newbie 911 - a guide for new huntersFollow

In general, I find that what you can get from drops and rewards will suffice. I tend to concentrate on getting bags instead. As many as possible and as big as as you can afford. With the quiver/ammo pouch already taking up a bag slot, a hunter needs them in order to keep from making a trip to the vendor every other kill.

As far as weapons go, Draenei quests have great weapons rewards for beginners - those crossbows are amazing. If you aren't Draenei, you're probably SOL, unless you have a main that can pay the 10S to train crossbows at the Exodar weapon trainer. I have yet to create a NE hunter, but if I did, I'd get to Azuremyst Isle and do the newbie quests there, just for the crossbow rewards.

Thanks!

The Sticky is quite good - and it one way or another does answer pretty much everything. And I'm not trying to compete with it. I'm just trying to cook up a guide that's "less intimidating" to the average newb.

I think what I have here has the same (small, but important) problem - my guide attempt is also too long.

We want a newb guide that handles 85% or so of newbie questions - the "real" newbie questions - in an easy to read, fast format.

I also missed a few key elements (I think the guide should give tips on leveling fast and painlessly - if the newbie is being "rewarded" with good tidbits as they read, they'll keep reading).

The idea is for the newb guide to start people off, then they'll go to the "every question answered here" once they level a bit, decide they'll stick with the charcter, and have some experience playing (so they know what stuff means - it's hard for normal people to put game advice in context if they haven't played much).

Anyway, got swamped w/ stuff - will post my "short attention span version" ASAP.

Cater to 12 year olds? What about a 40-year-old who has never played an mmo and thinks being a hunter is cool?

Look, newbs are newbs. We were all newbs once, whether in this mmo or an earlier one, so look, let's remember - we DO help NEWBS. We don't have to help NOOBS (in fact noobs are pretty much fair game). Remember that part? Heheh.

Wow. That's really thorough!

I've not finished it yet, but I'll study it.

My goal in making a so-called hunter newbie guide (or 911 - I'm using 911 on purpose, cuz newbs come in here all "panicked" and need answers now!!!) is to try to answer their most common questions - but also in a short format (which I have so far failed to do).

I've also decided to try to include a few of the most essential items of advice, mostly for getting from 1 to 10 or maybe 1 to 20.

It's really just Kindergarten for hunters.

I didn't even include the races and their issues ... gah, they ask that one all the time! This is trickier than I thought it'd be. If I really try to answer everything, it will bog down - it won't read well - and newbs can't find info. But if I don't answer enough, it'll be incomplete.

I guess I'll just try to strike a good balance and hope for the best.

IponemaGirl:

Your guide is very good an will help a certain segment of the hunter community, and you know what group you are targeting. Azuarc's guides are very thorough and useful to a different segment of the community. Having a third "Quick 'n Dirty" guide isn't a bad idea either as you'll probably hit that last part of the community that 'just want's to play' right out of the box and has short attention spans.

My recommendation for keeping it short and to the point is to reduce it to points. I could cull your guide down to just a single post using this format:
(almost a wiki format here)
Major Section
-Minor Section
--Bullet Point 1
--Bullet Point 2
... ad nauseum.

You don't need to explain everything in a quick start guide. Just hit the high points and TELL them what to do. The quick to pick up folks will figure it out for themselves and those that need more help will go to the longer guide. Those that want all the minute details will find Az's guide.

So stick with your great Q&A fun style guide, it's easy reading. Make the short version just to hit the 'do this' of each paragraph. Don't explain unless it will take less than one sentence to do so. Keep the math and just keep to 'do this'. You are just espousing conventional wisdom in a quick guide.

Each guide should link to the next level of guide(s) at the end of it.