The realm of pets in World of Warcraft is certainly among the least regarded, but that hardly means it’s without value. Pet Batttles were introduced in Mists of Pandaria and have provided a host of challenging content for collectors and strategists everywhere. Whether spurred on by a love of pets or insatiable completionism, there’s no real end to the fun one can have with WoW’s pets.
There are nearly two thousand unique pets in World of Warcraft, scattered high and low throughout zones, dungeons, achievements, and promotions. The sheer variety of models and special effects is breathtaking, especially when compared to other MMOs. Every content update is bound to include more newcomers, some of whom are hidden within secrets and rare treasures.
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A Fever Dream For WoW’s Collectors
The addiction that follows a casual desire to collect the coolest pets has claimed many a player’s free time. It always starts with one, usually a racial starter pet, and the slippery slope descends into a manic desire to accumulate at least one of every miniature living thing on Azeroth and beyond. While many WoW pets are sold by in-game vendors and are easy enough to get hold of, the vast majority take some extra steps to acquire.
Roughly 30% of WoW’s pets are found in the open world, exploring their natural habitats. It takes a team of battle pets to defeat and capture them in order to add them to one’s own roster. So, players have to start small, working their way through starter zones where pets are simple to defeat, all the way to more recent zones where they can put up a proper fight. Lots of pets drop from dungeon and raid bosses, too, or can be bought from the Auction House. Each pet, when at the max level of 25, has 6 abilities, which may or may not synergize in unexpected ways.
The rarest pets in the game are usually those that have a small chance of dropping from enemies, ones hidden behind tough achievements and extreme prices, or pets that are no longer obtainable. At the moment, the priciest pets in World of Warcraft are those that few lucky players got codes for when buying cards for WoW’s old Trading Card Game, which was discontinued in 2013 with the release of a virtual version, Hearthstone.
Pet Battles Are A Rabbit Hole of Challenging Content
Getting into Pet Battles might seem simple enough, yet the most challenging of these aren’t in fighting wild pets, but other pet-owning NPCs. These can be found throughout WoW’s many zones and often combine special abilities for a brutal punch. Only dedicated pet collectors can beat these pros, and the achievements that involve defeating them within certain restrictions are an even greater feat of strength.
The mightiest feat of Pet Battle prowess involves Pet Dungeons. There are five of them currently in the game: Gnomeregan, Wailing Caverns, Deadmines, Blackrock Depths, and Stratholme. Defeating these dungeons requires strategy, preparation, and resilience, as failure is part of the journey. Only the best and most persistent players have conquered these challenges.
WoW's Pet Battles Have Deceptively Complex Mechanics
World of Warcraft’s pets also have a hidden property, one that players need a special addon, such as Battle Pet Breed ID, to see. Every pet in the game has what’s known as a breed, which determines whether they are inclined towards having more health, power, speed, or a balance of all three. This assignment is random and is different depending on the individual pet. The advantages of having the most valuable breed of said pet are marginal, but they can make all the difference in a close shave.
Families are the species categories pets are in, such as undead, beast, or flying, and they either take more damage or less damage based on the family of the opponent. Some of the most valuable pets are those who capitalize on an odd mix of family and attacks. For example, the Nether Faerie dragon pet is an excellent pet to use against Flying enemies, as it’s a Dragonkin, so it takes less damage from fliers, and it deals magic damage, the kind that’s amplified against fliers. Each family also has an additional superpower, such as coming back to life after dying or being immune to stuns. All of this has to be taken into account for the required edge, and luckily, there are plenty of helpful online resources to help novices conquer these battles.
|
Breed |
Special Power |
Takes Less Damage From |
Deals More Damage To |
|
Undead |
Comes back to life, immortal for one turn. |
Dragonkin |
Humanoid |
|
Beast |
Deals 25% more damage below half health |
Humanoid |
Critter |
|
Critter |
Immune to stuns, roots, and sleep |
Elemental |
Undead |
|
Dragonkin |
Deal 50% more damage for a turn after reducing an enemy below half health |
Flying |
|
|
Magic |
Can't lose more than 30% of its health in one blow |
Aquatic |
Flying |
|
Flying |
Has 50% increased speed when over 50% health |
Beast |
Aquatic |
|
Mechanical |
Comes back to life once with 30% health |
Magic |
|
|
Humanoid |
Restores 4% of health every turn if they attacked |
Critter |
Dragonkin |
|
Aquatic |
Negative Debuffs Are 50% Less Effective |
Undead |
Elemental |
|
Elemental |
Immune to Negative Weather Effects |
Mechanical |
Mechanical |
- Released
- August 26, 2024
- Base Game
- World of Warcraft
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard
WHERE TO PLAY
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