Why hunter?

Ever since I jumped ship for TOR, I've been reflecting back on what I learned about myself as a player from being a hunter, since I learned very early that I liked the priest-type.

1. I like pets.  This seems like an obvious one, but prior to WoW, I hadn't known that I truly like the companion mechanic.  I'm not fond of having more than two companions, though; the third tends to get lost in the shuffle.  Mind you, this preference is not simply due to having a permanent companion at my side, though that's clearly part of it.  No, it goes deeper than that.  I like having a companion to take some of the direct fire off myself so I can think more clearly.  A bit of the healer in me surfaces here too; if my companion is tanking, then I am most likely responsible for keeping him healed.  Everything comes into sharper focus.
2. I prefer ranged classes.  There are some exceptions to this, but in an environment where there are other players, I definitely gravitate toward the ranged area.  And this makes sense for hunters; you get a great view of the battlefield and can truly see what's going on.  Once you're down and dirty in melee, you're a different kind of hunter with different priorities.
3. I like playing the loner.  This is sadly something that I could never get from a healing character and is pretty much unique to the gunslinger type.  I like the feeling that I can take off and strike out on my own doing whatever needs to be done at the drop of a hat.  Alone.  Why is that freedom important?  I haven't found an answer, since the healer in me wants to be bound to a group at all times.  And therein lies the contradiction of my personal preferences.

Everyone has their reasons for playing a hunter type.  These are the biggest draw for me.

What do you mean, this isn't window shopping?

My friend and I who rolled together on TOR visited Alderaan for the first time last night, and for the first time, I felt myself repressing the urge to spew hunter technobabble.

I had actually not held back when I first realized that one of my guild's tanks was able to tame a beast, an alchemical snarler, in Athiss.  I went into full on "d'awww!" mode and healed the puppy the best I could, despite his not having a pet bar. (The same treatment was given to scavenged droids as well.)

But Alderaan last night was different.  My friend spotted a Thranta and I had to suppress every urge to compare it to a chimaera with sporebat-like wings.  He played WoW too; he would have understood....it's just the idea that I am most definitely a recovering hunter.

It's a good thing that my TOR Kalli equivalent over there is an alchemist!  Or....wait, no, that just means I'm going to be in trouble once she's Athiss level.  Sigh.  This is going to be a lengthy recovery process, I can tell.

Predetermined personalities

Another big difference between TOR companions and WoW pets is that your companions already come with their own personalities; you don't get to determine more than your relationship with them, be it friendly or...otherwise (one way or the other).

Personally, I find this to be a huge perk.  I don't have to work as hard at coming up with a buddy's personality that differs from my own.  For example, the womanizing man of leisure companion that consulars get is definitely not a personality I would ever have created on my own.  I can't stand him!  And yet, he defined himself to me like one of my WoW pets would have: he soloed the boss at the end of the quest chain leading to his becoming a member of my crew while I took out the adds.  I genuinely did not think he had it in him.  Somehow, because he already had his own personality, this made that accomplishment all the greater.  It was perfectly timed, too, since that was the way I accepted him enough to even grudgingly let him aboard my ship.  It's amazing; my actual personal feelings toward the character mirror the choices I would have made in game anyway.  I can't really describe it better than that.

There's something very real about having a companion whose mind is completely out of your control.  They think for themselves, which allows a more genuine response from you and your character.  It's an entirely different experience.

The Spirit of Adventure

I wasn't really sure what was going to happen when I started getting involved with SWTOR.  Players get companions rather than pets, so technically, that sort of thing shouldn't be covered by this blog.

However, I realized that's not what this blog is truly about.  It's about storytelling and adventure.  The excitement of the hunt with NPC buddies at your side.

And so, I shall be bringing you tales from TOR in addition to those from WoW.

I was sorely tempted to write about my companions from the beta, but somehow, lumping my virtual friends in with my virtual pets just felt wrong.  I'll address them at another time.  For now, I shall discuss the hunt of the objects that have currently captured my fancy: datacrons.

Datacrons are colorful boxes scattered throughout the world that give your character a permanent stat boost to an attribute when interacted with.  Some are well-hidden and require some skill to get to.  My interest was piqued yesterday after discovering one on Taris that involved circling around to the far side of the area to reach.  It was a simple path, just lengthy.  The hunt to find the entrance, though, was quite epic.  And thusly, I was hooked.

I've been using a guide for these other datacrons I've been seeking out, though I try to figure things out a bit on my own once I'm at the starting point.  A few of the ones I've chased have involved some pretty serious jumping....which I am not entirely great at.  Last night, however, I had to get considerably better at it, especially to get the ones on Coruscant!  The precision required to land some of the jumps is incredible and was previously beyond my ability.

What I like most about them is that they're a challenge outside the norm.  It's not about killing; it's about being wily and then executing.  Plus you get to wander into hidden areas via wall walking intentionally.  Win-win situation!