Six Pet Package

MMO-Champion is reporting that the WoW magazine is being canceled. To compensate for the abrupt cancellation, Blizzard has emailed magazine subscribers to inform them they can request for either a refund of the remaining balance on their subscription OR they can receive a package of the 6 Blizzard PetStore in-game redeemable companions. There are only two weeks left to submit a request for a monetary refund or pet refund.

The pets that come in the package include:

- Pandaren Monk
- Lil' K.T.
- Lil' XT
- Lil' Ragnaros
- Moonkin Hatchling
- Cenarion Hatchling

Unfortunately, the Gryphon Hatchling and Wind Rider Cub are NOT part of the magazine cancellation compensation. Even if these two aren't included, the rest of the pets are worth $60 altogether!

I'm unsure if they can be gifted, since this is a special pet package for those with remaining magazine subscription time. If you're thinking of choosing this option over the monetary refund with an intention to give the pets away, I would double check that that's possible first. EDIT: Sounds as if it is possible to gift the pets even if it's part of the compensation package. :D

And just as a cautionary measure, be wary of ANY email that claims to be Blizzard offering "free" stuff. MMO-Champion has what I think is the official email being sent to current magazine subscribers, detailing how to request for the refund. Practice safe web browsing for the sake of your WoW account and all of your critter companions!

Landro's Lichling

wowtcg.com has a couple previews of what landro's lichling will look like. unfortunately, the skin and model are still identical to lil' k.t. according to the website, landro's lichling will also have the same animations ("Occasionally Ice Blocks critters around him and kills them" and "Laughs maniacally whenever you kill a player or he kills a critter").

is this all intentional? i really don't know. there was a blue post a while back in response to lil' xt vs landro's lil' xt's model/skin, hinting that the carbon copy may be unintentional, but we have yet to see any change or update to either pet. the new twin companions may also be in a similar situation.

for now we'll have to wait and see. landro sure has gotten pretty uncreative lately, though, that's for sure. :P

TCG - War of the Elements Release Date

for those looking forward to landro's lichling, you can expect to see this loot card hit the market in about a month. the next trading card game expansion set is due for official release on april 26, 2011.

it's still unclear what this pet will look like, but if it follows in the footsteps of lil' xt and landro's lil' xt, the lichling may look the same or very similar to lil' k.t.

i should note, though, that while the two xt's currently look the same, the PTR files shows a new spell for landro's lil' xt which may indicate the TCG version will be getting a new/different or tweaked model skin. (compare: current spell for landro's lil' xt and new spell for landro's lil' xt) we'll have to wait and see.

however if this is truly the case, then there might be some hope that landro's newest creation, the little lichling, will also have a more unique skin when compared to lil' k.t.

sheesh. all of these similar names "xt, kt, lil', little" and so on is starting to melt my brain! perhaps that was their intention all along... i mean, they are miniature bosses afterall. :P

Next TCG Expansion Pet

"News has started trickling in on the next WoW TCG expansion, War of the Elements. This second expansion of the "WorldBreaker" block is due for release late March and as usual we have loot information to report. As promised by Cryptozoic, the common loot is another re-skinned pet, this time the Lil' Phylactory is getting a makeover < The Black Flame > style..." - WoWTCG Loot

interesting. it would seem that the next common TCG loot card will be yet another copy of a pre-existing blizzard pet store companion (the phylactory teaches lil' k.t.). we'll have to wait and see whether or not it will be reskinned, changed, or follow in the same vein as the whole landro's lil' xt / lil' xt situation.

it would seem that the days of unique and highly sought after TCG pets are over. at least for the time being. being that they're the new common loot card, though, it wouldn't surprise me if this trend of mini-pet cloning continues.

is this a good thing? bad thing? only time will tell. for now, we'll just have to sit back and wait for the upcoming expansion and its lil'... to be announced pet. :P

Pet of the Week - Lil' K.T.

lil' k.t. was one of the first pets to be sold exclusively through blizzard's official online PetStore. he was gifted to me the first day blizzard announced the sale. needless to say i was ecstatic! :) and very grateful of course.

why i love it
the quality of this pet is just amazing. the detailed model, the animations, and the vocalizations. PLUS this pet interacts with the environment. lil' k.t. definitely satisfies my sadistic side. whenever i see his little frost bolt flying towards a critter, i can't help but cackle slightly myself.

my absolute favorite part about this companion? i love the way his head will randomly detach and do a full 360 spin while separated from his body. it's a subtle animation but it's a pretty unique one!

what i would change
being such a new pet and one that people must pay real life money to get it, he's a very well-rounded pet. i can't seem to think of anything i'd change at this time.

the price is cheaper than the TCG pets which makes it a steal, but because it does involve real money and not everyone can afford or will want to spend real money for lil' k.t., his "rarity" in game will still be pretty high. i would have preferred it if part of the proceeds from the sale of this pet went to more non-profit charities, but oh well. it's still a very satisfying vanity pet!

A Lich and A Panda

wow! what a wonderful surprise! and here i was thinking that the pandaren monk and the lil' kt would be for the next expansion.

i was actually debating on whether or not to purchase these two pets ($10 each). my motto has always been that since i spend so much money on this game already, i won't stress over the pets that require even more RL money.

however, one thing that made me falter was that 50% of every $10 (for the monk pet) will go to the make a wish foundation.

not to mention that compared to the TCG pets, $10 is very reasonable. AND both the monk and lich are account bound, which means all my toons, past and future ones, will be able to add these two lovely companions to their collections too.

i was at a loss and didn't know what i should do. my cursor was just hovering over the buy now button. so i decided to call someone important and get their advice.

their advice was to check my email since they had just bought the two pets for me. -_-

as with any pet that's purchased with me in mind, i'm eternally grateful. <3

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sidenote: unlike most other pets, you will not be able to use the vanity items sold by breanni on these two pets. this includes, the fetch ball, leash, grooming kit, and pet snack. party poopers.

BUT! if you /bow to the Pandaren Monk, he will bow back. and Lil' KT? well let's just say he has it in for other critters.

i love animated pets that you can interact with or that interact with the environment around you :)