WoW Forever Hunter Pets now come from 18 families. Each family has its own ability, damage modifier, and diet, and together they decide how useful the beast is in a given type of content. This guide ranks every family in our WoW Forever Hunter pet tier list, explains what changed compared with Classic, and shows the best pet for leveling, PvE, and PvP. You’ll also find how to tame, feed, and train your pet, plus a list of rare beasts worth hunting.
WoW Forever Hunter Pets Key Takeaways:
- Cat, Spider, Wolf, and Carrion Bird are the best pets in our WoW Forever Hunter pet tier list, while Crab is the only family in D Tier.
- WoW Forever has 18 tameable pet families, including the new Fox family, and Owls are now called Bird of Prey.
- Nine families received new abilities, such as Savage Rend for Raptor, Dismember for Crocolisk, and Web for Spider.
- Attack speed is a hidden passive from Faster Attack I to Faster Attack VII, so two beasts of the same family can swing at 2.0 or 1.0 sec.
- You can no longer tame a beast above your own level, and a pet takes 10% of your attack power, 30% of your armor, and your full critical strike chance.
- For leveling, Boar and Carrion Bird are the safest picks, Wolf helps melee groups in dungeons, and Crocolisk is the best pet against healers in PvP.
If you play the pet spec, our WoW Forever Beast Mastery Hunter Guide covers the talents and rotation for playing with these beasts.
4.9WoW Forever Hunter Pet Tier List
Our WoW Forever Hunter pet tier list ranks all 18 families by their damage modifier, the value of their family ability, and how many types of content they suit. A family that helps with leveling, dungeons, and PvP sits higher than one that is useful in only a single situation. Here is our WoW Forever Hunter Pet Tier List:
| Tier | WoW Forever Hunter Pets |
|---|---|
| S | Cat, Spider, Wolf, Carrion Bird |
| A | Raptor, Bat, Scorpid, Boar, Bear, Crocolisk |
| B | Tallstrider, Gorilla, Hyena, Wind Serpent |
| C | Bird of Prey, Fox, Turtle |
| D | Crab |
Pets in B and C Tier still have one strong tool for a specific matchup, although they give less damage or less flexibility than the families above them.
S-Tier Hunter Pets in WoW Forever
S-Tier Hunter pets in WoW Forever combine good damage with an ability that stays useful from early leveling to level 60 content.
- Cat shares the highest damage modifier in the game with the Raptor at +10%, with only a 2% Health penalty. Prowl lets the Cat open from stealth, and its first attack deals up to 50% more damage at rank 3. That makes it a good choice for Beast Mastery players who want high personal damage.
- Spider deals 7% more damage and gets Web at pet level 12. This ability roots an enemy for 4 sec and deals Nature damage while it lasts. With a 40-sec cooldown, the Spider is one of the best kiting tools in both PvP and open-world fights against melee mobs.
- Wolf is the best group pet in WoW Forever because of Furious Howl, which raises the melee attack power of party and raid members within 15 yards by 84 at rank 4. Thus, a Wolf adds value to every Warrior, Rogue, and Paladin near it. Its +5% armor also keeps it alive in dungeons.
- Carrion Bird relies on Demoralizing Screech, which lowers the melee attack power of all enemies in melee range by up to 204. Lower enemy attack power means the Carrion Bird loses less Health when several mobs attack it, which makes it a very helpful leveling pet.
A-Tier Hunter Pets in WoW Forever
A-Tier Hunter pets in WoW Forever are strong in one or two roles and only fall behind S Tier because their bonus is narrower or comes with a stat penalty.
- Raptor matches the Cat with +10% damage and also gets +3% armor, although it loses 5% Health. Its new Savage Rend applies a Bleed for 156 damage over 18 sec at rank 5, which works well in long single-target fights.
- Bat works as a counter to casters. Its Sonic Blast deals Nature damage and increases the target’s cast time by 30% for 20 sec on a 1-min cooldown, and the Bat also keeps a +7% damage bonus.
- Scorpid has a 6% damage penalty and 10% more armor. Its Scorpid Poison stacks up to 5 times on one target, so the Scorpid deals more damage the longer a fight lasts.
- Boar is the easiest pet to keep because it eats six types of food. It also has +9% armor and +4% Health, and Charge immobilizes the target for 1 sec before a stronger hit. The Boar has a 10% damage penalty, so it ranks below S Tier.
- Bear received Swipe, which hits 3 nearby enemies every 5 sec. With +8% Health and +5% armor, the Bear can hold a pack of mobs for a long time. Its 9% damage penalty, however, slows down single-target kills.
- Crocolisk is a PvP specialist, since Dismember reduces the effectiveness of any healing on the target by 25% for 6 sec every 15 sec. The Crocolisk also has +10% armor, which helps it stay alive in arenas and battlegrounds.
B-Tier Hunter Pets in WoW Forever
B-Tier Hunter pets in WoW Forever have one useful ability, but their base stats or the narrow use of that ability keep them in the middle of the list.
- Tallstrider uses Dust Cloud to lower the target’s armor by 505 for 30 sec at rank 5. That debuff helps every physical damage dealer in the group, although the Tallstrider itself has no damage bonus.
- Gorilla gets Thunderstomp, an 8-yard AoE that deals 122 to 142 Nature damage at rank 4. The Gorilla is good for farming groups of weak mobs, but the 1-min cooldown limits its value in longer fights.
- Hyena can slow enemies by 50% for 9 sec with Tendon Rip, which also adds a small DoT. It is a solid chase pet in PvP, but the Hyena has no damage modifier.
- Wind Serpent attacks from range with Lightning Breath, which deals 86 to 98 Nature damage at rank 6. With +7% damage, the Wind Serpent is a good choice for players who want a ranged pet, and its Nature damage ignores armor.
C-Tier Hunter Pets in WoW Forever
C-Tier Hunter pets in WoW Forever are situational, and each of them makes sense only for a specific matchup or a dangerous solo target.
- Bird of Prey has +7% damage and Mine!, which disarms an enemy for 3 sec. During the beta, the disarm dropped from 4 sec to 3 sec, and the cooldown rose to 90 sec, so the Bird of Prey is now a pick for melee-heavy PvP only.
- Fox is the new family in WoW Forever. Its Trickster’s Dance increases the pet’s Dodge chance by 50% and its attack speed by 30% for 12 sec, but the 3-min cooldown means you will rarely use it more than once per fight.
- Turtle shares the highest armor bonus with the Crab at +13%. Shell Shield halves the damage the pet takes for 12 sec, although the Turtle has a 10% damage penalty. During the shield, it attacks 60% slower, but each hit deals more damage.
D-Tier Hunter Pets in WoW Forever
The only D-Tier Hunter pet in WoW Forever is the Crab, because it combines a 5% damage penalty with a 4% Health penalty. Pinch slows the target by 50% for 9 sec. However, the Bear holds enemies better thanks to +8% Health and Swipe, and the Turtle thanks to Shell Shield, while the Spider roots targets with Web.
WoW Forever Hunter Pet Families
WoW Forever Hunter pet families differ by their damage, armor, and Health modifiers, their family ability, and the food they eat. Every family can also learn Bite or Claw, Growl, and either Dash at pet level 30 or Dive, which Bats learn at 40. The table below lists all 18 families:
| Family | Damage / Armor / Health | Family Ability | Diet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bat | +7% / 0 / 0 | Sonic Blast | Fungus, Fruit |
| Bear | -9% / +5% / +8% | Swipe | Meat, Fish, Cheese, Bread, Fungus, Fruit |
| Bird of Prey | +7% / 0 / 0 | Mine! | Meat |
| Boar | -10% / +9% / +4% | Charge | Meat, Fish, Cheese, Bread, Fungus, Fruit |
| Carrion Bird | 0 / +5% / 0 | Demoralizing Screech | Meat, Fish |
| Cat | +10% / 0 / -2% | Prowl | Meat, Fish |
| Crab | -5% / +13% / -4% | Pinch | Fish, Bread, Fungus, Fruit |
| Crocolisk | 0 / +10% / -5% | Dismember | Meat, Fish |
| Fox | 0 / +5% / 0 | Trickster’s Dance | Meat |
| Gorilla | +2% / 0 / +4% | Thunderstomp | Fungus, Fruit |
| Hyena | 0 / +5% / 0 | Tendon Rip | Meat, Fruit |
| Raptor | +10% / +3% / -5% | Savage Rend | Meat |
| Scorpid | -6% / +10% / 0 | Scorpid Poison | Meat |
| Spider | +7% / 0 / 0 | Web | Meat |
| Tallstrider | 0 / 0 / +5% | Dust Cloud | Cheese, Fungus, Fruit |
| Turtle | -10% / +13% / 0 | Shell Shield | Fish, Fungus, Fruit |
| Wind Serpent | +7% / 0 / 0 | Lightning Breath | Fish, Cheese, Bread |
| Wolf | 0 / +5% / 0 | Furious Howl | Meat |
Families with a wide diet, such as the Boar and Bear, are easier to feed while leveling, while Meat-only families need a steady supply from the mobs you kill or from a vendor.
WoW Forever Hunter Pets Changes
Hunter pets in WoW Forever received a new family, nine new abilities, and new pet stats compared with Classic. Here are the main changes:
- New family: Fox joins the list of tameable beasts, and you can find the first ones on Zephras Isle.
- Renamed family: Owls are now the Bird of Prey family.
- New abilities: Sonic Blast, Swipe, Mine!, Pinch, Dismember, Tendon Rip, Savage Rend, Web, and Dust Cloud give nine families a new role.
- Attack speed: every beast attacks every 2.0 sec by default, and a hidden passive from Faster Attack I to Faster Attack VII lowers this to 1.7–1.0 sec. The passive comes with the tamed beast and is lost if you untrain the pet.
- Pet stats: your pet now takes 10% of your highest attack power, 30% of your armor, and all of your critical strike chance, so it grows stronger with your gear.
- Focus: pets regenerate 10 Focus per second, which is about twice as fast as in Classic.
- Taming limit: you can no longer tame a beast above your own level.
📌 Buffs from other players do not apply to your pet, so its power depends on your own gear and talents.
Best Hunter Pets in WoW Forever
The best Hunter pets in WoW Forever depend on the content you play, since a pet for leveling needs different abilities than a pet for battlegrounds. Below you can see a short summary of our picks for each goal:
| Goal | Best Pet | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Leveling | Carrion Bird | Boar, Bear, Cat |
| Dungeons and raids | Wolf | Cat, Raptor, Tallstrider |
| PvP | Crocolisk | Bat, Spider, Bird of Prey |
Best Hunter Pet for Leveling in WoW Forever
The best Hunter pet for leveling in WoW Forever is the Carrion Bird, because Demoralizing Screech reduces the damage of every mob attacking it. This is very helpful when you fight two or three enemies at once in a quest area.
A Boar is the simplest first pet after level 10, since it eats six types of food and Charge immobilizes a mob for 1 sec, which gives you time to start shooting. Later, the Bear with Swipe keeps packs of mobs on the pet. A Cat kills single targets faster once you can manage threat well.
Read how the Hunter compares with other classes while leveling to 60 in our Best Leveling Class in WoW Forever guide.
Need a Hunter at 60 without the questing? Our WoW Forever Power Leveling service takes your character to the level you choose, so high-level beasts become tameable without the grind.
Best Hunter Pet for PvE in WoW Forever
The best Hunter pet for PvE in WoW Forever is the Wolf when your group has several melee players, as Furious Howl raises their attack power by up to 84. In groups made mostly of casters, a Cat or Raptor gives more value thanks to their +10% damage. Also, a Tallstrider with Dust Cloud helps a group of physical damage dealers by lowering boss armor.
Beast Mastery makes these picks stronger with Bestial Wrath, which increases pet damage by 50% for 18 sec. Marksmanship Hunters, on the other hand, can skip the pet in raids and take Lone Wolf for 20% more damage with all attacks while no pet is active.
The Hall of Thanes is a good place to test your pet against a full dungeon of mixed packs and bosses. Our WoW Forever Hall of Thanes run covers the full dungeon and lets you choose your loot priorities, which speeds up gearing your Hunter.
Best Hunter Pet for PvP in WoW Forever
The best Hunter pet for PvP in WoW Forever is the Crocolisk, since Dismember cuts healing on the target by 25% every 15 sec. Other families work better against specific enemies:
- Against casters: the Bat slows their spells by 30% with Sonic Blast.
- Against melee: a Bird of Prey uses Mine! to disarm a Warrior or Rogue for 3 sec.
- For kiting: the Spider roots a target with Web and gives you 4 sec to get back to range.
- For chasing runners: a Hyena applies a 50% slow with Tendon Rip, which is very helpful against flag carriers.
Since your pet copies your critical strike chance, PvP gear also raises its damage. To get the Honor for that gear faster, you can order our WoW Forever Honor Farm and let our team play the battlegrounds for you.
How to Tame a Hunter Pet in WoW Forever
To tame a Hunter pet in WoW Forever, you need to be at least level 10 and use Tame Beast on a beast that is not higher level than you. Here’s how the process works:
- Reach level 10 to learn Tame Beast, Call Pet, Revive Pet, and Feed Pet.
- Find a tameable beast of your level or lower, and check its family and abilities with Beast Lore once you learn it at level 24.
- Clear other mobs nearby, because Tame Beast reduces your armor by 100% for the whole 20-sec channel.
- Start the channel from up to 30 yards away and wait until it finishes, since any interruption resets the attempt.
- Feed the new pet as soon as the channel ends to raise its happiness and start building loyalty.
A beast keeps the attack speed it has when you tame it, so it is worth checking a few beasts of the same family before you choose one.
WoW Forever Hunter Pet Loyalty
WoW Forever Hunter pet loyalty still exists and grows through 6 ranks, from Rebellious to Unruly, Submissive, Dependable, Faithful, and Best Friend. Every newly tamed pet starts at Rebellious, and higher loyalty gives it more Training Points for abilities. A level 60 pet at Best Friend loyalty has 300 Training Points.
WoW Forever Hunter Pet Happiness
WoW Forever Hunter pet happiness affects damage directly, because a Happy pet deals 125% damage, a Content pet 100%, and an Unhappy pet only 75%. Happiness drops more slowly than in Classic, so feeding your pet with Feed Pet from time to time is enough to keep it Happy. Food close to the pet’s level gives more happiness than low-level food.
✏️ Keep one stack of food from your pet’s diet in your bags, since a pet that stays Unhappy deals only 75% damage.
WoW Forever Hunter Pet Training
WoW Forever Hunter pet training happens through Beast Training, which you learn at level 10. Basic skills such as Bite, Claw, and Growl cost Training Points, while family abilities come with pet levels. For example, Furious Howl unlocks at pet level 10, Web at 12, and Dash at 30. Mend Pet keeps your pet alive between pulls, and its rank 7 heals 245 Health per second for 5 sec.
WoW Forever Hunter Stable Slots
WoW Forever Hunter Stable Slots let you keep two extra pets at a Stable Master, so a Hunter can own three pets in total, counting the active one. For example, you can keep a leveling pet, a PvP pet, and a group pet such as a Wolf. The swap takes a short trip to the Stable Master before a dungeon or a battleground.
WoW Forever Rare Hunter Pets
WoW Forever rare Hunter pets are named beasts, and some of them attack faster than regular ones. You can tame most of the beasts below before level 15. Here’s the table of beasts worth hunting while you level:
| Pet | Family | Level | Zone | Attack Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ornery Galestrider | Tallstrider | 8 | Zephras Isle | 1.3 sec |
| Coldrasp | Wolf | 12 | Tirisfal Glades | 1.5 sec |
| Mystmane | Bear | 13 | Zephras Isle | 1.6 sec |
| Vuldren Alpha | Fox | 10 | Zephras Isle | NA |
| Ghostfang | Cat | 10 | Dun Morogh | NA |
| Nightscreech | Bird of Prey | 10 | Teldrassil | NA |
| The Rake | Cat | 10 | Mulgore | NA |
| Jai’vhanel | Bird of Prey | 12 | Darkshore | NA |
| Echeyakee | Cat | 16 | The Barrens | NA |
| Takk the Leaper | Raptor | 19 | The Barrens | NA |
| Humar the Pridelord | Cat | 23 | The Barrens | NA |
The fastest beasts in the table with a listed attack speed are the early ones. Ornery Galestrider attacks every 1.3 sec, and Coldrasp attacks every 1.5 sec. Only one beast in the game has Faster Attack VII with a 1.0-sec swing. Seven more attack every 1.2 sec, and their names have not been confirmed yet.
Rare spawns can take hours of waiting, especially when other Hunters are after the same beast. With our WoW Forever Hourly Driving, a booster plays your character for the hours you book, so you can leave the camping to our team.
WoW Forever Hunter Pets FAQ
This WoW Forever Hunter Pets FAQ covers the most common questions about the best pet, pet families, taming rules, and pet scaling.
What Is the Best Hunter Pet in WoW Forever?
The best Hunter pet in WoW Forever for personal damage is the Cat, thanks to its +10% damage and Prowl. However, the Wolf is better in melee groups, and the Crocolisk is better in PvP.
How Many Hunter Pet Families Are in WoW Forever?
There are 18 Hunter pet families in WoW Forever, counting the new Fox family. Core Hounds appear in the game files, but they are not a tameable family right now.
Can You Tame a Fox in WoW Forever?
Yes, you can tame a Fox in WoW Forever, and the first ones, such as Juvenile Vuldren, live on Zephras Isle. Fox pets learn Trickster’s Dance at pet level 20.
Do Marksmanship Hunters Need a Pet in WoW Forever?
No, Marksmanship Hunters in WoW Forever do not need a pet if they take Lone Wolf, which gives 20% more damage while no pet is active. You can read about both builds in our WoW Forever Marksmanship Hunter Guide.
Do Hunter Pets Scale with Gear in WoW Forever?
Yes, Hunter pets in WoW Forever scale with your gear, since they take 10% of your attack power, 30% of your armor, and your full critical strike chance. Also, Unleashed Fury raises pet damage, and Ferocity raises its critical strike chance.
Can You Tame a Beast Above Your Level in WoW Forever?
No, you cannot tame a beast above your level in WoW Forever. You can tame a high-level rare pet only after your Hunter reaches its level.
Which Race Is Best for a Hunter Pet in WoW Forever?
The best race for a Hunter pet in WoW Forever is Orc, because the Command racial increases the damage of Hunter pets by 5%.
4.9WoW Forever Hunter Pets perform best when the family matches the content. The Cat and Wolf suit most PvE content, and the Crocolisk is the best choice in PvP. Tame a Carrion Bird or Boar first because they make early leveling safer. Swap to a damage pet once your gear improves, since your pet takes its attack power and critical strike chance from you.
