WoW Forever Hunter Pet Happiness and Feeding Guide

Hunters get much of their power from their pets, and in WoW Forever that power is tied to a small system many players ignore until something goes wrong: pet happiness.

This guide explains what happiness does, how to feed your pet, what lowers it, and how the system behaves in the beta right now. Where beta-era guides and player reports disagree, we say so instead of guessing, because details can change before launch on November 4.

The short version

• Happiness affects how much damage your pet deals.
• You raise it with Feed Pet, which you learn during the level 10 pet questline.
• Pet death and Dismiss Pet lower it.
• A freshly tamed pet starts unhappy, so feed it right away.
• Players report that happiness is forgiving in the beta, but you shouldn't count on that staying true after launch.

How happiness affects your pet

Your pet has three happiness states, and each one changes how much damage it deals:

These values were checked in the beta and may change at launch. Guides also say an unhappy pet can lose loyalty, which matters for the training points covered below.

Getting Feed Pet

You can't feed a pet you don't have yet, so it helps to know where the ability comes from. In the beta:

1. At level 10, your Hunter trainer in your starting zone offers the first pet quest.
2. After a series of taming quests, you learn Tame Beast, Call Pet and Dismiss Pet.
3. A follow-up quest sends you to another trainer, who teaches Beast Training, Feed Pet and Revive Pet.

Tame Beast is a channeled ability, so pick a quiet target and avoid pulling extra enemies while you channel.

Hunters also have a new pet family to try in Forever: the Fox. Browse every family on our Hunter pets page, including the new Fox.

How to feed your pet

• Use Feed Pet on your active pet. You can't do it in combat.
• Hover over the pet's happiness icon to see which foods it accepts.
• Each pet family eats specific food types. One guide gives examples such as meat for wolves and fish for crocolisks.
• A pet will refuse food it doesn't eat. If it refuses, check the diet for that family.
• Food closer to your pet's level restores more happiness, so don't feed a high-level pet low-level scraps.
• A newly tamed pet starts unhappy, so feed it as soon as you learn Feed Pet.

What lowers happiness

• Pet death. A dead pet loses a significant amount of happiness and needs Revive Pet.
• Dismiss Pet. Dismissing your pet costs 50 happiness, so don't dismiss it for convenience.
• Time without feeding. Guides describe happiness as slowly decaying, though see the next sections for what players report in the beta.

Loyalty and training points

Happiness is connected to loyalty. Guides describe loyalty as growing while your pet is happy and fighting alongside you. As loyalty grows, your pet gains access to more training points, which you spend on new abilities and ranks through Beast Training.

The practical lesson is that a pet that stays happy gets stronger faster. One guide also warns that an unhappy pet at the lowest loyalty level can run away, so don't leave a new tame unfed.

What the beta is doing right now

Sources don't fully agree on how happiness behaves in the beta:

• One guide describes happiness as decaying over time, but notes a beta bug where it only drops when the pet dies.
• Players on the official forums report that feeding mostly matters after taming or reviving a pet, and that resting in an inn or city restores happiness immediately.
• Several players feel the system is too trivial to matter, and some suggest feeding bonuses or other changes. Those are suggestions, not announced changes.
• Blizzard's Hunter class overview doesn't discuss happiness or feeding at all, so there is no official statement of how it should work at launch.

What this means for you: feed a fresh tame, check the icon after reviving your pet, avoid needless dismissals, and be ready for the system to change.

Pet stats and buffs

Blizzard's Forever Hunter overview confirms a few pet changes that matter more than happiness for most players:

• Pets gain stats from your Hunter's gear, so upgrading your gear also strengthens your pet.
• Pets can no longer receive player buffs that raise their stats.
• Pets can serve as a tank in solo and small-group play.

If you're building a leveling Hunter, read our best Hunter pets for leveling, then plan your talents in the Hunter talent calculator or the Beast Mastery guide.

FAQ

Does pet happiness matter in WoW Forever? Yes. It affects pet damage, and guides link it to loyalty and training points. In the beta, however, players report that it is easy to keep up.

When do Hunters get a pet? The pet questline starts at level 10 with your Hunter trainer.

Can I feed my pet in combat? No. Feed it between fights.

What happens if my pet is unhappy? It deals less damage, and guides say it can lose loyalty. Feed it to bring happiness back up.

Does Dismiss Pet lower happiness? Dismissing a pet costs 50 happiness, so avoid dismissing it unless you need to.

What food does my pet eat? It depends on the pet family. Hover over the happiness icon in game to see the foods your pet accepts.

For a full overview of the class, see the Hunter guide and the Hunter abilities page.

Pet happiness details are based on the WoW Forever beta, community guides and player reports. They may change before or after the November 4 launch, and we'll update this page when they do.