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Insider Trader: Patch 3.2 profession change analysis
Insider Trader is your inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.Over the past few days, some upcoming professions changes for Patch 3.2 have been announced, and although they are not as detailed as they could be, several of the changes will have quite an impact. First and foremost, every profession-specific buff is being upgraded. This includes an Enchanter's ability to enhance their own rings, a Leatherworker's bracer enchants, and more. For a complete list of the current profession bonuses, check out Insider Trader's guide to Profession-Specific Buffs, parts one through three.These buffs also answer some of the concerns surrounding the upcoming Jewelcrafting nerf that epic gems might be introduced without a buff to the Dragon's Eyes, which, in combination with the fact that these gems will no longer be prismatic, would effectively squash the Jewelcrafting bonus.Jewelcrafters will also do well to note that they will be able to acquire epic gems by prospecting Titanium. Combined with a Blacksmith's two extra prismatic sockets, this powerful duo is one of the most popular profession combinations.In addition, Engineers will be seeing some welcome changes to their profession that may make it more appealing. Unfortunately, some of the details have not been made public, so the competitiveness of their self buffs, for example, remains to be seen.
Patch 3.2 brings about Ravasaur mounts, baby dinosaurs, Northrend orphans and more
Great news for collectors of pets and mounts in the Patch 3.2 notes! Not only will the long-desired Ravasaur mount finally be available -- for Horde players only, mind you -- but dinosaur fanatics will be pleased to discover that they can find Raptor Hatchlings from rare and elite raptors throughout the world. For those unwilling to farm, you can also buy Obsidian Raptor Hatchlings from Breanni in Dalaran! But that's not all. Besides those two, Blizzard says that there are six other new unannounced non-combat pets available, not including Argent Tournament rewards. But even that's not all! Northrend Children's Week will start with the new patch, which means that we're likely to see the Gorloc and Wolvar orphans we've known about since Wrath launched. All that's on top of the new paladin mounts from the Argent Tournament, the Sunreaver and Silver Covenant mounts, and the new as-yet-unnamed Argent Tournament pet. Nice patch for you pet and mount collectors, eh? Patch 3.2 will bring about a new 5, 10, and 25 man instance to WoW, and usher in a new 40-man battleground called the Isle of Conquest. WoW.com will have you covered every step of the way, from extensive PTR coverage through the official live release. Check out WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2 for all the latest!
Mountain Dew Battle Bots now live
Mountain Dew Game Fuel, WoW-themed flavors of the popular beverage in red and blue (for the Horde and Alliance, respectively), is out in the wild, and at least one of our writers is already a big fan. To show how much they love you (or rather, to try to get you to buy their soda), Mountain Dew will give you a free in-game Battle Bot pet, just for clicking a button on their web site! The button is towards the lower-right, and it'll redirect you to log in to your Battle.net account. Don't worry, it's safe - you can tell by the Battle.net URL. He's a cute little guy. You can see a few screenshots I took in the gallery below. Apparently you get in-game fuel for your pet, again in red or blue, and when you fuel them up, they will fight opposite colors. If you give your pet blue fuel and the guy next to you gives it red, expect some robot-on-robot fighting action. I'm not sure if you have to get the appropriate fuel for your faction, since it seems you can only get one in-game item per day, and I already got my battle bot. I'll try it tomorrow and see how it goes. Edit: It looks like we've killed the Mountain Dew website. Keep trying though, it's bound to come back up sometime... Edit 2: The pet is mailed to all of your characters, so you don't have to decide which one gets it. %Gallery-65571%
Breakfast Topic: What non-combat pets do you want implemented?
If there's one thing I've learned in the time I've spent playing WoW, it's that people are serious about the cute (and useless) tagalong polygonal pals we call non-combat pets. Blizzard apparently likes them too, since we got ten new ones with the launch of 3.1, as well as achievements to give you even more of them for hitting pet-number milestones. There are enough pets for you to fill every bag slot with them, and enough people who collect 'em to warrant pet toy vendors and whole websites dedicated to 'em. But I'm not satisfied! In fact, I'll never be satisfied -- not until I get a non-combat Talbaby pet. I even did Blizzard the favor of designing it. See? Who wouldn't want that adorable ungulate following them around? NO ONE. THAT'S WHO.How about you guys? Is there a specific type of non-combat pet, brand-new model or tiny version of an in-game model alike, you'd love to see? Is there a baby version of some fearsome beast you've scarcely lived without this whole time?
The Queue: Tank talk
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky will be your host today.There was a good, and amazingly civil, discussion yesterday in the comments to the Queue about which instance a tank should head to first. Most of the debate came about via my suggestion that Utgarde Pinnacle was a good candidate for a tank's first heroic. The nice thing about this game is that there is no right or wrong answer (most of the time).However one of the only truths about the game is that you can get better at it by discussing it and debating the aspects of it with other people. So I do humbly recommend that no matter what question you ask, you always look for more than one answer and compile all the answers into one that fits you best. And with that said, ask your questions about the game in the comments and we'll see if we can't help you on this path of enlightenment. /zen Otharello mentioned..."I'm pretty sure that suggesting Utgarde Pinnacle for a new tank is the height of sadism."
Addon Spotlight: Livestock
Every weekend (well, almost every weekend), Addon Spotlight takes a look at the little bits of Lua and XML that make our interfaces special. From bar mods to unit frames and beyond, if it goes in your Addons folder, we'll cover it here. Mounts and vanity pets are a bigger part of many people's WoW than ever before. They don't take up any space in our bags (yay!), there are achievements for them (meh!), and there are a lot of cool ones to find (even if the raven mount keeps eluding me and the rest of my guildies). However, Blizzard's interface for these summonable beasts leaves a lot to be desired. Livestock is here to fill that gap. It aims to handle all your vanity-pet and mount related needs, with the following features: Buttons to choose a pet or mount to summon Buttons to summon a random pet or mount Can ensure that you always have a pet out (i.e. resummon on zoning in to an instance, ressing, etc.) "Smart mount" feature to choose flying/ground mounts as appropriate Keybindings for all important function This last feature is the one that makes it viable for me; if I have to click to mount up, I'm not going to use your mod.
Still time to get your pet bear and achievement
There's still time to get your non-combat baby polar bear pet and your achievement celebrating the 4th anniversary of the World of Warcraft. All you have to do is log into the game and open up your mail. Many folks thought that the achievement would only trigger if you logged on yesterday, however that doesn't appear to be the case. People are calling the polar bear pet the "cutest thing in-game." The reaction of "Awwww!!!" can be heard throughout guild chats everywhere. And for those special/cool/nerdy enough, you can even have a polar bear non-combat pet next to a polar bear hunter pet next to a BlizzCon polar bear mount next to a regular polar bear mount.If you get to have that much polar bear love in one screenshot, you get the achievement "Threat Down: Polar Bears" and are awarded the title "Colbert." The t is silent, of course.Okay... maybe we're kidding about the title, but it's still cool to be able to do that.
Four year anniversary pet and feat of strength achievement
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/World_of_Warcraft_Celebrates_4_Years_Online'; Those of us waking up today and tomorrow will log into Azeroth and find in our mailboxes a little Baby Blizzard Bear non-combat pet. This pet will also give you a feat of strength achievement celebrating World of Warcraft's four years online.This is a nice little way for Blizzard to thank all of us for spending years in the game. With over 11 million people playing WoW, and Wrath becoming a hit overnight, there's definitely a lot of celebrating to do over at Blizzard HQ.The little bear that you get looks a like a small version of the BlizzCon Polar Bear Mount those of us lucky enough to attend BlizzCon this year got. It's a perfect traveling companion for you as you adventure around Northrend.Edit: The pet is active on US, EU, and Oceanic servers.Thanks to Mangowire for sending us the pics you see below. %Gallery-37708%
World of WarCrafts: Sinister Squashling
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.Hallow's End is almost upon us, and with that comes flimsy masks, a chance to be named The Hallowed, and a shot at looting something more cute than sinister. Even if you miss out on this seasonal in-game pumpkin pet, you still have the chance to befriend this small squashling IRL.Here is what you will need: Small (Fake) Pumpkin Small Stick Fake Leaves Vine Wire Acrylic Paint Hot Glue Gun Wire Cutters Paintbrush Pencil Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-34622%
Collector's Edition and Blizzard Events items will become "Bound to Account"
Jeff Kaplan a.k.a. "Tigole" announced today that the following items will become "Account Bound": Murky Tyrael's Hilt Murloc Costume All Collector's Edition pets This is an interesting change to say the least. Blizzard will set this change in motion on the Beta first, and if everything goes smoothly it'll go live (no word if it will happen in Wrath of the Lich King or patch 3.0.2).Kaplan notes that with this change Collector's Edition pets will no longer disappear when you put them into your pet spell book. The spell will still be added, but you will be able to send the pet item around to your other characters on your account. He does point out that if you've already put your pet into the pet spell book, you won't be able to be refunded the pet on the beta. Of course, that does not apply to the live realms – since the pet spell book isn't implemented in live.
Make your pet shine!
Tipster Wietkop informed us that the pet supplies NPC in Dalaran, Breanni, was selling something new in the Wrath Beta. So I headed on over to the pet store in Dalaran and found a lot of players fiddling around with the new toy, a Pet Grooming Kit that you can use on your pet to -- make it shine, just like it says on the tooltip. The Pet Grooming Kit is a single use BoP item that allows players to buff their non-combat pets with sparkles and a nice, clean glow. Using it has a splashing sound and makes an animation similar to water elementals getting squished. It's pretty cool, and it's simple little touches like these that make the game fun. Breanni also sells Fetch Balls and a Rope Pet Leash, although that one didn't exactly go over well with my Mini-Tyrael. Hopefully before the Beta is over, we'll see Breanni sell a few more items that spice up our favorite little companions. Papa Hummel's Old-Fashioned Pet Biscuits, anyone?
Wrath Collector's Ed pet: Frosty the Frost Wyrm whelp
A lot of readers tipped this in while looking through Wowhead's comprehensive Achievements database. While we've actually heard of rumors of the Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Edition, with pictures of the box supposedly making their way out of the printers, this Achievement more or less confirms that there will be a Collector's Edition and that the Frost Wyrm whelp model leaked in Alpha is actually the Collector's Edition pet.The Achievement falls under Feats of Strength, along with the other Collector's Edition Achievements The requirement is possession of Frosty's Collar, an item not yet implemented in Beta. The Achievements page defines the Feats of Strength as "an accomplishment that players will find either very difficult if not impossible to earn. Feats of Strength are a collection of past glories on Azeroth."
Fansite awarded NPC honor
If you're a vanity pet collector you've probably visited WarcraftPets. Breanni of Scarlet Crusade, the master of this has clearly put a considerable amount of effort into researching non-combat pets. The site lists news and information on all minipets found in the World of Warcraft. The site features a small-pet FAQ, a calendar of events featuring vanity pets, a guide to collecting non-combat pets, and more. Breanni is getting special recognition for her efforts in the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King Expansion. Breanni posted in the general forums that she will be getting an NPC Avatar in Dalaran. Care for all your pet needs with Breanni's Pet supplies. This is not the first honorable mention that the site has won. Breanni has also been placed on the World of Warcraft map, as created by Tim Howego.
New mini Tyrael pet is underwhelming
Having been to the Worldwide Invitational, we were hot to turn in our key that gave us a pet Tyrael. Running hither and yon in the Undercity, we finally found the NPC for the turn in, said the magic words and voila! A floating, lightning-winged avenging angel was ours for everyone to ooh and aah over.Well, kinda. It doesn't really do anything. There are no animations other than floating. Don't believe us? Check out the video above. At least Sleepy Willy had the good manners to fall asleep occasionally.EDIT: Apparently he will dance with you if you target him and use the /dance emote.
Soon to be 2.4.3
As you've likely already heard, patch 2.4.3 will finally be going live today, and we have the full set of notes. While the realms aren't up yet, the new patch excitement and QQs are already building. How is this patch going to affect you? Do you have an army of level 30 alts lined up and waiting to purchase their phat new rides? Personally, I'll be heading out to pick up the new tailoring patterns in Tanaris and purchasing the non-combat pet from the Sha'tari Skyguard. Then, I might level my own handful of alts. While I meant to push them all to 30 before the patch landed, I got sidetracked. What will you be doing?
New mounts and non-combat pets of 2.4
Of the many shiny goodies coming our way with Patch 2.4, some of the shiniest are the new mounts and non-combat pets. The 5-man Kael'Thas of Magister's Terrace drops the latest status symbol among pet collector's: the Phoenix Hatchling. We're not sure of the drop rate, but we have to assume it's going to be rare. If you can't get it in-game, you can always check it out on video.If baby creatures aren't your thing, there's also a number of new mounts available with the Sunwell patch. Two new PvP mounts: the Black War Elekk and Black Swift Warstrider. Information on obtaining these new mounts as well as pics can be found in our PTR post.Finally, the new Rocket Mount will be introduced in either blue or red. This can only be gained through a World of Warcraft Trading Card Game loot card. Or, you know, EBay. Patch 2.4 sounds great, but what's in it for you? Find out on our Sunwell Isle page where we list the impact on classes, professions, PvP, Raiders and many other playstyles and interests. Looking for more great info? Check out the WoW Insider Directory for the best of our guides and analysis.
Phoenix pet drop found
Thanks to tipster Panagiotis of <Horde Hit Squad> (EU-Mazrigos-A), and to valiant PTR testers, we now know where patch 2.4's new non-combat Phoenix Hatchling pet can be found: it drops from Kael'thas, in Magister's Terrace. This is kind of cute if you think about it, since the version of Kael'thas in the Eye drops the Ashes of Al'ar. Big Kael'thas, big phoenix; little Kael'thas, little phoenix. According to MMO-Champion, it drops it normal mode, but not in Heroic. If you need any help with your normal-mode Kael'thas strategy, check out this video. Still unknown is what the drop rate is. I'd guess pretty low, as these "frill" items tend to be that way (Baron's mount, anyone?).
Get your Mojo workin'! [UPDATED]
Are you one of those folks who just absolutely can't live without the cute and cuddly non-combat pets? Well, this morning has turned up news of a surprising new non-combat pet, but we're not convinced that "cute" fits here. The pet is Mojo, the frog long claimed to be obtainable in Zul'Aman via the Amani Hex-sticks. While we're not entirely sure if it was intended or not, it would appear that Mojo is currently available by going to the small camp just outside and slightly to the south of Zul'Aman. I have tested this quest and was actually able to get Mojo on my level 70 Rogue as well as my level 27 Hunter, so one would think that it is likely attainable on most characters. Of course, the down-side of this particular variant of Mojo is that he doesn't seem to be quite right. Well, that is to say, his texture map looks very low-res/unfinished compared to other frogs in game, and his in-game icon is a grey doll with a blue nimbus around him as opposed to being a frog. However, should you want a Mojo of your own, check out the how-to after the jump![UPDATED] - It would appear that this is no longer working and was, in fact, a bug that was hot-fixed today. Blizzard has not issued a statement as yet about whether or not the NPC-given Mojos will remain. If they do say one way or the other, we'll let you know.
Get exalted with Sporeggar
If you fancy the new Tiny Spore Bat pet, then Sporeggar is the faction for you. While the reputation grind can be daunting and mind-numbing, becoming exalted with the Sporelings is one of the easiest and quickest rep grinds out there. Mooire of Ferocious Bite, a drood blog, has recently posted a guide to gaining Sporeggar rep, just in time for all the non-combat fans to make a quick grind. After all, if you need one, you simply need it to be had on patch day. How will we co-ordinate with our flying mounts otherwise? The "Bring me a(nother) shrubbery!" quest is undoubtedly the easiest way to gain reputation, provided you can get into a group for Underbog. Mooire found that each run can yield 20-30 sanguine hibiscus, and at 750 rep per 5 turned in, that's up to 4 500 reputation per dungeon run. If you have the herbalism skill, Mooire points out that many of the mobs will shed sanguine hibiscus. For rogues and droods, some of the plants can be gained without the aid of a group by stealthing through the dungeon. Reaching exalted with Sporeggar may bring fashionable benefits as well. After all, what blood elf male doesn't secretly long for the pinky-purple mushroom tabard?For those of you who are still leveling, or who have seriously neglected this particular faction, then there are other quests and turnins to be done before locking into an Underbog group.
New loot cards?
A couple of different sites around the net are claiming that the recently leaked photos of the rocket chicken, paper toys and the dragon kite are attached to the latest loot cards from the WoW card game. Previous speculation had linked them to the engineering profession, which wasn't a bad guess considering the new schematics that are already being added to that profession in the next patch.Now, Dyrk at the Gutterspeak blog claims to have some new information about the rocket chicken, which will apparently be the second rarest item of the three new cards. He claims that it's a small, non-combat pet that launches itself into the air (or accidentally blows itself up) as its idle animation.
