Or are they just 'odd' looking? I mean I'd rather have different types of poo snake, rock elemental, muddy statue and tree trunks rather than skeletons, skeletons and more skeletons... same thing with mage pets... our pets are all around 'better' looking. I have seen some people saying that they can't stand the way conjy's pets look and so they betrayed. Well, since I have a necro, I got to admit that not only all necro's pets look the same, even all their spell animations are the same: Pandemic = Soulrot = Bloodcloud (except it's a halo) = Lifetap (except it's spiraled). Anyone getting a hang of this?
With a few exceptions, I've always thought the exact opposite: necros have better looking pets than conjurors. I do have a few favorite conjuror pet appearances though. Old Earthen Avatar 1 and 5 (appearances no longer exist) Current EA 1, 5, 8, 9 (Master ranks) Current Fiery Magician 4, 5 (Master ranks) And as ugly as it is, the old grape ape has a special place in my heart.
In general I like the t9 pets but I will say I miss my slutty biker chick (the t4 or 5 warlock necro pet) and my hot vampire chick.
As people said, AA makes a HUGE difference. I recently logged into my 50ish necro with nearly no AA and was really blown away by how quickly his master tank pet went down compared to my conji main with lots of AA. I'd say grind for a while, and your problems will go away.