I'll Never Leave You Again

♡ ♥ ♡ quite possibly the best companion quest chain to date. i tip my hat to blizzard on this one! :)

unlike the other baby raptors, the lashtail hatchling is significantly larger. she's either about the same size as the ravasaur hatchling, if not a little bit bigger.

also, has anyone else noticed that the lashtail hatchling will sometimes wander over to a corpse and retrieve a bone for you?

so far i've only seen her do it while in ZA or ZG, but i'm trying to coax her into repeating this idle animation outside those instances. i'm not sure if it requires a humanoid corpse or what, but so far i haven't had much luck getting her to fetch out in the world.

"Solo" Obtaining Lashtail Hatchling.. Or Not

alright, well after finding a guildie with a cleared ZG instance ID, i decided to test out whether or not i could zone into the dungeon and acquire the lashtail hatchling without having been present for the bloodlord mandokir kill.

the definite answer is... NO.

this may be a large "duh", but i had to see for myself.

even though the bosses were dead, trash had respawned. after a few attempts of running the gauntlet and getting mercilessly killed over and over, i managed to get past all the respawned trash up to mandokir's area.

i was even able to get into his room far enough to see the tied up lashtail hatchling and target it. however, it did NOT have an exclamation over its head or a quest for me to turn in, despite bloodlord mandokir being long dead in that particular dungeon ID. i have completed the lower level lashtail quest chain, have not completed the level 85 quest yet, so i'm still entirely eligible to receive the pet. the main thing is that i was not present for the boss fight or kill.


so my conclusion is that in order for players who have completed the pre-requisite quest line to be eligible for the pet, said players must be present for the bloodlord mandokir fight and kill. only then will the baby raptor quest be unlocked and you can obtain the pet.

or if someone else wants to take it step further, perhaps you just need to find an instance ID with a much fresher mandokir kill. like, within a few minutes of his death? the zone ID that i entered into had been cleared for many, many hours already. i'm not sure, and i highly doubt it, but perhaps time plays a part in whether or not the lashtail will offer the final storyline quest to you?

well, in any case, the trash alone is enough to deter me from attempting to go back in and "solo" the instance for the pet. gone are the days where a max level player could stealth in and run effortlessly around ZG to explore and do various fun/amusing things. :P it was quite interesting figuring out how to navigate amongst level 85 elites, though. haha.

if there are players who want to test out other theories or possibilities, feel free to do so at your own risk lol. ZG is not a friendly place! if someone does manage to figure out how to acquire this pet "solo", i'd love to hear how it's done. i won't be solo'ing ZG any time soon though.

now that my curiosity has been settled, i will have to wait for my instance lockouts to reset and find an actual ZG group to clear bloodlord mandokir for my shot at saving quintessence'aka!

Finally, Some Closure

I've already read a few reports that upon killing Bloodlord Mandokir in the new heroic 5-man ZG, the quest "An Old Friend" becomes available within the instance and players who have completed the lower level Lashtail Hatchling quest chain may obtain their very own baby raptor. :)

If you have not completed this prerequisite quest chain, though, you will probably not be eligible to save the baby raptor. feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. :)

To start the chain, you will need to be STV level-appropriate or higher (so about level 20+). Note: although the quest chain can be started and completed at lower levels, you must be level 85 to enter the instance and finally conclude this baby raptor's storyline.

Head to the Rebel Camp in Stranglethorn vale (alliance) or to Grom'gol (horde). Alliance will need to pick up and complete the quest Bad Medicine and horde will need to pick up and complete the quest The Defense of Grom'gol: Raptor Risk. Upon completion of either quest, players will either auto-accept a new quest (the quest item is included) or it will become available through the turn in NPC if your inventory was full. Hang onto the quest item and don't destroy it! I won't go into detail about the rest of the quests since it's quite lengthy and can get complicated later on, but the rest of the chain will require you to have the baby red raptor with you. Be sure to turn on your "track lower level quests" option, as some of the quests in the lashtail chain only unlock while doing other side/unrelated quests available from the quest hub NPCs.

NOTE: I HIGHLY recommend players pick up and complete the lashtail hatchling quest chain BEFORE picking up any part of the panther cub quest chain. Starting the panther quests will place you in a phased STV, and you will be unable to complete the lashtail hatchling quest until you've completed the full ZG quest.

I had this trouble while on the PTR and was unable to finish the lashtail quests, even after zoning into ZG. To be on the safe side, if you've already started the panther cub quests, complete the FULL chain. This means all quests up to an including the last part of the chain ("Booty Bay's Interests" and ends with "A Shiny Reward"). If at that point you are still unable to get back into the proper phase necessary to complete the lashtail quest chain, I would open up a ticket to a gamemaster to ask for assistance.

I can't wait to finally finish off this lengthy and long awaited quest chain! I must save Quintessence'aka! Blizzard did an especially great job with this companion. :)

Patch 4.1 "Soon"

mmo-champion announced that a "release candidate" patch was launched on the PTR recently. this may indicate that patch 4.1 will be here soon (hopefully in time for children's week!)

as a reminder for myself and a few others, here is a list of the notable vanity pet-related changes, updates, and additions for the upcoming patch: 4.1 overview.

a couple extra things to note - the whereabouts of mojo after the zul'aman changes are still unclear. while blizzard has made it apparent in the past that they will do their best to re-include any displaced companions due to zone changes, i would recommend farming for mojo now if you have not done so already and would like to add him to your collection.

UPDATE: as detailed in this post's comments, the hex sticks still drop from ZA post-patch 4.1. however, due to the change of the dungeon, a lot of the trash packs have been removed or cut down in size, making the hex sticks a rarer drop. i would still recommend players farm for mojo ASAP for this reason. also, once the instance has been transformed, it will be unlikely that players will be able to solo-farm for mojo after the patch (at least for a few gear tiers or so) due to the increased level and difficulty of the mobs.

in preparation for the two new archaeology companion pets, i suggest that players max out their fossil and troll fragments now (cap is 200). then once the patch is released, you'll be ready to solve at least a few items and hopefully one of the new pets pops up for you to complete!

for those wondering about the lashtail hatchling... possible spoilers behind the break!

PTR Fun Fun Fun

this past week i discovered that my character copies FINALLY went through to the PTR. so yay! i get to test out the new stuff with my main rather than a premade toon. plus now i have access to all my pets again. being without them made me feel so naked and incomplete. :P

so far i've done ZA just once. no sign of mojo or any hex sticks yet. for those who want to solo-farm mojo, i definitely recommend doing it before patch 4.1 as there's no guarantee that you'll be able to post-patch.

since my main copied over after i completed the lashtail hatchling quest chain on live servers, i decided to try doing the ZG quest chain and hopefully find out if and where the new baby raptor becomes available. unfortunately, the chain is currently bugged and i can't move on until it's fixed. so my main toon is in the same boat as my premade; stuck due to a bug and out of luck for now. besides determining when/where the hatchling comes in, i definitely would like to sort out whether or not the current lashtail hatchling quest chain is a prerequisite for the vanity pet version of the baby raptor. i guess i'll have to wait on doing more research on that, though.

other than that, i've been checking out archaeology on the PTR. since it's likely that the pterrordax hatchling will come from the fossil branch and the voodoo figurine will be from the troll branch, i've been concentrating on those two the most. neither have popped up for me to solve yet, although i did get two other new rares.

it probably seems like a waste of time for me to do all of this on the PTR since i'll have to do it all over again on live servers once the patch is released, but i don't mind all that much. companion pets are worth the extra time and effort! :)

UPDATE: the pterrordax hatchling just popped up for me on the PTR! it's indeed under the fossil branch and takes 120 fossil fragments to complete. "could this fossilized egg still be... alive?!" screenshot coming soon! (hopefully i don't waste this solve on an incomplete and unfinished item though x_x)

UPDATE #2: yay the voodoo figurine decided to become available for me too. troll branch, 100 fragments, 3 keystone slots. "a medium-sized figurine of unusual complexity and troll manufacture." can't wait to see what this pet looks like!

Three New Goodies and 4.1 Previews

mmo-champion found THREE new possible pets in the latest PTR build:

- Pterrordax Hatchling
- Voodoo Figurine
- Guardian Cub

while we don't have any information on where or how or even if these will be available to players, both the pterrordax hatchling and voodoo figurine summoning spells have similar flavor text as other rare archaeology items. it seems very likely that these two companions will be discovered through this profession. possibly fossil and troll digsites? that would be my best guess! not a guess now since wowhead is listing both under the aforementioned branches. the hatchling will require 120 fossil fragments, and the figurine will require 100 troll fragments with 3 keystone slots. as with all things PTR, this may change before patch 4.1 is released.

there's already speculation on wowhead's PTR site that the guardian cub will be a small mini-pet version of the new mount that blizzard announced it would be releasing as a blizzard store item in the near future. we will have to wait and see on this one.

last but not least, blizzard released an official preview of some of the new pets coming in patch 4.1. going from left to right - lashtail hatchling, nightsaber cub, winterspring cub, panther cub, legs.

in light of this preview, there are a couple things that are highly likely:

1. patch 4.1 will be released before children's week (before may 1st)

2. the lashtail hatchling will indeed be available as a pet (and she'll look slightly different than the razasshi hatchling, yay!)

3. YES, legs will be a baby marshwalker

Give Me Back Quintessence'aka!

normally i wouldn't discuss something like this here, but it's somewhat and possibly pet related and this was just too awesome to not write about. :)

so as i mentioned in my previous post, the lashtail hatchling MIGHT be a vanity pet available in patch 4.1 (or later). currently it's part of a quest item on live servers and is not considered a true non-combat companion. while i'm not entirely sure, the quest chain involving the non-pet baby raptor may be a prerequisite in order to receive the actual pet of the hatchling. again, not sure at this point!

that being said, i tried doing the chain while on the PTR to see where it would lead me, but got stuck due to a phasing bug. (something interesting to note: this particular baby raptor model is different on the PTR. instead of looking like the razzashi hatchling like it currently does, the quest item raptor looks more like the venomhide hatchling except it's red with saucer-sized blue eyes.)

after running into the phasing problem on the PTR, i decided to bite the bullet and just do it on my main on live servers to avoid hitting roadblocks that may pop up after patch 4.1 is deployed.

i must say... the lashtail hatchling quest chain is absolutely AWESOME. not to mention very endearing. :) i would recommend it to all pet collectors, even if a vanity pet doesn't result from it. who can resist a little baby raptor following you around while in stranglethorn vale? it's a level 25ish to 30ish quest, so for higher level characters, it should be fairly easy.

let me put it this way: if your heart melted for pebble during his initial quest chain (no, i'm not talking about waiting for the elusive pebble dailies *shakes a fist at them* :P), then you'll probably enjoy the lashtail hatchling quest chain just as much. :)

to start the chain, head to the rebel camp in stranglethorn vale (alliance) or to grom'gol (horde). alliance will need to pick up and complete the quest bad medicine and horde will need to pick up and complete the quest the defense of grom'gol: raptor risk. upon completion of either quest, players will either auto-accept a new quest (the quest item is included) or it will become available through the turn in NPC if your inventory was full. hang onto the quest item and don't destroy it! i won't go into detail about the rest of the quests since it's quite lengthy and can get complicated later on, but the rest of the chain will require you to have the baby red raptor with you.

possible quest spoilers behind the break. oh, and some pet speculation.

Lashtail Hatchling - Not Quite Found

after checking up on wowhead for the little lasthtail hatchling (currently NOT a vanity pet on live servers, but MIGHT be available as one after 4.1 is released), there was an intriguing comment that i simply could not ignore. it directed me to a quest that rewards this baby raptor, an old friend, however there's currently no information on this quest, how to pick it up, how to complete it, etc.

what is interesting is that it's a level 85 quest listed under "quests" and then "raids" which may indicate that it's a quest given and/or completed within a dungeon or raid. it looks pretty incomplete so this may change before the patch is released.

in an attempt to find out more and possibly run into this new quest on the PTR, i tried to complete the lashtail hatchling quest chain on my premade druid. unfortunately i got stuck at the "be raptor" part and am unable to complete it. it may be due to me missing something during the quest chain, phasing issues or because ZG was officially turned into a 5 man dungeon, but that specific quest is bugged on the PTR and there's nothing i can do. literally. when teleported into zg to play as the raptor, i find myself zoning into an empty area that i can simply fly through.

note: to be on the safe side, if you haven't completed this quest chain on live servers, i would recommend doing so before patch 4.1 hits. once ZG becomes a new dungeon zone, it may cause a whole host of phasing/quest chain problems. if the lashtail hatchling does indeed become available as a true vanity pet, this quest chain may become a prerequisite and if phasing is this huge an issue, doing the quests before the patch goes live will be the best way to avoid those issues. (on the other hand, doing the quest chain prior to patch 4.1 could just as easily cause phasing and completion complications. :\ so it's a risk either way.)

hopefully someone who has a completed the quest chain can provide some insight on whether or not the "an old friend" quest pops up for them while in ZG or doing some of the new ZG-related quests.

Finally Some PTR Fun

"i could be convinced to part with one... IF you'll promise to give the cub a good home."
yay for being on the PTR, finally! boo for having to use a premade character instead of being able to use my toon.

anyway, as you can see from the above screenshot, i paid drrum's NPC a visit! when you speak with her to purchase a winterspring cub (50 gold and NOT bind on pick up), she gives you a warning that you need to promise to give the kitten a good home. aww :)

both the winterspring and nightsaber cub have the same model, idle animations, and on-click vocalizations. their current model is basically an opaque version of the spectral tiger cub.




both the new cubs also have a sit animation like the spectral tiger cub, when idle for too long. however, they have an additional idle animation where they lie down and rest their chin on their front paws (very much like the druid cat form version of sleep). it's cute. :)

i still haven't gotten around to trying out ZA to look for mojo, but i'm hoping i have some time to do so before patch 4.1 comes out. if the theory is true that the panther cub will be a rare drop, like the razzashi hatchling was prior to the removal of the raid version of ZG, i'll have to start looking for panthers within ZA and ZG or around those zones. same thing for the lashtail hatchling. then again, that's IF. there still hasn't been any confirmed source for either pet yet.

4.1 - Lashtail Hatchling

mmo-champion datamined another new addition in the latest PTR build! the lashtail hatchling :D

this companion isn't entirely new, though. it's currently a quest item on live servers and is NOT a companion pet. however, if the changes with patch 4.1 go through, players will get a baby lashtail of their very own!

with the addition of the winterspring cub companion, my guess is that this is the horde equivalent of a venomhide mount corresponding companion. if so, it's great to see blizzard taking steps to ensure a balance between the two factions is maintained. :)

biggest question on my mind: where and how will one acquire a lashtail hatchling?

one thing i hope blizzard keeps in mind is that if they insert it as a reward for the current lashtail hatchling quests, some players have already completed that chain. hopefully there won't be any bugs that prevent those players from receiving a hatchling of their own.

another and simpler way of making this baby raptor available to both alliance and horde is to make it purchasable from a neutral vendor. it's not as fancy, glamorous, or interesting, but sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to go.

last thing i'd like to note, and this is really more of a subjective thing, i hope they change the lashtail hatchling companion's model (if it goes live). the current lashtail hatchling as it is in the STV quest chain, is a recycled model of the razzashi hatchling. if blizzard's intent is to truly keep a balance between the horde and alliance pets, they may want to consider giving this baby raptor a makeover. i'd love to have a venomhide hatchling-esque pet! those wide-eyed babies are adorable in a creepy sort of way. :P