Unsettled Mind

Now that the hunt for Lumpy is on, I've been hearing and reading a lot about other collectors trying for this pet on multiple toons and many hoping for it on an alt. That makes sense given that Blizzard recently announced that they plan on making most (if not all) companions Bind on Account. Unfortunately for me, this notion still doesn't ease any anxiety or nervousness about getting this pet.

Although Blizzard has said they plan on making companions BoA in the next expansion, there is no guarantee that this feature will go live. Things could change at any moment between now and the release of MoP, including the implementation (or exclusion) of any new systems/features.

There are also a lot of unknowns, such as what exactly does "Bind on Account" entail? BoA as in bound to all toons in a single Battle.net account? BoA as in only accessible by toons on a server on a single WoW license? What about servers with multiple characters across both factions? Will pets be sharable between them too?

In the end, there are just too many unanswered questions for me to feel as though I can take it easy this holiday season. Not to mention that I'm more of a completionist and would MUCH rather collect any and all pets on a single toon, regardless if the companions become BoA. But as Ritsuka said on the WarcraftPets Forums: "Desperate times." Pretty much sums it up.

Don't get me wrong, I do plan on trying for the pet on multiple toons "just in case", but I will still be pretty disappointed even if I do manage to snag Lumpy on an alt rather than my main. Perhaps I'm just too uncompromising in this sort of situation.

All that said, I'm not exactly feeling that much excitement or enthusiasm about this year's Feast of Winter Veil like I thought I would. I'm actually experiencing a heavy, sinking feeling in my gut that feels more prominent than previous in-game events. It's unclear why this event is so different than others, but it's definitely discouraging to say the least. I'm wondering if it has to do with the repeated exposure to this type of situation during each holiday season.

Normally I give Blizzard the benefit of the doubt and try to maintain an open mind when it comes to their systems and implementation of companions, but I still can't say that I'm for this whole idea of a one chance per day, entirely RNG based, holiday loot bag theme they have going on. I've spoken numerous times about why, so I won't go into detail this time around. Not that it matters much, though, since it doesn't appear that the developers have any plans of changing how this system works.

What would be a lovely holiday surprise would be collectors who were unlucky in finding Lumpy within the Stolen Gift, under the holiday tree at the end of the in-game event. Those that managed to nab the pet would receive an alternate gift instead of Lumpy. This way nearly everyone will get theirs' and all the time and emotions invested in collecting the vanity pet will not have been for naught.

Anyway, there's still hope (there's always hope, even if it's just a glimmer) and there's still lots of time to find that (seemingly very) elusive Lumpy. I just needed to get all of these downer thoughts out before they consume me entirely.