Ranged Hunter Pets

[Fainth]

How come they dont make any and who would actually use one?

[Aldarana]

What would a ranged pet cast to keep it at range and how would it work with Kill Command? If those problems were solved and it didn't have the AI problems of melee pets I'd be all for it.

[Tailstrike]

What would a ranged pet cast to keep it at range and how would it work with Kill Command? If those problems were solved and it didn't have the AI problems of melee pets I'd be all for it.

I agree - a similar setup to a Warlock Imp would be pretty cool - just dont know how many besats there would be to tame with a ranged functionality

[MaccaBird]

I quit back in early Cata, but I had played a hunter since BC launched. Before they revamp'd pets (particularly reducing the damage the take from boss AoE's) I had always wished I could have a ranged pet. Something like a windserpent that could cast lightning. Or perhaps a dragon whelp (although I had always hoped we could tame lesser dragonkin for a while..).

[Deleted]

Well, I'd never switch back to a melee pet ever again unless a buff's missing which is unlikely in our 25m group. With the ever present pathing issues there's simply no reason not to use a ranged pet if they're available

As to which beasts would qualify: If you run wailing caverns you'll notice the thunderlizard boss (also the ones found in the Barrens) as well as the wind serpents there only use ranged lightning abilities. Also, dragonhawks, chimaeras and corehounds already have a breath attack which only functions to add a debuff, though that could easily be changed to do damage as well. Actually I'm sure Blizz could just create and/or swap out pet spells if they really wanted to, or just come up with new ranged pets.

[Libertarian]

Obviously if given a choice between melee and ranged pets, the majority would take a ranged pet. The only reason someone would then ever take a melee pet is to use a specific cc ability.

[Mormolyce]

It's a cool idea but seeing as all current pets are melee it'd be a bit of a game breaker.

If they did introduce one it'd have to have some mechanic built in to stop it being innately superior to melee pets. Like a delay between target swaps or reduced damage after attacks commence or something. I don't know if even that would stop every single Hunter from choosing a ranged pet though.

[eschatological]

I'd never use anything but the ranged pet, buffs be damned.

So yeah, they'd need to make ranged variants for each buff/debuff. :P

[Rabian]

How about, make it usable for only SV and MM since they don't use kill command?

[Alvarie]

They need to just bake pet buffs into the hunter themselves, or something else to buff so we can use what ever pet we want without filling a gap in the buff tab.

Id love to use "X" pet because it looks awesome, but i need to use "Z" pet to get a missing buff before my RL kills me.

[Zwergerl]

Actually, in bc wind serpents were semi-ranged pets. their lightning breath hit fairly hard. i even used a wind serpent in karazhan, fighting nightbane (my melee pets died so fast to nightbanes aoe if i didn't call them back at the right moment). Oh, how my melee guildies hated my "flying salami", always flapping, spitting lightning and blocking sight when i used beastial wrath. Good times.

I was pretty anrgy when they removed pet-specific damage-dealing abilities (poison spit for snakes, for example) at the end of wotlk.

[Glurp]

The problem is that your pet being able to attack from range would make it infinitely better than the melee pets, however the design of Hunter pets is that they are all equal damage so it wouldn't work. Warlocks have ranged pets because their pets aren't designed to be equal in damage.

[Raicky]

Why isn't there an option for 'With or Without You' ?

[PuppetShowJustice]

They need to just bake pet buffs into the hunter themselves, or something else to buff so we can use what ever pet we want without filling a gap in the buff tab.

Id love to use "X" pet because it looks awesome, but i need to use "Z" pet to get a missing buff before my RL kills me.

I agree with this. ToT tier I used nothing but my snake. SoO nothing but Sporebat. I wish I could cycle in other pets.

[Deleted]

I've gone for no. As hunters we train beasts, who need to get in there and scratch eyes and bust chops ranged pets don't work for me - I'm not a warlock!

[Unholyground]

I agree - a similar setup to a Warlock Imp would be pretty cool - just dont know how many besats there would be to tame with a ranged functionality

Snakes/Cobras, Winged serpents, spore-bats, thunder lizards. Those are the only ones that come to mind.

[Kavorka]

I agree with this. ToT tier I used nothing but my snake. SoO nothing but Sporebat. I wish I could cycle in other pets.

yep...far too many cool pets in my stable to only be running a couple of them.

[Fainth]

I think people would still use melee pets for PVP because ranged pets would get LOS way to much.

[Rosstafa]

I would love to see maybe spitting cobras or something, but adding ranged pets would completely change things. It might be difficult to implement.

[Franklyn]

always wanted this, since i played a Spirit Master in Aion.

mage water ele does it already, so they have the coding/whatever already there.

kill command is awkward. they could always make it ranged i guess.