THE pet to have?

[Ana]

Is there a " Need to have" pet in cata, like there is now with the wolf? Or has the pets new buffs made it more vertisle?

[Wain]

If there is in the beta currently, I don't know. But if it's looking that way then I'm certain they'll try to fix it. Blizzard have said repeatedly that they don't want to get that situation again where hunters only raid with wolves or only with cats. So far it looks like your biggest pressure from your raid group will be to bring the pet that gives the buffs that your group composition lacks.

[Sigrah]

I expect with the changes they've made so far to pets, you'll see more diversity, especially in raids with multiple hunters and 10-mans. That way, the hunter pets can provide different ability bonuses. If there's a chase pet atm, it's probably the Core Hound so you can provide Blood Lust when needed if you don't have a Shaman. However, all that means is having one in your stable so you can call it out as needed.

[Lisaara]

Nope. blizzard is making it so any pet is pretty much useful pending on their buffs/debuffs. The wolf and devilsaur no longer are the dominant pet.

[Kalliope]

Shaman OR mage. And to not have either of those is unlikely.

The limitations, should there be any, will be dependent on raid composition.

[Lisaara]

Shaman OR mage. And to not have either of those is unlikely.

The limitations, should there be any, will be dependent on raid composition.

Pretty much. But more often than not, you'll be able to bring whatever you want. (Not that it differs for me now anyway. I pay for WoW therefore I play with my pets of MY choosing. Bwahahaha...)

[Kalliope]

All of the buffs pets bring are duplicated by other classes (or...the reverse, technically), so it's totally possible that you'll get to bring whoever you want anyway.

[Lisaara]

Yeah unless for some freak reason you're lacking something uber important. Heroism/Blood Lust isnt a MUST HAVE but its usually nice to have when needed.

[Bellatryx]

I like this because generally I didn't really like having a wolf pet. *hides*

[Necrie]

If you're curious as to what you should bring, Malazee made a FANTASTIC flowchart that details what you should bring, based on your raid comp. It's pinned at the top of this forum section, but here's the link:
http://forums.wow-petopia.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=4753
With the vast majority of our pets bringing raid buffs, ideally we should see more variety. However, if you want to min/max your DPS, and the raid's for that matter, you'll want to follow the flow chart and adapt to your raid's needs.

If you're not worried about min/maxing, with the changes made to our pet specials, i.e. removing the virtually all of the damaging specials beyond Bite/Claw/Smack, your pet's DPS is going to be far more normalized. At that point, all you need to bring is a ferocity pet, or possibly even a cunning pet, if some of what people are reporting from the beta is accurate.

[Lisaara]

I like this because generally I didn't really like having a wolf pet. *hides*

It's okay. I didnt like bringing them usually either.

[Sarayana]

I like this because generally I didn't really like having a wolf pet. *hides*

It's okay. I didnt like bringing them usually either.

Yeah, the only reason I've been running with a wolf lately is because I actually finally tamed one I clicked with. It's taken me this long, and I've tamed MANY wolves over the duration of my time playing WoW. >.>

[TobiasX]

Is there a " Need to have" pet in cata, like there is now with the wolf? Or has the pets new buffs made it more vertisle?

If there's an important buff missing it would be best for your group if you brought it (if you have the right pet). If not it's whichever pet you like to have most

[Bellatryx]

I like this because generally I didn't really like having a wolf pet. *hides*

It's okay. I didnt like bringing them usually either.

Yeah, the only reason I've been running with a wolf lately is because I actually finally tamed one I clicked with. It's taken me this long, and I've tamed MANY wolves over the duration of my time playing WoW. >.>

Actually I did have a long-term wolf pet and I'm sure he is still hangin' out with my first hunter. I tamed a white wolf and named him Inuyasha.. This was in vanilla though.

[Worba]

I only take a wolf along with my MM hunter (blighthound named Kabuki); my SV hunters use a cat and hyena, and my BM hunters use a wasp and raptor. Although my MM hunter does the best DPS that's at least partly due to better gear - my BM / wasp hunter has much worse gear and already nearly rivals her dmg output (his DPS chart is more "spiky" though, so don't know if better gear will push the whole flow upward or if it will have more impact on the valleys).

One of the problems I've had with the current system is there are more pets I like, than I have hunters to pair them with - even allowing for one of each family (tenacity/ferocity/cunning) per hunter... but with cata, I no longer will have to feel "guilty" about having 2 tenacity, 4 ferocity and 3 cunning etc.

[Vephriel]

I like this because generally I didn't really like having a wolf pet. *hides*

I've never even had a wolf really. x)

[Rikaku]

I'm gonna feel bad stating it but... yeah I do kinda feel like there will be "the pet to have" for BM. Chimera seems to be currently the only pet that does damage even with an ability. If that stays, then of course, Chimeras will bring the most damage. Also, the fact that Chimeras are Cunning, and cunning can do some massive damage over time with their "feeding frenzy" ability (especially in longer fights).

However, the Spirit Beast is also a top competitor for raids, as most raids will be bringing the others buffs the pet families offer, the SB brings both a buff and a heal, both of which are really not "wasted" or overwritten. The SB can also be more helpful in tough encounters (for those with raids who don't chain heal/heal the pet [shame!;)]) and thus be more productive in staying alive then most pets and thus lead to more DPS in the long run.

I feel like you're not going to be "forced" so to speak, but you are going to see a few pets stand above the rest.

[Palladiamorsdeus]

You can look at it in one of two ways. You'll either need to have one of each pet family, or you won't need any. In five mans, your pet buff itn' gonna matter just a whole lot. Will it matter? A bit. But it shouldn't make or break. In a ten man, you'll be the filler buffer. If there are holes, it's up to you to plug'em. In a twenty five man? Won't matter one whit.

[Ana]

soo if i dont play to raid alot it really wont matter dps wise? I used to run with a wolf for max dps, but now i dont really care and just bring the pet i like best.. .but i can see the drop in my dps.. sometimes 1.5 or more.. and thats a huge deal.. So just wondering if it was the same in cata grps

[Rikaku]

soo if i dont play to raid alot it really wont matter dps wise? I used to run with a wolf for max dps, but now i dont really care and just bring the pet i like best.. .but i can see the drop in my dps.. sometimes 1.5 or more.. and thats a huge deal.. So just wondering if it was the same in cata grps

There's always going to be a handful of pets that do better than others. And the Min/Maxers will always find them. It's really a matter of how much dps you're willing to gain/lose for a pet you enjoy. The pets are really not that huge of a dps difference right now, since they're all buff/debuff/healers EXCEPT for Chimera.

Chimera is an odd one cause Blizzard gave it a damage dealing ability. If this ability stays, then... you're going to see Chimera do the top DPS for BM pets I'd imagine. But how much more it does compared to its counterparts isn't for sure yet. Testing is too wonky on the beta servers to really find out right now, Hunters are extremely unstable on the realms right now, so there isnt much testing to be done..or that we can do =(