Sneak Peek: Guardian Cub Tradable Pet
A new pet is coming to a Blizzard Store near you and ... you can trade it and sell it at the auction house!
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Coming soon to a Pet Store near you: the new and titanically cute Guardian Cub companion. You’ve soared across Azeroth on the majestic Winged Guardian. Soon, you'll be able to purchase a pint-sized Guardian of the Titans sidekick to accompany you on your adventures.


Stunning good looks and adorable, supersized eyes aren’t all this new pet has going for it. The Guardian Cub is also the Pet Store's first tradable pet, meaning it can be swapped between characters in-game or given as a gift to guildmates, friends, family, or that special someone -- no adoption papers necessary. Due to his finicky nature, each Guardian Cub will only give its allegiance to one owner, meaning it’s a one-time-use pet that permanently binds to a single character. Be sure to choose a master wisely.

Look for the Guardian Cub to arrive in the Blizzard Store in the weeks ahead -- in the meantime, we've prepped a mini-FAQ to explain how this flying friend will differ from other Pet Store companions.

Q: How does the Guardian Cub pet work? How is it different from other Pet Store pets?

Unlike the other Pet Store companions, the Guardian Cub is a tradable, one-time-use pet that permanently binds to a single character upon use. When you purchase the Guardian Cub from the online store, the character you designate will receive a bind-on-use item to carry in his or her inventory. You can either use the item yourself to permanently add the pet to your character's collection (consuming the item in the process), or -- after a brief initial cooldown period -- you can trade the item to another player so he or she can add it to one of their character's collections. Note that once the pet has been added to a character's Companions list, it can no longer be traded, so make sure you're giving the cub a happy home.


Q: Will I be able to carry more than one Guardian Cub at a time?

While a character can only have one Guardian Cub in his or her Companions list, you can have as many in your inventory as you like. Please note that Guardian Cub items do not stack, so each one will take up a bag or bank slot.


Q: How much will the Guardian Cub cost in the Pet Store?

The Guardian Cub will be priced the same as the other Pet Store pets ($10 USD). All sales of the Guardian Cub are final -- no refunds will be given once a purchase is made.


Q: Why did you decide to make the Guardian Cub tradable?

Since the introduction of the Pet Store, many players have been asking for ways to get the companions we offer there without having to spend real-world cash. By making the Guardian Cub tradable (much like the BoE mounts from the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game), players interested in the new pet will have fun, alternative in-game ways to get one. In addition to trading the pet, players can give the Guardian Cub as a gift to another character for a special occasion; guild leaders can use them to reward members for a job well done; and so on. We also hope this change will help reduce the number of incidents of scamming via trading for invalid pet codes.


Q: Could I put the Guardian Cub up on the auction house to try to make some gold if I wanted to?

While our goal is to offer players alternative ways to add a Pet Store pet to their collection, we’re ok with it if some players choose to use the Guardian Cub as a safe and secure way to try to acquire a little extra in-game gold without turning to third-party gold-selling services. However, please keep in mind that there's never any guarantee that someone will purchase what you put up for sale in the auction house, or how much they'll pay for it. Also, it’s important to note that we take a firm stance against buying gold from outside sources because in most cases, the gold these companies offer has been stolen from compromised accounts. (You can read more about our stance here.) While some players might be able to acquire some extra gold by putting the Guardian Cub in the auction house, that’s preferable to players contributing to the gold-selling “black market” and account theft.


Q: Are you changing the other available Pet Store pets (e.g. Lil' Ragnaros, the Pandaren Monk) to work this way?

No, the other available Pet Store pets will continue to work as they always have.


Q: What about future Pet Store pets?

It's too early to say how we'll handle future Pet Store pets. We made this change in response to feedback from players looking for alternate ways to get the Pet Store pets, and we're always looking into other opportunities for improvement. We're interested in hearing what players think of the Guardian Cub when it launches, and we hope you'll have fun with this new flying friend.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Sneak Peek: Guardian Cub Tradable Pet started by Boubouille View original post
Comments 729 Comments
  1. merex760's Avatar
    Awesome. An official way to buy gold from Blizzard...
  1. Purplekitti's Avatar
    I've stood by Blizzard's Store until now. Even bought some pets and mounts, have the plushies and have had some gifted to me, but offering in game advantages for gold? No. Come on. EITHER subscription model OR F2P with cash shop, preferably the first. Not both. I once said that the day they offer ingame advantages for gold would be the day I stop playing, now I'll have to assess how this goes, and I might seriously be looking at cancelling a 6-year-no-breaks sub because of this (depending how it pans out). One step too far.
  1. Clockwork Pinkie's Avatar
    It would be selling gold, if people were to actually buy one of those. If that's the case though, they've been selling gold for 15 bucks a month since 05'.
  1. CaptainArlong's Avatar
    Ah! They're finally selling gold for real money! So people want to give pets to their friends, well, there's this little option that says "Gift It" when you buy something in the Blizzard Store. I bought a mount and pet for my friend by gifting it to them, and they gifted me a pet as well. Oh well, don't care really. I've got enough gold to last me forever and I don't use the AH since I have characters with every profession I need.
  1. mmocaee1542d48's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by DoctorDoomkin View Post
    How exactly? Or are you clueless about the fact TCG mounts have been sellable on the AH for a long time now, and that they still haven't been a great way to sell due to the costs?

    It's been around for a long time, and yet that STILL haven't any adverse effects on the game. Whoop-de-shit. You ride on a chicken...that does Nothing. Whoop-de-freakin-do, you got a baby boomkin. That does NOTHING.

    If this is actually LOOT, like armor and weapons, that people are 100 times more interested in than Nyan Cat, than it would be a problem. But this is not the case. You're freaking out over another In-Game Non-Combat pet that does nothin but show off your position when you're in stealth. Look at the big picture.
    actually u can ride the chicken so you can do something and the reason tcg card loto on ah didnt affect anyone is cos 99% of wow players dnt have stupid amounts of gold those things were being sold for, this companion on the other hand will be like 5-10k max maybe it will never be worth 200k gold like a spectral tiger is
  1. lolipopp's Avatar
    Bli$$ard way to sell you gold is here to stay and expand
  1. Suggs's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Byuiso View Post
    WoW at this rate doesn't even seem like it is going to put up a fight against StarWars or Guild Wars, seems like the 'King' is just going to roll over and wait for its successor to take over (Titan).
    what? you placing bets on a game being better with zero news or info...at least swtor and gw2 have something to go on, there was never a fight in the first place when will you cocks get that through your head.
  1. vitalic's Avatar
    This is a middle step of a plan that has been years in the making. It started with "charity" pets and the TFHorse. How far will they take it? Until their profits are maximized. TFH numbed the community to in-game advantages in exchange for money. This is taking it one small step further. In six months it will be taken another step, and another and another towards the ultimate goal of a pay-to-win game model. Sorry, but using the excuse of "oh its already done with chinese gold selling so we might as well legitimize it" doesn't justify a move in this direction. Legitimizing it changes the entire tone of the game, from one in which only in-game accomplishments affect your success and buying gold is a frowned upon process that the majority of players will NARC on you for, to one where, gradually, using money to gain in-game advantage is normal and acceptable. Got some new gear and don't want to do those dailies to save up the gold for all new gems? Drop $10 at the AH for the latest goofy tradable thingamabob (there will be many many more to come I'm sure) and trade that for the gems you need. You know what, it's not an essentially terrible thing, but it is a totally different game and one that Blizzard specifically promised to never make WoW into.
  1. Frumpy Frumpy Frak's Avatar
    Amg legal gold buying etc, etc, etc. I just don't care anymore, I gave up my moral values a long time ago.

    It would be nice if they gave us an option to buy a version that can't be traded that goes to all our characters.
  1. Falos's Avatar
    1,000g? 10,000g? 100,000g??? To be honest, I'd guess it'll usually be on the order between those last two. It really depends how many people are interested in marketing them, how many people want extra gold. As always, insufficient/excess production versus a more or less regular consumption rate (people who want pets) will determine things.
  1. subanark's Avatar
    Well at least our BoP raid epics are safe from buyers.
  1. Byuiso's Avatar
    Certainly not placing bets on a game that is losing players faster than they know what to do, and to help ease the community they allow gold buying, because that is most certainly what the community wants.
  1. Barzulan's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Vook View Post
    >$15 a month
    >complains about $10 one-time payment

    wat? Over a 100%-vanity item, no less.

    Blizz is just trying new things, quit the QQ.
    Okay, let me spell this out for you. Lets say someone has 10 characters.

    Previous store pets: 1 pet x $10 x 10 characters = $10

    New pet: 1 pet x $10 x 10 characters = $100

    I don't see how it's unreasonable to not support a 90% decrease in product for the same price.
  1. Jiggles's Avatar
    This is Blizzard once again testing the waters, seeing how far they can go. If they add these "premium features" slowly enough, most people won't notice or care.

    Will we ever get to purchasable epic gear? Maybe not, though you can take the in-game profits from these pets and buy BoEs or crafted epics (or pay a guild for a run). Yes yes, you can do this already with TCG loot and such; but that doesn't excuse yet another method to do so -- a much easier, much more direct method.

    Anyway, the point is to add these features slowly, so that Blizzard can reap the profits, while not angering its fans too much. The people complaining here are still in the minority -- thus Blizzard hasn't found the line yet. It's in Blizzard's financial interest to keep pushing, until they see some very serious fan backlash.
  1. Vallius's Avatar
    I don't get it. If this is supposed to be something for pet collectors, wouldn't they just shell out the 10 bucks for it? As opposed to thousands of in-game coin? I can only assume, if history is any indication, that a lot of people will be buying this thing with hopes of in-game riches. The supply will be high initially, then it'll wane and maybe then the price might be worth it. just don't think it'll play out the way Blizz ia thinking it will.
  1. Drakenus's Avatar
    Wow this sucks! I have around 30 toons in different servers so each could get a pet was nice for 10$ but that would add up to 300$ in comparison not to mention that if in the future you might want to erase a toon for whatever the reason, you will be loosing those 10$ as well. Bad move for your gamers Blizzard only good for your pockets. Thought that the millions you receive every month was enough... Guess I was wrong...
  1. frogger237's Avatar
    Face is ugly on it so I wont buy it for myslef but if i can get a bunch of gold from it I will probably buy one.
  1. fibbers's Avatar
    finally a way to buy and sell gold
  1. endersblade's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by blackmartinix View Post
    finally a way to buy and sell gold
    Probably the absolute biggest issue with this. Really, no matter how much the turn-around is, you're still allowing people to pay for gold, plain and simple.
  1. mmocaee1542d48's Avatar
    do blizzard even care about players anymore cataclysm has had more reskins and copy paste bosses, even the firelands mounts are bloody reskins and the content of cata is terrible and if they dt fix or give warriors a good buff in 4.3 they can kiss good by to my subscription im sick of blizzard jsut caring about the money.

    piss off customers and give poor content = loss of moeny and players which is infact true for cataclysm, why are rich big companies so far up there own arse that they dnt even care

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