celestial-tournament
Latest
Who is the Celestial Tournament for?
As we wait (and wait) for new content to arrive, I've been fiddling around in the game with all the things I never bothered to do before. I got my Sha'tari Skyguard rep to exalted for the creepy nether ray mounts. I hunted the treasures of Pandaria. I completed a full circuit of gold challenge mode runs. And most recently I've been doing pet battles. My goal was to start completing the Celestial Tournament every week so I could eventually earn all four celestial pets. I took my first stab at it this week. The first time I tried to enter the scenario, I was disappointed to learn that you had to level 15 pets to 25, not just possess them. The two that I'd purchased on the auction house didn't help me get there. Extra level grinding was required. I came back with 17 max-level pets and thought I'd have more than enough to beat the tourney and start adopting baby immortal spirit animals. Boy was I wrong.
Breakfast Topic: Looking back at pet battles
The pet battle system was one of Mists of Pandaria's wild cards. While some had long hoped for a system like it in World of Warcraft to put their vast pet collection to good use, few expected it. Once announced, many wondered the point, and whether it would see any success. Given the popularity we've seen in our coverage of the feature, as well as comments from the developers themselves, it's safe to say pet battles have been a hit. Personally, I loved the feature -- to a point. Given its status as a side activity in WoW, I approached it in a casual manner. I had a great time exploring the world, catching every new critter I saw. I loved chasing down as many rares as possible. I enjoyed most of the trainer battles, too. However, there came a point where it felt like a casual approach was no longer sufficient. The elemental trainers in Pandaria were difficult, but doable without too much effort. Past that, with things such as the Celestial Tournament, I lost interest. It's possible, in my casual approach, I totally missed simple ways to clear the tournament, but it seemed to me it was aimed toward players with a far more hardcore approach to their pet lineup. I decided to give the Tournament a pass and hang up my battler hat until Warlords. I don't take any real issue with pet battles getting harder as an expansion draws on. That's the nature of game progression. I just made a personal choice not to delve too deep, because I knew the feature would lose its charm for me if I did. What about you? Did you participate in pet battles? What was your approach? Was the Celestial Tournament right up your alley? Did you take part in any PVP? PVP, not for me!
Get your low level battle pets up to 25 with this guide
Leveling a new pet from 1 to 25 can be a time-consuming slog -- but it doesn't have to be. Though you'll need to start with a few solid level 25 pets, you can let two max-level pets carry you while saving your third slot with a that needs the experience. Then, just fight your way through high-level pet trainers with this guide from Adventures in Poor Taste. The trick is in having the right level 25 pets so you can win battles without having to rely on your third, under-level pet. The guide walks you through the ideal pets for the job -- you might want to hit up their guide to the 7 best beginner pets while you're at it -- and gives you a play-by-play for what to expect from all of Pandaria's pet trainers (plus a couple of extras). So what are you waiting for? Break out your Safari Hat level your way up to the 30 max-level pets you'll need to enter the Celestial Tournament. Good luck!
Wowhead updates 5.4 Battle Pet guide
Wowhead has put together a massive guide for Battle Pet enthusiasts that may be wondering what's going on with the Celestial Tournament on the Timeless Isle. This giant guide to the Celestial Tournament includes information not only on the Tournament itself, but also on all of the other assorted new pets that can be found wandering the Timeless Isle. In addition, the guide goes over all possible team matchups you may see while battling your way through the Celestial Tournament. And if that isn't enough, Wowhead's battle pet team calculator was just updated to include the Celestial Tournament teams. Keep in mind that once you enter the Celestial Tournament, you can neither heal your pets nor leave the Tournament without resetting your progress. The tournament is two stages -- the first stage will pit you against three pet tamers with legendary pets, and the second stage will pit you against four legendary elite Battle Pets. In other words, it's a tough challenge to face unprepared. But if you're coveting those adorable mini-Celestial pets, you'll have to beat the tournament to get them. Check out Wowhead's guide for full details -- and for more information on all things pet-related, don't forget to check out WarcraftPets as well.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Celestial Tournament and legendary questline details
Wowhead's brought us more details on the Celestial Tournament and legendary questline. The tournament, live on the patch 5.4 PTR now, has some added details: the stands are full of spectators and decorated with banners, vendors sell booze and noodle bowls, and brightly-colored Sky Lanterns are available for purchase for the steep cost of 7500 Timeless Coins. In legendary questline news, Wowhead has compiled some useful updates from Lore that clarify questline questions. The most interesting, we think, is that players who have been keeping up with legendary questline from patch to patch should be able to quickly complete it to get their legendary cloak once 5.4 has been released. This will let players use the cloaks to progress through the Siege of Orgrimmar raid. Handy!
Patch 5.4 PTR: More details on the Celestial Tournament
If you're interested in knowing more about patch 5.4's Celestial Tournament, Wowhead has the full details on this PTR petstraviganza. And while PTR details are always subject to change, here's what we know so far: You can compete in the tournament once a week through the quest The Celestial Tournament. The tournament has two rounds: in the first you fight against 3 pet trainers with 3 legendary battle pets each and in the second you're up against 4 legendary elite battle pets. These opponents are random and will change week to week, but expect to see familiar faces like Blingtron 4000 and Wrathion. For winning, you get a Celestial Coin, which can be used to buy unique pets and other items. Pet battle enthusiasts will also be pleased to know that patch 5.4 is packed with new battle pets: Wowhead has found over 20. Of the many new available pets, though, we're most on the lookout for our own Lil' Bling, who will clearly dazzle opponents into submission. Need even more juicy details about pet battles on the PTR? Check out Wowhead and WarcraftPets for the rest.
Celestial Tournament testing open
Calling all experienced and dedicated pet battles! Not too long ago we profiled the new Celestial Tournament, due to launch in patch 5.4, which will allow players who have at least 30 pets at level 25 to compete for various rewards, including still more pets! Well the tournament itself is now open for testing on the PTR. Head on over to Master Li on the Timeless Isle to get started, and make sure to give the developers your feedback. Of particular is Crithto's cautioning to make sure to cage your pets and put them in your bags before transferring your character to the PTR. It seems that the character transfer process can sometimes botch pet transfers and leave you without your favorite battle companion. Good luck to those pet battlers who will be testing their skills at the Celestial Tournament!
Patch 5.4 PTR: Celestial Tournament details
If you want to battle in the Celestial Tournament, you better be prepared! With the opening of the Timeless Isle, the Celestial Tournament is now available for testing -- for those that qualify. In order to compete, you must have 30 pets at level 25. For Pet Battle enthusiasts, this likely isn't much of a task -- for those of us not quite as dedicated, it may take a little longer to unlock the content. Players that prove themselves strong enough to succeed at the Celestial Tournament will be rewarded with Celestial Coins, which can then be used to purchase items from Master Li. This is also where you'll obtain the miniature August Celestial pets -- each costs 3 Celestial Coins to purchase. Along with the pets, Master Li has a few other items, including a Marked Flawless Battle-Stone that will allow you to upgrade any pet to Rare quality, regardless of pet family. Check out the gallery below for all of Master Li's goodies -- and if you're planning on playing with the Celestial Tournament when patch 5.4 goes live, make sure you've got as many pets leveled as possible! %Gallery-194132%
Patch 5.4 PTR: New pets, pet battle tournament, and more
In addition to Moon Moon, the dire wolf pet dropped by the new Darkmoon Faire boss mentioned earlier today, patch 5.4 already seems full of new content for pet battle aficionados. First is a datamined scenario currently titled The Celestial Tournament. As of now, the achievement for this tournament is listed under the Pet Battles subcategory, so it's very likely the pet battle tournament mentioned in the patch 5.4 patch notes. A new battle pet named Essence of Xuen provides some hint as to the rewards possible.
