Rake or Spirit Strike?

[Ryai]

Really? Let me ask you this. Do you flask and eat buff food in your guild? If not, sure, bring your sporebat to raid. But if you do flask and eat buff food, the difference between the best pets and average ones is more that the increase given by buff food and flasks.

If you eat the same buff foods the difference between pets will still stay the same atm, the cleft between average and best won't mean diddly.

Besides, I've heard of a guild that is doing ICC in 3600/4000k gs, when everyone demands 5.5k minimum and they're doing pretty damn good, I think that sorta proves that you don't have to have 'the best pet ever' to bring the A-game that everyone and their grandmother has the wrong idea about.

And with the changes to pets in cata, that's going to change.

[Slickrock]

Really? Let me ask you this. Do you flask and eat buff food in your guild? If not, sure, bring your sporebat to raid. But if you do flask and eat buff food, the difference between the best pets and average ones is more that the increase given by buff food and flasks.

If you eat the same buff foods the difference between pets will still stay the same atm, the cleft between average and best won't mean diddly.

Besides, I've heard of a guild that is doing ICC in 3600/4000k gs, when everyone demands 5.5k minimum and they're doing pretty damn good, I think that sorta proves that you don't have to have 'the best pet ever' to bring the A-game that everyone and their grandmother has the wrong idea about.

And with the changes to pets in cata, that's going to change.

So let's all dress in greens, and vendor those epics..

You're missing my point. If endless rage flask gives you +85 dps, and a change in pet would give you +200 dps, you would use the flask but not change the pet?..

[Ryai]

So let's all dress in greens, and vendor those epics.. ;)

No I worked my ass off for 2 months or so for my epics, give or take per character.

You're missing my point. If endless rage flask gives you +85 dps, and a change in pet would give you +200 dps, you would use the flask but not change the pet?..

No I'm not really, with how you worded it, it felt that you meant oh if you use the flasks the better pet will get better and the average pet will stay average. Well yes that's somewhat a duh point.

And yep I'd use the flask and not change my pet- I'm still not happy that I had to go MM+wolf on Yasindra, and I won't be until it feels less like a choice and more as just a break to be casual. Now why would I not change my pet out for 200 dps?

Because it's 200 dps. I sneeze more damage than that irl. I'm not a min maxer. A min-maxer would care, but I laugh in their faces. I use a Corehound and I pump out the dps and when anyone gives me slack I laugh in their faces because they in their ICC gear dick about in the instance and cause wipes while I don't.

[Saturo]

Slickrock has a point, you know. The more everyone tries, the more likely you are to succeed. In a hardcore raiding guild, progress is priority one, and your own wishes come after. When you raid, you raid for the guilds progress, not your own. If that means going MM and bringing a wolf, then go MM and bring a wolf. If you don't like it, there are, as you said, many other, more casual raidguilds. I've seen an all-druid guild take down Yogg-Saron. Do you think a hrdcore guild would do that? Of course not, hardcore guilds are about the progress, and being "up there" for the world firsts. (Back when Ulduar was still moderately hard, mind you.

Besides, if you don't want to raid, you don't have to. You can PvP, do randoms or do dailies or whatever it is you non-raiders do. :P

[Silvarain]

i thank you for trying to help Slickrock, but not only did you seem to miss my inquiry but also seemed to having started a bit of unneeded heat. i would like to know more about SS for knowledge sake for us all. any knowledge from any other hunter would be of great help whether it be from soloing, pvp, or raids. nothing can be written off as mote when Cat is not even live yet. i was new when i started this thread so may i did not word it correctly so let me state that this is a "how do pet skills work" kinda thread, not a "what should i take where for max dps" kinda thread. who knows, maybe other pet skills act in a similar fashion, or maybe Blizz will give more pet skills similar characteristics (i can't remember any of my pets' skills being reflected back on them). all knowledge on spirit strike is more than welcome.

thank you hunters

[Slickrock]

Well, in a vacum, SS will outdo rake. But then you need to take into account all the other factors that have been listed here by others. Right now given a choice between a cat or spirit beast, I'd bring the spirit beast, as I'd give the edge to the fact that SS can be applied at range.

[Teigan]

Spirit Strike is pretty. That is my two-cents worth.

[Palladiamorsdeus]

Teigan, that was perfect.

[Ryai]

Teigan, that was perfect.

Tei forgets to mention SS can confuse druids 8D

Slickrock has a point, you know. The more everyone tries, the more likely you are to succeed. In a hardcore raiding guild, progress is priority one, and your own wishes come after. When you raid, you raid for the guilds progress, not your own. If that means going MM and bringing a wolf, then go MM and bring a wolf. If you don't like it, there are, as you said, many other, more casual raidguilds.

Yes he does but we're not talking about the dps differencial[?] between like say a Wolf and a Worm, but basically what boils down to a sliver of DPS difference between cats and Spirit Beasts. I mean if your raiding group is failing to progress because you aren't MM and squeezing out those last 50-200[in theory] dps, then it's not a problem of you not being MM, especially if you're already bringing your A-game in BM, but the fact the others might not be pulling their load, or, something is just messed with the group entirely if well, that sliver of DPS really, really is game breaking to progression.

That's my point. If you're not min-maxing, if your guild knows you aren't min-maxing, and you're already progressing decently as it is and they don't care if you bring a wolf, or a worm, then honestly, the dps differences between a Cat and a Spirit Beast which basically do the same amount of damage give or take atm, shouldn't make you guys wipe on a boss.

[Saturo]

Spirit Strike is pretty. That is my two-cents worth. :P

*Totally has absolutely NEVER used Gondria to pull a raidboss, and watched the raid blame it on the boomkin.

NEVER.

[Silvarain]

Spirit Strike is pretty. That is my two-cents worth.

*Totally has absolutely NEVER used Gondria to pull a raidboss, and watched the raid blame it on the boomkin.

NEVER.

LMAO!!! ^_^

[kamoodle5]

True that Spirit Strike may be stronger than Rake, but then, it is an exotic ability for an exotic pet. Overall, all the exotic pets are supposed to be one step up from their lower counterparts, like comparing the silithid's poison web ability to a spider's web or a chimera's lightning/frost breath to a wind serpent's lightning breath.

[Slickrock]

True that Spirit Strike may be stronger than Rake, but then, it is an exotic ability for an exotic pet. Overall, all the exotic pets are supposed to be one step up from their lower counterparts, like comparing the silithid's poison web ability to a spider's web or a chimera's lightning/frost breath to a wind serpent's lightning breath.

True, but the exotics aren't exactly balanced that way, and Lord only knows what Blizz will do to us when they rebalance the pets.

[kamoodle5]

I hope so. I do find it limited to have two different pets, one regular and one exotic, that have a similar special pet ability when it comes to choosing pets. I'd hate to own a worm and make my poor scorpion feel left out.

[Slickrock]

I hope so. I do find it limited to have two different pets, one regular and one exotic, that have a similar special pet ability when it comes to choosing pets. I'd hate to own a worm and make my poor scorpion feel left out.

I'm hoping the balance the base dps across all, and then still leave the 3 trees, so ferocity is all the same dps, cunning has balanced snares and such, and tenacity are balanced across their tree as well.

[Rhyela]

I hope so. I do find it limited to have two different pets, one regular and one exotic, that have a similar special pet ability when it comes to choosing pets. I'd hate to own a worm and make my poor scorpion feel left out.

I'm hoping the balance the base dps across all, and then still leave the 3 trees, so ferocity is all the same dps, cunning has balanced snares and such, and tenacity are balanced across their tree as well.

I want them to let us choose our pets' specs. I want to raid with a Ferocity boar, dangit!!! That's always been my dream. I love the boars but definitely can't raid with them when they're Tenacity, nor can I in good conscience do a heroic with one, nor do I need one for questing since I basically murder anything before it reaches me.

[Slickrock]

I want them to let us choose our pets' specs.

That would be interesting too.. but some are kinda silly as ferocity. Ideally be able to choose from two of the three trees. Boars would be ferocity or tenacity. Cats would be ferocity or cunning. etc... a sporebat tanking would just be wierd.

[Silvarain]

i read that someone put that idea up on the wow forums (maybe it was even you, Rhyela hehe). i would love the choose what tree my pets take. this idea plus the mini buffs in Cat would make SO many more pets used. ^_^

[FuzzyDolly]

That idea has been floating around in alot of forum topics. I agree 100%, if for no other reason than it would cut down on the amount of wolves people "have" to have. I'd l;ove to be able to go into a random with a non wolf an dnot get kicked. Se... now I'm starting to rant again... lol

[Silvarain]

True that Spirit Strike may be stronger than Rake, but then, it is an exotic ability for an exotic pet. Overall, all the exotic pets are supposed to be one step up from their lower counterparts, like comparing the silithid's poison web ability to a spider's web or a chimera's lightning/frost breath to a wind serpent's lightning breath.

True, but the exotics aren't exactly balanced that way, and Lord only knows what Blizz will do to us when they rebalance the pets.

yes, the therory is that exotics are better than non-exotics, but Blizz has totally killed that idea save some pet abilities. Blizz has stated many times that they didnt want hunters to "feel like they have to have an exotic". this doesnt make sense to me as i see (and saw when i frist being a hunter) exotics as the... well, kinda like the shot for BM with it being the 51/31 talent. i feel the exotics should be a whole step up from non-exotics seeing as only BM can tame them and BM being..., oh whats the term,... beast masters. dont get me wrong, i do love those 4 extra pet sp but even with my D'saur he doesnt get the dps or the respect as the MM/SV shots