Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsBreakfast Topic: So what sorta pet are you gonna get?
by David Bowers 
Oct 3rd 2008 at 8:00AM
As you already know, patch 3.02, also known as "Echoes of Doom Doom do Doom Doom", will bring with it all those nifty changes to hunter pets' abilities and talents, in addition to doom. Beast Mastery hunters are even getting especially special pets in the form of Exotic Pets through their 51-talent point, called Beast Mastery. Some Beast Mastery hunters will not be getting the Beast Mastery talent, however, because they feel like the coolness of the pet plus a few extra pet talent points do not a worthy 51-talent point make. Other Beast Mastery hunters are just like, "WHOA! Did you see that friggin Core Hound?!" Still other Beast Mastery hunters find the booming sound of Exotic Pet footfalls far too loud, or for other reasons simply prefer normal pets: "Dude, I'm gonna get me a Gorilladin!" or "I've always seen myself as a Pink Flamingo Hunter, and now my hour of destiny has arrived at last!"
So what sorta pet are you gonna get? And why? I'm still undecided myself. I've always enjoyed my Owl most of all, but I'm not tremendously impressed with its new disarm skill in Wrath, since its usefulness seems too limited for my taste. The exotic pets are sometimes really nice looking (like the Spirit Beasts), but sometimes have too much of that "grumpy stompy" look (like Core Hounds) -- though I admit some of those abilities they have are very tempting. I might get used to them, or I might end up going with a Beast Mastery talent build without the Beast Mastery talent, in order to have a wider selection of pets to choose from (in addition to scatter shot). In fact, while writing this post, I just realized how utterly clueless I am about which pets I'll like best. I really have to try them out. Do you have some better idea of what you'll prefer?
Filed under: Hunter, Breakfast Topics, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 5)
p3ngu11 Oct 3rd 2008 10:18AM
1. Devilsaur
2. Core Hound
3. Gorilla
Zuldim Oct 3rd 2008 10:25AM
Raptor, Core Hound, Cat, Gorilla, ?????
Fobok Oct 3rd 2008 10:25AM
First of all, I am going 51-point BM. But I'm doing so for the extra points more than the exotic pets. I have yet to be able to make a pet talent build I'm satisfied with without those extra points. Of course, since I have that ability, I probably will get an exotic pet.
As for the pet itself... when Wrath hits, I'll probably go rhino for levelling until I can get a gorilla later. (Unless they nerf gorillas.) And for PVP with their knockback. Before that, I'll probably get a Core Hound for PVP. I was thinking devilsaur, but don't want to have to level it. (Same reason I'm not getting a gorilla at the start for levelling.)
If they'd just get rid of the whole pet levelling issue, though the 5-level kick they gave this last patch improves it drastically it's not enough, I would be a lot less picky about the pets I try.
Spacecow Oct 3rd 2008 10:39AM
An idea that would work re: not wanting to level a devilsaur would be to level to 71 with whichever pet you have and then going to Netherstorm and taming Tyrantus (http://www.wowhead.com/?npc=20931). I was trying to decide between doing that or taming the white devilsaur from Ungoro and levelling it.. I'll probably just go with that one because I don't want to waste any time going back to Outland once I'm levelling hardcore in Northrend. Besides, with the pet levelling changes, it won't take as long, and I need to farm some meat and stuff before the expansion anyways, so it's no big deal.
Piper Oct 3rd 2008 10:26AM
I'm keeping Garuda, my white owl. I'm not thrilled with the 'snatch' ability, but I think the rest of the cunning tree will more than make up for it. I'm also highly tempted to get a boar from Razorfen and possibly a wasp or a silithid. I'll be trying out different pets mostly to see what dovetails best with my playstyle while looking good.
BreakingPoint0 Oct 3rd 2008 10:47AM
Something I've been wondering(I'm sorry if it's been answered but I haven't seen it) is if you get the talent, tame an Exotic pet, then respec... do you lose the pet? The talent says tame the pet not control the pet so I would think you could lose the talent and still have the pet.
DigitalMonitor Oct 3rd 2008 12:46PM
If your pet is in the stable when you respec you can't take it out. If you have it out when you respec you can't summon a pet until you respec BM again.
Zerubabble Oct 3rd 2008 11:54AM
Gorilla for AoE tanking (running lowbies), Devilsaur for 5-man dps, Worm for raid dps, Silithid for arenas, and Core Hound for awesomeness.
Rhozul Oct 3rd 2008 11:03AM
Two Words. Silithid. Tank. Yes!
My hour of retribution for countless hours wasted in Silithus is at hand! D-Day for those friggin' bugs will come. I will lead an army of Silithid against their masters and I will be victorious!
Now, to get to Level 60 . . .
Keyra Oct 3rd 2008 7:08PM
Is it just me, or did anyone else suddenly have a Starship Troopers flashback when reading this comment?
danielwest Oct 3rd 2008 10:59AM
Wolf for raiding
Gorilla for farming.
Bear to look like the dwarf in the original intro movie.
Ravager for PvP (?).
Boar for nostalgia.
VSUReaper Oct 3rd 2008 11:01AM
I dont play my NE hunter much any more cause hes on a dead PVP server (90% horde, 10% alliance), but I might go get him to 80 after my Warrior, Priest, and DK.
My pets will prolly be my trusty wolf for instances, Humar for PVP, and I am really liking that Bald eagle I saw in some beta vids (BRK?). I think that if I ever transfer him and begin to play him more often, I might try out all the exotic pets, but I think everyone and thier mom will be specing for exotic pets and it will loose its uniqueness.
mind0w0rk Oct 3rd 2008 11:03AM
The one which is the best for PvP. Hyena with her slow or ravager with its stun. We'll see.
Jeff Oct 3rd 2008 11:11AM
With all the changes they've made to the pets and the trees, i'm really excited to use pets i thought i would never be impressed with. note that i'm mostly a PVE player, so i'm not so worried about abilities on battlegrounds.
I am planning to get at least 1 pet per tree(tenacity, ferocity, and cunning). for tenacity, gonna get either a gorilla or a crab; gorillas can AoE and crabs can pin and damage mobs. for ferocity, i really want to stick with my raptor (Takk the Leaper) for nostalgic reasons (when i tamed it, it brought me down to 4 hp and has been with me ever since :) ). Also, raptors are still doing good damage overall. Finally, for cunning, I want to go with the nether ray for it's ability (shadow version of earth shock) and that they just look awesome. Use to be a BM hunter, but after testing out on ptr with marksman and the fact that misdirection is on a 30 sec. cooldown now, i won't have to worry about aggro taken from my pet and still kill things relatively fast.
skreed Oct 3rd 2008 11:31AM
We're getting 2 more Stable Slots, right?
I'm always going to keep Cuban, my Trusty Flatland Prowler. He's been with me since Lv 10 and has a permanant place at my Hunter's side, no matter how gimp Cat attributes and special attacks become.
I guess it makes sense to have at least one of each pet 'type' (Cunning, Tenacity, Ferocity). Definately want a Gorilla in my menagerie... as well as something BIG (Rhino/Core Hound/T-Rex... though I cant imagine dedicating more than 2 stable slots to exotics).
Basically I want one of everthing newly tameable, and one of everything getting cool new species-specific abilities, which means I need about 25 stable slots :(.
MechaKingGhidra Oct 3rd 2008 11:45AM
If I ever manage to get off my lazy rear concerning levelling any of the multple hunters I've tried playing with over the course of time, I think I'll use the following:
1) Crab for basic needs and the fact I've always hated cat pets with a passion.
2) Turtle for the tougher things I find that require tanking but no one more appropriate is around to help with.
3) Devilsaur because they've caused people enough trouble that pretty much everyone in general deserves to have a little revenge by getting these things to do our dirty work for once. Maybe the rare spawn, since for some ridiculous coincidence, that one has always been a particular problem for the characters I've levelled thus far.
4) Although I doubt it at this point because no one has mentioned whether or not they are able to be tamed, but I will still nevertheless try to tame a hydra. They technically *are* beasts, after all, and if chimeras and core hounds can be tamed, I don't see hydras as being that far of a stretch.
angelyne Oct 3rd 2008 11:54AM
BreakingPoint0
If you tame an exotic pet and then respec that pet becomes unavailable to you and is subsequently stuck in your stable. You have to respec in order to free up your stable slot.
I think that if it's not in the stable you can no longer control it
Amaxe Oct 3rd 2008 11:54AM
Well, personally I would like it so the pets were not so damned loud. I hate the rhino and corehounds causing the "BOM-BOM-BOM-BOM-BOM" sound and earth shaking effect as they walked, and I hope that gets patched out of it.
The existence of the hunter pet should not be an irritant to to the players around them.
STereo Oct 3rd 2008 12:08PM
Squiq
Ezzy Oct 3rd 2008 12:27PM
Lol, I'm glad I am not the only person that thinks of Gir when you hear the word doom.