Where the Wild Things Are in the Mists of Pandaria
[original 5.1 thread|original 5.2 thread]
(for reference - this thread is the most current after a patch has gone live)
Other content is covered in the videos on my YouTube channel.
Video Playlists:
- MoP launch/Patch 5.0.4
- Patch 5.1
- Patch 5.2
General:
- Only drop Tears of Loyalty. These are for taming, not for killing.
- They have an elite gold dragon rather than a silver one.
- Introduced in patch 5.0.4 (MoP release): Savage, Glimmer, Patrannache, Bloodtooth, Bristlespine, Stompy, Rockhide, Hexapos, Portent
- Introduced in patch 5.1: Bombyx
- Introduced in patch 5.2: Degu, Gumi, Hutia
Hidden Rares
Tracking:
- As of patch 5.1, pawprints (Savage, Bloodtooth, Bristlespine, Stompy, Rockhide, Portent) lead forward. In patch 5.2, clawprints (Glimmer, Patrannache, Hexapos) are also forward. Previously, for backwards tracks, instead of following the toes, you followed the back of the prints to the next fresh one - this was counter-intuitive. Bombyx's tracks have no front or back, so none of this applied to him.
- In fact, Bombyx counters most tracking methods. This is covered in full in his video and in my original post on him.
- Some tracks are partially buried in the ground and others float slightly over it. A few seem to be buried underground, which makes following a trail VERY difficult at times; Noah's been notified accordingly.
- The beasts' paths are long, winding, and often confusing when you have no visual. If you see tracks going in different directions, then the beast likely turned around.
- Some beasts path across water. They can leave tracks floating in the middle of it. These tracks can be difficult to see.
- Old tracks eventually despawn. (Timer seems to be around 5-10 minutes.)
- If you're having trouble seeing tracks, turn down ground clutter to Low. It makes a huge difference in some zones.
- To have an easier time seeing underwater tracks, turn down liquid detail to Fair so you can see more clearly through the water. The Low setting will make the water impossible to see through.
- Phasing issues impact two of the beasts. If you haven't completed the intro quests in the Vale (up to unlocking the first set of dailies), Portent will phase out in the middle of the zone to hunters who haven't done the quests, even if they have him marked or someone else flares him. Glimmer phases out for a large section of his path for reasons unrelated to questing, but will remain visible to the hunter who's marked him and can be made visible to others via flare.
- You can ONLY make a beast visible with a flare. Invisibility detection spells and items do not work on them.
- Though all the beasts are red (aggressive), they do not attack anymore. They will often ignore anyone attacking them as well. To ensure a beast won't walk out of range while taming, freeze trap the beast in a flare.
- Flaring no longer forces the beast to become aggressive to anyone within range, much to the relief of innocent passersby.
- Flare does NOT tag the beast, nor does freeze trap. Normal tagging rules seem to apply.
- You can hunter's mark the beasts, but only while they're in flares. The hunter with the active mark can see the beast without a flare, which aids in safe tracking through unsafe areas.
- Once a beast has been flared, non-hunters can see/attack it.
- Try to flare ahead of the most recent tracks. If you only flare on the latest you've found, you may miss the beast. This does not necessarily apply to Bombyx, who breaks all the rules; see below.
- Useful tip: popping readiness means that you can fire off two flares simultaneously once every five minutes. Sometimes, this can make the difference between finding the beast you're tracking and having to wait for the next track to appear.
- For fun: scare beast works on them.
- Spawn times are roughly between 1-2h.
- My video guide to tracking and flaring is here: http://youtu.be/iqKApSQu4oY. Video overview of the original nine rares is here: http://youtu.be/8bCtQ21lx70.
Etiquette:
Hunting down our rares opens up a can of worms on hunter etiquette. It can be difficult to determine who was on the trail first and who has the right to tame. Ideally, the player who was at the end of the trail first should get priority, but sometimes another player has been on the trail longer. Please use good judgement and be respectful of your fellow hunters. You'd want them to do the same for you.
Maps:
Sam has a list of maps on her blog to help pick up lost trails. Thanks, Sam! My original map for Bombyx is here.
Locations:
Jade Forest:
Beast: Savage
Family: Cat
Level: 85
General Location: rough northeast/southwest path across the zone between Sri-La Village and Nectarbreeze Orchard
Tracks: Bloody Tracks
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/AJsK4_pagFM
Beast: Glimmer
Family: Water Strider (exotic)
Level: 85
General Location: rough north/south path between the Arboretum and Fox Grove (south of Serpent's Heart)
Tracks: Flooded Tracks
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/2w9V46ei4Xc
Valley of the Four Winds:
Beast: Patrannache
Family: Crane
Level: 86
General Location: all over the zone, as far west as Stoneplow and as far east as the hill south of Thunderfoot Fields
Tracks: Barely-Visible Tracks
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/t-cxLoBbWcs
Krasarang Wilds:
Beast: Bloodtooth
Family: Turtle
Level: 87
General Location: the entire south side of the zone, as far west as the wall and as far east as Anglers Wharf
Tracks: Muddy Tracks
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/wK2-La5k0FI
Beast: Bombyx
Family: Worm
Level: 90
General Location: between the Temple of the Red Crane and Dawnchaser Retreat
Tracks: Heavily-Chewed Silkweed
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/ajjt2iPw90M
Bonus Tracking Information: http://forums.wow-petopia.com/viewtopic ... 84#p395984.
He also has his own vocalizations! His voice is deeper than normal silkworms.
Kun-Lai Summit:
Beast: Bristlespine
Family: Porcupine
Level: 88
General Location: perimeter of the southern area of the zone, between the southeast corner, Shado-Pan Fallback, Kota Basecamp, and south of Temple of the White Tiger
Tracks: Puzzling Tracks
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/jgZBRjEFhl4
Beast: Stompy
Family: Goat
Level: 88
General Location: IN THE MOUNTAINS, travels east and west through Mount Neverest
Tracks: Heavy Tracks
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/QYlzgUmWtJU
Townlong Steppes:
Beast: Rockhide the Immovable
Family: Basilisk
Level: 89
General Location: the central and west parts of the zone, from the coast near Fire Camp Osul to west of Sik'vess
Tracks: Worn Tracks
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/mqQz0hPptzw
Dread Wastes:
Beast: Hexapos
Family: Water Strider (exotic)
Level: 90
General Location: on the perimeter of the zone, between the Stinging Trail, the Lake of Stars, Kypari Vor, and Rikkitun Village
Tracks: Mysterious Tracks
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/ionSoXBNWLg
Vale of Eternal Blossoms:
Beast: Portent
Family: Quilen (exotic)
Level: 90
General Location: all over the zone, from as far east as Mogu'Shan Palace and as far west as The Five Sisters; has phasing issues in the west
Tracks: Dusty Tracks
Video Profile: http://youtu.be/y2CtUHvPdHQ
Spirit Beasts
Facts:
- These three are the delayed spirit beasts of patch 5.1.
- Video reference for all three: http://youtu.be/LKikcuov0qQ
- The spirit porcupines mark a return to the 4.2 challenge taming mechanics. They need to be kited until they reach 30% (was 20% on the PTR), like Deth'tilac, but there are no shortcuts to taking off chunks of their health.
- They also hit like trucks (especially Degu), so the tame beast glyph and deterrence are highly recommended for actual the taming part.
- They are perfectly visible in the open.
- They are marked as gold dragon elites and have a very short respawn timer (~5-10m).
- Dying to any of the three means a hefty run from the nearest graveyard. Degu is the worst, since you can end up resing as far away as Halfhill.
- Slows confirmed to work against all three: Concussive Shot, Ice Trap, Snake Trap, Binding Shot (including the stun). and Glaive Toss (unfortunately largely uneffective due to being such a small slow).
- Powershot's knockback works, but is largely impractical during a kite, due to having a cast time. Glyphed Explosive Trap does not work.
- Intimidation works, but would be difficult to pull off during a solo kite. The hunter would have to intimidate, heart of the phoenix, and abandon the pet.
- Mirrored Blades doesn't work on Degu, since his quills go through Deterrence.
- When tamed, they are larger than regular porcupines.
Degu:
Zone: Krasarang Wilds
Challenge Mechanic: He throws barbed quills that hit for massive amounts of damage if you move too far away from him while kiting and destroys you in melee range. Thankfully, he also moves slower than his siblings. He needs to be kited in his dead zone, so the hunter is not hit by either the melee or ranged attack. Scatter Shot and Entangling Roots do NOT work on him. Of the three, he's the only one to move from his spawn point (which is, as marked, on the west side).
Map:
Gumi:
Zone: Kun-Lai Summit
Challenge Mechanic: He runs faster than his siblings and resides in the Kun-Lai Mountains. This means kiting him around the very rocky terrain before he enters the tameable range. Aspect of the Cheetah is a must. Scatter Shot and Entangling Roots do NOT work on him.
Map:
Hutia:
Zone: Jade Forest
Challenge Mechanic: She casts an interruptable heal while moving. Scatter Shot, Silencing Shot, and Entangling Roots work on her.
Map:
Dire Horns
Facts:
- Appearing under the "Creatures" header in the patch notes: "Dire Horns have been added as a tameable species for Hunters that have learned the required skill. Aspiring Dire Horn owners should seek out clues regarding these auspicious beasts." (source)
- A book "Ancient Tome of Dinomancy" will be required to learn how to tame them. The book drops randomly from the dinomancers on the Isle of Giants. (source)
- All five colors of organic dire horns can be found on the Isle of Giants, on the north side of Kun Lai Summit. All colors but red are also located on the Isle of the Thunder King. Maps showing the isle's location and where each of the five colors can be found on the isle are in the related video (http://youtu.be/EOuvsqtZK3s).