well there's been somewhat of a pet-lull as of late. all announced pets have been gathered, oo'ed and ahh'ed over, and now safely reside in my bags. it's been a bit of a dry cycle since the majority of new content's been released.
but with the 2010 winter olympics coming up in the next month, can pet collectors hope to see a new olympic inspired companion?
wow.com thinks they may have stumbled onto proof of this possibility. it's definitely an exciting prospect! one that i'm crossing my fingers for but...
what type of vanity pet would represent the winter olympics?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Pet of the Week - Spirit of Summer
this week's pet is the spirit of summer. when the midsummer fire festival first came out, i picked up the quest a light in dark places but never managed to complete it. i was terrified that i wouldn't get the pet when they announced that the quest would be retired. that is until i found out that the spirit of summer would be sold for blossoms instead!
why i love it
being a night elf myself, it's nostalgic to have a wisp like pet following me around. even if it's red..
plus i admit that i'm guilty of eating a magic eater or two in order to get the same wisp model debuff. :P what can i say? i enjoy having a miniature version of me around.. even if it's for 30 seconds or so heh. (it's even cuter when i use the red ribbon pet leash to link us together ^^; lol.)
what i would change
i'm slightly disappointed that unlike its wisp counterpart, the spirit of summer doesn't have an on click sound. i could definitely add one. maybe slightly altered from the night elf version though, so as to not confuse people :)
other than that, i wouldn't deviate too far from the current model/animation. i'm quite satisfied with my red wisp-like friend just the way he is.
why i love it
being a night elf myself, it's nostalgic to have a wisp like pet following me around. even if it's red..
plus i admit that i'm guilty of eating a magic eater or two in order to get the same wisp model debuff. :P what can i say? i enjoy having a miniature version of me around.. even if it's for 30 seconds or so heh. (it's even cuter when i use the red ribbon pet leash to link us together ^^; lol.)
what i would change
i'm slightly disappointed that unlike its wisp counterpart, the spirit of summer doesn't have an on click sound. i could definitely add one. maybe slightly altered from the night elf version though, so as to not confuse people :)
other than that, i wouldn't deviate too far from the current model/animation. i'm quite satisfied with my red wisp-like friend just the way he is.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Pet of the Week - Miniwing
miniwing is this week's pet of the week! i remember i did his escort quest with a friend, but it was more on accident that on purpose. we were just power leveling to 70 at the time, and had no idea that at he end of the escort we would be rewarded with a vanity pet. it was quite a pleasant surprise! :D
fun fact: miniwing is the highest item level vanity pet to date! item level 96 puts him at the top even though the pet itself is only level 1.
why i love it
his model may be the same as the bloodsail parrot, but miniwing's coloring is absolutely unique and beautiful. the quest to obtain him wasn't long like other companion pet quest chains, so this pet is fairly easy to get for everyone. not to mention it was a neat surprise for me at the end of the escort :)
his name makes me wonder though, is there a big-wing?
what i would change
being the highest item level companion pet, i would give him attributes that reflect this. more hit points so that he more closely resembles an actual mob? heh, that might be a bit of a stretch though.
one thing that i would definitely give him is his own special bird cry. miniwing deserves to stand out if he's at the top! how else will other birds know who's #1 on the food ladder? i bet miniwing gets dibs on bird feed first :P
fun fact: miniwing is the highest item level vanity pet to date! item level 96 puts him at the top even though the pet itself is only level 1.
why i love it
his model may be the same as the bloodsail parrot, but miniwing's coloring is absolutely unique and beautiful. the quest to obtain him wasn't long like other companion pet quest chains, so this pet is fairly easy to get for everyone. not to mention it was a neat surprise for me at the end of the escort :)
his name makes me wonder though, is there a big-wing?
what i would change
being the highest item level companion pet, i would give him attributes that reflect this. more hit points so that he more closely resembles an actual mob? heh, that might be a bit of a stretch though.
one thing that i would definitely give him is his own special bird cry. miniwing deserves to stand out if he's at the top! how else will other birds know who's #1 on the food ladder? i bet miniwing gets dibs on bird feed first :P
Monday, January 11, 2010
Pet of the Week - Darting Hatchling
i nabbed the darting hatchling before patch 3.3, and all raptor pets still dropped off of rare spawns. it was quite exciting when i got him! i remember parking a toon at each of the locations where rare spawns would pop up, and i would check on each alt every now and then to see if it was up. the /tar macro came in quite handy for Dart. when i loaded in at first i didn't see him up, but upon hitting my macro, there he was! he's a fast little bugger :P
why i love it
even if he doesn't run around quite as often as say egbert, i enjoy watching the darting hatchling get its daily exercise. for something so small, it kicks up quite a bit of dust!
what i would change
i'm somewhat torn over the way this raptor and the majority of the other baby raptors are now obtained (post-patch 3.3). having them as drops from spawned nests DOES make it slightly easier for people to find, but at the same time the raptors lose their rare(r) quality and mystique.
i'll liken this to the sprite darter hatchling, who's main charm pre-bc was it's rarity and relative difficulty to obtain. it was out of the way, and you had to know specifically where to go/what to do in order to find and complete the quest chain. these things made it feel that much more rewarding in the end.
much like the sprite darter hatchling, and all nearly all the hatchlings, it's lost this quality that made it unique. with spawned nests rather than spawned creatures, it's easier to obtain, yes. but at the same time it's easier to "farm" too, meaning the auction house can be flooded with "rare" (not so much anymore) raptor pets at any given time.
it's arguable if the spawned nests is actually more convenient or just about the same level of tediousness as the rare spawn mobs themselves. personally, i feel the nests make it easier to get a raptor hatchling since there are fewer spawn points to be concerned about and there's no chance for it to move around. if you know the spawn locations, coordinate logging in with the repsawn timer, there's a high chance you will find a nest. as opposed to a rare spawn creature that has multiple spawn points and has a path that it wanders on, making it harder to keep track of even when it does show up.
but like i mentioned, i'm torn. i do appreciate the way blizzard has taken into account that not everyone is a hardcore pet collector, with endless amount of time on their hands to sit and wait for a rare spawned mob. i just miss the feeling of finally finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
i'm definitely glad i managed to get the darting hatchling before the change to how it is obtained. i wouldn't trade in that experience for anything.
why i love it
even if he doesn't run around quite as often as say egbert, i enjoy watching the darting hatchling get its daily exercise. for something so small, it kicks up quite a bit of dust!
what i would change
i'm somewhat torn over the way this raptor and the majority of the other baby raptors are now obtained (post-patch 3.3). having them as drops from spawned nests DOES make it slightly easier for people to find, but at the same time the raptors lose their rare(r) quality and mystique.
i'll liken this to the sprite darter hatchling, who's main charm pre-bc was it's rarity and relative difficulty to obtain. it was out of the way, and you had to know specifically where to go/what to do in order to find and complete the quest chain. these things made it feel that much more rewarding in the end.
much like the sprite darter hatchling, and all nearly all the hatchlings, it's lost this quality that made it unique. with spawned nests rather than spawned creatures, it's easier to obtain, yes. but at the same time it's easier to "farm" too, meaning the auction house can be flooded with "rare" (not so much anymore) raptor pets at any given time.
it's arguable if the spawned nests is actually more convenient or just about the same level of tediousness as the rare spawn mobs themselves. personally, i feel the nests make it easier to get a raptor hatchling since there are fewer spawn points to be concerned about and there's no chance for it to move around. if you know the spawn locations, coordinate logging in with the repsawn timer, there's a high chance you will find a nest. as opposed to a rare spawn creature that has multiple spawn points and has a path that it wanders on, making it harder to keep track of even when it does show up.
but like i mentioned, i'm torn. i do appreciate the way blizzard has taken into account that not everyone is a hardcore pet collector, with endless amount of time on their hands to sit and wait for a rare spawned mob. i just miss the feeling of finally finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
i'm definitely glad i managed to get the darting hatchling before the change to how it is obtained. i wouldn't trade in that experience for anything.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Giant List of Pet Related Ideas
this post will serve as a holding place for all my vanity pet-related suggestions and ideas. sometimes they come to me at random and before i get a chance to tell someone about it, it's gone as quickly as it came. hopefully now i'll be able to write them down for future reference :P
newest pet ideas can be found towards the end of the post.
1. highest vanity pet tier achievement (collect 100, 125, 135, w/e the number may be): "Animal Handler" - rewards = title (Animal Handler *Insert Name*) plus a leash item that allows you to have more than one vanity pet out at the same time.
2. companion pet window: sort by pet type, such as "the bestiary" over at warcraftpets.com. or a feature that allows you to search and find your pet by name. (example would be the trade skill tab search feature.)
newest pet ideas can be found towards the end of the post.
1. highest vanity pet tier achievement (collect 100, 125, 135, w/e the number may be): "Animal Handler" - rewards = title (Animal Handler *Insert Name*) plus a leash item that allows you to have more than one vanity pet out at the same time.
i've always wanted to be able to have a few pets out at once. sometimes it's hard to choose just one to play with, especially once your collection gets up into the triple digits.
2. companion pet window: sort by pet type, such as "the bestiary" over at warcraftpets.com. or a feature that allows you to search and find your pet by name. (example would be the trade skill tab search feature.)
you've got your mammals, birds, mythical, mechanical, etc. once you get up to 100+ pets, it starts to become a chore to scroll through the entire list even if it's listed alphabetically.
Pet of the Week - Sprite Darter Hatchling
this week's pet is the sprite darter hatchling, one pet that holds a special place in my collection. i obtained one of these little guys pre-burning crusade, i think? it was only after i saw someone else with one that i went to do some research and discovered the epic quest chain to become a darter parent. :) while on the chain, i remember thinking to myself 'this is really long, is this really worth it?' the answer was yes, a thousand times yes!
why i love it
it's 100% completely unique from all the other companion pets. there's just something so ethereal about it that i can't get enough of. the detail on it from the little crescent moons on its wings, to the curl of its tail are absolutely adorable.
what i would change
i don't think i've said this about any pet yet... but i wouldn't change a thing about the sprite darter hatchling.
the darter was one of those rare, "you'd need to be in the know" type of pets pre-burning crusade since the quest chain was so out of the way and there was no direct quest leading up to it. whenever i have this pet out, i get so nostalgic about my earlier days in WoW when pet collecting wasn't really big and to have a sprite darter was a sort of milestone. i suppose that's all part of its charm. :)
why i love it
it's 100% completely unique from all the other companion pets. there's just something so ethereal about it that i can't get enough of. the detail on it from the little crescent moons on its wings, to the curl of its tail are absolutely adorable.
what i would change
i don't think i've said this about any pet yet... but i wouldn't change a thing about the sprite darter hatchling.
the darter was one of those rare, "you'd need to be in the know" type of pets pre-burning crusade since the quest chain was so out of the way and there was no direct quest leading up to it. whenever i have this pet out, i get so nostalgic about my earlier days in WoW when pet collecting wasn't really big and to have a sprite darter was a sort of milestone. i suppose that's all part of its charm. :)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Pet of the Week - Blue Moth
well unfortunately, Greatfather Winter didn't feel pet collectors were good enough this year. no new pets under the in-game evergreen. oh well. i'll send him a letter next year hinting for a baby evergreen Teldrassil Sproutling that's constantly being showered with snow and covered with ornaments and festive lights. :P
anyway, this week's pet is the blue moth. i remember it took me a while to actually go and pick up this moth as well as its brothers/sisters from exodar. mainly because exodar was out of the way and so damn hard to navigate at the time. it took some determination on my part to finally head over and buy all of the moths. heh.
why i love it
it's absolutely gorgeous in its simplicity. the colors remind me of the hyacinth macaw. and as we all know, blues and purples even in their most primal colored state have "special" meaning in the world of warcraft. (see: rare and epic)
blizzard has kindly instructed all the moths to attend flight school so that they may keep up with flying mounts. so that's a definite plus!
as with moths irl, they really don't have a special sound that they make, so the lack of sound save for the constant wing flutter is indeed appropriate.
what i would change
one thing i would change would be its size. for a moth, it's quite gigantic. i don't know about everyone else, cute or not, if a moth that size (in relation to me) came up to me one day, i'd have a very hard time convincing myself to NOT run away or smack it out of my face with a rolled up newspaper. (i have a thing with insects, specifically GIANT insects >_<)
then again, shrinking this companion's size would most likely reduce the visibility of the finer details such as the dust floating around its wings or the antenna feathering. i'm torn about its size.
a commenter over at warcraftpets.com had a suggestion of maybe giving this moth as well as all the others a light sensitivity animation, where it would be obsessively attracted to light.
but to me, this moth, with all its vibrant and glorious colors, is a moth of a higher standard and breed. to see it scamper over to a campfire or light-post and hover around it compulsively seems demeaning to both me and my moth. it would add a bit of fun and hilarity to this pet, yes, but it would remove that regal and formal air that it currently holds so well.
anyway, this week's pet is the blue moth. i remember it took me a while to actually go and pick up this moth as well as its brothers/sisters from exodar. mainly because exodar was out of the way and so damn hard to navigate at the time. it took some determination on my part to finally head over and buy all of the moths. heh.
why i love it
it's absolutely gorgeous in its simplicity. the colors remind me of the hyacinth macaw. and as we all know, blues and purples even in their most primal colored state have "special" meaning in the world of warcraft. (see: rare and epic)
blizzard has kindly instructed all the moths to attend flight school so that they may keep up with flying mounts. so that's a definite plus!
as with moths irl, they really don't have a special sound that they make, so the lack of sound save for the constant wing flutter is indeed appropriate.
what i would change
one thing i would change would be its size. for a moth, it's quite gigantic. i don't know about everyone else, cute or not, if a moth that size (in relation to me) came up to me one day, i'd have a very hard time convincing myself to NOT run away or smack it out of my face with a rolled up newspaper. (i have a thing with insects, specifically GIANT insects >_<)
then again, shrinking this companion's size would most likely reduce the visibility of the finer details such as the dust floating around its wings or the antenna feathering. i'm torn about its size.
a commenter over at warcraftpets.com had a suggestion of maybe giving this moth as well as all the others a light sensitivity animation, where it would be obsessively attracted to light.
but to me, this moth, with all its vibrant and glorious colors, is a moth of a higher standard and breed. to see it scamper over to a campfire or light-post and hover around it compulsively seems demeaning to both me and my moth. it would add a bit of fun and hilarity to this pet, yes, but it would remove that regal and formal air that it currently holds so well.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Celebrating the Holidays
HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all. here's hoping for new companion pets under Greatfather Winter's tree this year! *crosses fingers*
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
TCG Pets
Mr. awesome just bought me the tuskarr kite. thank you, a million times, thank you!
but i wonder, what do most people do with the loot cards after they've redeemed them? throw them out? try to resell them back to a card shop? unless you play the card game, i don't see how useful these cards can be after you've redeemed their codes.
i plan on keeping the cards for sentimental reasons. it's rare for me to have any TCG pets in general (all gifts and all greatly appreciated <3), so i feel as though the cards, redeemed or not, are extra special.
i even have a nifty little card holder so they won't get scratched or dusty :)
the tuskarr kite is so silly, btw. i can summon it while in bird form, but instead of flying by my side or above me (like you'd think a normal kite would)... it flies beneath me.
hopefully this kite won't get me in trouble during raids XD
but i wonder, what do most people do with the loot cards after they've redeemed them? throw them out? try to resell them back to a card shop? unless you play the card game, i don't see how useful these cards can be after you've redeemed their codes.
i plan on keeping the cards for sentimental reasons. it's rare for me to have any TCG pets in general (all gifts and all greatly appreciated <3), so i feel as though the cards, redeemed or not, are extra special.
i even have a nifty little card holder so they won't get scratched or dusty :)
the tuskarr kite is so silly, btw. i can summon it while in bird form, but instead of flying by my side or above me (like you'd think a normal kite would)... it flies beneath me.
hopefully this kite won't get me in trouble during raids XD
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