So other than Gara....

[jensketch]

...there are really no more unique skins anymore in this expansion at least? Nothing rare anyway, anything that is "unique" is easily acquired.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. Kind of ambivalent. I love *AND* hate the rareness of pets. I wish they were all as easily gotten, sometimes, so I just could feel like I could use what I want, instead of some kind of Hunter-Measuring-*cough*-System. You can say it doesn't exist, but it totally does

I'm happy using what I think is pretty. But also, I love the feel of achievement!

I guess Blizzard is telling us that this time around, we have a story for our Gara. We save her, rescue her from eternal agony and give her a chance to fight alongside with honor again. It's a good story.

[Lupen202]

I agree. All "rares" in this expansion have very short respawn timers and are vignettes except for a few (like those that drop mounts)... There really aren't any rare pets, per-se.

I don't mind that there's only one spirit beast, but a few non-exotic track tames and such would've been fun, like Savage etc. The reptilian rylak would have been the PERFECT candidate.

Maybe in a later patch.

[Lisaara]

I dont want any long respawns or super long camps. I'm so over those.

[Bendak]

I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. There's still plenty of super rare pets you can hunt for, and Mists added a crapton of new rares. An expansion of "get whatever pet you want" is a nice change of pace. Perhaps in one of the content patches there will be some room for a few new non-vignette rares. I wouldn't mind a future addition to the Gara story that lets us have the option of de-voidifying her to her original ghost form, but still allowing the re-taming of void version so we can have both.

It took me 5 years to get King Krush. While it was awesome to get in the end, I'm too old for that crap now! Also, there's no more NPC scan! Ack!

[SylviaDragon]

I am very happy with many of the new pets they have added in this xpack. feathered raptors, hydras, stags...we got a lot of good stuff. I am not a huge fan of the "camp for a week" type of rares but i do love pets that are a challenge to obtain and one of the main enjoyments i get from wow is hunting rares/challenge pets. So i am a bit bummed out about it but I can only assume we will be getting extra goodies in the patches. If MM/surv hunters end up feeling jaded though i cant argue with them. the only "rare" pet that will be there at launch is BM only- unless you want to count the cata hydra boss. In the end i guess i would say that i am saddened by the lack or rares and challenges but due to all the work they put into this xpack with the new familes and character models I don't think i should complain too much.

[Wain]

We haven't seen any rare rares on the world of Draenor itself. And yeah, that may not be a bad thing for now. There's been a lot of them over time. I'm sure we'll see them used again.

But there are a couple of new tames that are traditional rares. They just use old models.

• Trigore the Lasher is the only red Azerothian hydra. And will quite possibly be horrific to get hold of.
• Gesharahan is a rare purple Azerothian hydra. In this case it's not *quite* as horrible because there's another one that can be summoned via a Horde quest.

• We're also yet to see any evidence of the Azerothian bronze hydra and the Pandaren purple stag. Either could show up as a rare. Or maybe not, but please keep an eye out for them anyway

[SpiritBinder]

Also there is Chimaeron, another unique model added with a a unique taming method. Also it's normally pretty hard for developers (Namely Noah) to get in extra fluff/fun added in at the start of an expansion (especially with him being so involved in the Garrisons this expansion), the amount of work is simply overwhelming.
As others have said, I'm guessing we will see quite a few more fun and interesting introductions of pets still to come.

I dont want any long respawns or super long camps. I'm so over those.

And yet I still kind of like those, I'd not want for too many of them, but just a few in the variation of taming options to keep the masochists happy

[jensketch]

Actually I like the challenge tames like Deth'ilac. Rare spawn AND hard to tame. He is even hard NOW, which is kind of amazing.

But then, I hate that whole side of it too - like, because I have him, if I DON'T show him off, it's like I'm not a real hunter. Or then there are the 3 Porcupette Spirit Beasts, which were not rare spawns, but "challenge" tames, if you want to call it that. They were so easy to do. The tracking tames were alright - but, because they weren't rare and yet again super easy to do I just can't get that excited about it.

But then, most of the time, I just want to use my purple Wintersaber because it matches my mount AND mini-pet.

So, I'm clearly insane!

[Quiv]

I was wondering this myself. I was a bit disappointed there don't appear to be anything other than Gara. That doesn't take away from Gara by any means, but coming from long respawns, to challenge tames, to tracking tames, I figured there would be something. /shrug

What I figured would happen would be what happened to the pink crane: a skin that was common got switched mid-beta and put on a "rare."

I figured this may happen to the toucan sam color toucan until I saw the skin was replaced by the new one in the database, not simply in addition to.

I guess we could technically call the white rylak a rare. I haven't seen any others, and getting that thing alive on live without others trying to murder it will likely be a little bit of a chore. He has a pretty big path.

[jensketch]

Yeah I spose, I just wish I actually liked Rylaks or Hydras.

My favorite besides Gara?

The Breezestrider Colt, grey variety. An absolute stunningly gorgeous pet, in every way. I don't care in the slightest if it's common. The problem? It ONLY has versatility. A Clefthoof has 5% Versatility AND Multistrike - why would you EVER use a stag? Thank goodness I think Clefthooves are adorable!

[Quiv]

The problem? It ONLY has versatility. A Clefthoof has 5% Versatility AND Multistrike - why would you EVER use a stag? Thank goodness I think Clefthooves are adorable!

Yeah this new "exotics get double buffs" is interesting. As far as combat ratings go, exotics hands down beat others for BM.

[SpiritBinder]

The problem? It ONLY has versatility. A Clefthoof has 5% Versatility AND Multistrike - why would you EVER use a stag? Thank goodness I think Clefthooves are adorable!

Though Multi looks be the stat that has it's affinity attached to SV, (BM being Mastery) which won't be able to use Clefts, so them stags will still get some loving

[Lisaara]

Also there is Chimaeron, another unique model added with a a unique taming method. Also it's normally pretty hard for developers (Namely Noah) to get in extra fluff/fun added in at the start of an expansion (especially with him being so involved in the Garrisons this expansion), the amount of work is simply overwhelming.
As others have said, I'm guessing we will see quite a few more fun and interesting introductions of pets still to come.

I dont want any long respawns or super long camps. I'm so over those.

And yet I still kind of like those, I'd not want for too many of them, but just a few in the variation of taming options to keep the masochists happy

Just long as its not Madexx. *shudders and goes into a fetal position* Never. Again. 6 - 24 hrs is ridiculous.

[Xota]

A Clefthoof has 5% Versatility AND Multistrike - why would you EVER use a stag?

If your raid has buffs covered, then you choose the pet you think is prettiest.

[jensketch]

lol So true Xota - that hardly ever happens though!!

At least the new Sporebats are gorgeous!

[Lisaara]

lol So true Xota - that hardly ever happens though!!

At least the new Sporebats are gorgeous!

Actually, it happens a lot. I raid every week and when I get to bring my hunter, very rarely do I actually need to bring something vital.

[jensketch]

Not everyone raids 25 man with a guild. When you raid over OQ, quite often there are people who barely know how to press buff buttons let alone have all 8 needed. In the 10 mans I've done, I've never been able to just bring whatever I like, they're almost always needing a Sporebat - having no S Priest or Boomkin in the raid for Spell Haste for the healers.

Besides, I'm fairly certain I didn't blanketly claim no Hunters could ever choose the pet they like. I said "hardly" which leaves a WIDE gap for exceptions and all kinds of experiences.

[Lisaara]

Not everyone raids 25 man with a guild. When you raid over OQ, quite often there are people who barely know how to press buff buttons let alone have all 8 needed. In the 10 mans I've done, I've never been able to just bring whatever I like, they're almost always needing a Sporebat - having no S Priest or Boomkin in the raid for Spell Haste for the healers.

Besides, I'm fairly certain I didn't blanketly claim no Hunters could ever choose the pet they like. I said "hardly" which leaves a WIDE gap for exceptions and all kinds of experiences.

I don't raid with OQ, to clarify. I raid with a guild on the Icecrown server on a regular basis and it's done via flex. We're usually covered when it comes to buffs especially since this guild I raid with is the very one Frostheim was a part of(Warcraft Hunters Union, though it's now called Dead Hunters Society). They know their hunters. At most, I'm usually told to bring my snake for the attack speed buff or my quilen for a rez. Aside from that....not usually needed. It's a 10man typically. We rarely get more than 15.

[Novikova]

I guess maybe I'm old and grumpy, but I like having a common-rare option. I can't really sit and camp anymore like I used to. :/

[Remedy]

I might be one of the few who will actually miss the ones with the super-long respawn timers. Finding them was just so rewarding, it was what drove me to keep up my hunter through wrath and cata - it felt so good to work for a rare pet and then find it. The whole, hands shaking, excited breathing, i-have-found-my-new-lifelong-companion feeling?

I like the porcupines as challenge tames, and i like the tracking rares, and i loooooooooove gara, but it would be exciting to have new stuff to camp, especially since I have all the old ones, y'know? Feels great to rehome them, but it's not the same, in way.

I wish they'd give us an option to tame new long-timer rares like the old'n days, while still having all the newer varieties. CALL ME OLD FASHIONED. BACK IN MY DAY, SEE, WE HAD TO WALK FIFTEEN MILES IN THE SNOW, UPHILL BOTH WAYS...

Nothing worth throwing a fit over, though. I'm hype for taming chimaeron. Sad that we're probably not gonna get to tame Horridon though. One day, my child, one day I'll save you...