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Star Wars: The Old Republic handing out free astromech pets
The internet and geek culture sure love its made-up holidays, doesn't it? And so, as we are on the verge of Star Wars Day ("May the fourth be with you"), Star Wars: The Old Republic is preparing to celebrate by giving away adorable blue astromech droid pets to its playerbase. Players who log in any time from April 29th through May 4th will be able to claim the MT-4T droid minipet. SWTOR will also be hosting a double-XP weekend starting Friday, May 2nd, at 2:00 p.m. EDT and ending on Monday, May 5th, at 3:00 a.m. EDT.
The Daily Grind: What vanity pet would you like to see made?
Ever since I ran The Secret World's Issue #7 content and explored the Nursery, I've become fixated on the idea of owning a nannybot of my very own. I mean, they're ludicrous to the point of being awesome: a hulking RoboCop suit with an emoticon face (which is smiley for happy and frowny for you're-about-to-be-murder-punched). I'd love to see them made into pets, because I constantly need looking after. Assuming that you like vanity pets -- you do, right? -- then you probably have a wish list of critters or figures that you'd love to see implemented as such. Maybe there's a cool-looking animal or a mechanical doohickey or just something that would go perfect with your character. If you could make it happen with a wish, what non-combat pet would you like to see made for your MMO? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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.
12 new pets added to vanilla raids in 5.1
Just in case you haven't had your fill of pets, Lead Content Designer Cory Stockton dropped some news on Twitter and let us know that there will be more to find in patch 5.1. 12 new pets have been added to all four vanilla raids -- Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, Ahn'Qiraj, and Naxxramas. These pets will drop from bosses in the zones, and according to Stockton, the drop rates aren't bad at all, either. And for those of you perking up at the mention of Naxxramas, you have every right to be excited. One of the pets offered is none other than Mr. Bigglesworth, Kel'Thuzad's beloved cat. Wowhead dug up the information on the rest of the pets, which included a Stitched Pup, Chrominius, and an Anubisath Idol among many others. Not only is this a cool way to get some more pets out there in the mix, it's also a great reason to go run those old vanilla raids. Although Naxxramas moved to Northrend with Wrath, it was one of the original 40-man raids available back in vanilla. And despite its new location, Naxxramas is still soloable by most classes at level 90, although you can take a few friends along to make the jaunt a little easier. For a full list of available pets, check out Wowhead's list -- and if you aren't following Cory Stockton on Twitter, you're missing out on cool updates!
Mists of Pandaria Beta: Pet Journal marks the return of flavor text
Pet Battles is one of the more eagerly awaited new features to come with the Mists of Pandaria expansion. Non-combat pets have been around since the beginning of World of Warcraft, and players have been quietly collecting them as the years have gone on. But there wasn't really anything to do with the non-combat pets. They didn't have a purpose beyond following your character around. Pet Battles gives us something to do with our pets, finally making them an interactive part of the game itself. I've been collecting pets since the very beginning, in the days when pets weren't listed on a tab, they were physical items that took up space in your bank. While I was incredibly happy when the pet tab was introduced in The Burning Crusade, there was a part of me that felt slightly nostalgic for one particular reason: the flavor text. Some pets had neat bits of flavor text included on the items used to summon them, and once the pet tab was introduced, all that flavor text went away. In Mists of Pandaria, the pet tab has been changed to a full-on Pet Journal, complete with lists of pet abilities and types. I was delighted to see the Info tab, which not only lists where and how you can get the pet but includes some of that flavor text I'd been missing. Take a look at just a scant handful of the hundreds of new pieces of pet flavor text from the Pet Journal, including some new pets available with Mists of Pandaria, in the gallery below. %Gallery-158968% It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Breakfast Topic: What's the most difficult thing in the game to farm?
My warrior recently found herself farming a lot of Khorium in order to build her Turbo-Charged Flying Machine, and while flying a seemingly endless number of circuits in Nagrand in order to get the metal (which is a rare spawn on other Outland ore nodes), I started to wonder where this farm fell in relation to other grinds. Khorium sometimes cooperates by spawning regularly, but this time, it was its usual, awful self. I'm sure the Burning Crusade-era players can relate. And yet, somehow I still don't think that khorium is the worst thing in the game to farm. Off the top of my head, I can think of others that are or have been equally bad or worse: Non-combat pets A lot of farmable non-combat pets (e.g., the dragon whelps, the firefly, the Fox Kit) have a 1-in-1,000 drop rate and a limited number of mobs up at a given time. Combat pets Waiting for a particular pet to spawn somewhere and then finding and taming it before someone else does can be maddening if you're consistently unlucky. Fishing Accomplished Angler is justifiably famous for being stuffed with requirements full of RNG. Let's talk about the year it took me to get Mr. Pinchy's Magical Crawdad Box! On second thought, let's not. The Scepter of the Shifting Sands quest This disappeared in Cataclysm, and with it went all the work that went into farming up bug parts and Elementium Ingots, which is where I got stuck in the chain. (So close, and yet so far.) The Insane This almost goes without saying, although it's easier these days than it used to be. Your thoughts, readers? What's the toughest thing in the game to farm?
How to get all the Children's Week pets in one year
User CJGibson over on Reddit's /r/wow community made an excellent point earlier today concerning the Children's Week pets that are only available while the holiday is running. Ordinarily, it's only possible for one character to get three pets each year: one from the classic Azeroth quests (Piglet's Collar, the Rat Cage, the Turtle Box, or the Snail Shell), one from the Outland quests (Elekk Training Collar, Egbert's Egg, Sleepy Willy, or Legs), and one from the Northrend quests (the Curious Wolvar Pup or the Curious Oracle Hatchling). But you know how in Mists of Pandaria all of the non-combat pets on your account will be shared amongst your characters? If you run a series of alts through the quests and pick different pets on each one, you'll have all the pets on all your characters once the Mists of Pandaria content patch hits (or, at the latest, once Mists itself does). The tip was so brilliant that I slapped myself for not thinking of it, so I wanted to draw some attention to it here as quickly as possible. Pet hunters? Save yourselves four years' worth of waiting, and get cracking. If this is your first year with the holiday and you need any help with the achievements, you can find our guide to Children's Week here.
Breakfast Topic: What's your favorite pet?
I started my first alt, a druid, when Ulduar was out. I meant for her to be an extra healer for my guild at the time, but I leveled her as a cat. Once I got to 80, I was playing as cat and tree for a while until I got pulled into a Gluth run as an off tank. "Just go bear, put up Demo Roar, Mangle, and Maul as much as possible -- oh, and taunt when we tell you to," they told me. The thrill of taunting and not dying a swing later sold me for life. I have been bear tanking on my druid alt ever since. When the Argent Tournament appeared, I got excited at the pets each faction offered. For Alliance, I had access to both the Teldrassil Sproutling and the Dun Morogh Cub. While my warlock jousted eternally for a Crusader title, my druid was content to just snag the sproutling and the cub. Whenever she out being a bear, she'd have the sproutling out; whenever she was throwing heals, she'd have the cub running by her side. Now that I have a second druid to cover the caster specs, my bear druid is a full-time feral. The cub doesn't come out to play anymore, but the Teldrassil Sproutling dances and sleeps just about anywhere. On my lowbie Horde toons, I always get a Horde Balloon. There's always a Celestial Dragon by my guild's bear tank when she runs in for the pull. My caster druid has the mechanical bunny out, since she's an engineer who loves cute animals like Mylune. One of our moonkin hopes that non-combat pets will be nameable in Mists so he can name his always-present Moonkin Hatchling after his daughter. D'awwww! With Pet Battles coming out, there will always be people hunting for the next best performing pet. But do you have any pets you're already partial to on certain characters for other reasons?
Enter at Your Own Rift: Creature comforts
I've got a problem that nine interventions and three bouts of electroshock therapy have yet to cure: I'm hopelessly addicted to collecting non-combat pets (aka vanity pets) in MMOs. I don't know why that is, exactly, although I've always had a fondness for "fluffy" elements on online games. In my opinion, a lot of what we work for in MMOs is cosmetic anyway -- a really good-looking set of armor, a top-of-the-line mount -- with some piddly stats occasionally making a cameo. (Comment bait? Oh yes, I'm evil that way!) While adding nothing to my combat power nor helping me advance in the game, pets still hold purpose. They are fun to display, particularly if you have rare critters that others haven't seen, and they can give you a feeling of virtual companionship during your journeys. Unlike many collection items, pets have a use -- you can actually do something with them instead of tucking them away where they'll sit collecting pixelated dust. I was pretty pleased to discover that RIFT wasn't going to leave us high and dry when it came to non-combat pets, although it's interesting that they're somewhat harder to come by than in, say, World of Warcraft. If you're like I am, you're scouring the game looking to expand your menagerie, so it might be frustrating to be well on your way to 50 with only a paltry pair of pets to your name. Where is everyone getting all of these? How can I snag a few more? Join me after the jump as we examine six ways to collect crazy critters!
Patch 4.2: Pet collector achievements updated on the PTR
A few new achievements were for added pet collectors in the latest PTR patch today, according to Wowhead. The small patch on the test realms contains three new achievements for players who collect 100, 125, and 150 non-combat pets. Petting Zoo awards Nuts' Acorn. Menagerie awards Brilliant Kaliri. Littlest Pet Shop awards Celestial Dragon. Just as with previous pet collecting achievements (Shop Smart, Shop Pet...Smart, Lil' Game Hunter), our obsessive efforts will once again be rewarded with a unique pet. We've seen Nuts' Acorn in the patch 4.2 game files before, and the Celestial Dragon (pictured above) appeared in game files back in Wrath of the Lich King, but the Brilliant Kaliri is a new addition. Currently, there aren't any datamined pictures of the pet, but I can only assume it will be very similar to the Kaliri mobs found in Skettis and other zones from The Burning Crusade. One thing I'm curious about with these pets is if they'll have any special animations or Easter eggs like previous pets have. If you remember, the skunk pet from the 50-pet achievement pays tribute to Pepé Le Pew from Looney Tunes by chasing nearby Black Tabby and Bombay cat pets. The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new Tier 12 armor!
Enter at Your Own Rift: The little things
For me, it's all about the little things in life: the smell of a good cup of coffee, the enthusiastic hug of my two-year-old, an illicit pack of Lemonheads candy, or throwing punny tags into Massively articles. While big things are essential to have and get right, it's the little things I find that give life its unique flavor. So when I enter MMORPGs, I'm always on the lookout for little things. Oh, sure, PvP and raiding and overarching epic stories are all well and good, but it's from the little things that the soul and flavor of a game emerges. I'm often far more delighted when I stumble upon a funny little Easter egg in a game than if I win that roll for a purple piece of armor. Today I want to look at 10 little things in RIFT that I've come to appreciate and savor over the past month or so. Maybe these elements don't get all of the glory, and maybe they're even seen as superfluous to some, but without them the game would be far less to me. So while we rush between rifts and struggle with expert dungeons, I'd encourage all of us to take some time to reflect on all of the supporting cast of features that are just as important to the overall effort.
Turbine: LotRO revenue tripled since going F2P
Lord of the Rings Online's future is so bright, it's wearing shades these days. At least, according to a new interview at TTH, where LotRO's Kate Paiz and Adam Mersky opened up about the success of the free-to-play conversion. Turbine has seen LotRO's profits triple since F2P along with a huge influx of new players, and that spells good news for the future of the game. The duo turned its attention to the upcoming year for LotRO, which includes the Rise of Isengard expansion. While Paiz and Mersky didn't indicate whether there would be any new zones between now and then, they did confirm that the epic story would be continued, leading up to the confrontation between the rangers and Saruman's growing forces. Rise of Isengard will feature a push to the south with the Dunland and Gap of Isengard zones, whereas Isengard proper will pit players against the foul forces of the Tower of Orthanc. Isengard isn't the only thing players have to look forward to in the next year -- a big cosmetic system revamp is planned along with non-combat pets. Hardcore players also have a new raid cluster to look forward to before Isengard's release. Other possibilities for the future? Cosmetic weapons, a Rohan expansion and the Battle of Helm's Deep are all on the table. [Thanks A Casual Stroll to Mordor!]
Global Agenda's "Friends with Benefits" promotion returns with an upgrade
Hi-Rez Studios is surfing a perfect wave of holiday sales for Global Agenda, and the team is pushing hard to expand the community for this MMO sci-fi shooter. Because of this, GA's "Friends with Benefits" promotion has returned as a way to incentivize both regular players to recruit their friends and new players to join up. Executive Producer Todd Harris sees this as the ideal way to promote the game: "As our veterans already realize, Global Agenda is most fun when played with friends, and our "Friends With Benefits" (FWB) program supports further community growth through word of mouth." If a current Global Agenda player refers a friend with a special coupon code, the friend can purchase the game for 50% off -- this is an increase from the 30% deal the studio offered last year. This deal is only good for those who buy the game through Global Agenda's own store, which lists the product at $19.99. For each friend who takes the bait, the recruiter earns a series of rewards, including "flair" items and prestige pets.
The Road to Mordor: Rise of Isengard is coming!
Tweet [Update: Made a clarification that there is no indication of "open-world" PvMP in the expansion.] Times are tough in Middle-earth, even after the inexplicable appearance of several hundred thousand new adventurers this fall. The Fellowship of the Ring is broken, Sauron is rising in power, and the White Hand of Saruman is marching across the lands. Even the bravest and hardiest soldier of the Free Peoples cannot be blamed for feeling disheartened, especially in the face of the monumental struggle to come. Welcome to the beginning of The Two Towers in Lord of the Rings Online. Welcome to Isengard. The rumors are true: Next year we will be venturing into LotRO's third expansion, titled Rise of Isengard, to confront evil in its own backyard. While this may not be the Rohan or Gondor expansion that we've anticipated, Turbine is fairly confident that it will be well-received by players and will represent an ambitious step forward on (wait for it) the road to Mordor. Turbine's Adam Mersky and Aaron Campbell were on hand to outline for us the company's near- and far-future plans with Massively, starting with the imminent November update and cruising all the way through 2011. Hit the jump as we look at interactive theater, busy bees, Monster Play improvements and, of course, Isengard.
Addon Spotlight: Equus Infinata
Addon Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, Addon Spotlight reaches into the addon grab bag and pulls out some delicious randomness for you. Salutations, friends. Welcome to another exciting week on Addon Spotlight, where addons reign supreme amongst the pitiful, smelly masses of other crap you could talk about related to World of Warcraft. Addons encompass it all! We are champion. This week, Addon Spotlight is heading into mount and pet territory, discussing a wonderful little addon called Equus Infinata. Equus not only caught my eye because of how simple and pretty the addon looks, but how it integrates straight into your already existing mount and pet interface pane. As a special treat, I asked Robert, the addon's author, a couple of questions about creating his first addon. Click for more!
Patch 3.3.3: Account changes for Murkimus
Gladiators, rejoice! Or at least those of you that participated in the 2009 Arena Tournament -- Murkimus, gladiator murloc extraordinaire has been changed as of today's patch. The pet, which was previously only available on whatever character you used the code with, will now apply to your entire Battle.net account. So if you claimed your Murkimus on one character, be prepared to receive a surprise in the mail on your other characters when you log in. Watch your fingers, that spear is sharp. Here's the full announcement: Bashiok With the release of patch 3.3.3 those who received the Murkimus pet for their participation in the 2009 Arena Tournament will notice that the pet is being changed to apply to their entire Battle.net account and all associated World of Warcraft licenses. If you previously claimed a Murkimus code for one character on an account this change will mean that all characters on that account, as well as characters on any other World of Warcraft licenses registered to the same Battle.net account, will receive a Murkimus in their in-game mailboxes. With this change you'll finally be able to play any of your characters, stand up defiantly, and exclaim "I'm Murkimus!" source So Gladiators, enjoy your pet -- on whatever character you'd like. I'll be over here, wishing I'd participated in it!
WoW 5th Anniversary Giveaway: 2 Tuskarr Kite loot codes
Missed your chance at a beloved Spectral Kitten? No need to despair. WoW.com continues it's celebration of World of Warcraft's 5th anniversary with even more Scourgewar TCG loot codes to give away. This time we have two codes for the uncommon loot card, the Tuskarr Kite. This new kite is a non-combat companion and can count towards pet collection Achievements. To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment in this post by Wednesday, November 25th, 12pm ET (noon). That's it. Limit one entry per person and make sure you're registered with a valid email address. We'll be choosing two winners randomly from the entrants and contact them via email after the close of the contest. Note that we won't be emailing the code to the winner until mid-December when it is made available to us by the fine people at Upper Deck. Contest open to all. Screenshot of kite in action after the jump. Good luck! EDIT: Contest closed. Thanks so much for participating!
FigurePets: A Croc, an Egg and a Willy?
Back in June I brought you the news that FigurePrints were bringing out a new range in their 3D printed collectable WoW models named FigurePets. The original line up featured a limited run of three non-combat pets: The Clockwork Rocket Bot, Stinker the Skunk, and Speedy the Turtle -- who was by far my favorite!For the readers out there who were fortunate enough to get their hands on a set of the original FigurePets then you can attest to how awesome they really are -- these little guys rock! I've got mine standing in formation around my Kungen FigurePrint letting everyone who comes near my computer know that I am a WoW player (or should that be "playa?" It does sound far more "gangsta" that way). So it gives me great pleasure to inform you that FigurePets are back with a brand new limited series of three new non-combat pets. The line up this time is as follows:
Time is Money: Capitalizing on Patch 3.2
Kebina Trudough here, offering you the best gold making secrets they don't want you to know about! I was like you once, poor and homely, before I discovered my patented system. Now you too can fill your pockets with the good stuff without ever breaking a sweat! Why spend all your time toiling when you could be vacationing in the Hot Springs? I'm not offering these tips for 100 gold, or 90 gold, or even 50 gold! No, not even 20 gold! My system is yours for FREE! Satisfaction guaranteed or I'll give you a full refund (handling charges may apply).New patches always bring unique and often limited-time-only opportunities to cash in. To take advantage of them you have to be aware, come prepared, and be willing to invest in anything from materials to spending some quality time with the Auction House. So what can you get out of patch 3.2? Scanning through the latest PTR notes, here are some potential gold-making highlights. Remember, results may vary:GlyphsStrangulate, a Death Knight ranged ability that silences, will soon also apply a 3 second Interrupt effect on non-player controlled targets (read: not for PvP). While a few other abilities are also getting this buff, you might note that there is actually a Glyph of Strangulate, which skims 20 seconds off its cooldown. Considering how many fights depend on the tank and DPS to constantly be interrupting effects (General Vezax anyone?), this particular glyph might become more popular. Frustrated Paladins everywhere probably have dropped Glyph of Exorcism from their PvP specs, but with 3.2 making it usable on players again, they may be wanting it back.Glyph of Claw is being added to the game, and you can expect pretty much all ferals pre-level 50 (when they train Mangle) to pick it up. Although you won't be able to make this pre-patch, you could farm the materials.
TurpsterVision: FigurePets Unveiling
We can't believe it either – Turpster has been let loose on WoW.com to bring you videos from in and around the World of Warcraft! You've heard him on The WoW Insider Show now see him on TurpsterVision right here on WoW.comToday FigurePrints revealed their brand new line of 3D printed WoW products in the form of 3-piece collectible non-combat pets -- FigurePets! As always I was on hand with a camera, a knife and a box of products to open cautiously on camera to give you the first impressions on this exciting new product range.Also I managed to sit down with Ed Fries, the FigurePrint founder, and ask him a few questions about the new FigurePets and what else might be on the horizon for 3D Printed WoW Products.Behind the break you'll find the video, interview and a photo gallery of the FigurePets.
