An integral part of a Survival Hunter's performance in a raid is their pet. There is indeed a myriad of available pets in the game, any of which is usable during a raid, however some are more viable than others. This article, updated for WoW 4.3, will provide you with the necessary information to choose a suitable pet. The other articles of our Survival Hunter guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the left.

1. Choosing a Pet↑top

There are three types of pet families: Ferocity, Cunning and Tenacity. From a DPS standpoint, you should choose between either a Ferocity or a Cunning pet.

However it is important to note that most of the buffs and debuffs currently in the game can be provided in one form or another by pets, and if your raid is lacking a buff, you should choose a pet that provides it, whether that pet is a Tenacity, Ferocity or Cunning pet.

Assuming that all buffs are provided for you in your raid, your choice comes down to either a Ferocity or a Cunning pet. Ferocity pets will generally provide you with higher DPS because of their special ability, Call of the Wild, which should be used in conjunction with Rapid Fire.

Finally, when choosing between a Ferocity or Cunning pet, keep in mind that while the Ferocity pet buffs your own damage more, the Cunning pet does more damage on its own. This means that in a fight where you yourself have low uptime on the target, you should choose a Cunning pet.

In the buff article of this Survival Hunter guide, we list all the relevant buffs and debuffs that the various families of pets can provide. For detailed information about how and where to obtain the pets, we recommend that you use Petopia.

2. Pet Talent Specialisations↑top

Just like your character, your pet also has a set of talents and a limited number of talent points to distribute. Luckily, this part is quite straightforward.

2.1. Ferocity Talent Specialisation

We recommend this Ferocity pet talent specialisation.

In high-end raiding gear (item level 395+), it is more beneficial to place the last two talent points in Wild Hunt instead of Shark Attack.

2.2. Cunning Talent Specialisation

We recommend this Cunning pet talent specialisation.

2.3. Tenacity Talent Specialisation

Although we do not advise using a Tenacity pet while raiding, we recommend this Tenacity pet talent specialisation.

3. Pet Abilities and Playstyle↑top

Generally speaking, your pet will do all that it has to do on its own. There are, however, a few things you should do to optimise your pet's performance.

• Turn off auto-casting on the following abilities: Growl, Cower and Call of the Wild.
• Keep your pet on Assist.