Long-Term Illness = Bored Hunter Challenge (IMAGE HEAVY)

[Kurasu]

Finally, I've finished writing up the whole 'timeline' of Nimhar's taming adventures! Going to work on getting screenshots gathered, and soon enough, I'll have the summary of her adventures posted here in several 'installments'.

It's going to be screenshot-heavy; I'll add a warning to the title so people know.

[Kurasu]

One month, minus a day, and I am finally finishing up the report for my 'challenge tame' hunter. It's amazing how long I've been at this, and even more amazing how much fun I've had with it. It's been a great time-waster and a good way to keep me up and thinking while in recovery! Each of the below postings is going to have a sort of 'report' on the pet, with plenty of screenies. Note: the pets are all going to be around level 82+. Just the fault of the auto-leveling; it's not because I spent any extra time leveling them after.

The first of my pets was, naturally, LilPinchy. With no talents and no spec, there's not a lot to say about the little red crab. He was a reminder of long ago, when to test out the possibility of crabs for tanking purposes, Kurasu picked up Crusty (then level 30-something) and leveled him to 70. I've done full reports on crabs in the past, but for me, the red color is the one that brings up the most nostalgia. I loved having him as my 'baby pet'! LilPinchy was named because, well, he was little, and he was pinchy.


Not-so-LilPinchy!


Smile for the camera, Pinchy!

[Kurasu]

Level 10, since there were no stables around, I had to actually release LilPinchy so I could get hold of my next pet: the panther, Shiara. Now, Shiara, from the moment I tamed her, was a 'her' in my mind. I can't say that she and I bonded very well, even though we had our five levels together, but she's still a beautiful model. The panther is really a lovely, rich black. Much better-looking than I originally had thought. Once I got out of the newbie pool, I briefly stabled Shiara in order to tame a replacement 'Lilpinchy' for the challenge's photographs, in case you're wondering where the Pinchy pictures came from. But for actual questing, Shiara and I moved pretty much directly from Ogrimmar to Northern Barrens. There, at level 15, I nabbed my next pet: Jack the Tallstrider. Shiara was named.... I... can't honestly remember. It had something to do with jungle characters. Only my memory's terrible on the *why*.


Black cat, nine lives, short days, long nights...


I really find the black quite stunning. Even close up.

[Kurasu]

Jack was my third 'talentless' pet, but even so, I found that his personality won me over a lot more than Shiara's. The way the tallstrider ran amused me, and the squawks and pecking were awesome. I've loved them ever since I was given the white one on Aloicious for his challenge, and this is just another aspect of it. Jack's color didn't thrill me, but something about the plainness of it made me feel comfortable, somehow. It went along with my goblin as well. All in all, Jack was really memorable for me as a 'nice sweet pet'. Pity about his fairly picky eating, though; getting the foods he liked was a bit difficult. I ground some apples off Quillboars until I could find a fruit seller. For the record, I'm not sure where Jack's name came from. Something just clicked in my head and made me think 'He looks like a Jack'. And that was it.


"My! You're a tall one!"


Jack, smiling for the camera!


He's a little shy, though...

[Kurasu]

I was still in The Barrens when I hit 20, and one of the first beasts I saw (other than the lions and the tallstriders in the area) was a buzzard flying overhead. It took a bit before I could get it within reach, but I was finally able to tame my Skybury. Now, Skybury, at level 20, was the first pet of the bunch to actually get a talent point *and* to get his special attacks. And let me tell you: Demoralizing Screech, at my level, makes for a tank pet that you can't pull aggro from with a crowbar. Between it and growl, I never had aggro problems. The Barrens is also a meat-heavy zone, so unlike Jack, keeping Skybury fed was easy. Hungry? Kill the nearest beast and it'll probably drop something you can use. Or hop down to an oasis and drop your line in. Skybury was named after 'Sky Burial': a Tibetan practice that fascinates me. When I die, I want to be sky-buried. Basically, the body is given to vultures, and thus 'buried in the skies'.


"Er, where did he go?"


Trying to take screenies of these guys reminds me of how short I am.


"Mom, what are you doing on that roof?" "Getting a better angle." "Oh."

[Kurasu]

Come level 25, I had moved my way into Ashenvale, having outleveled The Barrens and wanting to continue from there. When I dinged, there were bears right there, so an Elder Ashenvale Bear was, for me, the next logical step. In a way, I wish I had waited. It's not so much that the bear was a bad thing, as it has effectively the same special ability as Skybury. Actually, to be very honest, Grumbles the bear was probably one of the better tanks that I had the pleasure of dealing with. With only a few points, he couldn't get Thunderstomp, but between the Demoralizing Roar and Growl, once again threat wasn't a problem. Add in to that the 'guttergut' eating habits and the absolutely charming growls and roars he made when he was attacking, and my time with Grumbles was simply too short. He was adorable. Very charming. A 10 on the love-o-meter. The next time I level a hunter, I definitely think one of the 'leveling tanks' will need to be a bear. Seriously, they are just wonderful. And the color wasn't too bad, either; the nice tan-brown might be simple, but to me it was very... bear, for lack of better word. Grumbles was named, naturally, for his sound effects.


RAWR!


He's just a big teddy bear. Really.

[Kurasu]

While the next step technically should have been Stonetalon, Wain suggested that I go to Stranglethorn, as I would otherwise not get a chance for a monkey. Having never had a monkey before, and having a quest to send me to Stranglethorn *anyway*, I was happy to agree and thus: Pongo. Originally, I had been very anti-monkey, not much liking their looks or their ability. However, after giving Pongo a turn at the wheel, I am pleased to announce that while I'm not addicted to them, these little fellows *do* have a lot of charm. Their sound effects are adorable and hilarious, and the ability, while not very thrilling for PvE, is handy in a pinch. They also have surprisingly cute faces in a close-up look. Pongo, overall, was a very pleasant surprise for me. Pongo was named after a chimp from a story I had way back when I was a child. Yes, these are monkeys and not chimps, but hey.


Finally! A pet that doesn't make me feel so tiny!


... I stand corrected.


Those eyes will STARE INTO YOUR SOUL!

[Kurasu]

After Stranglethorn, I decided I didn't much feel like wandering back to Kalimdor, and so checked the local Warchief's Board. It was sending me to Western Plaguelands, and so that's where I headed. There, I got plenty of XP, managing to get both pets for both 35 and 40. Level 35 was Seiren, my fox. Now, Seiren was a bit of a pain in the rear. People have mentioned it before, but the habit of 'critter-bashing' was something that I noticed regularly and often, as The Plaguelands are filled with the little things. Fortunately, Seiren was able to prove that she could hold her own when it came to tanking, so there was forgiveness given. The attack speed reduction is quite noticable in damage taken, I found, and thus made it a very handy ability for a leveling pet. Seiren's name was from 'Siren', BECAUSE POOR LITERACY IS KEWL! Her habit of howling as she attacked made me think of this, and so she was another rather quickly named pet.


Seiren is allergic to cameras. They give her hives.


The eyes and their glowmap are just so stunning.

[Kurasu]

Once I dinged level 40, I replaced Seiren with one of her 'tormentors': the mastiff I quickly named Rowdy. Now Rowdy, I loved the look of. Originally I wasn't too terribly thrilled with the mastiffs, having seen them as Aloicious in their 'small form'. However, at this level, mastiffs are a big, chunky, ominous-looking presence beside the hunter. Definitely much more enjoyable in looks! The Jaw Lock ability was turned off autocast and instead micromanaged, as I noticed fairly quickly that I was losing aggro *BADLY* with Jaw Lock autocasting. It came in occasionally handy to stop a fleeing enemy, or to grab back aggro, but all in all I once again have to note that this ability is not good for PvE. It's really a pity; move aside, I was really enjoying haveing the mastiff with me. The barking sounds ar eenjoyable, and while their idle animations (or lack thereof) leave a lot to be desired, the pet himself was enjoyable and I have good memories. Rowdy was named after the sounds he made, which quickly made me think more of a 'rowdy dog' than an attack dog. I found it very charming, though.


They breed 'em big in Gilneas!


Big and jowly, for that matter.

[Kurasu]

Rowdy stayed with me through most of the Eastern Plaguelands, where, at the far end, I dinged to 45. I almost considered getting one of the nearby boars, but with Terrorweb Tunnel being a couple steps away, I decided instead of getting a boar, I'd get a different sort of tank: a nice, red beetle. Carbuncle was a delight to level with. This was the first tank pet where I was actually able to pick up Thunderstomp, and I can say for certain that this ability makes tanking an absolute breeze. Between Thunderstomp and Shell Shield, I don't think there was a single time when Carbuncle went down, and no problems at all holding threat against large groups of enemies. Around this level slot, I wish there were more group quests, as having a slot open and available for a beetle (or turtle) would pretty much make hunters absolute *ACE* for quest tanks. Combine that with superior looks and with charming personality and mannerisms (Beetledance!) and all in all, my time with Carbuncle was a huge success, and one that I regretted seeing go. Carbuncle was named not for the Final Fantasy summon, but instead a specific cut of red gemstone: cabochon (i.e. smooth and rounded rather than faceted to sparkle).


Such an impressively bright red.


"STOP! Beetledance!" "Hold *still*! I'm trying to take a picture!"


"That's better. Thank you."


I really love his back patterning.

[Kurasu]

My next pet, Kyrie, I actually had to go back over my 'trip log' to remind myself where I'd picked him up. Originally, my next questing area was Searing Gorge, but quite frankly, I hate that place without some flight. So I quested there only until I could get to a reasonable level, then moved myself to Felwood to finish dinging. From there, I picked up one of the grey owls, naming it Kyrie. Kyrie... really didn't stand out in my mind in any real way. Disarm is a useful skill for PvE when against humanoids, but since you're not always going to be against humanoids, it's not *great*. Too situational. That and, while I love the owl model and animations, the grey just did nothing to thrill me whatsoever. It was dull. It was boring. Sorry, Kyrie. You were a good pet, but just not a memorable one for me. But then, such is what happens sometimes: some click, some don't. Kyrie was named after the roleplaying character of a friend of mine, who was a female masquerading as a male in order to get into underground fighting rings. The why of it was because, well, both of them were 'plain jane' characters.


Yep. It's an owl!


..... iiiiiit's an owl.

[Kurasu]

After muddling about in Felwood, come level 54, it was almost time to head for Outlands. I decided that the next leg of my journey should thus be Blasted Lands. There, at level 55, it was a bit of a panic but I was finally able to locate a level 55 hyena, whom immediately was named Chenzi. Chenzi is another of those pets that didn't stand out. Not quite as bad as Kyrie (whom I would have forgotten if not for double-checking info) but definitely not standing out. The hyena's white color was quite nice to look at, though graphics-wise, I'm finding myself less attracted to them than I used to be. Their 'extra damage on bleed' ability was useless for a Beast Master as well. I also had a little trouble at this point with threat: my character's power was simply too high for Chenzi to be able to hold it properly. At this point in the leveling, I would definitely suggest for people to get hold of a Tenacity pet to have Guard Dog, unless they want to be pulling a lot of threat. Chenzi, naturally, was named after the Lion King female hyena.


Hyena, at home in the sands.


"Smile for the camera! ... oh, that *is* your smile?"


Something smells interesting down there...

[Kurasu]

Blasted Lands only got me to level 57, necessitating a trip to Silithus to be able to ding another couple levels. I stopped at 59, though, and headed for Outland after that. A few quests later, deep into Outlands territory, I was doing the Helboar Meat quest when my level 60 ding happened. Since they were right there, I grabbed one of the boars. And here is where one of the biggest surprises came up: I fell in love. Absolutely, totally, *utterly* in love. For a remarkably long amount of time (around 3 levels or so) Ginger actually went unnamed, and yet even then, I was infatuated. Her threat-holding ability was exemplary. Her tanking stamina for the group quests was bar none. Her looks were surprisingly appealing, with the dull grey skin and the remarkably vibrant orange. And the *sounds*. Those adorable boar-squeals were different from all the rest of the helboars, and absolutely melted me from the first moment she let loose to the last creature she tanked for me. All in all, Ginger was love. Obviously, Ginger was named for her 'ginger hair'.


Who's the cutest little piggy?


You are! Yes you are!


Ginger, looking serious and dangerous. Rawrboar!

Aaaaand.... if I don't lay down for a nap now, I'm going to *fall* down. The rest of my pets and screenshots will probably come up later today. After I've slept some more.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Aw, so very cute Kurasu. ^_^
I'm looking forward to the rest.

[Mozag]

This has been an absolute pleasure to read so far, my favourite entry being your last one, since you fell so deeply in love with Ginger! And I must say that first screenie of her makes her orange stand out so gorgeously. I guess I never realised before how pretty they are!

Looking forward to reading the rest!

[Tydarus]

Awesome so far Kurasu!

[Kurasu]

Thanks, Guys! Long nap done, supper up, and WoW booted back up to grab the rest of my screenshots!

And then, Zangarmarsh. And I just had to get myself a sporebat to be able to test it. And here is one of the biggest surprises and shocks of my entire leveling days. Because where Ginger was a sweetheart, Antithesis... who actually went his entire term without being named... was not. Now, don't get me wrong: I love the way they look. Sporebats for looks? Bar none some of the best and most eye-catching pets. However, there are several things which I learned about their ability. For one, the ability is not intelligently cast. That is to say, they will drop the cloud of spores against anything they're fighting, whether it's potentially a spellcaster or not. This ability is threat-grabbing, but not *very* threat-grabbing. It adds perhaps a single tiny tick of threat, leaving the rest of it supported only by misdirects or your pet's direct focus. Mend Pet will pull these enemies easily, as will the slight gains from passive focus-gaining or healing abilities. A second issue that no one talks about: Sporebat clouds will also aggro critters, and like foxes and tallstriders, the sporebat will run off to eat them. So there is always the chance of them running off. But perhaps the most dangerous of the bunch: the cloud lingers after combat has ended. And anything that crosses into or through that drifting cloud will aggro to the pet. Many times as I went through Nagrand, I would watch as a neutral creature happened to wander past and through my sporebat's cloud, and immediately I would have another combat on my hands. I pulled a lot of ambient enemies this way. A particularly memorable horror was sending my pet after Bach'lor, only to have his cloud pull around 6 or 7 of the trailing crowd of neutral Talbuks. It was ugly. And messy. All in all, to say that I didn't enjoy my time with Antithesis would be an utter understatement. While I think that they may be enjoyable in raids, I fear that the sporebat ability is a bit too dangerous to use in common leveling. Really a surprise, and really a pity for such a stunning model. Antithesis was named, at the end of his term, because... well... he really was the antithesis of what I had expected in him.


PITA or not, they really are gorgeous, though.


Plenty of color!


Plenty of personality!

[Kurasu]

Fortunately for me, Kiwi helped make up for Antithesis' horror. At level 70, I had already worked out the plans to get a Vilewing Chimera in celebration of my first Exotic Pet... and was quick to do so the moment I dinged. And I have to say: where I had originally disliked the model for the Outlands chimera, the coloration and build for the pet Outlands chimera is actually very striking. In addition, the abilities are quite helpful, between the Froststorm for some AoE annoying, and the Frost Breath for keeping critters slowed for when I would pull threat (as happened fairly often). Kiwi earned his stripes as my pet and made me seriously appreciate how the Outland model really looks. Kiwi was named after the fruit: the brown stripes reminded me of the furry brown rind, while the green between reminded me of the fruit's soft inside.


Big, and hard to get a good family photo with!


"Smile for the camera, you two!"


Seriously, look at the colors. How could I ever have thought I disliked this model?

[Kurasu]

I had originally considered going to Howling Fjords first, but the Warchief's Board directed me to Borean, and I can never resist a good breadcrumb quest. Borean had good access to my next tame: a lovely brown rhino that I named Poccamanxa. For looks, there was nothing really stand out about Pocca. However, the tenacity meant that in tanking ability, he was superior, and the charm of a rhino was just undeniable for me. Nice and big, and even bigger-looking when he was tromping around with a goblin. I didn't get to use the horn toss all that often, other than a few tries for fun (rhino bowling, anyone?) and the bleed ability was pretty much useless, making him sadly under-abilitied. It's really a bummer. I *loved* running around with this rhino. It could easily make its way into Kura's stable at some point. Poccamanxa was... ahem cough... named after a buddy of mine on MSN who was pig-headed and stubborn, but whom I absolutely adored.


RHINOHUGS!


"Smile big for the camera, now!"


Posing for the camera!

[Kurasu]

Level 76 was a 'surprise ding' for me. I hadn't been keeping track of where I was on the XP bar when suddenly, boom. There I was: level 76. And I hadn't scouted the area to make sure there was a pet for me. Fortunately, there was: my Jormungar: Verminator. This was another exotic whose exotic ability I didn't get to use much. For leveling, Burrow is only handy if you are ready and willing to take damage. The pet dumping aggro completely makes this a dangerous ability to use. I really wish there was a way to simply make it so that it gave 0 threat, to be honest. that way they could be used for AoE without turning it into another Gorilladin. Oh well. They are good tanks, and the 'extra damage for physical attacks' is very, very handy for Beasy Masters of this level, whose abilities are mostly physical in nature (other than Serpent Sting and Arcane Shot). This fellow helped me take down quite a few group quests solo, including no less than two kills of Sarathstra, one solo and one duo. ... OK, so they were both done using some trickery as well as a badass worm-tank, but it still couldn't have been done without a badass worm-tank! Verminator was another of those delightful 'I really enjoyed my time' pets. It made me really appreciate how useful that AoE would be if I could do it without losing aggro, as well. Naturally, Verminator was named after a portmanteau of 'Verm (Latin for worm)' and 'Terminator'.


Itty bitty goblin, BIG HUGE worm.


They really are hyooooooge. Pardon the upward camera angle!