Hunters discover "new" Worgen pet
by Allison Robert 
Jul 4th 2009 at 2:50PM
As the holiday weekend rolled around, we started to get a number of tips that Hunters were successfully training themselves a...Worgen pet? Worgen?!? How was this level of cool allowed into the game without anyone knowing about it until now?Well, it turns out that the Worgen pet is in fact a very clever use of game mechanics somewhat akin to those used by Hunters in order to tame the (now sadly vanished) Grimtotem Spirit Guide. Garwal, a warg NPC in northern Howling Fjord who can turn into a Worgen as part of a questline (the link is the Horde version, but it's the same for both Horde and Alliance) can actually be tamed and kept in Worgen form if the timing is right. Mania's Arcania has a look at the process used here, which involves a little math, a little guesswork, and the strategic use of Wyvern Sting.
Regrettably, you can only get Garwal to transform into a Worgen if you haven't done the questline concerned, so I would imagine most Hunters at 80 who leveled in Howling Fjord are out of luck (unless you can snag someone who hasn't done it yet -- and even then I'm not sure you'd see him in Worgen form without the requisite quest item).
Neither of my Hunters are close to Wrath content yet, but I'd absolutely kill for this pet. That said, I'm not confident that Blizzard's going to let this stay in the game, but they did let people who had already tamed a Grimtotem wolf keep them. Even if the Hotfix Hammer is falling, your Hunter may want to try this for the sheer awesome of having a Worgen pet for a little while.
Filed under: Hunter, Cheats, News items, Humor
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Jenessa Jul 4th 2009 2:57PM
Noooo you fools now they are going to fix it!
Badger Jul 4th 2009 3:59PM
I was about to point that out. Once the devs know, you know for a fact they're going to patch this out of existence.
Draelan Jul 4th 2009 4:04PM
Honestly, this article isn't going to make any difference. There's going to be plenty of other articles out there about this, and people running around with this guy in game would definitely result in it being reported anyway. The GMs may spend a lot of time invisible, but they're not blind, you know. This is something that was going to be hotfixed whether Allison reported on it or not. At least this way, people who may have been unaware will have the chance at it.
A Nonny Mouse Jul 4th 2009 9:56PM
Actually, this whole thing started on the official hunter forum, where there's been multiple threads that have reached the post limit on the subject. I'm sure Blizzard were well aware of the matter and tracking the threads with interest by the time the exact method was nailed down.
So, WoW.com haven't worsened the situation one bit. =P
jhovanny Jul 5th 2009 10:22PM
Actually you can not go back after completing the quest with a friend. If you did the quest you lost your chance at taming as he is not visible to others beside the the person on the quest.
TheKarmaPolice Jul 6th 2009 11:08AM
How long until Blizzard says: "We love how people found a way to tame it and will not fix the bug" ?
and then do a complete 180 turn and fix it anyways and then starve the pets so no hunter can keep him
giddymonkey17 Jul 6th 2009 2:02PM
I got mine friday... loving it. They'll just do what they've always done though. Tomorrow (Tuesday) it will probably be hotfixed to be untameable.
Draelan Jul 4th 2009 2:58PM
I saw one of these last night. I'm really kicking myself, because I actually considered not completing that chain way back when, just to keep the worg disguise. But I decided to finish off the chain anyway. -_-
noob Jul 4th 2009 2:59PM
How do people figure this kinda stuff out?
Aedilhild Jul 4th 2009 3:21PM
What's at work is the emphatic power of the internet. Presumably, one person out of 11 million made a discovery, and global networking broadcast the method so it can be emulated by millions on a one-to-one scale.
It's like talking to a sage without needing to climb the mountain. Incredible stuff.
Artificial Jul 4th 2009 6:42PM
It's a timing issue. Giving the millions who play this game, someone was bound to hit him at just the right time sooner or later and manage to tame him in the process of transforming without even knowing that this would be the result. Then, "whoa!" Followed by "Hey everyone look at this!" Followed by "how did you do that?" Followed by a lot of furious research an experimentation into replicating the feat. Things like this can lie around undiscovered for years, but once that accident happens and it comes to people's attention, and people focus attention on it, it's inevitable people will figure it out.
Velleekwitay Jul 4th 2009 3:00PM
That is about the coolest thing I have ever seen. Which means of course Blizz will almost certainly take it away with a hotfix. Oh how I wish I hadn't already done that quest.
wha? Jul 4th 2009 3:04PM
then why are you here?
PeeWee Jul 4th 2009 3:04PM
If it hadn't been posted here, it would someplace else.
Also, show me a blog that doesn't get their news from somewhere.
PeeWee Jul 4th 2009 3:07PM
I meant "news blog", of course. Doh!
Gessilea Jul 4th 2009 3:07PM
That's pretty dang cool. However, I would be very very surprised if hunters are allowed to keep these. The wolves were at least pet-like, and they ended up introducing other spirit pets later. Worgen, on the other hand, are supposed to be humanoids.
maniraptor Jul 5th 2009 4:54PM
Although they can be skinned, unlike other humanoid mobs. That's something I've found a dash unsettling.
Gessilea Jul 5th 2009 4:58PM
Very true. And yeah, creepy.
jurm Jul 6th 2009 12:07AM
Yeti are also listed as humanoid, and can be skinned as well.
An interesting aside (that I haven't verified) is that skinnable humanoids don't drop cloth.
Gessilea Jul 6th 2009 9:04AM
@Jurm: A quick look on wowhead says you're mostly right (but not completely - some worgen in Northrend drop cloth, and so do http://www.wowhead.com/?npc=1896). I never noticed that before.