Critter

For the battle pet family, see critter companions.

Critters are mobile non-player entities, typically small or non-predatory animals or vermin, intended primarily for ambiance.

While critters are a kind of mobile object, in World of Warcraft, "mobs" differ from critters in that critters are primarily for ambiance, provide no direct experience and little or no loot, and are trivial to kill. There are subtle mechanical differences, such as critters cannot be targeted by use of the tab key.

Characteristics of critters in World of Warcraft

Critters have hit points.
- Abilities and effects that cause no damage will not kill a critter.
- Many critters have just one hit point and always die when hit by a damaging attack.
- Some critters have a few hit points and will survive a weak attack.
Size is a poor indication of relative robustness.
- Many larger critters, such as deer and sheep, have one hit point.
- Squirrels, which are among the smaller critters, have eight hit points.
Critters are (mostly) harmless and low level.
- Most will run in fear if they survive the first attack or are aggroed in some other way.
- Some critters, such as the rats in Deadmines and the Deeprun Tram, the Biletoads in Wailing Caverns, or Frogs (no, really!) will strike back at an attacker when aggroed. They do minimal damage.
- Players can use attacks or abilities that do not immediately deal damage to test critter reactions.
Unlike mobs, critters do not yield experience nor loot (with the exception of Giant Marsh Frog and Dig Rat).
Originally, critters such as sheep, rabbits, gazelles, and deer could be skinned. An undocumented change in patch 3.2.0 removed the ability to skin them.
Predatory animal mobs like cats and wolves will often chase and kill prey critters.
- Critters can also be killed by certain companions, such as [Sleepy Willy] and the [Creepy Crate].
Critters can be affected by various non-damaging effects, such as [Polymorph], taunts, fear effects, and others.
- [Glyph of Crittermorph] increases Polymorph's duration to 24 hours when used on critters, and allows it to affect multiple critters simultaneously.
- Amusingly, sheep can be polymorphed into sheep. The visual effect looks like dust billowing from the sheep.
- Even when taunted, most critters will run away rather than attacking.
Many critter models are available as companion pets. They might be captured via pet battles, purchased, or obtained by some other means.
Many critters have a generic version and, in newer content, versions with more specific names. For example, Squirrel versus Grizzly Squirrel.
Some critters represent a type of creature that is also represented by mobs. For example, spiders.
Some critters are quest objectives or achievement objectives.
- Whenever a critter is the object of a quest or achievement, the name must match exactly.

Achievements

Interacting with critters is the objective of the following achievements:

Notes

Ironically, most of the "To All The Squirrels" achievements do not actually require the need to hug a Squirrel. However, killing a Squirrel is required for the achievement [Pest Control].
The Stonetalon Pass plateau in between Mulgore, Stonetalon Mountains, and Desolace is home to some particularly militaristic critters.

Characteristics in previous Warcraft games

Main articles: Critter (Warcraft II), Critter (Warcraft III)

In Warcraft II and Warcraft III, if the player clicked on a critter in rapid succession a sufficient number of times, the critter would detonate in a large, bloody explosion.
Critters varied depending on the current map tileset.

List of critters

This section contains information that is out-of-date.

The following is an incomplete list of critters.

Critters marked with * are needed for the [To All The Squirrels I've Loved Before] achievement.
Critters marked with ‡ are needed for the [To All The Squirrels Who Shared My Life] achievement.
Critters marked with † are needed for the [Pest Control] achievement.

Critter	Location	Notes
Adder†	Durotar and Barrens
Arctic Hare‡	Borean Tundra, Dragonblight and eastern Zul'Drak
Albatross		WC3 Only
Beetle	Drak'Tharon Keep, Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, Utgarde Keep
Borean Frog*	Borean Tundra
Borean Marmot‡	Borean Tundra
Cat*	Elwynn Forest, Eversong Woods (and Silvermoon City)	Named cats can be found throughout Azeroth and Outland.
Chicken*	Westfall, Southshore, Lower City and Far Watch Post
Cow*	Goldshire, Elwynn Forest, Southshore, Arathi Highlands
Crab*	Steamvaults, Ghostlands, Moa'ki Harbor
Crystal Spider†	The Nexus, The Oculus
Deer*	Most Human and Night Elf regions
Devouring Maggot†	Utgarde Catacombs
Ewe*	Shattrath City	In the Lower City.
Fawn*	Elwynn Forest	NW edge of Eastvale Logging Camp
Fire Beetle†	Burning Steppes
Fjord Penguin‡	South of Daggercap Bay, Howling Fjord
Fjord Rat†	Howling Fjord
Fjord Turkey‡	Howling Fjord
Frog*	Zangarmarsh, Wailing Caverns, Un'Goro Crater
Gazelle*	The Barrens
Glacier Penguin‡	North Eastern Icecrown Glacier
Gold Beetle†	Halls of Stone, Halls of Lightning
Grizzly Squirrel‡	Grizzly Hills
Hare*	Durotar
Horse	Elwynn Forest, Westfall	Typically found around Human settlements.
Huge Toad‡	Swamp of Sorrows
Larva†	Ghostlands, Naxxramas
Lava Crab‡	Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes
Moccasin†	Swamp of Sorrows
Maggot†	Ghostlands, Naxxramas, Underbog
Mouse†	Westfall, Grizzly Hills, Stonetalon Pass plateau
Mountain Skunk‡	Grizzly Hills and Howling Fjord
Parrot*	Un'Goro Crater
Pig		WC3 only as a Critter.
Prairie Dog*	Mulgore, The Barrens, Westfall, Arathi Highlands	In Westfall, look around the Dagger Hills
Rabbit*	Stonetalon Mountains, Hillsbrad Foothills, Stonetalon Pass plateau	By Mirkfallon Lake in Stone Talon.
Rat†	Common in many places around Azeroth
Ram*	Loch Modan, Dun Morogh, Wetlands	In the Wetlands, there are many in the hills of Dun Algaz
Roach†	Razorfen Downs, The Barrens, Agmar's Hammer
Robo-Chick	Goblin areas
Scalawag Frog‡	Scalawag Point, Howling Fjord
School of Fish	Tidefury Cove, Darkspear Strand, Sar'theris Strand
Scorpion†	Hellfire Peninsula, Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj
Sheep*	Hillsbrad Foothills, Elwynn Forest, Howling Fjord	Common in settled verdant areas
Sholazar Tickbird‡	Sholazar Basin	Sitting on the horns of the Rhinos
Skunk*	Terokkar Forest, Azuremyst Isle
Snake†	Dustwallow Marsh
Spider†	Ghostlands, Azjol-Nerub, Terokkar Forest
Squirrel*	Elwynn Forest, Ashenvale, Tirisfal Glades	Common in forested areas
Steam Frog*	Borean Tundra	In the Flood Plains.
Swine*	In corrals on Orc farms in Durotar and The Barrens
Toad*	Dustwallow Marsh, Underbog, Darnassus	In most areas with ponds, swamps.
Tundra Penguin‡	Borean Tundra and Dragonblight
Underbelly Rat†	The Underbelly
Wolpertinger		Can only be seen around a Brewfest site and only if you are inebriated.
Zul'Drak Rat†	Zul'Drak