Before the last patch I would use my pet to tank all the time. I did CoV progression with my pet tanking for 3 different alts. Group 1 Bst / Chanter and 2 healer mercs Group 2 Bst / Cleric and 2 healer merc ( I was lazey and just didn't want to tab to heal ) Group 3 Bst / New alt and 2 Healer merc. In all 3 cases I was playing the bst and just using 2 merc to heal my pet. This is the same thing I ran in ToV and TBL as well and never had issue with the pet tanking before. After this last patch my pet had been falling over dead. I had to increase the healing to him by loading my own pet heal. Something I used to never need before. With the new alt I have return to ToV and even in ToV my pet is going splat. I have the new CoV raid EM and so my pet should be stronger then it was in ToV but yet it not. I had no issue before this last patch but something changed. I know proc were changed and so maybe pet not procing the def rune like it was before ? Other I talked with have said there pet are more squishy as well. Also some have said pets are not holding aggro like they used to. So again I know runes are great way to get aggro. So again I think the change to proc has had a side effect that cause pets to become squishy. Maybe it something else but in any case I feel like pets have been nerfed intend or not.
People are misunderstanding the proc change. The only thing that changed is that an additional focus limit (SPA 497) was added to specific proc foci. It wasn't an across the board change or a code change. Spells that did not have their data changed work the same as before the patch, and anyhow all pet procs are melee procs (which aren't foci to begin with). I haven't noticed any change in Mage pets. Anecdotal evidence is a good start, but to figure out what changed, if anything, you really need parses. That can definitely be hard if you don't have pre-patch data, but hopefully you or someone else does.
I haven't noticed any difference with my pet. He was tanking for my group in WW last night and did just fine.
Are you guys using the Restless Ry`gorr merc healers or the Othmir mercs ? they are having issues healing ..
I tried 6 different merc and pet is still getting one rounded in places he never had issue in before.
I do not. never kept logs for a long time because I never had a need. Thing I know have changed are: Merc AA have gone up. Pet EM has gone up Yet I had to resummon my pet more in the last week then in the last 2 years.
Feel the same. Playing 55-56 Necro lately, same area (AAing) for a long time, same spells, same pet, same always trying to put full phantom plate on it, minimum, or defiant drops if I have them, and proccing weapons if possible. Seems to have changed recently. No I don't have logs. Seems like it's worse with it's survivability based on the stats it gets from gear. Do you put gear on pet? I understand fully about the recent procs proccing procs change, this isn't that, but my pet does also seem to proc weapons less now. Velium weapons and others. Also unblocked Celestial Healing, as either pet was needing more or healer was also sucking more lately.
I should not have said anything, silly me. Necromancer pets have classes, some are War, some Rog, and well, at the exact level I was talking about my pet was a...Monk. I guess the monk did not benefit from plate, rather it weighed it down? Or it took the plate and said "thanks" but didn't actually equip it? No it seemed to equip and get worse. <shrug> At any rate this applies to Beast pets I'm thinking, none at all. Sorry for the intrusion.
ya I been out taunting my pet for years. Taunt gear helps but is often not worth the effort to get it. I just used playing possum more each time I hit 80+ on the aggro meter FD will drop aggro of you and pet but PP just drops you so helps with you want pet to keep aggro.
There is only the one monk pet. there is a rogue pet and a warrior pet each 5 levels, The warrior pet is the lower level spell for the level spread. Your pet class makes absolutely no difference on what gear your pet can use. There's a few threads in the Caster subforum that give some good advice on pet gear. it's mostly gear towards end game but it can be used to guide you. I usually just give low level pets random defiant gear. If your pet can't use an item it will give it back. This has not always been true but it is now. Pets do not care about the "lore" tag and can use two of the same item even if lore. Pets are fine, my pet with max AA, EM28, and standard 115 mage gear is tanking and holding aggro just like it did before CoV.
What zone are you hunting in? Some of the more popular/large zones like GD and FM my pet has a hard time keeping agro, but generally unless I've turned on a couple burn AAs or I've loaded up all three DoTs my pet doesn't lose agro. But I also use debilitating bite instead of the spirit of proc line, always have hobble of spirits on, and have the 2.0 clicky which procs a bunch.
