Patch 4.2 New Hunter Pets: Ahnka

Patch 4.2 introduces two brand new daily quest hubs to Cataclysm called The Molten Front and The Regrowth. Yesterday, Blizzard updated the public test realm to include a new tidbit of information about eight new unique and rare creatures that would provide unique challenges to tame them by savvy hunters.

I hopped on to the PTR this morning and, lo and behold, found the first of these eight new challenges -- Ahnka, the spirit cat.

Ahnka presented a simple yet devious challenge -- the damage Ahnka does to you is based on how much armor you have. High armor rating means you'll be one-shot and dead in a second. Having no armor means you can survive the cat's onslaught. Ahnka is also immune to slows, traps, and anything that would prevent this beast from mauling your face off. In order to tame Ahnka, you'll have to strip down.

I took off any gear that had armor rating on it, tracked Ahnka to a remote part of The Regrowth away from mobs, and began to tame. It was relatively simple once I figured out the gimmick.

Name: Ahnka

• Type: Spirit Beast

• Pet spec: Ferocity

• Found in: The Regrowth

• Gimmick: Does damage based on armor. Take off your armor to tame and survive.

These taming challenges remind me of the demon hunting quests for Rhok'delar, the hunter epic bow from vanilla WoW, which began from the Ancient Petrified Leaf in the Molten Core. Each demon had a different weakness that required the hunter to use his or her skill set to defeat each challenge. I am greatly looking forward to the other seven hunter pet challenges in the other areas of the new daily hubs.

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!