Levelling a Low-level pet.

(I originally posted this guide on the Hunter forum at WorldOfWar.net. I've posted it here partly for posterity, and partly to test out the XML feed I've just set up. Enjoy!)

So you’ve just caught the ubermega pet you always wanted. Shame he’s about 20 levels lower than you, does about as much damage as a stiff breeze and dies if an enemy so much as looks his way. If you want to level him to usefulness however, be prepared to grind.

• Preparation
  
  First of all prepare yourself mentally. Your pet only requires a third of the XP you do to gain a level, and it now gains XP based on the level difference between it and the mob you’re fighting, however, this is still capped at around 400XP/per mob, so it’ll still take you a while. Also, since your new acquisition won’t be ready for use just yet, it’s best to hang onto at least one older pet in case you want to instance or PVP in the meantime.
  
  Once you’ve resigned yourself to the grind, it’s time to stock up on supplies. If you have multiple sets of weapons/armour, then pick the most PVP-friendly set. Look for lots of armour, stamina, and a high burst damage output. Also stock up on healing and mana potions, bandages, drinks and food for you and your pet. Unless you have a healer or tank friend who’s willing to tag along, you’ll be taking a lot of damage.
  
  
• Pick Your Spot
  
  Pick a grinding area you know well, one populated with enemies that are green to you. In my late 50s up to 60, I chose the Deadwood Furbolgs in Southern Felwood, they die easy, I know what mobs are linked in a pull and they drop good loot.
  
  
• Fight!
  
  Turn off your new pet’s Growl, set it on Passive and get stuck in. If you’re used to kiting opponents in PVP, then this should be relatively simple, just keep the mob at range, Wing Clip them where necessary and take them down like any other filthy Hordie/Ally.
  
  If you’re not comfortable with kiting, then pull your opponents into an Immolation or Explosive trap using Aimed Shot (if you have it), hit them with a Serpent Sting on the way in and finish them off in melee range. Aspect Of The Monkey should be on constantly to reduce the damage you’re taking. If you draw adds, either swig a potion and take them on, or feign and run, but remember they may turn on your pet in that case.
  
  In between fights, eat and drink back to full before continuing. Also make sure your pet's well fed. Below loyalty level 4, they will be losing at least 1 loyalty a second, even when happy, so try to feed them after every second fight until they've reached loyalty level 5 or so.
  
  
• Instances
  
  It’s also possible, even desirable to take a new pet into instances to level it up. In an instance group, you’ll have a tank and healer to rely on there and you can concentrate on doing damage with your ranged weapon.
  
  However, I would only recommend this in the late stages of the levelling process. Pets have a much smaller aggro circle than players of a similar level, but I still wouldn’t recommend bringing a pet into an instance where the average trash mob was more than six levels higher than it. Once again, leave the pet on passive by your side and disable Growl until it’s levelled to within 2-3 levels of the mobs it’s fighting.
  
  I also wouldn’t recommend bringing a low level pet into a high-end instance like Molten Core or Blackwing Lair. Not only do pets have a hard enough time in those instances, but the XP rewards per hour are simply insufficient to see your pet gaining many levels in there.
  
  
• Conclusion
  
  Levelling up a low-level pet is not a quick or easy progress. However, if you're patient, persistant, or just plain bloody-minded enough to do it, it can be exceptionally rewarding. There can be a lot of grinding involved, but we Hunters can grind better than almost any other class in the game, and the satisfaction of watching your little tiddler grow into a fully-fledged people-shredder is a great feeling.