Posts with tag pets

Every Thursday, The Overachiever shows you how to work toward those sweet achievement points. This week, it's myth-explodin' time.

Last week in the comment thread for OverAchiever: Achievements to do before it's too late, there were a few notes from readers who were worried that noncombat pet achievements were going to disappear in Mists of Pandaria. This shocked me, because I could have sworn I saw pet achievements flash across the screen during the spam I always get when I copy my main to a beta or PTR, and I hadn't been aware that these achievements were actually missing from the General category. I was also sure there would have been some pretty high-profile news about it if developers were planning to axe them. Especially with the introduction of Pet Battles, it seemed like a very strange time for Blizzard to get rid of related achievements.

Then again, these are also the people who put the Aldor Rise elevator and Warsong Gulch rep in the game, so we already know they're capable of real cruelty.

OverAchiever's pretty much pointless if I don't use it to investigate stuff that I could have warned readers about well in advance, and pets are serious business. So, another character copy onto the beta later, I have an answer for you about what's going on.

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Check out Fox and Basil's reboot of Call To Auction, and email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail!

The end of an expansion is a tough time to make gold. There's a lot more competition for a lot less demand. Many people see gold-making as a nice casual way to play while they wait for the next content dump, and fewer people are playing seriously (which is the root of demand for a lot of popular and profitable markets). To top it all off, we know that inflation is going to take a huge chunk out of our net worth when Mists launches, and there are a bunch of new things to save money up for. What kind of things can you still sell to make a profit?

Some time last month, I was chatting with a friend about various story bits in WoW when we wandered onto the subject of the blood elves and what they're up to in the story. I pointed out the short story In the Shadow of the Sun for more recent sin'dorei lore, adding that of course the story took place prior to Wrath in the time line, so it really wasn't the most up-to-date bit of lore, although it was a wonderful read. My friend asked if I thought we'd see anything with the blood elves in Mists, and I replied that I didn't think so, but then we didn't really know that much about storylines in Pandaria yet.

"Well, yeah," they replied. "But what about Rommath? I mean, he's part of the Twilight Cult and all." I paused for a moment, confused, and then realized what they were referring to. "That was a set of datamined voice files that never made it to game," I clarified. "Well yeah, but he's evil," they insisted. "No, he's not -- as far as the game and the lore is concerned, that conversation never happened, and Rommath is still the same old Rommath. A little cranky and snooty, but definitely not evil. Until proven otherwise." They pondered this, and the conversation moved on from there.

I've had this conversation again and again -- in game, on Twitter. And this, my friends, is just one example of the many dangers of datamining.

The latest Mists of Pandaria beta build has revealed over 100 new achievements, including about 60 (yes, 60!) related to Pet Battles. If you like your points, I hope you like your pets. There's also mention of a platinum level for challenge modes.

Some of the more interesting achievements:

• Realm First! Pandaren Ambassador This is the first guild realm-first achievement that involves reputation (non-guild), I believe.
• Guild Hardware - Platinum This one's new to me. Looks like Blizzard's adding a new tier for challenge modes above the gold tier that was previously announced. It's unknown if the rewards previously mentioned for gold will move to platinum or there are new shinies we haven't seen yet.
• Grand Master Pet Battler / Grand Master Pet Brawler If you were planning on cheesing -- erm, helping your friends with every Pet Battle achievement, might want to think again.
• Master Pet Hunter Collect all the things!
• Raise 75 pets to level 25 Once you've collected all the things, fill all the bars!

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It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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If you purchased a Heart of the Aspects mount a couple of months ago and wished you had a tiny, baby version of it to slap on a leash and drag around with you wherever you go, you're in luck! Blizzard has just added the Soul of the Aspects vanity pet to the Blizzard Store for $10 USD. European players can pick up their pet over on the European Blizzard store as well.

As your newest faithful companion pet, the Soul of the Aspects flies by your side through the skies of Azeroth, celebrating your adventures together with aerial summersaults and twisting corkscrews.

The Blizzard store states that every character on your World of Warcraft account will receive this pet, so we can be fairly certain that it cannot be bought, sold, or traded in-game for gold.

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Wowhead News has done what many voices crying out in the wilderness demanded and gone through the Mists of Pandaria database, collecting details for the upcoming Pet Battle system. If you're eagerly, perhaps even impatiently waiting for information about what's coming, you can sate some of that curiosity with this guide covering new pets, pet abilities, and locations for collecting new pets in the wild. The folks at Warcraft Pets helped, too.

There's a lot of detail to be had, including details on how the Pet Battle abilities are broken up (it's not quite grass type vs. fire type) and how to command your pets to be the very best. So head on over and check it out.

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It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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The Pet Battle system is one of the most anticipated features of Mists of Pandaria, and the Warcraft Pets forums has uncovered some awesome wild pet information. Eastern Kingdoms seems to have been populated with some wild pets that eventually will be able to be fought and tamed in turn-based battles similar to a popular game we have all had contact with in the past.

Some pets are unique to zones, such as the Adder in the Blasted Lands or the Swamp Moth found in the Swamp of Sorrows. Some pets even have a localized spawn location, like the Tiny Harvester in Westfall over by Fulbrow's Pumpkin Farm. Specialized spawn locations for very rare pets? I'm intrigued.

Hit up the Warcraft Pets forums for a full list of wild pets that they've found so far. If you're fortunate enough to be in beta, lend a hand with their list.

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It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Check out Fox and Basil's reboot of Call To Auction, and email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail!

If you're trying to decide which professions to put on your character and you are considering their gold making potential, you'll want to avoid engineering and inscription. While they're not terrible if you consider their stat bonuses, they're not ideal for gold making on many realms.

Of course, every realm has its own ecosystem, and as with all advice you'll read from this column, you should check that the assumptions hold for your realm and faction. That said, by far the most common problems I have trouble helping people with are related to these two professions.

Inscription

I'll start with the one that's going to get me the angry comments first. Inscription has long been touted as a cornerstone of the money making meta game -- heck, it earned my esteemed colleague, Fox, his first million gold on Darkmoon Cards. Before that, we had "glyphsmas" when 4.0 hit and a steady level of demand for glyphs before that. We still have the stupidly profitable fortune card market that lets anyone open a tiny, Blizzard-sanctioned casino. So what's not to like?

Sinister Squashlings. Oh my God, you guys. I wound up with so many Sinister Squashling pets during Hallow's End. They were a curse. A nightmare. Only the first one you get holds any value; each consecutive one that drops for you is simply a chore to delete. And since the drop rate of the pet was buffed through the roof, it seemed like every other candy grab or Headless Horseman attempt this year landed me another one.

If you're anything like me, a quick search of your bags will reveal five of the damn things you thought you deleted but apparently never did. Well, if that's the case, then we have good news for you: Holiday pets like the Sinister Squashling, the Feline Familiar, and the Captured Flame are seeing their bind on pickup disclaimers removed in patch 4.3. The means any leftover Squashlings currently in your possession can be unloaded on the Auction House in few weeks' time. And come Winter Veil, any excess pets you get can be similarly saved and later sold.

We haven't heard anything official yet from Blizzard about the change (hat tip to MMO-Champion for datamining this), but it seems like this is the first step toward the Mists of Pandaria dynamic of having all WoW pets be tradeable.

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Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the auction house. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or by participating in your city's Fox Van Allen 5K Walk to Support Leg Tension.

Any time a new World of Warcraft expansion is announced, a flurry of information and speculation comes with it. For us auctioneers, the announcement of Mists of Pandaria at BlizzCon 2011 was no different. Pets, professions, and more -- Mists of Pandaria will going to bring plenty of major changes to the game's economy.

To be sure, the Auction House wasn't the most talked-about aspect of WoW at this year's BlizzCon, at least directly. But when you consider how major the announcement of non-combat pet combat was and start considering how these pets will be fully tradeable ...

Alayna over at Wowhead News has revealed several new pet models in the PTR data files. The most visually striking one is the new Chromatic Dragon, which is speculated to be the guild reward for completing the tier 13 rogue legendary. Chromatic Dragons are typically portrayed as multicolored, however, so this may not be the final appearance.

This is also our first look at the model for Wrathion. We know he'll be involved in the legendary quest line in some fashion, but exactly how remains to be revealed. Perhaps a hidden quest giver in Ravenholdt Manor? However it turns out, I'm sure someone gets ambushed in the end.

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Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!

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• Father Winter's Helper: Right Click to summon and dismiss your Father Winter's Helper. Requires a Snowball to summon. Helpers are very busy year-round, and only have leisure time during the Feast of Winter Veil.
• Tiny Snowman: Right Click to summon and dismiss your Tiny Snowman. Requires a Snowball to summon. Build or destroy a tiny snowman. The snowman is larger and lasts longer during Winter Veil.
• Winter Reindeer: Right Click to summon and dismiss your Winter Reindeer. Requires a Snowball to summon. reindeer. The Winter Reindeer only dresses up for Winter Veil.
• Winter's Little Helper: Right Click to summon and dismiss your Winter's Little Helper. Requires a Snowball to summon. Helpers are very busy year-round, and only have leisure time during the Feast of Winter Veil.

A minor change, but it does mean that the pets, once able to be summoned year-round, are now limited to the few short weeks that Winter's Veil is available -- and it also means that the Snowmaster 9000 suddenly got a lot less handy to have around. While it's nice that the pets no longer require a reagent to summon, it seems like the trade-off for this is pretty restrictive.

Along with the changes to existing pets, there are a ton of new pets to snap up. Follow after the break for the full list.

The World of Warcraft Armory/community site has been updated with a useful new feature showing players the mounts and companion pets they have collected so far. You'll be able to see where each pet or mount comes from or who drops them, a picture of each, and even a listing of not-yet-collected pets and mounts, making it easier to be an achievement hunter or collector.

The armory has changed drastically from its original interpretation and implementation, adding features over time that give players a more cohesive out-of-game experience. What is most interesting are the potential tie-ins later on with the previously announced WoW APIs coming down the pipe in the near future; we are still unsure of the amount of data that developers will be able to access from the WoW armory. I would not be surprised to see collected pet and mount data also being part of that package.

We've got a pretty full-featured armory at this point. What other types of data do you think the armory could or should provide? Perhaps next we'll see a tabard and title tab, showing players' collected tabards and a scroll list of titles earned. The sky is the limit, apparently.

Our friends over at Wowhead logged on to the patch 4.2 PTR and have shot some pretty awesome video of Cataclysm's newest gold sink, Mylune's Call. It's a vanity item with a pretty cool on-use animation that creates a patch of lush vegetation and summons woodland critters. To grab it for your own, simply complete the second stage of the new Hyjal dailies and then buy it from a vendor. For 2,800 gold. (Ouch.)

The video above also includes animations for three of the new vanity pets available in 4.2: Nuts' the Squirrel, Brilliant Kaliri, and Celestial Dragon. All are special rewards for non-combat pet collectors, available only by collecting 100, 125, and 150 pets respectively.

It's really cool to see Blizzard including not just new pets, but new pets with stupid-cool animations. I especially like the Celestial Dragon, a sparkle pony-esque pet that darts around wildly, leaving trails of light in its wake. Awesome.

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The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new Tier 12 armor!

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A few new achievements were for added pet collectors in the latest PTR patch today, according to Wowhead. The small patch on the test realms contains three new achievements for players who collect 100, 125, and 150 non-combat pets.

• Petting Zoo awards Nuts' Acorn.
• Menagerie awards Brilliant Kaliri.
• Littlest Pet Shop awards Celestial Dragon.

Just as with previous pet collecting achievements (Shop Smart, Shop Pet...Smart, Lil' Game Hunter), our obsessive efforts will once again be rewarded with a unique pet. We've seen Nuts' Acorn in the patch 4.2 game files before, and the Celestial Dragon (pictured above) appeared in game files back in Wrath of the Lich King, but the Brilliant Kaliri is a new addition. Currently, there aren't any datamined pictures of the pet, but I can only assume it will be very similar to the Kaliri mobs found in Skettis and other zones from The Burning Crusade.

One thing I'm curious about with these pets is if they'll have any special animations or Easter eggs like previous pets have. If you remember, the skunk pet from the 50-pet achievement pays tribute to Pepé Le Pew from Looney Tunes by chasing nearby Black Tabby and Bombay cat pets.

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The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new Tier 12 armor!

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