I have a fixation on pets! -

Preamble

If I was streaming now and you asked me which class should you play in the MMO that I was streaming, my answer would always be the same – the one that you enjoy the most.

However, I myself would ask my own community what I should play, not actually taking onboard my own advice. I floundered around trying to play a different class. From being a tank to the healer, never really finding the niche I fitted into. But then, it suddenly dawned on me. I was a pet master!

Being a solo player

I’m not sure why, but I’ve always been a solo player. Although I’m quite happy to team up to complete dungeons or events, I remain quite shy and rarely join trials or team up on Discord. While my brother, Chugawuga on Twitch, has community events and servers, I just continue by myself enjoying the game as a solo player. I think this is where my love of pet classes comes in.

One of the reasons I enjoyed playing Star Wars the Old Republic so much was that I had a constant companion with me. If I was tanking, they would heal and if I was healing they would tank. It was like the perfect combination!

But when there is no companion available within the MMO I like to revert to having a pet, but it has to have some qualities!

Have you read…
Finding my own tempo
The Gibbering GM: Character Complexities
All about my ‘watch’
Keeping people informed

Taunt, taunt, taunt!

One of the most important qualities I want from a pet is the ability to taunt. I mainly play spell users and there is nothing I hate more than standing toe to toe with a mob and having to try and cast spells while being hit and possibly interrupted. There are some classes that I can cope with it happening for example the discipline priest in World of Warcraft. Here I can keep my shield up so the mobs are just whacking the shield rather than me as I cast spells.

Some games have a pet, but they are not able to taunt. I have struggled with Black Desert Online because of this. Although the Tamer, Witch and Wizard all have pets, their ability to taunt and keep the mobs off me is sadly lacking, or I haven’t perfected the skill to employ their taunt yet. The Tamer needs to be up close and personal in any case, which goes against all my instincts. For me, it is better to keep at a distance! Why? Well, there is less distance to run when things get dangerous or fail!

Classes like the sorcerer and warden from Elder Scrolls Online and the Warlock and Hunter from World of Warcraft have the perfect combinations of fighting style and pet. I can stay at a distance and fire spells or missiles while my pet taunts and keeps the mob busy. And, if another mob decides to join our fray, I can just redirect the pet you taunt the new arrival while finishing off the original mob. It is like multitasking, something that I also enjoy!

No pets available!

When there are no pet classes available, this doesn’t mean that I will leave or never start to play the game. I do have some other criteria that I like to have in order to feel comfortable playing the games.

Range is important. I’m no good to close up and personal. I’ve tried it and failed. Although I am happy to charge into combat, I’m not very good and responding quickly enough to attacks or knowing when to run for it. Reaction times at my age are not that good!

The other thing I look for in a class is the ability to heal. I take so much damage while I am playing that I usually need some way to heal before the end of the battle. In some games, you can rest or eat after the combat in order to recover which I am happy to do, but if there is no way of healing after the combat has finished then I definitely need a self-heal so I can top myself up before the next battle.

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