MythBusters: Pet Edition

Welcome to the first ever Swordroll's Blog MythBusters: Pet Edition! It's time to prove those little-known facts and put to rest the myths that many wizards still wonder about! Here are twelve statements - are they facts or myths?

Here's how this will work: Statement. Explanation. Fact or Myth?

I can get a pet from a hatch that I cannot equip. 

It is common knowledge that you will never receive a pet from a hatch that you cannot equip, right? This used to be the case. Misthead has pointed out that as of a past update, this is no longer true. I can confirm that this applies to the Hatchmaking Kiosk as well as regular hatches in The Hatchery. You can indeed get pets that you cannot equip, so pay attention when hatching! This is a Fact!

If I hatch with a hybrid, I have a better chance of getting it than if I hatch the two pets together that make it. 

There are two ways to get a hybrid: hatch the two pets together that make it, or hatch directly with that hybrid. You'd think that if you hatch directly with that hybrid, you'd have a better chance of getting it. You're right! Take the level 48 pets, for example. If I want a Reaper, I would hatch a Hydra and Wraith. If I hatch, I might get either the Hydra or Wraith, or a Reaper or Darkreaver. That leaves four potential pets instead of just two when hatching directly with the hybrid. If you've hatching level 58 and 78 pets, there is only one hybrid per combination, so that's still three potential pets as compared to two. That makes this a Fact!

If I feed my pet healthy snacks, it will level faster. 

Wizard101, in advertising the Mega Snack Pack, says that it includes healthy snacks that will level your pet faster. By extension, that means that I can stop by the Bazaar, grab a few Blonde Strawberries, and I'll be all set to get Epic in a day, right? Hmm... a rank 1 snack isn't going to get you that far. In reality, whether or not a snack is healthy doesn't affect how well it trains a pet. The determining factor is the experience it gives. Usually, the higher a snack's rank, the more experience your pet will get. In the case of Mega Snack Packs, while the snacks are all healthfully themed, the only reason they're better is because they have the numbers benefit - they give lots of experience in the once snack. So health snacks giving more experience? Just a Myth!

The two-headed Frosthound pet still exists in-game. 

For a long time, wizards have attempted to locate the two-headed Frosthound pet! The combination of Orthrus and Colossus originally had the potential to make this pet... then it was quickly changed to an Icehound. The one user claiming to still have this pet refused to show anyone. They even suggested that Jester was part of  cover-up to keep the pet a secret. Now, that's a conspiracy story for another day, but I certainly PMed Jester, and that was not the case at all. In fact, due to my PM, Jester contacted Professor Greyrose that same day. Greyrose said that, as of the night before (Test Realm update), the pet was now a possible hatch in-game, but was never available before! Directly after that, Jester and I hatched, and we were both instantly some of the first users to ever own a Frosthound. If I remember correctly, it's still a possibility! The Colossus-Orthrus combination has a chance of producing five different pets now - Colossus, Orthrus, Icehound, Frosthound, and Sandman. And even if it's no longer available, you can still hatch with those who have one. In summary, this is a Fact!

If I play specific games, my pet will get different talents. 

As what is probably one of the topics with the most divided opinions, it seems only necessary that it'd be here. Many wizards still think that playing specific games will render specific talents. As such, they've searched out guides for which games correspond with which talents, but found none. Let me be the first to tell you - playing specific games will not give your pet specific talents. Actually, your pet's complete Petnome and manifested talents are predetermined. A Wizard101 Central user and I once has the conversation about delving into Wizard101 files - that allowed you see all of your pets' potential talents, and which talents they would manifest! I've never looked too closely at it, but it's probably something to avoid. This is only a Myth!

If I feed my pet specific snacks, it will get different talents. 

Similar to the question above, many wizards are wondering if specific snacks lead to the manifestation of specific talents. Does feeding your pet healthy snacks give it specific talents? How about fruit-related snacks? Nope! The only good specific pet snacks do in leveling your pets is providing more experience than other snacks. As stated above, KingsIsle has said that your pet talent pool and the talents that your pet will manifest are predetermined. This is just another Myth!

It is sometimes quicker training to fail games and feed snacks. 

There are some people who play their pet games hardcore, scoring a perfect four every game. However, other wizards will just fail their games and feed their pet snacks. Which is faster? Which is smarter? In a perfect Spiral, you have unlimited energy and snacks - all you have to do is play games! In that instance, you'd pick the dance game, hold one arrow key down, fail the game, and feed your pet a snack. Much faster than the 60 seconds spent at the Gobbler Drop and Maze Game, and not requiring a specific number of attempts, like the Cannon Game. Instead of going all five rounds, you can fail the first three and be done. Actually, yes, it is faster to fail games and feed your pet snacks. However, you should also keep in mind that you have limited pet energy, so you should try and obtain your full four points each game, even though it'll go much slower. That makes this a Fact!

If I hatch with the rare Sheep pet, I have a chance of getting it. 

Users of the Wizard101 community that have really contributed something awesome are often given rare in-game items. Take the Friendly Necromancer, for example. Back before Orthrus was a spell or pet, he had the pet with the spell card. It was really quite something. To this day, he, Paige Moonshade, Jester, Olivia, and others all have a rare Sheep pet. When you hatch with it, what happens? As with all hatches, you have a chance of getting your own pet back, so that is what'd happen each time, right? What happens if you hatch two together, though. True is, when you hatch with a Sheep pet, you have no chance of getting it, but you might get your pet back or a Goat Monk pet. This is just a Myth!

Energy refills faster for members. 

Energy is essential for training pets! And, when you get into the Ancient and Epic stages, and start running a garden, too, ever point is going to count. So, do members have faster energy refills than nonmembers? This one isn't too hard, all you have to do is consult the Wizard101 website. Here's the link with your answer: https://www.wizard101.com/game/options. Energy does refill faster for members. This is a clean-cut Fact!

If I hatch and get a hybrid, the other person might not have gotten it. 

When you hatch something like level 48 pets, you're probably trying for a hybrid. Chances are, you aren't hatching with yourself. So, if you hatch, and you receive a hybrid, does the other person receive one, too? Honestly, that may not be the case. You may hatch and both receive your pet, or both receive a hybrid, or only one person receive a hybrid, or receive different hybrids in the case of the level 48 pets. There's no guarantee that you'll both get the same hybrid, much less that you'll even receive a hybrid at all. That makes the statement a Fact!

If I hatch with myself, I have a better chance of getting a hybrid. 

Normally, when you're hatching for a hybrid, you'll need two pets that make a new one. If you hatch those, you have a chance to get either of those pets or the hybrid. If you hatch with someone else, you have the same chance of getting that hybrid; who you hatch with makes no difference. That said, hatching with someone else's hybrid instead of the original pet combination does indeed provide a better chance of getting it, as there are only two possible pet outcomes. This statement is a Myth!

I can win pets outside of Wizard101. 

That's an easy one - you can definitely win pets outside of Wizard101. In fact, depending on the month, you can win them from KingsIsle Free Games, website contests, or other promotions. There are several going on now! You can redeem your free pet snack and check up on all of the Pet-A-Palooza contest on THIS PAGE! You can also visit THIS PAGE to enter to win a set of pets from every Wizard101 Bundle! While we're talking contests, don't forget to check out my one-year Blog-A-Versary contest on THIS PAGE! Winning pets outside Wizard101? Definitely a Fact!

Do you have your own pet questions? Let me know, and I'll see if I can answer!

Thanks for reading, and see you in the Spiral!