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The pet battle system is a turn-based combat game within World of Warcraft which allows players to raise their companions’ level up to 25, capture wild pets by defeating them and challenge other players to start a battle.

If you still don’t get the hang of it let me tell you that the system is very similar to Pokemon‘s.

Just like in the world of Pokemon, the difference between winning and losing lies in the quality of your battle pet and its abilities.

For that matter, you can’t just use Uncommon quality battle pets with basic abilities to defeat the powerful pets in the Celestial Tournament.

The first and most important step you have to take is to go out there, in the wilderness, and capture one or many of the best pets that are available in the game.

It is worth mentioning that not every companion has the ability of defeating the strongest of foes and that’s why you should know which are the battle pets worth taming.

Becoming a flawless pet master is not that easy. You need to have patience, some skills, and most of all, powerful battle pets.

While the first two come with practice, the latter doesn’t.

Knowing which battle pets are currently at the top of the ranks can be a bit frustrating also due to the fact that there are more than 1.000 battle pets and giving each one a try often turns out to be a waste of time.

Have no worries ’cause I got you covered!

In this article I go through some easy steps that will get you closer to becoming a master of battle pets:

Reveal the 9 must have battle pets

How to find and capture them

Expose some wombo-combos that can easily dominate your opponents

Bear in mind that the battle pets in the following list are in random order – their position within the list does not reflect their power level. The effectiveness of the pets within the list varies depending on what combination of pets you and your opponent have.

1. The Unborn Val’kyr

The Unborn Val’kyr is believed to be one of the 3 most powerful battle pets in the game and maybe this is one of the reasons it’s the all-time most searched battle pet on WoWHead.

Spawn Locations

The Unborn Val’kyr is widely known as hard to find due to its low respawn rate.

It can be found only in the icy lands of Northrend – Borean Tundra, Howling Fjord, Dragonblight, Sholazar Basin, Grizzly Hills, Zul’Drak, Storm Peaks, Icecrown and Crystalsong Forest.

The following coordinates have been gathered and can be used in-game with the help of TomTom addon.

In order to properly use the coordinates below, create a macro and copy-paste them into it. Exempli gratia:

/way Borean Tundra 47.8, 7.9

Borean Tundra Howling Fjord Dragonblight Sholazar Basin Grizzly Hills Zul’Drak Storm Peaks Icecrown Crystalsong Forest /way Borean Tundra 47.8, 7.9 /way Howling Fjord 71.9, 43.1 /way Dragonblight 82, 66 /way Sholazar Basin 58.5, 22.0 /way Grizzly Hills 62, 18 /way Zul’Drak 57.0, 39.8 /way Storm Peaks 42.5, 78.5 /way Icecrown 47.9, 86.6 /way Crystalsong Forest 18.6, 57.0 /way Borean Tundra 80, 49 /way Howling Fjord 46, 42 /way Dragonblight 26.9, 54.1 /way Sholazar Basin 44.47, 69.5 /way Grizzly Hills 79.60, 51.7 /way Zul’Drak 75, 22 /way Storm Peaks 65, 41 /way Icecrown 73.8, 64.5 /way Crystalsong Forest 43.3, 44.0 /way Borean Tundra 32.7, 60.1 /way Howling Fjord 68.10, 67.8 /way Dragonblight 65.0, 35.0 /way Sholazar Basin 36.8, 19.4 /way Grizzly Hills 26, 57 /way Zul’Drak 24.3, 63.7 /way Storm Peaks 29.0, 50.0 /way Icecrown 43, 33 /way Crystalsong Forest 67.8, 49.5

If you feel overwhelmed by all these coordinates and can’t figure out where the locations appear on the map, have no fear ’cause I got you covered!

Here is a map which guides you through all the spawn locations of the Unborn Val’kyr known to date:

Unfortunately, the respawn timer for this battle pet is currently unknown, but some say that it is between 2 hours and 6 hours.

Fun fact: as far as I know, the Unborn Val’kyr is the only pet in the game that can resurrect critters from death. If you want to find more about the resurrection animation along with explained details of pet’s abilities, head over to Mistels Pet Battle’s video on Youtube:

Wombo-Combo

Once you capture the pet you want to put it to the test and abuse its powerful abilities so you can enjoy victory while your opponent is going nuts.

Sounds pretty satisfying, right?

Now you might wonder what other pets should your team consist of.

From my point of view, the Unborn Val’kyr goes outstandingly well with Nexus Whelpling and Lil’ Ragnaros.

Lil’ Ragnaros is, unfortunately, a pet that can only be obtained by purchasing him from the In-Game Shop.

Although, there is no big deal if you cannot afford buying him because the Feline Familiar can replace him quite well.

Make sure you make the best of it until Legion hits because there have been made several changes to the pet battle system which will impact the performance of many battle pets.

The Undead racial will be notably nerfed, as the blue note follows:





2. Anubisath Idol

Another must have battle pet is the Anubisath Idol. It is widely used today as the front-man of the team, tamers usually send it first into battle due to its great damage mitigation.

Despite its resilience, its punches are like Chuck Norris’.

Anubisath Idol drops off of Emperor Vek’lor in Temple of Ahn’Quiraj and has 14% drop chance.

He is also one of the battle pets listed in the Raiding with Leashes achievement , which rewards Mr.Bigglesworth.

If you don’t have enough time to farm the pet or you simply hate farming, there is another way of getting it.

You can find Anubisath Idol at the Auction House and the average price is somewhere between 4.000 and 9.000 gold, depending on the quality.

Wombo-combo

Due to its ability to effectively nullify many pets attacks with Sandstorm and Deflection, I think Anubisath Idol makes a great team with Stunted Direhorn and Unborn Va’kyr/Crawling Claw or Kun-Lai Runt.

If you’re going for the following setup: Anubisath Idol, Stunted Direhorn and Kun-Lai Runt, make sure you use the following abilities:

Anubisath Idol – Crush, Sandstorm, Deflection

Stunted Direhorn – Trihorn Charge, Horn Attack, Primal Cry

Kun-Lai Runt: Takedown, Frost Shock, Deep Freeze

3. Xu-Fu, Cub of Xuen

One of the most underused, yet extremely powerful battle pets is Xu-Fu, Cub of Xuen.

He can be acquired from Master Li for only 3x Celestial Coins. A bargain I would say, given its potential.

The Celestial Coin is awarded for winning the Celestial Tournament and it is a weekly quest called The Celestial Tournament.

Fun fact: Xu-Fu sits on the lap of his owner, as if his adorable appearance wasn’t enough.

Wombo-combo

I have been using Xu-Fu as a main pet for some time and I can say he makes a hell of a team with Pandaren Water Spirit and Chrominius.

Some people might say that this set-up would be kind of messy for PvP but the numbers do not lie. I have a score of 34-8 with this team and it went pretty good for me.

4. Graves

Escaped from the depth of the Haunted Mines (Heroes of the Storm), this tiny abomination made of skulls and bones will wreak havoc among your enemies.

Graves can be obtained from the special Heroes of the Storm promotion, Heroes of the Storm, just like the Heartsteed mount from Hearthstone promotion, Hearthstoned.

To collect this pet, you must achieve player level 20 in Heroes of the Storm.

I leveled my account up to level 20 in just 14 hours of playtime. I strongly suggest grouping up with a friend because you will receive 50% more XP.

Then, you will receive Graves in a mail from Breanni with the following message:

“We found this little “thing” wandering around the Duskwood Cemetery, collecting skulls. Being the Harbinger of death and destruction that you are, we thought you’d be the perfect owner of this tiny macabre monstruosity!”

Awwwh! This is one of the cutest messages involving abominations made out of the bones of dead creatures I’ve ever read.

Although the Undead racial will be considerably nerfed in Legion, Graves will receive an additional painfuly blow of nerfs, as the blue post follows:

If even the developers have said that Graves is overpowered, then this is an additional reason Graves is a must-have battle pet. Go download Heroes of the Storm, ding level 20 on your account, get Graves and PROFIT (while you can)!

Wombo-combo

Graves is one of my favorites pets in PvP due to the fact that nowadays I usually encounter opponents with 1 or 2 Humanoids in their team composition, which makes my heart skip a beat because the moment I see Humanoids, I see VICTORY and I’m 100% sure that my Graves will make them regret they were born.

Thanks to his powerful abilities, Graves can easily team up with almost any kind of battle pet.

However, to give you an example I use the following team set-up: Graves, Stunted Direhorn and Kun-Lai Runt.

Legion draws near, so make sure you make the best of Graves.

By the way, this name fits him perfectly!





5. Kun-Lai Runt

Finally, the mighty, hairy and powerful Yeti… I mean… Runt of Kun-Lai has come to the list.

As you saw early on, the Kun-Lai Runt is one of my top favorites battle pets. I use him everyday to defeat the Garrison daily quest pets, which is a reason why I mentioned him so many times in this post (and because he’s badass).

The Kun-Lai Runt can be found in the northern mountains of Kun-Lai Summit in Pandaria.

Here are the coordinates:

Kun-Lai Summit

30.2, 55.8 36.6, 50.2 45.8, 42.2 52.4, 57.0 33.2, 57.0 37.6, 48.8 46.6, 45.2 52.8, 47.2 33.2, 55.6 38.8, 52.4 47.0, 48.0 55.0, 44.2 33.4, 53.6 39.2, 54.6 49.0, 44.4 56.6, 44.6 34.6, 49.8 40.2, 46,4 50.4, 53.8 57.8, 48.4 35.4, 54.0 43.0, 48.6 51.8, 55.2 59.0, 48.0 35.6, 55.2 43.8, 44.6 50.8, 57.0 58.2, 50.2

Fun fact: Kun-Lai Runt makes loud stomping sounds when following you around, and he almost constantly roars (maybe because he is always hungry?!).

Wombo-combo

Just like Graves, Kun-lai Runt is pretty powerful in PvP and he can almost solo many Pet Tamers and even Legendary pets such as Skitterer Xi’a and Lucky Yi.

He can fit in many set-ups but my all favourite is the following:

Direhorn Runt, Anubisath Idol, and Kun-Lai Runt.

With this set-up you will encounter no problems in defeating the daily pets in your Garrison and they have great resilience in PvP too. My recent score was 23-11 which is pretty good.

6. Pandaren Water Spirit

This cute little felow is one of the four Elemental pets rewarded on completion of Pandaren Spirit Tamer, quest which can be started in the Vale of Eternal Blossom.

Pandaren Water Spirit was one of the strongest and reliable battle pets back in Mists of Pandaria and has been nerfed a number of times since, but he still is a must have pet even today.

While he’s kind of weak in terms of his ability to take a hit, having powerful spells like Dive, Whirlpool and Geyser, makes him one of those pets that can turn the game around all of a sudden.

Wombo-combo

Pandaren Water Spirit can get along pretty well with a plethora of battle pets such as Lil’ Ragnaros, Chrominius, Anubisath Idol, Son of Sethe, Kun-Lai Runt, Dancing Water Skimmer, Unborn Va’kyr, Direhorn Runt and the list can go on…

7. Son of Sethe

Majestic name. Sounds like he’s up to something. And he is.

Son of Sethe can be obtained for the cost of 2000 Apexis Crystals and 1000 gold from the Arrakoa Outcasts at Revered reputation, in Stormshield (Alliance) and Warspear (Horde).

Let me tell you why you must clench your teeth and get that Revered reputation with Arakkoa Outcasts as fast as possible.

This pet has massive healing abilities which also drain the life out of his enemies. I’ve won dozens of PvP and PvE pet battles thanks to this emissary of blood and destruction.

Wombo-combo

Son of Sethe can get like a house on fire with a multitude of pets like Ore Eater, Fel Flame, Blighted Squirrel, and other pets mentioned early in the post.

8. Chuck

Chuck is a tiny cute crocolisk who can devour many Elemental Pets.

Just make sure you use Rip + Devour and Surge and your little Chuck turns into a one-stop Elemental killing shop.

Chuck is a reward from the quest Crocolisks in the City and is contained within Bag of Fishing Treasures

Having him around may sometimes turn out to be dangerous, as he starts to bite whenever he smells blood stain.

Chuck, like his brothers, Snarly, Muckbreath and Toothy, is an extremely good battle pet versus Elemental and pets without stun or intensive crowd control abilities.

Most of the times you will not get to do two full spell rotations (Rip + Devour => Rip + Devour) because Chuck isn’t tanky enough, but his damage compensates the lack of HP.

Wombo-combo

When it comes to team composition, Chuck has always had a place in my battle pet set-ups, especially whenever I do the Garrison dailies or fighting any kind of Elemental pets encountered in the wilderness.

To give you an example, Chuck has always worked out pretty good for me every time I teamed him with Direhorn Runt and Kun’lai Runt. This combination has always been one of the strongest set-up I’ve ever used, especially when the opposing team had an Elemental.





9. Emerald Proto-Whelp

This beautiful drake can be found across the shores of Northrend, around the Savage Thicket in northern Sholazar Basin.

Emerald Proto-Whelp is most likely one of the strongest Dragonkin pets you will ever have. His Emerald Dream combined with Emerald Presence makes him one of the toughest pets to defeat.

Even though he is a bit slow, his sustainability and big damage compensate for the lack of speed.

The Emerald Proto-Whelp spawns only in the Savage Thicket, Sholazar Basin, and has a huge and randomized spawn timer. That means he will not spawn on server restart.

Many people claimed that killing everything around the Savage Thicket forces Emerald Proto-Whelp to spawn.

This is NOT true.

However, capturing other pets that are around and inside the Savage Thicket may trigger the spawn of Emerald Proto-Whelp.

Even though I’ve had this pet for a long time, I figured I could try this method out and see if it works and the answer is affirmative. It does work, just have patience and defeat the battle pets around and inside the Savage Thicket.

Wombo-combo

This powerful dragonling can fit in almost every set-up. Use your imagination and make the best of it!

BONUS

10. Iron Starlette

The Iron Starlette was introduced in the game in the Warlords of Draenor pre-patch and since then it is on rolling spree.

As far as I know, this pet can still be obtained by completing the Report to the King / Warning the Warchief quest.

This pet is a rolling STAR! Just use Wind-Up, Supercharge, Wind-Up and BHAM! your opponent is dead.

However, Iron Starlette takes a pretty high amount of damage, especially from Elemental abilities, so make sure you have enough time to complete a full spell round (Wind-Up > Supercharge > Wind-Up) in order for it to be effective.

By collecting all these pets, you will have a greater chance of winning in PvE and PvP pet battles and the Legendary ones will be a piece of cake.

What are the best pets in your opinion and how do you make the best of them?