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.
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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
Another option would be to make them cageable. That was PvP'ers who don't care for the pets can pop them on the AH for a tidy sum and other collectors can purchase them
ReplyDelete@Raax: I wouldn't mind them being cageable. It may put collectors at a different disadvantage though - PVP'ers pricing the pet way too high. They have the right to do so, but from a collector's point of view, it's just price gouging.
DeleteI agree, these quests require far too much pvp. The really ironic thing is that with this expansion, people who don't like pvp can finally turn it off if they choose. However, if you are a pet collector they are asking for the largest time commitment ever for a pet.
ReplyDelete