[Edit: Alright, so I already caved and bought both of them for my wife. I couldn’t help it. She loves the pets and I love her, so she got ’em both.]
I received a link on twitter today taking me here, to a new service offered by Blizzard. Well, it’s not really a service so much as simply a couple more items that you can purchase from them: Vanity Pets.
Pandaren Monk – a martial-arts expert who’s here to help celebrate the upcoming fifth anniversary of World of Warcraft. He may be cute, but he’s proof that even the softest of critters can overcome the hardest of circumstances.
Lil’ K.T. – miniature lich who bears a striking resemblance to the legendary lord of Naxxramas, Kel’Thuzad. But don’t let his diminutive stature fool you: Lil’ K.T. has a diabolical laugh and wields true power at his bony fingertips, randomly wreaking icy havoc on critters who dare to cross his path.
You can purchase the pets from the Blizzard Store for $10 (US) each. If you happen to pick up the Pandaren Monk, then 50% of that payment (so $5) is donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation if you buy it between now and the end of the year (December 31, 2009 11:59 P.M.).
I’m not huge on vanity pets myself, so I probably won’t end up buying one for myself. I very well might buy one…or both…for my wife, but unless someone gifts one to me then I won’t have them. Of the two, I think the Lil’ K.T. is the coolest one, but I’m not a big panda-monk kind of guy. And I love that Lil’ K.T. will occasionally “wreak icy havoc on critters who dare to cross his path”.
[Edit: As you’ll see in the comments down below, I actually like the Pandaren Monk quite a bit after seeing them in action. Lil KT doesn’t do his icy bolt of freezing critter death very often which is kind of disappointing. The monk though, he does his kung fu moves for you pretty regularly (including the Flying Crane Kick, lol) and he also bows back to anyone who targets him and does the /bow emote.]
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Anea
November 4, 2009 at 4:38 PM
Of the two, I prefer Lil’ K.T. as well – I just don’t get why everyone’s so crazed about Pandaren. /shrug
But that said, I don’t know if I like Lil’ K.T. enough to buy him AMGRITENAO. Perhaps. The wreaking havoc on critters might be worth it >.>
Psynister
November 4, 2009 at 4:48 PM
Like I said, panda monk doesn’t really do anything for me. I do like the little lichikens though.
If you click on that first link I have up there you can see the animations for them to, they look pretty cool if you ask me. Still though, not overly thrilled about the panda. The only reason I would buy him would be for the same of having half the cost go to charity. Though, I’d be better off just making a flat donation to the charity. But, my wife might like them so I’ll consider picking them up for her.
Psynister
November 5, 2009 at 12:42 AM
After seeing them on my wife’s account tonight, I actually like the Pandaren Monk quite a bit. He’s a cool little kung fu fellow that likes to keep you entertained and bows back if you do a /bow emote targeting him. When he’s bored he busts out some kung fu flying crane business on you. He’s actually very fun.
Lil’ K.T. is somewhat disappointing so far, probably because of the mention of attacking critters. We sat for several minutes waiting for him to do something but all he did was lift his little head plate-thing and twirl it around a bit. Squirrels walked around him not caring a bit and he just sat there doing nothing…
I like the look of K.T. more, but the panda is definitely more interactive and enjoyable.
Psynister
November 5, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Others have confirmed that KT will actually freeze critters. Cats, rabbits, and penguins have all been mentioned.
Apparently he just doesn’t care to attack the squirrels in Stormwind.
Leafshine
November 5, 2009 at 12:32 PM
Maybe he’s avoiding getting the achievement… :)
Psynister
November 5, 2009 at 1:26 PM
That is a possibility. Or maybe as a pet he’s hoping to become hunter’ish and be able to tame himself a critter. ;)
Kimberly
November 5, 2009 at 3:54 PM
My guy’s KT iceblocked a squirrel in Dalaran yesterday. We laughed. We bought both for him, but I’m not going to bite because I’m not really a pet collector.
Psynister
November 5, 2009 at 4:22 PM
I got my wifes to freeze chickens, rabbits, and cows during my lunch break, so apparently he will go for them. I did have to sit for 3-5 minutes each time to get him to attack them though, so I’m not sure what the factor is for getting him to do it. Maybe he’s more active if you run around?
Myariki
November 6, 2009 at 4:33 PM
The Lil’ K.T. seems awesome but I just can’t help that I have a thing for Pandaren!