i lost count of the days after about the first 5, and i had to keep going back to my older entries to figure out what attempt number i was on. they say hope for the best, prepare for the worst right? i didn't even bother hoping after a while. i lost hope after about my 6th or 7th attempt. queuing for ahune became more of a routine rather than an act of enjoyment or anticipation. to be honest, i'm quite surprised that i even managed to get the companion.
anyway, here are the major points that i'd like to make about the new loot bag system:
1.) it puts an unneeded and an undesirable amount of stress and pressure on collectors. we're battling RNG, time, AND the possibility of the holiday pets being removed (either permanently or temporarily).in conclusion: despite all my gripes, the new dungeon system is actually pretty sweet. i like the fact that you don't have to clear most of the instance to reach the seasonal boss. it makes it very convenient when you can just be teleported straight in.
2.) the drop rate could have been much higher to account for a limited number of attempts.
3.) the pet could have dropped or been bought from multiple sources, giving those who don't have the luxury to make all 15 attempts a higher chance to score a pet of their own.
4.) the limited number of attempts may keep the frigid frostling a "rare" item, however the way it's obtained makes it VERY unfair to many players. examples: those who can't play every single day, those who had to miss out on a few chances due to RL, those who aren't level 78+, etc. let's not forget those on the servers who were FORCED to miss out on an attempt since blizzard performed a 24 hour maintenance day during the event.
5.) the new loot bag system does help to prevent "ninja-ing" in pugs, and let's face it, some people have no choice but to pug. yet this system craps on those who DO have the resources to "farm" for an item. i feel as if i'm being punished for having friends, being social, and being an avid WoW player with many alts.
6.) nevermind if you are very determined or hardworking. the new system doesn't take any of this into account and instead rewards based on dumb blind luck. those who desire the pet and would be 100% willing to go the extra mile don't even get the chance. because, yenno... time, energy, and effort shouldn't be reward, right? instead pet collectors have had to watch the companion go to those who may already have it or don't even want it. it's a terrible feeling seeing something that you desire so much go to someone who doesn't even bat an eyelash upon receiving it.
7.) many collectors actually had the pet drop on their alts, but would have much preferred to have it on their main collecting toon. the pet could have been made into an account bound item so that collections aren't broken up across different characters. (of course, this would mean those who have many alts have a much higher chance at obtaining the pet than those who only have one high level toon. but again, time and effort would be rewarded, and in this case time and effort went into leveling many alts as well as taking each one through the seasonal instance to try for the pet.) or pet collections could be made available across toons on a single server.
8.) in no way was this "fun" for me, and in game holidays should be fun, carefree, and enjoyable. blizzard definitely dropped the ball in this instance.
however, i still DO NOT want to see anymore pets added into the game under the new loot bag system. not unless there are some changes made to make it less of a chore/pain for collectors and more fair for players in general. this was a terrible case of planning and foresight (or lack thereof) on blizzard's part imho.
the loot bag idea gets one giant thumbs down from me. and while the frigid frostling is indeed a very cool pet that has an awesome animation, there won't be any "fond" or sentimental memories attached with this companion. each time i summon him, it will only serve as a reminder of the in-game festival and seasonal loot changes that nearly ruined collecting for me.
