June 2009   « Archives | Current News »

More information has emerged about the anticipated Battle-Bot pet, though the biggest question (Will it be a true vanity pet?) remains unanswered. We should find out soon enough, as the Battle-Bot is supposed to become available in early June. Here are the full details about obtaining the bot once it has been implemented:

How do I get the Battle-Bot Ignition Key?
To claim the Battle-Bot pet, visit the promotion website at www.mountaindewgamefuel.com and follow the instructions there. The exclusive pet is available only between early June and August 20, and you many only claim the Battle-Bot Ignition Key on a World of Warcraft account (either trial or full account) that is tied to a Battle.net account. This Promotion is open only to legal residents of one of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia.

In other news, MMO Champion reports a new pet being added with the new patch, a Jade Panda Cub. However, before everyone starts to /cheer with joy, please note that this little cutie is most likely only available in China. I'm betting it will be China's version of the 4-year anniversary pet (like Baby Blizzard Bear was for most of us). WoW was released in China on June 7, 2005, so we should know more in a few days.

Finally, in a future patch, all of us who worked so hard to earn a Murkimus will be additionally awarded a new Feat of Strength achievement:

Murkimus the Gladiator - Proud owner of a Murkimus the Gladiator pet.

UPDATE: For a short period of time, it was possible to obtain this pet with a non-North American account, but this was an unintended bug. As of June 10^th, it is no longer possible. On June 11^th, the Battle-Bot was removed from the accounts of players on all Non-US/Oceanic servers who received the pet as a result of this bug.

NEW Pet! The Battle-Bot pet is finally here and it is a true vanity pet! It looks very similar to the Clockwork Rocket Bot except it's gray and sports a dual-chambered fuel pack on its back (which can be filled with red or blue fuel).

Visit mountaindewgamefuel.com/redeem.php to redeem your Battle-Bot pet. You must have an active Battle.net-linked WoW account residing on a US realm. The first time you sign in for the redemption, you will receive the Battle-Bot pet in the mailbox of each current character on your account. If you log in on a later day, you should receive the blue or red game fuel for your bot. You may log in once per day (presumably until the end of the promotion on August 20^th).

UPDATE: We have even more great news straight from the PTR patch notes:

• Non-Combat Pets: 8 new pets have been added (not including Argent Tournament rewards). Raptor Hatchlings can be found on rare and elite raptors throughout the game world. In addition, an Obsidian Raptor Hatchling can be purchased from Breanni in Dalaran.
• Northrend Children's Week has arrived in Dalaran! Players can find out more by visiting the Eventide District.

Looks like we might finally get pet Gorlocs and Wolvar this year after all. Better late than never. And I'm so happy they added more farmable pets. It's all part of the crazy pet-collecting fun! Plus raptors sound really cool. *squee*

In addition, more Argent Tournament content is currently Under Development, including new quest hubs, dailies, and rewards. The new items of particular interest to pet collectors are:

• New Pet: A brand-new pet, the Shimmering Wyrmling, will be available to characters of both factions who distinguish themselves.
• An Upgraded Squire: As any good squire should, this upgraded squire now has a mount and can be called forth every eight hours for three minutes of duty. The upgrade cost is 150 Champion Seals and your squire will also offer one of three services: bank, mail, or vendor access.

I'm flabbergasted about the upgraded Squire ~ a vanity pet that actually does something useful! What is this World... of Warcraft... coming to? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

We don't know yet what the new Shimmering Wyrmling will look like. Perhaps a color variant of the Mana Wyrmling. Or maybe something really cool like a mini Arcane Serpent. As always, we will keep you posted on any new information.

Midsummer Fire Festival 2009 has begun and there are many a pet collector eager to pick up both the Spirit of Summer and the Scorchling pets. Here are a few tips that may help.

For the Spirit of Summer, note that there is a bug whereby those fires honored and desecrated last year are not giving Burning Blossoms this year. Thus, it's much harder to obtain the 350 required to purchase the spirit. Additionally, the quest to summon Ahune (see below) was not reset for some players. Blizzard is aware of these problems and will hopefully resolve them soon.

For the Scorchling, unless you can solo Ahune (who may still be too tough for many 80s), you'll need a little help. We encourage you to find and contact other collectors on your realm to organize daily groups. Remember, it's beneficial to have 5 players per group because, assuming each group member has the quest, Ahune can be summoned 5 times (plus a 6^th time in heroic mode), increasing the chances for a Scorchling to drop.

Best of luck to all you Midsummer companion collectors!

The folks at MMO Champion have reported more news on the new pets (raptors!) likely to be added in patch 3.2:

Non-Combat Pets

* Summon Baby Pink Elekk has been renamed to Pint-Sized Pink Elekk
* Jade Panda Cub has been renamed to Jade Tiger.
* Calico Cat has been added to the game.
* Curious Oracle Hatchling has been added to the game.
* Curious Wolvar Pup has been added to the game.
* Shimmering Wyrmling has been added to the game.
* Macabre Marionette has been added to the game.
* Gundrak Hatchling has been added to the game.
* Ravasaur Hatchling has been added to the game.
* Leaping Hatchling has been added to the game.
* Obsidian Hatchling has been added to the game.
* Darting Hatchling has been added to the game.
* Razzashi Hatchling has been added to the game.
* Deviate Hatchling has been added to the game.
* Razormaw Hatchling has been added to the game.
* Onyx Panther has been added to the game.

There is also a Plump Turkey that will be added for those who complete certain achievements for the new Pilgrim's Bounty world event. We remind you that none of these additions are final, but we'll keep you posted as we receive additional information.

Finally, all of us pet collectors can bring our pet collections into the REAL WORLD with FigurePets™ by FigurePrints! FigurePets™ are limited edition collectibles (about 3" high) depicting WoW's in-game companion pets. These adorable figurines are released in sets of three. The first set includes:

• Stinker
• Clockwork Rocket Bot
• Speedy

To ensure their collectability, these three pets are on sale through July 31^st, so get yours soon! Additionally, we encourage you to suggest future FigurePets and to discuss these fun new collectables on our FigurePets affiliate page!