WoW Forever hunter pets run on the systems Classic hunters know: you tame a beast at level 10, feed it, build its loyalty and spend training points through Beast Training. What changed is what each family brings. Every family now has a signature ability (Bears Swipe three targets, Crocolisks cut healing, Birds of Prey disarm), every family can learn Dash or Dive, Foxes are new, and pets take their stats from your gear instead of party buffs.
The short answer: a Raptor or Cat for damage, a Bear when you pull several mobs while leveling, a Wolf or Tallstrider only for a group without a warrior or druid, and Broken Tooth, a Bird of Prey or a Spider for PvP. Ability values come from the live game’s data (build 1.60.1.70790, November 4), Blizzard’s Hunter and Druid class article of September 30 and its November 2 launch notes. Beasts in the original zones keep their Classic spawn points in WoW Forever, so taming spots come from Classic data. Your first pet comes from a quest chain, which our WoW Forever class quests guide covers.
Best Hunter Pet in WoW Forever for Every Job
The best hunter pet in WoW Forever depends on the job, because families differ in two ways: a fixed damage, armor and health modifier, and one signature ability.
| Job | Best pet | Why | Where to tame one |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leveling, one mob at a time | Cat, then Raptor | +10% damage, the most of any family; the Raptor adds a bleed and 3% armor | Cats near most starting zones; Mottled Raptors (22-23), Wetlands |
| Leveling, several mobs | Bear | Swipe hits 3 targets every 5 sec; +8% health, +5% armor | Ice Claw Bears (7-8), Dun Morogh; Thistle Bears (11-12), Darkshore |
| Soloing elites | Turtle or Boar | +13% armor and Shell Shield; or +9% armor, +4% health and Charge | Ironback (51), Hinterlands; Grunter (50), Blasted Lands |
| Dungeons and raids | Raptor (or Cat) | Cat’s damage plus armor and a bleed | Jungle Stalkers (40-41), Stranglethorn; Frostsaber Stalkers (59-60), Winterspring |
| Group without a warrior or druid | Wolf or Tallstrider | Furious Howl: group melee attack power; Dust Cloud: -505 armor | Deathmaw (53), Burning Steppes; Ornery Plainstriders (16-17), Barrens |
| PvP vs casters | Broken Tooth or Bat | 1.0-second swings push back casts; Sonic Blast slows casting 30% | Broken Tooth (37), Badlands; Plaguebats (53-58) |
| PvP vs melee | Bird of Prey or Spider | Mine! disarms 3 sec; Web roots 4 sec | Winterspring Screechers (57-59); spiders (55-58), Silithus |
| PvP vs healers | Crocolisk | Dismember: 25% less healing for 6 sec, every 15 sec | Drywallow Daggermaws (40-41), Dustwallow Marsh |
Levels are Classic data. Your pet levels with you, so a lower-level tame works if you bring it along.
How Hunter Pets Work in WoW Forever
Hunter pets in WoW Forever keep Classic’s systems: the live client still has loyalty, training points, happiness, Beast Training and pet trainers.
- Taming: Tame Beast is a 20-second channel in the live data and drops your armor by 100% while you channel, so slow the beast with Concussive Shot first. Beasts above your level can’t be tamed.
- Stable: one active pet plus two stable slots bought from a Stable Master.
- Happiness: a happy pet deals 125% damage, an unhappy one 75% (Warcraft Tavern’s beta guide, as in Classic). Feed food close to the pet’s level.
- Loyalty and training points: six loyalty ranks from Rebellious to Best Friend; a level 60 Best Friend has 300 training points (Warcraft Tavern).
- New abilities: tame a beast that knows one, use it until you learn it, then teach it through Beast Training; four active abilities at most. Pet trainers sell Great Stamina, Natural Armor, resistances and Growl ranks 3 to 7.
What Changed for Hunter Pets in WoW Forever
| Change | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pets gain stats from your gear | Warcraft Tavern measured 10% of your attack power and 100% of your crit chance in the beta. | Blizzard; Warcraft Tavern |
| No player stat buffs on pets | Mark of the Wild and Fortitude skip the pet; Endurance Training (now with Thick Hide), Great Stamina and Natural Armor make it sturdier. | Blizzard |
| Signature ability for every family | Nine new ones plus the Fox’s; most start at pet level 12 with a new rank every 12 levels. | Blizzard; live data |
| Dash or Dive for everyone | Bears, Crabs, Crocolisks, Gorillas, Raptors, Scorpids, Spiders, Turtles and Foxes learn Dash from pet level 30. | Blizzard; live data |
| Owls are Birds of Prey | Bats and Birds of Prey lost Screech; Carrion Birds keep it as Demoralizing Screech. | Live data |
| Furious Howl reworked | Was a next-attack bonus; now a 60-second party and raid melee attack power buff on a 30-second cooldown. | Blizzard; live data |
| Attack speed passives | Each pet keeps an innate attack speed passive (see below). | Blizzard, November 2 |
Talents matter too: Aspect of the Monkey passes half its dodge to the pet, Intimidation adds 100% crit to the pet’s next attack, and Lone Wolf, the Marksmanship 11-point talent, gives 20% more damage with no pet out. Orcs get 5% more pet damage (see our best race for every class), and our WoW Forever class changes guide covers the other hunter changes.
WoW Forever Hunter Pet Families and Abilities
WoW Forever has 18 hunter pet families: Classic’s 17 and the new Fox. Values below are from the live game’s data; the modifiers and diets match Classic’s.
| Family | Signature ability (cooldown) | Also learns | Damage / armor / health | Diet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bat | Sonic Blast: damage, casts 30% slower for 20 sec (1 min) | Bite, Dive | +7% / 0 / 0 | Fruit, fungus |
| Bear | Swipe: hits 3 targets (5 sec) | Bite, Claw, Dash | -9% / +5% / +8% | All |
| Bird of Prey | Mine!: damage, 3 sec disarm (90 sec) | Claw, Dive | +7% / 0 / 0 | Meat |
| Boar | Charge: immobilize, harder next hit (25 sec) | Bite, Dash | -10% / +9% / +4% | All |
| Carrion Bird | Demoralizing Screech: damage, lowers attack power (10 sec) | Bite, Claw, Dive | 0 / +5% / 0 | Meat, fish |
| Cat | Prowl: stealth, stronger opener | Bite, Claw, Dash | +10% / 0 / -2% | Meat, fish |
| Crab | Pinch: damage, 50% slow for 9 sec (30 sec) | Claw, Dash | -5% / +13% / -4% | Fish, bread, fungus, fruit |
| Crocolisk | Dismember: damage, 25% less healing for 6 sec (15 sec) | Bite, Dash | 0 / +10% / -5% | Meat, fish |
| Fox (new) | Trickster’s Dance: 50% dodge, 30% faster attacks for 12 sec (3 min) | Bite, Dash | 0 / +5% / 0 | Meat |
| Gorilla | Thunderstomp: area damage (1 min) | Bite, Dash | +2% / 0 / +4% | Fungus, fruit |
| Hyena | Tendon Rip: bleed, 50% slow for 9 sec (30 sec) | Bite, Dash | 0 / +5% / 0 | Meat, fruit |
| Raptor | Savage Rend: bleed over 18 sec (1 min) | Bite, Claw, Dash | +10% / +3% / -5% | Meat |
| Scorpid | Scorpid Poison: stacking poison (4 sec) | Claw, Dash | -6% / +10% / 0 | Meat |
| Spider | Web: 4 sec root plus damage (40 sec) | Bite, Dash | +7% / 0 / 0 | Meat |
| Tallstrider | Dust Cloud: up to -505 armor for 30 sec | Bite, Dash | 0 / 0 / +5% | Cheese, fungus, fruit |
| Turtle | Shell Shield: 50% less damage, slower but harder hits for 12 sec (3 min) | Bite, Dash | -10% / +13% / 0 | Fish, fungus, fruit, raw fish |
| Wind Serpent | Lightning Breath: 20-yard Nature attack | Bite, Dive | +7% / 0 / 0 | Fish, cheese, bread |
| Wolf | Furious Howl: group melee attack power for 60 sec (30 sec) | Bite, Dash | 0 / +5% / 0 | Meat |
Blizzard’s September article said Dismember cuts healing by 50%; the live data has 25%. In the beta, several signature abilities didn’t autocast reliably (Warcraft Tavern). Blizzard’s known issues list of November 5 names no pet problems, but if yours sits unused, add a /cast line to the pet attack macro from our WoW Forever hunter macros guide.
Pet Attack Speed in WoW Forever
Pet attack speed in WoW Forever is a passive the pet carries. The live data has seven Faster Attack passives (+17% to +100%) and two Slower Attack passives (-20% and -26%), which Blizzard’s November 2 notes call the pets’ “innate Attack Speed passives”. On a 2.0-second base they match Classic’s beast swing speeds exactly: +100% is a 1.0-second swing, +67% 1.2 seconds, down to +17% for 1.7 seconds; -20% and -26% are 2.5 and 2.7 seconds. Which beast gets which passive is server data, so the examples use Classic speeds; check the new pet’s spellbook after taming.
| Classic speed | Forever passive | Examples (level, zone) |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 sec | Faster Attack VII (+100%) | Broken Tooth (37, Badlands) |
| 1.2 sec | Faster Attack VI (+67%) | The Rake (10, Mulgore), Swamp Jaguar (36-37), Deathmaw (53) |
| 1.3 sec | Faster Attack V (+54%) | Durotar Tiger (7-8), Moonstalkers (10-20, Darkshore), Stranglethorn tigers (30-35) |
| 1.4 sec | Faster Attack IV (+43%) | Nightsabers (5-9, Teldrassil), Savannah Prowler (14-15, Barrens) |
| 1.5 sec | Faster Attack III (+33%) | Prowler (9-10, Elwynn), Frostsabers (55-60, Winterspring) |
| 1.6 sec | Faster Attack II (+25%) | Death Flayer (11, Durotar), Shadow Panther (39-40) |
| 1.7 sec | Faster Attack I (+17%) | Mangy Wolf, Gray Forest Wolf (5-8, Elwynn) |
| 2.5 sec | Slower Attack II (-20%) | Young Forest Bear (8-9, Elwynn) |
Does a faster pet deal more damage? In PvE, not much: Warcraft Tavern’s beta testing found pet damage normalized, so a fast pet hits more often for less, and Shell Shield’s tooltip applies the same rule in reverse. Speed pays in PvP, where every hit pushes back a cast. For PvE, choose the family and its ability first.
Best Pet for Leveling in WoW Forever
For leveling in WoW Forever, take a Cat at level 10 and move to a Raptor in your 20s; switch to a Bear if you pull two or three mobs at a time. Blizzard’s class article confirms the pet can tank in solo play, so keep Growl trained every 10 levels. Cats sit near most starting zones: Nightsabers in Teldrassil, Snow Leopards in Dun Morogh, Durotar Tigers south of Razor Hill and Flatland Prowlers in Mulgore. Elwynn has none, but humans can take the Stormwind Harbor boat to Darkshore’s Moonstalker Runts (10-11); our flight paths and boats guide lists the routes. Our WoW Forever leveling talents have a Beast Mastery build for a stronger pet, and our tier list explains why Hunter is a top leveling class.
Best Pet for Dungeons and Raids at Level 60
For dungeons and raids at 60, take a Raptor: it matches the Cat’s 10% damage bonus, adds 3% armor and a bleed every minute, while Prowl only helps the opener. Pets no longer receive party stat buffs, so their own armor decides how they survive AoE. Tameable Raptors top out at level 43 (Tethis, Stranglethorn), so tame one in your 40s. If you reach 60 without one, a Frostsaber Stalker (59-60) in Winterspring is a Cat that needs no leveling.
Bring a buff pet only to fill a gap. Furious Howl gives 82 melee attack power at rank 4 against Battle Shout’s 139 (live data), and Warcraft Tavern found they don’t stack; Dust Cloud’s 505 armor equals Faerie Fire’s top rank and doesn’t stack with it either. Marksmanship hunters can skip the pet for Lone Wolf; we haven’t seen the two compared at 60 yet, and raids open December 9.
Best Pet for PvP in WoW Forever
For PvP in WoW Forever, pick the pet by your enemy. Against casters, Broken Tooth’s 1.0-second swings push back every cast and a Bat’s Sonic Blast slows casting by 30%. Against melee, a Bird of Prey disarms for 3 seconds and a Spider roots for 4, enough to escape the 8-yard dead zone where you can’t shoot. Against healers, a Crocolisk cuts healing by 25%. Broken Tooth is a level 37 rare in the northern Badlands; pets level only through kills with you, so tame him in your late 30s.
Where to Tame Rare Pets in WoW Forever
These rares are worth the detour for their family, look or Classic swing speed. Spawn points are Classic data, which WoW Forever keeps; in Classic data rares respawn after 30 minutes to two days, so expect company at the popular ones.
| # | Beast | Family, level | Zone, coordinates | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mother Fang | Spider, 10 | Elwynn Forest, 62.1, 48.0 | Early Spider |
| 2 | Timber | Wolf, 10 | Dun Morogh, 34, 42-44 | Early Wolf |
| 3 | Bjarn | Bear, 12 | Dun Morogh, patrols 53-63, 58 | Swipe at 12 |
| 4 | Lupos | Wolf, 23 | Duskwood, northern road 32-71, 23-27 | Shadow damage as a Classic pet; unconfirmed in Forever |
| 5 | Razormaw Matriarch | Raptor, 31 | Wetlands, 69.9, 29.2 | Raptor for your 30s |
| 6 | Broken Tooth | Cat, 37 | Badlands, 45.8, 36.5 / 53.6, 15.5 / 59.7, 26.9 / 59.7, 29.4 | 1.0 sec, PvP |
| 7 | Kurmokk | Gorilla, 42 | Stranglethorn Vale, 38.1, 61.1 | Thunderstomp |
| 8 | Grunter | Boar, 50 | Blasted Lands, 52-58, 27-31 | Soloing |
| 9 | Ironback | Turtle, 51 | The Hinterlands, 81.5, 49.2 | Soloing |
| 10 | Deathmaw | Wolf, 53 | Burning Steppes, east 75-87, 30-57 | 1.2 sec Wolf |
| 11 | Duskstalker | Cat, 9 | Teldrassil, 58.1, 76.7 | 1.4 sec |
| 12 | The Rake | Cat, 10 | Mulgore, 51.6, 27.4 | 1.2 sec |
| 13 | Death Flayer | Scorpid, 11 | Durotar, 36.5, 49.7 | 1.6 sec |
| 14 | Dishu | Cat, 13 | The Barrens, 49.6, 15.8 | 1.5 sec |
| 15 | Mist Howler | Wolf, 22 | Ashenvale, 26.8, 18.4 or 20.9, 36.9 | 1.3 sec |
| 16 | Humar the Pridelord | Cat, 23 (elite) | The Barrens, 62.0, 33.3 | 1.3 sec |
| 17 | Dart | Raptor, 38 | Dustwallow Marsh, 47-49, 16-19 | Raptor for your late 30s |
| 18 | Arash-ethis | Wind Serpent, 49 | Feralas, 44.8, 25.0 | Lightning Breath |
| 19 | Olm the Wise | Bird of Prey, 52 | Felwood, 50.2, 32.8 | Mine! for PvP |
| 20 | Rak’shiri | Cat, 57 | Winterspring, 51.1, 10.8 | 1.5 sec at 57 |
Beasts in the New Zones and Where to Find Foxes
Blizzard hasn’t said which beasts in the new zones are tameable, and spawns aren’t in the client’s data. The only documented Foxes are the Vuldren on Zephras Isle, which Skyborne hunters tame in their class quest (its “Tame Vuldren” spell is in the live data); Conquest Capped’s beta-based guide (October 24) puts them at levels 1 to 10. Whether other races can reach Zephras Isle to tame one isn’t documented. The same guide lists worgs, coyotes, boars, crocolisks, duskbats and tallstriders in the Riverglades and bears, owls and a Ghostfang Alpha wolf on Mount Hyjal, but marks them unverified, and the beta stopped at 30. Our Riverglades zone guide covers that zone.
FAQ
What is the best hunter pet in WoW Forever?
For PvE damage, a Raptor or Cat, with the highest damage bonus (10%). For PvP, Broken Tooth against casters and a Bird of Prey or Spider against melee.
How many pets can a hunter have in WoW Forever?
Three: one active pet and two stable slots bought from a Stable Master.
Do hunter pets scale with gear in WoW Forever?
Yes. Pets gain stats from the hunter’s gear and no longer take player stat buffs.
Can you tame a Fox in WoW Forever?
Yes. The documented Foxes are the Vuldren on Zephras Isle, tamed by Skyborne hunters in their level 10 quest.
When do you get a pet in WoW Forever?
At level 10, through the hunter taming quests from your class trainer. More launch guides are on our WoW Forever hub.
Sources: Blizzard’s Hunter and Druid class article (September 30), November 2 launch notes and known issues list (November 5); pet abilities, modifiers, diets and attack speed passives from the live game’s data (build 1.60.1.70790); taming, loyalty, happiness and pet scaling from Warcraft Tavern’s beta guides; new-zone beasts from Conquest Capped (beta, unverified); Classic spawns and swing speeds from the cmangos Classic database. Header image and map: Blizzard Entertainment.