1733 pets
There were some notable pet-related announcements, including two charity pets, plus teasers of new battle pets coming in Patch 9.1.
World of Warcraft Charity Pet Program
Blizzard announced not one but two upcoming charity pets! [source]
Unlike previous charity events, this World of Warcraft Charity Pet program will be a little different. Donate any amount directly to Blizzard's charity of choice and help reach a pre-set goal. Once that goal has been met, everyone will receive a pet! If the community manages to reach a stretch-goal, a second pet will be unlocked and awarded.
For the first Charity Pet program, players will be able to donate to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a medical humanitarian aid organization.
Donation goals have not been announced yet, nor how players will be able to donate specifically toward each goal. We'll have to wait for a future announcement from Blizzard for details.
We're eager to learn more, and can't help but wonder what other limited-time or promotional pets might be part of this WoW Charity Pet program in the future. Which pets would you want to see made available again through this program?
Chains of Domination
What would a major content patch be without some battle pets to collect? In Patch 9.1 we'll see a number of new pets from multiple sources. [source]
The Maw
We'll be returning to The Maw for more activities, and what else? More battle pets to collect, of course! Who wouldn't want their very own Minion of Domination? (pictured below, far right)
New Zone: Korthia
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the new zone, Korthia, will probably have a few critters wandering around. What strange new creatures will we encounter?
Tazavesh, the Veiled Market
Last but not least, we'll be heading into the mythic-only mega-dungeon, Tazavesh, the Veiled Market. The Brokers, seemingly collectors themselves, will have some interesting pets for us to obtain (pictured below, left).
Will these pets be wild? Or will some Brokers need some *ahem* convincing to relinquish their unique wares?
Patch 9.1 currently does not have a release date, however it's likely we'll see more information on this major content patch after Patch 9.0.5 is released (scheduled for March of this year).
Thank you to Blizzard for holding this unique virtual convention. Being able to gather together from a distance and celebrate games we all adore was a nice distraction during these turbulent times. We can't wait to learn more about the Charity Pet program as well as Patch 9.1!
I didnt line the fact they are releasing bananas as the pet. I would have preferred they add something new. I do think the sloth is nice though.
Was a little annoyed as I have Bananas already but would love to get Baby Blizzard Bear as I missed out by just a day or two when I started playing WoW.
I would like to see the Onyxian Whelpling. It was the 5th anniversary pet, and is unobtainable for anyone that didn't play then. I'm pretty sure that the Onyxian Whelpling is slightly bigger than the Spawn of Onyxia. I had my Spawn of Onyxia out next to someone who had the Onyxian Whelpling, and the Whelpling seemed bigger.
@Intuder
To unlock the second pet.Bananas is an interesting choice to me - especially since it's not even a unique model and there's a baby gorilla that anyone catch catch in Stranglethorn in the wild (weather permitting, of course).
I do hope this means they'll consider bringing back more old or retired pets in alternate ways in the future. I'm still kicking myself every day for not getting any of the RAF pets, I really miss having the silver and gold pigs especially.
And of course there's always Frosty from WotLK CE, one of the pets I wanted most and could never find at the time.
Would love to see the limited Korean, Chinese, and European pets made available through the program. Thanks for the write-up!