A Bunny Thumper is a Ranger/Warrior build which uses a hammer and a pet in conjunction to cause massive pressure. While a Ranger can only get 12 ranks in Hammer Mastery, knockdowns such as Hammer Bash are no less effective and the Ranger's Expertise attribute allows the user to spam energy-based attack skills. The Ranger's pet contributes moderate damage, provides effects such as Dazed through pet attacks, and allows the Ranger to use Rampage as One as a constant speed and IAS buff. All this together makes the Bunny Thumper able to apply relatively high and constant pressure to the enemy.
The Bunny Thumper is normally used in HA or TA, where a well-organized team can cover for some of the Thumper's weaknesses, and take full advantage of the Thumper's pressure capabilities.
Usage[]
Common skills used are Rampage as One, Hammer Bash, Crushing Blow, and Bestial Mauling, along with the necessary pet skills (Charm Animal and Comfort Animal) and a Resurrection Signet. Depending on the player's setup, it is sometimes common to find Bunny Thumpers bringing along a spirit such as Energizing Wind, to help counter Rampage as One's high energy cost. Using Bestial Mauling to cause Daze, and Crushing Blow to cover with Deep Wound, the Bunny Thumper can provide tremendous pressure to a single character. The deadly conditions, coupled with the consistent knockdowns, can easily overwhelm many players; the Bunny Thumper aims to defeat opponents with superior pressure.
The average Bunny Thumper maxes out its Hammer Mastery, and uses runes and headgear to get Beast Mastery and Expertise to about 12 and 9 respectively (this depends on the user's preferences, skillbar, and/or weapons). At 12 Beast Mastery, Rampage as One lasts for a total of 13 seconds, and with about 9 Expertise, the energy cost is decreased to a more manageable 16. Keeping the Ranger's energy regeneration level in mind, the user can usually maintain Rampage as One for the duration of the fight; many players also like to use a Zealous Hammer to better manage energy (coupled with the 33% IAS, the energy gain is approximately 11 energy over ten seconds from the hammer alone).
Counters[]
As a melee-type build, there are many common counters a Bunny Thumper can expect to run into, from anti-melee hexes (such as Reckless Haste or Empathy), to conditions (such as Blind or Weakness). Due to the build's relative popularity, as well as its common strategy, counters are quite common to see in high-end PvP areas, although a well-balanced team running Bunny Thumpers will generally plan ahead for such obstacles.
History[]
Before the release of Nightfall, Bunny Thumpers typically used Tiger's Fury to provide IAS, and Ferocious Strike or Enraged Lunge as the Elite. Due to the decrease in IAS on Tiger's Fury from 33% to 25%, and with the introduction of Rampage as One, these skills fell into general disuse for the Bunny Thumper's purposes.