Random Pet Challenge [v4.0]

[Nhee]

Thank you Tyger I'm very pleased with my roll. In fact, I was hoping I would get the crane, since I haven't gotten around to try one out on my other hunters.
My classes start on Monday, so I will try and knock the review out and get my next pet before that. Until then, here's a preview screenshot of Nhee and Shallan, who have just arrived to the Barrens (Please note the matching hair!)

[TygerDarkstorm]

Omg their matching hairdos are great!

[Nhee]

Since I'm using my last bit of freedom before college starts to play WoW all day (hey, don't judge ), I can now present -

My report on the White Crane, which I used from level 10 to 20.



As I mentioned before, I was very happy with this roll. I've never really gotten around to try a crane before, and I could only imagine that it would fit my panda well. And though I'm not one to shy away from a challenging tame, I was relieved that I wouldn't have to make the trek to Teldrassil or Dun Morogh as a level 10 horde.

The trek to the pond was quick and effortless, as was the taming itself, since there were plenty of cranes around. However, at the end of the tame I got quite the surprise...




My newly tamed crane shrunk.. and shrunk.. and then shrunk some more. Where a majestic full grown bird had stood a moment ago, was now a tiny little craneling, dwarfed even by my Darkmoon Hatchling minipet.



I was more than a little taken aback by this. I thought that maybe this was a normal size for a level 10 pet, and that I had just grown accustomed to my level 110 hunter and her personal zoo of massive beasts. So as soon as Nhee had sided with Ji and the Horde and had a “friendly” chat with Garrosh, I sent her to the edge of Durotar to pick up a tallstrider to compare with, and see if that was the case.



As you can see, it wasn't.
Though I was a bit annoyed at first, I got used to her size rather quickly. I am happy that I picked survival for Nhee, since it wouldn't have felt right to send such a tiny bird in to duke it out alonea against creatures that tower tenfold over her.
On a side note, I find it interesting how strong the bond between a survival hunter and her pet is. Where my main BM hunter is content to pile up mobs on her pet with misdirect and barrage, Nhee is not afraid to jump into the fray herself and fight alongside her pet, even though she's only in whites and questing greens.

I named my little lady Shallan, after the ginger haired heroine of Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive books. She is a young scholar, whose unassuming gracefulness and propriety belies a sharp wit and a sharper tongue. I thought this was all very befitting of a crane, particularly this skin.




Cranes have the same rig as tallstriders, and therefore use the same animations, though they look a lot less silly. Whereas I've never gotten used to the 'new' tallstrider run, it looked very natural on Shallan.
They have two idle animations: One where they crane (pun unintended) their neck and open their mouth up wide, and one where they preen their feathers with their beak. Shallan was in particular fond of preening and making her feathers sit just right... except of course when I wanted to take a screenshot of it.



The swimming animation is pleasant to look at as well. She uses her legs to paddle with, and the animation is very smooth and fluid. It's not one of the most unique swimming animations, but it's perfectly serviceable nonetheless.



It was very difficult to get any proper screenshots of her attack animations, due to her size. They mainly consist of her using her beak to peck with. I think there are two or three different variations. Unlike tallstriders, with their iconic (and to some, grating) KREEEEEEE battlecry, Shallan was very quiet. I play with sound on, and could hardly hear her at all. She makes some low pitched squawks when attacking, and makes no noise when idling.



We had a blast questing and leveling through the Barrens, and I have to say it's very nice to see it back to normal after being plagued with invasions for weeks on end. It's one of my favorite zones. I am making a conscious effort to not outlevel zones on Nhee (no heirlooms, no mining/herbalism), and we still had no problems handling multiple mobs at once. During our travels we did all sorts of stuff. We interrogated a captive quillboar and assisted the local caravaneers, bothered the kolkar centaurs with a brash idiot of an orc and a troll named Shoe, slayed Echeyakee with a heavy heart (I hate that quest. The quest giver never gives a reason for why she wants him dead, and it's not like he was bothering anyone ) and helped a shifty looking troll commit mutiny on a pirate ship.
We even found Humar the Pridelord laying about. I asked in general chat if any hunters wanted to come and tame him, but got no answers. Oh well.



Since I'm not using heirlooms, I didn't feel like doing any dungeons or battlegrounds. But I can imagine that Shallan would be a good pet for PVP. Her size and unobtrusiveness means that she probably will go under the radar, and not be targeted a lot. The special crane skill, a combat res, is of course also very handy to have.
In dungeons she would most likely perform the same as any other non-exotic pet, due to how normalized pets are nowadays. Though I can imagine many tanks would appreciate a hunter with a small pet that wouldn't obstruct their view or get in the way.



The lower levels go by so quickly, and it wasn't long before we dinged 20! Though I was happy to reach this milestone, as it meant I got to use a mount other than the boring and loud chauffeured hog, it was also a bittersweet moment since I knew it was time to get the next challenge pet, and say (temporarily) bye to Shallan.
Though we only spent 10 short levels together, I've grown very attached to her. She is full of personality, a beautiful little trooper who isn't gonna let her small stature get in the way, and a perfect fit for my panda. So while she returns to the stable for the time being, I will bring her out from time to time to see how much she's grown.

All in all, Shallan the crane lived up to all my expectations, and then some. I already view her as Nhee's primary pet, but I will try and not let that affect my view on the next pet I get. I can wholeheartedly recommend a crane, a very solid pet on all accounts.




That's it for now I hope I did this review right, and I hope I didn't use too many images.
Onto the next pet now!


Name: Nhee
Level: 20
Exotics: No
Restrictions: No mechanicals please, the imprint matrixes are going for a small fortune on my server.

[Ana]

That was a lovely read and I really liked the screenies. When I used to play eow I also loved Cranes. Very adorable that you share the same haircut

[TygerDarkstorm]

Nhee, your report was perfect, as were all the photos. I totally forgot that the crane in the panda zone is unusually small! I'm glad I picked that one. If you'd like, I'll do your rolls similar to how I'm doing Rhyela's rolls for Dansen as it looks like you're doing a similar challenge theme.

Nhee:
Grey Bear

The one in mind for this being the elder grey bear from Hillsbrad Foothills to fit the 10-20 range.

[Rhyela]

Awww, you're making me want to go try a crane! Shallan is super cute!

I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to my report yet. I've been playing Rhyela a lot lately. I intend to work on Dansen this weekend, though.

[Nhee]

Tyger, that would be lovely There's a lot of appearances I will be locked out off then, but that just means there's more reason to do this challenge on multiple hunters
Rhyela, thank you! I look forward to seeing your next report!

From now on, my reports will be coming out a lot slower, but I was determined to get this one done before the weekend was over. My other toons probably feel a bit neglected since I've barely touched them since starting Nhee, but oh well

So here is
My report on the Grey Bear, which I used from level 20 to 30



I was excited about this roll. I haven't got around to take a closer look at the new bear model, though I keep telling myself that I should. Additionally, wondered if it would feel weird to have a bear pet as a pandarian.
So I set out for Hillsbrad Foothills! Unfortunately the zeppelins were down on my server, so I had to take the long route, via a boat Booty Bay and a long flight to Undercity.




After a quick ride through Silverpine, I found myself in Hillsbrad Foothills. It didn't take long before I found an elder grey bear wandering about, and he was tamed with no problem.



I decided to continue the Stormlight Archive theme, and named my bear Dalinar.
In the books, Dalinar Kholin is a well respected knight and a brilliant warrior, who in his later years have begun doubting his own sanity, due to him being addled with strange visions. This model and skin has a very 'grizzled veteran' look about it, so I thought the name was fitting.

I contemplated staying in Hillsbrad Foothills to quest, but quickly found out that this was no place for a bear to be, anthropomorphic or otherwise...




On a side note, while I usually don't get squeamish about spiders and insects, I find the spider infested bears in hillsbrad super unsettling and gross, particularly with the new model. Quests like these makes me wish it was possible to have branching choices, because I just cannot imagine a tauren or pandarian would be okay with harvesting spiders out of a live bear.

Since post-Cataclysm Ashenvale is one of my least favorite zones in Azeroth and I really didn't feel like questing there, we lounged around for a couple levels, doing pet battles and killing night elves near the Barrens border. At 24 it was finally time to go to Stranglethorn Vale, where I could get a closer look at my new companion.



The bear mount is used for comparison.
I was never a fan of the old bear model. I didn't like the fur texture, the goofy overbite and exposed gums, and try as I might, I just could not make them work for any of my hunters (Except for my old ironman huntress. She needed that +10% stamina buff). I have to say that the new model is a big improvement in my opinion. It feels bulkier and heavier, and for lack of a better tearm, more bearlike. There's a lot of WoD and Legion era pet models I don't care for, but they did a very good job on this one.
It's worth mentioning that this particular skin has a really nice colouration, with a subtle blue-ish tint on the face, and lighter fur on the back reminiscent of a silverback. The demonic red eyes are bit of an acquired taste, and it didn't really fit Nhee's cutesy aesthetic, but I can see it work well with some hunters.


Bears have one idle animation, where they looks from side to side and bare their teeth. The run animation looks alright in motion, though on some of the screenshots I took it looks a bit odd. However this isn't noticeable in game.




The swim animation is a rather adorable paddle.




The attack animations are nice and well animated, probably getting special attention alongside cats due to druids.
Dalinar would vary between biting and mauling his foes, and occasionally stand on his hind legs to let out a mighty Growl. It was not easy getting any good screenshots, since enemies would constantly clip into him. The best I could get was this. Please disregard the raptor sticking out of his chest.




But I did manage to get this shot of a tiger who clearly forgot how to cat.




And of course, it wouldn't be a proper review if I didn't mention the special bear skill Rest! If my memory serves correctly, it used to restore either health or happiness, but now it's just for fluff, like Play and Trick. I wish Blizzard would give each family a unique fluff ability, since it adds a ton of personality to the pet, but I understand that things like that aren't exactly top priority.
In either case, Dalinar certainly took his share of naps during our time together.



Questing in northern Stranglethorn is simple and pleasant, with most quests being of the “kill 10 ____” or “collect 8 ____” variety, so the last six levels flew by in no time. We killed and skinned our way through Nesingwary Jr.'s tasks, killed another big cat who just seemed to be minding his own business (I'm starting to see a pattern here..), got lucky and found the rare First Mate's Hat, and even did a bit of fishing.
Dalinar did very well. I kept him in tenacity spec, and he was able to grab and hold aggro on multiple mobs. As a survival hunter, the charge was kind of annoying. I often wanted to pull a mob to me with a thrown axe, only to have Dalinar charge off and hold the mob in place at a distance. It wasn't a big deal, but in the future I will probably either turn charge off, or simply respec tenacity pets into ferocity or cunning.
I died twice, but it was due to me stupidly going afk in mob infested areas.

Overall, while Dalinar was a solid and reliable tank of a bear, I could not really make him click with Nhee. As I mentioned before, there's a big clash between them in terms of personality. And more importantly, I can just not get over the weird “Goofy and Pluto” feeling of a bear having another bear as a pet.
I won't release him back into the wild, but he will be going on an extended holidays with the stable masters of Grom'gol. After the horrors he's seen his fellow bears go through in Hillsbrad Foothills, I'm sure he could use it.
I am very impressed with the new bear model itself though, and I may retame Dalinar on another hunter in the future.

Onto the next pet

Name: Nhee
Level: 30
Exotics: No
Restrictions: No mechanicals, no bears this time around.

As I said in the beginning, I will have considerably less time to do these from now on. But I'm determined to see Nhee through to 110

[Ana]

"I got a raptor in my chest" heh thar screenie made me giggle.

[TygerDarkstorm]

No worries about needing to go slower. I love seeing these reports when they do come out. ^_^
The screenshot with the raptor poking its nose into Dalinar's chest and the tiger that forgot how to cat had me laughing out loud. With the tiger one, Dalinar forgot how to bear a bit too; his front left paw is either clipping into the ground or folded under him.

Nhee:
Yellow Moth w/ White Wings

[Rhyela]

I feel horrible because I've been completely neglecting Dansen. I spent the entire weekend playing Rhyela. v.v I'm so sorry! I promise I WILL get around to it, hopefully sooner rather than later.

[Aweena]

Working on mine but here is a sneak peek



Having a hard time with the baby on one arm and testing all the things i want so it may take a while

[Quiv]

I wanna roll again with one of my alt hunters.

Name: Jozeff
Level: 100
Exotics: Yes
Restrictions: Nothing with multiple heads pls

[Rhyela]

Nhee, I just wanted to add that your reports are so awesome! I love the tiger that forgot how to cat.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Quiv(Jozeff):
Spectral Owl

[Adyrawr]

Name: Elendaer
Level: 100
Exotics: Yes (Though I'd rather not have to camp for hours. XD)
Restrictions: my stable

[Quiv]

Quiv(Jozeff):
Spectral Owl

Perfect! May be a day or so but I got ideas already!

[TygerDarkstorm]

Name: Elendaer
Level: 100
Exotics: Yes (Though I'd rather not have to camp for hours. XD)
Restrictions: my stable

Rares with extremely long timers will generally always be provided with an alternative; or if a rare like Olm, for example, proves to be troublesome to find a roll request is always allowed. Also, I think it's mentioned on the first page, but I don't go looking through people's stables. Rolling is completely random and I'm not going to sift through 25 pets on each person to make sure I'm not duplicating something, sorry. It's asked that if it is a pet you already have you please share the roll with us anyway and tell us why you love/like that pet. If you absolutely choose not to do that, then you may request a reroll.

That being said, welcome to the Pet Challenges! Here's your roll:
Adyrawr(Elendaer):
Grey Hyena

[Adyrawr]

That being said, welcome to the Pet Challenges! Here's your roll:
Adyrawr(Elendaer):
Grey Hyena

Off to Uldum I went, to find a hyena. To be really honest, I hate their model - a lot. I really think it deserves an update considering how their wolfy cousins have gotten so many. Oh well.

The Taming

I found the hyena I was looking for in northern Uldum, closer to the border. He stuck out like a sore thumb compared to his flashier colored companions. Since he was the only greyish one I saw in the entire zone, I deemed that he was probably leucistic, and for such, couldn't hunt very well -- and had a really odd coloring for it.

After I spent some time getting used to his clunky running animation, I decided to name him Howlyr, and took him on a small trip around Uldum to get a feel for him. First, we went to the nearby lake to get him a drink, it was really hard to coax him into the water - I guess he must of been scared of the crocolisks.



Afterward, we brought down a gazelle together. Judging the way he absolutely destroyed the body while eating, I gathered that he probably hadn't eaten in a few days - and if he had, it had probably been scraps and bones.


Finally, I ran him back over to camp so that he could get a feel for things. I learned that hyenas will get into any and everything - especially to sniff it - even if told no, and told that it doesn't belong to them.




The Animations & Sounds
His animations are sub-par at best. There's times where his neck sort of rolls in between his shoulder blades, and times when his jaw unhinges like a movie monster snake. It sort of makes him a creature that I really dislike, with his permanent snarl and all. I guess to me, his most redeeming qualities would be his eyes and ears. When attacking, he makes rather cute purr\chirping noises. While idle, he's probably the most silent pet in my stable, only really sniffing and scratching himself.

Swimming:



Running: (Very hard to get good screenshots of.)


Attacking: His attacks consist of lunging and biting, with no truly special animations.

(Head between shoulders, unhinged jaw as aforementioned.)



I didn't really get a chance to try him out in any BGs or Dungeons, or quests for that matter, as I was needed for mythics and stuff on my main character. Though, I do feel bad for the wee guy, so I guess I'm going to let him sit in my stable for awhile and see if I can click with him. Otherwise? He's a pet I'd suggest if you're tired of other pets making a lot of idle banter. He can be kinda cute .. Sorta.

(Side note, I got the color of Maddex I have been hounding for since Cata. Oops.)


Nonetheless! I'll throw myself at another challenge, because I did enjoy this one. [:

Name: Elendaer
Level: 100
Exotics: Yes
Restrictions: I'd prefer to maybe get some under-appreciated pets, especially ones that have higher quality models. :3

[TygerDarkstorm]

Nice report! I know, poor hyenas; they're even on the wolf skeleton so at least their whole model wouldn't need a rework, just the skins. And cool, I'll see what I can do to get some under-appreciated pets thrown your way. I already have one in mind. And congrats on getting your Madexx!!!!! I guess Howlyr was good for something.

Adyrawr(Elendaer):
Grey Porcupine

The non-SB versions of these guys have to be some of the most underappreciated, newer pets out there.

[Quiv]

That makes me miss my Hyena family I had tamed, but had to let go to make room in stable (one of my other hunters picked them up from the Stable Master so they're being taken care of ).