As a Hunter in Classic World of Warcraft, your pet is your loyal companion and a vital part of your combat effectiveness. But a newly tamed pet is just the beginning of its journey. To truly unleash your pet’s potential, you need to train it and teach it valuable skills. This guide will walk you through the essentials of pet training in Classic WoW, ensuring your furry (or scaly) friend is always ready for action.
Unlocking the Beast Training Ability
Upon completing the level 10 taming quest, you’ll receive the crucial “Beast Training” ability. This is represented by a “sling shot” icon in your spellbook. Think of this as your pet skill management interface. Every time you tame a new pet, activating this “Beast Training” ability is your first step to customizing its skillset. Clicking this button will bring up the available skills that your pet can learn.
The Importance of “Growl”
One of the first skills you should teach every new pet is “Growl”. In Classic WoW, pets don’t automatically know “Growl” when tamed. “Growl” is a fundamental threat-generating ability for tanking pets, ensuring enemies focus on your pet rather than you. Always prioritize teaching your pet “Growl” through the “Beast Training” interface right after taming.
Expanding Your Pet’s Skillset: Trainers and Wild Beasts
Beyond the basic “Growl”, there are two primary sources for learning additional pet skills in Classic WoW: Pet Trainers and wild Beasts.
Learning from Pet Trainers
Pet Trainers, found in major cities and Hunter camps, offer a range of fundamental pet skills. They can teach your pet skills like “Natural Armor” to increase its survivability and “Stamina” to boost its health. These skills are typically taught in ranks, meaning you can revisit trainers as you level to upgrade these core attributes of your pet.
Learning from Beasts in the Wild
The wilds of Azeroth are teeming with beasts that possess unique and powerful skills. Hunters with the “Beast Lore” skill, available at level 24, can inspect wild beasts to identify the skills they possess before taming them. This knowledge is key to strategically expanding your pet’s abilities. Skills such as “Dive,” “Dash,” “Cower,” and “Furious Howl” are examples of abilities that can be learned from specific wild creatures.
The Taming and Training Process: Acquiring Skills from Wild Beasts
To teach your pet a skill from a wild beast, you must first tame a beast that knows the desired skill. After taming, it’s essential to feed your new pet to keep it happy and loyal. Simply having the pet in your stable isn’t enough; you need to actively use the pet. By adventuring and fighting alongside your newly tamed pet, your Hunter will gradually learn the pet’s unique skill. This process isn’t instant, so spend some time with your new companion in combat.
Example Scenario: Teaching Your Owl “Dive”
Imagine you have a favorite Owl pet, but it lacks the valuable “Dive” skill. You discover that Buzzards in Arathi Highlands possess the “Dive” ability. Here’s how you would teach “Dive” to your Owl:
- Tame a Buzzard: Travel to Arathi Highlands and tame a Buzzard.
- Feed and Use the Buzzard: Keep the Buzzard well-fed and use it as your active pet for a period. Engage in combat, quest, and explore with the Buzzard summoned.
- Learn “Dive”: Over time, your Hunter will learn the “Dive” skill from the Buzzard. You’ll receive a notification when this happens.
- Revert to Your Owl: Abandon the Buzzard pet.
- Teach “Dive” to Your Owl: Summon your Owl, open the “Beast Training” interface, and you will now see “Dive” as a teachable skill. Teach it to your Owl.
Upgrading Your Pet’s Combat Prowess
Most newly tamed pets in Classic WoW start with a limited skillset. To truly maximize your pet’s effectiveness, training is crucial. Whether you’re seeking to enhance their core stats through Pet Trainers or acquire specialized abilities from wild beasts, actively training your pet is a key aspect of mastering the Hunter class in Classic WoW. By understanding these training methods, you can ensure your pet is a powerful and versatile asset in your adventures across Azeroth.
