Blizzard-Pet-Store
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Iron Skyreaver now available on Battle.net store
The Iron Skyreaver mount that was released last week was available in the in-game store only. Unfortunately, this meant meant that players looking to give the mount as a gift to friends were unable to do so. Good news for those with giving spirits -- the mount has now been added to the Battle.net store, which means you can indulge your close friends with the latest ridiculously cool mount for their collections. Purchasing mounts through the Battle.net store will give you an option to either use the mount on your own account, or give the gift to a friend. Selecting the gift option will generate a code, which you can then toss at the recipient to use at their leisure. All they have to do is log into their Battle.net account and redeem the code by going to the Games & Codes dropdown and selecting Code Redemption. While it's nice to see the Skyreaver added to the Battle.net shop, it does make one wonder if the in-game store will see gift-giving functionality eventually added. With how easy it is to use the shop interface, it would be nice if it generated codes as well. Hopefully we'll see that at some point in the future.
Iron Skyreaver mount makes an early appearance on several realms
The question of where the previously datamined Iron Skyreaver mount comes from has now been answered. Last night, several realms experienced problems and were taken offline for several hours. When these realms came back online, there was a surprise waiting on the in-game shop in the form of a new mount, the Iron Skyreaver. Some people were able to purchase the mount before the store started giving an error message which now pops up when you try to purchase it. It's likely this was not intended to be released yet because it only appeared on realms which were affected by the downtime. Now that the cat's out of the bag, perhaps Blizzard will bump up the original release date and make it available on all realms. If not, the select few who managed to snag one during the short window will have somewhat of an exclusive mount on their hands until it's officially released. Did you or any of your friends manage to buy one in time? Will you buy one when it is released to the store officially? Updated: The mount has now been officially released. Hit the break for the official video from Blizzard.
New charity Battle Pet coming to the Pet Store soon
A new Battle Pet is headed to the Blizzard Pet Store soon. The Alterac Brew Pup, pictured above, seems to be slated for release in the not-too-distant future. According to a page found by the fine folks over at Wowhead, the Brew Pup, like other Battle Pets in the past, will have a percentage of the proceeds from its sales donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The page also mentions that the cost of the Battle Pet will be $10 -- which is the standard rate for pets on the store. Although the purchase page was briefly visible in the Blizzard Store -- long enough for Wowhead to nab a screenshot, it has since been removed. This could be for any number of reasons: they may have simply jumped the gun on making the page available, might have just been testing the layout, or may have some changes to make to the listing page. Regardless, we now know where that perfectly adorable new Battle Pet will be found -- and now it's just a matter of patiently waiting until it's released. For more information on the Battle Pet and its abilities, check out Wowhead's Battle Pet database.
Cinder Kitten 25% off this week only
Good news, Battle Pet enthusiasts! If you somehow originally missed out on nabbing the cuddly, roly-poly Cinder Kitten, you can now pick up the ball of fluff and flames for 25% off in the Blizzard Pet Store this week. Originally introduced in late 2012, the Cinder Kitten is usually $10 to purchase. With the sale, it's all of $7.50. And while it's admittedly adorable beyond all reason, it's also a pretty fierce Battle Pet to add to your team, too! Check out the Blizzard Pet Store to pick up your very own cuddly flaming ball of fiery purring death, or nab a few for holiday gifts later this year. But if you want to take advantage of the sale price, better hurry - the sale price for the Cinder Kitten runs until September 3, at 11:59PM PDT, and applies to both US and EU players.
Transmog helms, TCG-style items coming to Blizzard Pet Store
Blizzard is adding a little variety to the Pet Store, in the form of transmogrification items and toys. In the preview posted on the official site, Bashiok talks about each of the items that will be made available at some point in the future. Perhaps the most interesting items are new helms with vivid spell effects that players can use for transmogrification purposes. One is an icy helm with a skull that covers the player's face, another is a set of fiery horns, and the third is a glowing red and black hood, which appears to be complete with a pair of ominous red eyes. In addition to the transmogrification items, Blizzard will also be adding some fun, limited-use items similar to those that you can currently get from the WoW TCG. The first is a seesaw that you and a party member can hop on, the second is the Iron Hitching Post, an item you can place on the ground. Up to 24 players can click on the item to jump on a gorgeous Iron Warhorse mount -- perfect for storming the Battlegrounds. It's interesting to see Blizzard take a different approach to the Pet Store. Originally just a place where players could purchase fun pets and mounts, the new additions add a lot of variety. I doubt I'll be purchasing any of the helms, but that Iron Hitching Post is certainly tempting, as is the seesaw. I don't think I mind the new additions, as they serve the same purpose as mounts and pets -- nothing that will further your character's performance, just fun items for cosmetic purposes. While we don't know exactly when these items will be hitting the Pet Store, what do you think? Are there other things you'd like to see added? Would you rather transmogrification gear simply be an in-game option? Will you be purchasing any of the new stuff?
Blossoming Ancient pet added to Blizzard store
If Withers, the Ruby Sapling, and the Teldrassil Sapling just aren't cutting it in terms of tree pets for you (and how could you not want another tree pet? I'm stumped at the very thought!) then you're in for a treat. Blizzard has just added the Blossoming Ancient to its digital store for $10. The Blossoming Ancient is a miniature version of the great Ancients that protect and guard Azeroth's forests and natural landscapes. If you don't think it's cute enough on its own, get this: it changes with the seasons. You can check out previews of the seasonal forms on the purchase page. If you haven't yet made the foray into digital pet purchases, now might just be the time to branch out! ... Okay, I just really wanted to make that pun. As with all digital pet and mount purchases, the Blossoming Ancient will be available to all the characters on your account. Take good care of your little Ancient, hero of Azeroth!
Blizzard store pets and more on sale
Have you've been wanting a Lil' Ragnaros at your side to make cooking in Halfhill more convenient? Did it recently occur to you that having the Pandaren Monk companion pet next to your playable pandaren monk would be amazingly cute? If so, you might want to check out the latest sale at the Blizzard store. Following up last week's sale on mounts, Blizzard has announced that most Blizzard store pets will be 50% off until Jan. 1, 2013. (The sale is good for you too, EU players.) The new Cinder Kitten is not on sale, since funds collected from Cinder Kitten purchases are still being donated to the American Red Cross for Superstorm Sandy Relief. The Wind Rider Cub and Gryphon Hatchling plush toys aren't on sale either, even though they accompany redeemable digital pets. That leaves the following pets on sale. Soul of the Aspects Guardian Cub Cenarion Hatchling Moonkin Hatchling Lil' K.T. Lil' XT Lil' Ragnaros Pandaren Monk And if you happened to miss Blizzard's Black Friday sale late last month, the World of Warcraft Battle Chest is on sale again, along with the two latest expansions, Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria.
Cinder kitten now on sale in Blizzard store
If you've been eagerly awaiting Blizzard's release of the fiery little furball pictured above, your wait is over. The Cinder Kitten is now available for purchase on the Blizzard Pet Store for $10. As mentioned last month, 100% of the proceeds from any Cinder Kitten purchased between now and December 31, 2012 will go towards the American Red Cross's Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. The kitten is available in both the US and European Pet Stores. Purchasing the kitten will give you a code that can be redeemed on any North American (or European, for kittens purchased through the Europe Pet Store) account. This code can either be redeemed for your account, or emailed to friends as a gift. After all, nothing says "Happy Holidays!" like a flaming ball of fiery purring death. If you're looking for a good present for that special someone, the Cinder Kitten is a cool in-game item, you can use it for pet battles, and the proceeds go to the Red Cross. What's not to love?
Guardian Cub taking a bite out of third-party gold sales
The new Guardian Cub, the pet you can buy with real-world currency and exchange for in-game gold, has been available for sale on most realms' Auction Houses for a good 24 hours now. And early reports are looking very favorable for Blizzard; it is now significantly cheaper to buy gold through Blizzard than through one of the less-reputable, third-party Chinese gold sellers. The price of the Guardian Cub varies wildly by server -- a function of supply and demand. An impromptu Twitter survey suggests that the pet is currently selling for between 6,000 gold and 40,000 gold in game, depending on server size, competition, and a number of other factors. Most realms are currently seeing prices just north of 10,000 gold. Certainly, the final page of the Guardian Cub saga has yet to be written, and prices will be extraordinarily volatile in the next few days, weeks, and months. Still, even at a conservative exchange rate of $10 for a 10,000-gold pet, players can get a far better (and safer!) deal buying gold through Blizzard via the Guardian Cub than dealing with a gold seller. The difference is stark -- the same amount of gold may cost you $20 or $30 through a third-party site. And even then, you have no guarantee of getting your gold, no guarantee that your account won't be compromised, and no guarantee that your purchase isn't supporting forced labor and account theft. Will the Guardian Cub kill off third-party gold sales? Probably not, at least on its own. Interest in this new pet simply cannot be sustained long term. But if the last 24 hours of trading on the in-game Auction House are any indication, Blizzard just fired a shot into a multi-billion-dollar gray market.
Guardian Cub pet now available for purchase
The Winged Guardian Cub, a source of contention and discussion since it was announced, is now available for purchase on the Blizzard Pet Store. Unlike previous pets, the cub is not account-wide; when you purchase the cub, the store will ask you to pick an account and character to deliver the pet to. Pets are sent via in-game mail from Breanni and are locked to your character for 24 hours. After that day is up, the pet becomes tradeable for anyone that wishes to do so, and you can sell the pet on the Auction House for gold at that time. I have to admit, for being such a source of derision, the little guy is terribly cute -- especially when he breaks into idle animations, batting random moths around with unbridled glee. Whether you're looking to sell the pets on the Auction House, trade them to a friend, or simply learn them for your own, you can pick them up for $10 at the Blizzard Pet Store now.
The Lawbringer: Guardian Cub pros and cons
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Mathew McCurley takes you through the world running parallel to the games we love and enjoy, full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play? Blizzard recently treated WoW fans to a preview of the Guardian Cub tradable pet, going on sale soon at the Blizzard pet store. Immediately upon hearing that the pet was tradable, readers began inundating me with email and Twitter messages to talk about said cub on The Lawbringer, as this is sort of the thing I fancy myself a connoisseur of. So here we go -- let's talk about the ramifications of these adorable little pets on our server economies. The Guardian Cub represents a sea change in the nature of the gold selling war from Blizzard's perspective, one that has been coming for a long, long time. With a Blizzard-sanctioned way for players to dip their toes into the waters of pay-for gold, gold buying looks a little less attractive to players who would otherwise have to risk their computer's integrity and credit card security. Players have sharp opinions one way or the other on player-bought gold, so I'm going to do my best to hit the right points to discuss my opinion on the whole premise. I mean, it's right there in the FAQ. This pet has the added incentive of being a safe and secure way to potentially, maybe, make some gold off your purchase.
Gold Capped: Legally buy gold with the Guardian Cub
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! If you buy a Guardian Cub with real money, you can sell it for in-game gold, effectively purchasing gold. If you're one of the millions of WoW players who are constantly cash-strapped in game, you now have the option of leaving the whole gold making process to others; simply buy a $10 pet that can be sold for gold on the AH. BOE gear, mounts, flying training, and alts are all expensive, and making money (playing the AH, doing dailies, selling valor point BOE gear, etc.) isn't the most fun use of some peoples' time. This change will be a welcome one for those who would rather spend the time needed to make $10 at their day job than hours grinding gold. Additionally, pet collectors who also play the gold making game will be able to get a pet from the pet store without having to lay out real money for it. So how much will these pets cost, anyway? The answer will vary from realm to realm, but one thing is certain: The demand for the pets will spike out of the door, then fall off a cliff as soon as enough people have one. Also, repeat business isn't any more likely than for other Blizzard Store items -- I almost never see people sporting their Lil' K.T or sparkle ponies these days, and I imagine that few people still pay real money for them. As the demand drops off, these will sell for less and less gold. The supply is directly related to the number of people buying them from the store for resale on the AH. This means that the more gold the cubs are worth, the more supply there will be. Eventually, as demand peters out, people will be less likely to buy them for resale. In short, if you want to buy gold without breaking the terms of service, get it while the getting is good. The gold per pet will go nowhere but down, unless Blizzard likes this system so much that it introduces more items like this.
WoW Rookie: How to buy someone a gift from the pet store
The Blizzard pet store was introduced nearly two years ago, giving players the opportunity to drop a handful of dollars on fun, interesting in-game pets. Yet the pet store has always been fairly controversial. Paying for in-game content, no matter how little effect that content might have on gameplay itself, simply runs counter to the beliefs of many long-time WoW players. To me, however, the pet store seems like a exciting new opportunity for gift giving. After all, noncombat pets are only $10, and even mounts are only $25. That's a perfect price range for a "thinking of you" gift, making pets and mounts wonderful little nothings to give to a loved one. If you've not given a gift from the Blizzard Store before, the process can seem a little intimidating. Here's a simple guide on how to buy someone a gift from the pet store.
Winged Guardian flying mount now available at the pet store
The Winged Guardian flying mount is now available for purchase at the Blizzard pet store. Much like its Celestial Steed counterpart, the Winged Guardian is available to every one of your characters in game and costs $25. Head over to the Blizzard pet store now to buy this awesome flier. EU players can get the mount at the EU Blizzard store.
Lil' Ragnaros and Moonkin Hatchlings now available at the pet store
Blizzard had previously promised new pets Lil' Ragnaros and the Moonkin Hatchling before the end of November and it has delivered, just barely. Right now, you can purchase both pets in the pet store. Lil' Ragnaros will ignite nearby critters, do his famous submerge, and even counts as a cooking fire! The Moonkin Hatchling comes in Horde and Alliance versions, depending on your faction, and will plant flowers around your feet and even /dance with your friends. Check out the pet store here.
Breakfast Topic: Here, plushie plushie plushie...
My wife and daughter love their Murky and Kwurky murloc plush dolls that I got for them during last year's BlizzCon. In hindsight, I really should've gotten a Lurky plush for myself. I mean, you gotta admit, those suckers are cute! Blizzard apparently knows it, too, and they're about to release two new plushies soon with the added bonus of including a code for an in-game pet! Those wyvern cub and gryphon hatchling models have been in the game files for a while now, but we've only just found out about where to get them. Blizzard has already hinted at this kind of merchandising, noting when the Blizzard pet store was announced that plushies with codes for in-game pets would be introduced soon. I'm likely to pick up a plush wyvern or two to join our murloc brood, and I'll get the added bonus of getting an in-game pet for myself (take that, Lurky!). Do you plan to pick up a plushie, either for its real or pixel cuteness? Which one interests you? It's highly likely that Blizzard will introduce more plushies in the future -- what other stuff do you think they'll come up with? Plush Deathwing, maybe? A plushie Yogg Saron might not sell too well, I think. Future plushies should expectedly have equivalent in-game pets, so the possibilities are pretty exciting... %Poll-41543% %Gallery-85155%
Blizzard pet store now regional
In a short (but not necessarily sweet) announcement, Zarhym announced on the official forums that the recently opened Blizzard pet store are now regional. This means that pets purchased from, say, the European store can only be redeemed on European World of Warcraft accounts. He doesn't go into detail other than to say that pets that have already been purchased from one region and redeemed in another region are not affected by this change. While it's a curious move on the surface, it effectively restricts players from Europe purchasing their Pandaren Monk and Lil' K.T. from the US store where the pets are cheaper at $10 compared to €10 or £10 in the EU (roughly $15). Interestingly enough, the pets are priced at ₩12,000 in the Korean version of the store, which is about the same price as in the US ($10.3). It's unclear why the European version of the pets -- along with a few other Blizzard store items -- are more expensive, a fact that makes Turpster huff and puff and blow Azerothian houses down. Obvious business reasons aside, it also creates a minor inconvenience for people who would like to give the pets as gifts to players in other regions. However, considering that many vanity pet codes have been regional in the past, such as those given away during Blizzard special events, it's not a surprising move. Then again, this whole foray into microtransactions was a bit of a surprise, so we've learned to never underestimate those folks from Irvine.
Breakfast Topic: How far would you let WoW microtransactions go?
One of the hottest topics in the past week was Blizzard's foray into the microtransactions game. By announcing the Blizzard pet store, World of Warcraft had officially come on par with other MMOs and online games that sold in-game items for real world money. Our informal survey showed that views on the move were officially split... a good third of our readers would buy the pet, another third didn't plan to, while another full third thought that our world was coming to an end. Well, the World of Warcraft, at least. At any rate, it looks like the Pet Store is here to stay. Besides, Blizzard has already been hawking in-game services for real money, so it's not as if these vanity pets are any different. I personally don't find anything wrong with these pets, and seeing the number of diminutive liches and kung fu pandas showing up all over Azeroth, it really seems like a lot of other people don't, either. Blizzard states that these items, similar to the TCG loot cards, are "purely cosmetic and just for fun." They say that they'd be loathe to introduce things that are "detrimental to the game and (detracts) from the gameplay experience for players who choose not to use the service." So that probably means no epic weapons or anything of the sort. How far does that go, though? Are heirloom items considered detrimental to the game? How about buying levels? Premades? I personally wouldn't mind paying a fair price to skip the painful leveling process (an attitude that might admittedly change during the Cataclysm). What's do you think is next for Blizzard? Armor dyes, perhaps? Vanity outfits such as the complete Brewfest set or gag items such as those found on the TCG? Titles? Now that the microtransactions gate has been opened, how far do you think Blizzard will go?
