What we’re going to do with all the new stable slots Hunters get in Shadowlands

Last Wednesday, July 1st, the Hunter community’s collective jaw hit the floor with the news that, come Shadowlands, we’re getting more stable slots — not just a robust 50, but enough so we can have a total of 206 pets. Two hundred and six. Senior Game Designer Jeremy Feasel asked on Twitter, “Is…is that enough stable slots? :3”

According to Wow Petopia, there are 56 different categories of pets you could go out and tame right now. When Shadowlands arrives, 37 of those categories get new additions. Also, they have identified seven kinds of pets for which they have no overarching category. Things will change before we get the expansion in November, but let’s suppose this stands. That’s 63 different categories of pets from which to fill your stable.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve watched the roll out of various new skins from the alpha with kind of a “ho hum” feeling until now. The Teroclaws look cool, of course. The Larions are unique and fun. The Vulpin caught my eye, as did the Ardenmoths. But why get excited? I have filled all but two of my current slots and, prior to Wednesday, no new slots had been announced. I can’t tame everything I want to tame right now, so I don’t really care if you’re putting in all these new pets.

But, oh dear, now I most definitely do care. I could finally have one of each color of Core Hound if I wanted. With 140 new stable slots, I could go camp some of the rares I like but have no room for. I had to make a painful decision to let a pet go so I could tame the lost spectral gryphon from Stormwind. I could now go to go Orgrimmar and get Gon. Oh the possibilities! I’m going to spend a lot of time in the meantime working on names. I still don’t have the gryphon named and I’ve had it for 3 months.

Then, I looked at the other class which runs with named pets — Warlocks. Why should Hunters get all the fun of obtaining and naming pets? I know my Warlock would love to “tame” one of the two-headed demon hounds you find in Sunwell Plateau. Heck, my hunter would like one too, but I’m okay with that being class specific.

If Warlocks are pulling from the Void, it would be cool for them to be able to summon more of the kinds of demons we see already out in the world. Going along with this, let Warlocks name their demons. The naming conventions are in place for Hunter pets so they could be applied to Warlock pets. I might play my Warlock more if I could run about with a Void Walker named “Fluffy”.

Coming back around to the initial excitement and attempting to answer Muffinus’ question, “Are 206 stable slots enough?” Right now, I’m making lists, checking them twice, crossing out and adding, and amending yet again. Some of you will probably fill all those new slots within a month of Shadowlands going live. Some of you will be, like me, looking backwards into other zones for those elusive pets we never could tame before. Two hundred and six will probably last me through March of next year.

What are your plans? I’m excited to hear what you think you’ll tame first and how fast you anticipate filling up your stable — I may steal your best ideas for myself though, fair warning. And Warlocks, if you could add to your roster, what would you “tame?”