What are the most useful hunter pets in World of Warcraft?

Animal companions are a big part of what it means to be a hunter in World of Warcraft. Whichever specialization tree you decide to choose for yourself, you will need a strong pet in order to be successful with the class.

While Beast Masters have access to more powerful companions in the form of Exotic pets, there are plenty of great options for other hunters as well, and in this list we will be going through some of the best pets you can have by your side in WoW.

7. Raptor

Starting off our list with a classic pet in World of Warcraft we have the Raptors. These guys have been the best friends of hunters all over Azeroth for many years now, and remain a very reliable choice, especially on early levels, since they are very strong and can be tamed early on in the game.

Why Raptor is useful:

• Great for new players because they can be tamed very early in the game;
• Amazing balance between speed and strength;
• Useful to fight against enemies who have a lot of self-healing or a healer with them;
• Increases your mobility and has an active skill that removes all movement-impairing effects.

How to get the Raptor: can be acquired through regular taming, Raptors can be found in many locations such as Durotar and Arathi Highlands.

Raptor Abilities:

• Pathfinding
• Master's Call
• Claw
• Savage Rend

6. Clefthoof

Clefthooves are another classic animal race in the Warcraft franchise that for some reason only became tamable pets with the Warlords of Draenor expansion. These massive tanks can take a lot of damage, allowing you to keep your distance and melt down the HP bars of your foes. Keep in mind that these are Exotic Pets, which means that they can only be tamed by Beast Mastery specialized hunters. 

Why Clefthoof is useful:

• Can be tamed early on in the game at the Borean Tundra and Frostfire Ridge;
• Very tanky, being able to absorb lots of damage in dungeons and raids;
• Gives you a passive 10% leech, increasing your own sustain considerably.

How to get the Clefthoof: can be acquired through regular taming as long as you have the Beast Mastery specialization on, Clefthooves can be found in many locations such as Borean Tundra and Frostfire Ridge.

Clefthoof Abilities:

• Predator's Thirst
• Primal Rage
• Smack
• Thick Hide
• Blood of the Rhino

5. Aqiri

You might think that the Aqiri looks very weird, and I would have to agree with you on that, however these are arguably the best pets when it comes to PvP, especially Arena. The Aqiri can easily rush to any opponent with its amazing mobility, and debuff its targets with Tendon Rip, an amazing 50% slow, meaning that your enemies will have a really hard time reaching you while you shoot them from afar.

Why Aqiri is useful: 

• A great choice for PvP;
• Constantly slows down your enemies with Tendon Rip;
• Amazing mobility, being able to quickly reach any target;
• Increases your mobility and has an active skill that removes all movement-impairing effects.

How to get the Aqiri: can be acquired through regular taming as long as you have the Beast Mastery specialization on, Aqiri can be found in many locations such as Southern Barrens and Feralas.

Aqiri Abilities:

• Pathfinding
• Master's Call
• Claw
• Tendon Rip
• Dune Strider

4. Devilsaur

While the Raptors are a classic, these bad boys are the real deal when it comes to huge menacing dinosaurs. Devilsaurs share many advantages with the Raptors, being another great option to deal with enemies who have a lot of self-healing or a healer alongside them. These pets also have a lot of sustain, with 10% leech and the Feast ability, they can keep fighting for a long time. The Devilsaur is also an Exotic Pet, meaning that you will need the Beast Mastery specialization in order to tame them.

Why Devilsaur is useful:

• Provides a lot of sustain for you through the passive 10% leech ability;
• A great option to deal with annoying enemies who are constantly being healed;
• Deals a huge amount of DPS;
• Can feast on nearby corpses in order to recover HP.

How to get the Devilsaur: can be acquired through regular taming as long as you have the Beast Mastery specialization on, Devilsaurs can be found in many locations such as Zuldazar and Isle of Giants.

Devilsaur Abilities:

• Predator's Thirst
• Primal Rage
• Bite
• Monstrous Bite
• Feast

3. Direhorn

Talking about huge dinosaurs, what the Direhorn lacks in damage it makes up for in durability. The Direhorn has a passive effect that increases its HP and yours as well, and also an active ability to reduce incoming damage. Their special ability Gore reduces the effectiveness of healing on the target, meaning that you will have a lot of survivability while reducing your target’s defenses at the same time.

Why Direhorn is useful: 

• One of the tankiest pets in World of Warcraft;
• Has a passive effect that increases your maximum HP;
• Can reduce incoming damage by 20% with Survival of the Fittest;
• Reduces the effectiveness of healing on its target using Gore.

How to get the Direhorn: Zandalari trolls automatically learn how to tame Direhorns, while other characters require the Ancient Tome of Dinomancy item, which is a rare drop from Zandalari Dinomancers, Direhorns can be found in many locations such as Zuldazar and Isle of Thunder.

Direhorn Abilities:

• Endurance Training
• Survival of the Fittest
• Bite
• Gore

2. Chimaera

Ever since the good old days of Warcraft 3, I’ve always wanted to have my own Chimaera. These beasts look absolutely terrifying with two heads, huge wings and a devastating frost breath. Like the Aqiri, the Chimaera can help you a lot with keeping the enemies far away through the movement-impairing effect of Frost Breath. The Chimaeras also deal a lot of ranged damage with their Froststorm Breath, being one of the Exotic Pets with the highest DPS in WoW.

Why Chimaera is useful: 

• A great choice for PvP;
• Can easily keep the enemies far away using Frost Breath;
• Deals a lot of ranged damage with Froststorm Breath;
• Constant high DPS;
• Has a lot of sustain through the 10% leech passive ability, which also extends to you.

How to get the Chimaera: can be acquired through regular taming as long as you have the Beast Mastery specialization on, Chimaeras can be found in many locations such as Howling Fjord and Maldraxxus.

Chimaera Abilities:

• Predator's Thirst
• Primal Rage
• Bite
• Frost Breath
• Froststorm Breath

1. Spirit Beast

Spirit Beasts are beautiful creatures that come in many shapes and forms, such as wolves, raptors, tigers and bears. These are some of the most popular Exotic Pets in World of Warcraft, which also means that you will need to have the Beast Mastery specialization in order to tame them. Spectral animals with a lot of durability and constant high DPS, what else could you ask for? They also have a lot of utility in their toolkit, with stealth, healing and purge abilities.

Why Spirit Beast Is useful: 

• Most versatile toolkit out of any pet in WoW;
• Can turn invisible to gank your enemies;
• Has access to a healing spell that can save you in an emergency;
• Constant high DPS;
• Very tanky and absorbs lots of damage.

How to get the Spirit Beast: can be acquired through regular taming as long as you have the Beast Mastery specialization on, Spirit Beasts can be found in many locations such as Suramar and The Storm Peaks.

Spirit Beast Abilities:

• Endurance Training
• Survival of the Fittest
• Claw
• Spirit Pulse
• Spirit Mend
• Spirit Walk

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