One of WoW’s oldest and rarest pets is making a comeback very soon

A practically ancient World of Warcraft battle pet is making a long-awaited comeback later this year. 

The “Spirit of Competition,” a red-and-gold dragon pet that was only available for a few weeks during the Summer of 2008, is returning to the game in the very near future. The pet was a promotional item that was introduced during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and once that real-world event came to an end, the pet was no longer available in WoW. Because of that limited availability and extended timeframe since its initial release, the Spirit of Competition is one of the rarest pets in all of WoW.

This coming August, however, the Spirit of Competition will return to WoW as a reward that’s available in the Trading Post. The pet was teased by Blizzard in an announcement teaser yesterday alongside other rewards, including the Alabaster Stormwing and Thunderwing mounts that were previously only available through the WoW Classic Collector’s Edition. 

Related: Here are all of the WoW Trading Post rewards for July 2023

The Spirit of Competition shares a model similar to that of the Thundering Serpent Hatchling, and other upright dragon battle pets. Since it was originally released in 2008, though, the pet noticeably doesn’t have too many modern-looking features. Still, the rarity of the dragon should be enough to pique the interest of new players who weren’t playing during the pet’s original release, as well as veterans who might have missed out on it back in 2008. 

The Trading Post is also receiving a slight quality-of-life upgrade this summer, in that players who complete the entire Traveler’s Log in a given month will receive 200 extra Trader’s Tender to spend on pets, mounts, and other items found in the Trading Post. Players can use that extra currency to gobble up any new items or finally splurge on the item that they’ve been keeping frozen in the Trading Post for several months. 

Each month, the Trading Post’s inventory rolls over to feature about two dozen new items. Although the Spirit of Competition won’t be available in July’s inventory, WoW players should expect it to hit the shelves of the post in August.