Revamped Recruit-A-Friend Guide (Patch 8.2.5+)

UPDATED MARCH 2023 - Everything still applies, but Rikki's been retired and a new battle pet (Volatile Self-Driving Toolbox) is now the new RAF pet. Additionally, game time can only be purchased 2 months at a time, making this method pricier than it was previously.

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Blizzard recently relaunched an updated Recruit-A-Friend program. Sadly, previous rewards are no longer available, however there is a new reward that might interest pet collectors: Rikki!

Here is the process on how to recruit yourself to earn this pet.

It costs approximately $30.00 (cost of two months game time), or $15.00 (only with subscription), to collect the pet from the updated RAF system.

1. Log into the game, open your Social window.

2. Select the Recruit A Friend tab, and hit the recruitment button (lower left of the window).

3. A new window will pop up where you can generate a recruitment link.

Note: Link does not expire until a custom date noted underneath the link field. Each link can be used 4 times.

4. Copy and email this link to yourself.

Note: You can use the same email address that's already attached to your main account.

5. Clicking the link will take you to a page to either select one of your existing eligible accounts to "recruit", or Create New Game Account.

Note: Alt-accounts that are eligible for "recruitment" are accounts that are inactive and you haven't used in a long time (at least 2-3 years). You'll get a list of possible accounts to select or the option to make a new one.

6. After selecting either option, go to the Blizzard Shop and purchase game time.

Note: Blizzard no longer offers one month game time, and the only option for game time is two months which is $30 USD. You can still purchase a subscription, which is $15 USD for one month. However, you'll need to remember to turn off the subscription if you're only aiming for the pet. There might be delays in rewards as well if using a subscription, as the program only counts game time applied.

7. Apply it to your account (WoW1, WoW2, etc.) that you just "recruited".

Note: To make sure the game time is applied, you can check by either going to your Bnet launcher and viewing the recruited account (WoW1, WoW2, etc.). A timer should be displayed next to the Play button if that account has game time on it. Alternatively, you can go to Account Management online, select Game & Subscriptions, and see if the RAF'ed account is listed as "Active Account Status".

8. Log back onto your main account and Rikki should be waiting for you to claim in the Recruit A Friend tab of the Social window!

You should be able to claim Rikki immediately once eligible and he will be added directly to your Pet Journal. He's rare quality and S/B breed.

Side Note: Although Rikki was an instantaneous reward, there are reports that the additional RAF rewards aren't.

It seems that rewards are awarded monthly, so reward #2 is not redeemable until one month is up for the RAF account and the second month kicks in, and so on. The original RAF program had a similar issue, but much like the original RAF system, there's a possible work around. See this Twitter thread to learn more.

Disclaimer: I haven't tried getting the other rewards, so I can't say for sure how it works. Just be aware the other rewards may not be redeemable right away.

You can learn more about how recruiting multiple people/accounts works on the official Recruit-A-Friend page.

That's about it! It's unknown if the older rewards will come back, or if other new pets will be added. We'll have to wait and see.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any additional questions, corrections, or comments. Happy collecting :)