At its core, pet battles in World of Warcraft turn the simple task of collecting companions into a fully-fledged turn-based game, akin to JRPG systems like in the Pokemon franchise. For many players, pet battles still feel like a new and confusing feature, even though it's been a mainstay of the game's side content since Mists of Pandaria.
Many world quests require the player to battle pets with a trainer, and there are lots of daily and holiday quests that take advantage of the system, too. With dozens of new pets added to the game in the Shadowlands expansion, it's the perfect time for a refresher on the basics of World of Warcraft's best minigame.
10 Players Must Train For Pet Battles
To start battling pets, the player must first train the skill at any of the battle pet trainers located throughout Azeroth. The battle pet trainer teaches the basics of the combat system and introduces the battle pet progression system too.
It's not expensive – even a new character can easily afford the meager sum required – and grants the skill to every character on the account, including future ones.
9 Just About Every Companion Pet Can Be Battled
There are very few pets that cannot be battled. Most pets that are excluded from the system are special rewards that wouldn't necessarily fit into the combat system established. The Horde and Alliance balloons, for example, don't work as battle pets.
Other than a select few, though, pets acquired through quests, rewards, and secrets are all usable as battle pets.
8 A Battle Pet Team Has Three Slots, Eventually
When the player first trains for pet battles, they only have one slot available in their team. As their primary pet gains experience and levels up, more slots become available for more pets on the team.
When the primary pet reaches level 3, the second slot is unlocked. When the pet reaches level 5, the last slot opens up, allowing for a full team of pets ready to do combat.
7 Each Pet Has A Type Assigned To It...
Every battle pet in World of Warcraft has its own unique type. The type usually corresponds with the pet's appearance – engineering pets count as Mechanical, while turtles are Aquatic, for example.
Each type has special abilities only that type has access to. Undead battle pets can use the Drain Blood skill, while Critters can Stampede, for instance.
6 ...And Each Type Is Strong Against Another
Just like in Pokemon, each type has its particular strengths and weaknesses. The complexity of World of Warcraft's pet battle system inspired several content creators to make detailed graphs and charts to help others understand the pet types that work against other pet types.
When the player hovers over the type of each battle pet they will see what that type is weak against (and takes 50% more damage) and what it is strong against (and deals 33% more damage against).
5 Wild Pets Can Be Caught
Battle pets aren't exclusive to questing and vendors. In fact, the vast majority can be caught out in the wildernesses of Azeroth and beyond. The player can initiate a pet battle with any critter with a green paw over its head.
When the wild pet is weakened, the player can use any of the traps they have to capture and add them to their collection. The cage isn't 100% effective, though, and wild pets can still break out of them if they aren't weakened enough – additionally, it will lose one level when caught.
4 Players Phase Out When Pet Battling, Usually
In most areas of World of Warcraft, initiating a pet battle sends the player and their opponent to a new layer of the realm, hidden from everyone nearby. This is even true for PvP servers, but it does have one catch: it doesn't work in outdoor PvP designated areas like Wintergrasp and Tol Barad.
Instead, if the player is attacked during a pet battle in one of these designated areas, they get a shield for three seconds and will disengage from the pet battle. The pet respawns if the player survives the encounter.
3 Battle Pets Can Be Revived in 3 Ways
If the team isn't doing so well and needs to be healed, there are three ways to heal them. The first is to use the Revive Battle Pets spell, in the top right of the pet battles screen, on a long cooldown. The second is to talk to a pet battle trainer who can heal the entire team for a small fee.
The third way to revive battle pets is to use a Battle Pet Bandage, which can be obtained by defeating trainers. These have a random drop chance, though, and aren't reliable if the player doesn't have any on hand at all.
2 The Max Battle Pet Level Is 25
The maximum level a battle pet can get to is level 25, at which point it will stop gaining experience. These battle pets are generally best for end-game questing and daily objectives, where a strong well-rounded team is often required.
Pets can be upgraded in rarity to increase their power too by using a battle stone, going up to rare and epic quality. This increases the pet's overall stats and scales with their level.
1 Pet Battles Offer Unique Quests And Collectibles
Pet battles are the most well-known side content available in World of Warcraft, and mastery of the system yields some pretty neat rewards too. The achievements Abhorrent Adversaries of the Afterlife rewards the player with a Winterlead Spriggan, while the achievement Battle in the Shadowlands gives the player a Mawsworn Pet Leash toy.
World quests and unique quests across the Shadowlands yield great rewards for the avid pet battler too. Pet battles are an easy way to gain some rep with the different factions of the afterlife and a great way to spend time waiting in the dungeon queue.