Pet Management and Strategies — EverQuest Guide

Improve your combat efficiency in EverQuest with advanced pet management tactics, summoning, and essential gear for your summoned companion.

For classes that rely on summoned companions, effective pet management is crucial for survival and maximizing your combat efficiency in EverQuest. This detailed guide will cover summoning, command basics, advanced tactics, and essential gear considerations for your loyal minion.

Summoning Your Companion

Summoning a pet is your first step. The spell you use will depend on your class and level. For example:

• Magicians: Begin with spells like Summon Fire Elemental (Level 8), Summon Earth Elemental (Level 12), and later progress to more powerful versions like Greater Summon Fire Elemental.
• Necromancers: Utilize spells such as Summon Skeleton (Level 4), Summon Zombie (Level 8), and eventually Summon Corpse.
• Enchanters: Their pets are typically charmed creatures rather than summoned, requiring careful management of the Charm spell and its duration.

Always ensure you have the necessary components for your summoning spell. For elemental pets, this often includes items like a Fire Beetle Eye for fire elementals or a Chunk of Granite for earth elementals. These can be purchased from reagent vendors in major cities like the Bazaar or collected from specific mob drops.

Basic Pet Commands

Understanding and utilizing pet commands is fundamental. These commands are typically accessed via hotkeys or the pet window.

• /pet attack: Directs your pet to engage your current target. This is your primary offensive command.
• /pet back off: Commands your pet to disengage from combat and return to your side. Essential for pulling or repositioning.
• /pet guard here: Your pet will stand its ground and attack any hostile creature that comes within range. Useful for protecting a specific spot or preventing aggro on yourself.
• /pet follow: Your pet will follow you closely. This is the default state outside of combat.
• /pet sit: Your pet will sit down, regenerating health and mana faster. Use this between pulls.
• /pet report: Provides a status update on your pet's health and current target.

Pro Tip: Create hotkeys for your most frequently used pet commands. This allows for quick reactions in dynamic combat situations.

Advanced Pet Tactics

Beyond the basics, advanced tactics can significantly enhance your pet's effectiveness and your overall group's performance.

Aggro Management

Pets generate aggro just like players. Understanding how to manage this is key.

• Pet Taunt: Some pet classes, particularly Magicians, have access to pet taunt spells (e.g., Burnout for Magicians). Use these strategically to pull aggro off squishier group members or to hold a mob in place.
• Chain Pulling: For classes like Necromancers, sending your pet to pull a single mob while you remain out of aggro range is a common and safe pulling method. Use /pet attack on the desired target, then /pet back off once it's on its way to you.
• Off-Tanking: In groups without a dedicated tank, a well-geared and buffed pet can often serve as an effective off-tank, especially against lower-damage mobs or adds.

Pet Buffing and Healing

Your pet benefits greatly from buffs and healing, just like any other group member.

• Self-Buffs: Always apply your class-specific pet buffs (e.g., Magician's Mend Companion, Necromancer's Scent of Terris). These significantly boost your pet's stats and survivability.
• Group Buffs: Encourage your group's Clerics, Druids, and Shaman to buff your pet with spells like Symbol of Naltron, Spirit of the Wolf, or Regeneration.
• Healing: Keep an eye on your pet's health. Use your pet healing spells (e.g., Magician's Mend Companion, Necromancer's Lifetap spells on the pet's target) or direct heals from group members. Remember that pets often have lower magic resistance than players, making them susceptible to damage over time effects.

Pet Positioning

Where your pet stands can be as important as what it attacks.

• Melee DPS Pets: Position melee pets behind the target to avoid frontal parries and blocks, maximizing their damage output.
• Ranged DPS Pets: If your pet has a ranged attack (e.g., some Magician pets), position them away from the main tank to avoid unnecessary aggro and allow them to cast freely.
• Line of Sight (LoS): Be mindful of LoS for your pet. If it can't see its target, it won't attack. This is particularly important in dungeons with winding corridors or obstacles.

Pet Gearing (Magicians Only)

Magicians have the unique ability to equip their elemental pets with weapons and armor, significantly increasing their effectiveness.

• Summoned Weapons: Magicians can summon specific weapons for their pets. Examples include:
  • Summon Dagger of Symbols (Level 20): A basic summoned dagger.
  • Summon Sword of Runes (Level 34): A more powerful summoned sword.
  • Summon Axe of the Aeons (Level 49): A high-end summoned axe.
  These weapons have varying damage and delay, and some even have procs (e.g., Summon Dagger of Symbols can proc a small fire damage spell). Always equip your pet with the best available summoned weapon.
• Summoned Armor: While less impactful than weapons, summoned armor pieces (e.g., Summoned: Cloth Cap, Summoned: Cloth Tunic) provide a small AC boost. These are typically summoned via spells like Summon: Cloth Armor.
• Equipping Your Pet: To equip your pet, simply target your pet and then right-click the summoned item in your inventory. The item will transfer to your pet's inventory slots.

Important Note: Summoned items for pets are temporary and will despawn when your pet does. Always re-equip your pet after a new summon or zone line.

Troubleshooting Common Pet Issues

• Pet Stuck: If your pet gets stuck on terrain or behind objects, try using /pet back off followed by /pet follow. If that fails, zoning or dismissing and re-summoning may be necessary.
• Pet Not Attacking: Ensure your pet has a clear line of sight to its target and that you've issued the /pet attack command. Check if it's currently guarding or sitting.
• Pet Dies Frequently: Review your pet's buffs, ensure it's being healed, and consider if you're pulling mobs that are too strong for your pet's current level and gear.

Mastering pet management takes practice, but the rewards—increased damage, reliable pulling, and enhanced survivability—are well worth the effort. Keep these strategies in mind, and your pet will be a formidable ally in the world of EverQuest!