Shiny Mountain Cottontail Is Back In 7.1

Yesterday while doing a Pet Battle World Quest on the 7.1 PTR, I noticed that one of the adds in the fight looked a little odd. At first I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but upon closer inspection I discovered the Mountain Cottontail in all its glossy glory!

After the battle I promptly sought out a wild Mountain Cottontail on the PTR and found one as a secondary pet. It took a few restarts, but I managed to get it spawn in with its new shiny appearance.


It seems the special version of the cottontail will be back in 7.1! (see above screenshot for glossy skin on the left and normal white on the right)

Unfortunately the updated look doesn't seem to be retroactive. The existing Mountain Cottontail in my Pet Journal on the PTR (was originally shiny) did not have the new skin. Instead, it remained a color-changer so it had the chance to be spawn in with the glossy appearance, but it wasn't guaranteed. Capturing a new cottontail that started out with the shiny skin guaranteed that it retained the look.

It's a little inconvenient that we'll have to capture new Mountain Cottontails in 7.1, but on the bright side we won't have to travel to Redridge to find these wild bunnies. They also appear in Highmountan in Legion, hooray!

I'm ecstatic that this special wild pet will be making a come back. Big THANK YOU to Blizzard for maintaining these small details that mean so much to some collectors. It's the little things that make the game that much more fun and amazing. ❤

Make the Mountain Cottontail Great Again

Now that the Patch 7.0.3 dust has settled a little (so many changes - love the Wardrobe system, can't praise it enough), I'd like to take a moment and mourn the loss of the beloved 'glossy-skin' Mountain Cottontail (pre-7.0.3 version pictured above).

In this pre-expansion patch a few pet models received updates to make them look fluffier and less jagged.

The bunny/rabbit model was included in the model updates, but an unfortunate side-effect is that although the Mountain Cottontail appears with a BRAND NEW SHINY-GOLD SKIN (omg!) in the Pet Journal (see image below), it does not retain that appearance when summoned out or in a battle.


If you collected a 'shiny' Mountain Cottontail before 7.0.3, you'll find that your bunny friend has turned into a color-changer. When summoned it will take on the appearance of any of its possible skins...EXCEPT the shiny-gold (glossy) skin.

This is disheartening and very disappointing but it's something that I knew was coming since it was a bug (or intended?) on the PTR prior to 7.0.3's release. I was hoping that this error would get fixed by the time the patch dropped, but there were probably more pressing issues for developers to address.

Many, myself included, went out of their way to collect a glossy Mountain Cottontail. It took time and effort, but felt highly rewarding upon capturing your own special bunny. It was unique but not out of reach like promotional pets or limited time companions. It was proof of dedication as a collector.

As it is right now, this rabbit looks like any other...but if you own a shiny version, you know the truth! Dare I say that owners of a glossy cottontail are lucky?

This is because, unfortunately, it will be impossible for those who have yet to capture their own glossy Mountain Cottontail to find and capture one post-7.0.3.

Since this particular pet is now a color-changer that does NOT use the shiny-gold skin when summoned or in battle, it will not appear as such in the wild. This makes it completely indistinguishable from other generic-colored Mountain Cottontails. Collectors have no way of determining whether or not the wild cottontail they're facing is actually the shiny version (without capturing every single one they come across and checking their Pet Journal, that is).

I really do hope that developers find some spare time to fix the Mountain Cottontail and return it to its previous glossy-glory. While I enjoy color-changers and find them charming, I also adored my shiny Mountain Cottontail in its own uniqueness. It's just not the same now.

If they can somehow use the new bunny model but preserve the unique, shiny skin, that would be ideal. I don't think many collectors would object to having an ACTUAL shiny-gold rabbit following them around!

Please, please fix the glossy Mountain Cottontail!. :(

Updated Pet Models Coming In Pre-Expac Patch!

Update: After more testing on the PTR, it looks like the Mountain Cottontail has turned into a color-changer when summoned out. In the Pet Journal it keeps the shiny gold skin. Entering a battle will randomly generate one of its skins too, but I've yet to see it pick the shiny gold version.

I'm not sure if this color-changing mechanic is intended or not. Or if it's a side-effect of the transition from the glossy skin to this upgraded model/gold skin.

One thing that has me concerned is that if it stays a color-changer (both as a summoned battle pet and during an encounter), how will collectors know if the wild Mountain Cottontail they're facing is the shiny version? They simply can't tell until they've captured it and checked the Pet Journal for the gold skin.

Hopefully this will get fixed prior to the pre-expansion patch, and the shiny gold skin will stick to the cottontail both in battles and outside of them.

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I don't know why I didn't think to check on the updated pet models when the pre-expansion patch launched on the PTR. But they're in!

New models for quite a few battle pets; sorry if I miss any:

• rabbits
• rats/mice
• squirrels
• sheep
• raven/crow

Keep in mind that these are simply updated models for already existing pets. Most of the Legion pets have their own new looks.

With these model updates, there was one pet in particular I was concerned about. When the new rabbit model was first discovered we all knew that it could greatly impact the infamous "shiny" Mountain Cottontail. I was anxiously waiting for the character/data copy function to become available so that I could import and check my own cottontail (I have the glossy-skin version on live).


Well I'm happy to report that after importing my collection and checking the PTR tonight, the Pet Journal has been updated with an actual SHINY Mountain Cottontail! (pictured above)

LOOK AT HOW GOLD AND SHINY IT IS OMG. (Anyone else feel like it's about to eat their soul.... *stares very intently at its red eyes*)


However, not all is well and good with this pet. Unfortunately when you summon it out, it doesn't retain its new skin. Instead it uses a generic white bunny look. Needless to say, I was so disappointed and heartbroken.

I'm hoping extra hard that the developers have a bit of time to grant this one-of-a-kind bunny its special skin before the pre-expansion patch is released. It's a pet that holds a unique spot in my collection (and I'm sure many other collectors' collections), and it took time and dedication to acquire it (I spent hours searching for it). It would be devastating to see it fall to the level of every other rabbit/bunny critter.

Other than this one hiccup though, I'm really looking forward to seeing the new and improved (and FLUFFIER) pets coming prior to Legion's release! :D

Newest Finds

I've had two recent successful captures that I'm very pleased with. The first being a rare quality Mountain Cottontail. It may look like an ordinary bunny, but there's on thing that sets it apart: SHINY!


As far as I know, it's the only pet that can come in a super glossy skin. Not all of them have this color, though. They can come in normal white, brown, and brown/white. Finding a shiny Mountain Cottontail isn't too difficult, but I wasn't satisfied with just finding any old quality, though. I had to have it in rare PLUS shiny!

It took some patience and determination, but I managed to find one. :D

The second awesome find that occurred recently was a rare Snowy Owl. This beautiful bird only just started to spawn today. I absolutely love the colors for this pet.


At first it seemed like any other quality other than poor and common didn't exist. A guildmate and I scoured all over Winterspring and spent over an hour or two searching with no luck.

When it appeared as though the entire zone was cleared out, we decided to try a new tactic. Utilizing alts we crossed over into another server. Yea, I know. Not exactly a very ideal or ethical choice, especially since you're essentially "stealing" another server's spawns, but it was so late at night that it was unlikely that there would be many people on.

We managed to find one rare one and then a second within a few moments of being on another server. Lucky! Super satisfied with our find. :)

With these two newest additions to my collection, I feel as though my energy and determination to collect and upgrade all my pets has been renewed. After a while, hunting for rares and leveling started to feel so routine and monotonous, but now I'm all pumped to keep going until I near my ultimate goal of collecting all rares and all the things! :)