Pets Are Becoming Spells!

Two days ago I reported how lead designer Tigole stated, "Big changes are in store for mounts and vanity pets." Well, today we know what those changes are. Nethera, an official Blizzard representative, had this to say:

We’re pleased to announce a convenient upgrade to the way that mounts and vanity pets are handled in Wrath of the Lich King.

Players will be able to “learn” a mount or non-combat pet much like learning a spell, recipe, or new ability, and these creatures will then show up on a new Pet tab within the Character Info section of the interface. Players will be able to access and preview their learned mounts and vanity pets through this tab.

Once learned, the pet icon or mount icon will no longer appear in bag spaces or bank spaces. This inventory space will be made available once again for other adventuring needs. Pets can still be set to hotkeys by dragging them to the hotkey bar, much like any other spell or ability.

So there you have it, folks. Bag space is no longer an issue at all for collectors—all minipets will be treated like unique spells! The other nice thing about this change is that it should enable me to much more easily determine what belongs on this site and what doesn't.

P.S. With the announcement of this change, I'll be suspending my work on the Peripheral Pets and Items guide, since this change will make much of that guide obsolete. I'll likely rework the guide in some other fashion.