A Ray of Hope

‘Sup,

Well, Blizzard went and launched 4.06, and Hunters are in a fair amount of trouble. Not necessarily because the class is in trouble, but more because these changes are going to take a lot of getting used to.

Quite a bit of getting used to, actually.

My first reaction to the new patch was panic. Our first night with the new patch, my threes team dropped 100 points, and I started to freak out. I hadn’t been so discouraged after finishing a night of games since the expansion launched. But, after a lot of consideration, I’ve realized that this patch dropping is just like the launch of Cataclysm… I could either adapt to the changes and find a way to succeed, or I could roll over and complain about how unfair life is.

Pictured: Complaining

 I’m not ashamed to admit that I had stepped into my own trap of despair. After Tuesday, I honestly felt that there was no hope for us, and we were screwed, and I would have to server transfer and find new partners, or just give up. Each change that came through the hot fixes the last few days seemed like a personal attack on me, and was a deliberate attempt to impede my progress toward accomplishing my goal of attaining Gladiator this season.

But, I’ve come to realize that just like the launch of Cataclysm; the truly great players will find a way to succeed despite the circumstances thrown against them. At the end of December, I was one of the few players on the Arena Junkies forums who was maintaining a positive outlook, and one of the very few who found a method of turning the changes into advantages. While other Hunters complained about how crappy focus was, I was busy crunching numbers and testing countless spec combinations, and working with my partners to find better ways of handling situations that cropped up, better ways of dealing with enemy comps, and more effective methods of communication. And I started to find success.

It seems, however, that I became drunk on my own success. I forgot all the hard work and careful thought that went into getting as far as we have, and started taking for granted that we had developed strategies ahead of time and just knew what to do when we entered the arena. I began to assume that if we were unable to win, it was because it was impossible. I also started to become elitist in my opinions, and stopped taking other’s advice under consideration because I started thinking that nobody could possibly be able to give me good advice. In short, I became complacent and arrogant.

This new patch is scary for us in a lot of ways. Focus was too. Starting today, I will stop wallowing in my own self-pity for how things have turned out, and start finding a way to win. I’m not afraid any more.

What does this mean for you? Don’t give up. With every change there comes that opportunity to find success. Form your own opinions from your own experiences, and don’t let other’s negative talk get you down.

Don’t be a loser just because something changed. Learn from my mistake. Find a way to win. I promise it’s out there.

Until next time,

Happy Hunting.