Hunter 101: is a series posts on The Hunting Lodge for the Hunter that is just starting out or is now returning back to the class. Each week we will review how you can help improve your skill playing a Hunter in WoW. So grab a desk, class is about to start.
A ton of my time is spent soloing and leveling. Heck! I’m now on my fourth trip through the leveling grind! (Yeah, me to I think I might actually be on my final time through. Well, at least until the next expansion.)
Spending all this time alone has made me realize that my best friend in all of Azeroth are my pets. Now, I’m not like Pike where I feel some form deep empathic bond with my pets. (Don’t get me wrong. I’m not bashing Pike, just saying how my pets are well, just pets.) But I have realized that my pet has saved my Dwarven butt a number of times.
As such, I think it is only the right thing that we take a moment and look at how we can work with our pets to help keep them alive and happy.
Back in the old day having a happy pet required you to keep feeding it literally every10 minutes. And if your pet happened to died defending you while you feigned dead or left him behind and high tailed it out of combat. If that happened you would need to sit there mending pet, bandaging and then feeding it for the next 5 minutes or longer. I can name several occasions where my raid or 5-man group would mumble and grumble about how I was slowing down the run. Good thing it’s not that bad today, but that still doesn’t excuse you from not having solid pet management skills.
Here’s some things you can do to help make sure your pet will live longer whether you’re raiding, doing 5-mans or just playing solo and leveling. Now these tips might not maximize your DPS so make sure you pick and choose the ones that won’t gimp your raid if your min/maxing.
Also, I’m not saying you have to have all of these. Think of it as a pick and choose list.
Glyphs
- Glyph of Mending (Major Glyph) – How could you not love a 40% increase in Healing for your Mend Pet? Really now, you gotta love that one right?
- Glyph of Mend Pet (Minor Glyph) - You got the Glyph of Mending and you’re gonna cast Mend Pet anyways, well you might as well use it to keep your pet happy.
- Glyph of Revive Pet (Minor Glyph) – If your BM having a dead pet typically means an immediate loss of 20-30% of your total DPS. And I also know the theory that you’ll loose more DPS by taking time to rez your pet if he dies. Well, if you use this glyph you can reduce the pushback while casting Revive Pet. How’s them apples!
Hunter Talent specs
- Improved Mend Pet (Rank 2) – Reducing your mana cost of Mend Pet by 20% and then giving you a 50% chance to remove a Curse, Disease, Magic or Poison from your pet.
- Improved Revive Pet (Rank 2) – There is nothing like removing casting time. Think of this as Spell Haste for Pet Rez. (And before you min/maxing theorycrafting purest start saying how it’s not really Haste, I know.)
- Kindred Spirits (Rank 5) – Rank 5 might not be great for raiding, but being able to have your pet’s movement speed increased by 10% will help out a ton when trying to call it out of any ground or AoE effects.
- Spirit Bond (Rank 2) – Just like Kindred Spirits, you might want to use a lower rank but I personally like the idea that my pet can regerate 2% of it’s health in 10 seconds as well as increasing all heals to your pet by 10%.
Pet Talents
- Avoidance – This can reduce the damage of AoE attacks to your pet by up to 75%!! This is a must!
- Cornered – Okay.. if you need a OH CRAP! talent, this is it! When your pet get’s to 35% health your pet will do 50% more damage but at the same time reduce the mobs chance to crit your pet by 60%.
- Dash – Giving your pet an 80% increase in movement speed for 16seconds is like giving your pet Turbo Boost! Now I know some will say just take Boars Speed. Well, sure.. go ahead, but Dash will get your pet back to you faster.
- Bloodthirsty (Rank 1 or Rank 2) – You have to at least hae one pet talent point in Bloodthirsty. Having a 20% chance for your pet to increase its own happiness and health is an awesome thing!
- Lick Your Wounds – I’ll admit that this is probably not a great choice for a DPS increase. But man, if your out solo and your pet can heal itself to 100% over 5 seconds it means less healz and more pew-pew!
- Blood of the Rhino – This one increases both your pet’s stamina as well as giving a 40% boost to healing effects on your pet.
- Bull Headed – The old Bestial Wrath made your pet immuned to things like bleed, disease, and fear type attacks. To get back some of that you can now use Bull Headed to remove all impairing effects, while reducing all damage to your pet by 20%
Professions
- First Aid – If you don’t have this.. Go.. Go NOW!! Bandaging your pet is great for getting your pet back up to full health so you can go back to farming, soloing, or whatever.
Now those are some things to help you spec yourself and your pet for some better survivability. Some key points to keep in mind while your playing.
- Keep your pet on passive. A pet heading off attacking mobs on its own is a sure way to end up with a dead pet.
- Remember to call your pet back to you if its in the fire, acid, black or red stuf.
- Match the pet to the situation. Your Ferocity pet isn’t going to be a great solo tank, good but not great.
- Don’t forget Mend Pet is a HOT (Heal Over Time) not instant heal. So cast early and often.
I think that just about does it for this Hunter 101. What’s your tips for keeping your pet alive? Do you have any Pet Management ideas?
By the way, if your interested in other Hunter 101 posts, check out these:
Eddie “Brigwyn” Carrington is often known as being that crazy dwarf on Twitter.
He's also a blogger, podcaster (Hosts Brigwyn's Corner, Co-host of Everything Blah! and of course Redneck Geek and Cajun Gamer with his good friend Andy "Daewin" Dino. 
