Auto-Cast Cower

[Kotamaku]

If you talent your pet into cower the speed reduction is removed.

[Foru21dr]

If you talent your pet into cower the speed reduction is removed.

This is true.. it takes 2 points to remove the speed reduction. Does anyone who use cower spec their pet with this? I currently don't as I want the talent points to go elsewhere, but is this speed movement a big detriment? I don't notice it when in the BG's but I'm not paying as much attention to the fact my pet is not able to attack the target while in cower because he can't get to him. My cower in the shot rotation usually goes off when he has gotten to the target and most of the time he seems to be able to keep up with what he is attacking.

[Acherontia]

Unless you send your pet into the AV crush, I think most of the time when it's taking heavy damage it will be fighting one-on-one with an enemy--meaning it won't be needing speed.

If a ret stops and tries to quickly chop down my pet, I'll hit Cower, for example; or if dots are ticking hard and he's biting the lock in the butt. I think the 2 points are better used elsewhere, in any case, and that the effect of the speed decrease is so negligible in the situations it'd arise in that it's not really worth the talent points. Just my opinion, though; if anyone's ever found a genuine use for those 2 points I'd be curious!

[Ryai]

Just my opinion, though; if anyone's ever found a genuine use for those 2 points I'd be curious!

Maybe ticketing imp Cower to actually improve it? I would actually put the two points into it if it increased reduction by 10/20 or maybe 8/16%, as sometimes some bosses just still tear thru my pets like tissue paper, much to my dismay. Or worse, bad tanks who tank badly, not pulling threat off me or my pet- and no my pet didn't have growl on. And even if my pet had growl on, there should have been no way in hell a tank decked out in Heroic ICC tank kit, should have lost aggro to my pet and then left it to die/left me to die.

I've never used cower. I turn it off the moment I tame a new pet and take it off the pet bar, never to be seen again.

I'm just gonna ask, you've never had a pet tanking anything, have you? Cower, while it no longer reduces threat which I sometimes miss, is an absolute godsend when a pet is tanking. Thanks to impromptu Cower+Lick your wounds, Freki was able to tank Steam Vault for me [with MD too and all].

I'm not sure if I like the idea of autocast cower, as by the time it goes off anyways the pet would be dead or I'm desperately calling back. I just like to control all of my pets abilities outside of growl/special attacks/rabid.

[Acherontia]

Luckily, it seems to go off when the pet begins taking heavy damage, rather than when it's low! Like Spirit Mend, these truly seem to be 'smart' casts now. I'm not sure who programmed them but I absolutely love the mechanics so far.

And you're right about the talents; I really wish it was something better than a movement speed increase : / Then again, I doubt I'd have the talents to spare on it anyway!

[Kalliope]

Improved Cower doesn't strike me as being a PvE ability, but there's no room in PvP specs for it, not that I've found anyway. Probably what will end up happening is the penalty will be taken off the ability and the talent will be removed.

[Ryai]

Improved Cower doesn't strike me as being a PvE ability, but there's no room in PvP specs for it, not that I've found anyway. Probably what will end up happening is the penalty will be taken off the ability and the talent will be removed.

Wouldn't mind it being changed to increase damage it reduces, but then again you strike a good point. Why should pets be punished like this?

Lord knows Paladins aren't and 1v1 I had a ret 2-shot me once he bubbled. Not like Cower would be op w/o the move penalty tbh.

[Kalliope]

*cackles quietly about ret pally ramp-up times again*

If the movement penalty is removed, I'd expect the cooldown on the ability to go up as well.

[Ana]

You can SET it to auto-cast, but it doesn't actually cast itself. On the PTR it's doing so consistently, at last!

Arg Arg Arg its the spell i use the LEAST.. i NEVER use this ability heh... Does this mean that you cannot toggle it off?

[Anyia]

No, I believe what is being said is that if it's on auto-cast, it finally actually does get cast automatically at a sensible point in time, as opposed to in the past where it didn't get cast even when auto-cast was enabled.

[Acherontia]

^ What she (it is she?) said.

[Altheaus]

hmm, seems I'm the only one who put mend pet + cower in a macro then. why haven't the rest of you? That macro has helped me solo alot of shizz in Pve and PvP as its given me enough time to get the pet back up to full health while its still being wailed on. Trust me, I have seen retardins give up trying to kill my pet in PvP (which fills me with joy for all of 2 seconds before they switch onto me lol)

[Worba]

In my experience cower does go off - for me it's a case of too often, in fact. When I put it on autocast before a fight, sure enough after the fight is over I see it is on cooldown; that's why I weave it into my macros to essentially turn autocast off at start of each fight, to reset back to "ready" state, and flick the switch to autocaston when I'm casting MD (on my pet that is).

EDIT: I should add this is purely PVE I'm talking about - no idea how cower performs in PVP as I don't PVP.