BFA adds 27 new wild pets to 6 new Horde and Alliance zones. Many of these pets come in more than one color, so if you're a color-collector (like myself) get ready for some hunting!
Here are examples of the different skins (previews from BFA Beta - things could change prior to release). Warning, image heavy!
Friday, July 27, 2018
Sunday, July 22, 2018
PVP Battle Pet Rewards: Suggestions From A Collector
Let's talk about the new PVP battle pet rewards, shall we? Yes, we're opening that can of worms.
2 sets of Honor rewards already exist: the Dutiful companions and Wyrmtongue pets (both with faction-specific pets). These are awarded upon earning Honor Level 5 and Honor Level 20 respectively.
BFA adds a new set of faction pets to earn from PVP'ing, two crabs, Sir Snips and Bucketshell. You need to reach Honor Level 400 for these new pets.
If the jump from 20 to 400 seems like a massively gigantic one, it's because it is. Even objectively, the number 400 is such a huge leap from 20 (a 380 difference), nevermind how much Honor is involved in that.
Speaking of which, let's explore how much. A player from the Bnet Pet Battle forums did the math, and let's just say it's pretty discouraging from a non-PVP'ers point of view. (note: calculations aren't taking into consideration Honor is account-wide and alts can boost daily earnings)
4.3 years of PVP WQs for one character. I honestly don't even know if World Quests will still be a feature that far down the line.
To be frank, I think it's unreasonable. Disclaimer: I'm biased, and I'm viewing this from a pet collector's and non-PVP'ers point of view.
I'm not saying that battle pet rewards shouldn't be in PVP (or any other non-Pet Battle activity), but that huge gap between the existing PVP rewards and the new ones is inconsistent and excessive. Even the mounts rewarded from the new Honor system don't have such a large jump from goalpost to goalpost. You receive a mount from Honor 15, 40, 70, 125, 150, 250, and 500.
Am I suggesting Blizzard add more battle pets in between to make it similar to the mounts? NO. PLEASE. NO. I'm simply pointing out the ridiculousness of the requirement jump for the battle pets. (The whole "pets = mounts" (which I don't necessarily believe) is an entirely different discussion.)
Why does it matter if it's unreasonable and discouraging? It's pushing away potential participants. Players who feel it's impossible to attain a goal will not take part and/or simply quit. This isn't a threat. It's human nature. It's much easier to press on and continue when the desired outcome feels obtainable.
Collectors want to complete their collection as much as possible. If that's no longer possible due to a reward that's readily in the game, it's incredibly disheartening and makes it that much easier to never get started and/or stop.
Suggestions
Here are a couple of suggestions on how to adjust the PVP rewards in the future. I'd prefer compromises instead of 'all or nothing'. I'm sure there are other ideas that address collectors' concerns as well.
Rotate the rewards after the next PVP season ends. Or even after BFA ends. Place the crab pets at a lower tier in the future.
This was already done with the Dutiful and Wyrmtongue pets at the launch of Patch 8.0 (they were awarded in a different order prior to the pre-patch), which made the later pets more accessible to those that were unable to obtain them previously. It was a very welcome change that did not take anything away from the system. My hope is that Sir Snips and Bucketshell will also be rotated to a (much) lower and more reasonable reward tier. Perhaps Honor 75 or Honor 100.
Actual PVP'ers will get the prestige of owning the newest items first, but others will also get a chance to collect them, even if they have to wait for a while. It won't seem like an impossible feat for non-PVP'ers, and it will give others that aren't hardcore in X-activity a chance too. It won't be as discouraging, and would encourage continual, active participation. Because let's face it, who wants to keep chasing after a carrot if they can't even see the carrot anymore?
Another suggestion is to place "old" PVP season rewards on a vendor, purchasable for Marks of Honor. Nothing is removed, and this would also make room for newer rewards (which I'm sure PVP'ers would appreciate). Give non-PVP'ers a way to earn Marks consistently, and it won't feel like an impossible task.
And yes, players will still need to grind and participate to be eligible for rewards. These suggestions aren't meant to be seen as an "easy win" for anyone. Many collectors are willing to put effort into non-Pet Battle activities, but within reason.
-----------------
TLDR; Pet collectors feel the gap between Honor 20 and Honor 400 for the pets is excessive and unreasonable.
Suggestions on future changes that will not take away rewards, but make seemingly impossible feats more doable:
And I think this goes without saying, but Please. Stop. Adding Battle Pets. As PVP. Rewards. There are other (better) rewards for PVP'ers to show off... that's for another discussion though. :P
2 sets of Honor rewards already exist: the Dutiful companions and Wyrmtongue pets (both with faction-specific pets). These are awarded upon earning Honor Level 5 and Honor Level 20 respectively.
BFA adds a new set of faction pets to earn from PVP'ing, two crabs, Sir Snips and Bucketshell. You need to reach Honor Level 400 for these new pets.
If the jump from 20 to 400 seems like a massively gigantic one, it's because it is. Even objectively, the number 400 is such a huge leap from 20 (a 380 difference), nevermind how much Honor is involved in that.
Speaking of which, let's explore how much. A player from the Bnet Pet Battle forums did the math, and let's just say it's pretty discouraging from a non-PVP'ers point of view. (note: calculations aren't taking into consideration Honor is account-wide and alts can boost daily earnings)
4.3 years of PVP WQs for one character. I honestly don't even know if World Quests will still be a feature that far down the line.
To be frank, I think it's unreasonable. Disclaimer: I'm biased, and I'm viewing this from a pet collector's and non-PVP'ers point of view.
I'm not saying that battle pet rewards shouldn't be in PVP (or any other non-Pet Battle activity), but that huge gap between the existing PVP rewards and the new ones is inconsistent and excessive. Even the mounts rewarded from the new Honor system don't have such a large jump from goalpost to goalpost. You receive a mount from Honor 15, 40, 70, 125, 150, 250, and 500.
Am I suggesting Blizzard add more battle pets in between to make it similar to the mounts? NO. PLEASE. NO. I'm simply pointing out the ridiculousness of the requirement jump for the battle pets. (The whole "pets = mounts" (which I don't necessarily believe) is an entirely different discussion.)
Why does it matter if it's unreasonable and discouraging? It's pushing away potential participants. Players who feel it's impossible to attain a goal will not take part and/or simply quit. This isn't a threat. It's human nature. It's much easier to press on and continue when the desired outcome feels obtainable.
Collectors want to complete their collection as much as possible. If that's no longer possible due to a reward that's readily in the game, it's incredibly disheartening and makes it that much easier to never get started and/or stop.
Suggestions
Here are a couple of suggestions on how to adjust the PVP rewards in the future. I'd prefer compromises instead of 'all or nothing'. I'm sure there are other ideas that address collectors' concerns as well.
Rotate the rewards after the next PVP season ends. Or even after BFA ends. Place the crab pets at a lower tier in the future.
This was already done with the Dutiful and Wyrmtongue pets at the launch of Patch 8.0 (they were awarded in a different order prior to the pre-patch), which made the later pets more accessible to those that were unable to obtain them previously. It was a very welcome change that did not take anything away from the system. My hope is that Sir Snips and Bucketshell will also be rotated to a (much) lower and more reasonable reward tier. Perhaps Honor 75 or Honor 100.
Actual PVP'ers will get the prestige of owning the newest items first, but others will also get a chance to collect them, even if they have to wait for a while. It won't seem like an impossible feat for non-PVP'ers, and it will give others that aren't hardcore in X-activity a chance too. It won't be as discouraging, and would encourage continual, active participation. Because let's face it, who wants to keep chasing after a carrot if they can't even see the carrot anymore?
Another suggestion is to place "old" PVP season rewards on a vendor, purchasable for Marks of Honor. Nothing is removed, and this would also make room for newer rewards (which I'm sure PVP'ers would appreciate). Give non-PVP'ers a way to earn Marks consistently, and it won't feel like an impossible task.
And yes, players will still need to grind and participate to be eligible for rewards. These suggestions aren't meant to be seen as an "easy win" for anyone. Many collectors are willing to put effort into non-Pet Battle activities, but within reason.
-----------------
TLDR; Pet collectors feel the gap between Honor 20 and Honor 400 for the pets is excessive and unreasonable.
Suggestions on future changes that will not take away rewards, but make seemingly impossible feats more doable:
1. Rotate the rewards so that the crab pets appear at a lower tier in future PVP seasons (or at the end of the expansion).
or
2. Once the PVP season ends, take existing rewards and place them on a vendor for Marks of Honor. Add a way for non-PVP'ers to earn Marks. Add new rewards to earn for active PVP'ers.
And I think this goes without saying, but Please. Stop. Adding Battle Pets. As PVP. Rewards. There are other (better) rewards for PVP'ers to show off... that's for another discussion though. :P
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Patch 8.0 - Miscellaneous Notes & Known Issues
Patch 8.0 this week! Pet Battle patch notes can be found here.
Miscellaneous changes/updates and known issues:
- Recruit-A-Friend system was updated. Adjusted requirements and a more streamlined process. Updated guide on RAF'ing yourself for the pets.
- Vendor that sells the PVP pet rewards was not updated for Patch 8.0. After earning the Dutiful and Wyrmtongue companions on one faction, you should be able to purchase the other faction's pet. However, the vendor still lists previous-patch Prestige requirements instead of the new Honor Level achievements. Hopefully Blizzard sorts that out soon.
- 'Polymorphed wild pets' trick possibly nerfed in 8.0. These wild pets show up as the polymorphed version in the Pet Journal, but appear as the normal (actual) pet when summoned.
- Brutus, Rooter, and Thundering Serpent Hatchling not showing up properly even if collected when re-importing collection to WarcraftPets (resulting in an incorrect total number of unique pets collected).
- Those that completed the Uuna storyline will notice that she's missing her flower crown, wand, and teddy bear when summoned. She still has her flower crown when viewed in the Pet Journal, but that's it.
- The original "shiny" Mountain Cottontail turned into a color-changer in 8.0 instead of using the golden bunny skin. It doesn't seem to use the gold skin in its rotation, despite it appearing with it in the Pet Journal. The new silver-shiny Mountain Cottontail remains unchanged.
- Some players are experiencing bugs while in-game and attempting to Pet Battle. Issues range from, but are not limited to, not being able to swap pets in and out of the active team, "locked" Pet Battles despite only one WoW account on the Bnet account, to unable to initiate a pet encounter.
That's it for now. Will add to this list if anything else pops up.
Miscellaneous changes/updates and known issues:
- Recruit-A-Friend system was updated. Adjusted requirements and a more streamlined process. Updated guide on RAF'ing yourself for the pets.
- Vendor that sells the PVP pet rewards was not updated for Patch 8.0. After earning the Dutiful and Wyrmtongue companions on one faction, you should be able to purchase the other faction's pet. However, the vendor still lists previous-patch Prestige requirements instead of the new Honor Level achievements. Hopefully Blizzard sorts that out soon.
Update: Appears to be fixed. Eligible players should be able to purchase the pets from Captain Roberts (A) and Sarah the Savage (H).
- 'Polymorphed wild pets' trick possibly nerfed in 8.0. These wild pets show up as the polymorphed version in the Pet Journal, but appear as the normal (actual) pet when summoned.
Update: Does not seem to work anymore, even on freshly polymorphed wild pets post-patch.
- Brutus, Rooter, and Thundering Serpent Hatchling not showing up properly even if collected when re-importing collection to WarcraftPets (resulting in an incorrect total number of unique pets collected).
Update: It looks like this issue is being resolved for a few. Some may still see an incorrect total pets collected. Hopefully a full fix will come in a day or two.
- Those that completed the Uuna storyline will notice that she's missing her flower crown, wand, and teddy bear when summoned. She still has her flower crown when viewed in the Pet Journal, but that's it.
Update: Known issue, developers are investigating.
- The original "shiny" Mountain Cottontail turned into a color-changer in 8.0 instead of using the golden bunny skin. It doesn't seem to use the gold skin in its rotation, despite it appearing with it in the Pet Journal. The new silver-shiny Mountain Cottontail remains unchanged.
- Some players are experiencing bugs while in-game and attempting to Pet Battle. Issues range from, but are not limited to, not being able to swap pets in and out of the active team, "locked" Pet Battles despite only one WoW account on the Bnet account, to unable to initiate a pet encounter.
Update: Outdated Pet Battle addons are likely the cause. Either disable or update your addons and try to Pet Battle again.
That's it for now. Will add to this list if anything else pops up.
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