Hunter pet experience progress
Mania is probably the leading expert on hunter pets -- she runs Petopia, as well as a blog devoted mostly to hunter issues with a specialty in pets. We've reported some other great research from Mania's Arcania in the past, including how long it takes pets to gain loyalty. Now, in response to the leveling speed increases coming in Patch 2.3, she's laid out pretty clearly how pet experience works. Based on some PTR research, she says:
Pets still require 25% of the experience that a player would at the same level. Players now require less experience to level between levels 20 and 60, and so our pets also require less experience during those levels.
Pets still do not get any share of the experience when their owner completes a quest. (I didn't expect they would, but it was worth checking.)
As on live, pets do not get experience when they kill something that is grey to the hunter.
The experience that pets get per kill does not appear to have changed.
Generally there are no big changes to pet experience in patch 2.3, except that players will be gaining more experience from quests between levels 20 and 60, and of course pets won't be getting any of that. It's too soon to say if this means hunters will start outleveling their pets during those levels or not, but it could be an issue in the future.
Mania has also discovered some interesting details about the relationship between the pet's level and your own level when it is gaining experience. If you're a hunter leveling a lower-level pet, head on over to her post and check it out.
