Blizzard has been gracious enough to allow us to get pets for getting pets in World of Warcraft through the achievement system. Collect enough pets and a pet might find its way into your pocket, backpack, or satchel to be magically added to some mystical collection of traveling companions much like a certain round shaped ball that certain electrical rats spend their evenings in. These achievements are not for the faint of heart, nay, they are for those diligent in their quest to hunt down and collect em all.
The Path to Be the Companion Pet Master
Collecting all of the pets through achievements is tough work; youll need 150 pets total in order to score all of the achievement related pets. Thats a ton of pets, but dont give your hopes up. Not only will the road be paved in pokeba- I mean vanity pets and achievement points, but when pet battles arrives youll have a collection to rival everyone else.
On the road to 150 youll find yourself with a slight problem. There are only 220 pets in the game and only about 185 are available without having to spend any money or do anything outside of the game and of that, about 10 or so (give or take a few) are no longer obtainable. So there isnt a ton of wiggle room when it comes to collecting them all.
Even worse, only about 35 of the pets are available for gold coin. That leaves 116 that youll need to farm. You can get five easily through guild achievements, meaning 111 are left over. Then there are gotchas like Childrens Week where you only get one pet per year and the Argent Tournament where youll need to trade across faction to catch em all. Some, like Mojo, are extremely difficult to get or could take weeks of farming like the Fox Kit.
The official community site can tell you which pets you still need to collect.
Thankfully the Darkmoon Faire (see our guide here) has alleviated a lot of problems with getting this achievement. There are over 15 new pets in patch 4.3 and that helps greatly with the whole problem this achievement series has had where youll have to buy pets in the Blizzard Store or pick up some Trading Card Game pets in order to catch em all.
The neat thing though is the entire chain is in a series and starting at 50 companion pets youll begin earning pets (again at 75, 100, 125, and 150).
Understanding the Struggle
Here is the problem with the achievements. The first few, especially for one, fifteen, and twenty five pets is very easy to obtain. Youll probably already have them, just based on doing various world events, random pet collecting, and more. You can pretty much just outright buy all of those pets and get those achievements. After that though youll have to start grinding and the best way to tackle it is by just organizing yourself and going through the list.
Luckily, here at Ten Ton Hammer, weve been putting together some awesome guides to find and locate all of the pets and below youll find what we have so far. If you keep tuned in each week well continue expanding the list, so keep your eyes peeled and your browsers set for Ten Ton Hammer.
Gotta Catch Them All: Molten Front Pets
Gotta Catch Them All: The Pets of the Darkmoon Faire
Gotta Catch Them All: Dungeon Pets
Gotta Catch Them All: Cataclysm Pets
Remember that it is a long and hard road, so work in increments of 25 and perhaps take it on a week by week basis. A lot of pets dont pop up until certain holidays and even more pets take forever to farm. So just set your goals and stick to it. If one pet is giving you a hard time, mark it down and remember it, then come back to it at a later time after you feel the rush of victory from collecting a few more.
The Armory is a great tool in helping you locate and find what pets you have and have not caught. Just go to the collection tab on your Armory profile and thatll tell you everything you need to know.
Below youll find a list of the achievements along with the quickest path to them:
Achievement Rewards
Yes, you now get pets for getting pets. Blizzard has instituted several new pet-collecting-related Achievements which make major milestones. The first three in the chain - gained at 1, 15 and 25 pets - dont give you anything but kudos. However from 50, youre rewarded with a very special pet.
50 Pets: Shop Smart, Shop Pet...Smart - Reward: Stinker
Getting to this landmark really makes the Achievement worth getting but its not actually that hard to do. Youve probably picked up quite a few from the Blizzard Store or the Auction House. Its also safe to say youll have a certain perky little pug in your collection.
This Achievement is probably a reference to an American pet shop or else a twisted reference to Bruce Campbells cinematic exploits. Which ever you prefer, the reward, a unique skunk called Stinker, is a reference to Pepé Le Pew and his unstoppable love for a certain black cat. Awww.
Breanni seems really keen to pass this little guy onto you.
75 Pets: Lil' Game Hunter - Reward: Lil' Fawn
This achievement is named after the Starcraft map "Big Game Hunter" which was a map with nearly unlimited resources designed for games where resource location was not an issue. At this point though finding those pets may be getting a bit tougher. Around 75 pets you'll want to start looking into daily quest hubs like the Argent Tournament and the Molten Front for a source of new pets.
100 Pets: Petting Zoo - Reward: Nuts
Breanni really seems eager to pass on ownership of this little squirrel. By this point, youre probably considering spending bigger and bigger amounts of your in-game gold on Auction House pets. Perhaps youve taken up professions that are known for pets, like engineering. More can be found from world drops or the seasonal holidays and Darkmoon Faire. But, yes, this is where it gets really, really tough. This Achievement marks the toons from the collectors. Yes, pet collecting now gets hardcore.
125 Pets: Menagerie - Reward: Brilliant Kaliri
By this point, its safe to say youll have all the seasonal pets. Youve probably have the Gyphon and Windrider plushes watching as you play, their in-game counterparts following in your footsteps. Maybe youve been to a BlizzCon or two (either virtually or in person). Its safe to say youve spent a lot of time farming whelps and youre definitely going to be exalted with your guild. The reward is going to be an annoying one for anyone who visited Skettis during The Burning Crusade, yes its a blooming kaliri, one of those accursed birds that would mob you as you did the escort daily. Its proof of how hardcore you are!
150 Pets: Littlest Pet Shop - Reward: Celestial Dragon
This achievement - which references a popular line of childrens toys by Hasbro - practically guarantees youll have all of the Collectors Editions (including, if youre in Europe, the extra murloc pet which came with The Burning Crusade).
Youre going to have an authenticator, be a keen PvPer and have logged on religiously to collect the special anniversary pets Blizzard sent you in 2008 and 09. Youve even got a Mini Tyrael, a Mini Thor and a Vampire Batling. Yes you are the ultimate pet collector and its quite fitting that Breannis sends you the most awesome pet as a reward: the Sparkle Pony-inspired Celestial Dragon. Gratz!
Who doesn't want Bambi as part of their pet collection?
Other Achievement Pets
There are a handful of other pets which can only be get from certain Achievements. Weve already mentioned the Kirin Tor Familiar, your reward for the Achievement Higher Learning but what else is there?
Rock Lover - Reward: Pebble
This Achievement - and thus the pet - is actually really easy to get. All you need to do is complete the Deepholm escort daily, Lost in the Deeps, ten times and this little Pebble will be mailed to you automatically.
Pilgrim - Reward: Plump Turkey
Ah Turkey Day! Who doesnt love the smell of roasting birds and all the trimmings? Well, if you complete the seasonal Pilgrim Bounty Achievements - which are not needed for the meta-achievement that gives you a Violet Proto-Drake, youll get your own living bird to be your companion.
You just have to make sure you dont cook while hes summoned or the Plumb Turkey will sense his destiny and leap onto the fire, loosing his feathers and becoming dinner for you and your friends. Tasty.
Got any tips on collecting pets or just want to let us know how many youve picked up? Let us know in the comments below!
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