A Pet Collector's Review of Pet Battles

HOLY SHIT MONKEY BALLS!

Apologies for my foul tongue, but I gotta get it out. Beta held no love for me, I don't like to level something that doesn't stay with me, but when I heard Pokémon and WoW were getting together for their first ultrasound, I had to get my ass in there!

So what are pet battles? Maybe you haven't paid attention much to Mists of Pandaria information, but Pet Battles are essentially well.. To be blunt, Pokémon battles, but in World of Warcraft. This may sound silly, but honestly bare with me when I say. THEY ROCK SO HARD! I share my views because pre-Mists I was a Pet collector, only a few off my Celestial Dragon and panicking that my effort was all in vein that now people could roll around getting free pets for nothing. My mind now, is soothed!

So how is it done?

You start your journey by visiting a Pet Battle trainer, you can learn this skill at level 5 and at the low-low price of 100 gold. The trainer is also nice enough to give you one pet! To get yourself started. Then you are free to go out into the world battling as your heart sees fit.

Are Mini-Pets and Wild Pets separate?

No! All these pets are together, on my beta-moo, I have all my pets from live and I can use pretty much all of them! That means you can have a team (max 3 at a time) of your favorite pets! The best part? YOU CAN NAME THEM! As they progress and level they gain new abilities and battle-prowess! You can catch Poor, Common, Uncommon and Rare quality pets, this rarity is assigned randomly, and affects the stats they get as they grow.

So I can -capture- pets?

Yes, frankly you throw a crate at weakened monsters to capture them in the wild, but I imagine a pokeball. I even do the, "YEAH I CAUGHT A x" and then the little peace sign. Cause i'm awesome like that. The best part? These wild pets are anything that can be critters, I saw a mini-giraffe as one!

So what do you do in a battle?

In a battle you have a selection of abilities (although you are limited when the creature is low level). You fight and conquer basically, or capture depending on the situation. If you win, your creatures that fought earn experience and level, just like you. (I believe the max level is 25). However if you lose, your pets die and have to be revived at the nearest pokemon centre. (I'm kidding, you get a revive spell.) You can switch your monsters about and just like (sorry to keep mentioning it) pokemon, those who fight, get experience. There is a Looking-For-Fight tool, like looking for group that pairs you with fighers of your skill. There are strengths and weaknesses, diverse attacks and many pet families.

What do you do apart from fight?

Pet Battles have been really well implemented, not only can you fight critters and other players there are -massive- quest chains, where you go zone to zone fighting 'special pet tamers' (npcs) with unique pets. For beating them you get rewards like http://mop.wowhead.com/item=86143 and http://mop.wowhead.com/item=43626.



Over-all, I gotta say, I had to share this with you all, simply because I know people feel this is too silly, but mini-pets now have a purpose beyond stacking up in our spell books. We all have bored down time, and this will fill a lot of it! It's highly addictive and if anyone else has a beta-key and hasn't tried it, I URGE you to! ITS AMAZING!

In-case you are wondering my current team is Snuffles (Mr. Wiggles/Lvl 12), Ember (Phoenix Hatchling/Lvl 11) and Pierre (Skunk/Lvl 11). They are.. incredible.

I've been dabbling with the pet battles as well and found the minigame to be surprisingly entertaining not to mention addictive. It really takes the whole pet hoarding business to a new level.

The battles are also quite well implemented despite the whole thing "just" a pokemon-lite.

I really can see myself burning a lot of hours into this...Building a balanced team is surprisingly difficult when you can only have three pokem...pets in your team.

And having said that it's time to go back to beta. Gotta catch 'em all!

Lini wrote:I've been dabbling with the pet battles as well and found the minigame to be surprisingly entertaining not to mention addictive. It really takes the whole pet hoarding business to a new level.

The battles are also quite well implemented despite the whole thing "just" a pokemon-lite.

I really can see myself burning a lot of hours into this...Building a balanced team is surprisingly difficult when you can only have three pokem...pets in your team.

And having said that it's time to go back to beta. Gotta catch 'em all!

Isn't it insane how addictive it is? It's like, "One more battle then logging." Two hours later you find a rare creature and you dunno where your life is going..

Kids these days and their pokeemans! *shakes fist*


...I'm so excited. <3

I was excited for this until I realised that after a few months, you'll have long guides up, all locations of rare catchable critters etc. I want to find something no one else has! Diablo 3 collector's pet is the rarest I've got

I remember when I made Lil'Smoky back in Vanilla. At the time I was (as far as I could ascertain) the only person on Horde with the pet, and maybe the server.

I spent so much gold trying to the get the schematics in BB (there was a trick to sorting it and getting gifts as membership of the Gnomish Engineers).

Then you could get the schematic from Gadgetzan. And then trade the pet.

I'm having a moment of Hipster indignation here. With proper tears.

But I'm looking forward to the pokepetbattles. And seeking pets. Something to discover and enjoy. And not follow guides and charts

Yeah I have to agree with Vaell on this one. While I am really looking forwards to trying to become a WoW Pokémaster, I feel this will be much more fun before all the guides and locations to the rare critters are.

Humphry wrote:Yeah I have to agree with Vaell on this one. While I am really looking forwards to trying to become a WoW Pokémaster, I feel this will be much more fun before all the guides and locations to the rare critters are.

I can put your mind at ease about rare critters.

Rarity is NOT constant. When you capture a creature it is either poor, common, uncommon or rare. I have a four toads which are each of those. There are no specifically rare creatures you can just find, its all down to chance.

I have a level 22 lava crab, level 20 spirit of lordaeron and level 21 stormwind rat.

This team is not to be fucked with. Seriously.

Ixirar/Kavalis wrote:level 20 spirit of lordaeron

A what now?

Lini wrote:

Ixirar/Kavalis wrote:level 20 spirit of lordaeron

A what now?

Originally in Vanilla in the Ruins of Loradaeron with invisibility vision you could see neutral level 10 mobs called Spirit of Lordaeron. Ghosts essentially. They've been brought back as pets!

Magaskawee/Anaei wrote:

Lini wrote:

Ixirar/Kavalis wrote:level 20 spirit of lordaeron

A what now?

Originally in Vanilla in the Ruins of Loradaeron with invisibility vision you could see neutral level 10 mobs called Spirit of Lordaeron. Ghosts essentially. They've been brought back as pets!

Oh, I remember those. That's a nice detail. Of course, getting one as alliance will be a bit tricky. But then again the pets are account wide so you could get one on a horde character just as well.

*edit* As for myself, I'll be sure to include Spirit of Competition in my team no matter how good it actually might be. It can't be all that common these days...

My spirit of competition in beta is level 14 and it is absolutely awesome. It is going to be in my team come release for sure.

Lini wrote:

Magaskawee/Anaei wrote:

Lini wrote:

Ixirar/Kavalis wrote:level 20 spirit of lordaeron

A what now?

Originally in Vanilla in the Ruins of Loradaeron with invisibility vision you could see neutral level 10 mobs called Spirit of Lordaeron. Ghosts essentially. They've been brought back as pets!

Oh, I remember those. That's a nice detail. Of course, getting one as alliance will be a bit tricky. But then again the pets are account wide so you could get one on a horde character just as well.

*edit* As for myself, I'll be sure to include Spirit of Competition in my team no matter how good it actually might be. It can't be all that common these days...

Wild pets are -not- account wide I believe, only those bought/achievement/drop are account wide.

Anyone can tell me how good Mini Thor is?

How do you find them in the wild?

Perturbo wrote:Anyone can tell me how good Mini Thor is?

Very. He's a mechanical who are really awesome for abilities. But obv he's not over the top powerful!

Helmfrid wrote:How do you find them in the wild?

Basically you find them like you find critters. They are everywhere but not as common as critters. Then when you find one you just give 'em a click and you start the battle! Sometimes another critter is randomly added to the battle so you can find rarer pets when you think you're getting like a boring old adder!

As the shaman I am, I will be using my Searing Scorchling (mini fire elemental), Pebble (mini earth elemental) and the mini ice elemental... for lack of any other mini elemental. Or did they add some wild elementals to capture?

oh i will definatly be in on this with My mechanical squirrel "sarah" On monny.. I have no idea about my gobo zet thow

Steve (Or Scooter) the snail, my familiar, will be smashing faces come September. Be afraid.

Shriukan wrote:As the shaman I am, I will be using my Searing Scorchling (mini fire elemental), Pebble (mini earth elemental) and the mini ice elemental... for lack of any other mini elemental. Or did they add some wild elementals to capture?

They've added a Water Elemental as I know, will check to see if there is others.

Edit:

Okay, checked in-game, the following 'elementals' exist.

Fel Flame (Green Fire Ele)
Frigid Frostling (Known)
Grinder (Green Rock Ele)
Kirin Tor Familiar (Known)
Lumpy (Black Rock Ele)
Pebble (Known Blue Rock ele)
Searing Scorchling (Fire Ele Normal)
Tiny Twister (Air Ele Normal)
Water Waveling (Water Ele Normal)

There we go!

ALSO! Wild pets DO carry across characters, they -are- account bound.

AHAHHHHH I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS!

Thanks a lot for the info, your Moo-ness. I shall acquire myself a Tiny Twister (Air Ele Normal) for the 3rd slot.