Howdy Hunters. With more high level content being bestowed upon us, I felt the need to give some of you a little bit of a guide to playing the class more effectively. I've seen posts in this forum talking about how sometimes Hunters become the bane of a mission, when the truth is that it's not the Hunter, it's player who's using the Hunter improperly. That's where I come in to give you a little heads up. Some of you who read this probably don't need to because you already know this stuff, but if you have any advice I don't cover, feel free to chime in. Also bear in mind that much of this pertains to high level PVE content, not PVP. [b]1) WE'RE SOFT.[/b] In MMO jargon, Hunters are what they call "Squishy"-meaning that they're very easily damaged. Hunter armor isn't as strong as a Titan's and their recovery isn't as fast as a Warlock's, so it's important to realize that we cannot take the same hits Titans can and have to duck and cover a little longer than Warlocks to get back into the fight when near death. Luckily every ability in both subclasses is designed so that we don't have to engage enemies directly, so stop running into firefights Leroy Jenkins, you'll live longer. It's also important (and this goes for all classes) to adjust your stats as you need them. In PVP you're best suited to use more Armor, while in PVE you're more free to do what you wish, but remember that if you have a lot of one thing, you will be lacking in the other two. [b]2) BLADEDANCER- THE DOUBLE EDGED SWORD[/b] Pun intended. The Bladedancer subclass is far and away the superior of the current 2 available to Hunters. It offers the most defense and effective offensive perks, like vanishing when crouched and of course Blink. But as for your trusty shank itself, you should not abuse it's latent power. Yes, the Arc Blade has the ability to wipe out entire waves (or enemy fireteams in PVP) in seconds, but it doesn't protect you from damage-of which as said above, you can only take but so much of. This makes us Hunters with Bladedancer into a glass cannon, high offense-low defense, and as such you need to whip it out only when you know it's going to score KILLS. Think of it as a pro wrestler's finishing move...it ends the match, 1, 2, 3. The exception here is when maybe you do need to use it defensively, such as if you're surrounded and need to clear some room to make your escape and recover. [b]2.5) GUNSLINGER- THE WORLD IS YOUR ARSENAL[/b] While BladeDancer is all about stealth and movement, Gunslinger is all about being a precision killing machine. In PVE, combining Chain Of Woe (faster reloading for precision kills) and Gunslinger's Trance (improved stability for precision kills) makes even the wildest kicking weapons more stable, hence you get more shots on target and do more damage. It's essential if you have weapons such as SGA, Last Word or Hard Light, because these perks will give you that extra manageability with guns that are normally just "okay" in other classes hands. The throwing knives are also a pretty slick way to finish off enemies in PVP or PVE when you've depleted your mag. I'll not even go into the awesomeness of the Golden Gun, I'll just say this...aim true. [b]3) IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PERFECT SHOT.[/b] Destiny even describes what the Hunter's role is in it's actual description of the class. The function of a Hunter primarily is to cause as much damage to single opponents as possible from as safe a distance as possible. We don't have to AOE awesomeness that Warlocks and Titans do, but what we do have is the inherent ability to hit hard while nobody is looking. Scout Rifles and Hand Cannons are literally custom built for us to slip in, get some precision damage in, slip out and repeat. I can maneuver through high level strike missions literally untouched, get good add-on damage to big bosses (TRANSLATION: If teammates are fighting the big baddie, you add-on damage from range without them turning attention to you) and use fireteam members as distraction for enemies in addition to the Hunters abilities and top tier agility to leap/run/slide out of harm's way. That my friends is how it should be done. [b]4) THINK LIKE A REAL HUNTER[/b] Compare it to game hunting in real life. They don't run out into the wild and knife their target (well maybe in prehistoric times they did but luckily we've evolved from that, lol), they pick their spots and hit their marks. Every move is calculated and planned before taken, you just have to be a lot quicker on your toes in doing so for the simple reason of self-preservation. You should have a healthy fear of being whacked because you can be easier than any other class, so strike hard, be nimble and when you draw your blade, make sure it draws blood. [b]5) DRESS FOR SUCCESS[/b] Probably even moreso than the other two classes, the gear you equip plays a huge role in PVE content, especially hand gear/gauntlets, which are generally the items with perks that allow for quick reloads of weapons. If you favor one specific weapon (for me it's Hand Cannons), and can find gear that gives you quick reload for it, you'll be twice as effect on the battlefield. Hand Cannons have a reload animation of nearly 3-4 seconds by default...the perk cuts that down to under 2 seconds. Count to 2 right now. That's how long it take for you to reload a little less than in fact. Tell me that's not awesome? Now, this rules applies to all classes all the same, but with Hunters it's all in the details. Little things like that can keep you upright longer, and that's your #1 priority.