February 2021   « Archives | Current News »

Due to the ongoing pandemic, BlizzCon is being held virtually this year. The event, BlizzConline, will be on February 19^th and 20^th, 2021, and will be free to watch.

It was announced that the cosmetic items that normally come with the purchase of a BlizzCon ticket are available as separate bundles during this year's unique event. A new pet, the Moon-Touched Netherwhelp, is available from all 3 bundles. [source]

A New BlizzConline Pet
The Moon-Touched Netherwhelp (pictured below, right) can be obtained by purchasing one of the BlizzConline Celebration Collections.

There are 3 possible tiers of rewards. The first is the least expensive and offers the minimum number of cosmetic rewards for Blizzard games, and the third tier is the most expensive but includes all possible Celebration Collection rewards.

The Moon-Touched Netherwhelp is from all 3 bundles, so take your pick!

• First tier: Essentials Pack
• Second tier: Heroic pack
• Third tier: Epic pack

Check with your region's online Blizzard Store for pricing and availability. The Celebration Collections will be on sale through September 15, 2021.

We're ecstatic to welcome this new whelp to our battle pet family! There is some nostalgia as it's a second generation Netherwhelp, which was originally The Burning Crusade CE pet. Is the introduction of this whelp an indication that The Burning Crusade expansion will be coming soon to Classic WoW?

Will you be collecting this cute pet? Do you have the original Netherwhelp? And dare we ask, which of the two is your favorite? (Is it even possible to pick a favorite?)

It's a wrap for BlizzConline this year! With the current state of the world, it was a brief moment of respite watching previews of upcoming games, seeing fun community events, and reliving moments from previous BlizzCons.

There were some notable pet-related announcements, including two charity pets, plus teasers of new battle pets coming in Patch 9.1.

World of Warcraft Charity Pet Program

Blizzard announced not one but two upcoming charity pets! [source]

Unlike previous charity events, this World of Warcraft Charity Pet program will be a little different. Donate any amount directly to Blizzard's charity of choice and help reach a pre-set goal. Once that goal has been met, everyone will receive a pet! If the community manages to reach a stretch-goal, a second pet will be unlocked and awarded.

For the first Charity Pet program, players will be able to donate to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a medical humanitarian aid organization.

Upon reaching a to-be-announced donation goal, the pet Bananas (pictured left) will be awarded to everyone. This battle pet was initially released as part of the Through the Dark Portal WoW TCG set, which has since been discontinued. Bananas is currently obtainable in-game only through the Auction House/direct trades or rarely on the Black Market Auction House.

If the community reaches a stretch-goal, everyone will also receive Daisy the Sloth! This adorable sloth will have a unique interaction — she'll hang onto your back so you can carry her with you as you adventure through Azeroth, Shadowlands, and beyond. (pictured right)

Donation goals have not been announced yet, nor how players will be able to donate specifically toward each goal. We'll have to wait for a future announcement from Blizzard for details.

We're eager to learn more, and can't help but wonder what other limited-time or promotional pets might be part of this WoW Charity Pet program in the future. Which pets would you want to see made available again through this program?

Chains of Domination
What would a major content patch be without some battle pets to collect? In Patch 9.1 we'll see a number of new pets from multiple sources. [source]

The Maw
We'll be returning to The Maw for more activities, and what else? More battle pets to collect, of course! Who wouldn't want their very own Minion of Domination? (pictured below, far right)



New Zone: Korthia
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the new zone, Korthia, will probably have a few critters wandering around. What strange new creatures will we encounter?



Tazavesh, the Veiled Market
Last but not least, we'll be heading into the mythic-only mega-dungeon, Tazavesh, the Veiled Market. The Brokers, seemingly collectors themselves, will have some interesting pets for us to obtain (pictured below, left).


Will these pets be wild? Or will some Brokers need some *ahem* convincing to relinquish their unique wares?

Patch 9.1 currently does not have a release date, however it's likely we'll see more information on this major content patch after Patch 9.0.5 is released (scheduled for March of this year).

Thank you to Blizzard for holding this unique virtual convention. Being able to gather together from a distance and celebrate games we all adore was a nice distraction during these turbulent times. We can't wait to learn more about the Charity Pet program as well as Patch 9.1!