On my pets.

Well, now that my epic quest's over with, I suppose I should try another bit of Hunter writing, rather than another iterminably dull "Wulfsblood gets lewt" posts. So, I'm gonna talk about that oft-maligned and marginalised part of the Hunter class, the pet.

As soon as a Hunter hits level ten, they get the ability to tame wild beasts as a companion. Principally, these are used to distract an enemy and keep them at a distance so that the Hunter can unleash his wide variety of ranged attacks at keep them at a distance. This is one of the reasons why Hunters are so devastating in solo play, since they effectively have a second character which, whilst not as powerful as the Hunter himself, can do respectable damage and prevent the Hunter himself from being hurt.

Compared to Warlocks (the other pet-using class) our relationship with our pets is a unique one. Hunter pets require feeding and care to maintain their loyalty. A neglected pet won't be able to learn many skills, it won't fight as effectively, and will eventually abandon the Hunter if this isn't checked. Also, they usually need to be trained in new abilities as they gain experience which the Hunter himself has to learn by taming other wild beasts.

All in all, a Hunter's pets are a labour of love, the mechanics behind them cause some to become frustrated with this aspect, but for me and most others, it reinforces their importance, and the relationship they have with the character. I have spent hours levelling and training various pets for Wulf, and rarely has it felt like time wasted.

However, the sad fact is that whilst pets are a powerful leveling tool, their uses in Raid instances are limited. Once they hit level 60, there's no real way to make the stronger or better, so they tend to contribute comparatively less and less to a raiding hunters damage output. They don't warrant much attention from healers, which means they tend to die very quickly if the enemy has heavy damage area of effect attacks. That said, I've found a few uses for my pets which make them invaluable.

Ironically, given his name, Wulfsblood didn't actually take his first Wolf pet until he was level 60. For most of his levelling, Wulf, like so many Hunters before him took a succession of cat pets. The cat is a solid choice for a levelling Hunter. It does higher damage than most other pets, which means you can kill enemies quicker, but it has less health and armour, so it'll die if you're not careful. The higher damage output also makes it ideal if you're at all interested in Player Versus Player engagements. Currently Wulf keeps a cat for this purpose, a Frostsaber Pride Watcher called Felrazor. Using the Prowl ability, he's able to sneak up on enemy before unleashing a series of brutal attacks that will injure the enemy and prevent them from casting spells effectively whilst Wulf finishes them off.



However, for 90% of his time since hitting lvl 60, Wulf has relied on his main pet, a Worg called Grymhowl which he tamed in the depths of Lower Blackrock Spire. Wether he's raiding with Chaotic Divinity or soloing Dragonkin, Grymhowl tends to be his pet of choice, and he's almost as well known in CD as Wulf himself is! Wolves are average pets, they don't do as much damage as a cat, but they have better armour and health, so they can survive a beating for a bit longer. Grymhowl also has a strange quirk. Sometimes when he's summoned he's black...



and other times he's brown...



Wolves also have the Furious Howl skill, which lets them add to the damage of everyone in the party once every 10 seconds. I've set up a Macro that causes Grym to Howl just as Wulf casts an Aimed Shot, which gives the already powerful shot a touch more "oomph". This skill is especially useful since it means that Grymhowl can actively contribute to most fights without having to put himself in the line of fire. Also, For some fights, Wulf will actively possess Grymhowl and send him to get the attention of far away mobs, since once Grymhowl's dead they will follow the trail all the way back to Wulf and the rest of the raid. It may seem heartless, but it's easier and cheaper to ressurect a pet than it is to ressurect a character.

I have to confess, the pet aspect of the Hunter class was the least attractive part of it when I first started playing Wulf, but over time, I've come to see them as an integral extension of my playing style, solo and in raid. And to be fair, I've probably got two of the more conventional pet choices out there, considering Hunters can also tame six-legged crocodiles, winged serpents and giant scorpions to name a few. Still I'm happy with my choices and I wouldn't change em for anything!