One of the best things about playing a Hunter in World of Warcraft is the massive variety of pets that you can have to aid you during battle.
Every expansion adds a new selection of cool Hunter pets to pick from, and each of them offers unique advantages that benefit players in specific areas of the game. Some are great for leveling, some work well in raids, and others are ideal if you’re a fan of collecting unique appearances for transmog.
To help you pick the right fit for you, I’ve handpicked the best Hunter pets for each area of the game. I’ve made sure to include a mix of Beast Mastery and non-Beast Mastery pets.
Here’s my guide to picking the best Hunter pets in Dragonflight. I’ve included an extra section to help new Hunters pick the best pet in each starting zone, too.
Best Hunter Pets in Each Starting Zone
A lot of the best Hunter pets in World of Warcraft require you to be a higher level, due to living in high level areas or having hard-hitting moves.This is inconsequential if you’re a Hunter who’s been playing for a while but if you’ve just rolled a Hunter, it’s not very useful.
There are viable pets in every zone in the game, though. To start us off, these are my recommendations for the best Hunter pets in every standard starting zone, including information on their abilities, families, and spawn locations.
Elwynn Forest – Human
One of the best Hunter pets you can get in Elwynn Forest is Mother Fang. Mother Fang is a rare venomous Spider that you can find towards the back of the Jasperlode Mine in Elwynn Forest. This Spider has a mottled red and green appearance.
The spawn timer seems to be half an hour on average, but she showed up within about 10 minutes when I went to find her.
Spiders are part of the Ferocity pet family, which means that they give you the Primal Rage and Predator’s Thirst buffs. These give you a haste buff and a health leech respectively, which are both incredibly useful for leveling up.
The next Hunter pet I’d recommend looking for is Terrapis.
Terrapis is a rare Turtle that can be found strolling along the riverbank in the South of Elwynn Forest, walking between the Brackwell Pumpkin Patch to Jerod’s Landing. Turtles tend to come with the Shell Shield ability that reduces damage taken by 50% for 12 seconds.
Terrapis is part of the Tenacity family, which has the Endurance Training and Fortitude of the Bear abilities. These abilities give you a passive 5% health boost and a 20% health boost mid-battle for 10 seconds respectively, which can both be handy when leveling.
Dun Morogh – Dwarf & Gnome
One of the best Hunter pets to track down while leveling in Dun Morogh is Timber. Timber is a rare Wolf that spawns to the East of Iceflow Lake in New Tinkertown, Dun Morogh. The respawn timer is under half an hour, from the reports that I’ve found.
While Timber doesn’t come with any special abilities, it is part of the Ferocity family which means it has great abilities for staying alive during leveling. Wolves do typically come with the Furious Bite ability, which is an attack that slows enemy movement by 50% for 6 seconds during combat.
You’ll notice that the vast majority of Hunter pets that I recommend for new Hunters in their starting zones fall into the Ferocity family and my next pick, the Snow Leopard, is no different. You can find the Snow Leopard by Gol’Bolar Quarry in Dun Morogh, Helm’s Bed Lake, and further East of the Quarry, too.
Snow Leopards come with standard Ferocity abilities and extra Cat abilities that makes them stand out as great leveling pets. They can use Prowl, which puts them into a stealth mode. This means that their first attack after using Prowl deals an extra 20% damage. They also have Catlike Reflexes, increasing dodge chance by 30% for 20 seconds.
Snow Leopards will often have Snow Leopard Cubs near them, which are worth capturing if you’re interested in collecting the best Battle Pets in Dragonflight, too. They’re decent picks for leveling and doing PVP Pet Battles.
Teldrassil – Night Elf
Lady Sathrah is a white Spider that can be found near the Oracle Glade in Northern Teldrassil, either side of the nearby stream. She is part of a quest so it may be tricky to find her if someone has recently killed her, but she’s one of the best Hunter pets to have while leveling.
Spiders are part of the Ferocity family. If you’re interested in transmog and pet appearances, Lady Sathrah also has a decently unique appearance and color scheme, and retains her name when you catch her.
The Webwood Lurker is another great pick for new Hunters. It’s part of the Ferocity family again, making for a useful leveling ally with a haste buff and a health leech ability.
Spiders come with the Web Spray ability, which is useful for tackling mobs while leveling. The Webwood Lurkers can be found all around Dolanaar in Teldrassil, and I’d recommend looking specifically by Starbreeze Village.
Azuremyst Isle – Draenei
One of the best Hunter pets to pick up on Azuremyst Isle is the Ravager Specimen. This particular mob has a lot of fans in the PVP community, and it’s wonderful for leveling up as well. You can find these creatures to the East of the Stillpine Hold, on the North side of Azuremyst Isle.
It’s part of the Ferocity family, and comes with the Ravager ability known as Ravage, which causes the Mortal Wounds debuff. Mortal Wounds drastically reduces any healing that a target receives for 10 seconds.
Moongraze Buck is another good pet to pick as a new Draenei Hunter. They’re common on Azuremyst Isle, specifically around Azure Watch.
Moongraze Buck come from the Tenacity family, and they have an extra ability known as Nature’s Blessing. This ability removes one Disease, Magic, and Poison effect from the Stag.
Gilneas – Worgen
If you’re looking for a cool pet in Gilneas, you can’t go wrong with Rygna.
This giant black and red Spider looks more like it belongs to a Warlock spec than a Hunter. Rygna is the Vilebrood Spider Matriarch, and you can find her at the back of her lair in Northglen Village, in the Southern side of Gilneas.
She comes with the standard abilities for a Spider from the Ferocity pet family tree. It’s important to note that Rygna is part of a quest line, and some Hunters have reported being unable to find her after finishing said quest. I’d suggest taming her during the quest, to be on the safe side.
Another good pick for Hunters in Gilneas is the Wild Horse. You can find Wild Horses to the East of Gilneas, near Tempest Reach. There’s a few different models for this mob, and they can make for some unique Alliance transmog companions.
Wild Horses are part of the Ferocity family, and come with the Courser ability Fleethoof. This ability allows the Wild Horses to increase their dodge chance by 30% for 20 seconds, which is useful for both PVP and solo leveling.
The Wandering Isle – Pandaren
Pandaria has some intriguing Hunter Pets and the Pei-Wu Tiger stands out as one of the best for new Hunters to check out on The Wandering Isle. It’s a cool looking mob, and can be found in the Southern area of the island.
Pei-Wu Tigers (unsurprisingly) come with the regular Cat pet abilities, allowing them to go into Prowl mode and increase their dodge chance by 30% for 20 seconds with Catlike Reflexes. They’re part of the Ferocity family tree.
Whitefeather Cranes are another interesting option for Hunters on The Wandering Isle, and they’re one of the rarer Hunter pet models to come across, especially at a lower level. You can find Whitefeather Cranes to the East of The Temple of Five Dawns, and a few of them live near The Singing Pools, too.
This pet is part of the Tenacity family tree, and it’s classed as a Waterfowl. Waterfowl come with two interesting abilities. They can do a Trick, which is a move that is entirely cosmetic but still worth doing anyway. They also have the ability Oiled Feathers, which removes one Disease, Magic, or Poison effect from the pet.
Durotar – Orc & Troll
Corrupted Bloodtalons are arguably some of the coolest looking Raptors in the game, and they’re ideal for new Hunters to pick up when adventuring through Durotar and the Echo Isles. You can find them on one of the smaller isles on the West side of the Echo Isles.
Corrupted Bloodtalons come from the Cunning family tree, which means that they come with the abilities Master’s Call and Pathfinding. Master’s Call removes snares from your pet and a target of your choice, and it can also help you recall your pet quickly. Pathfinding gives you a passive 8% movement boost.
As Corrupted Bloodtalons are Raptors, they come with the ability Savage Rend. This ability applies the debuff Mortal Wounds.
The rare spawn Death Flayer is also a great pick for new Hunters in Durotar. This black and red Scorpid spawns in the location just under the Southfury Watershed on the map, and has a respawn time of roughly 20 to 40 minutes. It is worth noting that Death Flayer is part of a quest, so you may have competition when trying to find it.
Coming from the Ferocity family tree, this pet can use the Scorpid move Deadly Sting to inflict the Mortal Wounds debuff.
Tirisfal Glades – Undead
Bonechewer is a rare spawn that can be found in Tirisfal Glades. It’s a ghostly Carrion Bird, and can be found to the West of Solliden Farmstead, circling above the tower. Bonechewer is a part of some quests, so you may have some competition while camping out and waiting for it to spawn.
The ability that Carrion Birds come with is Bloody Screech, which applies the Mortal Wounds debuff to the target. Carrion Birds come from the Ferocity family tree.
Another good pick for new Hunters in Tirisfal Glades is the Vicious Night Web Spider. These gothic Spiders can be found in Venomweb Vale, in the East of Tirisfal Glades. They’re from the Ferocity family tree. This pet is a good pick if you’re looking to level and do Battlegrounds at the same time, as the Spider ability Web Spray is very PVP-friendly.
Mulgore – Tauren
Mulgore is home to some brilliant Hunter pets. It’s worth taming an Armored Battleboar in Mulgore as a new Hunter, and you can find them in The Battleboar Pen in Camp Narache.
Boars come from the Cunning family tree, and they have the ability Bristle, which reduces damage taken by 50% for 12 seconds.
In past expansions, you used to be able to catch an Armored Battleboar while it was on fire, giving you a pet that looked more suitable for a Mage spec than a Hunter. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to do this.
Another great Hunter pet to check out is Arra’chea, a rare Scalehide Kodo that can be found patrolling in the Eastern section of Thunder Bluff near the cliffs. This is quite a large pet, with a unique look to it. It comes with the ability Scale Shield, which reduces damage taken by 50% for 12 seconds.
Eversong Woods – Blood Elf
Eversong Woods is one of the prettiest starting zones in World of Warcraft, in my opinion, and there’s some great Hunter pet options. Feral Dragonhawk Hatchlings are viable Hunter pets to consider taming, and you can catch one to the South of the Ruins of Silvermoon, with some dotted around The Dead Scar.
Feral Dragonhawk Hatchlings are part of the Tenacity family tree, and Dragonhawk pets have the Dragon’s Guile ability which increases dodge chance by 30% for 20 seconds.
Mana Wyrms are also worth checking out while leveling in Eversong Woods.
They can be found close to The Sunspire. Mana Wyrms are part of the Cunning family tree and are classed as Serpents, which have the Serpent’s Swiftness move. This move increases their dodge chance by 30% for 20 seconds.
The Lost Isles – Goblin
I’ve used The Lost Isles as the Goblin starting zone here as the only Hunter pet you can pick up in Kezan is the Tunneling Worm. This is a great pet, but it’s only accessible to Beast Mastery Hunters and can be tricky to find.
One of the best Hunter pets to pick up in The Lost Isles while leveling is a Jungle Cat. They can be found near the Horde Base Camp and Wild Overlook, and are part of the Ferocity family tree. They come with the Prowl and Catlike Reflexes abilities.
If you’re looking for a Hunter pet that stands out, pick up a Bomb-Throwing Monkey on The Lost Isles. These pets sound incredibly silly, but they’re ideal for quickly taking down mobs and dealing with larger groups. You can find these mobs by Shipwreck Shore on The Lost Isles.
Sadly, Bomb-Throwing Monkeys lose their ability to throw bombs after you tame them. They come from the Cunning family tree and have a useful ability known as Primal Agility, which increases their ability to dodge by 30% for 20 seconds.
Exile’s Reach – All Races
One of the best Hunter pets to pick up in Exile’s Reach is the Barrow Spiderling. I’ve recommended a lot of Spiders in this section about the best Hunter pets for new Hunters, and with good reason- they’re incredibly effective to use when leveling.
The Barrow Spiderlings can be found in Darkmaul Plains, and there’s plenty of them. They come from the Ferocity family tree, and come with the Web Spray ability to help slow down any tricky opponents or groups of mobs.
Another great option for Hunter pets in Exile’s Reach is the Wandering Boar. These can be found in the Quilboar Briarpatch. Boars come from the Cunning family tree, with the Bristle ability to help reduce damage by 50% for 12 seconds.
Best Hunter Pets for PVP
There are plenty of Hunter pet types in World of Warcraft, and as you can see above, there are some that are better suited to specific areas of the game than others. Spiders and Cats are great for leveling, and there’s some that are great for PVP, too.
If you’re a fan of doing Arenas in World of Warcraft, it’s worth your time to pick up an Aqiri. They require you to be a Beast Mastery Hunter with the ability to tame Exotic Beasts, and come with some incredibly useful abilities.
One of the best things about Aqiri pets is that they are the fastest Hunter pets in the game, with Cunning family 8% movement buff Pathfinding and additional Aqiri 30% movement buff Dune Strider. They can also use the ability Tendon Rip to slow opponents by 50% for 6 seconds, too.
There are plenty of Aqiri Hunter pets to check out in the world, but I’d recommend hitting up Silithus and Tanaris first. You can also tame several Aqiri in both the Temple and Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj, too.
Another type of Hunter pet to pick up for PVP is a Chimaera. This is another Exotic pet type, and they’re great for both Battlegrounds and Arenas. Chimaeras have the abilities Frost Breath and Froststorm Breath, which slow foes by 50% for 6 seconds and emit frost damage in a cone for 8 seconds.
Chimaera pets can be found predominantly in zones from Shadowlands and Warlords of Draenor, and I’d recommend going to Shadowmoon Valley or Maldraxxus.
If you’re a PVP fan who doesn’t want to play as a Beast Mastery Hunter, I’d recommend getting a Hyena. They have the Infected Bite ability, which gives the target the Mortal Wounds debuff. The debuff greatly reduces any healing the target gets over 10 seconds.
The best place to visit for a variety of Hyenas is Vol’Dun. You can find them in a few other zones, though, like the Blasted Lands, Tanaris, and Uldum.
One of the best new Hunter Pet types to check out in Dragonflight is the Magmammoth.
These Hunter Pets are part of the Mammoth family and they fall into the Tenacity spec, with the special ability Trample. This ability applies a 6 second 50% slow to the target, which is very useful in a PVP setting.
There are a few Magmammoths available in the Dragon Isles but the main one that I’d recommend searching for is the Magmammoth Crusher. This can be found in The Waking Shores, specifically near Scalecracker Keep or The Obsidian Bulwark.
Best Hunter Pets for PVE
One of the best kinds of Hunter pets to get for PVE is a Spirit Beast. Spirit Beasts are only tameable by Beast Mastery Hunters, and they come with a lot of useful abilities.
Aside from the standard Tenacity abilities, Spirit Beasts can use Spirit Pulse to remove a harmful effect (Disease, Magic, or Poison) from themselves, Spirit Mend to heal for 10 seconds, and Spirit Walk to go into stealth mode, similar to how Cats have Prowl. The first attack from Spirit Walk deals 20% extra damage.
The majority of Spirit Beasts are rare and can be hard to track down, like Loque’nahak or Gara. There are some other Spirit Beasts that you can tame that aren’t rare, too. I’d recommend heading to Suramar and finding a Mana Saber.
Another Beast Mastery Hunter pet type to check out for PVE is the Core Hound group. Aside from looking awesome, Core Hounds have the abilities Obsidian Skin and Molten Hide. Obsidian Skin reduces all damage taken by 50% for 12 seconds and Molten Hide causes fire damage to melee attackers for 10 seconds.
Most of the Core Hounds in World of Warcraft can be found in dungeons and raids, like Molten Core. You can also find them throughout the world, like The Kurken on Azuremyst Isle and the Brimstone Hounds in Mount Hyjal.
For Hunters who aren’t in the Beast Mastery spec, I would suggest checking out Tenacity pets with either damage mitigation abilities or abilities that inflict Mortal Wounds. Oxen have a great ability called Niuzao’s Fortitude, which means that when the Ox falls under 40% health, it takes 60% reduced damage for 15 seconds.
There are lots of Oxen in the world, and you can find them in zones like Stormheim, Kun-Lai Summit, Maldraxxus, and Howling Fjord.
Spectral Faedarters are part of the Lesser Dragonkin Hunter Pet family and they’re a worthwhile pet for PVE fans to check out. These Hunter Pets are part of the Ferocity family and have an ability that reduces magic damage taken.
While the ability to tame Lesser Dragonkin was a new feature for Dragonflight, the best model for this specific pet is actually found in Pandaria. Head to The Jade Forest and look in the areas West of Sri-La Village. They’re common spawns, so it shouldn’t take you too long.
Taming Lesser Dragonkin pets does require quite a bit of effort, as you’ll need to be Renown level 23 with the Valdrakken Accord in order to buy an item that teaches you the taming ability. This can take a while as Valdrakken Accord Renown is somewhat grindy, but it’s worth the effort as the Lesser Dragonkin pets are both cool and practical.
Best Hunter Pets for Soloing Old Content
Hunters are great for soloing old content, and there are some pets that can help make soloing old content even easier. All pets would be viable to some degree, of course, but these particular ones can help you to get an edge.
Stone Hounds are a great pick for Hunters who are looking to solo trickier older content. They’re only tameable by Beast Mastery Hunters, and they come with some incredible abilities. Stone Hounds are part of the Tenacity family tree.
Stone Armor activates when the Stone Hound goes below 40% health, mitigating 40% of incoming damage and healing it for 3% of its maximum health every second for 15 seconds. Stone Hounds also have the Eternal Guardian ability, which brings the pet back to life with full health.
You can find plenty of Stone Hounds in Revendreth, the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, and Krasarang Wilds. There are also plenty of other locations featuring rare, and some notable pets in dungeons and raids as well.
Clefthoofs are another pet type that you should consider if you want to take down old content quickly and efficiently. This is another Exotic tame, so only Beast Mastery Hunters will be able to get one.
Clefthoof Hunter Pets have the ability Thick Hide which kicks in when the pet falls below 40% health, giving 15 seconds of 60% reduced incoming damage. They also have the ability Blood of the Rhino, which gives them a 10% armor boost and a 20% boost to healing received.
There’s a specific Clefthoof from the Dragonflight expansion that stands out as being an exceptional pick for soloing old dungeons and raids, and it’s a good pick for current PVE too. This is the Ancient Plainstomper, which you can find Southwest of the Shikaar Highlands in the Ohn’ahran Plains in the Dragon Isles.
For non-Beast Mastery Hunters, Cats are a worthwhile pick for soloing old content. The combination of Catlike Reflexes (which boosts dodge chance by 30% for 20 seconds) and Prowl (for stealth attacks) makes them useful when tackling bosses and mobs.
You can find Cats in almost any zone in the game, too. There are almost 300 tameable Cats in the game, so it’s more about finding a model that you like if you’re not worried about finding a specific rare or raid boss.
What to Do Once You’ve Picked a Pet
Once you’ve figured out which kind of Hunter Pet is the best fit for you, take a look at what the best Hunter specs in Dragonflight are currently and see whether you want to change anything up. The most important thing is to play one that you enjoy, of course, but some specs perform better in specific areas than others.
If you’re unsure how to switch what kind of Hunter it is that you’re playing, then refresh yourself on how to change specialization, too. Dragonflight made the process of switching specs a lot easier and it’s great for quickly adjusting to tricky battles or quests.
