hunter. It’s like giving paladin a void spec only with void powers. Well that just gets rid of the whole theme of the class.
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That’s like saying outlaw isn’t a rogue anymore because of the dice mechanic.
All hunters start with either a pet, or being taught to tame a pet. This is a core part of the class identity. Blizzard’s own statement is this new pet is meant to reconnect that pet fantasy to the spec.
So again - MM is not a petless spec, it is also a pet spec. But unlike BM or SV - you have no say over what pet you use.
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No, because outlaw is a pirate and I fits the rogue class archetype. Thieves, and swashbucklers. Also outlaws still use stealth and shadow magic.
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No, that would be like saying Outlaw is no longer a rogue because it loses the ability to stealth. Stealth is a core component of rogue gameplay.
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You know we used to not even be able to learn to tame a pet until level 10, right?
Also a core part of the class fantasy is being a ranged attacker but survival was made a melee spec, what’s your point?
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I am aware - that as back when we had class quests meant to teach you such things. For new players, you learn how to tame pets at level 6ish on Exile’s Reach.
Melee hunter was a thing back in Vanilla. It was terrible, but it was a thing people tried to make work. Abilities like Raptor Strike, Wingclip and the ranged deadzone were part of that.
So even from vanilla, hunters were not strictly ranged dps.
Blizzard has stated that with this rework, MM is and shall remain, a pet spec. You are arguing for a position they do not support and are not intending.
Melee hunters in vanilla were basically a myth and a gimmick that didn’t exist outside of a few people messing around.
People tried using that as a justification when blizzard changed survival but the simple fact is that they don’t need justification or precedent to reinvent classes and specs to fit what their vision is for what they want it to be.
It seems the pet is just a glorified spell effect. It would be better if they just went all the way with no pet at all.
So… melee was a part of the hunter identity from the beginning, thank you for confirming my point.
Then they’d need to rewrite the entire starting experience for all hunters.
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No, you are missing the point. Blizzard dictates what the class and spec identity is, whether it existed before or not.
Trust me, as a former Demonology Warlock that had his spec utterly destroyed in Legion to make room for Demon Hunters, I know this painfully well.
Still, as players and customers, we are all allowed to manifest our thoughts and sentiments when we think and/or feel that Blizzard is making a mistake.
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This is what happens when devs get bored and look for ways to justify their budgets.
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And thus, we have these comments, from Kaivax on the MM hunter rework:
The discord between Marksmanship Hunters and their pets felt like something that needed to be solved-- and our goal was to solve that problem in a way that not only reembraced pets as a part of Marksmanship’s identity, but also did it in a unique and fantasy-forward way.
Marksmanship Hunters are losing access to “traditional” pets […] and are instead permanently joined in battle by an Eagle.
We are interested in continuing to flesh out Marksmanship’s Eagle as a true pet and partner for you on your journeys with unique interactions, effects, and even appearances in the future, but we don’t have specifics to share yet. We’d love to hear your thoughts
So… your entire point is still moot.
MM is, and is remaining, a pet spec.
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And taming pets was THE defining level 10 class quest, like druids getting their bear form and going to Moonglade for the first time.
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I get it. I thought blizzard was making a mistake making survival a melee spec but it is what it is.
Then tell that to the people making dozens of threads saying they were quitting because mm was losing pets.
That’s not unreasonable though.
MM is simultaneously losing all pets they already had and gaining a new mandatory pet that nobody asked for.
So if you liked your pets, it sucks because you lose all your pets.
And if you wanted petless MM, it also sucks because now you have a mandatory pet throwing off your solo groove.
It’s a lose-lose situation.
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The government mandated bird strikes again.
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I agree. Blizzard is trying to thread some needle here that is like trying to run through the middle of two mobs to avoid them and agroing both.
They should either fully commit to the spec being played with a pet and remove lone wolf entirely or fully commit to a petless spec.
This ‘you still kinda have a pet but not really’ is an inelegant solution to the current issue mm has with the pet/no pet gameplay.
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Well outlaw isn’t a Rogue anymore. It is a gambling pirate. Arr Matey!
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