sprite-darter-hatchling
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Breakfast Topic: Grab it while you can
Ghostcrawler made a sobering announcement the other day on the forums when he stressed to players that if they wanted a quest reward, they had better obtain it soon as Cataclysm will basically wipe the slate clean and virtually all quests from the old world will be changed. It only makes sense, after all, as the new race and class combinations will necessitate peppering the game world with the proper drops and rewards, such as ranged weapons in Elwynn Forest or Tirisfal Glades. Some of it might just be re-itemizing the quest rewards, but I suspect Blizzard has pulled out all the stops and made quests -- especially starting ones -- far more creative and interesting than the basic kill X creatures or FedEx deliveries from five years ago. With so much experience under their belt as well as new tools and technologies, the new starting areas and the rest of the Cataclysm-wrought world is ripe for a more engaging questing experience. Be prepared for everything you know to change, so even if you've leveled like ten characters to 80, expect to chuck all that familiarity with old world quests out the window. That means if there are pretty trinkets from quests that you like, these are the last few months for you to get them. I know, a few months sounds like we've got a ways yet, but time zings by quicker than we realize. What quest rewards would you like to grab as keepsakes of the old world? I'm fairly certain members of the Alliance are all rushing to get their Dartol's Rod of Transformation before it disappears forever. How about grabbing that Sprite Darter Egg from Feralas? The Horde just farm it as a drop, but why take chances? With all of Azeroth getting a facelift, Blizzard is probably going to change mobs and their drops, as well. Horde hunters might want to get that one last chance to tame Echeyakee or Sian-Rotam before the opportunity is gone forever. Quests will surely change, but I suspect rare mobs will be moved or disappear completely, too. I don't think Blizzard is holding anything sacred, which means we're running out of time to grab our souvenirs from vanilla. Quick, what will you be grabbing before it's gone?
Sprite Darters and Westfall Chickens for the Horde
When it was mentioned that Dig Rat Stew is becoming available to the Alliance, our Horde readers quite nearly rebelled and marched to Irvine to kick over Blizzard's statue. Where was the Horde love? I can tell you where! It's coming in the form of pets. In patch 3.1, two of the Alliance exclusive non-combat pets are being opened up to the Horde: The Westfall Chicken and the Sprite Darter from Feralas.The Chicken quest (CLUCK!) can now be picked up by Horde players as well, via spamming /chicken at chickens around the world. While Alliance players buy the Special Chicken Feed needed for the quest from Westfall, the Horde can now buy the feed from "Westfall" William Saldean in Brill. Technically the Horde had access to this pet before, but it was a real pain. You had to wait around for an Alliance player to do the quest, then steal their egg off of the ground before they could loot it. Harsh. Now you can do it on your own, in your own town.The Sprite Darter quest is still exclusive to the Alliance, but there's another way for the Horde to get their hands on it now: Killing the Sprite Darters of Feralas. We don't know how low the drop rate is yet, but it's safe to say that the Horde is going to drive the Sprite Darters to extinction. Alliance players, note that you cannot kill these Darters. We still have to do the quest(s).See? Blizzard loves you, too. They love all of us equally. ...Usually.
15 Minutes of Fame: A man and his (80+) pets
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.A couple of months ago, WoW Insider reported on the immortalization of WarcraftPets.com founder/owner Breanni with an NPC in Wrath of the Lich King. In the expansion, Breanni of US Scarlet Crusade-A appears as a NPC selling pet supplies in Dalaran. Curious about the growing public enthusiasm ("Obsession"? We think Breanni might agree ...) with non-combat pets, we contacted Breanni for more perspectives into the vanity pet craze -- as well as what it's like to run into yourself in the game as an NPC. 15 Minutes of Fame: Vanity pets – who knew? How many vanity pets are out there now, and how can players get them?Breanni: Vanity pets (also known as companions, small pets, non-combat pets and mini-pets) are those adorable little critters that follow your character around the game world, catching the eye and imagination of others. Currently, there are 98 vanity pets, and new ones are added to the game nearly every major content patch. However, not all of these pets are available in the United States - a few are region-specific.There are six ways to obtain vanity pets. Vendors, drops and quests offer players some of the most familiar pets. Additionally, there are a handful of pets crafted by engineers. Some of the rarest pets are obtained through real-world promotions, such as loot cards from the WoW trading card game and trade show giveaways. Finally, a new source has emerged for collecting certain pets: they can be earned through various feats, such as battleground victories or collecting a certain number of pets with a single character.
About the Bloggers: Dan O'Halloran
What do you do for WoW Insider?I'm one of the Lead Writers of the site. Which is fancy talk for a lot of behind the scenes administrative work. But the fun part is I get to hire writers as well as oversee a staff of exceptionally talented people who not only are passionate about the game, but who also know how to put words together in a coherent and entertaining fashion. And occasionally I get to test drive $5k laptops for a few brief, but glorious weeks. Not a bad gig if you can swing it.What's your main right now?My main is my very first character in the game, a Druid. I was Resto for the first 60 levels. Hey, don't knock it, Feral wasn't really an option pre-BC. But with the arrival of Burning Crusade (which, yes, I stood in line at midnight for) I went Feral and never looked back except for a brief flirtation with Moonkin spec in my mid-60s. I can currently be found switching specs between Feral and Resto as needed by my group, but I mainly like to be in cat form.For the Horde or Glory to the Alliance?Alliance, thanks.Favorite thing to do in Azeroth?Run a 5-man with my friends. I've been playing MMOs with this group on a regular basis after we met in EverQuest 8 years ago (taking out the trash in Unrest!). They are a joy to work with. Not because they are particularly talented players, but because they don't care if we wipe, accidentally pull the whole room or forget to bring a much needed reagent. We take gaming for what it is: fun. But, boy, they're hell on my repair bill.
New WoW site for non-combat pets
With the release of the latest WoW TCG expansion, a new in-game pet has arrived, Bananas the Monkey. Looking into this has led me to a wonderful site dedicated to collecting all the non-combat pets in Warcraft. And when I say "dedicated", I mean "look no further than this site."World of Warcraft Small Pet has checklists, FAQs, guides to getting pets exclusive to the opposing faction, screenshots, extensive information for each pet, you name it. Now, I have a fair collection of non-combat pets, mostly from seasonal events like the mechanical yeti from Winterveil and Willy from Children's Week. I also quested for the Sprite Darter Hatchling out of Feralas back when the zone was in my level range. But this site is for the serious collector.Check it out and then tell me: frightening obssession or one more kind of pleasant activity to pass the time in-game?
