WoW newbie looking for advice

[Bob the Beholder]

Lastly, I also got an Orc Hunter to level 8, and then find out I have to feed my pet to keep it happy, and level up too? The sounds like too much of a chore. Please tell me that isn't so, because frankly I actually enjoyed the versatility and power of the Hunter, at least in these early levels.

It sounds like a hassle, but it really isn't. Most pets usually eat meat--even uncooked meat that your player can't, like the bits of wolves and bears and such that you loot from them fairly often--so it's not hard to keep some extra around, from monster drops, or just picking up a stack or two in town every once in a while. And there's a handy little indicator right under the pet status bar to let you know when. Just throw him a chunk of something whenever it's not green, and you'll be good. (And only one at a time. Click on him and you'll see the 'feed pet' icon, which gives the pet happiness over time. Feeding him again before it expires will just overwrite it, wasting food.)

And the level isn't too much to deal with either. The pet'll just gain experience with you, and levels at a decent rate to keep up with you. And if for whatever reason he falls behind, you can just go tame a different pet. You can have one active pet with you, and up to two more stabled. (Gotta pay for the stable slots, though.)