June 2014   « Archives | Current News »

The first wave of invites for the WoD Alpha was recently sent out, and we got a firsthand look at the new pets in the Pet Journal!

Pet Journal Preview
Many of the previously datamined pets found their way into the Pet Journal along with a new one, however the journal previews have not been fully implemented yet.

Details on how these pets can be obtained is available but keep in mind that this information is subject to change. Here are a few notable updates from the Pet Journal.

• *New* Albino Chimaeraling - Loot from an egg from Shadowmoon Valley (Draenor)
• Grovestrider Hatchling - Drop from Draenor
• Royal Peacock - Achievement reward (Draenor Pet Master)

List of WoD Alpha datamined pets

New Datamined Pets
Wowhead datamined additional pets that are currently unlisted in the Pet Journal. [source]

Some of these pets appear to be named and may not actually be obtainable by players, however one particular pet could be coming soon to a mailbox near you.

Hogs, a humanoid battle pet, is currently listed as part of the achievement for WoW's 10^th Anniversary.

This pet appears to be Hogger's smaller counterpart (pictured right, courtesy of Wowhead). Will we actually be able to subdue this infamous gnoll and add him to our collections? Better set aside some fresh meat and bones for him to gnaw on just in case!

Keep Your Account Safe
Now that alpha invites have begun, be wary of any emails claiming to reward alpha keys or codes. There are no such keys.

Currently access to WoD Alpha is made possible by invite only. The safest way to check if an invite was sent to you is to check your Battle.net account for an alpha client download.

Keep your account and collections secure!

It was recently announced that the Guardian Cub will be placed in the Blizzard Archive in the near future. Once there, it will no longer be available from the Blizzard Store. [source]


In approximately two weeks (no sooner than June 18), the titanically cute Guardian Cub will vanish from the Battle.net Shop and head into hibernation in the Blizzard Archive. If you’ve been thinking about adopting this in-game pet, now’s your chance before it's no longer available for purchase.

The Guardian Cub is tradeable so players can always search for this pet on the Auction House. Do so at your own risk though, as in-game prices may shoot up once this pet disappears from the Blizzard Store.

In the latest WoD Alpha build the accuracy for many abilities was altered, and a new possible pet from tailoring was discovered. [source]

Accuracy Changes
Senior Game Designer, Jonathan LeCraft, started a discussion on player preference between accuracy versus damage ranges.

"Pet battle peeps: would you prefer a wider variance in damage (95-105 vs 70-130) instead of the 80-95% miss chance?"

Based on feedback from this discussion, many pet abilities received an increase in accuracy in the WoD Alpha. A large number of abilities saw their hit chances increased to 100%. [source]

These changes need to be tested further and should not be seen as guaranteed, but it's possible that pet abilities will hit more often than miss in the expansion.

New Tailoring Pet
A new pet was added to the WoD Alpha, the Elekk Plushie. This bundle of literal fluff is crafted by tailors and is Bind on Pick Up. Thankfully for non-tailors, it can be caged.

LeCraft provided more details on Twitter and even an image of the pet (picture right). It was revealed that the Elekk Plushie will be a stationary pet that won't do too well in Pet Battles.

LeCraft noted that it's currently undecided if this pet will actually be implemented. Perhaps the Elekk Plushie needs a bit more fight sewn into it first!

Alpha Testing NPC
A new NPC arrived in Orgrimmar and Stormwind on the alpha, Pet Battletaur. Players visiting this vendor can purchase Mythical Battle-Pet Stones, Battle Pet Bandages, and Flawless Battle-Stones. The Mythical Battle-Pet Stone is not consumed when used.

This leveling stone will probably only be available for testing purposes, and it's unlikely that it will be released on live servers. It's also unlikely that Pet Battletaur will stick around once testing has ended.

Seven New Pets
The latest patch added 7 new pets to the WoD Alpha. [source]

• Autumnal Sproutling - Bind on Use
• Forest Sproutling - Bind on Use
• Kelp Sproutling - Bind on Use
• Nightshade Sproutling - Bind on Use
• Sassy Sproutling - Bind on Use
• Sun Sproutling - Bind on Use
• Zomstrok - Bind on Pick Up

It's still unknown where these pets will come from, however the Pet Journal currently lists Zomstrok as a drop. At the moment it uses a similar model as the Bogstrok (pictured above).

Unfortunately, the other new additions were not included in the Pet Journal this time around. Hopefully we'll see these pets "sprout up" somewhere soon!

The item that teaches the Weebomination was also added in this latest alpha patch — Bind on Pick Up, unknown drop.

List of WoD Alpha datamined pets

Plushie Playtime
Senior Game Designer, Jonathan LeCraft, recently gave us some information on an interesting tailoring pet possibly coming in the expansion — the Elekk Plushie.

Although there was talk of this pet possibly not making it into the release, it looks like this stuffed animal will have a special place in our collections and on our teams.

"If you see this on PTR, don't worry... we'll be adding way more trainers to it."

LeCraft Tweeted a preview of an upcoming achievement called "Elekktrifying Performance" which requires players to defeat specific trainers while using the Elekk Plushie on their team. Since this unique pet is not actually effective in battles, better get your carry teams ready for it!

An achievement for leveling your Elekk Plushie to level 25 is also in the works, however this pet and related achievements will be one of a kind for the time being.

Who knows if or when another in-game plushie companion will be released, so we hope your carry teams are always ready to play!

Three New Pets
In the latest alpha patch three new pets were added to the Pet Journal.

• Ghastly Kid - Pet Battle: Eleanor
• Leatherhide Runt - Wild, Draenor
• Mud Jumper - Wild, Draenor

The Ghastly Kid is currently listed in the same category as wild pets, however a specific battle pet is also mentioned — Eleanor.

Last week LeCraft revealed that this will be a "pet battle boss" but perhaps players will also be able to collect ghostly goat of their own.

This particular NPC (pictured right) is the namesake of collector and battler Eleanor Wroblewski, whose handle on Twitter is @undeadgoat. Although the model is more of a ghost, it still certainly doesn't look like it's of this living world!

Sproutling Models
The six datamined sproutling pets received an update in the Pet Journal. They currently use the models and colors that we mentioned in April.



From top left to bottom right: Nightshade Sproutling, Sassy Sproutling, Kelp Sproutling, Forest Sproutling, Sun Sproutling, and Authumnal Sproutling.

It's still unclear where these pets will come from, however they share a similar model to the Podling creatures of Draenor. But unlike their smaller counterparts, the Podlings aren't interested in being collected so traveler beware!

Keep Your Hat On
The Safari Hat underwent some changes on the beta. Players will need to add it to the Toy Box feature before being able to use it.


Its function remains unchanged and you can still "equip" it, however it won't replace your helm slot on use. Instead, you will simply receive the bonus pet experience gain buff and the Safari Hat will visually be placed on your character's head.

No more worrying about putting your gear back on after a hard day's work of pet leveling!

Here are some additional notes on the Safari Hat.

• The buff and hat graphic will persist through zoning into different areas and logging in and out.
• "Show Helm" option has no effect on the Safari Hat as it's no longer actually in your helm slot.
• Currently, to remove the hat you need to manually click off the buff.

The Safari Hat is still a work in progress and the Toy Box continues to receive updates and improvements, but the prospect of being able to proudly wear our Safari Hats in WoD without the fear of not having the right helm on is definitely exciting.

Sea Calf Pet
Last week LeCraft provided yet another teaser of a possible pet coming in WoD. This time it's a Sea Calf!

You may remember this creature from the Howling Fjord daily during WotLK. This familiar hairy seal can also be found in the Dread Wastes at Soggy's Gamble. For a preview of what a pet-sized version might look like, head over to the Timeless Isle and say hello to Allie, Oriana's companion.

LeCraft revealed that the Sea Calf might come from fishing. It's anyone's guess where we'll have to cast our lines or nets, but perhaps the Sea Calf will simply be lured to our sides by the scent of freshly caught fish.