Why would anybody ever use...

[Aeliel]

Let's ignore the fact that these families have nifty skins, look good, and so on - I'm focusing on a purely "is it useful" perspective.

Why would anybody ever use:
- A worm? If you're looking for a tanking pet, other tenacity pets have more utility than a family whose second special causes them to completely drop all threat; if you're looking for an AoEing pet (whether for PVE or PVP), wouldn't chimeras be better by virtue of their first special (a slow) for PVP, and the fact that they're cunning rather than tenacity for PVE?
- A dog? Their only special is a channeled root - surely even for PVP, a non-channeled root would be better (say, a spider, whose root is 1sec longer to boot)?

I must be missing something here...

[Tankperson]

I've used worms before and their venom spit I think it is helps them pick up aggro quicker if you don't send the pet in first on the pull. I remember when they didn't drop aggro when doing their aoe that was awsome pull a whole group of apes in the basin gain aggro burrow with volley aoe down lots of dead dirty apes!

[Acherontia]

I assume the dog's is due to it being Ferocity. I can't think of any other reason : /

[7seti]

Worms are actually better for AoE than Chimera despite being tenacity pets.

The Chimaera's AoE is actually a cone attack, about 7 yards long and about 4 yards across at its widest point. That's ridiculously small for an AoE ability. Worms have a proper circular AoE with an 8 yard radius, so it's worth losing a bit of damage by going Tenacity just so you have a decent change of hitting your targets.

I'd also ask, "Why use a boar"? Their debuff is shared by Hyenas, and why use tenacity when there's a ferocity pet available? It's not like the bleed debuff has any use in soloing/tanking.

[Kalliope]

I've actually seen dogs used in the arena before. If the team you're up against is REALLY fast at blowing things up, then having a ferocity pet with a root is pretty snazzy. I'm pretty sure that utility alone is why there are FOUR options in hunter pets for roots (tenacity: crab, melee; ferocity: dog, melee; cunning: spider/silithid, ranged).

[rubybeam]

*jumps out of lurker mode*

I use a worm because I got heavily attatched to it despite being a cluster of pixels, same with a dog

[Tankperson]

*jumps out of lurker mode*

I use a worm because I got heavily attatched to it despite being a cluster of pixels, same with a dog

Theres the best reason! I also like to tame the big worms so I can give them a name meaning small like Tiny I love doing that.

[Comett]

Actually, I recently pulled out my worm for lulz in BoT (the large trash groups) and because of the Burrow ability, I was doing almost as much dps as I can pull in Surv o_O Very situational, and certainly not the "prime tank pet", but very fun and interesting... even more so when you're grouped with other BM hunters who scorn your choice of pet, LOL.

[Agner]

I've always heard worms are the AoE kings. Someone once told me that if worms weren't tenacity, there'd be little reason to use anything else on raids.

A lot of people would use a boar if their special ability weren't just about useless. The cute butt wiggle!

If dogs had a decent ability, I'd use them all the time. I might hardly use anything else -- I want to use my dog so badly. It's just that for soloing it's an actual detriment, since while channeling root, the dogs don't accrue threat. For PvP there are better roots, like from spiders, which don't have to channel it and so can do damage throughout, or the snare for crocodiles, which has a tremendously quick cool-down. Even for a channeled root, the crab is better, since it's tenacity and can take the pounding from a melee root.

[Tulune]

I'd also ask, "Why use a boar"? Their debuff is shared by Hyenas, and why use tenacity when there's a ferocity pet available? It's not like the bleed debuff has any use in soloing/tanking.

It does if you are a MM hunter.

[Tankperson]

Actually, I recently pulled out my worm for lulz in BoT (the large trash groups) and because of the Burrow ability, I was doing almost as much dps as I can pull in Surv o_O Very situational, and certainly not the "prime tank pet", but very fun and interesting... even more so when you're grouped with other BM hunters who scorn your choice of pet, LOL.

Yeah back in Wrath I use to still use my worm in heroics it was really the only big aoe we had after the removal of volley -curses blizzard.-

[Kalliope]

I'd also ask, "Why use a boar"? Their debuff is shared by Hyenas, and why use tenacity when there's a ferocity pet available? It's not like the bleed debuff has any use in soloing/tanking.

It does if you are a MM hunter.

Exactly what Tulune said.

The real question is: why use a rhino? But that's an old argument and one that's been beaten into the ground.

[Tankperson]

I'd also ask, "Why use a boar"? Their debuff is shared by Hyenas, and why use tenacity when there's a ferocity pet available? It's not like the bleed debuff has any use in soloing/tanking.

It does if you are a MM hunter.

Exactly what Tulune said.

The real question is: why use a rhino? But that's an old argument and one that's been beaten into the ground.

The most fun I have ever had with a rhino was in eots punting the flag carriers from the middle into the void. I can just imagine their hollaring !#@$@$$ Hutners!

[Kurenio]

You use a rhino because no one else uses them so they are unique and rare!

[MaximumOverdrive]

I love my worm. I do mount runs in the old dungeons, like H SH and MGT, and the worm is just perfect for clearing mobs as well as farming treasure chests in Deepholm against the troggs who are fighting the stone dwarves. I drop an explosive trap, let worm thunderstomp, do burrow attack. Everything is dead pretty quickly, both in the heroics and farming. Doesn't matter when stuff comes after me, they die too fast to do much damage anyways. I think worms are great pets for clearing mobs, even if they loose agro.

As for dogs...I have one, but I don't think I'll be keeping him...I don't use him, and I don't pvp so doesn't mean much to me I guess.

Never had a rhino, so dunno. They're kinda...clunky to have for me lol (even tho my fav pet is my Chromaggus). >.>

[Wassa]

I love my worm. I do mount runs in the old dungeons, like H SH and MGT, and the worm is just perfect for clearing mobs as well as farming treasure chests in Deepholm against the troggs who are fighting the stone dwarves. I drop an explosive trap, let worm thunderstomp, do burrow attack. Everything is dead pretty quickly, both in the heroics and farming. Doesn't matter when stuff comes after me, they die too fast to do much damage anyways. I think worms are great pets for clearing mobs, even if they loose agro.

Pretty much what I was going to say. For aoe farming and soloing instances I use my worm. Explosive trap + burrow + deterrence (if I need it) is amazing.

Worms are the dps tanks. Not just with their aoe burrow, but also acid spit helps you do more damage to take elites down faster. I find myself rarely using my turtle anymore as I don't need that little extra survivability with shield shell. My worm does just fine.

Plus the old world worms just have the cutest face.

[Nachtwulf]

Worms still have utility, I think. Rhinos got their knockback back, and they're huge and ungainly so if I were doing TB or something, I'd take one just so I could be as obnoxious as possible. (Silithid model wasps used to be my pvp pet of choice but then they got sizenerfed.)

The dps difference between families isn't as huge as all that anymore, but that just makes dogs even less appealing than they otherwise would be. I have a few hellhounds of one sort or another but mostly they're RP pets.

What mystifies me though, are the spell ability pets. Take...spore bats. I love them. They are gorgeous floating rave umbrellas. They are also, as far as I can tell, completely useless for any actual function. Their ability doesn't cause threat, casters rarely come in large trash groups anyway, and on most things that count, their ability doesn't even work. And until they fix the AI, any of those 'interrupt' pets like Nether Rays I also consider worthless since they're all cunning (and slightly behind the basic damage curve) on top of never having the sense to use their interrupt at the right time. As a result, they waste it when the mob probably isn't even casting, and if you try to do it manually, five will get you ten you'll get 'NOT ENOUGH FOCUS NOT ENOUGH FOCUS NOT ENOUGH FOCUS' until it's too late and whatever was being cast already has been.

[Litlemouse]

The real question is: why use a rhino? But that's an old argument and one that's been beaten into the ground.

The most fun I have ever had with a rhino was in eots punting the flag carriers from the middle into the void. I can just imagine their hollaring !#@$@$$ Hutners!

I also used them in Eye of the Storm, so fun! <3 Haha, the only thing better is if you're a priest and you MC them off.
Also, I like to ride my bear mount, so that they're the same size as me and my mount when we run next to each other

[Lisaara]

Um....Not to sound mean or anything but the worm's aoe is SO much better than a chimaeras, plus I think they look cuter and aren't so much in the way. Plus I've used my worm as a tenacity pet and he's worked perfectly. Worms are as good as any tenacity pet out there.

Dogs are good pvp pets sometimes(not the best) plus they're Ferocity.

[Aeliel]

Alright, good to know worms do have a use. I wouldn't have known, it's why I asked - I've never used a chimera (uuuuuugly) or a worm (just haven't had the space to tame one). Might end up taming a ghostly jormungar on my goblin hunter then!

Also wait, wait, what is this about MM hunters getting a benefit from the boar's special? *goes away and researches* Ohhh, Piercing Shots. I see. I'm so completely clueless about MM. I've only really ever been BM, since my hunters are my "yay pretty pets" alts, and only recently got a MM offspec to two-man Brutallus in SWP with.

(Also, rhinos are so cuddly and lovable. I had a rhino for my first tanking pet on my hunter, back when Stampede knocked back, and she's like a big fuzzy walking carpet OF DOOM AND HORN-TOSSING. )