THE pet to have?

[Slickrock]

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.

But the Chimera is cunning, so it's dps will be lower than a ferocity pet, so it may well even out.

The Spirit Beast might be tops for a soloing pet, due to the heal, assuming you are pushing into content where you need that heal.

But overall, in 5 and 10-mans, you will likely want to bring a pet that fills a buff. In 25's, you'll likely be able to bring whatever you like.

[Lisaara]

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.

But the Chimera is cunning, so it's dps will be lower than a ferocity pet, so it may well even out.

The Spirit Beast might be tops for a soloing pet, due to the heal, assuming you are pushing into content where you need that heal.

But overall, in 5 and 10-mans, you will likely want to bring a pet that fills a buff. In 25's, you'll likely be able to bring whatever you like.

^ This

Blizzard is going through hoops to ensure there will be no pet to have.

[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.

But the Chimera is cunning, so it's dps will be lower than a ferocity pet, so it may well even out.

The Spirit Beast might be tops for a soloing pet, due to the heal, assuming you are pushing into content where you need that heal.

But overall, in 5 and 10-mans, you will likely want to bring a pet that fills a buff. In 25's, you'll likely be able to bring whatever you like.

You would think that, but actually there are some reports (even here on petopia) where Cunning pets have outdpsed Ferocity pets....
Yeah it surprised me too o.o

And no, the report wasn't coming from Chimeras, it was from another non exotic cunning family.


The SB is still a strong choice because BM Hunter dmg goes up when your pet is alive, so keeping pet alive is always a plus.

[Worba]

When talking about DPS abilities just remember the current "king" actually performs more like a cata pet e.g. wolves superiority comes from a buff not an actual direct dmg dealing attack like we're talking about here, so I don't think it's by any means definite that chimeras (assuming they don't drop back down to their customary 2nd place DPS spot behind ferocity) will become the new new "DPS pet" - although they might help you do more DPS relative to other players in your group (e.g. other pets would boost everyone's numbers including your own whereas a chimera would boost only your numbers, so even though you might end up doing the same total dmg output either way, the rest of the group wouldn't look as good on the charts in scenario 2...).

[Palladiamorsdeus]

Depends on the situation, Worba. Remember, now pet's are just bringing buffs that other classes bring. The wolf buff before was something unique to the wolf, that stacked with other buffs. Now it isn't. NONE of them are unique anymore. Meaning that unique abilities, like spirit mend and the chimera attack, are going to be much more valued in instances where all of the other buffs are already covered.

[Worba]

Depends on the situation, Worba. Remember, now pet's are just bringing buffs that other classes bring. The wolf buff before was something unique to the wolf, that stacked with other buffs. Now it isn't. NONE of them are unique anymore. Meaning that unique abilities, like spirit mend and the chimera attack, are going to be much more valued in instances where all of the other buffs are already covered.

That's a good point - frost AOE will never be redundant and so won't hinge as much on whether someone else showed up to the party wearing the same ensemble...

[Bellatryx]

I do hope that this mostly does away with the preferred/required raiding pet. But like stated many times above; there will always be those people who read a website of some guy who was raiding with some hunter who had an awesome pet. Now the first person requires all the hunters in his guild to have said pet whenever they raid because they feel it pleases the wow gods and gives em lots of epics. *gasps for air*

[Kittykat]

Hmm... this sounds interesting. I can see possible scenarios where a hunter might keep 5 different "buffs" in their stable spots, and trade out pets situationally.

Oh and I don't really like wolves either. So far the only "wolf" family model I've seen that I find appealing is the mastiff. Though if they made the blue "blighthound" model tameable I wouldn't complain.

[Kalliope]

When talking about DPS abilities just remember the current "king" actually performs more like a cata pet e.g. wolves superiority comes from a buff not an actual direct dmg dealing attack like we're talking about here, so I don't think it's by any means definite that chimeras (assuming they don't drop back down to their customary 2nd place DPS spot behind ferocity) will become the new new "DPS pet" - although they might help you do more DPS relative to other players in your group (e.g. other pets would boost everyone's numbers including your own whereas a chimera would boost only your numbers, so even though you might end up doing the same total dmg output either way, the rest of the group wouldn't look as good on the charts in scenario 2...).

Ahhh, buff management. Just because a pet ups YOUR dps more, it doesn't make it the best one for the group. Stuff dying faster = good. Giving more beneficial buffs to your entire party enables stuff to die faster. It doesn't matter how much AoE damage your chimera does; a five man would still gain more from your buffing the two fire mages with a dragonhawk or wind serpent (for example).

(Just agreeing with Worba here; same point, different wording.)

I'm actually finding it difficult to settle on my active stable on the PTR. Part of this is the restriction on the fifth slot (which is now locked, due to being unable to summon the fifth pet yet), but part of this is also not having anything to structure my stable around. I don't know what pets I'm likely to need at any given time, since I'm not running with a regular group.

[Rikaku]

I think really, again, it comes down to personal tastes, especially in Cataclysm.

What is "too much of a dps loss for favored pet" for you? That's the question you usually have to answer for yourself.

Regardless of what pet family does what where and how, there will always be "the better pets"; they're just a lot less noticeable in Cataclysm. That said, if it turns out that the Chimera does 300 more dps then your favorite Wasp or Spirit Beast, is that 300 dps loss worth running with your favorite pet? (feel free to interchange all the species listed, I'm just giving an example).

Because honestly, despite wolves being the best dps'rs for Wrath, many Hunters still ran with BM, still ran with Cats, Wasps or whatever they wanted. For them the lower dps was worth running with their favorite pets, even if it was over a 600+ dps difference.

[Slickrock]

Remember, this is a largely academic discussion for now.

Until we get to "end game" raiding in Cata, all the pets should be close enough in damage that dps matters less than utility. (Do you want Kings, Bloodlust, a Heal, AOE, or some other buff?)

Once we get to end-game raiding, there might be a few that shine on pure dps, but the buffs to a raid will outweigh the dps differences. And that also gives Blizz a ton of time to balance things.

The best part of this, for the majority of Cata content, you can really bring the pet you want, and should no longer hear "LOL sporebat Noob".

[Anansi]

My intention is to run with a Raptor as my main pet, but I will be sure to have a stable with a pet to cover each buff.

[Kalliope]

That's the beauty of this community.

This is not EJ.

This is a community of stubborn, willful hunters who care about their pets, and they're going to run with what they want, regardless of what's practical.

Some of us will, of course, but by and large, the hunters who come here care more about their pets than anything else.

(As if it were an omen, I just had my first non-PTR Rak'shiri sighting while writing this.)

[Rhyela]

This is a community of stubborn, willful hunters who care about their pets, and they're going to run with what they want, regardless of what's practical.

Some of us will, of course, but by and large, the hunters who come here care more about their pets than anything else.

I'm one of those stubborn ones. I have a feeling I'll be bringing a wind serpent to raids because 1) I have always loved them and 2) because they actually have a useful debuff. But my spider will be probably going with me just about everywhere else. I do wish spiders had something other than a root, but at this point I'm just glad that my much-beloved wind serpents will be useful.

[Vephriel]

In some ways it's unfortunate that there will still be an 'optimum' pet in certain situations, but overall I am very pleased by this new format. I know it's still not perfect for those who want to bring whichever pet they wish anywhere, but we have so much more flexibility in Cataclysm. There's a lot of wiggle room here that will allow for a ton of leeway concerning pet choice, and though high end raiding content will always be more strict, I don't think we'll have to worry too much, especially for casual content such as instances and heroics. It certainly isn't going to be another case of 'Wolf or gtfo', and with the options regarding the pet buffs we at least have a broader choice than just being stuck solely with one pet family.

[The Insect Man]

If nothing else, the proliferation of buffs will mean that most non-hunters won't have the first idea what the "best" pet is, and therefore won't be able to express an opinion

[Vephriel]

If nothing else, the proliferation of buffs will mean that most non-hunters won't have the first idea what the "best" pet is, and therefore won't be able to express an opinion

I suppose there's that too! xD

[Sarayana]

If nothing else, the proliferation of buffs will mean that most non-hunters won't have the first idea what the "best" pet is, and therefore won't be able to express an opinion

Haha yeah, a sneaky lil' voice in the back of my head was saying the same thing.

[Anansi]

I have a feeling I'll be bringing a wind serpent to raids because 1) I have always loved them and 2) because they actually have a useful debuff. But my spider will be probably going with me just about everywhere else. I do wish spiders had something other than a root, but at this point I'm just glad that my much-beloved wind serpents will be useful.

I too wish Spiders had a more valuable use, I'd run with FatCharlie as my main pet if I could. But yes, Wind Serpents being useful is very nice, I'll enjoy having more than one fight's worth of a reason to get NagoShango out.

Having a Wind Serpent is pretty new to me, but they are really awesome looking pets.

[Kalliope]

Orpheus likes webbing runners in 5ms.