…will you be adding to your stable in Cataclysm?
With the proposed change to stable slots, hunters will now be able to keep a stable of 25 pets. We’ll have 20 slots available via the stable master, plus another 5 (it looks like) in our on-demand stable.
I’m so stoked over this change, I can’t tell you. It’s not that I need 25 pets, I just want to be able to have more than 5.
For example… right now I more or less have a 4 slot stable, because I have one pet, my Grimtotem Spirit Guide, that I’ll never ever get rid of. This leaves me with 4 slots, which is plenty for a lot of hunters, but me… I’m a pet maniac.
Another pet that I have who is near non-disposable, is King Krush. Unless Blizz changes something to make him a rollover solo tame, then I’ll likely keep him for the long haul as well. Taming him was one of thee high points in my days of playing WoW.
Next, I have the obligatory Spirit Beast. Loque’nahak to be precise. While not all that uncommon these days, I still think Loque is the premier Spirit Beast. Not to mention, I went through a lot to get him. Easily my most epic camp… ever… period… end of story. Loque’nahak is another pet I’ll probably keep until my account disappears into the sunset.
So that really leaves me with only two stable slots to mess around with.
Right now I have those occupied by my Ravager, SlingBlade, and my Chimaera (Nuramoc aka…), Galaga. I’ve been switching off between MM and BM for PvP the last several weeks, and those are the two respective pets I use.
So there ya have it… that’s what my current stable looks like.
For practical purposes, I’d be happy with, say… 10 slots. 3 for vanity, 4 exotics for PvP (Core Hound, Chimaera, Silithid and Worm), an extreme solo pet, 2 non-BM PvP pets and a raiding pet. Wait, make that 11 slots. Well… one of the vanity pets is my current raiding pet as well, so I guess I could make due with 10. 
However, I’ll be smitten with the possibility of keeping up to 25. 
Now… were I to have access to additional stables right now, here’s what I’d add:
- Grubthor – I love using a worm for BGs, plus I dig the old school models. Grubthor and Oozeworm are the only golden worms in the game. Pure win.
- Uhk’Loc – He just rocks. I’ve always had a thing for this guy. He was one of my favorite pets all throughout vanilla and TBC. I always end up abandoning him inf avor of something more useful, but it always makes me sad to do so. I’ll look forward to taking him out now and again in Cataclysm.
- Arash-ethis – Provided I go SV in Cataclysm, which is doubtful at this point but ya never know… I’ll be getting my old raiding partner back. TROGDOR and I had some good times back in TBC. I have some really fond memories of this pet.
- Deathmaw – Another favorite of mine, as well as my PvP pet of choice back in vanilla. Before Blizzard decided to normalize pet attack speeds, this was my favorite pet. I’d want him back for sentimental reasons.
- Spiteflayer – A really ugly pet, but nonetheless one of my favorites back in vanilla. Along with Deathmaw, this was another of my favorite PvP pets.
- Silithid Ravager – I really like Silithids for PvP, but I still prefer a Chimaera. In Cataclysm I’ll get to have both! Yay! Also, this is my favorite of the Silithid skins.
- Bjarn – I need a bear and Bjarn is just the ticket.
- Sewer Beast – I tamed this guy once after years of never laying eyes on him – not once. I never really actively pursued him, but I always checked around for him from time to time. It was pretty cool encountering him for the first time. If crocs are still uber AE tanks in Cataclysm, then I’m all over this one.
- Cranky Benj – Can you believe I’ve never really used a turtle before..? I’m sure I must have tamed one at some time or another, but I’ve never kept one around. Come Cataclysm, that’s gonna have to change.
- Olm the Wise – I enjoyed using this guy back in vanilla. I didn’t have him for all that long, but did enjoy having him for a pet. He’d be fun to go out and tame again.
- The Beast – Core Hounds are awesome for arena, and I’ve heard that taming this guy is quite the challenge. I haven’t tried it yet, but I may end up giving it a go before the expansion.
- Aotona – Just because. I’ve actually thought to tame this bird a few times during WotLK, but I only ever run into it when my stable is full. I also want a good excuse to farm for the Hyacinth Macaw. Aotona + Hyacinth Macaw + Bloodsail outfit = epic.
- Arcturis – I tamed him on the PTR and thought he was pretty nifty. Although all Spirit Beasts are created equal, this one’s pretty unique.
- Skoll – I actually tamed him once, but couldn’t think of a good enough reason to keep him. He’d still be fun to have around.
There are other pets I’ll probably want to acquire eventually, and yes… that includes Broken Tooth, but those are just a few on my short list of additional pets I’d like to either hunt for or just have back in my stable for the hell of it. As evidenced by my list, I have a penchant for rare pets. To me, it’s just so much more exciting acquiring a rare pet – it feels more like a hunt.
How about you..? Which pets will you be tracking down?
Another question is… I wonder if any of these old world pets will be history… Due to the upheaval, I know some of the old rare pets may be going bye-bye forever.
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