WoW Forever Hunter Pet Nerfs - What Changed
Hunter pets took two hits in week one: the November 9 ability nerfs and the November 10 health bug correction. Here are the exact numbers and what they mean for pet choice.
TL;DR: build 70450 (Nov 9) cut all three standout pet abilities - Dismember, Sonic Blast and Mine! - roughly halving their strength and doubling cooldowns. A day later, the pet-health bug fix dropped effective HP from 150% to 115%. Pets are still strong; they're just no longer doing other classes' jobs in PvP.
November 9 - ability nerfs (build 70450)
| Ability (pet) | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Dismember (Crocolisk) - healing reduction | 50% for 10 sec, 6 sec cooldown | 25% for 6 sec, 15 sec cooldown |
| Sonic Blast (Bat) - cast slow | 60% for 30 sec, 30 sec cooldown | 30% for 20 sec, 60 sec cooldown |
| Mine! (Monkey) - disarm | 4 sec, 60 sec cooldown | 3 sec, 90 sec cooldown |
Wowhead's read: the abilities were too close to Warrior/Warlock-style utility, and hunters were stacking too much control on top of pet damage - especially in PvP.
November 10 - the "health nerf" that was a bug fix
150% → 115% health
Pets were running at 150% of intended health due to a bug. The fix set them to 115% - players read it as a nerf because it's a big drop from what they were used to.
Partial compensation
Arcane Shot and Summon Hawk dropped to 11% base mana at every rank, and the Hawk's melee damage went up ~80%.
Warlock demons up
Same patch raised Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus and Incubus base health ~15%, and the Imp's first four Firebolt ranks hit harder.
FAQ
What hunter pet abilities were nerfed in WoW Forever?
Dismember (Crocolisk healing reduction), Sonic Blast (Bat cast slow) and Mine! (Monkey disarm) - all on November 9, plus a pet-health bug fix on November 10.
Is Dismember still worth using?
At 25% for 6 seconds it's a light debuff, not a healer-killer. Still fine to keep, but don't pick a Crocolisk for it alone.
Why did Blizzard nerf hunter pets?
Pet utility overlapped too heavily with other classes' signature tools, letting hunters dominate PvP exchanges. Blizzard said the abilities stay strong, just not class-replacing.
Did hunters get anything back?
Yes - cheaper Arcane Shot and Summon Hawk (11% base mana all ranks) and ~80% more Hawk melee damage in the Nov 10 class pass.