Tenacity Pets
Tenacity Pets are the type of pets that every new Hunter should start off with, especially if you are new to the game. The reason for this is that they will act as a tank for you, taking all or most of the damage from opposing mobs, and surviving attacks from multiple mobs. This makes questing so much easier, as you don’t have to try to pick off one mob at a time.
Bears and boars are the easiest beasts to tame as they are all over Azeroth. Both of these pets are omnivorous, which comes in handy if you happen to run out of meat to feed your pet. When you get to Stranglethorn you will want to tame a Gorilla — they are my absolute favorite pet to level with.
Like all the Pet Talent Trees, Tenacity comes in 5 Tiers. To be able to pick anything in one of the higher Tiers, you need to have at least 3 Talents picked from the one below it. Also, some of the Talents require other specific Talents to have been picked. Starting with level 20, your pet is assigned one Talent point every 4 levels that can be “spent” on Talents within this tree.
When picking the talents you need to think about two different things: 1) What is the role that my pet is playing; 2) What are the big Talents in Tier 5 that I will want. For question one, the easy answer is that your Tenacity Pet is tanking, so Armor and Stamina will be the primary focus, along with Threat generation. Talents that help the pet increase damage are secondary, unless they also increase threat.
Here are the Talents available in the tree, and their relative importance:
Tier 1:
Cobra Reflexes (2 Ranks). This Talent increases the speed at which your pet attacks, but reduces the amount of damage per attack. The net benefit is slightly increased damage, which at first seems like a bad idea for a Tenacity pet. But later on when you get other Talents both in your own tree as well as your pet’s, there will be “procs” that will occur from time to time based on your pet’s attacks. The more often your pet attacks, the more often these happen, and this is a good thing. However, you should wait until mid levels before grabbing this one, as it will do little good for you at a lower levels.
Charge (1 Rank). With this Talent your pet is able to charge an enemy and immobilize it for 1 second, and increase his own damage to the enemy on his next attack by 25%. Aside from the extra damage out and reduced damage in, there is another couple of benefits to this Talent. One is that the attacks happen sooner, which makes questing and grinding faster. The second is that it increases the distance between the Hunter and the mob, since the mob does not have time to start running toward the pet as it is on its way to attack. This extra distance can come in handy if the pet can’t hold aggro. I would pick the Talent up as one of the 3 you need to move to the next Tier.
Great Stamina (3 Ranks). Each Rank increases your pet’s total Stamina by 4%for a total of 12% if you get all three ranks. This is definitely one of the Talents you will want to max out as soon as possible, not only for its benefits, but for the follow-up Talent that becomes available.
Natural Armor (2 Ranks). Increases your pet’s Armor by 5% and 10%. This is a must-have, as is the follow up Talent that becomes available. Overall, with purely physical damage, Armor tends to outweigh Stamina in terms of keeping your pet alive, especially in long fights. However, you will encounter many caster mobs who deal damage that cannot be mitigated by armor. That’s why I recommend taking alternate ranks of Natural Armor and Great Stamina until they are both maxed out.
Tier 2
Blood of the Rhino (2 Ranks). This becomes available after you get three ranks in Great Stamina, and is definitely a must-have. Your pet gets a 2% and 4% boost to Stamina, but even better there is a 20% and 40% boost to healing effects. These should be your first to Talents in this tier.
Boar’s Speed (1 Rank). Increases your pet’s speed by 30%. This may not seem like a big thing, but the truth is I always take this as soon as I can. Maybe I am just impatient but I hate seeing my pet move slowly, especially if he is trying to get to a mob that is attacking me. Even if you don’t take it right away, you will want it eventually.
Pet Barding (2 Ranks). This talent increases your pet’s armor by 5% and 10%, and increases his chance to dodge melee attacks by 1% and 2%. This is a nice one to have, but it can wait until you have some higher Tier talents that have greater effect. There is nothing extra that becomes available when you max this out, so get your higher tier Talents first.
Spiked Collar (3 Ranks). This talent increases the damage done by your pet by 3%/6%/9%. This is not where your points should be going, as a Tenacity pet is supposed to hold aggro and absorb damage, not deal it out. I will take all the free extra damage I get, but I will not sacrifice my pet’s ability to stay alive in order to get extra DPS.
Tier 3
Avoidance (3 Ranks). This Talent reduces the amount of damage taken by your pet due to AoE attacks (Area of Effect) by 25%/50%/75%. This Talent can be quite good if you expect to encounter a lot of AoE attacks, but it also unlocks the Tier 5 Talent Last Stand. This is definitely a Talent to consider, unless doing so prevents you from choosing the Tier 5 Talent or Talents of your choice.
Guard Dog (2 Ranks). Increases Threat generated by your pet by 10% and 20%. Also increases its happiness, thereby nearly eliminating the need for feeding if you are in combat frequently. For me, this is one of the two must-have Talents, along with Taunt (which this Talent unlocks). It reduces the chance that you will grab aggro from your pet, making solo play that much easier.
Intervene (1 Rank). This Talent allows your pet to run toward you or a party member and intercept the next melee attack against them. As good as this sounds I have never found it to be necessary, and I have never regretted not having it. By the time you reach a level where you can grab this there are so many ways to avoid melee (Feign Death, Disengage, Freeze Trap, or even just having the pet attack the mob) that it seems redundant. And since this Talent does not unlock any others I can safely suggest that you leave this one out of the mix.
Lionhearted (2 Ranks). Reduces the Stun and Fear effects duration by 15% and 30%. This is another Talent that I have never chosen, but from time to time I have wished that I had it. When your pet is stunned and you are trying to get him to attack the mob that is attacking you, it can get frustrating. However, I have never died by not having it, and it also does not unlock anything.
Tier 4
Grace of the Mantis (2 Ranks). Reduces the chance your pet with bit hit with a Crit by 2% and 4%. This one depends on whether you expect to get hit by higher level mobs or not, as those lower than you will rarely crit anyway. Better to go with Armor or Stamina that will be better for all or most situations. But it is not a waste, and it unlocks Roar of Sacrifice, and you will need 3 points in Tier 4 before you can get anything in Tier 5, so I usually end up with points in this Talent.
Great Resistance (3 Ranks). Your pet takes 3%/6%/9% less damage from damages of the Frost, Arcane, Fire, Shadow and Nature type. Since you need to choose between this Talent and Grace of the Mantis, you will end up having at least one point in this Talent if you want any in Tier 5. Whether you spend 2 or 3 will depend on whether you expect to farm in areas where you will encounter this type of damage more frequently than melee or ranged. You can always get another pet specifically for this purpose and use all the points in this talent.
Tier 5
Last Stand (1 Rank). Your pet gains 30% of its maximum Health for 20 seconds, after which it is lost. Given that this has a 6 minute cooldown, I would never take it. Also, if you are frequently getting to the point where you need this in order for your pet to survive then you probably are doing something wrong.
Roar of Sacrifice (1 Rank). This Talent allows your pet to absorb 30% of the damage being taken by you or a party member for up to 12 seconds. This sounds useful, but again a Tenacity pet should be used to keep mobs off you in the first place; and in a raid you have healers who take care of damage and would only end up healing the pet instead or as well as. I consider this Talent to be a waste, unless you play so badly that you need it.
Taunt (1 Rank). Your pet taunts the target to attack it. Another must-have in my books for a Tenacity pet. This, along with a Gorilla’s Smack are perfect for holding aggro when farming.
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