Talk:Animal companion/Archive

Pet evolution
I'll just post it here, like I did on the other wiki...

contrary to what people believe, getting an Elder Pet does NOT work the way it is described here (I have several reports and tests that prove that). Unfortunately, because this is an 'official' wiki, even less people will believe, so editing would be pointless. For all of you that are open minded, I have trained 7 pets in both ways, making absolutely sure to follow the guide, and it always ended either Dire or Hearty. The closest thing i got was an Aggressive Lynx (which shouldn't be possible according to this guide, thus proof has been given that the guide is in fact false). I'd post a screenshot, but you guys would probably think it is a fake. Besides, i don't know how to upload them yet. :-) --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:145.94.74.23.
 * I trained an aggressive Phoenix (which I couldn't add to the Hall of Monuments) a frew days ago, just to back your report of a level 15+ aggressive pet.

I also had an un-evolved level 14 pet turn into hearty at level 15 (after it had gotten a lot of damage) so the table is wrong IMO. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:145.94.74.23.


 * Are you sure? Sometimes the name doesn't update unless you use /petname to reset it, and the research in this thread is pretty extensive. -- Gordon Ecker 04:30, 23 April 2007 (EDT)

Yes, I am sure. I usually name my pets and so I have to reset their names to check. And it was as hearty as it could get.


 * Are you sure it was playful before it evolved? -- Gordon Ecker 20:33, 24 April 2007 (EDT)

I told you, it got NO evolution at level 11, and hearty evolution at 15. My research is recent unlike the thread you showed, and it might be a bug I experienced, but if you don't believe me, just say so and I won't waste my time trying to share my findings. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:145.94.74.23.
 * You also said that you checked that it was hearty after it evolved, you still haven't confirmed that you checked with /petname to make sure it wasn't playful before it evolved to hearty. I'm not saying that you're wrong, but I am skeptical. Jenosavel and Epinephrine's pet guide is backed up by the extensive, well documented research of two people who corroborate eachother's claims. Your claims are anonymous and curently uncorroborated. -- Gordon Ecker 03:40, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

I hereby confirm then, that I did check it's evolution before it evolved, and it had no evolution at that time. I always name my pet and then 'un-name' it to check its evolution, so I know it wasn't playful at the time. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:145.94.74.23.

Ok, I hereby reconfirm my earlier reports. Although anonymous comments are as valid as signed ones, if it adds to the credibility of the comment... And i'd like to point out that the guide you mentioned is outdated.Nicky Silverstar 09:11, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

I got a lvl 15 Aggressive hyena, it was Aggressive since lvl 11 and should have turn dire or elder. table is worng or incomplet or there is a special case for hyena? --Bob 20:10, 2 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Sometimes the name won't update until /petname is used to reset it. -- Gordon Ecker 02:05, 3 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I am aware of that, also i didnt name my pet until he reach lvl 15. I have name it and reset its name many time, unquipe charm animal and restart the client. I still got a lvl 15 aggressive hyena. So i guess it either a bug or a yet unknow feature. ill post a picture later. --Bob 04:12, 3 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Update. see this [[Image:lvl16_Aggressive_Hyena.png|thumb]]. I think the bug notice you added should reflect this or table be changed. i will see what happen when it get to lvl20. --Bob 04:35, 3 June 2007 (UTC)


 * I'll add another bug note. The current note is about a bug that's been around for ages. -- Gordon Ecker 04:41, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

I can confirm this 'bug', I have a Level 20 Aggressive Lynx on my Ranger. I believe it has something to do with levelling you pet while it is unconsious, but I am not sure. Nicky Silverstar 19:12, 3 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Unconsious as in dead? My hyena didnt die until today at lvl 16. Must be something else. Maybe it is indeed a bug(unitended feature) and table is right. --Bob 02:17, 4 June 2007 (UTC)


 * I highly doubt the table is 100% correct, as it is based upon severely outdated research done by players. It may be partly or mostly correct, but the evidence shows it is not 100% accurate. I have experienced several anomalies such as going Playful->Dire in order to get an Elder pet, but got a Hearty pet. Or what about that guy on the other wiki that levelled his crab the Dire way only to get a Hearty Crab 6!! times in a row? I think this guide is roughly 75% accurate, so maybe we should add the 'based upon reasearch by the community' tag to it. There are just things that we don't understand (yet) about the game.Nicky Silverstar 10:51, 4 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Since nobody thought it neccesary, I changed the page myself. The information on evolutions is not official or absolute in any way, and therefore the 'Aggressive Bug' doesn't have to be a bug.Nicky Silverstar 07:03, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

I tried myself getting an Elder White Moa. Trained it to aggresive, then tried to get it elder. It's stuck in aggresive, neither Elder nor Dire. MithranArkanere 07:43, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

My own pet (a tiger from Shing Jea, so low-level and unevolved when I got it) is stuck without any sort of evolution at all, despite training it according to the guide (it should be Dire by now). I've tried /petname, etc., and there was no evolution change at Level 11, or Level 15. Whether or not this is a bug, I am unsure. --SoraMitsukai 01:23, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Did you guys read the thread below, about the GW:EN pet evolution problem being fixed? Gaile admitted this was a bug and according to her it was fixed on the 28th of August and has gone live since then. I wonder though why it was never mentioned in the update notes. And even if it was simply failed to mention, they apparently didn't do it properly or reversed it, because I've tamed and trained a pet exactly to the guide since then (a Rainbow Phoenix), but it went Aggressive at level 11 and stayed Aggressive at level 15. And Yes, I did reset the petname, tried changing it to random other stuff then resetting it to default again, I tried zoning, I even tried logging out, closing the client and logging back in. All to no avail, my pet is as Aggressive as it gets. Liselle Morrow 07:18, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

i tryed makeing an an eldar moutain egale and mine got stuck on agressive as well, i got it too 11 and agressive by death leveling and then brought my beast mastery to zero and tried to let it die alot. i figured that it die too much to become dire but not enough to be eldar. i think the deatils of leveling a pet is highly depended on the cercomstanes and diffcalt to reserch all the posible outcomes.

Is their any good whay to get heros with pets other then hearty thats all i can seem to get for them i i can get other for mind but their harder to contorl what they get.

White Tiger vs Tiger / pet growth
I just read the pet growth table. So Tigers grow, but White Tigers don't? They share the same model and this is hard to believe. I have not yet seen a Tiger other than standard size. I just checked GuildWiki, but the information there is also questionable: Hyenas do not grow? (Just corrected this) I tamed my Heroes Hyenas and have screenshots that clearly show that my hearty hyenas have grown. --Longasc 08:07, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

I have not noticed any growth in White Tigers, but it has been some time ago since I last trained one. i was under the impression that none of the Factions pets grow, but I could be wrong. Nicky Silverstar 09:12, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
 * No canthan pets grow. A level 20 albino rat will be bigger than a level 20 hearty white tiger. MithranArkanere 23:41, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

This has recently been updated to allow Factions pets to grow
 * The fix is retroactive, so you don't need to re-evolve them. Alaris 20:09, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Pet Deaths
Is it mentioned anywhere about the skill reset when your pet dies?--Affian 19:29, 5 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Nope, feel free to add it ~ Kurd [[Image:User Kurd sig.png]] 19:32, 5 August 2007 (UTC)

Morale Boost?
Okay, so i was on my way to jade quarry from house zu heltzer, and, on the way, my henchmen and i, with my lvl 18 dire wolf, killed Hargg Plaguebinder. I got the moral boost, then went to see if my pet did, and it did NOT. So, I am wondering is this just a weird glitch or is this just how it is. If so, why can't pets have morale boosts when they get death penalties? just trying to make it fair for my Str Modifier (my pet's name :) ) Master Saji 03:40, 21 August 2007 (UTC)
 * currently DP and morale boost is only working in PvP. so that's why it doesn't get it. Rhydeble 15:23, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

GWEN pets do not grow
At least this is true for: Black/White Wolf. Mountain Eagle. Did not test Polar Bear and White Moa. --Longasc 20:28, 25 August 2007 (UTC)
 * My White Moa evolved to Dire with no problems, but instead of losing health, it seems to have lost armor, because it dies very quickly. This seems to have happened to other people as welll, according to Talk:White Moa (both here and on Guildwiki). Arshay Duskbrow 08:33, 27 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Yeah... that's weird. My eagle is dire, lvl20, 480 health - haven't really tested how durable it is because pet builds suck :/ - Auron 09:04, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

The answer is no. :P Arshay Duskbrow 09:30, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Pet Problem Patched
The reports of players over the last couple of days that informed us of issues with pet evolution were very helpful, and the issues were located, replicated, and amended about 3:00 PM Pacific yesterday. They are now confirmed as having been corrected on the Staging Server and should be rolling out formally in the next live build or two. Thank you for your help in identifying and resolving this issue. (And thanks for putting it on the right page!) --Gaile 20:26, 28 August 2007 (UTC)
 * It's a longshot, but if you're able to find out or know...is this specifically GW:EN pets or is it retroactive to the non-growing Factions pets? Either way, thank you very much for this update, it'll make a lot of people happy.  GammaRay 04:25, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
 * I think this is about the buggy evolution of Eye of the North pets, not about pet size or unevolved pets, although it's possible that this update will also prevent the unevolved pet bug. -- Gordon Ecker 04:43, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
 * I'm wondering about pet evolution like GammaRay...while playing the sneak preview I was running around with my Agressive Lion from Nightfall. He got all the way to level 19 while playing GW:EN...and he is still agressive...even after several name resets. I was running around with him so I could add him to my Hall of Monuments (or get whatever animal companion monument that they have for "non-elite" pets, btw...I hate the fact that non-elite pets get a generic monument). I stopped at 19 so that if there was a bug it could get fixed and I've still have one level to go to try to evolve him.--Thor79•[[Image:User-thor79.png]]•Talk 06:22, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
 * WONDERFUL. I hope my Wolves now grow and get their proper HP/damage boni/mali. --Longasc 10:23, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Actually, this isn't so much about Unevolved pets (my current pet is an unevolved Moa that I forcibly death-leveled that way) and improper evolution. I'm not sure what triggers that other than some bad luck and/or just missing the evolution requirements, hazy as they are.  Rather, I'm referring to a bug that has afflicted FACTIONS pets specifically since release.  While these pets Evolve normally into Aggressive/Playful/Dire/etc., and get their proper HP penalties and bonuses, along with damage changes, they do NOT visually a grow.  Leveling a Melandru's Stalker to Hearty properly will yield a larger cat.  Leveling a Canthan Tiger (or any Factions pet that isn't a black moa) to Hearty properly and in the exact same fashion will yeild a Tiger that is exactly the same size as the Level 5 tigers outside of Shing Jea.  So regardless of how you grow your Factions pet, it will always be tiny.  I hope that this is figured out as well, although it's not as important as the GW:EN evolution bug.  Regardless, I again thank the Devs for fixing this and Gaile for giving us the message.  GammaRay 14:28, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
 * By buggy evolution, I'm referring to how some Eye of the North pets lost armour upon evolving to Dire, making them rediculously fragile. -- Gordon Ecker 00:30, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

The 29. August Update fixed GWEN pets! They now 1. grow 2. have a proper evolution. Even better, it's retroactive - my small black/white wolves are now big mean, properly evolved dire wolves! :) --Longasc 09:58, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Nice, my White Moa is huge now. I suppose it's too much to hope that this fixed Factions pets as well? Arshay Duskbrow 16:13, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, it probably is. Anyone have a Hearty Canthan pet on hand to compare to the "wild" Canthan pets?  GammaRay 17:52, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
 * And Brutal Mauling, did they removed brutal mauling from post-Searing bears? MithranArkanere 22:37, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
 * I think this was specifically to address the GW:EN pets having evolution and growth bugs. There's a sliiiim chance we got lucky with Factions pet growth, but I wouldn't count on it.  I don't think Brutal Mauling has anything to do with this.   GammaRay 23:46, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Are you sure it was completely 100% fixed? A few threads above there are still several people reporting problems, both with GW:EN pets and others. Did the update by any chance get reverted? Liselle Morrow 07:20, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Well, I have a Hearty White Moa (16) on my Dervish, and he's doing well. What kind of problems are you referring to?  Pets not hitting their second evolution?  That's not an uncommon problem, and I've been having that happen since Prophecies.  GammaRay 15:06, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

About time we had a sort of Pet "Creche"?
Given the huge number of interesting new pets GW:EN has added, I think it's high time that ANet implemented a place to store multiple pets. Perhaps 10 or so. It's not fair that we're now forced to choose between so many. Up until Nightfall it was fine - you had a spider/moa/phoenix or one of personal preference, but now that we have a second endgame pet [Rainbow Phoenix] and soooo many more "regular" pets, isn't it about time that we had a feature like this implemented? You've made too many too good pets! Andrik Of Ascalon 22:03, 2 September 2007 (UTC)
 * How about they let us use our Hall of Monuments spot that we display pets as a place that we can switch them out and around? I'd be content with three.  'Course...all the non-EN people wouldn't appreciate that, I'm sure. GammaRay 07:19, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

Or a new NPC that can be added to the guild hall. A Zoo keeper, Create a storage like unit"stable" where the NPC can retreive all your tamed pets. I would love to try and get a complete pet collection.....it would even provide the possibility of a new title. BeastMaster Med Luvin 18:57, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

:P
How do i evolve a pet????i just started using my pet and i dont kno.the funny thing is im lvl 20 and my pet is lvl 5 :P

pet info
since this is an official wiki and GWEN has been out for awhile so you shouldn't be as busy i was wondering if we could get some official data on pet leveling. i know that theres probably many things that could use some official data but i would really like this. i recently decided to change my lvl 20 melandrus stalker from pre-searing to a rainbow phoenix. I got my phoenix to attack the master of healing for about 3 hours so that he would become aggressive, then after i soloed a bunch of guys to raise my pets level. once he got to level 11 he became playful. I was confused so then i let him attack the master for 5 hours, then leveled him to 15 and he did not even change from playful. i now have a lvl 18 playful rainbow phoenix which according to this wiki(even though it says that this is not official info) should not happen. i would like to know why my pet did not become aggressive and why even after level 15 he did not change so that my next rainbow phoenix will become dire. thank you. EDIT: also how do pets gain exp, is it a percentage of what you get or does he/she have his own system EDIT2: hes now lvl 20 and still playful
 * AFAIK, ANet is hesitant in giving out exact formula's and calculations, for obvious exploit related reasons. So, I wouldn't get your hopes up. - [[Image:UserDrago-sig.gif]]  Drago  05:56, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
 * I would assume based on this that the "dmg dealt/recieved" only records when the pet attcks a mob he gets xp for... Attacking the "masters" does nothing, as xp is never gained... at least thats my guess so far. --Midnight08 09:19, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Reset the name (/petname), see if it changes, then if you want a dire pet, you might consider death leveling him on yourself =) Biz 10:00, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
 * You can't death level inside Hall of Monuments. No res shrine. So once he kills you once it says your party has been defeated and sends you to outpost. --[[Image:User Hellbringer sig.png]] HeLlBrInGeR talk 14:42, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
 * I could be mistaken, but I thought that the pet must not just attack, but also sustain damage in order to become dire. Having a pet attack for hours on end, without sustaining considerable damage in return, wouldn't work, if that's what you're doing. --Gaile [[Image:User gaile_2.png| ]] 18:16, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
 * he did die perhaps 4 times while i was soloing so he did take dmg but i had him attacking that healer with strength and honor for a really long time. the fact that he became playful was kinda bad but the fact he didnt even become elder or hearty was worse. when i get a new pet all i want to know is why this happened so i can adjust my pet leveling strategy.
 * From leveling many pets since the release of Prophecies, I'm fairly confident in saying that your pet has to be killing things and gaining EXP to achieve Aggressive/Dire, rather than simply doing lots of damage and taking a little. The above comment about masters not providing EXP is likely the cause -- you'll have to find some place that actually gives EXP without killing your pet to get aggressive/dire.  Also, allowing your pet to die seems to count very heavily toward the Playful/Hearty side.  GammaRay 15:04, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

Removed Pets?
Should we add a section for pets which have been removed from the game? I'm thinking the Panda, Pygmy Hippo and the rumoured? Fern Lizard. PandaGuy 16:07, 9 October 2007 (UTC)
 * A trivia note should be fine. Backsword 16:27, 9 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Was the panda ever actually in the game as a charmable animal? The Pygmy Hippo could be here, and the Fern Lizard no one has confirmed it even existed yet -- Lemming [[Image:User Lemming64 sigicon.png]] 16:31, 9 October 2007 (UTC)
 * There is a link with a discussion about it on Gaile's page. If you do search in the forums "Fern Lizard" is a very common name which appears among Prophecy Beta pets, the only name that isn't currently in the game. It's not like there is a precedent of "mystery pet" which turned out to be fake in this context so I would be inclined to beleive it. Dancing Gnome 02:12, 11 October 2007 (UTC)
 * The Panda pet was mentioned in the Factions manual, so I think it's worth mentioning here as well. Erasculio 02:23, 11 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Relating to the Panda, it was developed as a pet and went so far as it is technically exists in the form of Ling Wong - the skin WAS made, so the only difference between it and any other pet is you are unable to capture them. I don't see a great deal of difference between it and the Hippo in this aspect, aside from the China concerns, the Panda is a more viable pet anyway as it used the Black Bear model, (where as the hippo used a unique one and thus was deemed too much "extra" stuff for people to load or so my understanding is). Had there been no China concerns, or they were lifted tommorrow I have no doubt the Panda could be put in the game, which won't happen.Dancing Gnome 02:30, 11 October 2007 (UTC)
 * The hippo had a bug in the model they couldn't fix properly. As far as I know, there was no other reason not to include it. Alaris 13:52, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

I get my pets to level 11 with Edge of Extinction and Barrage making sure it hasnt died once And my pet is the only one attacking. After that i go on mission etc, with it. I noticed that if it doesnt die after this he becomes Dire at level 15. If he did die a few times (never actually counted the deaths but they were sure less than 10 time) it would become Elder. I dont really know how the mechanics for this evolving works but that is the only thing i could find out that has always been the same for me.

Fern Lizard and Panda Pet?
I heard a rumour that there was a Fern Lizard (brown reskin of Dune Lizard) and a Panda pet which were removed from the game before release? I wanted to ask why they were? I know the Crane was altered for animal rights issues and the Hippo was removed for technical reasons but what about these other two pets? Dancing Gnome 00:17, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
 * The panda was almost certainly due to a regulation with china. -- Lemming [[Image:User Lemming64 sigicon.png]] 00:26, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, Pandas were removed due to them being near extinction, that's been confirmed a long long time ago. Never heard about a Fern Lizard though. -- [[Image:User Gem sig.png|Gem]] (gem / talk) 00:32, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
 * I honestly don't remember a fern lizard. I shall ask Katy -- she's always so helpful with pet questions, and I have a feeling if there was a fern lizard, it was hers. (She's exceptionally good with reptiles of all sorts. The BD (Bone Dragon) was hers, putting me solidly in the Katy Hargrove Fan Club for life! :D --Gaile [[Image:User gaile_2.png| ]] 07:46, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
 * I remember this one well because I had planned to get one. The fern lizard was in pre-searing on the other side of the wall in beta. Sometime before/at release they all got replaced by warthogs. I was pretty sad until I found out they were still in, just in the desert instead. Don't remember them being a different colour though, I thought it was just a different name & location. (Also, Katy Hargrove rules. If the reptiles were hers too... wow.) purple llama 16:02, 25 September 2007 (UTC)
 * I asked Katy, and she said that as far as she recalls, there's a lizard in Pre-Searing, outside that gate that takes two people to open, by the lake. Is he no longer there? And is/was that the "Fern Lizard?" --Gaile [[Image:User gaile_2.png| ]] 23:29, 3 October 2007 (UTC)
 * When I first started playing the game (on release day) I saw people talking about the lizard you could tame, and others talking about how it was missing now. I never saw the lizard myself, nor have I ever seen anyone with a tamed one in Pre. --[[Image:User mrsmiles tinysmile.png| ]] MrSmiles 21:59, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Errr... what lake near the northern wall gate? theres a wee bit of water that the bull runs about in and another wee bit of water just before the green hills entrance. Anyhoo The only lizard ive ever seen in pre is a big air ele thing in the lake just behind the res shrine when you leave ascalon, but their are no tamable lizards in pre. -- Salome 17:06, 6 October 2007 (UTC)
 * I believe she said you go through the gate, and on the other side. Could that be the area in which the Charr are fighting? I'm sorry, I'm not really sure but I can ask around again about The Lizard Who Went AWOL. ;) --Gaile [[Image:User gaile_2.png| ]] 15:06, 7 October 2007 (UTC)
 * According to Miniature, mini-pets CAN die ''when hit by a snowball or a boulder,' proof appearing in the image of a dead mini gwen, so can a panda miniature dieKiller Revan 00:56, 8 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Honestly, I have not seen this confirmed, and at first glance I believed that the "deaths" could be a hoax. However, I'm not at all sure, so I've sent an email to check with the design team and let you know. --Gaile [[Image:User gaile_2.png| ]] 01:03, 8 October 2007 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty sure it's not a hoax, the guy in our guild who posted that screenshot I would describe as a very reliable source. -- Lemming [[Image:User Lemming64 sigicon.png]] 01:14, 8 October 2007 (UTC)
 * You're right, Lemming, and so is White Wasabi. This issue was confirmed for me today, and I believe we will be amending this very soon. As I understand it, not all miniatures can "die," but some decidedly can. Thanks for pointing that out to me. -- Gaile [[Image:User gaile_2.png| ]] 21:45, 8 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Back on topic, the minipet question should really be in a new section, I am 99% certain there is no tamable lizard in pre-searing. The gate which requires two people to open does indeed lead to the Charr area known as The Northlands (direct name eh:P), however to my knowledge there are no pets to tame there other than the Warthog. I didn't expect this topic to become this exciting (the possibility of a missing pet - even if it's just Moa/Strider since the games release) and am eager to see how it all turns out. 122.104.228.149 14:50, 9 October 2007 (UTC)
 * So it's been a while, Gaile -- any news on the Fern Lizard? If it was removed, why? ChaoticCoyote 21:14, 9 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Also what does animal rights and near extinction have to do with putting Cranes and Pandas in a game? Do you have to go out and capture one of the animals to model the specimen in the game off? I sure hope not :P. But seriously what does it have to do with animal rights? L' yra V' alo [[Image:User_Lyra_Valo_LVsig.jpg]] 21:24, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

Here is what I've learned:


 * During one or more of our preview events, we did have a tame-able lizard in the game, may have been named Fern Lizard, and I'm thinking so because you guys have good memories. :) We liked the lizard, but when we added the Crystal Desert, later in the development schedule, we decided that the lizard was really more cool in that environment, so we did a modest change to the appearance and we moved the little guy over to the desert.


 * In the case of the hippo, we liked the design, but it was a model/skeleton that was really only useful for the hippo, where certain other skeletons can be used more broadly, meaning that load time and asset manifests are more modest. (This is relevant when you're in a map and someone brings a pet and you have to download the assets for the creature.) We wanted to keep the number of tame-able pets to a reasonable number and keep the asset list manageable, therefore, with regret, we decided to remove the hippo.


 * The panda is another issue: We wanted to have a panda pet, particularly in Factions. However, we were looking towards the first level of testing in China at that time, and in China, you are not allowed to even depict the death of an endangered species, such as the panda, in a video game. This caused us to decide that we must remove the panda from the pet list, for it was not appropriate or offer it in other regions and not in Asia, or specifically in China.


 * You may be interested to know that another pet, the crane, did not require removal but did require modification, because Katy had designed a model that looked very much like another rare species. (You may recall it had a black crest and a ring around its neck.) As it turns out, that imagery would have caused problems with our getting the permissions that we needed to test in China, so that model was also modified to make it a different type of crane. -- Gaile [[Image:User gaile_2.png| ]] 01:19, 10 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks Gaile for such a comprehensive response! You even gave us bonus info on the Crane and Hippo! I know a lot of people found previous hippo responses confusing and this one is a lot less confusing, just goes to show the hard decisions you guys at A-Net have to make - removing the model of a fantastic pet to prevent loading issues for some users - I think it gives insight into why many of the pets are similar to each other as well! Researching the Fern Lizard was a nice nostalgic trip back to Beta. It's clear you did quite a lot of poking around for this, so thanks for the great response! 122.104.229.93 03:40, 10 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Oy, nice! Thanks for that. :) -- [[Image:User Gem sig.png|Gem]] (gem / talk) 19:16, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Panda/China Clarification
This is an old page, but since this discussion keeps coming up and even forum mods keep linking to this, I thought I would throw a clarification in here concerning Pandas to help end the questions people have about them and China.

Xinhua reported a while back that a locality in PRC had proposed legislation banning images that depicted abuse of Pandas. As far as I know it was never passed, but it was probably enough to scare off any companies planning on implementing them in the timeframe. Even though, to the best of my knowledge, it still isn't illegal, it is a sore point to the Chinese since Pandas are a point of pride.

Even though it's not illegal, they probably chose not to offend what they expected may end up being their largest customer base. This is also a separate issue from the whole skeleton depiction, which many people seem to confuse it with, which was and still is illegal in video games. Many people on the internet have passed on rumor that killing virtual Pandas is illegal, but with the exception of a Xinhua article about proposed legislation, I don't believe anyone has actually shown any proof of that - even Guild Wars or Blizzard.

Assuming it may become law, even in specific locales instead of nationwide, it would be wise to steer clear of it. Of course this has nothing to do with the fact that ArenaNet and Blizzard may have been asked separately by the Chinese government not to portray violence against Pandas, regardless of the law.

If anyone has any links to updates concerning the particular law being passed (I believe it was Chengdu), or a link to an actual national law, then it would be nice to post it for others to see. Even residents from mainland China have posted on forums they were unable to find such a law, but maybe someone in this forum that's a resident of China can provide one instead. Not having a law still would not stop China from shutting down a game that insulted the Chinese such as the depiction of violence towards a national symbol.

The only link I have is fairly old, and I don't care enough to search for more so take what I said with a grain of salt.

 Xinhuanet - 2007-11-23 18:25:14

The Chengdu Municipal Committee of the National People's Congress, in west China's Sichuan province, on Friday confirmed the receipt of the planned law, jointly outlined by the municipal bureaus of forestry, parks and woods.

If passed, it would become the world's first panda law. (emphasis added)

So, in summary, even though it isn't illegal to depict violence against Pandas in China, it is at the minimum offensive to people there (including the government). ArenaNet or any other company never needed a law to justify removing something that was considered offensive to their customers or potential customers.

Zellac 23:29, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

The Great Panda Debate - Here was another link I came across. Hopefully these links will help end any questions people have about it so the forums can move on to bigger and better discussions while providing a single point at which people can link. Zellac 23:39, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Elder Pet
If I set a heros pet to avoid, and it never attacks and never recieves damage, will it become elder by level 20? Dancing Gnome 04:20, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

No it doesnt, it will most probably become Hearty or not evolved at all.
 * If a pet never recieves damage and never deals damage, yet still levels up, then it will become unevolved, which is basically the same as Elder. However, the not getting damage bit is extremely hard to accomplish. Nicky Silverstar 12:27, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Factions Pets Finally Grow
We are going to need some pictures. Anyone want to help me get some? 65.24.106.106 15:14, 19 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Why do we need pictures? It's just the same model only bigger. The current pictures don't have anything to compare scale with so I don't think this changes the wiki. I am sad my tiger is so big now, I liked him small. Dancing Gnome 13:22, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
 * oo. just noticed that. :] 65.24.106.106

Huge Hole on the Article
The article does not clear up the whole pet deaths leading to skills being disabled. I don't remember this being mentioned in the game and it should at least be documented here as well. I would add it but I am unclear on this point. If my pet dies in PvP do my skills become disabled? I know for a while this wasn't the case, I thought it was a bug and I haven't been back to test. I know they are disabled in PvE. Can anyone clarify this and perhaps add it to the article? It's important to know. Dancing Gnome 13:26, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

PvP Pet
I know you can have a per in PvP and i have the spell to tame one but how exatly do you get it? --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:Soulstealer.
 * Any PvP player gets an Elder Wolf by equiping charm animal, as stated in the article. PvE characters must find and charm an animal to have a pet. - [[Image:User HeWhoIsPale sig.PNG]] HeWhoIsPale 19:50, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

So when im AB'ing i just use the skill!?!?!? --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:Soulstealer.
 * To the best of my knowledge, all a PvP character needs to do is equip the skill to get a pet. Also please sign your comments. - [[Image:User HeWhoIsPale sig.PNG]] HeWhoIsPale 20:27, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

thanks, lol i havent been able to pvp with him yet, thats why. And how do u sign? lol
 * ~ to sign. [[Image:User-brains12-sigicon2.png]] Brains12  23:28, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

test 68.79.8.174 19:41, 24 October 2007 (UTC)Soulstealer OK, I got the Elder Wolf, but can i chance it?