Blog Azeroth Shared Topic: What Raid-Drop Pets Would You Like to See?

Longwei, my Celestial Dragon

There is a Shared Topic over on Blog Azeroth that was suggested by me.  It is not an official Shared Topic at the moment, as it has no date range or approved status, but so far there have already been many who jumped to make a post about this.  So I figured it was only fitting for me to reply to my own, as well.  🙂

The topic:

While running through MC, BWL, AQ40, and Naxx over the weekend, I got to thinking…

If a future patch adds more raid-dropped pets like those introduced in 5.1, what pets would you like to see? What raid and boss would they be available from?

First, Some Background

Xarzith, my Azure Whelpling

I am not a huge achievement hunter, but I have always had certain vanity pets that I really like.

My absolute favorite pet is my wee Azure Whelpling, Xarzith.  I actually spent many, many hours farming not one but two of these before Cataclysm, because it was rumored they would no longer be available, and blue is my favorite color.  (Xarzith has in recent stories actually grown out of his whelpling stage and into a drake!)  Another favorite is my Wind Rider Cub, whom I got for the stuffed animal, and because I cannot tame one on my Hunter.  😛

In MoP, pet battles were introduced.  At first, I thought they sounded silly and I stayed far, far away.  Then, as I read the blogs of friends, I started to think they looked interesting and I stayed even farther away.

Pet battles + addictive personally = this cannot be good!

Sure enough, I got bit by the pet battle bug.  I got obsessed.  To add to it, Blizzard added raid-dropped pets to older content – some of which I already knew I could duo/solo from farming transmog gear.

I am currently hopelessly entrenched.  I am pet battling.  I am collecting pets – both common and rare spawn.  I am working on related achievements.  I am farming the pet raids weekly, and have only a few more to go.

So that is a quick catch up on what sparked this Shared Topic idea.  Now, onto my thoughts on pets!

Giving Love to Burning Crusade

Shattrath

I have always been awed by Burning Crusade content.  The zones, the mobs, the gear, the story, and of course the raids.  It was content I never saw when it was current.  I solo Karazhan these days and I wonder what it would have been like to do that raid when it was explored by ten Level 70’s.

Burning Crusade is also the source of the introduction of the Draenei, which is my favorite race by far.  (Which is probably blatantly obvious given my main character and the bulk of my stories.)  So storywise, I like BC as well.  It has some interesting, albeit obscure quests.  It also has great zones that are home to those quests, like Nagrand and Blade’s Edge and Netherstorm.

About the only way I see Burning Crusade is zipping through 10 levels of dungeons (like I recently did on my Monk) and getting together small groups to do the raids for achievements and transmog gear.

In all this time, Vanilla areas have seen updates, but nothing has been done with Outlands.  I mean, I realize storywise nothing has really happened in Outland in all this time.  We went there, beat up some Blood Elves and Naga and demons, and then left to go battle the Lich King.  And sure, the leveling through that span has been sped up.  I think the last time I leveled through questing, towards the end of Cata, I only saw Hellfire Peninsula and Nagrand.

But I think it is past due time BC saw some love to give people some incentive to see more of it.  Pet battles are helping, I imagine.  My recent battles there still seemed somewhat lonely, though, there seemed to be several floating around the Fel Fire spawn area in Shadowmoon Valley.

So an incentive idea?  Raid-drop pets!

Karazhan

This is the one dungeon in BC I know I can solo.  Except maybe the chess event.  I still suck at that…

I thought about what raid bosses are there.  It has dragons and demons and ghosts, but as soon as I thought of the Big Bad Wolf encounter, I knew that was the pet I wanted.  An old style Worgen!

Magtheridon’s Lair

I can probably, maybe solo this instance.  I could duo it in Cata.  There is only one encounter here.  So options are limited, and someone already came up with the awesome idea of the cubes as a pets!

An itty bitty Pit Lord would be sweet to pet battle with.  Sorry, Mag, I cannot take you seriously, you are just so cuuuuuuuute!  <pinches cheek>

Gruul’s Lair

A raid dungeon full of Ogres.  Hmm.  A mini-Ogre would be very cool.  Especially if it would interact with /dance like the Moonkin Hatchling does!

Serpent Shrine Caverns

This one is a raid dungeon full of Naga!  I love Naga!  I was thinking a tiny Naga would be cool, but what would be even better would be a BABY Naga.  What does a baby Naga look like, I wonder?  <Thinks of baby Murlocs – mrgll mrgll>

Mount Hyjal

I have never actually been through the Mount Hyjal raid, so this one was tough.  But I have to say, a pocket-sized Dread Lord would make Effy’s day after thousands of years of fearing and fleeing them.

Tempest Keep

This is another raid I am not very familiar with.  I think I have only been completely through it once.  Al’ar as a pet is out – there is already a Phoenix Hatchling.  I think I would like one of the Arcane Constructs!  How are these guys not a pet yet?

Black Temple

As soon as I started thinking about Black Temple, all I could think about for a pet was a Shivarra!  Though, Naj’entus and Supremus would make cool pets too.

Sunwell Plateau

I have been in and through Sunwell only once.  It was on a whim with the Twitterland Raiders (hrmm, page seems to be down ATM).  Navi already mentioned wanting a Na’aru, so I am leaning toward a female Eredar!  Kind of an Effy evil twin, if she did not already have a DK twin.  🙂

Well, that is it for my ideas on this topic, but be sure to check out the others who spoke up their thoughts!

• Carmelo at Clever Musings
• Tyledres at Frost and Claws
• Jodrath at Jod’s Blog
• Navimie at the Daily Frostwolf
• Malkshake at Holy Nova
• Matty at Sugar and Blood
• Starre at the Warcraft Trading Post
• Cymre at Bubbles of Mischief
• Nyxrinne at Touch of Death
• Arvash at the Crimson Hammer
• Jojo at Admiring Azeroth

Hope you enjoy all the great ideas!  I did!  And thanks to everyone who replied!

~ Effy