Wind Rider Cub Gone From Blizzard Pet Store?

The Wind Rider Cub was recently back in the Blizzard Pet Store, however it seems that the sale was short-lived. After roughly a little over a week and a half the store sold out and now the option to even preview the item/pet in the US store is gone.

The EU store is also missing the listing for the item/pet, but then again there's a notice on the front page that physical items are currently unavailable from that region's store (this includes both the Wind Rider Cub and Gryphon Hatchling).

When the little wyvern sold out in the past, players were still able to at least view its Pet Store page. Now that it's gone completely, everyone is wondering if this means it will be gone for good.

It's entirely possible that this is only temporary and Blizzard has removed the Wind Rider Cub's Pet Store listing to avoid any confusion about whether or not it's available. Perhaps it is simply out of stock and it may take some time before they're able to create more. We'll just have to wait and see what's planned for the future. Hopefully, for all collectors, the Wind Rider Cub will be back in some form or another.

Unlike its counterpart, the Gryphon Hatchling (who shares its model with the capturable Wildhammer Gryphon Hatchling), the Wind Rider Cub has a unique model and does not share it with any other pet. Because of how unique and rare it is, it's in somewhat high demand by collectors. It's adorableness and limited availability also drives up the desire to own a little wyvern companion.

If (and I stress the IF) the pet is truly sold out from the Blizzard Pet Store for good, one thing that can be done to compensate is to add a wild version of the Wind Rider Cub into the game. This would allow players to collect at least some version of it, even if they can't get a hold of the store pet. It's not 100% the same thing, and some collectors will still pine after the "original" one, but there are others who will happily seek out and capture a wild one just the same.

So while it's not time to worry too much just yet, we'll definitely need to keep an eye on the Blizzard Pet Store and hope that the Wind Rider Cub will return.

Wind Rider Cub Back In Stock (US) and Blizzcon 2013 Pet

Two things that are noteworthy as of late:

1. The Wind Rider Cub is now back in stock in the Blizzard Pet Store! US only at this time.

2. Blizzard has finally announced the goodies for this year's Blizzcon event, and yes, one of those goodies is a pet. Murkalot!

I've heard that EU players can purchase the cub plush + pet and the code will work for EU accounts. However, I must stress caution when doing this, as I'm not sure if this is supported by Blizzard. If the code doesn't work, it's possible that they will assist in getting a working EU code for you, but it's also possible that they won't. So purchase at your own risk/discretion.

As for the Blizzcon goodie, it looks like they're releasing a WoW pet with the theme of the new Diable class, the Crusader. But honestly, when I look at Murkalot, I can only imagine him yelling "ONE, TWO, FIVE!" and then throwing a Holy Hand Grenade. :P

On a serious note, though. If you plan on purchasing a Virtual Blizzcon Ticket, keep in mind that you cannot sell the pet. After purchase, you receive this message:

"BlizzCon 2013 In-Game Goodies
Your BlizzCon 2013 in-game goodies for World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Diablo III, and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft will automatically be added to your Battle.net account. After the goodies have been officially released to players some time after the start of BlizzCon 2013, you’ll be able to access them in-game when you log in using this Battle.net account. Keep an eye on www.blizzcon.com for more information."

Only those who will be physically attending Blizzcon and/or receive the physical scratch card with Murkalot code will be able to trade and sell it. If you want to give someone the pet via Virtual Ticket, you'll have to purchase the ticket through their account so that it's bound to it.

When Factions Don't Matter

(click for larger image)
While cleaning out my screenshot folder, I happened upon the image above. I completely forgot about it! That's my paladin doing the questchain in Thousand Needles (for transmog gear lol).

In the screenshot, my paladin was on the part of the chain where you have to save a bunch of little Highperch Pridelings. Nevermind that these creatures are the favored mounts of the opposite faction, how could you say no to these little guys?

Little did I know when I started the quest, that they all follow you around for a while. It was so adorable, how could I NOT take the opportunity to snap a screenshot? :P


I even brought out my own Wind Rider Cub to help lead my small army of wyverns. :) It's a shame that I didn't get to keep all the babies, but it was fun while it lasted.

Blizzard PetStore - Update

the wind rider cub and gryphon hatchling are back in the blizzard petstore (limit 3 per customer)! they are currently listed under both the normal store area as well as the special blizzcon sale section.

"To access BlizzCon 2010 merchandise, you must log in with a Battle.net account that has been used to purchase BlizzCon 2010 tickets."

then go to "more products" to find all of the blizzcon 2010 sale goodies. there should be a sub-section in the left hand navigation bar that says "blizzcon."

i should note that although i'm not logged in, i can still view the blizzcon 2010 sale section. logging in with an account that has been used to buy the convention tickets may only be needed to finalize the blizzcon sale purchases.

in any case, these cute little guys are thankfully back! :D whether they will still be available after the special blizzcon 2010 48-hour merchandise sale is not yet known though.

PetStore - Wind Rider Cub & Gryphon Hatchling

the wind rider cub and gryphon hatchling are missing from the blizzard petstore again. it could be due to a clean up/prep for the blizzcon 2010 blizzard store sale. i'd be surprised if these two cute little guys AREN'T a hit at blizzcon, so it would make sense to pull what's left in stock to sell at the convention and during the convention pre/post sale.

or... worst case scenario: both companions and plushies have sold out. blizzard is in no way obligated to keep selling any items they don't want to sell anymore. i'm not sure if everyone remembers this, but there was a small disclaimer on both the wind rider cub and gryphon hatchling pages stating that these two may only be around for a limited time.

BUT! don't panic. until we get some official update from blizzard, nothing can be said for sure. as i mentioned before, these two are probably popular sales items, so discontinuing both would not be in blizzard's best interest. especially so close to the holiday season when people will be looking for gifts to give their favorite gamers :)

hopefully there will be a small update soon from a blue explaining the (hopefully temporary) disappearance of the wind rider cub and gryphon hatchling from the petstore.

They're Here!

WOW! i'm ecstatic! the babies arrived earlier than i had anticipated. they are absolutely adorable in game and irl. it's funny because i'm partial to the gryphon hatchling plushie, but in game i prefer the wind rider cub.




2 more pictures of the babies in flight below.

The Long Wait

just checked my order status for the wind rider cub and gryphon hatchling. they've been shipped! i'm so excited even though i'm not entirely thrilled about the plushies. like i mentioned in another post, i'm considering giving the stuffed animals away to family or friends. who knows though, i may suddenly become attached once i actually come face to face with the little guys.

my guess for their arrival date is around the second week of march. yea, i chose the super-snail-mail option instead of the overnight delivery. can't blame me, i'm putting myself on a budget!

i'm so anxious, i hope they arrive in a timely manner. i've heard horror stories where blizzard store items were delivered waaa~ay past the due date. while i don't think this is a frequent occurrence, i still can't help but be a little nervous.

my worries won't be settled until plushies are in hand, and codes have been redeemed to the proper character. until then... *chews on lip*