Pet Battle Experience Issues

Cant post on my main cause it seems Blizz is having issues with the site after the realm merge. My main is Necroskitter on Perenolde. I was trying to level my pets thru the battles to level them. I went outside of my Garrison in Frostfire Ridge in Draenor and was not getting any pet experience. I had the low level pet start in the first position and would switch it out after the battle started to the 2nd pet…and once the battle was done the low level pet did not get any experience. I went back out to Zandalar to battle and the low level pet got experience. My girlfriend her account did what I was trying to and her low level pet got experience. There is no option to report this in game and kept sending me here. So what am I doing wrong?

If you start the battle with your low level pet, it must be the active pet at the end of at least 1 round.

Example:
Round 1: Start with lvl 1, swap out to lvl 25
~~
Finish the battle without swapping the lvl 1 back in: Lowbie doesn’t receive any experience.

Alternative example:
Round 1: Start with lvl 1, use an ability (or not)
Round 2: Swap out lvl 1 for lvl 25
~~
Finish battle (lowbie still alive): Lowbie will receive experience.

Somewhat related: Another way to get experience is if your low level pet is the only pet on your team left standing (even if it’s not the active battle pet) and you win the match. This method usually requires a specific strategy and carry pets.

Edit: Clarified a bit

3 Likes

I just watched my girlfriend do it with having the first pet be the low pet and as soon as the battle starts swapping it to the higher level pet and it got experience. I tried all the other zones in Draenor and still no experience. I used the same method and was able to get experience in Zandalar. So why would it be different from Draenor to Zandalar?

I think it needs to attack or be attacked for it to qualify for XP.

So if the opponent starts with a non combat buff and you swap it doesn’t count.

1 Like

The leveling pet must be exposed to at least one ability. It does not necessarily have to be an attack as the NPC pet may choose to activate a defensive ability. Once the leveling pet has done this it may safely swap out.

2 Likes

True. Just checked this out, I’d not been sure how it worked.

First round leveling pet either uses an ability or passes and opponent uses a heal (they’re not very bright).

Second round switch to a level 25 that finishes the battle.

Leveling pet gets XP.

1 Like

This is why you see level pets swap in-between your higher level pets once the first one is dead, and why Explode strats are popular for leveling. When Explode is used properly, your level pet never has to come into the battle to get xp. Same could be said of Corpse Explosion, but Explode tends to be more popular.

1 Like

Yep. I forgot to mention this, so thanks for the reminder that an exception to the one ability rule is if your leveling pet is the only pet left alive at the end of the fight. It then gets all XP by default of having survived.