We Had Permission

On the big list of hunter don’ts is bringing a non-level 80 pet to a raid or heroic instance.

In case you’re not aware, the reason you don’t want to bring a low level pet to these instances is that their, and subsequently your dps, will be terrible. This is all relative of course.

Nowadays with more people in full epic Naxx gear, you are more likely to find a group that can cruise through this content and not notice the dps loss. There is also no denying that heroic instances are a great way to quickly level a pet. Heck, you might find that in full Naxx level gear that your dps is higher than what it was when you actually needed heroic gear and ran it with a level 80 pet.

If you are going to uses heroics as a method for leveling a pet then I recommend you take the following steps,

1. Get permission. Let the group know ahead of time that you would like to do this, and let them know your dps may not be as good. If the group is okay with this, then great.
2. Know your group and make sure you think you can handle the content with the lower level pet. Be prepared to swap out the pet for a level 80 if things start to go bad.
3. Try to do this only on guild runs or with people you know. If you use a pug for this it just makes you look bad.

So why I am leveling pets at this stage of the game? In anticipation of patch 3.1 I’m mixing up the stables a little bit. I’ve always had wolf, but I wanted a cooler looking one, so I went and tamed Grolsch out of Ramparts.

The reason I want a wolf is that in patch 3.1 Furious Howl is being changed. It’s only going to affect the hunter and pet, and it’s going to stack with other attack power buffs. This makes wolves viable raiding pets. I’ll probably macro this spell with Call of the Wild for some nice attack power buffs.

In addition to the wolf I’m making a change to my tenacity pet lineup. Currently I’m using a gorilla, but come 3.1 I’m switching to a bear. Now that Thunderstomp is going to be a talent available to all tenacity pets, Swipe + Thunderstomp is looking like a nice combination for soloing. Lots of AoE and aggro attention getting spells there.

Crocolisks are looking very inviting as well, but I think I’m going to stick with one tenacity pet for now. Again Thunderstomp + Bad Attitude looks to be an interesting combination as well.

Don’t be surprised to see more bears and crocolisks running around when 3.1 hits. Folks who tamed those Hydras and Slimes have to be excited about getting to take the out of the barn.