How to farm battle-stones?

[Mystik_sok]

I've seen a lot of folks here with 99%+ rares and I'm wonder how you farm all the beast/critter stones you need?

[Tiggindy]

First thing is to upgrade favorites only, then non-cageable, then cageable. That way you can use other peep's stones for upgrades.

I did bag dailies every day from soon after MoP release until a few weeks before 5.3.

I did world fights in areas with the pet type I needed stones for, mostly focused on flying, critter and beast. Pick a spot near a stablemaster.

For flying/critter I farmed in Mount Hyjal, easy access to 22-24 critters and stable master.

For critter, I farmed in the Valley of the Four Winds, kind of in the farm area west of Halfhill.

For Beast, Krasarang Wilds is good. Allies have a nice spot at the Incursion, I forget what the name is for horde.

I also traded stones with peeps, offering 2 for 1 when I got down to my last few. I also offered in trade on my server to buy general stones for a more reasonable than the AH price, and paid for the use of stones. I probably paid too high, but it got me what I needed (and I used to have a decent amount of gold ).

[Opallena]

Many of the beasts of fable legendaries have wild pets nearby of their species, so using them to get aquatic, beast, and critter stones is a good idea as there are aabout six spawns near each pet. for flying, the dragonbone hatchlings are a good spot. magic the arcane eyes are up more often than not these days, and there are shadelings in the area if you go there early enough. plaguelands are a good place for undead, as is Icecrown or zul drak. deepholm is awesome for elemental stones, sporeling sprouts are good for humanoid. not sure about others though.

[Peanutty]

For wild caught pets, I went out and caught them as rares (the only exceptions: hard to get pets like minfernal, giraffe calf). Out of all the beasts and critters I only stoned a giraffe and a P/P widow hatchling (lost patience).

For tradeable vendor bought pets, I traded heavily for stones that I needed. Trading really was the key for me - it cut out a good number of stones needed and it's been fun getting to meet other pet collectors!

Other than that I just do a round of pet tamer dailies every day, and that eventually netted enough stones to complete my wall of rares.

[Mystik_sok]

For flying/critter I farmed in Mount Hyjal, easy access to 22-24 critters and stable master.

Which stable master in MH?

And thank you everyone for your responses.

What do you think the drop rate is for farming stones, I can only remember ever getting maybe a couple this way while pet collecting?

[Tiggindy]

For flying/critter I farmed in Mount Hyjal, easy access to 22-24 critters and stable master.

Which stable master in MH?

the one right outside the building where the first quests are. That area has a ton of squirrels and moths, and the occasional wisp.

What do you think the drop rate is for farming stones, I can only remember ever getting maybe a couple this way while pet collecting?

Honestly, it's pretty low. Some days I would get 1 or 2 in a couple hours of world farming, other times I would go for a couple/few days without seeing a stone. I got most of mine through bags, trading and buying.

[Mystik_sok]

What do you think the drop rate is for farming stones, I can only remember ever getting maybe a couple this way while pet collecting?

Honestly, it's pretty low. Some days I would get 1 or 2 in a couple hours of world farming, other times I would go for a couple/few days without seeing a stone. I got most of mine through bags, trading and buying.[/quote]

At least it gives me a use for a few hundred pet bandages.

[Tiggindy]

At least it gives me a use for a few hundred pet bandages.

I've currently got 38 stacks of bandages.

If you've got a good supply, the battle pet density in the west side of the valley is higher. I used bandages when hunting in the forest area or hills closer to dread waste. Later, when I had rares of all the pets, I just used bandages while doing a loop around one of the hills in the heartland til I was finished with critter stones.

[Mystik_sok]

Does the type of stone depend on the primary pet, or any of the secondaries?

[Catalytic]

Despite what people say on WoWHead, it should be the family of the primary pet. There were, possibly still are, some exceptions...I believe some elementals were dropping dragon stones. Someone else will have to tell you about that.

I can say if you engage aquatics in the Vale, you will get aquatic or BoE stones. Beasts at the Incursion will be beast or BoE. Critters in the Valley will be critter or BoE.