September 2009   « Archives | Current News »

UPDATE: We're starting to hear from people who've actually switched factions. So far, the consensus is that you're pet collection remains intact, with the exception of the Argent Squire and Argent Gruntling (which makes sense).

Today Blizzard released their Faction Change information page. Check it out and specifically take a look at the "Spells" tab. You'll see that all faction-specific Argent Tournament pets will be affected by this change, forever altering your collection.

But don't worry too much just yet. There is conflicting information in Blizzard's official Faction Change FAQ:

What will happen to the character's non-combat pets when I change its faction?
Non-combat pets will not be affected by this process and will be available once the character's faction change completes. This even includes faction-specific non-combat pets.

So which is correct?
Honestly we're not sure. But we hope Blizzard will clarify it soon. It may affect whether the transfer is worthwhile for several pet collectors. We'll keep you posted.

The winter helper pets have recently been spotted sporting new hairstyles. Both are looking a lot hairier than their former selves (which you can view here: old Father Winter's Helper and old Winter's Little Helper). This change was apparently snuck in with the other undocumented changes in patch 3.2.

The new Father Winter's Helper has grown quite a bit of facial hair, including some sweet sideburns. Winter's Little Helper now has a long, luscious pony tail. Lookin' good, girl! Note how she demonstrates that it is possible to wear a winter hat and have good hair. So how come I still have a butch cut while wearing mine?

September is bringing several social tweaks to WarcraftPets. We begin the month with the addition of the AddThis toolbar. This feature has been added to several pages of our site, including news pages, guides, and those in our bestiary, just above the page heading. AddThis makes it easy to share whatever page you're on via Twitter, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc. It also enables you to send pages to your friends via email—quite a handy tool!

Additionally our news pages have been updated with permalinks. A story's permalink can be found at its base. Look down - see it? This tweak makes it easier to permanently link to specific news postings. Plus we've added a "Share" link as well. The share link features the same options as the AddThis toolbar above, duplicated here for the sake of convenience.

Lastly, within the next few weeks we intend to launch a highly requested feature... pet comments are coming! They'll work much like the ones on our FigurePets page, featuring a rating system and sorting options. We'll have more news on this in the weeks to come.

Too. Cool. For. Words. So just watch.



We're not sure yet just how this awesome new pet will be obtained. Some speculate it may be tied to Brewfest (which begins next Sunday) and others think it could be the collector's edition pet for Cataclysm since he's account-bound. Rest assured, as soon as we know, we'll post it here.

P.S. Our thanks to the folks at MMO Champion for the great info and video.

UPDATE #2: MMO Champion has posted an updated picture of Lil' K.T., now featuring full texturing. Too cute!

List of possible pets in Patch 3.2.2:

• Lil' K.T.
• Core Hound Pup
• Gryphon Hatchling
• Wind Rider Cub
• Zipao Tiger
• Pandaren Monk - BoA... new Cataclysm CE pet maybe?
• Spectral Tiger Cub - from TCG loot code
• Tuskarr Kite - from TCG loot code
• Onyxian Whelpling - log in during WoW's 5 yr anniversary
• Plump Turkey - reward for Pilgrim achievement

 

WarcraftPets is now on Twitter @WarcraftPets! If you're a Twitter user, we hope you'll take a moment to begin following us. We may be a little slow with our tweets at first, but be patient... we've got some ideas in the works. And we're definitely open to your suggestions. If there are things you enjoy about other Twitterers, WoW related or otherwise, let us know.

We'll be seeing you in the Twitterverse!

NEW PET! Brewfest will be starting soon for many of us, though players on Oceanic realms have already begun the festivities, which include racing rams, capturing Wolpertingers, hunting pink elekks, battling Dark Iron dwarves and, of course, consuming massive amounts of alcohol! During this event you can earn Brewfest Prize Tokens, used to purchase many different seasonal items, including the all-new Pint-Sized Pink Pachyderm!

In other news, some of you might recall that last year the Wolpertinger was changed from a quested pet to a vendored pet, available for 50 silver. Many of us were saddened to see the original quest removed. Well, good news! As of Brewfest 2009, the quest has been restored!

We wish you a Brewtastic Brewfest. Let the pet collecting commence!

UPDATE: We have a few more changes to report. The upgraded Argent Gruntling and Argent Squire now ride larger ponies. I guess the smaller ones just weren't cut out for all those long rides to the bank! The Enchanted Broom now pops up out of the ground when summoned. And, in addition to the previously mentioned pets, the Firefly, Nether Ray Fry and Tiny Sporebat have also acquired the ability to follow players on flying mounts.

Patch 3.2.2 was just released and while many of the possible pets have yet to make an actual in-game appearance, there are a handful of pet-related changes to report.

The most interesting news is that many of the "flying" pets will now follow their owners in the air and at full flying speed. So far, we've heard reports that the moths, dragonhawks, tickbirds, Phoenix, Mini-Tyrael and the Proto-Drake Whelp can all fly. Unfortunately, the owls, dragon whelps, Sprite Darter, and other older companions still are more comfortable on to the ground. Here are a few other changes:

• Pint-Sized Pink Elekk is now Pint-Sized Pink Pachyderm
• Battle-Bot is now Warbot
• Hyacinth Macaw is now an epic item (to more easily denote its rarity)

There are likely even more changes, so if you notice something we didn't cover here, let us know and keep watching this post for updates.

Players who ordered the BlizzCon live stream began receiving their Grunty codes via e-mail yesterday. We expect everyone to receive these codes by today. If you are still waiting on yours, we suggest you check your spam filter. Some users that changed email addresses may need to check their old email accounts. If you still can't find your code, we encourage you to contact Blizzard customer support.

Enjoy your new little murloc marine and be sure to check out the awesomeness that ensues when you pit him against a Zergling.

For customers who ordered the DirecTV Pay Per View, as we understand it you will be receiving your codes by regular mail. There are no reports of anyone receiving these codes yet.

Breanni has always had her say when it comes to pets. And now, you do too! Pet comments have finally arrived at WarcraftPets! But before you go posting your thoughts on every pet in the database, we have a few tips...

The best comments are useful, informative, and amusing. You're limited to one comment per pet, but you can edit it as often as you like. Admins and members will rate your comments with a positive (+) or a negative (-).

Negative ratings
Self-serving comments, repetition, and "fluff" remarks that don't offer any value aren't likely to win any popularity contests. Some examples:

• "This pet makes a noise when clicked." The pet's profile already includes this information.
• "Awww... how cute! I want it." This alone provides no real value to readers.
• "Squee! I just got this pet!!!" Use your community comment to share such news.
• "WTS X pet for 1000G on X realm. Message me." Advertising and soliciting are against the User Guidelines. Admins will delete these comments on site and members are encouraged to report them.

Positive ratings
Comments that mention additional details about a pet or helpful tips to collect the pet are almost always well received. And everyone appreciates humor, so feel free to make us smile!

Just the facts, ma'am
Make sure that your comments are accurate. Posting unconfirmed rumors and misinformation will almost certainly result in a negative rating.

Hey! Where'd my comment go?!
If a comment drops below a -3 rating, it is automatically purged. If a comment of yours is ever removed in this way, you can always repost with something new and hope for a better rating.

More goodies...
In addition to adding the ability to comment on pets, members also have a "comment history" available through their profile. This feature provides a list of every comment made by a member, beginning with the most recent.

We hope you enjoy this new feature as much as we'll enjoy reading your pet comments. And if you do, we encourage you to lend your support so we can continue to bring you big improvements like this. Thanks!