Advice Requested: First 25 boost; who should I use it on?

[Loc1281]

I've just returned to WoW after stopping during WOD and I got my Garrison 25 stone boost in hand. I'm wondering what is the best pet to boost right now? My main goals would be to complete the achievements for Pet Battles. But I enjoy collecting the most so a good "catcher" pet would be nice (turnip? molten corgi?). I currently don't have any level 25 pets, so this would be my first. I know with 7.1 there are 4 more obtainable 25 boost stones as well. Some additional questions:

1) Is Anubisath Idol still the best pet to boost? I just got one drop yesterday.
2) Is the Ashlei power leveling strategy still a good strategy?

[Uduwudu]

Hi,

Almost a year ago, I went looking at the Celestial Tournament, and what pets were used, and I quickly learned that ... I was nowhere near ready for anything. So I made me a list and went after it.

Right then, I came across this place and it has been easy since ... I immediately started making sure I had a good percentage of the pets listed in the top 20. So yeah, Anubisath is cool, but so is the Teroclaw Hatchling, and the Nexus Whelpling, and Eldrich Manafiend, the Emperor Crab, and others that one really has to have, if he/she wants to take these things to a higher level ... and after that, you want to start paying attention to their Pet Breeds ... since some of them are not as efficient as the others (check out the posting on Breeds in Legion to have a better idea ... makes a difference, so you do not have to wait an eternity for a Rare to show up, and just use a Stone to make it Rare!), in most cases, and on occasion there is one breed that has a spell that is more efficient, than the others.

After that, I mostly work on KNOWING my pets ... and not rely on "favorites", and waste 25% or more of all the pets I have because I do not know how to play them!

Something like that!

I'm not the most knowledgeable of folks here, and started about a year or two after most ... but hopefully I will catch up some.

Favorites for me, if I can indulge some:
Creepy Crate (Fossilized Hatchling is almost the same!)
Unborn Val'kyr (get both!!!!!!!)
Teroclaw Hatchling
Emperor Crab
Mechanical Dragonling
Darkmoon Zeppelin
Lil'Bling
Most Whelplings specially the Nexus Whelpling
Know your Moth's ... there are 5 or 6 different ones, and they have their spot! And if you fight them in Timeless Isle while leveling your 22's, 23's and 24's (great learning!!!), you will find real quick that some of them and the strategy used is actually not fun ... and learning how to get around it is helpful.

Hope this helps, right off the top of my toes!

[Loc1281]

Hope this helps, right off the top of my toes!

Thanks for the thorough input! I'm definitely wanting to understand the strategies and usefulness of different pets and not just "get the top 20" so your advise is well received.

If you had to choose 1 pet to boost to 25 that would help a newbie get started though, what would you suggest?

[NeverFinal]

Anubisath Idol. Its used in so many strategies throughout the game. That or Feline Familiar (from the Hallows End so pick it up if you don't have it.)

[Loc1281]

Anubisath Idol. Its used in so many strategies throughout the game. That or Feline Familiar (from the Hallows End so pick it up if you don't have it.)

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm leaning towards A-idol since a lot of resources online still point to it as the go-to for many scenarios

[Gráinne]

[pet]Anubisath Idol[/pet]. Hands down. No serious competition.

As an experienced battler now, if my collection was removed (WAAAAAAH!) I might consider [pet]Teroclaw Hatchling[/pet] as a second choice to re-start my levelling (WAAAAAAAAH!). The Teroclaw has a lot of advantages over the Idol, but it is harder to play and doesn't bring protection for levelling pets in the form of [ability]Sandstorm[/ability].

[pet]Anubisath Idol[/pet] is not the best at anything, but it is good at everything, and it is easy for a beginner to use.

[Loc1281]

[pet]Anubisath Idol[/pet]. Hands down. No serious competition.

As an experienced battler now, if my collection was removed (WAAAAAAH!) I might consider [pet]Teroclaw Hatchling[/pet] as a second choice to re-start my levelling (WAAAAAAAAH!). The Teroclaw has a lot of advantages over the Idol, but it is harder to play and doesn't bring protection for levelling pets in the form of [ability]Sandstorm[/ability].

[pet]Anubisath Idol[/pet] is not the best at anything, but it is good at everything, and it is easy for a beginner to use.

Great info. This pushes me over the line to start off with Anub. Thanks!

[Gráinne]

That's your first decision, but it doesn't stop there.

The purpose of your first levelled pet is to level your second, and your third....

I see you have lots of great pets at level 1 ready to go.

My standard advice to any new battler is to be sure you're using the addons
Rematch
Battle Pet Breed ID
Pet Tracker

My "must have" list starts

Anubisath Idol
Mechanical Pandaren Dragonling
Emerald Proto-Whelp P/P breed
Emperor Crab P/P breed
Darkmoon Tonk
Iron Starlette
Nexus Whelpling P/P breed
Teroclaw Hatchling
Zandalari Anklerender P/P or P/B breed

Blighted Squirrel H/P breed
Chrominius
Pandaren Water Spirit
Voodoo Figurine

H/H Bone Serpent
Clockwork Gnome
Gilnean Raven or Crow
Lil' Bling

Any time you spend on any of those is time well spent.

and this list of extremely useful wild pets

- Unborn Val'kyr
- any Rabbit S/S breed that has 357 speed at Blue 25
- a good Snail. I mostly use Shimmershell Snail H/P, but a Rapana Whelp H/B has the advantage that it's nearly 25 when captured.
- Sprite Darter Hatchling - you can find a use for both S/S and P/P breeds
- Mud Jumper either breed

If you want more recommendations, I'm sure we'd all be happy to throw dozens in

Here are a few bonus:
Kun-Lai Runt P/B or P/P
Flayer Youngling S/S
some Moth - long story there. For Wild moths, my favourite is Gilded H/P
Junglebeak P/P
Ghastly Kid
Crow S/S next Darkmoon Faire
Blighthawk H/H or H/P
Fel Flame
Amethyst Shale Hatchling P/P
any Spider- you will find a use for both fast and power breeds
Fen Crab P/P
Moonshell Crab P/P
any Strider


... have I scared you off yet?

[Loc1281]

That's your first decision, but it doesn't stop there.
... have I scared you off yet?

No actually! I love this type of collecting whether or not I do pvp seriously or just to collect the best! my original goal was just to collect rare ones like spawn of onyxia back during WOD and Mists, but stopped and focus'd on gearing etc. But with this 25 boost I think it helps me bring back that desire to collect! It's like pokemon lol.

[Saasan]

That's your first decision, but it doesn't stop there.

The purpose of your first levelled pet is to level your second, and your third....

I see you have lots of great pets at level 1 ready to go.

^^^ This! I recommend a pet that can help you level other pets. Good choices are Feline Familiar and Lil Bad Wolf. If you don't have either of those, a cat with a heal is a good choice, or a mechanical with a decoy move. The idea is a pet with either beast or mecha moves--you'll fight LOTS of wild pets to level, and there are tons beasts/critters to fight.

If you're going for a good pet for trainers, then yes I vote for Anub Idol! He is used in dozens of strategies, and there's just not a good replacement for him. In fact, he can solo carry lvl 1 pets against several Pandaren trainers. Once a day fights, but lots of pet exp.

Hope that helps!

[Gráinne]

Good choices are Feline Familiar and Lil Bad Wolf. If you don't have either of those, a cat with a heal is a good choice, or a mechanical with a decoy move.

[pet]Cornish Rex Cat[/pet] was my preferred option for wild levelling, just ahead of[pet] Feline Familiar[/pet] because you can target Critter areas like Halfhill where the Cornish Rex is indeed king. The Feline Familiar is not limited to Critters the way other cats are, but since you can choose your spot, the combo of Cornish Rex vs. critters is the fastest I know, when you aren't carrying a level 1.

Then I tested the Teroclaw.

Have you tried the Teroclaw in Halfhill with the less used moveset of Claw, Dodge, Ravage? It blows the kitties away!

Anyway, I stand by my Idol. A Teroclaw, or Cornish Rex, or Feline Familiar, or Pterrordax may make a more efficient farmer, but the Idol can farm just as thoroughly, if a little slower, and knock down tamers, and protect pets with Sandstorm, and it's easier to play. I find Sandstorm such a convenience...

[Paladance]

a mechanical with a decoy move. The idea is a pet with either beast or mecha moves--you'll fight LOTS of wild pets to level, and there are tons beasts/critters to fight.

While nowhere near as versatile as the mentioned pets, a [pet]Lifelike Mechanical Frostboar[/pet], be it P/P or H/H (slightly different approach for other purposes), fills that niche well, with slow [ability]Decoy[/ability] and self-heal. Not denying S/S of course; that one isn't as such related to leveling freshies, but can be useful later.

There's a spot in Frostfire Ridge, where you can battle ravagers, near Gargra the tamer; when you're looking on it the main map, it's the skeleton's… bonetail, or less explicitly, the "M" of Grom'gar.

If not afraid of "rare" pets, see also http://eu.battle.net/forums/en/wow/topic/12822412413#5

That is just in case you can fly in Draenor but not in Pandaria and want to park a 60+ character that can be not only safe from NPCs, but also shrug off the threat of any other players.

[Loc1281]

Thanks for all the advice!

I boosted my Anub last night! I'm debating if I want to level up my Molten Corgi first to help capture pets, or if I should power level a power leveler. Been flying around to get some more Halloween candy to get the Feline Familiar (I'm surprised i don't have this one already tbh). I think I know this answer, but do I need to attack with my low lvl pet in order for it to gain exp? Or can I just send it out first, then swap right away (like pokemon)?

[Vakeetah]

Thanks for all the advice!

I boosted my Anub last night! I'm debating if I want to level up my Molten Corgi first to help capture pets, or if I should power level a power leveler. Been flying around to get some more Halloween candy to get the Feline Familiar (I'm surprised i don't have this one already tbh). I think I know this answer, but do I need to attack with my low lvl pet in order for it to gain exp? Or can I just send it out first, then swap right away (like pokemon)?

It has to be active at the end of a round. It doesn't matter if it attacks or not, it just has to be there at the end of the turn.

For this reason, putting your leveling pet first and swapping it out right away will not work - as the pet will not be active by the end of that round, and thus not count as participating.

There's however a way to cheese this restriction if you don't want to expose your leveling pet to damage and risk its death - and that's using a pet with [ability]Explode[/ability] or any other "suicidal" ability, and having your leveling pet in the next slot. If you finish the fight in a way that makes your primary pet die, the next pet will automatically join the battle right before the end of the round - thus gaining XP! Now, since you're effectively killing a pet, this is not a strategy you can afford to use often; but it's good to have it in mind if the situation presents itself.

[Loc1281]

For this reason, putting your leveling pet first and swapping it out right away will not work - as the pet will not be active by the end of that round, and thus not count as participating.

Ahhh that's why I saw the Ashlei strategy worked well. Her last pet does not do damage so you can safely bring out your leveling pet to get exp.

[Khorah]

Another go to pet for me is [pet]Chuck[/pet] in Halfhill. [ability]Consume[/ability] + [ability]Devour[/ability] usually keeps him healed to full by the end of the battle, so you can stay in the field and battle until you get bored without having to use bandages.
But there are lots of good suggestions here.

Foremost, though.. have fun with it.. I got to ~lvl 23 on a comp that was.. bad.. but they usually won and I was enjoying it, which is the real reason we are here.
I have captured several pets that I don't like and will probably never use (Yeah.. I am not looking at you, creepy infected bear cub.. eewwww ) and so it is doubtful I would ever use a comp using that pet..

Early on.. play around.. find some of the tamers that can be farmed easily in order to level up pets faster and focus on those comps first.
Several of the tamers in Pandaria give great exp for both your pets and an alt. I hit the 2 in the Vale then down to Halfhill real quick, plus you have a chance at stones!
Figure out what you ENJOY doing and which pets you like.. and go forth and catch them all

[Uduwudu]

Anubisath Idol. Its used in so many strategies throughout the game. That or Feline Familiar (from the Hallows End so pick it up if you don't have it.)

Or Teroclaw Hatchling ... and you gotta have a bomb ... so a Whelpling wins that part.

For a long while, up until I finally got to the Teroclaw Hatchling, I always used Anubisath while leveling pets ... open with Sandstorm and it cuts down some of the damage that the younger pets take ... nice to see that rabbit only do 24 damage on your pet in a triple round. Those things make a difference. However, the Teroclaw is faster all around, because the Anubisath wastes an incredible amount of time with the misses. And their tooltip says that the Crush is 100% ... yep ... 100% of a cheating/lying son of a gun of a code turkey!

All in all, by the time you have 500 or 600 pets, I'm not sure it will matter which one, but yeah ... Anubisath was valuable.
(Corrected from previous)

BLUE stone, levels by one, and some are specific kinds of pets
PURPLE stone, levels all the way to 25. I've only seen it arrive when the menagerie is first setup up!

I'm not sure that the Purple stone is going to be showing up in the game, other than that spot ... so you have one pet that you "value". Just make sure you do not waste the levels you can get!

(Posting corrected - my apologies)

[Gráinne]

Uduwudu, when you get Anubisath, he is level 1. You don't tame an Idol; you learn it from a drop item.

[Vakeetah]

All in all, by the time you have 500 or 600 pets, I'm not sure it will matter which one, but yeah ... Anubisath was valuable, HOWEVER, when you get him, he is not level 1, so if this is a PURPLE stone, that means you can level something from 1 to 25 (you get that when you first get the Menagerie setup after the 3 fights in the Garrison -- assuming it was not disabled/nerfed because of Legion!), and then, you do NOT want to use that Purple on Anubisath. When you get him, I think he gets lowered to 23 or 22.

BLUE stone, levels by one, and some are specific kinds of pets
PURPLE stone, levels all the way to 25. I've only seen it arrive when the menagerie is first setup up!

I'm not sure that the Purple stone is going to be showing up in the game, other than that spot ... so you have one pet that you "value". But I would not use that Purple stone on Anubisath ... that's wasting the rest of the levels you can get!

Umm... The Anubisath Idol is learnt from an item, and is always level 1. Not really sure what you mean! Is this about using the leveling stone on an Anubisath Idol that you already started leveling, or purchased at a higher level from AH?

You may have a point in that using the Purple battle stone for anything that isn't leveling 1-25 is a waste, but due to how XP scales up (with the last 5-6 levels taking about as much XP as the previous 20) you can safely use it on something like a level 11-12 and still not waste much. Certainly not ideal, but even if you waste some XP getting your first level 25 is such a priority for any tamer that it's still worth doing, as it will pay off by making leveling your other pets easier.

That aside, I believe you may be mixing other things up as well BLUE stones are used for upgrading pets to Rare quality, so they have absolutely nothing to do with this. PURPLE stones level all the way to 25, and then there's the battle-training stones that can be Normal (YELLOW, +1 level) or Fel-Touched (GREEN, +5 levels) and can be family specific or not. Also, raising a pet's rarity doesn't lower its level anymore, so totally safe to use stones on anything you feel like.

Lastly, even if the Garrison one is the easiest to obtain, you can get more Ultimate (Purple) Battle-Stones, one during the "Sign of the Critter" Battle pet event (which happens every 2 months or so) and also by raising the Falcosaurs in 7.1.

[Uduwudu]

Hi,

My apologies ... I did not remember Anubisath being Level 1 at all ... but I was incorrect, in which case ... that's OK.

But the idea, is a good one to remember, and specially important for new Pet Battlers.