Almost too good to be true...

[s1ncer1ty]

Hi all! Sometime lurker, first post here... Pardon the pun, but I was just bitten by the bug to tame rares, specifically the challenge rares in Hyjal. This weekend, I ran across a crazy string of luck, which seems almost too good to be true.

On Saturday, I was running some dailies in Hyjal for gits and shiggles (Feathermoon server, Horde-side) when my NPCScan went off, saying Solix was up. I didn't pay it much mind at first -- I'd only ever tried unsuccessfully to tame Kirix and Ban'thalos (forgot to swap to my BM offspec, eesh!), and have never been too keen on fighting others for tames or tags. I finished up my dailies, including Solix's cave, regrouped just outside, and saw that Anthriss was also up -- must have been cached in my NPCScan, since I never got a warning. I remembered that Anthriss was a supposedly 'easy' tame, so I looked up his schtick... cleared other mobs so I wouldn't be interrupted, tagged, disengaged into lava, and Anthriss was mine on the first try. Hee!

I'd been talking with my boyfriend on Skype and mentioned that Solix was also up, and after a bit of waffling, he convinced me to try for her as well. Ditched my non-rare tank pet, watched a video on an 'easy' way to tame, went in, died twice due to fail-kiting, and got Solix on the third try. It wasn't until afterwards that I discovered I was Doing It Wrong (tm) -- wasn't in Aspect of the Cheetah, and didn't pay a lick of attention to her energy bar. Just kited with CS and waited for her buff to go away. I was excited! And felt a lot more confident, since Solix was supposedly not an easy tame...

The next day, again for gits and shiggles, I went back out to Hyjal to see if any rares were up. My NPCScan immediately went off and showed that Karkin was up. I figured, what the heck, I can /try/, though my main-spec is survival, not MM. Never did see Karkin -- must have been a false-positive from someone else in the area, or another hunter was /really/ fast on the tame -- but the second I cleared his icon, off went the scan again showing that Kirix was up. This time, she really was there, and no one else was around. I gathered up some haste pots (but, in another display of Doing It Wrong, I forgot to grab haste food in my excitement), went around to the backside of Kirix's rock to avoid too much attention (both to keep other hunters from seeing me and to keep others from noticing my fail-tames), and went at it. This was the most difficult tame of all -- lost count of how many times I died, but I know I was at it between half an hour and 45 minutes and had to deal with a mighty repair bill halfway through. Since I'd never figured out how to actually get to the proper floating rock the last time I attempted to tame her, I figured I'd give it a go with the disengage/haste pot/tame-n-pray method. I finally hit upon the right combination after a number of tries, and ta da!

Finally, I went out for a few, texted some WoW buds and jokingly said I should camp the other two for, you guessed it, gits and shiggles. They were encouraging, and a few hours later I logged back on. Off goes the NPCScan for Skitterflame. ....Really?? Are the respawn timers on my server /that/ buggy? This was one that looked easy in theory, but my nerves were shot from my previous tames, and it took me a lot longer than it should have. I'd either lay the wrong trap (Tell me Ice Trap doesn't look like Frost Trap on your bars, huh?) or would have bad luck in mobs respawning around me. Took me fewer tries than Kirix, but it was still more annoying than it should have been... and again mounted up to a mighty repair bill. Thank goodness for guild repairs!

I did try to camp Deth'tilac for a short while, but my nerves were really, really frazzled (plus my BF, who plays a druid, had a raid to hit up), and he never spawned. I don't know if I should be thankful or not! I suppose I shouldn't press the RNG luck too terribly much... I've got a raid of my own this week, and wouldn't mind some loot... *wink*

[Araela]

Welcome to the posting side of the forums, and grats on all your tames! Kirix is probably my favorite.

[Velkyn]

I know how it is to have a run like that, interesting ain't it? I can also agree that Kirix can be a little pain in the butt, but so very worth it~

Also glad that there's someone else around that seriously can't get to that stupid rock. Grats on tamin' your rares though.

What'd ya name 'em?

[Lisaara]

Welcome!

Nice tames there. Deth was up(along with Kirix, solix, and skitter) and I couldnt find a home for the bastard! XD No one wanted him!

On Moon Guard, of course.

[s1ncer1ty]

Thanks all! Here are some post-tame screenshots at the Orgrimmar stables -- hopefully I did this whole attachment thing correctly.

I named 'em Annie (Anthriss), Karenina (Kirix), Stella (Skitterflame) and Sally (Solix). All but Sally are stabled at the moment. Now, to wait for Deth to pop up on Feathermoon. If I'd been on Moon Guard, I'd have tried to give 'im (or is it another her?) a good home. :}

[Lisaara]

I feel Deth is a dude....XD cause Beth is probably his mama.

I was on my druid trying to rehome him. I was gonna make him hold still! XD

[s1ncer1ty]

Ha ha, yeah, I tend to refer to Deth as a him as well, while my other spiders are female.

Deth actually spawned last night, but another hunter had already tagged him. I helped 'im out with ice traps (he was kiting, kiting, kiting). I like to hope that what goes around comes around... I'll get 'im someday!

In sadder news, my BF's hunter tried to tame Solix last night (seriously, are other realms this wacky on respawn timers?), but got her energy down too low. He tried to feign death, but she didn't reset and ultimately died.

[Lisaara]

Awww...D: Sadness.

[s1ncer1ty]

My camping has paid off! Logged on after work today, and who was up but Deth'tilac! I quickly texted my BF and begged him to log onto his druid and get out to the Molten Front. I may not have done it the 'pro' way, but the root-and-revive method was quick and painless. I've now got all the flame spiders, ee! I also tamed Ankha last night, but ol' Lourain is more into insects and the like than he is cats.

And yes, my BF plays a female troll while I play a male blood elf. We're funny that way. *dance*

[ahnalia]

Grats on your tames fellow feathmooner!

I have seen Ban'thalos and Skarr up Feathermoon almost every morning around 5 Am central time if anyone is looking for them.

[s1ncer1ty]

Thanks thanks, Ahnalia! My BF helped me snag Skarr the other night, and Ban'thalos popped that same evening. (I was shaking like woah trying to land on that tree!) And though he's not a challenge tame, I caught Terrorpene earlier today. Just waiting on Karkin and Magria, and I'll have the set!

[Zalessa]

(I was shaking like woah trying to land on that tree!)

I haven't tried this myself, because I also used the tree method, but you should be able to disengage before you hit the ground and not suffer any fall damage (disengage works because you are in combat). Simply be in range to attack, dismount and fire an instant, then fall a bit and hit disengage before you crash into the ground... drop your trap and profit!

Also, engineering hunters, just dismount fire an instant and pop your parachute cloak just before you hit the ground. Don't pop it right when you dismount or you will float slowly to the ground as Ban'thalos destroys you!