Hunters in World of Warcraft are a much happier lot since patch 2.3 hit the servers. The changes Blizzard implemented, such as the smaller "dead-zone" and the new pet scripts, have really done a lot to revitalize the class. Things will get even better in patch 2.3.2 if the planned changes for the hunters push through.

Blizzard Community Manager Salthem gave out some details on the changes. He said that they plan on increasing the Aspect of the Viper effect for the hunters. This buff should make hunters more effective both in PvE and PvP combat.

He also mentioned that they intend on allowing the class to set two freezing traps. Perfect for those times when a hunter needs to slow down and prioritize his attacks.

Finally, hunters who hate having to level grind their pet will be pleased to know that the Pet leveling speed has also been substantially increased. This should give the members of the class some extra time to farm or join an instance or two.

These modifications are pretty good, but how will it affect gameplay balance? Granted that other classes also received some pretty good buffs, but it just seems like hunters have been getting the lion's share of improvements. Perhaps the developers are slowly building up for the complete revamp of the class in Wrath of the Lich King.