While doing a bit of leveling last night, I happened upon some Bloody Tracks. Being the pet-crazed hunter that I am, I stopped questing and turned my attention to finding the elusive beast responsible for them. Based on where I found them, I was pretty certain these tracks had been left by Savage, the striped white tiger found in the Jade Forest.
I first noticed the Bloody Tracks in the area where the Jade Tigers are located.
Bloody Tracks!
Tracking Down Savage
If you’re trying to track down this beauty of a cat, there are a few things you must know that will help you with your taming mission…
First off, if you want to make the job easier, make sure to change your Ground Clutter setting to Low. This has been stated on many other sites, forums, etc…and now I’m mentioning it again. The Bloody tracks are MUCH EASIER to see with this setting turned down.
Game Menu > System > Graphics > Environment > Ground Clutter
Bring this setting down to “Low”
Here’s an example showing why it’s a good idea to turn this setting down. Tracks in the distance can be a lot more difficult to spot if there’s a bunch of 3D ground cover in the way. Also note that the tracks are not targetable, so you cannot use a macro to follow them. I tried. 
You must identify them visually.
The tracks right in front of me are bit harder to see on Ultra, with the one in the distance really obscured.
Bloody Tracks are easier to spot with Ground Clutter on “Low”
Next, you must realize that the tracks do not always indicate the direction in which this cat is heading.
Case in point…
Savage leaves Bloody Tracks in the “opposite direction”
This can make the task of finding him quite confusing if you happen upon old and new tracks that are close together.
Here’s a screenshot showing Savage leaving his backwards paw print right over an area that he previously just patrolled.
Don’t be fooled by the direction of his tracks…
Next, you need to have a general idea of where he patrols. Why? Because it’s rare! has a map that is really helpful. I’ve included it below.
This is the general path that Savage takes through the Jade Forest
I found that the northeastern paths were the easiest to track. As you move southwest, the tracks seem to blend in much more with the terrain and are much harder to follow – especially in the Forest Heart and near the Gong of Hope.
The tracks contrast nicely with the terrain south of Sri-La Village, making them pretty easy to follow.
Bloody Tracks
Savage is completely hidden from other players, and his tracks are only visible to hunters. When you reach a trail of Bloody Tracks that appear to have ended, there’s a good chance that Savage is right there. Drop a Flare and if he is right on top of you, this will pop him out of Stealth. Once he’s out, you can place a Hunter’s Mark on him to keep him visible.
Apart from actually finding him, Savage is an incredibly easy tame. Although he’s marked as hostile, he won’t attack you even while being tamed.
Savage Being Tamed
Also, I’m not sure that other players can even see him once he’s out of stealth. I watched him path between between a Mage and a mob that he was attacking, thinking for sure the Mage would either attack Savage or aggro him with some AoE, but nothing happened. Savage seems to be totally phased out for all classes but hunters.
This likely means that you won’t have to worry about anyone ruining the tame, unless of course a jerky hunter tries to jam you up.
Savage is not marked as a Rare – just as Elite – so I do not know how rare he is. I originally found him last night, but I only stalked him and did not tame him. My stable was full and I didn’t want to abandon any member of my Spirit Beast Stampede Healing Squad.
However…this afternoon I decided to hop on real quick to see if I could find him again, and I did. Quite easily, in fact. This time I tamed him.
Update: I logged on about three hours after I tamed him, and found him again. I tamed him at 12:36pm, then spotted him again at 3:54pm, which makes me think that Savage’s spawn timer is probably 3 hours, or perhaps even less.
I’m not so sure this tiger is THAT rare…
Tracking this cat down was mildly amusing, but I’d prefer if Blizzard avoided this method for future “Hunter Taming Challenges”. It’s more tedious than challenging, and there really is no thrill associated with it, in my opinion. Personally, I like the rush that goes along with competing against other players – both hunters and non-hunters.
I think Blizzard nailed it with the Patch 4.2 Hunter Pet Taming Challenges. I liked how they intended for hunters to use various abilities and techniques to successfully tame those beasties. Plus, they are rare, they will kill you, and are vulnerable to other players. To me, that’s what a “taming challenge” is all about.
These new pets can be fun to track down, but I think there should be some more rewarding tames added in the future.
But, this cat is very nice looking and is also the only Pandaren Tiger with this particular model, so I imagine many hunters will be eager to add it to their collection.
If you should decide to go after this new pet, then best of luck and happy taming!
That is a good looking Hunter pet
