Throughout all of Warlords of Draenor I've been wondering about the whereabouts of the
Thundering Serpent Hatchling.
Originally, guilds could unlock it on the guild vendor after completing the MoP achievement,
Challenge Conquerors: Gold - Guild Edition. However, the achievement was removed once WoD was released, and the pet was relocated to the Black Market Auction House. Or so the Pet Journal claimed.
Not once have I seen the Thundering Serpent Hatchling on the BMAH. Nor has anyone else that I've spoken with. So what gives?
It doesn't appear to be an error on Blizzard's part, as the topic of this pet has been brought to their attention a few times now. Is this pet just
really, really rare. Is it even on the BMAH?
The answer is yes to both of these questions. Probably.
Recently I came across a comment on the
WoW Pet Battle Forums that holds the best explanation as to why we haven't seen the Thundering Serpent Hatchling on the BMAH. It's because it's
not actually physically listed. Instead, it's a possible drop from
Unclaimed Black Market Container.
Talk about an "ah-ha!" moment, and "why didn't I consider that sooner?" lol. This makes the most sense to me, even though the logic behind it boggles my mind.
After researching a bit more into this, it turns out there are different versions of the Unclaimed BMAH Container, yet all named the same thing.
The one that will likely drop the Thundering Serpent Hatchling is the version that was released right after the achievement and pet was removed, in other words at the start of WoD.
How this pet was re-made available in-game is illogical to me, and I think it's fairly obvious why.
RNG #1: There are FOUR different boxes that you could end up buying. So there's no guarantee that you'll even end up with the "right" container that has an actual chance to drop the Thundering Serpent Hatchling. Note: The WoD version of the container is labeled "unique", but so are 2 other boxes. At least it cuts down your chances by one.
RNG #2: Winning the bid on the "right" container"? Good luck with that. Unless you have the time, energy, and gold to stalk the BMAH and win every single one, you'd best do a dance and tribute to the RNG gods.
RNG #3: The loot table is fairly large for any of the containers. It's unclear what the drop rate is on the items, nevermind the pet.
There is just SO MUCH RNG to contend with -- it's ridiculous considering the pet was not difficult to acquire originally. It was just a matter of joining a guild that had the pet unlocked, grinding reputation with them, and then buying the pet off of the guild vendor. Sure, some had to pay a hefty fee to the guild, but after that it was pretty easy to collect.
I suppose Blizzard is attempting to make the pet ultra-rare so those that collected it when it was relevant have a sense of superiority over others that came after. I guess? This just feels wrong, though. It's punishing newer players/collectors, more than it's rewarding veteran players. Something, something catching flies with honey rather than vinegar something, something.
Considering how large the BMAH loot table is, I don't understand why the Thundering Serpent Hatchling isn't just physically listed. It would still remain rare due to the enormous loot rotation, plus the gold tag on it could be made quite large to ensure only those serious about collecting it have a chance at it. There would still be RNG to contend with, but it cuts down a bit AND gives collectors peace of mind.
It would make collectors feel better if the pet was physically placed up on the BMAH, even if most seeking it might not be able to buy it right off the bat. Just
seeing it available, and knowing it's guaranteed to the winner of the bid, is a psychological comfort. Look, it's there, it's not completely out of reach! We wouldn't have to speculate or wonder anymore.
I doubt Blizzard will do anything about the Thundering Serpent Hatchling, although we can hope for a change.
We can point out how silly the relocation of this pet is, since it wasn't all that difficult to get (for most) in the first place. How punishing newer players/collectors doesn't make anyone feel good or superior. And how it would be a comforting change to just see the pet up for sale, instead of fighting RNG (PLUS other players) for a
chance at it. After providing constructive feedback, all we can do it hope that it'll be taken into consideration and something will happen.
In the end, hoping might be in vain though, and it's likely this expansion's Challenge Mode Gold pet,
Deathwatch Hatchling, will follow suit.
So really, don't miss out on the Deathwatch Hatchling. Don't procrastinate collecting it. Seriously. Collect it while it's a straight-forward collectible. Because Blizzard's track record with Challenge Mode pets hasn't been the best or very favorable to collectors, the ones that the pets mean the most to, so far.