battle-pets
Latest
Bad Robot battle pet to come in 'a future patch'
Engineers who also like J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions can rejoice in knowing they'll be able to craft this homage to the production house in World of Warcraft. No word yet on what's so bad about said little robot, but here he is regardless. Blizzard <3s Bad Robot One of the core values we live by here at Blizzard is "Embrace Your Inner Geek." We play countless games, we collect comics and card games, we love cutting-edge technology and computer hardware, we're fascinated by science and discovery, and many of us are movie buffs. Movies represent the combined imaginations of talented writers and visionaries, artists and operators, editors and producers, that can culminate in an awesome cinematic experience. It's with this motivation that we express our respect for JJ Abrams' Bad Robot Productions. Coming in a future patch, characters with the Engineering profession will be able to produce this mechanical homage to the company that brought us award-winning television shows like Lost and Fringe, and are continuing the epic Star Trek and forthcoming Star Wars film sagas. Everyone has a chance to get their hands on this pet, allowing them to show off their mutual appreciation for Bad Robot, and the stories they've brought to our TVs and movie screens. We hope everyone enjoys this new pet! source 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.
Patch 5.3 PTR: Darkspear Rebellion Quartermaster items
The Darkspear Rebellion has begun on the patch 5.3 PTR -- Vol'jin and his forces are attempting to lay siege to Orgrimmar itself. The content spans the breadth of Northern Barrens at this point, with quests and story for both Alliance and Horde players along the way. But what's a new set of quests without a new selection of goodies to be had? Sure, Vol'jin, we'll help you out ... but give us some cool stuff for the effort, okay? And it appears at the moment that there are quite a few new items to grab. There are plenty of new toys, a new pet, and a host of gear to be gathered from the Darkspear Rebellion quartermaster -- and we've compiled a list of screenshots for all of it. As of right now, there doesn't appear to be a reputation requirement for any of the new items. Simply gather a truckload of Kor'kron Supplies and turn them in for the rewards at hand. There are two exceptions to this -- the new battle pet Gahz'rooki requires a Radical Mojo to purchase, which is currently a reward for a weekly supplies-gathering quest. In addition, the Raptorhide Boxing Gloves require a Radical Mojo to purchase, as well as Brawler's Guild membership to start the quest that they offer. Whether or not these items will remain available without a reputation requirement is unknown, but the rewards aren't tied to Valor points, and they don't appear to be powerful armor or weapon upgrades. What they are, however, is a whole lot of promising fun. Take a look at the gallery for the full list of Darkspear Rebellion items coming your way in patch 5.3. %Gallery-185280%
Electrified Razortooth is an electric ball of cuteness and death
Several new battle pets accompanied the release of the Isle of Thunder and patch 5.2. While completing dailies or heading out to the Throne of Thunder, these new creatures may catch your eye. Shiny new models, huzzah! Electrified Razortooth spawns only as a primary pet on the Isle of Thunder, so while roaming around, keep your eyes open. They don't spawn as often as Swamp Croaker and Elder Python; you may have to make a few rounds to find one. The good news is, Electrified Razortooth is only available in one breed, and that means less time spent farming the ideal rare. Electrified Razortooth's abilities are mostly Elemental type, and are as follows: Slot 1 Rip or Jolt Slot 2 Paralyzing Shock or Lightning Shield Slot 3 Devour or Blood in the Water
Adopt a Spring Rabbit now that Noblegarden is here
It's that time of year again! Noblegarden has descended upon Azeroth, granting us bunny ears, chocolates, and even a battle pet. Spring Rabbit is purchased with 100 Noblegarden Chocolate, received when opening a Brightly Colored Egg. You can find the eggs scattered about several starting towns -- think Brill, Goldshire, and Kharanos. There's also a small chance to find the Spring Rabbit's Foot inside an egg, and if you don't want to adventure out into the world at all, there's always the auction house! Spring Rabbit's abilities are mostly Critter type, and are as follows: Slot 1 Scratch or Flurry Slot 2 Adrenaline Rush or Dodge Slot 3 Burrow or Stampede Although the Spring Rabbit is learned as an Uncommon battle pet, it has the potential to be a very strong member of your team. It's worth considering the upgrade with a battle-stone, since the breed and moveset makes it one of the best of the rabbit types around. Take, for example, the generic Rabbit. The moveset is the same, but the Rabbit is available in six different breeds, which could make capturing the ideal rabbit a pain. Spring Rabbit is always breed 5/15, or S/S, which means that its stats are heavily weighted for speed. Flurry and Dodge become super effective.
Patch 5.3: Even more battle pets from the PTR
If you're a fan of pet battles, then patch 5.3 is for you, bringing new pets, new pets, and new pets. And while we were already excited about the creepy/cute Unborn Val'kyr, now Wowhead has turned up more information -- along photos and drop locations -- on what to expect from the pets in the upcoming patch. Many of these are being added to Burning Crusade era raids for the Raiding with Leashes II: Attunement Edition achievement which requires you to collect 10 pets from Karazhan, Serpentshrine Cavern, and The Eye. The reward for collecting all of these pets? It's another pet, the still mysterious Tito. But while most of the pets discovered so far require revisiting old raids, there are also some new wild pets and drops, including the previously mentioned Unborn Val'kyr as well as mini-Gahz'rilla Gahz'rooki, the ooze Filthling, and a couple of adorably miniature Direhorns, the Stunted Direhorn and Direhorn Runt. So what's our favorite? Well, you already know how we feel about dinosaurs.
Mumper clarifies seasonal battle pets
There are a number of achievements available for pet battlers, but one in particular has eluded us all. Not because it's particularly tough to earn, but because we're all waiting for MoP's first Summertime in-game. The Qiraji Guardling is said to only spawn during Summer, but there's been a bit of confusion surrounding when WoW's Summer actually is. See, the Raw Summer Bass begins spawning on the first day of Spring here in the real world. With a name like Summer Bass, you'd think that'd make it Summer in-game, right? As it turns out, no. The Summer Bass is a Spring/Summer fish, just like the Winter Squid is a Fall/Winter fish. Players sought clarification on fish versus pet spawning seasons from Lead Content Designer Cory "Mumper" Stockton, and received it: Seasonal pets will follow the pre-existing seasons starting in patch 5.3. Note that the existing fish are available for spring/summer (1/2) - Cory Stockton (@mumper) March 22, 2013 and fall/winter. The pets are available only in the Summer and Winter seasons so the dates are not the exact same. (2/2) - Cory Stockton (@mumper) March 22, 2013 So, the seasonal fish span multiple seasons, and the two seasonal pets span single seasons. Single seasons that loosely mirror our real-world seasons. Be on the lookout for the Guardling around the time Summer hits the Northern hemisphere -- in-game we're guessing it'll be May or June. Are you ready for your Zookeeper title?
Wowhead releases new battle pet tools
If you're a pet battler, Wowhead is a popular stop for solutions to head-scratching trainers or mysterious wild pets. There are so many collectable battle pets that it can get a bit hairy to memorize every ability or plan out a team before leveling a new battle pet. Wowhead has just released new and updated battle pet tools to make the journey to master tamer a smooth one. Being an avid pet battler, I'm very excited to see these additions. It hasn't been easy to track battle pet breeds and other information outside of addons in-game. So, being able to look everything up at once over at Wowhead will be a time-saver. The Battle Pet Calculator displays health, power, and speed based on the battle pet's breed, quality, and level with an easy-to-use slider. An enhanced Battle Pet Listview now makes it easy to see a breakdown of a level 25 battle pet's stats, abilities, as well as other key pieces of data. The Pet Abilities filter is similar to Wowhead's current Spells filter, and allows users to filter by mechanics -- like Block or Burn -- buffs, debuffs, battle pet family, and more. There's more to see, so head over and take a look at the new tools.
Corefire Imp will melt faces and take names
Corefire Imp may be one of the underdogs out there in the battle pet world. I'm sure some pet battlers use this little troublemaker on teams, but sadly, I haven't seen him in many PvP battles. A diamond in the rough, I tell you! Corefire Imp has a chance to drop off of Magmadar in Molten Core. Collect the imp's 11 battle pet friends hiding in a few old world raids and earn the Raiding with Leashes achievement, which rewards the fabulous Mr. Bigglesworth. So, even if you're not interested in rotating the imp onto your teams, farming him up is worth it. Corefire Imp is of the Humanoid family, but wields mostly Elemental attacks, with a few other types thrown in: Slot 1 Burn or Rush Slot 2 Immolation or Flamethrower Slot 3 Cauterize or Wild Magic The real strength of Corefire Imp is that he makes a great tank. The imp's only weakness is to Undead attacks, which are relatively rare. The Humanoid passive -- recovering 4% maximum health every attack -- is what really wins in combination with his abilities. Let's take a closer look!
Why head to the Isle of Giants?
Patch 5.2 introduced the Isle of Thunder, but it also introduced some other things to explore. One of these things has some players absolutely mystified -- the Isle of Giants. Located in the northernmost reaches of Kun Lai, the island is home to a never ending stream of giant dinosaurs and the Zandalari Dinomancers that seek to capture them for their own purposes. Why are the Zandalari so concerned with getting dinosaurs? Well, if you've wandered around on the Isle of Thunder or stepped into the Throne of Thunder, you'll see that the Zandalari are pretty keen on enslaving the dinosaurs and using them as mounts, pets, and even raid bosses. The bigger question on the mind of a lot of players, however, is why we should be concerned with the Isle of Giants at all. With no quests, no portals, no lead-ins and no clear defined purpose besides the world raid boss Oondasta, why would we want to spend any extended amount of time on the island at all?
No experience multiplier for Elite Battle Pets, working as intended
I started my Beasts of Fable quest line for the first time after 5.2 went live and was curious about how much experience a low level pet would receive when defeating an Elite Battle Pet. I was pretty excited. Would my newbie little Crawling Claw instantly complete most of his leveling journey? Nope. He earned 224 XP. Which, in the scope of battle pet leveling, is peanuts. Not even worth bringing a low level battle pet in to soak experience. But these are Elite Battle Pets! What's the dealio? Could it be a bug? I took to Twitter to find out, and was pleasantly surprised to receive an answer from Lead Content Designer Cory "Mumper" Stockton. @kristin @cm_zarhym @ghostcrawler Yes, this is intended. They have higher drop rates for rare stones and alt panda pets. - Cory Stockton (@mumper) March 7, 2013 So, we should just stick to power leveling battle pets elsewhere. At least we have a great chance to earn rare Battle-Stones and cute pandas while plowing through the Beasts of Fable.
Pierre the craftable cookstove pulled from 5.2
Eagle-eyed PTR users might have noticed that Pierre, the Engineering-crafted cookstove and battle pet, has disappeared from the pet journal. Cory Stockton confirmed via Twitter that Pierre was indeed pulled from patch 5.2, to the disappointment of Engineers and pet collectors everywhere. We've written about Pierre on WoW Insider before, and, as silly as I feel admitting this, I'm pretty sad he's not going to be in the patch! Sure there's tons of cool mounts, loot, and delicious lore still to look forward to, but pets, man! Come on! As of yet the reasons for the change are unknown, but I certainly hope that when he does at last appear in the game, he's still as face-meltingly adorable as he is now.
Patch 5.2 PTR: New fishing events, battle pets, and El
Fishing has seen a few changes in patch 5.2, including a new fishing event that has been added on the PTR. El from El's Extreme Anglin' has all the details, as well as an NPC in game as a nod to the fishing expert. But those that were dreading the thought of another tournament can breathe a sigh of relief, as there doesn't seem to be any contest involved with the new fishing event -- just a whole lot of fishing. Dubbed "pool migrations" by El, the new fishing event spawns multiple pools in one of eight different areas across Pandaria. Seven of these locations are marked on the minimap by a red x, shown on the map above. Each spot has a multitude of rapid-spawning pools that contain the same fish as usual, but occasionally you'll encounter one very, very large pool, home to Krakkanon, a giant sea monster that can be engaged and defeated for rare rewards and a multitude of fish.
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.
How to get started building your own battle pet arsenal
No, we aren't talking about hunters today: the battle pet system allows all of us to have and fight with pets through a special battle pet interface. And though you're not likely find mention of pet battles before you hit Pandaria, you can start participating in pet battles as early as level 5. And even if you aren't a fan of the "gotta catch 'em all!" game on which the system is modeled, we think pet battles are a fun break from leveling -- and since you're walking right by battle pets to collect and fight as you wander through each zone, why not have your battle pets advancing at the same time you are? The concept behind battle pets is simple; your battle pets fight other battle pets throughout the game in a turn-based format, gaining levels (up to 25) and skills (each pet has 6). Whenever you see another battle pet -- or battle pet trainer -- you can fight to gain experience and, of course, the glory of victory. If that sounds interesting, let's get started on the road to becoming the fiercest pet tamer in Azeroth!
Patch 5.2 PTR: Updated abilities and quality of life changes for pet battles
I find myself logged onto a different character every time I'm doing a round of pet battle dailies. It shouldn't be an issue, because pets are account bound, but there's just one little thing: Battle Pet Bandages. I never earn any on my main character -- maybe it's bad luck. It's very frustrating to end up with a defeated team, Revive Battle Pets on cooldown, and no stable master nearby. Oh, and no bandages! Well, it feels like the devs really have been listening to the battle pet community, because they released a few quality of life updates on the PTR that (mostly) will make pet battlers happy campers. Battle Pet Bandages now stack and are Bind to Account. Level-capped players will now have a chance to earn Lesser Charms of Good Fortune after winning a pet battle versus a pet within 5 levels of the highest level pet on their team. Higher-level pets will offer a better chance to earn a charm. Winning a pet battle versus a team within 5 levels of the player's highest-level pet will now award player experience. I'm so happy to see that pet bandages will be Bind to Account. Being able to funnel every precious bandage to one character will make things much easier -- especially for the altoholics out there. And three huge huzzahs to earning stuff while battling pets! It takes quite a bit of time to grind every pet battle achievement, even with power leveling newbie pets. So, earning rewards normally reserved for playing through PvE content turns pet battling into time well spent. I'm tempted to level a character solely through pet battles, now that winning one will grant player experience! You can check out the full list of updated pet battle patch notes at the official site, but to make things easier we've compiled the complete list of notes after the break.
Patch 5.2 PTR: Three new vanity pets introduced
Several new pets have already been datamined from the 5.2 PTR, but Wowhead has dug up another trio to add to the pile. The Zandalari Anklerender, Zandalari Footslasher, and Zandalari Toenibbler have all been added to the latest list of items to hit the PTR. Although no models appear to be available for the critters just yet, the names suggest that they'll bear a resemblance to the Zandalari Kneebiter datamined just after the PTR files were discovered. Despite not really knowing where the little guys are going to come from, how much they're going to cost, or how exactly they'll hold up in Pet Battles, I want them. I want them all. How can you not love the idea of having a legion of tiny little anklebiters at your beck and call? Honestly, the only thing I'm wondering is how they manage to keep their head held high when they're essentially wearing an eensy little brick as a helmet. For more fun toys, pets, and other datamined items, check out the latest news post over on Wowhead. Edit: The intrepid users over at Wowhead have not only dug up screenshots of the little guys, but more information on where to get them! You can find all four pets on the Isle of Giants, as a random drop from mobs.
Patch 5.2 PTR: Triple turkey stack gobbled by pet battle crowd control nerf
Now that MoP has been out for a few months, I find myself enjoying pet battles far more than I thought I would. That being said, it was only a matter of time before griefing made its way into this part of the game as well -- even if it is by turkeys. Yes, turkeys. It all started with the rather harmless sounding "Triple Turkey." Unfortunately, it's not a sandwich I can nom on, but is instead something much more sinister in the world of pet battles. The Triple Turkey comp quickly became the flavor of the month for trolls in PvP pet battles, using abusing the irritating Food Coma ability to the max. If you've never encountered it before, Food Coma puts the opponent to sleep for two rounds, on a five round cooldown. But that cooldown only applies to the turkey who casts it. So, we were left with creative individuals who would use Food Coma, swap to a second turkey, use Food Coma, swap, and so on.
Patch 5.2 Prep: Get ahead of the game
Patch 5.2 will bring new dailies, new factions, another raid, and a kitchen sink. It's pretty much a super patch. With so many additions, you may start to feel overwhelmed at the thought of class changes on top of new grinds -- and you know, pets and stuff. Never fear, we're here to help you prepare! Before we get too deep into this, remember that everything we've learned about patch 5.2 is from the PTR. Things can change! Farm (or buy) Ghost Iron. Both blacksmithing and engineering will see new unique crafting materials similar to the scribe's Scroll of Wisdom -- Lightning Steel Ingot and Stabilized Lightning Source, respectively. Both require 10 Ghost Iron bars, so snag some Ghost Iron now, and use some of it to transmute into Living Steel. Many new crafted items will require it. Get ahead in your Wrathion quests. In 5.2, Wrathion will ask for 40 Trillium Bars in a quest on the way to the legendary meta gems, so start gathering the ore now to get a head start. Get your Tillers rep to Exalted and unlock all plots. Although farming may not be appealing to everyone, Tillers rep is one of the easiest to max out. At Exalted, we'll be able to use work orders to gain rep in patch 5.2.
Patch 5.2: Engineering gets new battle pet
There's more to patch 5.2 than daily quests, a new raid, new scenarios, two new factions... wow, that's actually a lot of stuff. But also, there are new pets for you pet battle fans. One of them is this lovely fella, Pierre. Pierre is an engineer crafted battle pet who also doubles as a cooking fire. That makes sense because he is a stove, and frankly, puts me in mind of all the people cursed in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. So now, engineers can create a robot to force into battle and cook your food for you. Scientific progress apparently now also yells test your might. Engineers can also craft a new Advanced Refrigeration Unit, but apparently they can't force that into a death match -- it's just a 32 slot bag for cooking ingredients. Considering how much of that stuff ends up in your bags, it's probably good to get a new bag for it. 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.
Patch 5.2 PTR: Kill dinosaurs, get fabulous prizes
What's that Isle of Giants all about? Dinosaurs, apparently -- the island is crawling with an assortment of dinos that put Un'goro Crater to shame. But there doesn't appear to be any kind of quest hub on the island as of yet, with one small exception. Hidden in a cave on the western side of the island is a truly monstrous troll who looks like he's seen better days. Dataminers over at Wowhead dug up the details on this strange troll earlier today. Ku'ma is a bone collector. What, exactly, he does with all the bones he collects is unclear -- perhaps he is planning on building one of those fabulous Zandalari boats when he has enough of them. However, you don't really want to ignore Ku'ma or his bone-loving ways, because he has plenty of rewards to offer to those that bring him bones. Lots of bones. What kind of rewards? 10 bones will net you a Mote of Harmony. 100 will net you a Spirit of Harmony. If you get your hands on 1000 bones, you can turn them in for a Spectral Porcupette. And if you have the temerity to gather 9,999 bones ... you're rewarded with a mount. But not just any mount; the Reins of the Bone-White Primal Raptor, which is a dead ringer for the Ivory Raptor from the days of vanilla, long-gone from the game. So just how hard is it to collect these bones? It's not as bad as you'd think. I decided to make a trip to the Isle of Giants to see for myself, and while the larger dinosaurs seem to be pretty daunting, the smaller ones weren't too difficult to solo. Once dead, they dropped four bones -- so gathering isn't quite the painful process that I'd imagined. As it currently stands, getting a mount may take a while. But keep in mind that this is all PTR information, and these amounts may change by the time the patch hits. Regardless of whether or not the amount of bones required is altered, I'm pretty sure I know where I'll be when the patch goes live. 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.
