Timber wolves:
Before the inclusion of the boura in the Stygian Abyss, these were my choice for low level tamers. There isn't much from the legacy content which couldn't be handled with 50 taming, 100 lore, 100 vet and a pack of wolves.
Lowland boura:
These should be the choice of tamers-in-training who don't want to spend 24/7 practicing their taming skill. Unlike other pack animals, there is nothing which can't be handled with a pair of these guys, or better, a lowland boura combined with a high plains boura. This pair is comparable to a cu sidhe in power, but for high level tamers, the cu should still be the weapon of choice since it's easier to keep one animal alive than two.
Frenzied Ostard:
There is nothing in the game which can come close to comparing with the offensive power of a pack of these guys. They can one hit kill rune beetles. The downfall? Against hard hitting or area effect casting monsters, they're very hard to keep alive.
Raptor:
Frenzied Ostards with higher hit points, higher resists and only two to a pack. Good for those who are learning how to use a pack, but soon they will be replaced by an old fashioned frenzied pack or used just for the novelty of them
Scorpions:
Constantly poison your enemy, hit pretty hard (but not compared to the Frenzied Ostards) and weak as kittens as far as hit points go.
Wolf Spiders:
They work well with scorpions, hit like a truck and use frequent poison attacks. Super high dex adds to the fun, but they can't handle high end content well.
Hell Hounds:
I can't help it, I love my puppies. They are the #2 damage dealer in the game after the ostard pack. The breath weapon doesn't really help.
Predator Hell Cats:
Just slightly less effective than hell hounds.
Hell Cats:
Affectionately named hell kittens, they are great if you only battle fire based critters, as they have high fire resist. The problem is there are very few creatures who do mostly fire damage, and most of those hang out with other things that will kill your kittens quick.
Fire Steed:
They're very bright and you can ride them. I'll take a dread war horse/nightmare combo over these guys any day.
The pack I've done the most with lately is the wolf spider/scorpion pack. I have killed Navery Nighteyes with the two spiders and a scorpion, but it's much quicker with a rune beetle.
I used to run with a hell hound pack, but I released them into the wild when the Stygian Abyss opened so I could run more pet-experiments. My favorite trick was to cast gift of renewal on myself while the pack destroyed Miasma. The problem there was in the gift of renewal timer. I had to take a break after 2-3 Miasmas.
None of my pack experiments has ever taken on a peerless or champion save for the wolf spiders against Navery and a Low/High boura combination against Medusa.
