The Lost Spectral Gryphon - Spirit Beast

In my last post I discussed how to tame Gon (the inky blue spirit raptor), one of two new spirit beasts that were introduced in patch 7.2.0. This post will cover taming the Lost Spectral Gryphon.

These two spirit beasts each spawn in a capital city; Gon in Orgrimmar, and the Lost Spectral Gryphon in Stormwind. Due to their spawn points, Gon is obviously easier for Horde players to obtain, and the gryphon easier for Alliance.

The Lost Spectral Gryphon - Tamed

Where to find The Lost Spectral Gryphon:

The Lost Spectral Gryphon is spawned from a rare item called the Spectral Feather. It has one single spawn point in Stormwind, right near the flight master. I have marked the exact location in red on the map below:

Gon - Inky Blue Spirit Raptor

There were two new spirit beasts added in patch 7.2.0, a spectral gryphon (the Lost Spectral Gryphon) and an inky blue spirit raptor (Gon).

The way these spirit beasts are obtained is interesting and a little different than anything we've seen before. You see, the spectral gryphon can only be spawned in Stormwind, and the spirit raptor can only be spawned in Orgrimmar. What it comes down to is this -  if you play a Horde hunter it will be a lot harder for you to obtain the spectral gryphon, and Alliance will have a harder time taming the raptor.

This post will cover in detail where to find Gon, and some tips & tricks to help Alliance characters obtain this pretty blue fellow. (I will cover the Lost Spectral Gryphon: Here.)

Gon, tamed

Where to find Gon:

Gon is spawned from a rare item called the Spectral Eggshell, which has one spawn point in Orgrimmar. Specifically, in the warlock trainer's hut in The Valley of Spirits, just in front of the pile of glowing skulls. I marked the exact location on the map below:

Lightning Paw - New Spirit Beast (Fox)

Lightning Paw

When patch 7.1.5 rolled around a variety of changes were implemented. There were class changes, new legendaries, micro holidays, the return of the brawlers guild, profession updates and more. What some people may not realize though, is that at the same time a new npc and hunter pet snuck into the game.

Level 100+ hunters may have noticed a new npc named 'Watcher Danuser' (named after Senior Game Designer Steve Danuser) appear after the patch in their hunter class hall. If you speak with him, he says:

The Night Watch knows a thing or two about tracking. In Duskwood creatures lurk in every dark nook and cranny.

Sometimes you catch a glimpse of their beedy little eyes, peering at you from the bushes.

<The watcher tries to suppress a shudder.>

Why, just the other day I sensed an unfamiliar creature stalking me in the forest, watching from the shadows.

Bulvinkel - Spirit Moose

If there's one thing I always look forward to with each new expansion, it's the ability to tame new pets with new looks. As usual, with Legion we have a multitude of new pets to hunt down and add to our stables. This expansion offers some particularly beautiful new pets, from gorgeous Mana Sabers to badass mechanical pets and everything in between. (You can see a full list of all the new creatures added in Legion on Petopia.)

I was beyond excited to find out that we would be able to tame moose this time around; seriously moose are awesome. I finally saw one in real life for the first time in like 20 years a few months ago, and they really are majestic animals. They're big, powerful, awe inspiring, and now we can have them as pets!!! /SQUEEEE!

Well, as if that weren't awesome enough, the devs went and threw in a spirit moose as well! Be still my beating heart!

Meet Bullwinkle Bulvinkel:

So here's the deal with this lovely moosey. He's in game for hunters only, killing him will only get you a Crystalline Tear of Loyalty. There's nothing to taming him really. No special challenge, no tracking, no hoops to jump through at all as far as the tame itself goes. You can even tame him right at level 100, because like nearly everything else on The Broken Isles, he scales to your level. It's getting to him that can be a little tricky.

How to get to Bulvinkel:

How to Tame Hutia (Green Spectral Porcupine)

Hutia is the final spirit beast I'll be going over that was added in patch 5.2. I found Hutia to be a little more forgiving to tame than her friends Gumi and Degu. Well actually, make that a lot more forgiving.

As with the other two spectral porcupines, Hutia has about 4M health and must be dps'd down to 20% before her Strong Will buff will drop and she can be tamed. If she gets within melee range she will two-shot you. She is fast, but thankfully she is not nearly as fast as Gumi. She also doesn't have any type of ranged attack like Degu does. The thing to know about Hutia is she's got an annoying heal called Spirit Heal that she'll cast periodically as shes chasing you. This spell needs to be interrupted! 

Helpful Glyphs and Talents:

You can easily make this tame smoother by using certain glyphs and talents. Glyph of Tame Beast I would definitely recommend. Glyph of Disengage can also prove to be handy (I used both of these glyphs when I tamed her in the video below.) If your having trouble Glyph of Pathfinding, Glyph of Aspect of the Cheetah and Glyph of Icetrap may be enough to make a successful tame (I didn't use these).

Talents that will come in handy with this tame are Posthaste (for the nice speed increase), Silencing Shot (to interrupt her heal), Exhilaration (in case she manages to hit you), Dire Beast (for the extra dot while kiting), A Murder of Crows (another dot) and Glaive Toss (for the additional slow and damage).

Kiting:

How to Tame Gumi (Blue Spectral Porcupine)

Gumi, the level 90 blue spectral porcupine, is the second of the three new spirit beasts added in patch 5.2 that I'll be going over. This little guy is one heck of a terror. In all honesty I thought this was one of the hardest hunter pets to tame that I've encountered yet. Maybe THE hardest. At least for me, taming this guy made taming the other two spectral porcupines seem like a cakewalk.

Like Degu and Hutia (Gumi's red and green buddies), Gumi will need to be kited and dps'd down to about 20% health before his Strong Will buff will drop and you will be able to tame him. He will also two-shot you if he gets within melee range. Unlike the other two beasts though, this guy has no special abilities to be aware of. What makes this guy so difficult is the speed that he moves at. 

This beast moves so fast, it's as if he's mastered the art of teleportation. Those who (like myself) could never seem to get out of the habit of backpedaling will likely have the toughest time taming him. It is possible though, it will probably just require a few more tries before you nail it. I'll be honest here, I died a lot trying to nab this pretty beasty. Thankfully there is a spirit healer very close by.

Where to find Gumi:

How to Tame Degu (Red Spectral Porcupine)

As promised, I've written up some short guides on each of the new spectral porcupines that we'll be seeing in patch 5.2. As a quick overview - there are three spectral porcupines total, and they each have not only a unique look, but a unique way to tame them as well. These tames may remind you of the Molten Front/Mt. Hyjal taming challenges introduced in 4.2.

Each one of these beasts will have a buff called Strong Will when you first come upon them. The tooltip for this buff reads "Cannot be tamed until weakened". In order to weaken them to the point where they can be tamed you will need to dps them down to about 20% health. The thing is however, these pretties will two shot anyone that gets in their melee range. This is where your going to want to know a little more about what makes each of these beasts tick.

Degu, the red spectral porcupine, has an ability called Barbed Needle that will two-shot people with poison who attack her from too far a range. The spell tooltip reads a 15-50 yard range, so the goal with her is to try to always stay within 15 yards. It's also crucial not to let her get too close because she can also two-shot you with her melee hits. This particular tame requires keeping her at that "perfect" distance while dpsing her down until her Strong Will buff wears off.

Concussive Shot will be the most important tool in your box for this tame. Use it whenever it's off cooldown. Ice Trap will also come in very handy in slowing her down. I used Ice Trap and Snake Trap whenever they were up, and they certainly helped. Disengage can also be a lifesaver if you notice she is just about in melee range, but if you do use it make sure you run back toward her immediately! If you simply disengage and stay where you are you could end up getting hit by Barbed Needle. Moving forward toward her will get her to stop her Barbed Needle cast once you get within 15 yards. (Do note that Scatter Shot is completely ineffective against her.)

Hunters Rejoice! New Spirit Beasts Coming in 5.2

It's been quite a while since hunters have seen any new spirit beasts. Well, in patch 5.2 patient hunters everywhere are finally getting some new ones, and I have to say - I think they look great! These spirit beasts are all porcupines and they will be making an appearance in three different colors: red, green and blue.

Click picture to Enlarge

My favorite thing about these new beasts, is that in the style of the Molten Front/Mount Hyjal taming challenges introduced back in patch 4.2 - these guys are NOT going to be easy to tame. Each one of these pretty spectral porcupines has it's own unique challenge associated with it. Unlike the beasts in the Molten Front/Mt. Hyjal though, these pretties are not going to sport a silver dragon around their portraits - which I think is a great idea. They will instead have the golden elite dragon pictured above. Although these beasts are likely going to be rare, the silver dragon seems to scream to people "Kill me, I probably drop some awesome loot." I imagine when non-hunters spot one of them with just the golden dragon, that they'll be more likely to continue on their way.

All three of these beasts have slightly under 4000k hp, and will have to be kited and dps'd down (not unlike Deth'tilac) to about 20% in order to remove their Strong Will (Cannot be tamed until weakened) buff. Each of these beauties will pretty much two-shot anyone they attack within melee range, and taming them will require some patience and practice.  

Loque'nahak

Loque'nahak is a beautiful unique-skinned level 76 non-hostile rare Spirit Leopard with approximately 16.5k hp. He can be found in Sholazar basin in seven different locations which are indicated in green on the map below. He is one of three rare spawns located in this zone, all of which are unique tamable hunter pets. The other two rares are King Krush (green Devilsaur) and Aotona (blue & purple parrot). 


Unfortunately for all of the hunters out there looking to tame him, he is part of the Northern Exposure and Frostbitten achievements so people will be hunting him down intent on killing him. He drops Loque'Nahak's Severed Fang which is a level 74 bind on equip neck item with a random enchant. He can also drop Loque'Nahak's Pelt which is a level 74 bind on equip cloak. The cloak can also be skinned from his corpse, so it is possible to see two of these cloaks off of one kill.  Like other Northrend rares, he also drops Abandoned Adventurer's Satchel, which generally contains about 20 gold, a full stack of frostweave cloth, and often times a few crystallized elements.

Arcturis

Arcturis is a level 74 non-hostile rare spectral bear with approximately 15.4k hp. He can be found in Grizzly Hills in only one location which is just north of Amberpine Lodge (it is circled in blue on the map below.) He is also one of four rare spawns in this zone. The others are Grocklar, Seething Hate and Syreian the Bonecarver.


Arcturis is not part of any Northrend achievements. He drops Pristine Glowbear Pelt which is a level 72 bind on equip leather chest piece with a random enchant. Like other Northrend rares, he also drops Abandoned Adventurer's Satchel, which generally contains about 20 gold, a full stack of frostweave cloth, and often times a few crystallized elements.

Magria

Magria is a rare spirit beast cat with approximately 232k health and is located in Mount Hyjal in The Regrowth. She is one of 10 new rares put in place as a challenge for hunters to tame in patch 4.2.  (Full list at bottom of page)


I have highlighted the area she patrols in purple on the map below. Magria shares a spawn timer with Ankha who is a very similar looking spirit beast. (Magria has a very pretty blue hue.) Their spawn timer is somewhere between 6 and 17 hours. The NPCScan id for her is 54319, you will need to add it to NPCScan in order for it to find her. You also need to have completed enough quests in Mount Hyjal to have unlocked the daily quests at The Sanctuary of Malorne to be able to see Ankha and Magria. The final quest before unlocking the dailies is Aessina's Miracle.

Karoma

Karoma is a level 85 hostile rare spawn with approximately 116k health that can be found in several different locations in the Twilight Highlands. The areas he can be found at are located in pink on the map below.

Karoma is strictly a tamable HUNTER PET. If killed all he drops is a Crystalline Tear of Loyalty. Non-hunters please leave him alone so that he can be tamed.

Gondria

Gondria is a level 77 non-hostile rare spawn with approximately 17k hp. She can be found in Zul'Drak in several different locations which are indicated in blue on the map below. There are three other rare spawns in this zone as well and those are Zul'drak Sentinel, Griegen and Terror Spinner (tamable spider).   

This npc is not part of any Northrend achievements. She drops Gondria's Spectral Claw which is a level 77 bind on equip ring item with a random enchant. Like other Northrend rares, she also drops Abandoned Adventurer's Satchel, which generally contains about 20 gold, a full stack of frostweave cloth, and often times a few crystallized elements.

Gondria is a tamable hunter pet. Please note that because she is a hunter pet that even though you may not have seen her before in Zul'Drak it doesn't mean that she isn't already cached by NPCScan. If a hunter has this tamed pet out near you, your NPCScan will cache it. If it is cached in NPCScan and this rare is up your alert will not go off. Be sure to check and clear your cache often!

Ban'thalos

Ban'thalos is a non-aggressive rare spawn with approximately 387k health (added in patch 4.2) and is located in Mount Hyjal. He can be found circling high above the Sanctuary of Malorne. I have highlighted the area he is found in purple on the map below. I believe that his spawn timer is somewhere between 6 and 17 hours.  You also need to have completed enough quests in Mount Hyjal to have unlocked the daily quests at The Sanctuary of Malorne to be able to see Ban'thalos. The final quest before unlocking the dailies is Aessina's Miracle.

 

This is strictly a TAMABLE HUNTER PET. If Ban'Thalos is killed all he drops is a Crystalline Tear of Loyalty. If your not planning on taming him, don't be a douche. Leave him alone. 

Ban'thalos is a spirit beast. He can only be tamed by hunters that have the top-tier talent from the Beast Mastery tree Beast Mastery which allows the taming of exotic pets.

The NPCScan id for Ban'thalos is 54320.

Ankha

Ankha is a rare spawn with approximately 232k health (added in patch 4.2) and is located in Mount Hyjal in The Regrowth. I have highlighted the area she patrols in purple on the map below. Ankha shares a spawn timer with Magria who is a very similar looking spirit beast. Their spawn timer is somewhere between 6 and 17 hours. The NPCScan id for her is 54318, you will need to add it to NPCScan in order for it to find her. You also need to have completed enough quests in Mount Hyjal to have unlocked the daily quests at The Sanctuary of Malorne to be able to see Ankha and Magria. The final quest before unlocking the dailies is Aessina's Miracle.

Ghostcrawler

Ghostcrawler is a level 85 rare spawn with approximately 1.5 Million health located in the Abyssal Depths in Vash'jir south of L'ghorek. He is a neutral mob and he has a very large patrol area as you can see from the map below in blue.

Ghostcrawler is a tribute to Greg Street aka "Ghostcrawler," the Lead Systems Designer for World of Warcraft. The mob's Nerfbat ability (which has the tool-tip "an unfair attack that reduces all skills." and debuff which "Nerfs all skills "To the ground!"") is also a tribute to him. During an interview a couple of years back Greg was asked if Ret paladins would be nerfed and his response was "TO THE GROUND BABY."

Skoll

Skoll is a level 80 non-hostile rare mob with 18,900 health. He can be found in the Storm Peaks in several different locations which are indicated in blue below. This npc is not part of any achievements (most likely because he is a tamable hunter pet). He drops Skoll's Fang which is a level 78 bind on equip main hand dagger item with a random enchant. Like other Northrend rares, he also drops Abandoned Adventurer's Satchel, which generally contains about 20 gold, a full stack of frostweave cloth, and often times a few crystallized elements.

Skoll is a tamable hunter pet. Please note that because he is a hunter pet that even though you may not have seen Skoll before in Storm Peaks it doesn't mean that he isn't already cached by NPCScan. If a hunter has this tamed pet out near you, your NPCScan will cache it. If it is cached in NPCScan and this rare is up your alert will not go off. Be sure to check and clear your cache often!