News · Hunter
Were Hunter pets nerfed in WoW Forever? Fast pets stopped out-damaging slow ones, and the game files show a quiet change
Testers report that since build 70450, fast Hunter pets no longer out-damage slow ones of their family, and Blizzard's notes don't mention it. The game files show the server changed all seven Faster Attack passives in that build.
Oct 21, 2026Checked against build 1.60.1.704502 min read
Testers say fast Hunter pets were brought into line in WoW Forever. Since build 1.60.1.70450 (October 15), they report, a pet that swings every 1.2 seconds no longer out-damages a 2.0-second pet of the same family. Blizzard’s notes for that build don’t mention pets’ damage at all. But the game files show the server did change something about pet attack speed in exactly that build.
What testers measured
Before build 70450, attack speed decided the best pet. Testers on Blizzard’s forums logged the gap:
- two level 30 wolves with the same stats: 46.6 damage per second at a 1.2-second swing against 36.9 at 2.0, about 26% more (Oct 8);
- fast cats 35 to 43% ahead of slow ones at levels 19 and 28, by another tester (Oct 14).
After the build, one player measured The Rake, the 1.2-second cat that every early guide recommended, falling from 62 to 43 damage per second at level 30, “now matching other level 30 cats” (Oct 16). Others in the thread agree that pets of one family now deal about the same, while their swing speeds still differ.
These are players’ measurements, not Blizzard’s word. They haven’t been confirmed on the live realms.
What the game files show
A pet’s attack speed in WoW Forever comes from a hidden passive in its spellbook: Faster Attack I to VII (a swing from 1.7 seconds down to 1.0) or Slower Attack I to III (2.4 to 2.7 seconds). Every number is in the table on WoW Forever Hunter pets.
In build 70450 the server sent a change to all seven Faster Attack passives at once, and to none of the Slower ones: one setting in each spell’s attributes switched on. The files show that it changed, in the build the testers point to, but not what the setting does, and Blizzard hasn’t said. So we can’t tell you it’s the cause. It’s the only change we found to the pet speed and scaling spells in that build, and it touched only the fast pets.
What it means for picking a pet
If the testers are right, pick a pet for its family’s own ability, not its speed: the Crocolisk’s Dismember for PvP, the Bear’s Swipe for holding several mobs, the Wolf’s Furious Howl for a group. A faster pet still swings more often, which matters for anything that triggers on a hit, but it no longer means a lot more damage.
Every family’s abilities, its diet and where to tame one are on WoW Forever Hunter pets, with a page per family such as the Cat and the Wolf. Hunter talents are in the Hunter talent tree, and every Hunter change against Classic is on WoW Forever Hunter.
Questions
Were Hunter pets nerfed in WoW Forever?
Fast pets were, by testers' measurements: since build 1.60.1.70450 (Oct 15), pets of one family deal about the same damage whatever their attack speed. Blizzard's notes for that build don't mention it. The game files show the server changed all seven Faster Attack passives in that build.
Does pet attack speed matter in WoW Forever?
Less than it did. Before build 70450 testers measured a 1.2-second wolf about 26% ahead of a 2.0-second one at level 30. After it, they report pets of a family dealing about the same damage. A faster pet still swings more often, which matters for effects that trigger on hits.
Is The Rake still the best pet in WoW Forever?
Not by much any more. One tester measured The Rake at level 30 falling from 62 to 43 damage per second after build 70450, in line with other level 30 cats.