Preparing for WoW Pet Battles – Part 1 | GKick Network

August 13th, 2012 by Steve Perry

As we approach the September release of Mists of Pandaria, one feature some of us are very excited for are Pet Battles, where we can finally pit non-combat pets against one another Pokemon-style to capture pets, do daily quests, and even duel against other players. However, just like the games which inspired it, a bit of planning and strategy goes into Pet Battles and here’s a bit of facts for you to plan appropriately for Battling!

First, it’s important to decide what you want to do ultimately. Some Battlers are just interested in capturing wild pets and hunting for those rares, whereas others may look for the best teams to compete against other players or do daily quests and even others might look to participate in competitive Pet Battling, such as through the Global Pet Battle League. No matter what you do, each method requires a bit of extra preparation. For starters, let’s break down the individual classes and their respective pros and cons.

AQUATIC:
Pets in this class are generally frogs, striders, sharks, turtles, gators, and so on. There are two factors to consider in pet and ability classes. The pets themselves have passive benefits depending on their class and their abilities are more or less effective depending on the class of pet they’re used against and the types of abilities used on them. Here’s the benefits of Aquatic pets.

Passive: Harmful damage over time effects are reduced by 25% on Aquatic pets.
Generally, it’s nice to have damage reduction, but most of the stuff you’ll have to deal with will be Direct Damage.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Flying, -33% vs. Undead
If you’re looking to level a pet or deal strictly in dailies or one-on-one battles, Aquatic pets are pretty bad. You run into a lot of Flying pets when leveling and they’re very strong so other players are likely going to have one or two in their party.

Abilities: Strong vs. Elemental, Weak vs. Magic
Mostly a non-factor here. The Elemental pets you’ll come across are few and far between, same with Magic. Just something to be alert for.

Verdict:
Frankly, Aquatic pets are extremely situational. I wouldn’t put one in your normal rotation, but if you happen to know your opponent is Undead-heavy or you’re farming for Undead pets, then having at least one Aquatic pet in your party could be helpful.

BEAST:
This is one of the two most populous pet classes in the game, consisting of a vast majority of animals in the game. Snakes, spiders, monkies, foxes, you name it. Beasts are plentiful, so you’re bound to have a few in your party.

Passive: Beasts deal 25% extra damage below half health.
This is actually a pretty strong passive. It’s nice that, when you’re in dire straits, you have a nice chunk of bonus damage you can deal. This passive alone makes Beasts very worthwhile.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Mechanical, -33% vs. Humanoid
Fortunately, you won’t run into many Mechanical pets if you’re hunting wild pets or doing dailies, but you almost certainly will if you’re going head-to-head with other players, which makes them very weak in those situations. Humanoids are pretty rare, so the damage reduction will often go unused.

Abilities: Strong vs. Critter, Weak vs. Flying
Beast abilities are pretty well balanced and you’ll find them associated with a lot of different pet types. However, the benefit vs. Critters makes pets with Beast abilities really useful for leveling, though you’ll want something a bit better to deal with Flying pets.

Verdict:
Basically, if you’re leveling or hunting for rare pets, Beasts are a great option. Beyond that, they can be kinda risky. If anything, use them sparingly, but their Passive is pretty strong so they could be good in a pinch.

CRITTER:
Again, a plentiful pet class in the game, and definitely the type you’ll encounter most frequently when you start out. Critters are chipmunks, rabbits, skunks, rats, mice, and other wee little animals.

Passive: Critters break out of crowd control effects more quickly.
This is perhaps one of the best Passives in the game. There are LOTS of crowd control spells in the game and Critters reduce them to nearly ineffective levels. Critters are highly recommended especially if you’re dealing with other players for this alone.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Beast, -33% vs. Elemental
Not going to lie, this is painful. Elemental pets are super rare and pretty weak in general, but Beasts are plentiful and makes leveling them very hard, but they’re worth fighting to have in your party or at least as an option.

Abilities: Strong vs. Undead, Weak vs. Humanoid
Another non-factor situation. Critter abilities are rarely going to get much benefit, but they’ll also see little degradation due to the lack of Humanoid pets. Unless you PVP, that is, where you might see them more frequently.

Verdict:
When it comes down to it, if you’re focusing more on player-vs-player pet battles, Critters are GREAT options. However, if you’re dealing with wild pet farming, the fact that Beast abilities are so strong against them is really bad. I’d recommend at least one or two to have as an option, but figure out the direction you want to go in.

DRAGONKIN:
Dragons are few and far between but are well worth the time. Essentially, any and all dragons are in this pet class.

Passive: Dragons deal 50% additional damage on the next round after bringing a target’s health below 25%.
This basically gives Dragonkin pets an “Execute”-style ability and can be really helpful at finishing off a weak opponent. When it comes to Pet Battles, the sooner you can end them the better, so this is a nice Passive to have.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Humanoid, -33% vs. Flying
Humanoids are few and far between but Flying pets (and abilities) are all over the place, so this makes Dragonkin a really smart choice. Granted, in PVP Pet Battles, Humanoid pets will be a bit more plentiful, Dragons are great for leveling and for hunting out wild pets.

Abilities: Strong vs. Magic, Weak vs. Undead
Two pet types you’ll rarely see. Undead you may see more often in PvP situations. This, in conjunction with how the defensive abilities play out, further strengthens Dragonkin as a hunting pet of choice.

Verdict:
I highly recommend Dragonkin as a pet of choice. While their PVP effectiveness is spotty, they have great utility and would make a great core addition to any 3-pet team. I wouldn’t do more than one, however, but definitely worth leveling.

ELEMENTAL:
A small pet class, Elementals consist mainly of lashlings, fire elementals, geodes, and other… well, elemental-style pets. Easy enough, right?

Passive: Elementals ignore all weather effects.
So this is a good Passive, but kinda infrequently comes in hand. Basically, some of the weather effects in the game can make certain effects that other pet classes may have a bit more useful, so it’s sorta handy. Honestly, not useful enough though. I’d like to see them have a passive that’s more like a small amount of damage when hit. Very small, though.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Aquatic, -33% vs. Mechanical
Plain and simple, this really makes Elemental pets useful significantly in PVP. However, they are very useful. Mechanical pets are a great PVP pet of choice and to be strong against them is super useful. Aquatic pets are far less frequently dealt with, so this honestly isn’t too bad.

Abilities: Strong vs. Mechanical, Weak vs. Critter
I like this as a counter to the strong presence of Mechanical pets. It especially helps when dealing with the Mechanical pets’ Passive ability, Second Wind, reducing the effectiveness of their comeback round. Beyond that, though, it’s going to be hard to level against Critters.

Verdict:
While their damage abilities are certainly strong, their Passive is pretty lame, but the damage may make up for it. I’d certainly say an Elemental in your party isn’t a bad thing and might catch some people off guard, especially if you’re faced with Mechanical pets.

FLYING:
A plentiful and pretty frequently found pet in the wild, Flying pets consist of moths, birds, fireflys, and the like. ‘

Passive: Flying creatures gain 50% extra speed while above 50% health.
Speed is a critical factor in pet battles. Often, he who strikes first, often wins. Being able to maintain the speed advantage, especially if you can slow the opponent down, makes this is a really strong passive.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Magic, -33% vs. Beast
Again, this is a great bit of Balance. Magic pets are very infrequent and Beasts are ridiculously plentiful which means leveling a Flying pet and even using them in PVP battles is a great idea.

Abilities: Strong vs. Aquatic, Weak vs. Dragonkin
This one is a bit hard to judge. You’ll deal with a moderate amount of Aquatic pets as you level, which makes their damage really useful, but I expect you’ll see a good amount of Dragonkin as you head into the PvP route. Thankfully, this only lends more to their leveling and hunting usefulness.

Verdict:
Flying pets are really important to your pet party. If leveling, they’re almost a requirement. You’ll have a super-easy time leveling Flying pets so farming for rare pets will be easy. Even in PVP, Flying pets are great, so it’s hard to say no.

HUMANOID:
A very light pet class, Humanoid pets are all of the Murlocs, Tyrael, and other human-type pets.

Passive: Humanoids recover 8% of their maximum health if they dealt damage this round.
A very, very strong Passive and perhaps the best in the game. You’ll almost always deal damage and any kind of healing is useful. At worst, it’s a tie with the Critter passive, but it’s still great.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Undead, -33% vs. Critter
Again, a really nice bit of balance. Undead pets are rare and Critters are super plentiful, especially when leveling. This, in combination with the Passive, really works out well for Humanoid pets.

Abilities: Strong vs. Dragonkin, Weak vs. Beast
This is where the trouble comes in. Because their main attacks are weak vs. one of the most plentiful pet types in the game, you’ll be hard pressed to do significant damage while leveling. However, the rest of the pet’s features balance out a bit, so you might be okay.

Verdict:
Humanoids are a really solid part of any pet team, but they shouldn’t be relied on too heavily. I’d say one good Humanoid pet in your rotation would be very beneficial.

MAGIC:
A whole variety of fun pets are in the Magic class, including lanterns, lamps, infernals, Diablo, and others.

Passive: Magic pets cannot be dealt more than 50% of their maximum health in one attack.
Honestly, unless you’re dealing with pets far above your level, odds are you’ll rarely use this passive. Not many attacks do this much damage. Heck, even Baneling’s Baneling Bust only does 40% of *their*maximum health. It basically turns a massive attack into a slightly-less-than-massive attack. Not really worth it.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Dragonkin, -33% vs. Aquatic
With this kind of balance, Magic pets are extremely situational. Aquatic pets are very rare and Dragonkin are just as rare, so it’s a fair balance in that regard. However, in the grand scheme of things, it makes them sorta normal against most of what you’ll deal with.

Abilities: Strong vs. Flying, Weak vs. Mechanical
A pretty good balance here. For leveling, you’ll definitely encounter far more Flying pets than Mechanical, but in PvP you’ll get a good amount of both. Unfortunately, the lackluster Passive and weakness to Dragonkin attacks make this really difficult to work with.

Verdict:
Magic pets are too situational to be that useful. I’d recommend at least having one at max level if you plan on doing any PVP battles, but beyond that, it isn’t worth the effort. Far better pets that are far easier to level.

MECHANICAL:
Mechanical pets are, simply put, rare but cool. This class consists of the Thor, harvester, mechanical animals, and the like.

Passive: Comes back to life once per battle, returning to 25% health.
The Mechanical class’ second wind ability is AWESOME, and another one of the best Passives in the game. This ability comes in very handy while leveling and especially in PVP.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Elemental, -33% vs. Magic
This is, as in some cases, a non-factor. You’ll not encounter either pet type enough to make it worthwhile to consider this weakness too heavily, so it’s mostly situational if you’ll ever need to pull your Mechanical pet out of battle.

Abilities: Strong vs. Beast, Weak vs. Elemental
A huge plus for Mechanical pets is their effectiveness against Beast type pets, which makes them really easy to level. Elemental pets are a direct counter to Mechanical pets, but you’ll rarely encounter them, even in PVP scenarios, but play it safe.

Verdict:
An absolutely, 100% required part of your party. Mechanical pets are fantastic and many have some powerful abilities to self-heal as well as damage switch-happy players. Their weakness against an almost non-existent pet type also helps, so make sure you have at least one – maybe even two – in your rotation.

UNDEAD:
Few and far between, Undead pets consist of the various skulls and skeletons in the game as well as infested pets and scourge pets.

Passive: Undead pets return to life immortal for one round when killed.
A very strong Passive, similar to the Mechanical second wind. The balance is that you get one free round uncontested instead of 25% health to work with until your pet dies, so it makes it a really cool ability.

Damage Taken: +50% vs. Critter, -33% vs. Dragonkin
As cool as the Undead Passive is, the damage from Critters makes them really weak in the early stages. However, a balanced team can overcome that, and there aren’t many Dragonkin to deal with to take advantage of the damage reduction here, so it’s a bit of a balance.

Abilities: Strong vs. Humanoid, Weak vs. Aquatic
A good balance and both pets are seen frequently enough, at least in the overall scenario, to make it important to note. In PVP, you’ll definitely see Humanoid pets more, and Aquatic pets are frequent in leveling or rare pet hunting but easily avoided.

Verdict:
Undead pets are extremely well-balanced, but they suffer in a critical area against Critters. I’d definitely recommend them for the later stages of pet hunting or PVP where you won’t encounter Critters as frequently, but I wouldn’t use them full time.

So there’s the first part of my preparation for Pet Battling. Next time, we’ll talk a bit more about putting together a party using this information and how to best approach your battles.

Click here for PART 2 where we analyze party composition in PVE and PVP Pet Battles!