Shadow - Charity Pet of 2017

This past Tuesday was an exciting day for pet collectors. A new pet, Shadow, was released!

Initially this pet was discovered hiding in the Pet Journal on Monday. Its journal entry stated that it was a Blizzard Store pet, however it was not yet listed in the shop. Some speculated BlizzCon, while others guessed charity pet.

Tuesday rolled around and what do you know? Shadow was released, and as a charity pet to boot!

From September 12, 2017 through December 31, 2017, 100% of the adoption fees will be divided and donated to American Red Cross Disaster Relief and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Relief Fund.

According to Blizzard, this little fox was originally scheduled to be announced as this year's charity pet during BlizzCon in November. However, due to all of the recent natural disasters around the world, Blizzard wanted to help aid relief efforts as soon as possible, so Shadow was released 3 months early (normally the charity pet is made available in December).

I won't go into the debate about Blizzard's choice of non-profit organizations - yes, I know there are some glaring and valid criticisms for Red Cross. If you feel very strongly about Blizzard's decision to donate to them, provide Blizzard with constructive feedback on the matter, and suggest other NPOs for future promotions.

IMO kudos to Blizzard for taking this initiative to help. The world feels like it's getting darker and darker these days. But much like Shadow, where there is darkness, there is also light. :') Plus we get a new pet earlier than expected! :D

Immediately after adopting my baby fox, I began playing with it in-game (and thoroughly spammed Twitter with my discoveries and screenshots haha).

Shadow has 3 states - Neutral, Light, and Dark.

• Neutral - Periodically changes between light and dark, with flickering pendant
• Light - Emits a bright glow, switches to light with an extra glowing outline and matching yellow pendant
• Dark - Emits a shadowy explosion, switches to dark with matching purple pendant

It also has some fun idle animations, sits and scratches itself, sleeps, sits, and even dances! Ahhhh my heart exploded with cute overload hehe.


Also, apparently Shadow is more feline than canine, as its a lap...fox? And enjoys sitting on a roomba, similar to cat pets.

     
I'm so ecstatic to have Shadow as part of my battle pet family! Even my guildmates were thoroughly amused by this pet, and they're normally not as pet-obsessed as I am. ^^;


We ended up having a "Shadow (dance) ritual" during our raid Tuesday evening haha. XD

Thoughts On 7.3 PVP Prestige Companion Change

In Patch 7.3, collectors discovered an undocumented change made by Blizzard to the PVP Prestige companions. Those that reached Prestige Rank 1 and Rank 7 on one faction could use a level 100+ alt of the opposite faction and buy the companions of the same earned rank(s). Originally you needed to complete the rank up four different times, twice on alliance and twice on horde. The 7.3 adjustment means the grind to collect all four companions is essentially cut in half.

Needless to say, there are passionate feelings on either side of this; it's a pretty divisive topic. I understand both sides, and each has some valid points.

My personal take on this change? I'm glad for it and I think it's great for the collecting community overall. The communication and execution was less than desirable though, and that's where my biggest criticisms lie.