Is there a reason why my lvl 56 Strider (wind, and with armor) just took 2.3k damage by a mob of suitable level? Which was a one shot by the way I might add.
Is this a case of Striders just being crap in general? I only ask because the Great Wolf hits harder and could take way more damage.
Pets don't have a lot of pfed/mdef in general, but Striders were mainly for getting around quicker. Great wolf was for killing mobs, and these days they have limited use. I think some ISS and healers use them at ~85 lvls to help their dmg, but more than anything they are a novelty item now.
It was intended as a fun waste of time with the end reward a fast mount when there were no others to be had. Think of them as useless and you will be able to move on and focus on getting your awakened mount.