Warcraft battle pets guide : choosing families

Aquatic pets are vulnerable to Flying attacks and aquatic abilities are weak against Defeat using a Magic pet with Aquatic attacks. Jade Owl

My favourite options : Jade Owl, Gilnean Raven, (Humanoid) Harpy Youngling.

Best abilities to use:

Flock (and Murder) : Causes Flying damage every round for 3 rounds. Opponents struck by the flock take double damage for 2 rounds.
Flyings Pets with this include Turkey, Chicken, Jade Crane Chick and Darkmoon Hatchling.
(Murder is found on Crow and Firewing)

Lift-Off : Fly up high, becoming unattackable for one round. Swoop down on the next round, dealing Flying damage.
Over 50 pets have this, mostly Dragonkin and Flying. Of these the Jade Owl is perhaps the best, following by the Harpy Youngling.

Alpha Strike : Deals Flying damage plus additional Flying damage if the user strikes first.

Predatory Strike : Deals Flying damage, double damage if the target is below 25% health.
Found on Darkmoon Hatchling, owls and others

Cocoon Strike : Useful for avoidance as it deals Flying damage and increases your chance to block an attack by 100%. (Mostly found on moths)

Moth Dust : Deals heavy Flying damage and has a 25% chance to put the target to sleep for 1 rounds. (Again, mostly found on moths).

Cyclone : has a 35% chance to deal Flying damage to the enemy team each round. Lasts 5 rounds. On it’s own it’s a low hit rare, but with Uncanny Luck it can be devastating. The Jade Owl has this, as do over 40 others.
(Uncanny Luck increases your team’s hit chance by 50% and critical strike chance by 25% for 4 rounds. Found on Mr Wiggles and the RaF pigs).

Squawk
100% Hit Chance

Lets out a loud squawk, dealing 148 Flying damage and reducing the damage the target deals by 25% for 3 rounds.
Crow, Turkey, (Harpy Youngling)

Beast’s passive ability is damage dealing, it does 25% extra damage when below half health. To counter weaken it then try for a one-shot kill

Ideally you want a Flying pet with Mechanical attacks

Only really Firewing or Tame Flamefly, or at a push Tiny Sporebat, Shadow Sporebat or Stormwing. (Dragon Kite and Skywish Moth have Call Lightning, which can be handy as it converts attacks to Mechanical).

Pure Mechanicals work well anyway, try any of these, see which you prefer:

Son of Animus, Tranquil Mechanical Yeti (Call Lightning), Clockwork Gnome (Turrets), Lifelike Mechanical Frostboar (Decoy)

Critter’s passive is one of survival, they have immunity to stun, root and sleep effects.

Best defeated using a Humanoid pet with Beast attacks. These include :

Curious Wolvar Pup, Kun-Lai Runt, Lil’ Bad Wolf, Flayer Youngling, Stunted Yeti and Grommloc

Alternatively there’s any number of Beasts that work well against them – Cats, Spiders

vs Critters : Puncture Wound (Deals Beast damage, doubled if the target is poisoned)

Death Adder Hatchling is great for this as it can lead with Blinding Poison (Beast damage. Blinds and Poisons the target.)

vs Dragonkin

Dragonkin’s passive is damage dealing, they do 50% additional damage on the next round after bringing a target’s health below 50%. Hard to get round this one, so either use heavy healing to stay above that 50% line or nuke them down fast. Many Dragonkin have strong healing spells themselves though, you best to nuke them down fast, keep the pressure on.

Ideally you want an Undead with Humanoid attacks. Unfortunately there’s nothing useful. (There’s only the Macabre Marionette).

Try instead humanoids like:
Anubisath Idol, Lil’ Bad Wolf, Peddlefeet, Bonkers, Feral Vermling, Flayer Youngling, Pandaren Monk, Lurky, Murkalot, Murkimus the Gladiator, Deathy, Grommloc, (Mini Tyrael!).

Or the dragonkin Death Talon Whelpguard

Choose those whose main (long cooldown) ability compliments Howl or who like the Pandaren Monk who can stun and do double damage on the next turn.

vs Dragons : Takedown (Deals Humanoid damage, doubled if target is Stunned)
A large number of attacks can stun and a dozen pets can use Takedown but the only few can do both, these include:

Grommloc, a unique Murloc Humanoid from BlizzCon 2014. Lead with Clobber.

Pandaren Monk from the store, who is frankly crazy powerful against Dragonkin.
(Perhaps lead with a pet than can Call Darkness)
1. Fury of 1,000 Fists (Humanoid damage, stuns if target blinded)
2. Takedown (Humanoid damage, doubled if target is stunned)
3. Focused Chi (No damage but doubles damage of next attack)
(Have to wonder if you can get his attacks to stack with Howl)

Kun-Lai Runt can do the same if the target is Chilled first. Lead with Frost Shock (Elemental), then Deep Freeze (Elemental attack).

There are a few beasts that can Clobber then Takedown, such as the River Calf, but these aren’t ideal.

Elemental’s passive is a survival trait, they ignore all negative weather effects.

Your ideal is a Critter with Aquatic attacks. Nothing stands out, however, you can consider Rapana whelk and various Snails (Dive) and Frostfur Rat (Call Darkness).

Weather Condition : Cleansing Rain is desirable too as it increases Aquatic damage by 25%

Most Aquatics work great though, particularly those like Magical Crawdad (Whirlpool), Dancing Water Skimmer (Pump) and Mongoose (Dive).
A number of Elementals do strong Aquatic damage as well, especially the Pandaren Water Spirit

Pump First use: Increases your damage dealt by 10%, Second use: Blasts the target with a surge of water, dealing Aquatic damage.
Works particularly well with Howl cast first.

Pets with Pump include:

Aquatic: Striders, Fishy, Mud Jumper, Purple Puffer, Sea Pony, Slithershock Elver, Tiny Blue Carp, Tiny goldfish and Wanderer’s Festival Hatchling
Magic : Legs

Whirlpool In two rounds causes Aquatic damage and Roots for 2 rounds.

Pets with Whirlpool include:

Aquatics : Crabs, Carp, Hydraling, Magical Crawdad etc.
Elemental : Pandaran Water Spirit
Magic : Legs and Syd the Squid
Undead : Spirit Crab

GeyserAfter 3 rounds it erupts doing Elemental damage and Stunning the current pet for 1 round. (5 round cooldown).

Aquatic : Gahz’rooki and Tideskipper
Elemental : Jademist Dancer, Pandaren Water Spirit and Wave Waveling

Dive Submerge for one round, then attack, dealing Aquatic damage. (4 round cooldown)

Useful for avoiding attacks like Pump. 25 pets have this available, mostly Aquatics like Mongoose, Otter, Civet and Spawn of G’nathus, the last of which is a good option.

Team suggestion / strategy :

Flying – speed ability : gains 50% extra speed while above 50% health.

Arcane Eye, Chaos Pup, Coilfang Stalker, Darkmoon Eye, Disgusting Oozeling, Enchanted Lantern, Eye of Observation, Jade Oozeling, Legs, Living Fluid, Lofty Libram, Lunar Lantern, Mana Wymling, Mini Mindslayer, Nordrassil Wisp, Oily Slimeling, Servant of Demidos, Shimmering Wyrmling, Toxic Wasteling, Viscidus Globule, Viscous Horror, (Zergling!)

: Dragonkin with magic attacks

Chrominus, Nexus Whelping, Celestial Dragon, Emerald Whelpling, Lil’ Tarecgosa, Nether Faerie Dragon, Sprite Darter Hatchling, Bronze Whelpling, Yu’la, Netherwhelp

1. Nexus Whelpling: Arcane Storm (Turns the weather into Arcane Winds for 9 rounds. Does Arcane damage. Does additional damage if Arcane Winds is already active.)
2. Chrominius : Howl (Frightens the target, increasing the damage they take by 100% for 2 rounds.)
3. Chrominius : Surge of Power (Massive Magic damage. (3 round ability, 2 recovers, 5 round cooldown)

Humanoid – survival : recover 4% of their maximum health if they deal damage that round.

Beast with undead attacks
Nothing outstanding (Mr Grubbs and other Grubs/Larva/Maggots for (Consume), Molten Hatchling and other Spiders/Hatchlings for (Web, then Leech Life)). A number of beast can Howl which is useful.
Most undead are good, particulary

Magic – survival : cannot be dealt more than 35% of their maximum health in any one attack.

: Mechanical with dragonkin attacks
Only the Mechanical Pandaren Dragonling, but it’s good (Decoy)
Good alternatives include many dragonkin : Emerald Proto-Whelp, Dark Whelpling, Infinite Whelpling, Crimson Whelpling, Proto-Drake Whelp, Spawn of Onyxia, Onyxian Whelpling, Wild Crimson Hatchling, Untamed Hatchling, Albino Chimaeraling, Lanticore Spawnling, Lil’ Deathwing, (Humanoid: Deathy)

Mechanical – survival (resurrection) : comes back to the fight once per battle, returning to 20% health.

: Elemental with Elemental attacks
So most of them, really!
Corefire Imp (humanoid) is particularly good though.

Verses Mechanical :
1.
2. Howl (Double damage for 2 rounds)
3. Conflagrate (Elemental damage and additional Elemental additional damage if the target is Burning.

Undead – survival (resurrection) : returns to (un)life for one round when killed.

Aquatic with critter attacks
Various frogs and toads, including Jubling, Mojo and (Tongue Lash, Cleaning Rain/Healing Wave, Swarm of Flies). Mud Jumper also offers Mudslide or Bubble and can be handy at times.
Or try : Little Fawn, Highland Grasshopper, Red Cricket, Singing Cricket, though several other critters work well too.

Vs Undead Swarm and Powerball can be very effective. 3 round attacks from does double damage in the second and third round. Powerfull is a hard hitter that increases speed as well. Swarm is found on a large number of beetles, ‘roaches, grasshoppers and other critters with complimentary attacks and defences.

Suggestions include:
Beetle (Scratch, Swarm, Survival)
Bandicoon (Tongue Lash, Survival, Powerball)
Gu’Chi Swarrmling (Acid Goo, Swarm, Consume)
Grassland Hopper (Skitter, Swarm, Nature’s Touch)