Mousie, Tauren Beast Master

Hello readers! My name is Mousie, and I’m a dual specced Beast Master who PVEs. I theorycraft and plan my strategies ahead of time and usually top the charts. I hope to teach you Beast Masters out there how to maximize your DPS in a smart way, and maybe convince those of you who are skeptical of beast mastery that the spec isn’t so bad as everyone says.

I also have a not-so-secret addiction: rare pets. At the moment, I have all four spirit beasts and Aotona. Some may call me crazy, but what Beast Master hasn’t gone out of their way to tame a rare or uncommon spawn? Or, better yet, what hunter hasn’t? Pets are what separates hunters from all other classes (even warlocks – have you ever looked twice at a warlock’s demon?), and I couldn’t imagine myself playing without one by my side.

I’ll be providing in-depth information on both exotic and non-exotic rares. Where to get them, when to get them, how to get them, and my own personal experience taming them.

I hope to be of some type of help here, and hopefully add a new perspective to one of my favorite hunter blog sites. If ya have any questions at all, feel free to e-mail me or message me in-game (Mousie on Arygos).

Good luck and happy hunting.

What I did last week…

Well, with the introduction of patch 3.3, just one thing had occupied me for days. No, it wasn’t the cross-realm random dungeon finder, the three new five-mans, or even the new ICC raid. In fact, I wasn’t even in Icecrown for the first day after 3.3 landed.

You must look southeast to Grizzly Hills to find where I sat for hours on end. Just north of Amberpine Lodge one would find a lonely tauren sitting patiently for, you guessed it, Arcturis, the new spirit beast.

I had researched the name, looked up videos, done whatever I could to help me prepare for that Tuesday. Monday night, I camped Mousie down in Grizzly Hills and logged off early for the night, making sure to get plenty of rest so I could stay awake for the big day. After school and the long, slow dive home in a blizzard, I found the realms still down (of course) and had no way to get online for the next 30 minutes (in which time I made myself a nice hot cup of cocoa). As the realms slowly started to come back online, I hopped on Mousie to play the long-awaited waiting game for this new bear.

There were a few things that I took for granted when I sat in wait for Arcturis:

1. He would be on a 6-8 hour spawn timer, like the other spirit beasts.
2. There would be more than one spawn point now that 3.3 was live.
3. Do not solely rely on _NPCScan. It may or may not go off (Never did with Gondria, and I’m not taking any chances) so make sure to check your screen every so often.
4. With one known spawn spot, you’ll have to compete with other hunters, so stay sharp.You’re gonna have to wait a helluva long time for this darn bear.

So, for seven hours I sat on the “R” in “Amberpine.” Waiting patiently. Doing homework, writing essays, theorycrafting potential DPS with the new gear. Nothing. By that time it was 2 o’clock and my eyelids were as heavy as titansteel bars. With a heavy heart, I logged off for the night. The next day, I logged on with renewed vigor, a jug of coffee at my side, ready to wait through the night to at least see Arcturis, if not tame him. Again, six hours passed with no avail, then eight, then ten, and finally, at the eleventh hour, as I was playing Topple on my iPod, my screen flashed red, a booming noise filled the room; _NPCScan had gone off. I had out-waited the other hunters and was the only player in sight. My heart fluttering as it does when I find a rare, I pulled off a successful tame and teleported to Dalaran with my new pet.

So, in conclusion, if you are still short a spirit bear, I have some information for you:

Arcturis

• Spawn point: He spawns EXACTLY at 31,55. He only has one spawn point, so expect some competition
• Spawn timer: 10-12 hours. I’ve confirmed this when talking to the other hunters that had tamed Arcturis after I had.

Tips and Tricks:

Have you seen someone with Arcturis? Ask them what time they tamed him at. Part of searching for these beasts is knowing when they’ll be there. I tamed mine at 4:30 AM, the fourth Arcturis of our server. If I hadn’t gotten the tame, I would have logged on 10 hours later, just in time for him to spawn again

Since he spawns only twice a day in one spot, take the time of least resistance. Least hunter resistance that is. Go in the early morning or late at night when there’s less server traffic, so you’re more likely to tame him if he spawns.

Keep Track Humanoids up to check for your competition and strategically place yourself so that you’ll be closest to Arcturis when he spawns.

Get NPCScan! It’s such a big help and a must-have for anyone who’s taming a rare.

Tagged as: arcturis, bear, beast mastery, grizzly hills, patch 3.3, pets, spirit beast