Talk:Pet Training

Training Greater Dragons

Besides the Greater Dragon any pet that spawns with less than GM 
in a skill can only be trained up to GM, skills that start over GM 
will not go any higher; Greater Dragons maximum skill is based on 
their skill when tamed (the higher the better) you can work out 
maximum skills using the UOCraft Pet Power Calculator

Actually the rules concerning the Greater Dragon are vague at best. Wouldn't mind seeing them clarified. Saying the dragon is different but not saying how only adds to my confusion, and that calculator certainly doesn't say anything about the matter! I suspect the only reason people think there's some difference is because the GD has so many skills in excess of GM (and WAY in excess at that).

My dragon had 144 Wrestling prior to taming (which that pet calculator reckons is outside the limits, by the way). After some deaths and training I determined the new cap to be 129.6 (which is exactly 90%), so I used that as my example here.

But this suggests that would only be possible with Greater Dragons. So my question is this: If you tame a Rune Beetle which had 120 Poisoning, is it's new maximum 108? If so, then all pets are the same... My bug currently has just over 120 poisoning, but given that it was probably pretty close to the 140 max when I first tamed it, this doesn't prove anything "definitive".

Can't test this out at present as I currently don't have access to a game client, and probably won't for some time.

On the other hand, the Magery score of my dragon was a lot lower - above GM prior to taming, below GM after. GM became the new cap. I know this to be standard for all pets.

- Bomb Bloke 01:39, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Training Order

ShadowSpinner, are you absolutely sure a Sphynx can raise the Wrestling/Tactics of a pet at 50 all the way to GM? It has the exact same skill levels in those areas as Arctic Ogre Lords...

I pinpoint these two skills specifically because they follow special rules as opposed to all the other skills a pet has (except maybe Healing, but that's not exactly trained by hitting things). Basically if your pet doesn't have skills comparable to your target, you don't get gains. The closer you can match the skills, the better off you are.

My point is if you're too low to gain off an AOL, then you should also be too low to gain off a Sphynx... 'Cause they're exactly the same.

I've generally used AOLs to train my pets when they hit about 80, and they give great gains all the way to GM (and a little higher, in some cases).

However, I'm asking, 'cause I've only "fully" trained about a dozen pets so far, and I know some people do pet training as a full on passtime...

I've also removed your spellbinder guide as the page already had one, and I recommend people follow that before doing any other pet training anyway... By all means make changes to that if you think they're needed.

Be aware that training by blocking your pet from damage is technically illegal and a banable offense if someone pages on you (regardless of whether you're AFK or not). Not a rule I agree with, but that's the way it is.

- Bomb Bloke 01:39, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Hi Bomb Bloke, good to speak to you, I'm still getting used to this wiki thing, took me a while to figure out how to respond! ;)

To answer your comments:

I know the thing about making sure the difference in skill between your pet and the Monster isn't too high, i have based the guide on my own experience and the experience of tamer friends, but were not infallible! :) and value your thoughts :)
The section was actually going to be written with a short guide on hunting pets, for younger players to understand which pets are entry level and what they should be aiming for, it was going to start with Kitsunes as an entry level hunting pet thus starting training on AOLs
i didn't feel any lower pet (especially with Advanced Char tokens) was really relevent, maybe i should clarify this :)
i have started but have not finished this new section yet :)
From experience and talking to other players I started on AOls because of their ease of killing without danger then i normally move onto the Sphynx, i have gmed skills of Cus and Gdrags off the Sphynx, gaining on the Gdrag was slow after GM until i moved to Miasma when it picked up quickly again and then gaining even more off the Bone Daemon
Some of the pets i have trained i did alternate between EGs and ogre lords if i got bored of the sphynx and to build Valour suites (onto 3rd so far) EGs will also GM at CUs at the least, maybe i should add a comment about alternating monsters?
Ive always found AOLs the best place to start any high level pet on just to get its skills going, as they are so easy, i have a friend that's just got two Kitsunes and they seem to be doing fine but ill check with him again :)
i understand what your saying about the skill levels of AOLs vs Sphynx, I've found that it works though?!? :) after your comments ill probably go and tame some Kitsunes to try it myself and ammend if inaccurate :)
on a side point arnt OLs and AOLs supposed to be the same? but i have defiantly found AOLs easier to kill than OLs
Even though their wrestle skills are the same AOLs don't cast Magery so they are only going melee damage, which makes them a lot easier to hunt than sphynx, the pet will last a lot longer against them as apposed to Sphynx, thus their beginner level, I've found that working melee skills on them very slow when you get to higher levels and for some reason faster on the Sphynx?
I need to add some comments about honor as well because i know the fame is a lot different between AOLs Sphynx and Miasma
No problem removing the Spell Binder guide, i only added it for the continuity of the section :)
Can you let me know where i am teaching people about blocking monsters from damage? i didn't think i had said this in fact i was hoping to push people into doing more damage to their pets in order to raise their Vet and thus their Animal Lore :) i find it quite concerning you read it in this way because i don't want it to look like i am promoting cheating :)

Onto your second ... talk? :)

you enter the information into the pet calculator (not my work, but at least makes it easier to work out) after you have tamed it (there is a radio button for freshly tamed pet), your using the post tamed skill information; from my own experience it seems (at least with hit points) when you tame a Greater drag it looses about half of its hit points ie if you want a 800 HP Gdrag then you need to tame one that have 1600 hps
i agree that the information available is poor at best, the information i have is from different forums and experience in trying, we definatly know that the pre tame skill values have an impact on the post tamed max trained number i know this because as much as i try i cant get my Gdrag above 110 Magery where as others have gone up higher so as a minimum i think we can agree that you need to pick your Gdrag with decent skills to start with otherwise it is going to have poorly fully trained skills; very difficult to do when you consider resists as well, I've always found the Pet calculator good from this aspect, lore it pre tame, is it roughly good? tame it, stick the new values in the calculator and see where it is lacking :)
does any of the above make sense? :) hopefully it explains my workings :)
about max skills generally, we know if the pet has less than GM (excluding Gdrag) then it wont go above 100 when fully trained, i thought we also knew that if a pet skills (after taming) were above GM (ie Bug poisoning) then it will not go any higher, that's all i was tyring to say :) maybe i need to re word it :)
sorry you cant get online, always a bummer when their isnt a client around :(
great website BTW, hopefully i am providing something of use for people by my additions? :)