The random musings of a casual World of Warcraft hunter who randomly raids, PvPs, and tracks pets. Apparently, you can't take the hunter out of the game or the hunter out of the player.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Just three weeks after the discovery of the tameable amber parasites, another unique-skinned worm has come to light: the Gorishi grub. Though these may not have necessarily been intended either, they do have a burrow animation and otherwise seem more "finished" than the amber parasites.
Hey everyone! It's only been three weeks since the amber parasites were discovered, but there's already a new giant worm in town: the Gorishi Grub.
These grubs are similar to the parasites in that both are unique appearances for the worm family, and like all silkworms, both inherit the two crocolisk death animations. But that's where the similarities end. The grubs have the new silkworm burrow animation, which the parasites still lack. However, unlike the parasites, who are always present in the Dread Wastes, the grubs are spawned by a rare spawn.
Clutchmother Zavas, a level 54 rare silithid, makes her home in the silithid hive in southern Un'goro Crater. While in combat, she will randomly lay Gorishi eggs, which hatch to spawn Gorishi Grubs. The grubs will die two minutes after they hatch, giving hunters a limited, but decent-sized window in which to tame them.
For hunters looking to tame these as a group, it's easy for one player to hold aggro on Zavas and kite her away from freshly laid eggs. Another hunter can easily grab aggro on the new grub when it hatches, making for an easy tame without any danger of killing the clutchmother. Any eggs and grubs present when Zavas is reset by feigning will remain where they are, which makes it easy for the tanking hunter to tame without risking an accidental kill.
While we don't have an accurate spawn timer for Clutchmother Zavas, our best guess is that it's around four to six hours like other Azerothian rares post-Cataclysm.
At the time of this recording, we don't know whether we'll get to keep these worms as pets either, though the fact that the amber parasites are still here is encouraging.
For the most current information on the Gorishi grubs and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.
From Un'goro Crater, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.
Update 12/2/12: You do NOT need the daily to get the parasites to spawn. Having the daily makes it easier to find the beasts that will spawn parasites, but it's not required.
Hey everyone! Kalliope here in the Dread Wastes with a likely unintentional, but still exciting new worm tame.
You'll need three things to do this tame: level 90, a beast mastery spec, and the Klaxxi daily quest "Infected." With this quest, certain beasts in the southeast corner of the Dread Wastes will have a yellow cloud around them. When damaged, these beasts will randomly spawn amber parasites in groups of three, any of which can be tamed.
Your newly tamed worm will have really low health, so either be prepared for him to die to the remaining beasts or take the exhilaration talent to heal him to full immediately after taming.
Don't to get too attached to your new buddy just yet, since at the time of this recording, we don't know whether we'll get to keep them as pets. For the most current information on the amber parasites and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.
Hoping for the best in the Dread Wastes, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.
With 5.1 here, I've noticed a bunch of hunters having trouble taming a Spirit of the North. There's a method briefly covered in my arcane wyrm video here. Hope that helps!
Bombyx isn't the only rare showing up with patch 5.1. Over 100 rares have turned up in various Azeroth zones, bringing with them their sparkling personalities, several new skins, and a couple of gameplay changes for leveling hunters.
Hey everyone! I'm here on the public test realm for patch 5.1, where Azeroth is overflowing with new tameable beasts. There are well over one hundred new rares of various levels for hunters to tame and more are being discovered every build.
Though most of the new beasts have previously existing skins, some of them still break new ground. Low level shale spiders will give hunters access to the stat bonus buff at level 69 rather than having to wait until Deepholm.
Other beasts provide an alternative option to previously unique skins, allowing hunters an extra opportunity to obtain the look they want in these days of cross-realm zones and heightened competition. A few of them bring unique looks outside of instances, making them easier to obtain alone.
A good portion of the new additions sport completely new or previously unreleased skins, something that may appeal to hunters of any level.
Regardless of appearance, the new rares bring a unique flavor to their part of the zone, giving players something new and exciting to discover when they're least expecting it.
Many of them have a quirky sense of humor. Several others are incredibly sleepy. A few just like to run around wildly, while others stand with a purpose. And a small handful are just plain scary.
Whether you're a hunter or just leveling through Azeroth, these new rare beasts are going to change the face of the landscape for the better.
For more information on the new Azerothian rares and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.
From all over Azeroth, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.
Patch 5.1 brings the 10th rare Pandarian beast, the purple silkworm Bombyx, and with him, an entirely new set of tracking challenges and a new silkworm burrow animation (tiny burrowing feets, at last!).
As a bonus, he even has his own vocalizations, which are deeper than your average silkworm's.
Transcription:
Hey everyone! Kalliope coming to you from the depths of the Krasarang Wilds with the charming but eccentric silkworm Bombyx.
Bombyx is level 90 and uses the last of the silkworm colors, a deep, rich purple. As an exotic pet, taming him requires speccing as beast mastery.
His two tamed abilites are the same as other worm pets. The first, acid spit, causes his target to take 4% more physical damage. The other, burrow attack, does a channeled area of effect for eight seconds. As of patch 5.1, silkworms have a new animation for burrow attack, which shows just how these unlikely tunnelers are able to dig with their tiny feet.
Bombyx takes the rules established by the first nine Pandarian rare beasts and kicks them up to the next level. Though you still need to know the basics, almost every tracking method covered in my earlier video doesn't apply to this guy - he's in a class of his own.
His pathing is extremely erratic. Bombyx twists and turns as he walks, often doubling and tripling back over the same ground, sometimes with small differences. He makes sharp turns without leaving any tracks or indication that he's done so. Worst of all, Bombyx will randomly stop walking and sit still for varying amounts of time, making flaring him more difficult than any other rare to date.
Bombyx's tracks are also misleading, since they aren't footprints. His "tracks" are actually heavily-chewed silkweed, a smaller version of the regular silkweed plant. On top of not showing which way he's going, the tiny silkweed tracks are difficult to see on the jungle floor - even with ground clutter turned down - especially between the actual silkweed herbs. The tiny flowers can appear alone or in varying size clumps, depending on how Bombyx decides to move at any given time. They can also be found underwater or in rare cases, on the surface of it.
On top of everything else, Bombyx spends the majority of his time passing through aggressive mobs. The good news is that they're only level 86, which reduces them to mere annoyances.
Thankfully, Bombyx restricts himself to a relatively compact area between Dawnchaser Retreat and the Temple of the Red Crane. But with his unpredictable movements, it's difficult to pin him down more closely than that.
Bombyx's spawn timer appears to be around one to two hours, like all other Pandarian rares - though as always, this could change in the future.
For the most current information on Bombyx and other hunter pets, be sure to visit Petopia and the Petopia forums.
From the jungle of Krasarang, this is Kalliope, showing you where the wild things are.
It's almost time! Naturally, I will not be posting as much during the initial MoP rush, but if something exciting happens, you can be sure I'll be here to let you all know as well.
My plans tonight involve saying a proper goodbye to Cadmus, my beloved red yak on the beta. As for live, my monk's BoAs are ready to go....whenever I decide to level her. I haven't actually worked out what I'm going to do first; that may end up being a last minute decision.
Best of luck to you all in your leveling and taming!
With just days to go to the Mists of Pandaria expansion, I've broken down the useful pet buffs, debuffs, and utility abilities in video and infographic form.
The transcript appears below, after the charts.
MoP Buffs, Debuffs, and Abilities Chart
Minimalist Raiding List
Transcription:
Hey everyone! This is Kalliope and I'm here in Stormwind to take a break from tracking wild beasts and focus on the tamed ones in the stable.
The Cataclysm expansion greatly changed the role of hunters in raids, giving us the widest variety of buffs, debuffs, and utility abilities of any class. In the Mists of Pandaria, hunters can cover every single buff and debuff in the game, as well as provide some extra utility.
BUFFS
There are eight buffs in the game as of patch 5.0.4 and seven are covered by hunter pets.
The only exception is attack power, since all hunters now passively bring trueshot aura, so it would be redundant for a pet to bring it as well.
Critical Strike is covered by a whopping five pets, three exotic - devilsaurs, quilen, and water striders - and two regular - wolves and the handful of limited edition hydras.
Mastery is brought by a pet of each type - cats representing regular pets and spirit beasts the exotic. The rest of the buffs are only provided by either exotics or non-exotics, not both.
Only one pet covers Spell Power, the new exotic water strider. The buff is combined with Critical Strike, just like the equivalent buffs from other classes, making water striders an intended two-in-one buff pet.
The Stat Bonus buff is also only provided by an exotic family, the shale spiders.
The last of the beast mastery-exclusive buffs is Stamina, which is covered by silithids.
A few buffs are only carried by non-exotic pets. Attack Speed is a new addition to hunter pets in Pandaria and is only available from hyenas and serpents.
A post-patch hotfix added the Spell Haste buff to sporebats, which rounds out the hunter buff arsenal.
DEBUFFS
There are currently six debuffs in the game and all can be brought by any type of hunter. Very few exotic pet have debuffs, and none are the exclusive option for their ability.
The exotic devilsaurs may be the only family that brings a Mortal Wound effect, but this debuff is already covered by the baseline hunter skill Widow Venom.
Four different pets bring increased Physical Vulnerability, two exotic - rhinos and worms - and two regular - boars and ravagers.
Magic Vulnerability is provided by two non-exotic pets, dragonhawks and wind serpents.
It's also two regular pets who contribute the Weakened Armor debuff, tallstriders and raptors.
The Slow Casting debuff is provided by the exotic core hounds and the regular foxes and goats. At the time of this recording, Sporebats still have this debuff, but are likely to have it removed, as no other class or pet has both this and the casting haste buff.
Weakened Blows is always provided by tanking classes, so it's unlikely that a bear or carrion bird will actually be needed for a raid. Still, hunters do have the option.
SUPPORT
Two incredibly useful support abilities are available to hunters via their exotic pets in Pandaria.
Core hounds still bring Ancient Hysteria, the hunter's version of the Bloodlust or Heroism buff.
The new quilen family gives hunters the ability to resurrect a fallen ally in combat.
UTILITY
A number of pets bring utility abilities, but the ones covered here are the most likely to be situationally useful in a raid.
Though every class is now capable of bringing a stun, hunters should be aware of their own options. In addition to the beast mastery ability Intimidation, hunters can bring either the exotic shale spider or a regular bat, porcupine, or wasp.
Non-exotic gorillas, nether rays, and moths all bring an extra interrupt to the table. Though less effective than talenting for Silencing Shot, if a fellow raid member misses an interrupt, a pet could fill in on that turn of the rotation, leaving the hunter free to save Silencing Shot for their own turn.
In a pinch, the regular scorpids and birds of prey can disarm a melee target, though this is likely to be a rare occurrence, since most raid bosses cannot be disarmed.
Hunters can now glyph their explosive traps to provide an AoE knockback, but beast mastery hunters also have a single-target option in their rhinos.
Chain-castable roots are more efficient, but an exotic silithid or a regular crab, dog, or spider could also potentially save the day with a well-timed root.
When it comes down to the most necessary buffs, debuffs, and support abilities, a stable of 13 pets can cover all in both specs. A beast mastery hunter can carry as few as 11 pets and marksmanship and survival hunters can fill out their more limited selection with as few as eight.
What abilities your raid will actually need will vary depending on the group's composition. A handy addon, RaidChecklist, developed by Anyia of the Petopia forums, is a fantastic asset for checking what abilities your raid has without having to manually inspect everyone. What you'll actually need to bring depends on the encounter and raid makeup, so choose wisely. Good luck!
Reference links to the inspirations for this post:
