[NOT FINISHED] [DO NOT MAKE PUBLIC YET] Alternative Hunterpets to tame during the levelingphase
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Introduction
Hello, my name is Treseck and welcome to my guide.
Only a few hours left remain until the release, and you have decided, that you want to play a hunter.
But with Blizzards recent statement about realm population you fear, that you don't have access to all those disred hunterpets like Broken Tooth, The Rake, Lupos..
Then, this guide is for you!Popular pets
If you're new to the hunterclass, then you probably want to know, what makes these pets popular in the first place. There are two different reasons for them being special:
1. fast attackspeed
Broken Tooth,
Bloodseeker Bat and The Rake, are very well known for their fast attackspeed. Broken Tooth (BT) and Bloodseeker Bat both have an attackspeed of 1.0 attacks per second.
In PVE this is rather neglectable, because NPCs don't have spell pushback. This means, that NPCs wont suffer any delays while casting spells, when attacked.
But in PVP this can easily change the outcome of fights. Especially when fighting against casters: In WoW: Classic there is no limitations on spellbushbacks. This means, that you can delay an enemy player's cast indefinitely.
So the more attacks per second you land on an enemy caster, the more he suffers from spellbushback, making him unable to cast, thus dealing less damage to your and your pet / friends.You might've guessed already: a fast attacking pet makes a caster's life much harder, than a slower attacking pet.
Take note: Pet Attackspeed was nerfed with the Burning Cursade PrePatch (Patch 2.0.1)
There is a common misconception, where people assume that their attackspeed was nerfed in Patch 1.9. This was the pet, when the special abilities (more details in next chapter) were nerfed, such as runspeed.2. special (hidden) abilities
Other pets like Lupos, Snarler or Frostwolves were famous for their hidden abilities. For example:
- Lupos dealt shadow damage instead of physical damage, thus ignoring all armor from players and bosses. (Even bosses in Naxxramas still had very few resistances, making him the best pet in PVE by far)
- Snarler was known for having +100 to all resistances, after being tamed. Usually resistances are being unlearned, after you've tamed a pet. This made Snarler survive most bossfights, where other pets would've died.
- Frostwolves were well known for having a very fast runspeed. They were even faster than players on epic mounts. It was impossible to flee from tamed Frostwolves.
- Most famous of all: King Bangalash even had a hidden Ability: Cobra Reflexes (Rank1)
which made him attack faster but with higher basedamage than other pets on the same level. - Less famous, but still special: the Drywallow Snapper was the only crocolisc until Patch 3.0 (WotLK PrePatch) with Claw (Rank 5) trained.
Take note: * Most of those hidden abilities were patched in Patch 1.9. There were only a few pets that remained unfixed: King Bangalash and Drywallow Snapper for a while (until TBC PrePatch and WotLK PrePatch).
What to expect in future chapters:
Since most special abilities have been nerfed and will not be resurrected in WoW: Classic, I will not incude them in the upcoming chapters. You will only find pets there, that still have intact special abilities (and ofc: faster attackspeeds)
Level 1-10 unpopular pets
This is by far the most boring level bracket to tame beasts. In this bracket you will only find beasts with a higher attack speed and some pets who have high claw ranks.
Alliance
Teldrassil (Nightelf Starting Zone)
- Nightsaber, Nightsaber Stalker, Elder Nightsaber and also Duskstalker have a 1.4 Attackspeed, making them great for later PVP use against casters.
- Strigid Hunter are Owls with Claw Rank 2 natively trained. Owls are excellent DPS pets (see this overview for comparison). Claw is also a great focusdump, so your pet doesn't always have excessive focus.
Elwynn Forest (Human Starting Zone)
- There is only one interesting pet to find: Young Forest Bear he has also Claw Rank 2 natively trained.
Dun Morogh (Dwarf Starting Zone)
- Bjarn and also Mangeclaw also have also Claw Rank 2 natively trained.
Horde
Durotar (Troll / Orc Starting Zone)
- Durotar Tiger has a 1.3 attackspeed and is easily to tame during him spwaning in abundant rats on the Echo isles.
- Encrusted Surf Crawler and Venomtail Scorpid both have Claw Rank 2 learned
Mulgore (Tauren Starting Zone)
- Obviously The Rake is a great pet, since he has a 1.2 attackspeed. Beware though: he is a rare spawn, so it might be difficult to get a hold on him.
- A first great and often undervalued pet is the Prarie Wolf Alpha. He comes with 2 abilities, one of them being Bite (Rank 2) and the other Furios Howl (Rank 1) . Both abilities are great for leveling, since Furious Howl boosts your damage and Bite is great for your pet to get aggro.
Barrens
- probably one of the lesser known and surely one of the most overlooked pets: Savannah Cub is a level 9 pet in the barrens. He has a 1.2 attackspeed (just as the rarespawn The Rake!) Taming the cub might be difficult without help. He spawns as a guardian of a level 17 pet (Savannah Matriach). You have to kill the level 17 beast first to be able to tame the cub.
Tirisfal
- (there are no great pets)
Level 11-20 unpopular pets
Alliance
Westfall
- There is only one type of beast that can learn Screech (Rank 1): Greater Fleshripper. Screech is great for holding aggro against multiple enemys. It also reduces their attack power by quite a bit, so your pet takes noticeably less damage. Screech is also a great focusdump, so your pet won't sit on too much focus all the time, that otherwise wold've been wasted.
- Coyote Packleader is the alliance equivalent to the Prarie Wolf Alpha from Mulgore. They come aswell with Bite (Rank 2) and Furios Howl (Rank 1) natively trained.
- You can get a next rank of Claw (Claw 3) from Shore Crawlers. Again a very great focus dump and damaing ability for that level.
Loch Modan
- In Loch Modan you will find Black Bear Patriachs and Ol'Sooty who also have Claw Rank 3 trained by default.
- When your pet can't learn Claw, you still can find pets with Bite (Rank 3) in Loch Modan: Shanda the Spinner and Wood Lurker.
Darkshore
- Darkshore is a paradise for cat lovers: You can find both pets with a high attackspeed and great abilities: Moonstalker, Moonstalker Matriach, Moonstalker Runt, , Moonstalker Sire have a base attackspeed of 1.3, making them one of the fastest attacking pets at low level.
- When you're in Darkshore to learn Claw (Rank 3), then you should take a look at Ghostsaber, or Den Mother.
- Ghostsaber is special in another way: He is the only semi transparent pet, that stays this way - even after taming! Making him hard to spot. When you train him prowl, he is nearly impossible to detect, making him very desirable for nightelf hunter sneak attacks!
Redridge Mountains
- The greater Tarantula comes with Bite (Rank 3) trained. They spawn in a high contested questing area, so you might need some luck here.
Horde
The Barrens
- Two often overlooked pets are the Ornery Plainstrider and the Savannah Patriach. Both have 1.3 attackspeed, which is quite nice for pvp.
- Another very special pet is Echeyakee. His distinct white fur is only used for one other pet (Sian-Rotam), making him nearly unique. spawns only during the horde quest Echeyakee, thus making him very hard to tame as alliance. If you follow this Link you will find a video of a brave low level alliance hunter showing you how to tame them.
- Thunderhawk Hatchling is the earliest available windserpent. Windserpents have a ranged attack called Lightning Breath (Rank 2), which is instant and deals quite a lot of damage. Because of that they are excellent for tagging mobs or attacking bosses in PVE from a distance.
Wailing Caverns
- Deviate Coiler and Deviate Stinglash are also some low level windserpents with Lightning Breath (Rank 2)
- If you'd like to level slow, then you should tame Kresh - he is a turtle with an amazing defensive ability: Shell Shield (Rank 1). Unfortunately this is the lowest and also the highest version of Shell Shield.
Silverpine Forest
- Very well known and directly at the north of Silverpine you can find Worgs. They are similar to Coyote Packleader from Westfall and Prarie Wolf Alpha from Mulgore. They come aswell with Bite (Rank 2) and Furios Howl (Rank 1) natively trained.
- If you're a few levels higher, you can get Bite (Rank3) from Bloodsnout Worg.
Shadowfang Keep
- not far away from Silverpine Forest you can find Slavering Worg inside the SFK dungeon. They attack very often with their 1.2 attackspeed. Because of their black look (which is quite common for wolves appearently), they are subtle, but very strong for PVE.
Duswallow Marsh
- You might wonder, why there is a level 20 Wolf in Dustwallow Marsh. One of the old special, but not well known pets is Spot. You can find him on Theramore Isle next to the barracks. He is only available to horde, since he's marked as a Stormwind Citizen. His special ability is: Dash (Rank 1). Why is that special? Because usually this is only available to Level 30+ pets. This might be a bug, that was patched during the WotLK PrePatch (Patch 3.0), when the talent tree system got introduced for pets aswell.
Level 21-30 unpopular pets
Alliance
Loch Modan
- You need Bite (Rank 3)? Then take a look at Large Loch Crocolisk.
Redridge Mountains
- You can get Charge (Rank 3) from Bellygrub at level 24. Being a beast you need to kill for a quest near Lakeshire, it should be difficult for you to tame her.
Duskwood
- Black Ravagers, Black Ravager Mastiffs, Naraxis are all pets with Bite (Rank 4) trained, when tamed.
- Black Ravager Mastiffs is also great for Furious Howl (Rank 2)
- a honorable mention goes out to Lupos. Once being famous for dealing shadow damage instead of physical damage. Low resistances on enemys (bosses and players) made him THE de-facto standard pet for PVE and PVP, because his 900 auto attack crits. This special ability was nerfed in Patch 1.9. He now deals physical damage and is therefore "only another white Wolf".
Ashenvale
- Much like their cousins in Duskwood, you can get Furious Howl (Rank 2) and Bite (Rank 4) from Ghostpaw Alpha
- If you're only interested in Bite (Rank 4), you have good times taming Wildthorn Lurker
- Otherweise you can get Claw (Rank 3) from Ashenvale Bear and Clattering Crawler
- Elder Ashenvale Bears even teach you how to Claw (Rank 4)
Horde
Barrens
- Greater Thunderhawk and Thunderhawk Cloudscraper are low level windserpents aswell. They come with Lightning Breath (Rank 2) by default
- Not far away spawns the 25 elite spawn: Washte Pawne. This beast even knows Lightning Breath (Rank 3)
- Once famous for his fast runspeed he now is only distinct in his looks: Takk the Leaper. If you like blueish-gray raptors, then he is the pet for you!
- Another unique looking pet is the cat Humar the Pridelord. He is the only black cat ingame! His 1.3 attackspeed makes him even more special.
- If you're more into bright and yellow cats, you should take a look at a Needles Cougar. They come with an attackspeed of 1.2.
Horde / Alliance
Razorfen Kraul
- Kraul has a few great pets: If you're looking for a new unsually looking boar, you should see Agam'ar, Raging Agam'ar and rotting Agam'ar.
Their distinct look can only be found in Kraul, nowhere else. They also know how to Charge (Rank 3). - If you're more a hyena kind of guy, then the tamed hyena should be your pet. His fast 1.2 attackspeed makes him great for PVP.
Thousand Needles
- Cloud Serpents, Venomous Cloud Serpents, Elder Cloud Serpents teach you Lightning Breath (Rank 3), your next windserpent-only ability. You'd better check them out!
Hillsbrad Foothills
- Hillsbrad Foothills also offers a good variety of pets: take the rarespawn Creepthess for example, or Forestmoss Creeper. They both come with Bite (Rank 3) when you're taming them.
- You need a newer version of Bite? You came to the right zone: Bite (Rank 4) is available from Elder Moss Creeper, Giant Moss Creeper and Snapjaw.
- Very fast and not well known: Feral Mountain Lion hits enemys with an attackspeed of 1.2
Level 31-40 unpopular pets
Horde / Alliance
Razorfen Kraul
- Another reason why Kraul is great: You can find bats who teach you Dive (Rank 1): Kraul Bat and Greater Kraul Bat to be specific. Dive (Rank 1) is great for emergency situations, where you need to /petfollow your pet quickly before adding an unwanted patrol. You can teach Dive (Rank 1) to bats, carrion birds, owls and windserpents.
Thousand Needles
- In need of Claw (Rank 4)? Then you should check out Scorpid Reavers. They also teach you Scorpid Poison (Rank 2)
- Or do you rather have Claw (Rank 5)? If that's the case, you might want to tame Vile Sting, a rarespawn located in the western shimmering flats.
- Flying pets like owls, carrion birds and hawks also get a new rank of Screech (Rank 2) in shimmering flats from Salt Flats Vulture
- Don't have a pet that can learn the above abilities? Don't worry, you can get Bite (Rank 5) from a Sparkleshell Snapper
Stranglethorn Vale
- Littered with undead rogues and pets: Stranglethorn is by far a very distinct zone. Sin'dall, Stranglethorn Tigers,, Kurzen War Tigers let you use their Dash (Rank 1), after you've tamed them. They also share the same attackspeed of 1.3. Neat!
- A gorilla named Kurmokk is not the first pet that comes into mind, when you think of PvP combat. His 1.3 attackspeed makes him a unique sleeper pet.
- A neverending story of fast attackspeeds: Again 1.3! But this time they're cats again: Stranglethorn Tigress and Young Panther teaches your opposing casters some manners.
- You're more a sneaky guy? Then you should tame Shadowmaw Panther. Prowl (Rank 1) is his way of life.
Badlands
- Of course there is Broken Tooth with 1.0 attackspeed, the fastest attackspeed ingame and also Dash (Rank 1). Because of that he is probably a very heavy contested pet.
- Ridge Stalker gives you Prowl (Rank 1). And in case, you missed out on taming Broken Tooth, Ridge Stalker also has a high attackspeed of 1.3
- You want a really unique Wolf? Barnabus is waiting for you. Although Barnabus is only level 39, but he has Bite (Rank 6), which is usually only available to level 40 beasts. This, too, was a "bug" that persists until WotLK PrePatch and was never really fixed.
Level 41-50 unpopular pets
Horde / Alliance
Stranglethorn Vale
- Unique in more than just one way: King Bangalash! A true king is swift on the battlefield (Attackspeed 1,4) and swift on foot (Dash (Rank 2)) and deadly (Claw (Rank 6))
- Elder Shadowmaw Panther is
Level 51-60 unpopular pets
Horde / Alliance