November 2009   « Archives | Current News »

UPDATE #5:  Perky Pug Confirmed
The new Perky Pug pet has been confirmed by Blizzard to be a reward for using the upcoming Dungeon System (which will replace Looking For Group). Most likely it will be awarded for completing heroic dungeons with a total of 100 other random players.

Players who take part in groups who have one or more members who have been matched with them randomly from within the Dungeon System will receive extra rewards, up to and including the coveted Perky Pug non-combat pet. The more random players with whom one groups, the faster the pet can be obtained.

New: Image added 11/03/09

UPDATE #4:  Toxic Wasteling
It looks like the Disgusting Oozeling is getting a friend in patch 3.3. According to MMO Champion, the newest PTR build brings us this carcinogenic companion:

Toxic Wasteling - Right Click to summon and dismiss your toxic wasteling. Do not feed toxic wasteling. Do not allow toxic wasteling to approach small animals. Do not touch, sniff, or even look at toxic wasteling for extended periods of time.

We still have no idea how this pestilent pet will be obtained (or what the in-game consequences may be for having him out), but we'll keep you posted.

UPDATE #3:  Raptor Hatchlings & BoA Items
The Raptor Hatchlings that drop from rare spawns will become ground spawns in rare raptor nests. No more afk camping with the NPCScan addon.

Hatchlings: Leaping, Darting, Razormaw, and Ravasaur Hatchlings no longer drop from their associated rare creatures. Instead, there are now rare nests that spawn which contain these hatchlings. For example, the Leaping Hatchling can now be found in Takk’s Nest rather than as a drop from Takk the Leaper.

Additionally, Blizzard is working on implementing a method of transferring Bind on Account items between Horde and Alliance. They hope to have it ready for patch 3.3. This means you'll be able to freely transfer any BoA pets between all of your characters. Yay, now my moo cow can get a Tyrael!

UPDATE #2:  Pengu
Remember Pengu the slightly satanic-looking pet penguin that you can buy after reaching exalted with the Kalu'ak? Apparently he's getting exorcised in Patch 3.3. His current look on the PTR shows bright blue eyes instead of creepy glowing red.

UPDATE #1:  Perky Pug
New reports from MMO Champion reveal a possible new pet data mined from the most recent PTR build: Perky Pug. Many people have speculated that this pet will be the reward for the highest tier achievement for the new cross-server Looking For Group system.

This pup is an exciting prospect because it means we might finally be getting pet doggies! Our first hint that such canine companions might be coming was in the Gilneas preview which shows a Mastiff dog.

Calico Cat & Albino Snake
Patch 3.3 just hit the PTR and it includes some new pets! Breanni, our beloved pet supplies vendor of Dalaran, will be stocking two new pets: Albino Snake and Calico Cat. As you might guess by its name, the snake is white with red eyes. The cat (pictured) is mostly black with some orange patches and a white belly. Each sells for 50g (40g with discount) and is available in unlimited supply.

Just how Breanni can stock so many of these new and exciting pets, nobody knows! I suspect that she is secretly a master geneticist. Either that or she got a bright idea when her Bombay got into the bleach and orange dye.

Vanity Pet Achievement
A new special vanity pets tracking achievement was data mined from the 3.3 PTR. It tracks several of the rarer pets including whelplings, raptor hatchlings, crocolisks and more. We can only hope that this achievement will eventually be implemented and that it will reward a super duper, fantabulous, cuddly wuddly, awesome pet reward. And by that I mean a green or orange baby murloc.

NEW Pets! Today Blizzard introduced the Pet Store for World of Warcraft, an entirely new way for players to obtain in-game pets! Two companions that you may recall from previous news postings are now available for digital download exclusively at the Blizzard Store:

• Lil' KT - What Lil' K.T. lacks in size, he more than makes up for in sheer malicious intensity. Watch with misplaced pride as he freezes critters and laughs maniacally at your vanquished PvP foes.
• Pandaren Monk - Possessing the diplomatic humbleness common to his reclusive race, the Pandaren Monk accompanies you on your journeys throughout Azeroth, returning any /bows he receives from other players.

Purchasing details
Both of these deluxe pets are currently available for $10.00 (£9.00) each, purchasable with any major credit card. In order to receive a store-bought pet, you’ll need to merge your World of Warcraft account with a Battle.net account. Also note the following:

• You will receive a code upon purchasing your pet—you may use this yourself, or gift it to a friend.
• If your Battle.net account is linked to multiple accounts, you can only use these codes with ONE account.
• These pets are bind-on-account (BoA) and are therefore available to all of current and future characters on the account.

For a good cause
We know that some of you don't like the idea of spending real-world cash for a virtual pet... even pets as cool as these. But it may help to know that half of the proceeds of every Pandaren Monk purchased through December 31, 2009 will be donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Bravo, Blizz!

Ever since Lil' K.T. and Pandaren Monk debuted at the Blizzard Pet Store just a week ago there has been a lot of discussion about this new "cash for pets" concept. Many players, like me, think this is an inexpensive and fun way to add cool critters to our collections. Others have balked at the idea of spending real money for virtual companions.

Blizzard's Tom Chilton discusses the new Pet Store in the latest episode of The Instance podcast. According to the interview, the Pet Store was meant to be a direct way to buy pets, in contrast to the way TCG loot pets are obtained. Hey, compared to the going prices for TCG pets, I'm sure we'll all agree that Pet Store pets are a bargain! There is also talk of possibly bundling an in-game pet with a plushie sometime in the future. Now how awesome is that?

Pandaren Monk — Sold Out?
Finally, WoW.com reports that the Pandaren Monk has apparently sold out in the US. We expect that this is a temporary shortage until Blizzard can generate more codes.

UPDATE: Pandaren Monk is back in stock and available for purchase!

The list of upcoming pet-related changes in patch 3.3 continues to grow! The latest addition is a new TCG item that can be purchased with UDE points. According to WoWTCGLoot, Landro will be offering Landro's Pet Box for redemption.

What exactly this item is or does is the subject of much speculation. My personal take is that it is a new vanity pet akin to a pet rock, only it's a box. Okay, I'm kidding. Whatever it is, though, one thing's for sure—I want one!

UPDATE: It looks like I might have been onto something after all with my joke about the item being a box pet. One of our members found a model for a crate creature in WoW Model Viewer. It can peek out with eyes or try to catch a fly with it's tongue. It even has a hobbling walk animation. While it is still pure speculation that this could be Landro's Pet Box, let's hope it is!

Join us in welcoming Doobjanka to the WarcraftPets team as our latest Site Admin. Doobjanka will be fulfilling the role of WarcraftPets' Community Leader.

As someone who's been tied for the #1 spot in our Top 50 Collections list for many months, Doobjanka really knows his pets! So you'll be in good hands as he addresses your questions, comments, suggestions and account-related concerns. We hope that you'll give him a warm welcome and wish him luck (not that he'll need it!)

We'd also like to wish Kyrella the very best. After many months of assisting WarcraftPets, we'll certainly miss her. Thanks again for everything, Kyrella.

NEW Pet! ♪ Happy birthday to you. ♪ Happy birthday to you. ♪ Happy birthday, dear Warcraft...! ♪ Happy birthday to you! And to celebrate WoW's big day, simply log in to your WoW account beginning tomorrow (today for our EU players) and collect a special gift via the mail: your very own Onyxian Whelpling! This freebie pet honors Blizzard's dramatic update to Onyxia's Lair:

She has lurked in her lair and done battle with the many brave adventurers who travelled to that familiar location over the years. Now, in honor of the World of Warcraft 5-year anniversary, the dreaded brood mother Onyxia is being revamped to make a return to the forefront of Azeroth, as part of our big plans for the upcoming 3.2.2 content patch.

Be sure to act soon, as we're not sure exactly how long the pet will last. We expect it will be available for at least a week or two, but why wait?

Ah, don’t you just love the holidays? Pilgrim’s Bounty is here and you know what that means... ‘Tis the season to cram your bags with more seasonal attire and frantically quest for limited-time achievements! Best of all, we have a chance to get a new pet—a Plump Turkey.

Pilgrim's Bounty runs from November 22-28. Players can visit the Bountiful Tables outside various major cities and towns to share food with others, obtain buffs and achievements, and even partake in a little mischief like food fights! There are also daily cooking quests which reward "a Turkey Caller, a prize that ensures that the accomplished pilgrim will never go hungry again."

Of particular interest to us pet collectors are the new Pilgrim's Bounty achievements. Completion of all of these will reward the Plump Turkey pet. So don your Pilgrim's clothes, ready the cooking fires, load those Turkey Shooters and have a tryptophan-tastic time during this new holiday event!

NEW Pets! The latest WoW TCG series Scourgewar was just released and with it come two new vanity pets: Tuskarr Kite and Spectral Tiger Cub.

The Tuskarr Kite code can be found on rare loot cards (#2/3) and redeemed in Booty Bay from the pet collectors' favorite goblin, Landro Longshot. This flying "fish" with feathery fins is sure to delight, especially if you like big view-obstructing pets.

The Spectral Tiger Cub comes from an extremely rare loot card (#3/3) and is also redeemed from Landro. This phantasmic feline is a baby pet version of the coveted Spectral Tiger mount. He makes the cutest little ghostly meow when trying to roar like his daddy.

As the creator of WarcraftPets.com, I had the privilege of joining Brent, Eric, Wes and Ash (...Ash for a short time anyway—poor guy) this past Sunday on Dead Workers Party podcast World of WoW. We discussed the new Pilgrim's Bounty world event, Blizzard's online Pet Store, as well as collecting pets in general. I had a lot of fun hanging out with these guys, so be sure to check out the show. And you can tell how poor my audio recording equipment is compared to the pros.

» World of WoW - Episode 52

In commemoration of WoW's 5th Anniversary, FigurePrints has just released a limited edition FigurePets™ collectible of the Onyxian Whelpling. Hovering above a clutch of eggs, this little hatchling represents the first flying FigurePet.

This promotional figure is on sale through December 31^st, so order yours today! We also invite you to visit our FigurePets affiliate page where you can discuss these cute collectibles and make suggestions for future figurines.