stand where to fight?

[mersch]

This is something I am curious about for a while now.
What does more damage in auto-attacks? Stay at ranged or go in melee??

I am just curious about this, because in some long bossfights in instances you can run out of power so you are bound to auto-attacks, or just to squeeze the last bit of damage out of my little hunter.
In the ranged option, you have more crit chance, but the attacks seem slower. In melee each attack is with both weapons, but the strikes do a bit less damage than ranged auto-attacks.

I don't really want exact numbers and data (but feel free to do the maths if you want to :)), I only want a sort of general idea of what is better. This due to the huge differences in the gear people have, and the time it takes to figure it out very precisely.

P.S. This is not about the extra might in the new hunter set, or the "I am not a champ" whining!

[WindRider]

At high level and with at least a 2nd age, the melee auto attack won't even come close with ranged most of the time.

[agoracy_]

well, if you like my opinion, you should not take only damage into consideration.
Hunters attack things from range, avoiding at any costs to get aggro, dealing a considerable amount of damage. If you go melee, you will have to deal with more incoming damage, the ministrel will have an extra one in his healing queue..

Leave melee range to tanks and champs, stay at range, if you are out of power do something like using a power pot, or strength of the earth... Also, if you know if you have power issues, you may as well equip that trait (which I forgot the name now, it's very late here:P) that gives you some power along with focus when using intent concentration, righteous bow also may help... It is better to prevent rather than experimenting such things :)

[Mutzi]

From both a hunter and minstrels point of view always at range unless there is some compelling reason to be in melee, for example the 2nd DD boss who can completely negate ranged damage at times. The hunter does more damage and the minstrel doesn't need the extra work. Also in a group, if possible, you also want to be attacking your target from behind, block only applies to attacks in a 180 degree arc. Your target can still evade but you will increase your damage by a small amount.

[nightbyday]

Ranged when you can be ranged.

auto attacks ranged > melee auto attacks (dps of weapon dependent), reason agility makes you hit harder and crit chance better then melee, melle hit hard is might based (most hunters dont might build... boo8 radience heavy on might :D).

The other point is if your away from mob you can avoid AoE thus easier life for a healer.

How ever some mobs you ned to be close to stop meleeers having to chace mob to you if you pull aggro.

So it is really mob dependent at this point about where you stand.

[omissis]

If you slot Bow and Blade (an extra melee attack) then the damage output from melee auto-attacks is comparable to ranged one, I think even larger.


But you have to take into account two things:

-) ranged crit is larger than melee one;

-) with ranged attacks you get some power back (if you slot BotR).



Anyhow I won't be the one to say NO WAY!!!1!!!1 ranged auto-attack is way, way better (dps speaking obviously).

[Merired]

If you slot Bow and Blade (an extra melee attack) then the damage output from melee auto-attacks is comparable to ranged one, I think even larger.


Ummm, Bow and Blade only adds an extra melee attack to skills, not to all autoattacks (at least that's what the description says, and I'll go with that unless you can prove otherwise). Autoattacks when in melee come from both your main-hand and off-hand regardless of the trait.
I see only three reasons to stay in melee rage (and believe one of them is crap:P), that is you either 1) follow the original Focus Burn guide and use Blindside for focus, 2) the boss is immune to range damage or hates it, 3) you want to stay close for AoE heals when fighting a large mob.

[omissis]

Ummm, Bow and Blade only adds an extra melee attack to skills, not to all autoattacks (at least that's what the description says, and I'll go with that unless you can prove otherwise). Autoattacks when in melee come from both your main-hand and off-hand regardless of the trait.
I see only three reasons to stay in melee rage (and believe one of them is crap:P), that is you either 1) follow the original Focus Burn guide and use Blindside for focus, 2) the boss is immune to range damage or hates it, 3) you want to stay close for AoE heals when fighting a large mob.


I have slotted Bow and Blade with my hunter and I saw 3 numbers on auto-attack. That's why if you go melee hunter it is a very nice trait to slot (+50% ca. damage).

I'll do another try tonight to be 100% sure.

EDIT: ok my bad, you were right. Bow and Blase doesn't add another melee attack in auto-attack mode.

My hunter is very gimped on the melee side, I have only 280 Might and crappy lvl 59 3rd age axes (dps not even maxed), compared to 600 Agility and level 60 1st age x-bow (maxed dps). And my numbers are on auto-attack (speed should be almost the same):

-) ranged: 237-278 ca.

-) melee: 101-121 main hand + 71-85 off hand = 172-206 ca.


Considering the huge differences between my ranged and melee set-up I must say that melee auto-attack is not that bad after all.

[Scatha the Worm]

With average hunter stats (high agi, high ranged crit, might around 300), your ranged auto attacks will do much better in 3 aspects: avoidance (your arrows cant get parried), raw damage, and speed.

If you were to build for melee damage, you could potentially do better (specially considering the trade-offs), but in a grouping scenario, building for melee is very unreasonable, since you severely gimp your total DPS potential by doing so.

[smoothie91]

Is there a way you can set your auto attack to ranged against a mob thats right next to you, ie in your melee range?

[Eikinskialdi]

I always stand next to the mini that im still in range with the heal and the melee group.

[Silmahad]

I guess the intent behind the OPs post is the Filikul Turtle raid.

Most random raids, who form there, do that fight with the Enrage tactic. Which means all stand on that little hill there in the chamber and in melee range to the Turtle. So the question is:

Will you as a hunter stand at melee range and sacrifice dps with melee auto attacks, not using range auto attacks, or will you depart a bit from the raid to be able to use range attacks, but with the risk to draw the turtle away a bit so melees have to move and maybe loose dps by doing that?

Maybe there is a spot where the movement of the turtle is too smal that it would matter, but you are still in range for ranged auto attack?

Of course you should stand behind the mob if possible. Ranged Attacks from behind -> no Block. With the Enraged tactic this will be impossible, the Turtle will spin around like a gyroscope.

[Scatha the Worm]

EDIT: The post I answered to is gone.