I love my Snookims

Hunters, we love out pets, right? And I'm not just talking about how much we love the Cat's DPS or the Boar's stun or the Gorilla's "please ignore that orc filling your face full of lead, pay attention to me!" AOE stomp aggro inducer. I'm talking about our unhealthy love for our animal companions.

I decided to try out a ravager (and I named the cute little hydralisk face-chewer "Snookims") and let Whiskers the Frostsaber Cub take a much needed rest in the stables. Now, I am in love with the little tyke who I'm raising to love eating mobs' faces. I think that skin is the most attractive cat skin out there, though the Springpaw [lynxskinyellow] skin is a close second. Yes, when I'm playing I make my own stories about my pets. Deal with it.

But there's a toss-up between a cat and a ravager speaking of pure DPS. Some hunters like that the ravager has a bit more armor and they swear by the Dash/Gore combo. Me? I liked the Dash/claw combo. But I was always put off by the ravager's look. I mean, that's why I used to play female toons (despite all of the offers to cyber and the A/S/L questions)- you're going to spend a lot of time looking at the back of your toon, so why not pick a toon that you're going to like looking at?

Claz, you need a girlfriend!

Shut up, you. Don't mess with my pseudo-sexual feelings for blood elves!

*cough* But hunters, we have another consideration to take into account- do you like the way your pet looks? Sure, the cat is a DPS monster and the Scorpid makes people cry in Arenas (so I've heard, I've never been), but does this DPS machine or tear-inducing poison flinger annoy you?

I don't care about looks, nooblet! I want the numbers and math! I want to squeeze out the very last fraction of DPS out of this pixelated extension of my ability to destroy other pixelated mobs who drop fake money and give me reputation with fictional groups of people that will give me the phat lootz that will give me bigger numbers so that even bigger numbers flash across my screen while I suck down Mt. Dew and Blazin' Buffalo & Ranch Doritos!

Ah, you totally fell into my trap, Mr. God-Among-Hunters! Mwa-ha-ha! For me, Warcraft isn't an extension of my Epeen. For me, Warcraft is a way for me to escape for a few hours the drudgery of everyday life. I like to play Warcraft. It's fun. It's fantasy. And to me, having an annoying pet just because he does 0.054% more damage just isn't worth it.

Take a look at the Scorpid. This thing freaks the hell out of me. And I will never have a spider pet. Never. Spiders are the embodiment of Satan's ability to affect the world. Why would I want to spend the hours I play Warcraft looking at something that gives me the heeby-jeebies?

C'Mon, Claz. Is the Ravager more attractive? I mean... look at it- it's so alien and gross and it's shriek is like nails across the chalkboard!

Yes. I know. And the cat is beautiful and it roars majestically and I will probably never get rid of Mr. Whiskers. But, my god, that ravager is just freaking cool looking! I love the animations when it attacks. And, get ready for the geek-out, the idea that this thing that looks like it is built to pounce on something, gore it a couple times and then rip out it's intestines to have a bit of a snack will consider Claz as it's best friend is just... I don't know. I just get off on it a little (weird statement, especially when you consider what I was saying about Blood Elves above).

Wait a minute! I read your post about raids and how you need to change your playstyle to fit into a raid, you military-wanna-be!

Math time!

• Ravager: Best Stat: Damage (DPS: +10%, AR: +5%, HP: -7%)


• Cat: Best Stat: Damage (DPS: +10%, AR: +0%, HP: -2%)

So, the DPS bonus is the same, the ravager has more armor but less health.

• Claw (Rank 9): Claw the enemy, causing 54 to 76 damage. 25 focus.


• Gore (Rank 9): Gores the enemy, causing 37 to 61 damage. This attack has a 50% chance to inflict double damage. 25 focus.

So, Claw and Gore are equivalent cost- and proc-wise. But look at that sweetness of the double damage chance with Gore. That means 50% of the time, Snookims will be doing 55.5 - 91.5 damage.

I'll probably follow BRK's guide to Wow Web Stats and get the actual numbers and make a more informed choice. But I think I have the time to do the testing and level them both to 70 (with myself along the way, of course) and then take a good long look. But until then, I'm still liking the idea of the ravager snuggling up to Claz at night.

Besides, have you seen them swim?