Can Hunters Tame Anything? The Ultimate WoW Hunter Pet Guide
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The short answer is: no, Hunters can’t tame anything. However, the real answer is far more nuanced and exciting. While there are restrictions based on creature type, hunter specialization, and required skills, the sheer variety of beasts a Hunter can tame in World of Warcraft is staggering. From ferocious wolves and majestic stags to exotic spirit beasts and even undead horrors, the options are vast and continually expanding with each new expansion. The key lies in understanding the limitations and embracing the hunt for the perfect, and sometimes most unusual, companion.
Taming the Wild: What Hunters Need to Know
Hunters are the quintessential beast masters of Azeroth and beyond, forming powerful bonds with creatures of all kinds. This symbiotic relationship is central to the Hunter’s class identity, granting them unique abilities and tactical advantages in combat. But not just any critter is ripe for taming. Several factors determine what a Hunter can add to their stable.
- Creature Type: Generally, Hunters can only tame beasts. However, Blizzard has consistently introduced ways to circumvent this limitation, allowing the taming of creatures that were previously off-limits. This includes undead beasts, dragonkin, and other previously untamable types.
- Hunter Specialization: The Hunter’s chosen specialization plays a role. Beast Mastery Hunters have access to the Exotic Beasts ability, allowing them to tame creatures like Direhorns, Chimaeras, and Core Hounds. Marksmanship and Survival Hunters are limited to more conventional beasts.
- Required Skills/Items: Many unique tames require Hunters to acquire specific skills or items. For instance, taming undead beasts as a non-Forsaken Hunter requires the Simple Tome of Bone-Binding. Taming dragonkin requires reaching a certain renown level with the Valdrakken Accord and obtaining the How to Train a Dragonkin tome.
- Level Requirements: You cannot tame a beast that is significantly higher level than you. And some specific pets are not tameable before your hunter reaches a specific level.
- Rarity and Location: Certain rare and unique beasts are highly sought after by Hunters. Finding these creatures often involves extensive travel and patience. Some of these creatures may also have specific spawn timers, or only be active during a small window of opportunity.
The Importance of Pet Families and Specializations
Once a beast is tamed, its usefulness in combat depends on its pet family and specialization.
Pet Families
Each pet family possesses a unique Family Ability, which can provide a distinct advantage in certain situations. For example, Ravagers have the Gore ability, which deals additional damage. Hyenas, Rodents, and Raptors can apply a healing reduction effect, invaluable in scenarios where enemies are healing rapidly. Knowing these abilities can dramatically improve a Hunter’s performance in various content.
Pet Specializations
Pets are categorized into three specializations:
- Ferocity: Focuses on dealing damage. Ferocity pets typically provide a leech buff to the hunter.
- Tenacity: Designed for tanking and survivability. Tenacity pets offer a health buff to the hunter.
- Cunning: Emphasizes utility and crowd control. Cunning pets often provide a movement speed increase.
The choice of specialization depends on the Hunter’s needs and playstyle. While the difference between specializations is fairly minor, some players prefer one over the other for a specific purpose.
Hunting for Specific Tames: Examples
Let’s look at some examples of specific creatures and the requirements for taming them:
- Undead Beasts: Non-Forsaken Hunters must acquire the Simple Tome of Bone-Binding from Maldraxxus. Once learned, they can tame various undead creatures throughout the Shadowlands and beyond.
- Dragonkin: To tame dragonkin, Hunters must reach level 23 renown with the Valdrakken Accord in Dragonflight and obtain the How to Train a Dragonkin tome from Kaestrasz in Valdrakken.
- Cloudtail: The transparent beast is a spirit beast and does not require special skill to tame.
These examples illustrate the diverse and engaging challenges involved in expanding a Hunter’s collection of pets.
FAQs: Taming the Untamable
What level can hunters tame pets?
You can tame your first pet at level five. Hunters in Exile’s Reach will learn to tame their first pet via a quest at level five.
Do Hunter pets still have abilities?
Yes, a hunter pet can have different abilities, depending on its pet family and specialization. Each pet family, or beast type, has at least one single special skill. All families have an inherent specialization (Cunning/Ferocity/Tenacity), each of which gives access to additional skills.
Does your hunter pet matter?
The only thing that differentiates Pets are their specialization (Ferocity, Cunning, and Tenacity), and their Family Ability. Unless you are doing competitive content, you do not have to worry about having the “right” pet. But some pets are a little better than others for certain types of content.
Will hunters be able to tame Dragonkin?
Yes! Dragonkin are now tameable by hunters. Once a hunter reaches lv23 renown they can tame Dragonkin.
Can hunters tame undead?
Yes! Forsaken Hunters can tame undead beasts without any special requirements. All other races must first acquire the Simple Tome of Bone-Binding in Shadowlands. The tome can drop from mobs in Maldraxxus or inside of the Plaguefall or Theater of Pain dungeons.
Is Forgotten Gryphon tameable?
This mob is currently tameable as long as you are between the levels of 62 and 79 due to the level scaling it is not tameable before your hunter is level 62 or after level 69.
How many abilities can a hunter pet have?
Your pet can have a maximum of 4 active abilities. Some abilities are available only to specific beasts or groups of beasts.
What is the best hunter pet to level with?
For leveling there are a few good options. However the best option is a Owl or Carrion Bird.
Can a hunter have 2 pets?
You start the game with a maximum of just one pet on your active pet bar. You gain the ability to take more pets with you as you increase in level, just like any other hunter skill. While you can still only have one pet out at a time*, you can have up to 5 in your pet bar, ready to be called out.
Can survival hunters tame exotic pets?
No, taming exotic pets is only available to hunters in Beast Mastery specialization over level 39 who have unlocked the spell Exotic Beasts.
What hunter pet should I get?
While a Spirit Beast will serve you well in most situations, Healing Reduction pets like Hyenas, Rodents, and Raptors can be situationally useful.
Can Hunter pets loot?
Yes! The Hunter Mark adaptation applies the Hunter Mark and instructs the pet to attack the target. When the target is dead you can simply hit the same button and the pet will Dash to the target and loot the corpse.
Should I have a pet as MM Hunter?
It is never worth using a pet for DPS reasons. You will only ever use a pet if you need the Primal Rage Bloodlust Effect, the 5% Max Health bonus from a Tenacity Pet, or if you need one of several notable Pet Family Abilities, notably the Mortal Wounds Healing Reduction.
How do I make my hunter pet happy?
The most basic way to increase the happiness of your pet is by feeding it. One feeding will give the pet 10 bites of food, distributed over 20 seconds. Depending on the quality of the food, each bite will give 8, 17 or 35 happiness, for a total of 80, 170 or 350 per feeding.
Can hunters tame Direhorns?
Zandalari hunters automatically know how to tame Direhorns. Hunters of other races must learn the skill from an Ancient Tome of Dinomancy which is a rare drop from Zandalari Dinomancers on the Isle of Giants in Pandaria.
The Ever-Evolving World of Hunter Pets
The world of Hunter pets is dynamic. Blizzard Entertainment regularly introduces new tameable creatures and updates the requirements for taming existing ones. Staying informed about these changes is crucial for Hunters looking to expand their collection and optimize their performance.
By understanding the limitations, embracing the challenges, and continually exploring the vast landscapes of World of Warcraft, Hunters can truly master the art of taming and forge unbreakable bonds with a diverse array of magnificent beasts. Just remember: the untamable is often just a tome, a reputation grind, or a lucky find away! Happy hunting!
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