Patch 8.1 PTR: New Pets & Achievements, Gnomeregan Pet Dungeon Update

This week's PTR build added new pets and achievements, and Gnomeregan Pet Dungeon updates. [source]

New Pets
The PTR was updated with 6 new pets!

• Alarm-O-Dog (pictured right) - Gnomeregan Pet Dungeon vendor
• Leper Rat - Gnomeregan Pet Dungeon vendor
• Mechanical Cockroach - Gnomeregan Pet Dungeon vendor
• Mechantula - Engineering
• Mini Spider Tank - Achievement reward
• Wicker Wraith - Achievement reward

Check out all 8.1 pets

This brings the current total number of upcoming pets to 12! We'll have to wait and see if this is the final count, or if there will be even more waiting for us.

New Achievements
Patch 8.1 will add the new achievement, Pet Battle Challenge: Gnomeregan. Completing the Challenge version of the Pet Dungeon (cannot heal or revive pets while inside the scenario) will award the Mini Spider Tank! (pictured right)

The next set of "Family" achievements will also be available in Patch 8.1.

Similar to Legion's Family Familiar, the new achievement requires players to defeat 15 trainers on Kul Tiras or Zandalar with a full team of the same pet family. There is a total of 19 possible pet trainers in BFA, so you can pick and choose which encounters to use for this achievement.

Unlike Family Familiar at the beginning of Legion, the BFA pet trainers can be battled multiple times, even when the associated World Quest is not active. You won't have to wait for a specific trainer to pop up — complete this challenge at your own pace!

The meta-achievement, Family Battler, rewards a spooky looking pet, the Wicker Wraith.

Gnomeregan Pet Dungeon Updates
There were multiple updates to the upcoming Gnomeregan Pet Dungeon, including the opening of the scenario, ready for testing.

Max level players can begin their adventure into the Gnomeregan Pet Dungeon by speaking with Rachel Kurall Tizzy Gearjolt (Alliance, outside of Dana Pull's store) or Tanzil Radek Fuselock (Horde, inside Happy Haloaua's residence). Pick up the breadcrumb quest, Trouble in Gnomeregan, and you're ready to go!

It's likely there will be prerequisites for the newest Pet Dungeon. While we can't say with certainty at this time, possible requirements may include having completed the previous 2 Pet Dungeons (Wailing Caverns and Deadmines), and/or having a certain number of max level battle pets.

Once inside, players will need to complete 9 stages, with a total of 12 different Pet Battle encounters. Enemy pets include max level Mechanical, Elemental, Critter, and Undead pet types, ranging from rare quality to epic.

• Stage 1: One epic Mechanical
• Stage 2: 3 encounters with 3 rare Elementals and their teams
• Stage 3: One encounter with 3 epic Elementals
• Stage 4: N/A
• Stage 5: 2 encounters with 1 Undead and 1 Critter, plus their teams
• Stage 6: One epic Undead
• Stage 7: 3 encounters with 3 rare Mechanicals
• Stage 8: N/A
• Stage 9: One epic Mechanical

Completing the Pet Dungeon will award an Ultimate Battle-Training Stone, plus the ability to teleport directly to Micro Zoox by speaking to Manapoof in Boralus or Dazar'alor. It also unlocks the weekly quest, Pet Battle Challenge: Gnomeregan, which is necessary to earn the achievement of the same name.

The dungeon's vendor, Micro Zoox, had his inventory updated to include 3 new pets, the Engineering schematic for the new pet Mechantula, plus the standard Supply Bag. All items cost Pristine Gizmos. This new currency is earned by completing the weekly challenge version of the Gnomeregan Pet Dungeon.

We can't wait for this content to come in Patch 8.1! The mystery of the "Shadowy Figure" found inside these Pet Dungeons goes on — will we ever discover these NPCs' identities?