April 2015   « Archives | Current News »

Recently, we were given a special invitation by Blizzard to review some potential changes to battle pets in patch 6.2. It appears as though they're taking another page out of the Pokémon playbook — the ability for battle pets to "evolve" into larger, stronger variants.

Evolution game mechanics remain a mystery at this stage. However, we did have the chance to see what a handful of evolved battle pets will look like. We've pulled the in-game models and shared them here.

Evolution Previews
The first few evolutions are definitely cool, but nothing extraordinary. They're almost exactly what you'd expect — larger, more menacing versions of the original.


Pygmy Direhorn → Colossal Direhorn


Wild Golden Hatchling → Savage Golden Serpent


Syd the Squid → Leviathan Syd

Pretty neat, right? But then we started to see more, well... exotic pet evolutions.


Ancona Chicken → Chicken Boo


Speedy → Gamé-Rapid


Land Shark → Greater Land Shark


Bananas → Plátano Kong


Weebomination → Puftbomination
"This Mr. Puftbomination's okay! He's a sailor, he's in Stormwind... we get this guy laid, we won't have any trouble!" —Lord Peter Venkman

We can only imagine what sort of abilities Puftbomination might have. Toasted marshmallow, anyone?

Yesterday we posted news about evolving pets in 6.2 — and some of their evolutions were rather... unique.

That's right! We fooled you again!

Or perhaps we didn't fool you, but hopefully we made you laugh (which is what April Fool's Day is all about).

Did you get all the references?

• Ancona Chicken evolved into Chicken Boo, a giant desguise-wearing chicken from Animaniacs.
• Speedy evolved into Gamé-Rapid, a reference to the giant flying turtle-like Kaiju, Gamera.
• Land Shark evolved into Greater Land Shark. The barrels were a reference to the 1975 classic film Jaws, while "candygram" was a reference to the famous SNL Land Shark sketch.
• Bananas evolved into Plátano Kong — an obvious reference to King Kong (plátano is Spanish for banana).
• Puftbomination was, of course, a reference to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the original 1984 classic Ghostbusters.

Our thanks to Drrum
Once more, we'd like to extend an extra special thanks to Drrum (known in-game as Michelle De Rum) for providing us with nearly all of the artwork for the evolved pets. Her extraordinary rendition of Puftbomination made the joke. We can always count on her talent and humor to make us smile.

You can enjoy more of Drrum's creativity at her Gallery of Pets and Mounts.

Pet Battlers recently noticed that pet experience from the new 6.1 trainers, Erris the Collector and Kura Thunderhoof, dropped significantly.

Prior to April, completing either battle with a carry pet rewarded experience ranging in the thousands, however this no longer seems to be the case after a hotfix this past week.

It turns out that the experience reduction is temporary, until an exploit involving these two trainer battles can be properly addressed.

Community Manager Bashiok posted an explanation on the official forums. [source]

"There was an exploit where you could leave the fight at the last possible moment, receive the quest XP, but not complete the quest, and it was being used to great effect by those that were aware of the bug. As it's technically an exploit it's not something we generally add to our hotfix notes. Fixing the core issue isn't possible until a client patch, and so in the meantime we lowered the reward substantially. With the fix in an upcoming patch we'll raise the XP reward back up again too."

We hope that a solution can be found to resolve this exploit, and that experience from Erris and Kura will return to normal in the near future.

In the meantime, it appears that Squirt's team has remained unchanged in the Menagerie, and her encounter still rewards a substantial amount of pet experience. So if you're looking to level up a few pets while in your garrison, you can always stop by and spend a few extra battles with her!

Time flies... ! It's been eight pet-filled years since WarcraftPets came online. From day one, we were dedicated to bringing you everything related to "small pets" (as they were known back then).

Over the years, we've changed almost as much as WoW itself. Our site and community has grown to become the "go-to" resource for pet battlers and collectors — thanks in large part to you.

Year In Review
The past year has been filled with new additions and LOADS of new pets!

• More than 80 new pets added to our database!
• We had a few rounds of site updates. Additional filters to search for pets, a comment section on our all of our news posts, and a dedicated forum section just for PTR and Beta discussions — to name just a few updates.
• Our annual meet-up at BlizzCon 2014 was great fun. Mmm tasty murloc-themed cookies!
• Warlords of Draenor released a whole new world full of pets to collect and new features to play with, including the garrison and Menagerie.
• We celebrated a huge milestone for WoW, its 10^th anniversary! Blizzard released two limited-time pets during the festivities, the Molten Corgi and Hatespark the Tiny.
• We covered two heartwarming stories — The Amazing Tale of Grannyglee and the Azeroth Adoption Agency.
• Last but not least, what if Battle Pets evolved à la Pokémon? It's a neat idea, but perhaps the denizens of Azeroth are not quite ready for it!

Thank you for 8 Amazing Years
Thank you once again for supporting our site with your regular visits. We'd especially like to thank our Site MVPs for their ongoing contributions to the site.

Now it's your turn — join in the celebration! The next time you log into WoW, take out your favorite pet and give it a /cheer on our behalf!


May your travels through the World of Warcraft continue to be filled with exciting pet battles and lovable companions.

A new patch was recently released to the PTR, giving us our first glimpse of what's to come in 6.2. Many new pets were datamined, plus three pet-related toys. [source]

A Preview of Pets to Come
We're ready for more pets and the upcoming content patch looks very promising! Not counting Graves, which was included in a previous PTR patch, Patch 6.2 will have at least 13 new pets.



List of all 6.2 PTR datamined pets

Tanaan Jungle will finally be open for exploration, and there you'll find four new wild pets to collect (pictured above).

• Bloodbeak
• Cerulean Moth
• Fen Crab
• Violet Firefly

There will be another pet from Tanaan Jungle, one you won't want to miss. According to the PTR Pet Journal, the quest "A Fel Puppy Of My Own" will reward an adorable Fel Pup!

Speaking of puppies, you'll find a new vendor at the garrison Menagerie in Patch 6.2. Tiffy Trapspring (A) and Giada Goldleash (H) have brand new pets and items for sale, including another precious pup!

• Bloodthorn Hatchling
• Dusty Sporewing
• Glowing Sporebat
• Lost Netherpup

New Toys for You and Your Pets
Don't forget to save up charms for the three new toys. Surprise your Perky Pug with an Indestructible Bone which will cost 50 Pet Charms, or for 100 Pet Charms cast a spooky, spectral spell on your pet using the Spirit Wand (pictured right).

Better yet, use the Magic Pet Mirror (costs 500 Pet Charms) to look just like your summoned pet!

New Darkmoon Faire Pets
You'll be able to purchase two more new pets from a vendor, but you'll have to wait until the Darkmoon Faire is in town.

The Pet Journal lists the Ghostshell Crab and Blorp (pictured left) as pets from a vendor named Galissa Sundew. We'll have more information on these two pets once the Faire comes to the PTR next month.

The Darkmoon Faire has been an endless supply of pets, and recently achievement rewards. Patch 6.2 will have a new achievement, complete with a familiar pet reward.

Hogs will make his triumphant return and players will finally be able to collect him. We hope you're good at the Whack-a-Gnoll mini-game, though. You'll need to earn the achievement That's Whack! to secure Hogs in your collection.

A New Pet Honoring Nethaera
Last but not least (we've saved the best for last!) a special tribute pet to Blizzard Community Manager Nethaera will be available in 6.2.

You'll find a special NPC named Nethaera's Light in various locations in Dalaran. After performing a hearty /cheer or two for this mysterious floating candle, her flame will begin to burn brighter and brighter.

Once you've given your best cheer, Nethaera's Light will burst with a small firework (pictured right) and this glowing candle will be added directly to your Pet Journal.

Unfortunately Nethaera's Light cannot battle. Her warm, gentle glow has much more pressing matters to attend to, such as guiding and bringing joy to adventurers all over Azeroth.

A second patch was released to the 6.2 PTR this week, and even more Pet Battle content was included. There are new legendary pet encounters in Tanaan Jungle, five new pets and another toy for your companions. [source]

Legendary Challenges With New Rewards
Blizzard recently updated the official 6.2 Patch Notes with an interesting addition to Draenor Pet Battles — Legendary Pet NPCs!

"Fel-corrupted legendary pets have been spotted in Tanaan Jungle! Each pet can be defeated once per day for a bag of Fel-Touched Pet Supplies, which can contain pet charms, Battle-Training stones to increase a battle pet's level, and even rare pets." [source]

@Mononic1 on Twitter came across one of the new legendary pets named Dreadwalker on the Tanaan coast.

In addition to Dreadwalker, 13 other "boss pets" can be found on the southern coast of Tanaan Jungle. It's likely that they are still works in progress, and changes may be made. We'll provide more updates on these encounters as testing on the PTR progresses.

Completing each of the daily quests will reward Fel-Touched Pet Supplies, which can contain Fel-Touched Battle-Training Stones and one of four new pets noted below.

Five New Pets
As mentioned above, the legendary pet dailies will have a chance to drop new pets. Currently there are four possible pets (pictured below).

• Nightmare Bell
• Periwinkle Calf
• Seaborne Spore
• Zangar Spore

The fifth newest pet is the Corrupted Nest Guardian, which looks like a fel-touched Ancient Nest Guardian. This pet will drop from Shadow-Lord Iskar, a boss in the new level 100 Hellfire Citadel raid zone.

List of all 6.2 PTR datamined pets

A Fel-Pet of Your Own
If you enjoy the fel-look, in Patch 6.2 you'll be able to apply it to your battle pets!

Looting the The Perfect Blossom in Zorammarsh, Tanaan Jungle will drop a toy of the same name. It has a one day cooldown and gives 2-4 Fel Petals on use.

Feeding these petals to your companion pet will give them a temporary translucent green appearance (example pictured right). Fel-pets without the threat of fel-corruption — neat!

April showers might bring May flowers, but don't expect a lovely floral bouquet as a result of this pet's "rain". This month we're featuring Lil' Bling!

Collecting Lil' Bling
Lil' Bling is one of the most opulently dressed pets to date. This is no surprise, as he comes from his larger counterparts, Blingtron 4000 and Blingtron 5000.

Depending on which robot you speak with, you will receive a Blingtron 4000 Gift Package or Blingtron 5000 Gift Package, and either package can contain a Lil' Bling.

Players with the engineering profession can craft Blingtron 4000 after reaching a skill level of 600. The upgraded, more battle-worn version, Blingtron 5000, can be crafted by engineers at any skill level once Draenor Engineering is unlocked.

If you don't have engineering, don't worry! These two robots offer an account-wide daily to all players of any level, not just to their creators. Keep in mind the dailies are mutually exclusive, so take your pick as you can only complete one quest or the other each day.

The rewards from Blingtron 4000 and Blingtron 5000 vary slightly, with the latter having better item drops and slightly higher drop rates.

Although the Blingtrons can be generous with their wealth, they can be finicky with their progeny. You might open a large number of packages before ever seeing a Lil' Bling. This pet can be caged though, so if you just can't wait you can always check the Auction House. Thankfully he usually doesn't cost as much gold as it looks like he's wearing!

Battling with Lil' Bling
Lil' Bling's shiny exterior and name influenced a few of his moves. His first slot, SMCKTHAT.EXE, functions similarly to Batter, and will grant an extra attack if Lil' Bling acts first that round.


The third slot features Make It Rain (pictured above). It works similarly to Nut Barrage, making both abilities excellent when multi-hitting moves are what you're looking for.

The rest of his abilities rely on Lil' Bling's natural charisma. To complement the previous two abilities, he has Inflation, which deals small hits and applies the Shattered Defenses debuff if it connects. It functions like Swarm, only it causes a stampede of tiny Blings across the plains.

Giving Bling a bit of versatility is Launch Rocket, which is primed for a turn, then is activated later for big damage. This also works really well, saved for after an Inflation.

He has Extra Plating as his only pure defensive move. This shares a slot with his progenitor's signature Blingtron Gift Package. The Gift has a base 50% chance to deal damage, but it heals if it doesn't connect with his opponent. This is an ability that can be used tactically when you know Bling won't hit for a higher rate of healing.

Check out our forum thread discussion on Lil' Bling and submit your own thoughts on this pet.

Battling Discussion on Lil' Bling

Pet of the Month is co-written by Liopleurodon, an experienced pet battler and long-time WoW player. She maintains her own Pet Battle blog and is a Pet Battle columnist on the fansite Blizzard Watch.

The 6.2 PTR was recently updated. There are two new pets, each with an interesting back-story, and an achievement. [source]

The Right Place For a Left Shark?
One of the two pets that was added to the PTR is a pop culture reference — Left Shark! (pictured right, image courtesy of Wowhead)

This awkward yet lovable shark was first seen at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show. During Katy Perry's performance, there was a less than zealous dancer dressed in a shark costume to Perry's left and he was quickly dubbed the "left shark".

Although it's not yet in the Pet Journal on the PTR, Wowhead has datamined the Left Shark's entry. Its in-game description is more Iron Horde-related than pop culture.

"Who would leave such a cute shark behind? The Iron Horde truly has no soul.

If the Iron Horde have no desire to keep him, we can think of some pet collectors who wouldn't mind adopting this shark. Perhaps Left Shark can show us some of his moves; currently he prefers swimming (or is it dancing?) to the left.

An Aspiring Developer
The second pet that was recently added to the PTR is Crusher.

This pet was spawned from a conversation on Twitter, in which a mother shared with @BlizzardCareers that her seven year old son wanted to be a developer at Blizzard when he grows up. So much so that he dressed up as one for "Future Day" at school!

Upon revealing that her son had an idea for a new WoW pet, Blizzard encouraged him to share his creation. His mother then replied with a picture of him holding up concept art of his rock golem (art pictured right), which he later named Crusher.

This pet is not yet in the Pet Journal on the PTR, but Wowhead has datamined its entry. Crusher's flavor text is a heartwarming reminder of this pet's origins.

"Found wandering in a small blizzard, this lost goren carries a mining pick to show that he is a jack of all trades."

Triumphant In Tanaan
An achievement for defeating all of the new "boss pets" was implemented on the PTR. Tiny Terrors in Tanaan requires you to defeat all 14 of the new legendary pet encounters scattered across the jungle.

These NPCs received an update in the latest PTR patch, and now have legendary stats. The majority of them have a complete moveset, but they are still a work in progress, of course.

They have also been relocated and are no longer bunched up on Tanaan's southern coastline. Each pet has a unique location, and to reach some of them you'll need to maneuver around level 100 elites. Perhaps part of the "tiny terror" challenge is simply getting to them!

Get ready for a new bonus event just for Pet Battlers! Plus, the source for Left Shark was revealed in the latest 6.2 PTR patch. [source]

New Pet Battle Bonus Event
The PTR in-game calendar was updated to include bonus events. Out of the six new events, one might interest Pet Battlers — Pet Battle Bonus Event.

For a short period each month, pets will be awarded triple the normal experience. It's unknown if this will stack with other experience buffs, such as the Safari Hat and Pet Treat.

Keep in mind that this event is still undergoing testing, and its duration and scheduling could change.

It's currently unclear how often the Pet Battle Bonus Event will pop up each month, but hopefully it won't occur too infrequently.

Left Shark Sighted!
We recently reported that the Left Shark was datamined as a possible pet, but it looks as though we'll be seeing this pet in 6.2! Wowhead datamined the upcoming naval missions and discovered a pet hiding among the rewards.

In 6.2 you'll be able to build your own shipyard and once you've acquired a ship or two, send them out on "Ship-Combat" missions (similar to Follower missions).

Currently the Left Shark pet is a reward from Orphaned Aquatic Animal. The mission description reads as follows:

"A young shark has been abandoned in a storm off the coast of Nagrand. Defend it from the Iron Horde and it will likely follow you home."

There are three Threats that must be countered, so better make sure your ship is ready for battle. You definitely don't want to let this little shark slip away!