REALLY squishy pets

[Sukurachi]

Well, I for one am finding my pets to be incredibly squishy. I have to cast my Pet Heal every time it's off cooldown.
Formerly, I MIGHT have to cast it once during a particularly difficult fight.

I can't even begin to imagine what Hunters will be like in a dungeon or raid now.

[Wain]

You're not the first to report that, though as a BM I've found my bear isn't doing too badly at all. He definitely gets hurt faster than he used to, but not in any serious way. But maybe it's a gearing thing. And maybe the squishiness is a case of the class changes being based around BfA gear that we haven't obtained yet and we may have to put up with for a bit. At least it's only a week until BfA now.

[Valnaaros]

At 120, it isn't nearly as bad as it is now. So yes, it is a gear/Azerite thing.

[Rora]

lvl 120, admittedly only 280 item level I'm still finding the pets to be much squishier than before. I've been doing solely tenacity pets and I still have to heal rather often. Stag, Devilsaur, ect hasn't been any better. Anyone else had better luck?

[Vephriel]

I definitely noticed it at 116 once my Apex Predator's Claw was no longer active. >.< The perk from that legendary made my pets feel nigh unkillable while they had the benefits of all 3 specs.

I often forget to Mend Pet until my pet's already dead, though for questing and such I found a Ferocity pet to be the best, more than Tenacity, the leech seems to help as long as I remember to toss out a heal every so often.

[Teigan]

Well, I for one am finding my pets to be incredibly squishy. I have to cast my Pet Heal every time it's off cooldown.
Formerly, I MIGHT have to cast it once during a particularly difficult fight.

I can't even begin to imagine what Hunters will be like in a dungeon or raid now.

They'll be fine in dungeons/raids, as they shouldn't have aggro on them in the first place and won't get getting directly damage under normal circumstances. The problem will be solo and world content, and it is getting to be a problem. I did fine for the first 7 levels, but after that, I started to really notice it. I think it will improve when I start gearing up, but it kinda is gonna suck otherwise unless this is addressed.

[Sarynotsorry]

lvl 120, admittedly only 280 item level I'm still finding the pets to be much squishier than before. I've been doing solely tenacity pets and I still have to heal rather often. Stag, Devilsaur, ect hasn't been any better. Anyone else had better luck?

Keep in mind that “tenacity” doesn’t mean “tank pet” anymore. Tenacity does give a bonus to pet and hunter health but it’s not as tanky as it used to be. Your best bets for tanking solo pets are actually pets from the ferocity group - namely core hounds, scalehides, and gorillas. My scalehide has been my favorite - he’s got a 1min cd damage reduction ability (50% for 12 sec) and all ferocity pets have hero and provide leech. I rarely have to mend my scalehide. Core hounds are slightly better I think but I hate core hounds personally.

[Teigan]

I second the scalehide. Egg here has been a great help to me. They tame nice and small, which I appreciate. So, if the size of scalehides has put you off using one, it's worth it to try out an ankylodon

[Rora]

Thanks guys, I'll give those a shot. With the pet/class changes I didnt realize there was more finesse than tank = tenacity and so forth. =)

[Rora]

How many of those guys are gonna be named "Bowser" you think? lol

[Tomb]

As soon as I hit 120 my tenacity pets turned into paper.

[Krysteena]

Lack of gear, perhaps? I noticed the same on Krys when she hit 120 - that and she currently hits like a wet leaf. Once gear starts to roll in a little quicker, your pets should be able to pull their weight again.

[Quiv]

Yeah Scalehides are the way to go. I have tried multiple tenacity pets, and like Tomb said, absolute paper (I am 310 ilvl currently). Cunning pets are out of the question. I know this happened in early Legion too, and gear will eventually make this a non issue. However until I reach that point in gear where 2 mobs don't shred my pet, it has made me really hate the whole spec lock thing anymore. I just cant use the pets I want to because they either cant survive day to day play, or I have to wait for mend pet to slowly tick them up after nearly every pull. I have fallen in love with a raptor, hippo, and the possessed goat, but I cant use them right now (and animal companion is too gimped to be an option unfortunately). Just irks me for this initial time period because I won't be able to gear fast the way others can.

[Rawr]

Why is everyone using Tenacity pets to tank? Use Ferocity pets with a Shield Wall ability like Clefthoofs or Core Hounds or Cats even. The 15% Leech with MP on CD with only 8% Haste right now and my pets have no issue tanking multiple mobs.

[Valashe]

Why is everyone using Tenacity pets to tank? Use Ferocity pets with a Shield Wall ability like Clefthoofs or Core Hounds or Cats even. The 15% Leech with MP on CD with only 8% Haste right now and my pets have no issue tanking multiple mobs.

If you're a BM, break out the Devilsaur or tame one in Zandalar. The passive ferocity leach is amazing for tanking.

[Tomb]

to be fair, I didn't die at all from 111 - 119. But at 120 any larger mob becomes difficult.

[Sukurachi]

and THIS is why I hate that they've gone back to making pet specs fixed by species.
I've FINALLY found the pet that I really, REALLY feel for, one that really feels REAL to me, and that I have a relationship with as a hunter... and now I'm basically being told "yeah well, you'll have to use a different pet when you hit 120."

Why did they bother giving graphics make-overs to hunter pets when most of them would end up useless?

[Valnaaros]

All of the pet specs are viable. They're squishier than they were in the past, yes, but it gets better with gear and is manageable if you don't make big pulls.

[jensketch]

What would cunning be used for?? So many good looking cunning pets :O

[PrimalTazza]

Cunning pets are fairly decent in PVP or in older content with the slight speed boost. I imagine they'll become more popular as people gear up, because the survivability buffs from Ferocity and Tenacity won't be necessary, making the speed useful for farming or something.