Capture a Crow when the Darkmoon Faire's in town

If you're into battle pets, the Darkmoon Faire needs to be on your monthly to-do list. Outside of the variety of pets and mounts available in exchange for Darkmoon Prize Tickets, Darkmoon Island is home to a few wild battle pets, including the Crow.

Here's a rundown of its abilities:

• Slot 1 Peck or Alpha Strike
• Slot 2 Squawk or Call Darkness
• Slot 3 Murder or Nocturnal Strike

We have some basic Flying-type abilities here, and between Peck and Alpha Strike, the latter is usually recommended. Even with a slower breed of Crow, the Flying family passive grants 50% extra speed above 50% health, so you can expect that extra hit from Alpha Strike. In slots 2 and 3, you have two paths to choose from. If you're going up against an Elemental battle pet with the Crow (not recommended), Squawk and Murder may be better choices, but against any other type, Call Darkness and Nocturnal Strike will be your powerhouse combo.

The Crow's skillset revolves around Flying-type abilities, but let's take a closer look at the outlier. The Humanoid-type ability Call Darkness is strong against Dragonkin, an advantage most Flying pets don't have. But the ability's strong point truly lies in its debuff. Initially, Call Darkness seems like something that might work against your own team, but don't be fooled!

Into darkness

Call Darkness is a powerful weather effect that deals a decent amount of damage up front, while rendering all pets Blinded and reducing all healing received by 50% for its 5-round duration. So, use blind to your advantage by pairing Call Darkness with the Crow's Nocturnal Strike. While it usually has a high chance to miss, Nocturnal Strike will always hit if the target is blind.

There are a few other abilities that benefit from a blind debuff, including the Ghostly Skull's Spectral Strike, Nordrassil Whisp's Light, and the Pandaren Monk's Fury of 1,000 Fists. Keep that synergy in mind when building a strong team! But remember: facing an Elemental opponent will render Call Darkness mostly useless for this combo, as they're immune to weather effects. Nonetheless, the Crow is a valuable asset in any battle pet collection!

Second string

If you don't spot any capturable Crows on Darkmoon Island, don't worry, you'll never see them around. And that's ok! The Crow only spawns as a secondary pet to Darkmoon Glowflies (above level 5) all around the island. If the Crow doesn't spawn as a backline pet initially, keep at it. A glowfly can also team up with a Sea Gull, Adder, Roach, or a Rat -- you may be on the island for a while if you're set on capturing a rare Crow.
So, get out there this week while the Faire is still in town and snag a Crow. Keep in mind, the wild battle pets here range from level 1 to 10 -- be sure to switch in low level pets or whip out your Terrible Turnip for an easy capture.

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