With the launch of WoW Classic's Season of Discovery expansion, hunters have new options when it comes to choosing a companion to bring into battle. This guide details the top hunter pets currently available and the benefits each one provides for raid and PvP gameplay.
Top 10 WoW SoD Best Hunter Pets for Raid & PvP
In World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery, choosing the right hunter pet can greatly enhance your gameplay experience. With the introduction of new pets and changes to existing ones, it's important to know which pets offer the best benefits and buffs. In this article, we will explore the top hunter pets in the WoW Season of Discovery and detail their unique advantages.
UPDATED! With the patch implemented in the game on December 12th, 2023, not necessarily a nerf but hunter pets have been reworked and Scorpion is no longer your best pet, so we've updated this WoW Season of Discovery Pet Tier List here.
1. Cat (specifically slow cats, Humar, Rake, etc.)
As the most agile pet, Cats maintain the top spot for the highest sustained melee DPS. Broken Tooth is an excellent endgame cat, but early options like Rake and Raluk with their 1.2 attack speed remain solid choices into the mid-levels. Cats are the premier pick for maximizing damage in short bursts.The slow cats are now outperforming the fast cats slightly. The slow cats would be the ideal choice if leveling a new cat from scratch. And the 2.0 cats are the ones you want to have for raid now if you're leveling up a pet.
2. Raptors
Raptors are mentioned as being a strong option on par with cats after the various pet nerfs. They make for excellent hunter pets thanks to their high physical damage output from melee attacks along with bleed abilities like Rake that cause significant bleeding damage over time. They are quite fast which allows them to stay on target for maximum uptime. While not true tanks, Raptors have enough health and armor to withstand sustained fighting in melee range reasonably well. Their speed also aids in leveling as they can chase down enemies and their bleeds help them hold threat even on enemies a few levels higher. Even after pet balancing changes, Raptors remain consistently powerful with simple yet effective abilities that complement many specs well into the endgame. Their wide availability across zones also makes Raptors an accessible pet choice for all hunters.
3. Wind Serpent
While wind serpents received a Nerf, they are still a viable choice and not completely outclassed. They remain quite powerful but are now balanced more in line with other pets, it's just no longer the ultimate pet in the same way that the Scorpion was. These serpents stand out for their ranged attacks and ability to regenerate Focus much faster than other pets, staying in the fight longer. Son of Hakkar is a fantastic later option. Early on, their ranged capability makes Wind Serpents useful for leveling or balancing out a group.
4. Wolves
Wolves niche use with Furious Howl damage buff in group settings could be A tier pet in Season of Discovery now. Low damage outside of that ability. Wolves make for a utility-focused pet thanks to their reliable threat generation from Bite and party damage buffing capability of Furious Howl. Howl increases the next melee attack of all allies within 15 yards by 50%, providing a potent damage boost when timed strategically. Wolves also have above-average health and armor, allowing them to effectively tank sustained enemy pressure in melee range better than most other pets. However, Wolves rely entirely on Howl for their damage contribution and lack strong secondary abilities, positioning them as more of a support pet dependent on coordinating with allies to maximize their niche buff role rather than topping damage meters independently.
5. Boars
Boars slightly better with buffed Charge and Bite damage that are useful spenders, and its Roar root provides utility in PvP now. They make for a versatile and accessible hunter pet thanks to their mobile physical damage profile and utility abilities. Boars offer reliable tanking through abilities like Charge and higher health pools. Their ability to eat any food makes them convenient to maintain. Charge allows skipping directly to new mobs, aiding leveling efficiency.
6. Scorpions
Scorpids are now low B-tier at best due to damage nerfs. Significant poison damage nerfs dropped them down the tiers. Poison damage underwhelming after changes. But they may perform better with certain builds. Scorpion is still a good pet choice for hunter DPS thanks to its sting ability scaling heavily with attack power boosts from talents like Beast Mastery and Kill Command. Easy for Horde players to obtain, the poison damage Scorpion deals is significantly higher than other pet options. Make sure to use Kill Command before applying poison for maximum effect.
7. Sporebats
Sporebats rely solely on their spore-releasing magical DOT ability for damage, but the long cooldown on this skill means their output lacks consistency compared to pets with multiple lower cooldown abilities. While Sporebats can deal heavy short-term magical damage when their spores are activated, they have no secondary attacks to use in between cooldowns, and their passive attributes are not sufficient to make up for lacking an additional damaging move. As a result, Sporebats fill more of a niche DOT role than being well-rounded pets, and are better suited for specialized DOT-focused builds than general pet usage due to their inability to maintain continuous damage pressure.
8. Owls
Owls are also a great option for hunter pets in WoW Season of Discovery. Owls add additional damage to the mix, similar to Carrion Birds, and provide increased damage output but have lower HP and defense compared to other pets, so hunters must consider their trade-offs.
9. Carrion Birds
While sacrificing some damage, these pets bring valuable control to hunters through the Screech slow and Growl taunt. This allows ranged DPS with less risk of being overwhelmed. For new or struggling players, they provide an easier experience. Carrion Birds are a debatable but viable option in the Season of Discovery. They offer reliable taunting abilities and can reduce enemy melee damage, allowing hunters to attack at range without interruptions. The Screech ability lowers melee damage, while Growl works as a taunt, ensuring damage consistency for the hunter.
10. Bears
Bears, such as Jorul, can be tamed and offer a sturdy option for hunters. They have a slower attack speed but provide durability in combat. For Beast Mastery hunters, a bear with 2.5 attack speed will maximize the damage from their Kill Command ability. Bears are more durable than cats and provide consistent tanking ability when needed.
Additional Tameable Pets:
11. Spider
12. Turtles
13. Hyenas
14. Crabs
15. Tallstriders
16. Crocolisk
More testing is needed to determine the absolute best pet, but Cats/Raptors/Serpents are the safest S-tier choices for now. Scorpion meta has officially ended.
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