Fighter, scout, and warlock pets. When to use each?

[Liral]

<p>Ok, I haven't received my scout pet yet as I am in my early 20's and that doesn't come until later. So far though I've pretty much only used my tank (fighter) pet as I pretty much find that it's pretty sweet to see 6-8 mobs knocking on him and have him hold aggro. Just doesn't happen with the warlock pet. :><img src="/eq2/images/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" />0 Any situations to use the warlock or scout pets or is the tank pet the way to go pretty much all the time?</p><p>edited to add: Also, I've pretty much only used the defensive stance for the pet? Is that pretty common a well to sue that stance primarily?</p>

[Shirodan]

<p>My experience with a necro is limited (only about mid 20s) but I have a Conjuror in his 50s. That being said, I very rarely use my fighter pet.</p><p>When I solo, I use the scout pet as he has respectable tanking ability and does quite a bit more damage than the fighter pet making the fights go by faster.</p><p>When grouping, its a toss up between scout and mage pet, depending on the number of group encounters vs. single encounters we come accross. The mage pet will almost always out-damage the scout pet in multi-mob encounters, even if there are only two mobs. Against a single target the scout tends to do slightly more damage than the mage, and has better survivability in the event that the mob AEs, or the pet grabs agro.</p><p>The only time I really use the fighter pet is when my pet is the group's tank (happens in smaller more casual groups) or when I have to fight a tough named, and need a solid 10-20 seconds to lay the hurt down.</p><p>Occasionally though, even when fighting named I find it effective to chain root the mob while the mage pet blasts away, which has its risks, but can be done when pet tanking can't.</p><p>Hope that helps some.</p>

[Daemhir]

<p>Fighter pet is pretty much for soloing, or situations where there is no tank in group (human tank still will be better tho). This is the only pet that can hold aggro, others just do not have any spells for this. You can Possess (sp?) Minion and see your pet's CA and spells.</p><p>Scout and mage pets are for grouping, I personally always use scout pet, it seems doing more damage to me, but there were some situations where I needed mage pet - named had a nice AoE and was killing scout pet too quick. Using mage and telling him to fight from distance solves the problem - pet gives good damage output and is far from mob's AoE</p>

[BLIGHTBRINGER]

<p>For soloing necro you really have to use fighter pet in defensive stance and work towards getting tainted heal in the AA lines. simple as that really.  mage pet has so few health points even tainted heals cant keep it alive and with cloth armour we are just not equiped to tank ourselves. scout pet has better health but still not a patch on tank pet.  eventually when you get perceptor's command too ( which pretty successfully shifts agro from you to the tank pet) and chuck in the occasional undead tide and lifeburn, being a soloing necro sometimes feels like cheating!  admittedly you are many levels off getting these so just remember solo = tank pet in defensive stance, group means scout if single mob or mage if multiple mobs and you wont go too far wrong.</p><p>Hellstone</p>

[Mew]

Fighter pet - soloing.  Use defensive stance.Mage pet - raiding. Use offensive stance.  Sometimes used in groups when you know there will be multiple mobs on pulls.  Mage pets have AOE attack spells and a small group heal.  Also, if mob has very high noxious resists a scout pet may be more effective.Scout pet - grouping.  Use offensive stance.  Sometimes used in raids when there is only a single mob expected or in cases where AOE attacks are just not practical.  Remember that pets do benefit from group and raid wide buffs that benefit you.  So, if you are grouped with a dirge the scout pet may get more benefit.  If you are grouped with a troubador the mage pet may get better benefits.  Basically, look at your group's buffs - are they mostly melee/attack buffs or caster buffs?

[Liral]

Thanks for the great replies folks. Much appreciated.

[Za]

<p><b>Tank Pet</b> - High HPts, lives for a while, but doesn't privide DPS support. Useful for soloing mobs that will hit you harder than you really want to be hit. ie... soloing blue ^^^ mobs or worse for sure. While using the tank pet, you will be providing all of the DPS pretty much yourself. If you want make the most use of the tank pet, condider geting 4,4,8,8 down the sta AA summoner tree. The taunt and extra HPts REALLy help alot! And if you combined that with the Tainted Heals class AA... you and your tank become as effective (maybe slightly less) than a real cleric/tank/wizard group!</p><p>Also useful in groups when your real tank can't hold agro, or the healers can't heal through adds. Pop your tank pet and let if off tank the adds. Communication is critical here. I know alot of tanks that would rather die continuously than have a necro pet "help". So always make sure the group is ok with this strategy before you just start tanking mobs.</p><p>In raids... the tank mob can become immune to Indirect AoE damage... and for some fights those are the only pets allowed... </p><p><b>Scout Pet</b> - High single target DPS... better HPts than the mage, but far less than the tank. Its agi will help it live a little longer, esp vs blue solo mobs or lower. Great for general solo mobs... typically I do the tanking when using the scout pet. The pet hits hard and fast so mobs don't live long. A few lifetaps and the scout will kill stuff so fast you won't take that much damage... and the LT keeps you healed anyway. I'll even tank green ^^ mobs with it... Green mobs will have a hard time hitting your scout. But when they do they'll take chunks of hpts at a time... so tainted heals is also a good thing here. </p><p>The agi AA line will improve your pets DPS, but if you won't commit to at least getting 8 points in double attack, I wouldn't bother with it personally. The wisdom line will increase all your combat skills across the board and affects all of your pets... That's probably a better deal. In groups and raids, I'll use the scout pet if I'm grouped with melee buffers like dirges... No they won't help my personal DPS, but you get what you can when you can get it. Same in raids. </p><p><b>Mage Pet</b> - High AoE damage and a slight heal effect... Useful in general groups and raids. This is usually your best DPS pet. It can nuke a single target almost as well as you can, and in AoE's I think it can be better than you. It's also good for soloing... esp linked groups of green trash mobs... again, you'll be tanking those mobs and just letting your mage nuke the crap out of em. It's also good for root-nuking ^^^ mobs. I personally HATE the root-nuke strategies... they're slow and can be real touchy at times... one bad run of luck on the root resists and you're toast. I'd MUCH rather use the tank pet for those mobs and beat em down in the traditional manner.</p><p>For max raid DPS, you want the mage pet, and you want to be in the caster oriented group... then you both get the most buff benefits... Int AA line also benefits you and your pet... so its the obvious choice for maxing casting damage potential. </p>

[Liral]

Very informative thread. Thanks.

[Nej]

<p>Atm im tank specced with the 4488 STA and tainted heals + the crit, lifeburn and absorb. its untrue what ppl say about necro pet not being able to do dps, as 72 necro with most pet spels on master my tank pet is able to help alot with the dps, On Def stance !!. since the only real decrease Def gives is -25 haste and a tank pet normally has a -15 to dps the necro pet beats it ! <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> with the frenzy buff on it gives pet 30haste and dps. so pet get 5 to haste and 15 to dps. Also they tank pet dont carry a shield but dual wields 2 weaons. so back to dmg wich is about 500-800 on my pet and since it dual wield it deals 500-800 2 times <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. </p><p>Scout pet: i find this completely useless for soloing, even weak mobs. if u are not AGI specced for scout pet + WIS then DONT USE IT!! it soock donkey arrse! its a hell when soloing blue - green mobs it takes Soooo much dmg that i allways have to heal it.. it just so annoying..</p><p> More to come, train to catch --->></p>

[Za]

<cite>Nej wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Atm im tank specced with the 4488 STA and tainted heals + the crit, lifeburn and absorb. its untrue what ppl say about necro pet not being able to do dps, as 72 necro with most pet spels on master my tank pet is able to help alot with the dps, On Def stance !!. since the only real decrease Def gives is -25 haste and a tank pet normally has a -15 to dps the necro pet beats it ! <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /> with the frenzy buff on it gives pet 30haste and dps. so pet get 5 to haste and 15 to dps. Also they tank pet dont carry a shield but dual wields 2 weaons. so back to dmg wich is about 500-800 on my pet and since it dual wield it deals 500-800 2 times <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" />. </p><p>Scout pet: i find this completely useless for soloing, even weak mobs. if u are not AGI specced for scout pet + WIS then DONT USE IT!! it soock donkey arrse! its a hell when soloing blue - green mobs it takes Soooo much dmg that i allways have to heal it.. it just so annoying..</p><p> More to come, train to catch --->></p></blockquote><p>HEHE, I disagree with 90% of what you said, and the other 10% was too convoluted to understand, so I can't tell if I agree or not.</p><p>True... the tank pet does SOME dps... but not near as much as you're speculating regardless of stance. True, using offensive stance vs def stance helps... but try letting your tank pet solo any mob... even a non ^ mob... it'll get its [Removed for Content] handed to it... the pet does not do enough damage to kill a mob that's equal level to itself before the mob would kill it. It's close, so they tank may win a few, (esp vs non dps mobs, like other tank mobs) but its clear that the tank pet is not a dps machine.</p><p>Again, soloing with the scout depends on what you're killing and how you play. If you're soloing with your scout pet, your pet should never take damage. You should be nuking the mobs and drawing agro while your scout/wiz pet simply suppliments your personal damage... its the most dps you can generate in total... and its a good way to shread though trash mobs. Albeith, I personally have started just sending the tank pet to round up 5 or 6 mobs and hold agro while I AoE everything... if you're not AoEing, the scout or mage pet is better simply because they'll help you kill individual trash mobs faster. </p>

[Leader_of_Hidden_Clan]

<p>Personally, i never use the scout pet, i poured AA into the tank and mage, i solo with the tank, and group/raid with the mage. the scout seems like a pointless pet IMHO.  i think i have read somewhere tho, that our final pets,the scout is better than the mage, at that time ill prob respec, but the mage works great, have had no complaints.</p><p> A side note on my tank pet, occasionally i use him in group as a 2nd tank, to pull adds off the rest of the group. It really depends on the makeup of the group.</p><p>Happy Hunting</p>

[Mew]

<p>If you are going to tank for your pet (ie scout/mage pet configuration) make sure your Focus skill is max'd to prevent interrupts.  Also, use potions to resist arcane, elemental, noxious dmg.  Lifetaps don't do any good if your cast gets interrupted.  Also, get cloth armor with good mitigation and resists (mastercrafted or better).</p><p> The main reason I like letting the warrior pet tank for me is that its not as squishy and if it is going to die I can pop off a root or fear and then resummon the pet before either of those breaks.</p>

[Allowen]

<p>I really love scout pet for soloing because it is very high dps (agil+wis +enchant scout pet) and still can tank really well even on offensive stance, perfect for soloign even soem yellow com ^ mobs also because cabalist cover helps to split agro bettewn pet and the caster.</p><p> The warrior pet I am using it more only to fight some ^^ or ^^^ mobs or nameds.Anyways the real challenging nameds pet cant tank then even with tainted heals etc to help on healing.</p><p>Mage pet is also cool dps, seems the best option for raids and as far as I could see it is the most common master pet to find but I still preffermy ad3 scout pet instead when soloing at least.</p>

[Kaldrin]

I'm using my fighter almost exclusively solo... my scout doesn't seem to do very well with the mobs I've been facing. The fighter lasts a whole lot longer. Both are AdeptIII, so I can't see that being the difference. Since I gave him 5 pts in damage reduction he's been even better.

[Thumatos]

<p>Just got my scout pet.  Also got tainted heals and 6% tank pet ward. couple thoughts. </p><p>1.  tank pet seems high hp, low dps.  Mage pet low hp high dps and mage in middle.  When poor or no tank  i use tank pet,  Good tank or 2 tanks , mage pet.  and with 1 tank i found scout works best.  Depends on group quality and setup.  i saved the group today in throne room with the scout pet when got adds,  tank died and i kept pet alive while healer rezzed tank. my pet didnt so we ended up victorious. </p><p> 2.  Tank pet seems quite good at names,  i was playing with a couple guard 1 lev below me.  Not saying any more bout that though. No nerf bats plz. </p>

[Rooster]

<p>I've now got to level 34, and I've found the fighter pet to be the best when I'm alone.  I send in the pet, click him to target the same mob as him and keep the DOT and Tainted Heals coming to keep him alive.  I've learnt not to use the AOE spells too early as the mobs can come at me.</p><p> I had a level 45 paladin that I converted to a shadow knight, and then worked on my necro a little.  The problem is, I haven't touched SK since I started playing my necro.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p> Rooster</p>