BIG pet changes...

[Slickrock]

From MMO-Champ

Pets -- We haven't done our design pass on them yet. The design is for them to no longer receive raid buff since they get complete scaling from the master (and we don't want them to double dip). Their abilities will be divided into 3 categories: basic focus dumps (e.g. Claw), specials (e.g. web), and exotic abilities for the BM exotic pets. Specials never cost focus and basics have short cooldowns but meaningful damage. All pets will do the same dps. We don't want "wolf or die" in Cataclysm (and before that it was cat). Each pet family will bring a unique raid buff, allowing hunters to be wildcards for when you are lacking something. The ease of swapping pets will facilitate this further.

[Aleu]

Doesn't quite surprise me. Blizz mentioned they didn't like the fact the wolf was kinda the "must have" pet for raids and that some hunters who didn't use wolves got harassed about it. I kinda like how they put it that Hunters may have to swap certain pets for some fights. Might be why we're getting more stable slots in the first place. There may be some pets we will still have to tame for certain raid fights.

[Kalliope]

That's my guess, Aleu, which is why most of my stable slots right now are being dedicated to raid pets and pvp pets.

[cowmuflage]

Yeah the haveing more stable slots does make more sence when you think about the bosses and i can see haveing to change pet for its buff to be fun and makes us hunters more usefull. When they meen the all have the same dps they are counting exotics too right? it seems like they are and i don't see anything wrong with that. Seems the days of only haveing useing one pet for raids are going away.

[tramani]

awesome , no more wolf or die , krush will be so happy

[Vephriel]

Wow, I don't know about everyone else, but I really love this change. I think it will just be for the best. Imagine seeing a wonderful variety of pets again instead of just a wolf every 5 steps.

I look forward to seeing how this turns out.

[Rhyela]

The only thing I don't like is how certain encounters will still end up being, "You have to have x pet", because of the debuff. You MUST have a wind serpent if there is no warlock, or you MUST have a ravager if there's no warrior, etc. We're still going to be told which pet to bring to certain fights (at least in the more hard-core raiding guilds), so we'll still see the same pets being used by everyone. I wish they'd just get rid of specials entirely and go back to the way it was before BC.

[tramani]

good point rhyela , but lets think as positive possible =D

[Ryai]

The only thing I don't like is how certain encounters will still end up being, "You have to have x pet", because of the debuff. You MUST have a wind serpent if there is no warlock, or you MUST have a ravager if there's no warrior, etc. We're still going to be told which pet to bring to certain fights (at least in the more hard-core raiding guilds), so we'll still see the same pets being used by everyone. I wish they'd just get rid of specials entirely and go back to the way it was before BC.

Tbh no it's not going to be that bad, because they are removing/changing/implimenting different buffs and debuffs, by pets and classes, there was a thread somewhere in the cata forums that listed the changes. And I see it as less of a demand and more of a breather for raids. Meaning if you can't get a specific class for a specific debuffs [since Droods and Wars can both increase bleed damage if I'm right, anyways], and you have a hunter the chances are high that the hunter can bring the pet with the right debuff when needed.

It's less a HUNTER GO WOLF OR DIE, and more of a Yay we have a hunter we're saved! deal.

[Rhyela]

It still ruffles my fur, but what I'm hoping is that multiple pet families will have the same debuff. That way, a wind serpent/serpent/nether ray/etc. have the same magic-resistance debuff, so you can bring any one of those families and have that skill. That would be nice. We'll see.

[Sarayana]

From MMO-Champ

Pets -- We haven't done our design pass on them yet. The design is for them to no longer receive raid buff since they get complete scaling from the master (and we don't want them to double dip). Their abilities will be divided into 3 categories: basic focus dumps (e.g. Claw), specials (e.g. web), and exotic abilities for the BM exotic pets.

Did I read that right?? Will exotics have their focus dump, their special, and a third skill?

[Kalliope]

It looks like that, yes. That ensures that exotics will have something extra over other pets.

How this will work exactly, we'll have to wait on. Since Blizzard has (rightfully) not done a pass over pets yet, we may be waiting a LONG time to see how this will go.

[Sigrah]

All pets will do the same dps.

I'll believe that when I see it. Sorry I'm pessimistic, but as long as pets have different abilities and talent trees, there's going to be some pet that does DPS better than others. The most I'm hoping for from this is that they make DPS so close that no one in their right mind can go up to you in a raid and say "where's your (insert pet type here)?"

[kamoodle5]

It would be neat if also the pet's action bar gets bigger due to these changes of having automatic two or three abilities for pets aside from typical Growl and Cower. It does seem very limited to choose what abilities you want on the pet's action bar by the time you get more than four abilities for them, then go to the spellbook when you need one of those not in the action bar. It does waste a lot of time just going to the spellbook alone when you're in desperate need when you're in a raid or pvp.

[Kaylai]

This sounds great!
I remember when it was CAT OR DIE I always had Scooter, my wolf. I felt so original.
WOTLK has just been boring for me pet-wise, since I had a wolf like everyone else.
I'm super excited to see everyone having a different pet!

[cowmuflage]

I hope these "exotic abilities" does not end up makeing people go "exotics or GTFO" as i can really see that happening if they are just better versions of normal pet ones and that will piss me off i don't want to be hated for not being BM D:

[tramani]

i hope they pimp BM alot more cuz when i join a raid as BM people mostly start QQing

[Vephriel]

[...]i don't want to be hated for not being BM D:

I have to admit that the irony of that sentence makes me smile a bit.

[cowmuflage]

yeah Vephriel i know but it could happen that it gets fliped around so that BM is the "good" spec and he rest are not and it would be just cos of the exotics

[Kalliope]

[...]i don't want to be hated for not being BM D:

I have to admit that the irony of that sentence makes me smile a bit.

It was like that in BC. >_<