Meet the Family (Patch 5.3)

Patch 5.3 brought 30 more stable slots to the table (a mixed blessing, depending on which hunter you're talking to). For me, this meant planning out who was coming home and attempting to guess at which new pets would be popping up. Naturally, no amount of planning covered either half of the taming sprees. There are always some surprises!

Kalliope:

The pets who I knew were coming back were Tantalus, Orion, Amalthea, Icarus, Pygmalion, and Galatea. Tan had only left so I could get Polaris back before the rush of restoration requests. The rest had all remained as minipets. In the end, only Icarus kept his tiny counterpart. While I have many pets who like being in both my minipet lineup and in one of my stables, these forms had (with the aforementioned exception) only been a way to keep them near me. They weren't their proper colors, so it wasn't really them. Bringing them home for real was a very happy event, as well as a relief, since both of the rares (Amalthea [Stompy] and Pygmalion [Ironeye the Invincible]) were up when I first looked.

There were two impulse tames. Delphi called me after I fetched Tantalus. The bond was instantaneous. I've run with her almost non-stop since the tame. Amazingly, I've never actually clicked with an arcane wyrm before, though I've certainly admired the Spirits of the North since first entering Northrend. In the end, the tame felt partially premeditated, but I really had not expected such a strong bond. The other impulse tame was the product of good fortune. When I went into Deadmines to bring Icarus home again, there was a Brilliant Macaw up around where Mr. Smite used to be. Of course there was. I have always adored that skin since I first saw it on Skywing in BC. I'd tried to make it work on Kallimon, but it didn't take. This was my chance to rectify that. It didn't hurt that I felt terribly guilty about lucking into a spawn that others (and I) have had trouble getting. And so Leda joined the family.

The last pet Kalliope picked up was Eros. He was a PTR pet who had somehow managed to charm me. I kept telling myself that this was far too much effort for a tame that I wasn't sure was going to work out on live. I should have realized I was wrong when I was able to easily get on top of Ban'thalos's tree twice in a row without effort. But I didn't. Instead, I understood just how wrong I was when Banny spawned not long after I arrived. Eros had missed me! And so marked the easiest and least painful tame of Ban'thalos I'd ever had. I don't even care that he breaks my naming scheme; he just was not working as a minipet.

Kallimon:

Kallimon always manages to surprise me. As far as I knew, he only had three pets returning: Chili the green shale spider, MaqueChoux's natural size silithid, and Pacane. Naturally, this did not go according to plan. Both MaqueChoux [Haarka the Ravenous] and Pacane [Nychus] refused to spawn, and I delayed grabbing Chili, who had been Jadefang. This meant that I had time to run around impulse-taming things.

That's always where the trouble starts.

Thanks to Blasto and Bubin, I allowed myself to tame three regular-size pet versions of three of my favorite minipets: Zevran, Fenris, and Kaidan (who was a stretch, since his dragon whelpling minipet has no hunter pet equivalent). This was, of course, a terrible mistake, since I've been doing nothing but running around with Zev and Fen in minipet form to begin with. The same is now true of their larger forms, though now Fenris has the edge in terms of time at my side. Hopefully this will eventually pass; they just don't fit Kallimon's main theming. But hey, there's stable space to do that now - and besides, there's enough of them for a stampede.

Unexpectedly returning home were Jalapeno and Doberge, the latter taking a new form in Hugeclaw. Jambalaya will undoubtedly not be thrilled that his competition has returned, but the stable is so huge now that he can deal with it.

Pacane and MaqueChoux finally came home, so I decided to cheat and pick up a shale spider from the Jade Forest. But that meant he wasn't Chili - so after settling on naming him Rockefeller, I went back to Northrend to pick up Chili in his favorite form: a red demon dog.

After all this (and no spawn luck on Spiteflayer), I ticketed for Pompano's return. Like his sister Papillote, there was only one form he ever truly clicked in. Of course, a twist of fate has even changed this storyline. When Pompano was restored, he came back in his original green form instead of Spiteflayer's yellow. According to the GM who had sent him home, Pompano wanted to peck my face off for leaving him in the Twisting Nether for so long. Unfortunately, PetEmote confirmed this as true, as well as revealing a newfound cocky attitude. (Kallimon seems to be a magnet for that type of pet. Sigh.) Pompano was pleased that he'd caused so much trouble. Well, fine then. He can stay green.

Mind you, this is the short version; I ran around backtracking and circling between spawn points much more than it sounds like. How Kallimon takes more of my effort than Kalliope does is beyond me.

It's strange how (with the mental inclusion of Cadmus) my stables are dead even with each other at 35 pets. Completely unplanned. There may be some utility pickups in the future for both, but this will serve for now.

Hatchling Direhorns Followup

As anticipated, the Hatchling Direhorns have been made friendly to players and all previously tamed hatchlings will remain white.


At least those who were worried about their white direhorns changing will be set at ease by this news. :) And hey, at least the babies are even better eye candy now: there are more colors!

Transcription:

Hey guys, quick update from Kalliope on the 5.3 PTR. As expected, the baby direhorns are now marked as friendly to players, so they can no longer be tamed. All existing tamed babies on the PTR turned into white direhorns. This not only confirms that no unintended pets will be making it to live servers, but the existing direhorns tamed from here will be unchanged. Oh well, better luck next time, pet seekers!

Where the Wild Things Are: Hatchling Direhorns

If there's one thing some hunters can't get enough of, it's the unintentionally flagged baby pets. Meet the reskinned Hatchling Direhorns from the Isle of Thunder.


The odds of hunters getting to keep the new Hatchling Direhorns are incredibly low, like the other unintentionally tameable baby pets that preceded them. Most likely, the current version of the hatchlings will be grandfathered out and the new baby direhorns will have a new id and be untameable. So don't get your hopes up!

Transcription:

Hey everyone, Kalliope here with a very unlikely to stay, but still adorable tame from the PTR.

Yes, we're back on the Isle of Thunder at the Zandalari-controlled pen of rotating dinosaurs. On some days, there are baby raptors who are friendly to players and on others, there are tameable white dire horns. On the 5.3 PTR, these dire horns have been changed to blue babies. As of right now, they are still tameable, though it is highly unlikely that they'll remain that way. While there's a chance that white dire horns tamed now will morph into the babies after patch 5.3 hits, there's no guarantee that the babies won't get a new id number prior to the patch going live. Still, if you've got the stable space and you're a gambler, you can try.

For the latest news on the baby dire horns and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums. Back on the Isle of Thunder, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.

1,000 subscribers!

Viewer Kevin Crysler is subscriber #1,000! I can scarcely believe there are so many of you. :)

Thank you all for your support! We've come a long way since the MoP beta and will continue to journey through Azeroth in the months to come. :D

Brawler's Guild side note from the PTR

While not exactly pet news, Brawler's Guild enthusiasts will be pleased to know that Bruce will be returning with a few upgrades in patch 5.3.

Yup. Rockets AND lasers. Bruce is just that awesome. Did not see if he's rank 9 or 10.

Where the Wild Things Are: Portent in Patch 5.3

Today's update includes some minor plot spoilers for patch 5.3 and this post contains a NSFW image at the bottom, so consider yourself doubly warned!

Suffice to say that certain events directly impact Portent (previously) and he has compensated for them.


Transcription:

Hi guys, Kalliope here with a quick update from the patch 5.3 PTR regarding our good buddy Portent. This involves minor plot spoilers for the patch, so you've been warned.

Warchief Garrosh has mutilated a sizable section of the Vale, right in the middle of Portent's path. Instead of the softly rolling yellow hills that Portent walked over before, there is now a steep drop to the dirt of the new mining quarry below.

But Portent does not care that there is now a quarry filled with goblins in his way. Oh no, he walks where he pleases, be it straight down a rocky cliff face or back up said rocky cliff face, underneath buildings or over dangerous drilling equipment.

Portent does not care what some "warchief" or "safety experts" say. In fact, he has changed his path to deliberately walk over these things. Portent goes where he wants and he does not care what you think.

He leaves his paw prints where he pleases and does not care that they are harder to see. This is HIS Vale and we're all just unwelcome guests in it.

I'll be watching to see if he decides to start piloting shredders in a future build. If he does, you'll hear it first here and on the Petopia forums.

The TLDR version:

Where the Wild Things Go: Patch 5.3 Stable Expansion

Yes, you heard right - as of the current patch 5.3 PTR build, Blizzard has retracted its "hunters are not crazy cat ladies" statement and given us a whopping 55 stable slots!



I personally can't imagine filling all 55 spaces on either of my max level hunters, but will happily pick up the few pets I had to set free who never quite worked as minipets. How will this change impact your hunters? Show off your new planned families in this thread on the Petopia forums!

Transcription:

Hey everyone! Kalliope here on the patch 5.3 PTR, just about to visit the stable with my good buddy Tiresias. Now, let's see, who do I have on this copy of Kalliope....wait a minute, what's this? What are these extra pages? It looks like...more stable slots?! Fifty of them, in fact, plus five for our active pets, for a total of 55 pets! It looks like the Blizzard devs have changed their minds about hunters not being crazy cat ladies after all. That's good news to many of my subscribers and the hunter community at large. It doesn't look like there are any restrictions on the extra slots at this time - hopefully that won't change. If you're in need of a fainting couch or just want to scream with joy, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums. This has been Kalliope showing you where ALL the wild things go.

And now, to wait....

I've recapped all my 5.2 coverage and written a lengthy update on the state of Kalliope and Kallimon's stables, so I for one am ready for patch 5.2!

I logged out just south of the Isle of Giants, ready to rush in and start farming dinomancers. Where will you be heading first after the servers come up?

Meet the Family: Patch 5.2

It's been quite some time since I last updated my official pet roster, so with patch 5.2 coming in, now is definitely the time to check in with the family.

My stable's been overall stable in terms of who's stayed this expansion, though several have made skin swaps, shrunk down to minipet size, or grown up from minipet status since my last update....or some combination thereof. It's complicated.

Arachne rejoined my active ranks prior to MoP, only as Amthea rather than Jadefang. Psyche went from raptor to tallstrider and hasn't looked back. Hippomenes ended up turning his nose up at green Portent after all and remained a white organic quilen upon MoP release. (He still pairs nicely with Atalanta, since they're both off-white.)

Pan (black goat) ended up not working out, leaving room for Amalthea (Stompy) to step in. Unfortunately, my ever-crowded stable meant that she ultimately had to drop down into minipet form as a Summit Kid. Orion made a similar change into my Stunted Shardhorn.

Medusa preyed upon my sentimentality on the 5.1 PTR and managed to completely bond herself with Sparkwing (who happened to be the first unique skinned rare I'd ever discovered fully on my own, which meant the cards were stacked), which meant that I was completely at their combined mercies...especially when Sparkwing spawned right in front of me when it came time to officially meld the pair on live. Such cheaters, both of them. How could I possibly resist those charms?

A series of random events led to Laelaps (Karoma) joining my stable on what I thought was a temporary basis. I should have known better; I'd already gotten attached to her when I tamed a regular wolf that kept wandering into one of Karoma's spawn points and named her for the first time...she asserted her personality even that early. But out of respect for Polaris (Arcturis), I let her go after a few days. This, of course, was a massive mistake and after much hemming, hawing, and repeated denials, I filed my first pet restoration ticket ever to get her back. Laelaps has hardly left my side since. I definitely never saw that one coming. Polaris ended up dropping into Baby Blizzard Bear form.

Jason, who I had decided to stabilize as yellow from his color-changing self, became my second pet restoration ticket not long after I got Laelaps back. Just another example of my pets knowing what's best for them better than I do. Knowing Jason, I should have seen that coming too. He especially likes being part of a stampede, since it means he gets to change colors every five minutes.

Pygmalion, who had changed to a basilisk when Jason stabilized, took a brief hiatus before coming back to me as a Scalded Basilisk Hatchling minipet. Ultimately, this was a good thing, since it reunited him with Galatea, who returned as a Tol'vir Scarab. Other former pets who returned as minipets include Odysseus (Darkmoon Monkey) and Penelope (Darkmoon Hatchling).

Scylla, who charmed me unexpectedly as a teal worm, did so again as a pink silkworm when she flipped off of a tree branch to nibble on my face. I will never know how the other silkworms on that tree branch didn't aggro....whatever happened, it was a very clear sign that not only did she want to change forms, but it had to be rightnowthissecond. She did that just before the silkworm burrow animation was added on the 5.1 PTR - it was glorious.

Somewhere in there, Tantalus took a brief lack-of-space-induced hiatus, but he came back - he always does. Achilles did the same, after making it to live as Ironback. Unfortunately, Ironback had just been killed when I went to retame him, which threw me off badly...until I checked for Terrapis, who came running right up to meet me and ended up suiting Achilles's personality even better than Ironback did. Go figure! Of course, not long after that, the noisy Slateshell Wanderers appeared on the 5.2 PTR and Achilles insisted on changing forms yet again. I have noticed that my stable has overall become bossier, as well as more intent on griefing me. I'm not thrilled by this revelation.

The only truly new pet who's joining the family in patch 5.2 is Tiresias, the blue dire horn...and even he has a storied history. I originally had my heart set on an orange dire horn and indeed went through the majority of the PTR with Tiresias as orange. However, one day I logged in and he was blue! More colors had been added to the table his spawn comes from and he had been grandfathered in with this new color. I thought to myself that this wasn't a big deal; it'd be a Calydonian situation again. But by the time I got back to his spawn on the rock on the Isle of Thunder, Tiresias had completely melded himself with the blue skin. I hadn't even liked the blue skin, before or after the color change! But of course, again, he knew better than I did; this is his true color.

Did I say my stable's been stable? I'm not so sure now.

At any rate, all buffs are and have been covered, which is utterly amazing to me. Even more amazingly, I have strong bonds with almost every pet...thank goodness. I'll probably let Psyche fully turn into my purple tallstrider mount if I ever get the chance to tame Cadmus; I am far too attached to Tantalus.

If I can someday "correct" the colors of my pets-turned-minipets, I would actually be 100% happy....so long as no new shinies win me over. Every time I swear I'm done, something I never knew I wanted calls to me....(not the case with Tiresias; I always wanted a triceratops).

Kallimon's stable actually did undergo some major changes since I last updated his stable chart. the lesson to be learned here is that I shouldn't have massive amounts of stable space available, because if I do, it will be filled.

I recounted the adventures of the lava spider siblings before, and not much has changed with them since. Cayenne's been getting used to combat in her minipet form, so even though she's still a little sweetheart, she isn't shying away from fighting like she used to. Sugarcane's basically established herself as a hermit, which is why I went slightly nuts trying to get to know her better. None of them will budge from my stable because Stampede exists, so I'm resigned to an army of lava spiders. At least it's a pretty army.

In MoP, Chili swapped from a red hellhound into Jadefang. It started out as a swap of convenience, but he clicks far better in this form anyway. Dogs are just too small for trolls. My former Shango Jalapeno jumped into my Tiny Shale Spider to avoid Jambalaya's territorial wrath.

Bait molted, shedding her Jormunger skin for Gnath's. Amusingly, this is the skin color Scylla was originally supposed to be, but it never clicked. She also picked up a new worm brother in Slimey, who is just too adorable for words.

Ravigote gave up his feathers and became a supermodel Venomspine. I can't recall offhand how many forms he's gone through, but this one seems to suit him for a change.

Pacane, who had disappeared from my stable, found new life in Nychus. Somehow, the lone raptor persona suits her far better.

Blasto is still planned to swap to pink whenever Kallimon actually hits 90, which may not be until the next expansion, at the rate I'm going. It's just as well. I have no idea where I'm going to put Chipotle (Degu) when Kallimon does hit 90. MaqueChoux will most likely return to minipet-only form....again.....but we'll cross that bridge when it comes.

Patch 5.2 KPoP Roundup

With patch 5.2 coming next week, I'll be taking a break before finishing the 4.2 series that the 5.2 series interrupted. They've waited this long, so they can wait a few more weeks. :)

In preparation for the patch, here's a rundown of all the videos I've done that apply to the changes coming with it:

Patch 5.2 Playlist

1. Amber Parasites no longer tameable 
2. Gorishi Grubs no longer tameable 
3. 5.2 Preview 
4. Spirit Porcupines: Degu, Gumi, and Hutia 
5. Dire Horns 
6. Zandalari Devilsaurs 
7. Fierce Anklebiters (unfortunately no longer tameable)
8. Slateshell Wanderers and Slateshell Ancients
9. Saurok Disguise
10. Luminescent Crawlers
11. Isle of Thunder Stable Masters

Be sure to tame your Amber Parasites and Gorishi Grubs before they're unflagged on Tuesday! And starting on March 5th, all nine of the stealthed rares will have their tracks facing forward, so be aware while hunting them.

Where the Wild Things Go: Isle of Thunder Stable Masters

The Isle of Thunder will have its own stable masters, saving hunters a trip back to Townlong Steppes.


Transcription:

Hey everyone, Kalliope here with a little twist on our usual coverage. Today, I'll be showing you where the wild things go on the Isle of Thunder.

Not all daily hubs with their own zone have their own stable masters, but the Isle of Thunder is one of them. Each faction has its own stable master.

Alliance players will recognize Tassia Whisperglen from Dalaran's Magical Menagerie, where the high elf watched over hunters' pets until the recent Pandarian conflict.

The Horde have a brand new stable master, a blood elf by the name of Ranger Shalan. The Sunreavers had to recruit him from their ranks due to Dalaran only having one stable master.

Both stable masters start out on their faction's fleet when the Isle of Thunder is initially unlocked. If the faction's daily hub moves, they will too.

For the most current information on stable masters and the hunter pets they care for, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.

From the Isle of Thunder, this is Kalliope showing you where the wild things go.

Where the Wild Things Are: Luminescent Crawlers

The stunning Luminescent Crawlers are the latest additions to the Isle of Thunder on the 5.2 PTR, continuing the stormy theme.


Transcription:

Hey everyone! Kalliope here on the coast of the Isle of Thunder visiting the brand new luminescent crawlers that'll be coming in patch 5.2.

These electric crabs are all level 90 and come in two colors - a pinkish purple and a Skoll-colored blue.

Once tamed, the crabs are regular members of the crab family, which means they get to keep their wild ability pin, a channeled melee-range root that lasts for four seconds.

The crawlers can be found in varying size groups along the coasts of the Isle of Thunder. They'll be easy for any hunter to reach, since there are groups near both the initial Silver Covenant and Sunreaver bases.

These crabs are the first of the Cataclysm model to layer their markings underneath the base skin color, giving them a new unique look that fits the zone perfectly.

For the most current information on the luminescent crawlers and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.

From the Isle of Thunder, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.

Fierce Anklebiters Followup

Unfortunately, the Fierce Anklebiters were an unintended tame, as the latest build of the 5.2 PTR returned them to the wild.


Transcription:

Hey guys, Kalliope here with a quick PTR update on the fierce anklebiters. It unfortunately looks like they weren't intended to be tameable after all. In the latest build, they shrank to their wild size and lost their tameable flag. Oh well, at least we can still visit them in the wild with our lashtail hatchlings! Hopefully, the next news from the Isle of Thunder will be more positive - stay tuned!

Fun With Your Pet: Saurok Disguise

Pet classes have a fun little perk to look forward to while questing on the Isle of the Thunder King in patch 5.2 - their pets get to change appearances!


Transcription:

Hey everyone, it's Kalliope. Now before you get all excited, let me tell you that this is not what it looks like. This video features a WoW rarity, a disguise that actually works on both you and your pet. And this isn't just for hunters, either - any pet class gets this little perk.

On the Isle of the Thunder King, two NPCs give the quest Skin of the Saurok - the Image of Archmage Vargoth for the alliance and Magistrix Saia for the horde. The quest simply involves walking into Ihgaluk Crag and turning in the quest remotely. From that point forward, you will always turn into a saurok in the Crag and your pet will turn into one of five options: a black slime; a pink grub; a tiny cockroach; a red basilisk with blue fringes, just like the sauroks'; or even a miniature saurok!

Unfortunately, this effect breaks on combat and only works in the Crag, but it is certainly fun while it lasts.

Be sure to get your favorite pet class onto the isle early - the quest seems to be phased out for late arrivals, at least on the PTR.

Where the Wild Things Are: Slateshell Turtles

Two gorgeous dragon turtles will appropriately be coming with the Isle of the Thunder King in patch 5.2, the Slateshell Wanderers and the Slateshell Ancients.


Transcription:

Hey everyone, Kalliope here on the Isle of the Thunder King with a couple of fantastic new dragon turtles.

The Slateshell Wanderers are normal dragon turtles and the Slateshell Ancients are their finned equivalent. The Wanderers make stomping sounds when they walk on land, both in the wild and when tamed, and the Ancients do not.

Both of the Slateshells are regular turtles, just like the other dragon turtles of Pandaria. When tamed, they gain the ability shell shield, which reduces all damage done to them by 50% for 12 seconds.

All of the new turtles are level 90, except for the level 92 rare elite Goda, who uses the finned model. They can all be found in the Diremoor on the Isle of the Thunder King.

For the most current information on the Slateshell turtles and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.

From the Diremoor, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.

Where the Wild Things Are: Fierce Anklebiters

Good news for hunters looking to match their pet raptor with their Lashtail Hatchling minipet - patch 5.2 brings in the Fierce Anklebiters, who use that skin.

Transcription:

Hey everyone, Kalliope here with the tiniest little raptors to ever learn how to open a door.

Patch 5.2 introduces a number of tiny tameable raptors who use the Lashtail Hatchling skin instead of the regular red raptor skin. The main differences are the eyes, the smoothed-out skin, and the lack of necklaces.

They shift to normal raptor size once tamed and gain the family ability tear armor, an armor debuff that stacks up to three times, capping at 12%.

The only raptors with this skin that are flagged tameable are the Fierce Anklebiters, who live in Za'Tual on the Isle of the Thunder King. They tend to travel in pairs or packs of three, but the extras shouldn't be a problem since they don't hit that hard.

For the most current information on the fierce anklebiters and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.

From the Isle of the Thunder King, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.

Where the Wild Things Are: Zandalari Devilsaurs

The Zandalari devilsaurs will greatly expand the popular devilsaur family in patch 5.2. No taming tricks here, though you might want to use freeze traps.


Transcription:

Hey everyone! This is Kalliope, here to introduce you to the ferocious new devilsaurs that are coming in patch 5.2.

The Zandalari devilsaurs use a more detailed model than the old ones and have a few other slight differences, like their bumpier noses. Once tamed, they are typical devilsaurs, exotic pets with two abilities: terrifying roar, which provides a raidwide 5% critical strike buff, and monstrous bite, a healing debuff that lasts for eight seconds and does not stack with widow venom.

Almost all of the tameable devilsaurs spawn on the Isle of Giants, far north of Kun-Lai Summit. As with their dire horn neighbors, all of the devilsaurs are flagged as tameable. No one will be able to tame the adults until the next expansion when the level cap raises, but the level 90 babies can be tamed just fine.

One lone tameable devilsaur spawns on the Isle of the Thunder King: the mighty Kroshik. He is not a rare spawn, but is not always available to be tamed either. He goes through a complete life cycle over several days, from childhood, to adulthood, to death. Kroshik can only be tamed in his adult phase. On those days, he patrols Ihgaluk Crag, where the saurok kneel before him when he passes. Kroshik respawns within a minute or two after being tamed.

The Zandalari devilsaurs come in five colors, more than doubling the existing number of skin options. In a recent build change, the shading of the blue devilsaurs was made much darker. We don't know whether this change is intentional or not, so be sure to stick around for updates.

From the Isle of Giants, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.

Where the Wild Things Are: Dire Horns

Patch 5.2 brings an entirely new family into the mix, the dire horns. Hunters who want to tame them will need to be well-versed in dinomancy.


Transcription:

Hey everyone! Kalliope here on the PTR's Isle of Giants, watching the brand new dire horns in action.

Dire horns, as a completely new pet family, are an unusual mid-expansion addition. Their family ability is reflective armor plating, which deflects all spells cast in front of the direhorn for six seconds. They are non-exotic pets, so any hunter who's met the prerequisite can tame them.

The hunter must learn how to tame direhorns from an Ancient Tome of Dinomancy. This book is bind on pickup and drops randomly from the dinomancers on the Isle of Giants. The knowledge is not account-wide; any alt hunters will have to get their own tomes before being able to tame a dire horn of their own.

A small handful of tameable dire horns live on the Isle of the Thunder King, accessible via the portal in the Shado-Pan camp in Townlong Steppes, but most of them are found here on the Isle of Giants, far to the north of Kun-Lai Summit. Every dire horn on the Isle of Giants is flagged as tameable, though half of them are level 91 and therefore will not be able to be tamed until the next expansion.

They come in five different tameable colors: white, red, orange, green, and blue. In a recent build change, the shading of a few of them became much darker. At this time, we don't know whether this change is intended or not, so stick around for updates.

From the Isle of Giants, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.

Where the Wild Things Are: Degu, Gumi, and Hutia

Meet the three spirit porcupines of patch 5.2: Degu, Gumi, and Hutia. If you didn't learn how to kite after Deth'tilac and Solix, these three will definitely put you through your paces.

Just remember:

FITE SPIRIT PORCUPINE FITE!

Transcription:

Hey everyone! This is Kalliope, here to introduce you to the three exotic spirit porcupines who are coming in patch 5.2.

All three are neutral level 90 elites and each is a different color: Gumi is blue, Hutia is green, and Degu is the first ever red spirit beast.

Once tamed, the three porcupines are standard spirit beasts with the usual three abilities: spirit beast blessing, a mastery raid buff that scales with the hunter's level; spirit mend, a targetable heal over time that scales with the hunter's ranged attack power; and spirit walk, a stealth ability that grants a 20% damage bonus to the beast's first hit from stealth at the cost of 50% movement speed.

The trio's arrival was foreshadowed back in the Pandaria beta when well-known Blizzard developer Ghostcrawler responded to a post on the forums which asked for porcupines to remain tameable. Along with officially making porcupines a permanent family, he mentioned a spirit porcupine. Hunters weren't sure whether he was joking or not...until now.

The porcupines are the first rare hunter pets in Pandaria to sit out in the open. However, one does not simply walk up to a spirit porcupine and tame it. They may be easier to find than the previous Pandarian rares, but they are still challenge tames.

The triplets have the same basic taming mechanic, but each brings a unique twist that makes their tame different from the other two. Like Deth'tilac in the Molten Front, the spirit porcupines are strong-willed and must be damaged while kited until their health reaches 20% - only then can they be tamed. This time around, however, there are no pet sacrifice shortcuts to getting the beast's health down and serpent sting won't help keep it slowed.

Hutia sits in a circle of blue torches in the Jade Forest, just north of Greenstone Village. Her special ability is Spirit Heal, an interruptable heal that she can cast while moving. Unlike her brothers, Hutia can be rooted and scattershotted, which makes it easier to interrupt her while kiting her. You'll want to stay in range of Hutia to stop her heals, so kite her in circles around her spawn point. However, be careful with glaive toss - there are several neutral porcupines in the area.

Degu patrols between Crane Wing Refuge and Thunder Cleft on the north side of the Krasarang Wilds. He's the only one of the trio to move prior to being engaged. His special ability is barbed quill, a hard-hitting ranged attack that he'll cast on a single target that's too far away from him. Between that and his massive melee hits, the hunter is forced to continuously kite him in his dead zone. Degu doesn't make it easy, though - he stops moving to cast his quill, so be prepared to correct your range often. The cast breaks if the target steps back into Degu's dead zone, just like steady shot used to for hunters who got dead zoned by an opponent. Kiting Degu straight back along his path should keep you in range of him without getting meleed, which is especially important, since Degu's melee hits are stronger than those of his siblings - that means he can one shot you with a lucky crit. There are a couple of stealthed tigers hiding along his path, so be careful before pulling him.

Gumi sits north of One Keg in the Neverest Mountains of Kun-Lai Summit, not too far from the east side of Stompy's path. Gumi doesn't have a visible bonus ability like his siblings, but he does passively move faster than either of them. Between his speed boost and the rocky terrain, aspect of the cheetah is a must in order to kite him without dying. The hardest section is the first part of the kite, which involves going uphill via one of two paths. Once you get past that, the ground mostly levels out and you can just follow the main path. Hunters will likely find themselves halfway across the mountains before Gumi enters the tameable range.

Right now on the PTR, each of the porcupines respawns after about five or six minutes. This could just be for testing purposes, due to the nature of the challenge tames, so be sure to check back for updates.

For the most current information on Degu, Gumi, Hutia, and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.

From all over Pandaria, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.

Where the Wild Things Are: A Preview of the 5.2 Pets

Patch 5.2 brings exciting new tames on three different fronts: the Isle of Giants, the Isle of the Thunder King, and three different spots in Pandaria. This video gives a taste of things to come in upcoming videos, from the new dire horn family to the three spirit porcupines. Stay tuned!


Transcription:

Hey everyone! This is Kalliope, here to give you a sneak peek at what's coming in patch 5.2.

There are two new islands, the Isle of Giants and the Isle of the Thunder King. Both are chock-full of dinosaurs, including the brand new dire horn family, several never-before-seen devilsaur skins, and the skin of a familiar little raptor friend. Oh, and if dinosaurs aren't your thing, there are a couple of shiny dragon turtles too. And that's just the beginning: there are also our first spirit beasts of the expansion - three of them! - each with their own challenging taming mechanic.

That's a whole lot to take in at once, so I'll be breaking everything down into several videos so you too will know where the wild things are. See you soon!

Gorishi Grubs Followup

Disappointingly, but unsurprisingly, the latest build of the 5.2 patch on the PTR has marked the Gorishi grubs as untameable. If you want to tame one, you should hurry and do so before 5.2 hits live servers.

Transcription:

Hey guys, another quick update from Kalliope on the PTR, this time on the Gorishi grubs. As expected, the tamed grubs shrank in the latest build of the 5.2 patch and the wild ones are now no longer tameable. Like the amber parasites, if you want to tame one, do not hesitate to do so immediately. So far, it looks like hunters will get to keep their limited edition grubs, but if that changes, I'll let you know.

Where the Wild Things Are: Anthriss

The first challenge tame of the Molten Front is Anthriss, the gorgeous yellow lava spider. We won't have to travel far to visit one of her brothers next week.


Transcription:

Hey everyone! This is Kalliope, here in the Molten Front to introduce you to one of the rare challenge tame lava spiders - the electric yellow beauty, Anthriss.

Anthriss sits at the bottom of a ramp in the middle of the Molten Front, which makes her easy to spot - when she's there, that is. Anthriss has one of the simplest taming mechanics of all the challenge tames from patch 4.2, which makes seeing her spawned in the first place the real challenge.

Anthriss is level 85 in the wild and acts as a normal spider once tamed. The spider family ability is web, a five second root that can be cast from 30 yards away. This is especially appropriate for Anthriss, as she's the only one of the rare Molten Front spiders who actually webs players in the wild.

Her taming mechanic is simple: she fires searing webs at her victims, which places a  powerful damage over time effect on her target. The damage can be nullified by submerging in a nearby lava pool, which does considerably less damage. Don't use the pool directly in front of her; it's not deep enough to swim in.

At level 90, hunters don't even have to use the lava to tame her, especially if they have the glyph of tame beast, which reduces the cast time to six seconds. Still, it's not wise to underestimate Anthriss. If you don't outlevel her, she still stands a good chance of killing you in a straight tame.

Like her brothers, Anthriss spawns every six to 18 hours.

For the most current information on Anthriss and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.

From the lava pools of the Molten Front, this is Kalliope showing you where the wild things are.

Amber Parasites Followup

The first build of the 5.2 patch is now available on the PTR and with it comes the revelation that the amber parasites will no longer be tameable. If you want one, you'd better tame it before 5.2 hits live servers.


Transcription:

Hey guys, quick update from Kalliope on the PTR on the amber parasites. As of the first build of the 5.2 patch, amber parasites are no longer tameable. If you want one of these maggots, you'd better tame one before the patch hits. We don't know when it's coming, but it will be relatively soon, so do NOT wait. Thus far, the Gorishi grubs are still okay, but they haven't had their size normalized yet either. I'll keep you posted on future developments. Stay tuned!

Where the Wild Things Are: Ankha and Magria

We continue our journey toward the Molten Front this week with a visit to Ankha and Magria, the spectral tigers of Mount Hyjal. That wraps up the rares of Mount Hyjal that were released in patch 4.2. Next week, we'll enter the Molten Front, where the other seven challenge tames reside.


Transcription:

Hey everyone! Kalliope here in the Regrowth of Mount Hyjal, here to introduce you to the spirit beasts known as Ankha and Magria.

These two spectral kitties trade places with each other, sharing the same path, level, and special challenging taming mechanic. They are identical in every way except for their color: Ankha is white and Magria is blue.

Both cats are level 85 and have the three spirit beast pet abilities once tamed. Spirit beast blessing is a mastery raid buff that scales with the hunter's level, maxing out at 3000 at level 90. Their exotic ability is spirit mend, a targetable heal over time which scales with the hunter's ranged attack power. Their bonus ability, spirit walk, allows the beast to enter stealth mode with a 50% movement speed penalty, but grants a 20% damage bonus to her first attack from stealth.

If you haven't freed the four ancients in Mount Hyjal yet, then you won't even see the Regrowth on the map. It only replaces the Flamewake after you've completed the quest Aessina's Miracle - and even then, the cats won't be visible until you complete Through the Gates of Hell.

Like their neighbor Ban'thalos and most other spirit beasts, Ankha and Magria are neutral and won't attack until provoked - except for the occasional defenseless critter.

The challenge to taming them is surviving their damage buff, which increases power in relation to the target's armor. If you're wearing even one piece of gear that has armor on it, you'll die before the tame completes, even at level 90.

The solution is simple - remove all your gear that has armor on it. I opt to wear pieces with no armor for style points. You can still wield your weapon, which helps for positioning the cats away from the aggressive mobs moving around the area.

It's a coin flip to see whether it's Ankha or Magria who spawns - there's no pattern. One cat or the other will spawn around every 8 to 12 hours.

For the most current information on Ankha, Magria, and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.

Dodging fireballs in Mount Hyjal, this is Kalliope showing you where the wild things are.