How to defeat the pandaren rare spawns

One thing I noticed while leveling was how much of my inventory was being filled with zany flavor items and mountains of random stat food. Between that and the pandaren racial bonus, Epicurean, I formed this preconception that all panda-shaped people loved to eat food and do kooky things, so imagine my surprise when NPCScan informed me that a pandaren rare was within my scanning range just waiting to go toe-to-toe.

I like to believe that maybe these particular pandaren are just looking for A Worthy Opponent (see what I did there?), and that I just get so caught up in the exchange of punches and blows that I forget not to kill them.

Like the jinyu, and the rest of the rare spawns, the pandaren rares all share the same set of abilities:

• Spinning Crane Kick - A whirlwind of feet and pain, the 3-second cat for this attack can't be interrupted, but the target can be stunned or crowd-controlled during the animation. Just to be safe, make sure that you don't engage the pandaren in an enclosed area.

• Chi Burst - The pandaren will only use this ability if you are more than 15 yards away from them, a mechanic surely designed to force you to deal with Spinning Crane Kick in some fashion. And at over 200,000 damage per cast, I would say it's pretty effective.

• Healing Mists - The one ability you will want to save your interrupt for, Healing Mists heals the pandaren for 30% of their maximum health. Stuns and crowd control should also work if you find your spellbook lacking a reliable interrupt.

The main strategy here is to stay close to the target for the most part, only moving away from it during Spinning Crane Kick. Also, interrupting Healing Mists will prevent you from dulling your blades against the bears' furry backside while you race to outpace the healing.

Below is a list of pandaren rares and their respective zones:

• Ahone the Wanderer - Found in Kun-Lai Summit, drops Pandaren Firework Launcher.

• Ai-Li Skymirror - Found in Dread Wastes, drops Ai-Li's Skymirror.

• Ai-Ran the Shifting Cloud - Found in Vale of Eternal Blossoms, drops Essence of the Breeze.

• Nasra Spothide - Found in Valley of the Four Winds, drops Seed of Tranquil Growth.

• Ruun Ghostpaw - Found in Krasarang Wilds, drops Silent Leggings of the Ghostpaw.

• Urobi the Walker - Found in Jade Forest, drops Pathwalker Greatstaff.

• Yul Wildpaw - Found in Townlong Steppes, drops Big Bag of Wonders.

Good hunting!

Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.