pet-battles
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The Snowy Owl arrives with winter
The northern hemisphere observed the winter solstice earlier this week -- which is relevant to World of Warcraft for one reason: the Snowy Owl. The Snowy Owl battle pet can only be caught during the winter season, which officially began on December 21. If you're looking to get your hands on it, head out to Winterspring. The Snowy Owl's summer equivalent, the Qiraji Guardling, will be unavailable until June 20. At that point, the Snowy Owl will go back into hibernation.
The Queue: Hype hype hype!
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. Patch 6.0 tomorrow! Hype, hype, hype! Exogenesis3 asked: I've been wondering for a while - how will garrisons work if you're leveling with someone else? My boyfriend and I are planning on questing together until 100 when Warlords comes out, and I've been curious as to how we'd be able to handle garrisons.... Would we have to take the exact same buildings so we get the same quests?
Have you received a gift in the mail from Blizzard?
There's been scattered reports on places like Reddit and Twitter of players getting random gifts in the mail from "The WoW Dev Team." @Skarn_ on Twitter reported getting a Flawless Aquatic Battle-Stone along with instructions on how to use it. The poster on Reddit received 4 Warforged Seals. I've checked the mail of my max level characters and found no gifts waiting for me. There's been some speculation on what the criteria is for getting a gift. The person who received the Warforged Seals identifies themselves as a PvP player who has only used Warforged Seals a couple of times in the past. One recipient of the Battle-Stone claims they've barely done any pet battles, another says they've been active in the past but not as of late. Perhaps it's something to entice inactive players back into the game? Or try an element of the game they otherwise would have not? Or maybe it's just random. Have you received any unexpected gifts in the mail lately?
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.
Warlords of Draenor: Updates to Darkmoon Faire
The Darkmoon Faire has come to the beta servers, and with it, a bunch of updates and additions including games, pets, and vanity items. There are new ways to earn Darkmoon tickets, new ways to spend them, and new discoveries to be made on the mysterious Darkmoon Island. Our friends over at Wowhead have tested out the new games, and they seem like a ton of fun. The first is the Firebird's Challenge, where you have to fly through rings of fire in the air. If you miss, you lose the debuff that keeps you aloft. There are a series of achievements for staying aloft, and earning the last and most difficult of them rewards you with the Blazing Wings, a vanity item that gives you a pair of fiery but non-functional wings for an hour. The second game is a racing game around the island, with a series of quests to go with it. You have to make it to certain markers along the western part of the Faire, while zeppelins shoot at you to slow you down. There are a number of power-ups to be had along the way, from simple sprint shoes to a sack of bunnies that will distract a zeppelin from shooting at you. In addition, there is a new pet trainer--Cristoph VonFeasal--and a new pet you can win in the bag of goodies you get for defeating him. There are a bunch of new vanity items, including both skirt- and pants-set versions of NPC clothing items found only in Gilneas. Sadly, these clothing items are white-quality, which means they cannot be transmogged. Finally, there are, as ever, a whole set of new epic-quality Darkmoon deck trinkets--the Iron Deck, Moon Deck, Visions Deck, and War Deck--which I'm sure will be hot commodities come WoD. I'm glad to see the Faire getting an update, it's one of my favorite regular events, and new things to do there are always welcome.
The Daily Grind: Do you hate minigames in MMOs?
A reader in my last Working As Intended column made an off-hand comment about minigames that struck me as interesting. "I loathe how [minigames] have invaded MMOs in the last few years," Zuji wrote. And he's right: Minigames have become a huge part of MMOs. Upon reflection, I find I half agree with Zuji in that I could do without approximately half of them. Farming? Check. I always like farming. Hacking? OK. Tag? Sure. Card games? Those too. Vehicle combat? Ug, yeah. Pokemon? I guess so, but if I never heard the word Polymock ever again, I'd be delighted. Chicken hockey? Wait. Chicken hockey? So here's the question of the day: Do you hate minigames in MMOs? Are they a plague on the industry or a clever way of adding creative non-combat content to a genre that desperately needs it? 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!
Warlords of Draenor: The missing pet battles alpha patch notes?
Jonathan LeCraft posted the following to Twitter today, answering the questions about pet battles not being in the alpha testing patch notes. He listed off the following as a response: Baby hippos Baby gronn Carpnado Elite pet trainers Eggs Leveling stones He ended his tweet with "Boom. Plus more. #tipsytweets" Does this mean that we're going to see all these things for pet battles in patch 6.0? We already knew that breeding is going to be a thing, and that there are going to be new pets and trainers, so it doesn't seem far fetched. The "carpnado" is a little weird though, given it was part of the Warcraft Pets April Fools joke. His #tipsytweets hashtag is likely related to the Diablo 3 celebration that's going on at Blizzard HQ right now.
Massively exclusive: Pirate101 announces new advanced pet system
Pirate101's pet system is getting an update, and KingsIsle tells us that a new test realm will soon open its doors to showcase the changes. Pet owners will be able to send their minions on various world-based training missions which will raise their level, unlock talents and powers, and more. The devs are also adding the ability to PvP in a pet battle arena as well as a new quest that details the new advanced pet system. KingsIsle has penned a lengthy dev diary explaining how everything works. You can read it after the cut.
Dread Raven, Dread Hatchling live with Warlords preorders
Preorders for Warlords of Draenor are now live, as well as the level 90 boost feature. And for those that pre-purchase the Digital Deluxe version of the expansion, you'll have your Dread Raven mount and Dread Hatchling pet waiting for you in your inbox. The mount is a flying, armored and far more ornate version of the Raven Lord mount from Sethekk Halls, and the pet is a baby version of the two. If the hatchling weren't adorable enough on its own, try summoning your Dread Raven while the hatchling is out and you'll see just how much the little guy adores its horrific armored death machine of a momma. And there's an Easter Egg for those with the Raven Lord mount -- summoning the Raven Lord will also warrant a happy reaction from the little guy. But just because he's adorable doesn't mean the hatchling doesn't pack a punch in Pet Battles -- check out Warcraft Pets for more information on the hatchling and its attacks, and take a look at the gallery below for more screenshots of both pet and mount in action. Update: Heads up for pet collectors -- the Dread Hatchling can be caged and sold on the Auction House, or traded to other players.
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!
Patch 5.4.7: Dread Hatchling now appearing in Pet Journal
The pet experts at Warcraft Pets have discovered that the Dread Hatchling, one of the rewards for the Digital Deluxe or Collector's Edition versions of Warlords of Draenor, is now visible in the Pet Journal for players. Although the pet is not obtainable at this time, you can view all attacks for the pet, which includes two interesting new abilities -- Shadow Talon and Anzu's Blessing. While we don't know exactly how the Dread Hatchling will hold up in Pet Battles just yet, I'm looking forward to adding the little guy to my rotation of pets. As with prior Collector's Edition pets, the Dread Hatchling is a rare, so he should be pretty devastating. Unfortunately, while you can easily view pets that you haven't collected in game, there's no way to check for mounts -- however, Wowhead is showing that the Reins of the Dread Raven have also been added to the game files with 5.4.7 as well. Obviously both pet and mount are not obtainable at the present time, but the fact that both were added in along with everything else in patch 5.4.7 suggests that perhaps pre-orders for Warlords are on the way soon.
The Queue: Elders, pet battles, and more
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. It's Monday, so let's jump right in. alpha5099 asked: Question in honor of the last days of the Lunar Festival: Given that the holiday is centered around Moonglade and the druids, it makes sense that the majority of the Elders are either Tauren or Night Elves, the pre-Cata druid races. But then the other race of Elder seems to be Earthen. Does this mean that there are Earthen druids?
Breakfast Topic: How do you relax in WoW?
Many, if not most, of us have certainly at one point or another taken breaks from playing WoW, in which we stop playing for a few weeks, or months, or even years, before coming back. But what do we do when we need a break, but don't want to stop playing the game? Maybe you just can't stomach going back to that one raid yet again, or the thought of setting foot in one more battleground makes you want to put your face on your keyboard and moan. Yet the call of the login screen still remains, just not for whatever you had been doing. The great thing about WoW is the variety of play options, so there's nearly always something enjoyable to pick up. You could farm for those rare mounts you never got, go back for a questing or archaeology achievement. There's pets to collect and battle, recipe lists to complete, achievements to finish up, proving grounds to master, and even your Tiller's farm to manage. In Warlords of Draenor, we're going to get a whole garrison to ourselves to deck out, as well. Personally, I find mountains of giant vegetables to be my zen in World of Warcraft. What about you? What relaxes you in this game?
Breakfast Topic: What's on your Mists of Pandaria bucket list?
Siege of Orgrimmar has been out for 3 months, Warlords of Draenor has been announced, and everything feels like it's starting to wind down as we make ourselves comfortable for the long wait until the next expansion. Some people choose to temporarily quit the game during these lulls, others roll alts, and then there's the good old bucket list. These are the things you never got around to doing, and now it seems like it may be the perfect time to start checking things off that list. The largest thing on my bucket list is pet battles. I've only dabbled with them, and it's not due to lack of interest (I was collecting pets well before pet battles were introduced), it's just something I never got around to taking seriously. The brawler's guild is also on the list. I started it pretty early on, but got side-tracked by more important things like raiding. I'd also like to finish leveling up my other hunter because I'm really excited to toss her the Garrosh heirloom weapon when she dings 90. What's on your bucket list for the pre-expansion slump?
Get started with pet battles using this list of the 7 best pets to fight with
If you've never gotten very far in the world of WoW's battle pets -- and can't be bothered to run around the game world catching every last one -- this list from Adventures in Poor Taste helps you pick the ideal pets to get in the fight. Though some of the pets are only obtainable by higher level players -- like Pebble (who comes from Cataclysm dailies), Snarly (who comes from Burning Crusade dailies), and Anubisath Idol (who comes from a vanilla-era raid) -- players of all levels will find some useful advice here. And, of course, remember that some of these pets -- like the Terrible Turnip, which we're big fans of -- can be found on the auction house, too, if you've got the gold to spare. So what are you waiting for? Go out and start your own battle pet collection with these heavy hitters.
Warlords of Draenor: Breed battle pets in your garrison
In the player garrisons coming in Warlords of Draenor, one of the medium-size construction options is the Pet Stable. While we were all initially uncertain as to its purpose, more has since been revealed. Below is an explanation from Cory Stockton's Twitter account. .@perksnpeeves @gloriaboboria current plan is you can merge two pets of the same family and pick the breed. Doing this gives chance at epic. - Cory Stockton (@mumper) November 10, 2013 Do note that he specified current plan. The expansion has just been announced. Many things will change before any beta phase. Even more will change before launch.
Major Payne's underpants-soiling most feared creature of all
Have you ever lain awake in your bed long into the night, visions of horror playing out behind your eyelids every time to attempted to sleep? No? Well, according to this week's Major Payne's Pet Menagerie, you just well might if you attempt to lay claim to the featured battle pet. It -- this Creature of the Void will remain resolutely unnamed on WoW Insider -- may seem harmless, but the good Major assures us that it's really just waiting in the wings to devour our souls when the time is ripe. And there is no riper time than that of Hallow's End! Beware, ye pet-battlers. Should you call forth upon this unspeakable power, just make sure you're going into the fight armed with the full knowledge of the potential gravity. Check out the full article for in-depth information before you make a terrible mistake, and don't say we didn't warn you.
The Queue: Jinxed
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. I don't play League of Legends. I'm not good at it and, in general, I have no interest in the MOBA genre. But the music video they released for their newest champion? Holy crap. So cool. Jackson Stephens asked: What do you think about the idea that the expansion will be announced at Blizzcon and released for Christmas?
How I'm Becoming the Very Best: Winning at WoW pet battles, Part 1
I've been spending an inordinate amount of time lately in the game playing pet battles. As in, hours upon hours of having my monsters fight other monsters, all while chain watching Dexter via On Demand. It's a vicious cycle, something where I can be supremely entertained, multitask, yet still have the freedom to press pause (literally and figuratively) to get up and walk away to do other things. Although if I was being honest with myself that whole "walking away" thing really doesn't happen too much, especially at 2am when you only have a few more kills to get yet another pet up to level 25. And that's what we're going to talk about for a few weeks -- strategies to get your pets up to level 25 and beating all the pet trainers. Getting started The base of your journey to becoming the very best starts with your first pet. Go with something forgiving, and don't try to get an exotic pet with strange abilities right off the bat. In fact, don't try to get those until your very last step. Instead pick a pet that has easy to understand attacks, maybe a little flow to them, and something that you'll learn inside and out to help you all along your trials. For me that pet is the Darkmoon Zeppelin. It's a mechanical pet that does increased damage to beasts, and has the delightful ability to revive itself after its first death in a pet battle. That essentially means you get a big screwup button that lets you recover from the majority of misktakes you'll make. The Zeppelin also had the added bonus of having a gigantic bomb of death you can toss on an enemy to causes a lot of hurt after a couple rounds.
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.
