Even if you haven't been a long-time collector of non-combat pets such the Azure Whelpling, the Spirit of Competition, or the Phoenix, now is the perfect time to begin.

On October 14th, when patch 3.0.2 descends, so does the achievement system, and with it, "Shop Smart, Shop Pet...Smart," the achievement for collecting 50 non-combat pets. The reward is of course, another non-combat pet, along with achievement points to help you feel 1337.

The Darkmoon Faire offers you the opportunity to easily and cheaply acquire three of the five frog pets in the game. While you'll have to shell out a bit of money, you might be able to make a profit in the end. For higher levels, the cost won't even be noticeable. Here is what you can acquire:

1. [Wood Frog Box]
2. [Tree Frog Box]
3. [Unhatched Jubling Egg] that will transform into [A Jubling's Tiny Home] after one week.
   

A lot of us pre-Burning Crusade players hold a warm place in our hearts for the Grim Guzzler, the bar in the middle of Blackrock Depths. It's a hangout for desperadoes and shady figures run by a leper gnome with a demonic bar wench and a metallic bouncer. Most of the patrons would usually kill you as soon as look at you, but as long as they're drunk and you don't bother them too much, they'll generally leave you alone. Of course, sometimes it's worth bothering them, since a few of the patrons and staff drop some pretty cool loot.

Despite this charming atmosphere, the Grim Guzzler is in the middle of a sprawling dungeon of hostile Dark Iron Dwarves, so ever since the Burning Crusade, people don't seem to go down there too often. That said, you might want to check it out in the next few days. There's a few new faces down at the bar since patch 2.4.3 went live, including an Arena gear vendor named Griz Gutshank, a Dark Iron Brewer who can't hold his brew, and a couple of goblin roadies setting up for a Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain concert.

Check out the gallery for a complete illustrated guide to the new faces and surprises at the Grim Guzzler, and maybe I'll see you there tonight for the Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain concert. Oh, and try the Sulfuron Slammer -- It's Plugger's newest specialty!

The Brewfest is currently live for testing on the PTR, and one of the biggest changes is the addition of yet another holiday specific boss, Coren Direbrew. Coren himself isn't completely new. He was also present in the Grim Guzzler last year, when he would give you a quest to deliver brew to the Brewfest and get an offhand tankard in return. This year, however, it appears he's a bit more surly. Instead of simply completing a quest, this time you need to fight him.

Luckily, the loot he drops is more than worth the hassle. Most of it is clones of the trinkets available for badges from G'eras, but there's also a couple other drops that look like a lot of fun. Overall, the loot should draw a lot of people out to Blackrock Depths to beat him up.

A list of his loot is coming up after the break.