N'Zoth Assaults - How Many Attempts Per Year?

I was curious how many chances we get at the drops from the 8.3 N'Zoth Invasion content per year, so I created a Google Calendar thing to figure out some estimates. Here are the results.

With the Black Empire Uldum assault starting on the first Tuesday of the year (NA region), and if using only 1 toon:

► Approx. 182 attempts for K'uddly & Corrupted Tentacle

► Approx. 183 days for Wicked Lurker

Can't really figure out how many attempts since it's random whether or not the rare that drops this pet will spawn.

► Approx. 104 OR 105 attempts for Rotbreath & Aqir Tunneler

The number varies slightly because it depends on which Minor Uldum assault starts at the beginning of every other week (Aqir or Amathet). For this year (2020 and includes first few days of 2021) it's roughly 104 attempts.

I'm not listing the Minor Vale assaults since there aren't any pets that drop from those, but if you're curious about other drops from those two events, it's about the same as the Minor Uldum assaults listed above.

For me, this puts a year into some perspective. It may feel long sometimes, but there aren't actually that many days. Life is short. We're prisoners of our own time/making. Existential crisis, yikes?

Anyway, with a low drop rate and only so many chances per year it's no wonder that a pet collector's only options are to either use A LOT of alts for additional attempts per day, or buy/trade the pets. A third option is to just keep playing for however long it takes to see the pet drop. I'm not a statistics major so I can't calculate how long, but Wowhead currently lists the drop rates as follows.

• K'uddly - 2.1% chance
• Corrupted Tentacle - 2.38% chance
• Wicked Lurker - 1.98% chance
• Rotbreath - 2.76% chance
• Aqir Tunneler - 0.97% chance

RNG is RNG though. I received the Wicked Lurker before the Corrupted Tentacle, despite the latter having a higher estimated drop rate. Experiences will vary, of course.

I don't know how I feel about this information. It's kind of grim, to be honest. I'm fortunate that I have time to get multiple alts attempting for the pets, plus my OH who is also able and willing to try for me. But for someone that doesn't have the time and can only use 1 toon... oof. I feel for them. This 8.3 experience is probably not very fun if all they're doing it for is the pets.

At the moment it almost feels as if it's designed with players like myself in mind - those with lots of alts to use. I mean, that's how you fight RNG, right? Just roll the dice more and more? But how do you keep players playing if their army of alts makes (relatively) quick work of the RNG? Just make the events limited on top of the already low drop rate (and random spawn in the case of Wicked Lurker's rare). In other words layered RNG.

I wish there was a better implementation of this type of content. There has to be a compromise somewhere so that both designers and players are content with the results. It feels unnecessarily unfair.

Giving Up On A Goal

After much consideration, I think I've finally decided to not actively seek out battle pets that have multiple skins that are not wild.

This decision doesn't come easily; the collector and semi-completionist in me is cringing and not happy. I do enjoy the different appearances, but I don't think I can stomach the difficulties of trying to obtain non-wild pets of different colors anymore.

I've already written a lengthy feedback post on the official Bnet Pet Battle forums, detailing why it feels horrible as a collector faced with collecting non-wild pets with multiple skins. On top of the RNG involved and lack of (good) in-game preview tools of caged battle pets for sale, there's also a notable lack of player agency involved.

Let's compare examples of a pet that has player agency vs. one that has little to none. OOX-35/MG is an 8.2 pet that can only drop on days that a daily is active on Mechagon. Meanwhile, Glittering Diamondshell is an 8.2 pet that drops from a rarespawn on Nazjatar. The former can come in 4 different colors, and the latter has 5 skins.

I already have all versions of OOX-35/MG - why? Player agency. The only RNG I had to contend with was the randomness associated with which skin I received after adding the pet to my Pet Journal. I was largely in control of the whole process of collecting this pet. (It could be argued that there's also RNG regarding when the daily will pop up, but I see that as an 'eventuality' rather than completely random.) I did not mind collecting this pet and its multiple colors. It took time, but it didn't feel bad.

The Glittering Diamondshell, on the other hand, drops off a rarespawn that can appear in multiple locations. That's RNG #1; just finding the mob. It's respawn timer, if it's like any of the other 8.2 rares, is between 1 and 1.5 hours. RNG #2; period of time that's somewhat, but not entirely predictable. The battle pet that drops is not guaranteed. RNG #3; purely chance to receive the pet. And last but not least, the skin that you learn is random. RNG #4; no control over whether or not you receive a duplicate color or one that you need/want. All four factors combined makes for a very, very frustrating and discouraging experience. If you take into consideration breed (many dropped pets come in a variety of breeds as well), it's even more demoralizing.

To spare myself the heartache and disappointment, I've decided not to concern myself with dropped pet colors anymore. I could buy them from the AH, but as I explained in my long Bnet post, it's difficult to preview caged pets since the in-game tool currently only shows the default color.

It's tough for me to let go of something that I've been so consistent with throughout my WoW career - collecting all battle pet skins. But without player agency or the tools necessary to collect efficiently, I just can't swallow all of the layered RNG. I'm throwing in the towel. Giving up. The RNG and lack of player agency killed my drive to continue. So I'm done with that goal/challenge. Collect one of whatever pet it is, and then move on.

In my post that I linked above, I offer up some suggestions. Non-wild pets as color-changers, better in-game preview tool, or implementing different skins as separate pets altogether. I don't know how reasonable or practical any of my ideas are, but they're better than the current state of things (IMO).

On the bright side, I will continue to hunt for wild pets that have multiple colors. The RNG is still there, yes, but unlike dropped pets, I have more control over what, when, how, where I battle and search for wild pets. Randomness isn't overwhelming and I can actually feel like I'm making progress.

As I've mentioned before, the carrot at the end of the stick can only be enticing if you can actually see it.

End of Year Thoughts

Normally I'd try to go into the New Year hopeful for the upcoming year. Unfortunately, I don't think I can force myself to be positive this time around. Apologies if that's what you've come to expect from me. Upbeat and optimistic - really can't pretend to be that for anyone right now.


2018 was miserable for me personally and IRL (and it still is, even on the eve of 2019), and I have to admit it was pretty discouraging in terms of pet collecting. I'm definitely grateful for all of the new pets implemented; lots of fun and interesting ones to collect. But the negatives outweighed the positives in BFA, so it was difficult, and often impossible, to ignore or overlook the frustrations of collecting.

To be completely frank, it feels as if BFA has killed my desire to pet collect. I think it's a lot of little unfavorable factors in this expansion compounded onto each other that's led to this feeling. Mainly the loss of player agency, the ever-moving goalpost being pushed so far out that you're not even sure where to aim anymore, and the overwhelming sense that it doesn't actually have to be this way... but it is. Because money and the game-ifying of gamers.

I won't speculate how things are run or why certain decisions are made. Let's just say that I don't agree with a lot of the design choices in BFA so far. This is just my two cents, but instead of enticing and keeping many in the game, it's actually pushed many away. Many collectors have simply quit. Some have continued to stick it out. BFA is not an overwhelming success story in regards to satisfying collectors, in my opinion.

It wasn't all bad though. BFA was the second largest influx of battle pets at the release of an expansion, coming in behind only MoP. Some pets had some interesting stories, while others felt engaging enough despite being tedious or annoying to collect.

My desire to create content for my blog has dwindled, unfortunately. Maybe my enthusiasm has waned? Time has been an issue, and a lot of the time I'm basically writing duplicate things for WarcraftPets and my pet collecting blog. So there's also that. I don't blame this on BFA though. My slowdown probably started in Legion, although it wasn't as bad as it is now. If you followed for content, apologies. All I can recommend is to keep up with WarcraftPets for pretty much the same content, with less of a personal touch.

I still have opinions about all things battle pet and Pet Battle related. Less of a desire to share or explain them though. Feels like a lot of it just falls on deaf ears, and much of it are thoughts and opinions that I've held for years.

And I still enjoy my little companion friends, and I have a handful that I especially like to have at my side while adventuring in-game. Regardless, I'm finding it harder and harder to motivate myself to collect. Again, you can only entice people with a carrot on a stick if they can actually see the carrot.

Too much hyperbole and "feelings"? Oh well. Can't say I'm in the right mood or mind to argue or convince anyone of anything. So whatever. Agree to disagree and leave it at that.


(To be fair, I rolled 2 other times for his responses. Both results were just as negative, except they didn't really answer the question properly.)
Goodbye 2018. You sucked. Hard. And I really don't have much, if any, hope for 2019. I genuinely feel that it's going to get much worse before it gets better.

I don't plan on quitting pet collecting any time soon. Just... I don't know. Blah. Perhaps I'm merely projecting my unhappy RL onto my gaming life. Or maybe it's a reflection of each other. I don't know.

All the best to everyone else though. If you have hope and motivation, hang onto that. Keep collecting if you can and if it still brings you pleasure. Something, something... have a safe and happy New Year.

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:

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

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

UPDATE: A hotfix was released so battlers can once again use both treats simultaneously. Yay for stacking battle pet experience buffs!

@WarcraftDevs: "We've just applied a hotfix that should make it possible for you to again feed your pet both a hot dog and a hamburger, as nature intended."

----------------------------------------

A changed was noticed yesterday regarding pet treats.

Normally, battlers can use one Lesser Pet Treat with one Pet Treat for an additional experience boost. However, as of yesterday afternoon this is no longer the case. The treats do not stack at all (and there's been one report of the buff being removed from the character completely upon logging out and back in).

Because treat stacking (just one 25% + one 50% though) has been around since MoP, many wondered if this change was just a bug.

It turns out that someone discovered a way to stack the 50% treat all the way up to 1000% and then published this exploit online. (Won't name who or the site, as I don't want to promote it - if you're that curious, it's not that hard to find.) While one treat stacked with one other type was tolerated by developers, stacking so high was undeniably excessive and understandably worrying. So it would seem this nerf was a quick way to stomp out that particular unintended usage of treats.

This is a disheartening blow to battlers, especially during this Pet Battle Bonus Event week. Squirt will be making an appearance for NA on October 16th and many were looking forward to leveling lots of pets. Don't get me wrong, the Squirt method of pet leveling is still completely viable, but the experience gain won't be as lucrative as it would have been with one 25% treat stacked with one 50% treat. It just feels bad; it took but one person to ruin it for everyone else. :(

Another thing that I found notable that came up during the treat discussion - Lesser Pet Treats are now much less desirable and usable since they no longer stack with the better ones. I mean, if you can only have one experience boost buff, why choose the lower one when a higher one is available?

The Lesser treats drop pretty regularly from the Zookeeper shoulder enchant, which is great for newer battlers who have little to no access to the better treats. But for those that stocked up Lesser treats for the sole purpose of combining with the 50% one, perhaps an exchange rate at the pet vendor should be put into place. Hand in a few 25% treats for one 50% treat, so yenno, all of those Lesser ones don't just go to waste.

This bandaid fix for the exploit was extremely unexpected and sudden - it's unfortunate and feels rather unfair for those that were not exploiting and simply using a mechanic that has been around for as long as two types of treats have been in-game. Hopefully we see a better solution soon and battlers will be able to use both treats simultaneously again. Or something else is introduced as compromise.

Lament of a Non-PVPer - Brainstorming Ideas For More Accessible PVP Pets

Lately I've been diligently completing the PVP tower WQs on my main (alliance) and an alt (horde). But this hasn't always been the case -- I admit that up until this point, I haven't been keeping up with the PVP WQs. Like at all. And I fully recognize that it's because of my own laziness and aversion to anything PVP-related that I'm so behind on Prestige ranks (barely halfway to Prestige 2 on my alliance, and a little further on my horde).

I also realize that it's kind of silly to be so against Honor grinding this expansion when PVP tower WQs are available. They're more PVE than PVP. BUT! I must mention that I HAVE had someone of the opposite faction try to kill me at one of the PVP towers. Luckily I was on my Druid so it was fairly easy to run away. I couldn't go back to finish that WQ for a few hours though, for fear of being drawn into actual PVP again. And the free-for-all WQs? I don't even try.


Alliance Enthusiast - reward from Prestige rank 1
Anyway, all of this has made me realize how demoralizing this grind is. The desired end goal of this grind (Prestige 7 for the Dutiful Squire and Dutiful Gruntling) seems SO very far away for a non-PVPer that's lagging behind.

The end of Legion is probably still a ways off, but there's still some anxiety/panic for me when it comes to these PVP pets. So far, developers have offered up zero information on whether or not the current Prestige rewards will be available after this expansion ends and the next expansion begins.

Expansion-exclusive rewards would mean there's only so much time left to grind your face off to reach desired ranks. Added pressure of a deadline makes it even less enjoyable, especially for someone like me who didn't like this task to begin with.

What could developers do to make the PVP pets more accessible as we get later and later into Legion? Or even possibly after Legion? I took to Twitter and brainstormed a little with a couple of others!

• Reduce amount of Honor required for each Prestige rank
  

  I believe they did this for Prestige 1, but the others were increased. To make it take less time before the expansion ends, I think reducing the Honor required to reach each rank would help a lot.

• Change requirements for PVP pets completely (not Legion-Prestige related) and make them available on a vendor
  

  Currently the pets are tied to Prestige 1 and 7, but what if the requirements were changed? Maybe complete a new quest? Or new achievement? And then you're allowed to purchase the pets off a vendor.

• Make the pets cageable (I'm not a fan of this one in this specific situation)
  

  The reason why I'm not a fan of these pets being cageable is because developers seem to WANT them to be exclusive, and WANT us to participate in a specific activity to earn them. Cageable would go against that design philosophy.

• Increase Honor gain (suggested by @noeldillabough)
  

  Increased Honor earned from simple PVP-related tasks would help a bunch. Coupled with lowered required Honor to reach each rank, would make the race to collect these pets before the end of the expansion less stressful.

• Purchasable for Marks of Honor (and possibly a next expac-Prestige rank requirement? preferably reasonably low rank :P) (suggested by @liopleurodonic)
  

  This one seems most likely to happen -- remove the Legion-Prestige rewards, but you can still collect them by reaching X Prestige in the next expansion, and if you have enough Marks of Honor you can buy them using that currency. My concern is whether or not Marks of Honor will be reasonably collectible by non-PVPers like myself, and IF they attach a Prestige requirement to this, whether or not there will be a more "PVE" option to earn Honor like the PVP towers in Legion.

Those are just a few ideas on what could be implemented as either a catch-up mechanic or new method of collecting these pets. I'm sure there are many other good ideas out there. Who knows? Maybe developers already have something in store for us in the future.

Bottom line for me -- This grind is very discouraging and I sincerely hope there's a plan going forward to help PVP noobs like me, and to make sure the rewards are more accessible late in the expansion.

I'm doing the PVP tower WQs daily on two characters, not even Prestige rank 2 on either toon yet, and the end seems so far away. Add to that I Just. Don't. Know. How much time I have left to reach Prestige rank 7 before the end of the expansion and possibly the removal of the Prestige rewards.

If there's no time limit and the rewards will be available indefinitely, great! It won't be as nerve-wracking of a grind and maybe a catch-up mechanic won't be necessary.

But without having confirmation of one way or another....talk about a stressful endeavor. =\

Edit: Thanks to @Evolyn_Warcraft, here's a handy chart breaking down Honor earned and how much it will take to reach Prestige 7.

@perksnpeeves A draft of the total time it takes to get a WoW PvP pet:

(139 days, 1 hour, every day, rough estimate) pic.twitter.com/Dk52k5ku1h

— 🌿 Evolyn 🌿 (@Evolyn_Warcraft) June 25, 2017

According to this, at the current rate I'm going (3 PVP towers a day which equals to 1035 Honor/day - using a Guild Battle Standard) it will take me approximately 339 days to reach Prestige 7, minus 1.5 Prestige ranks and give or take a few days.

That's almost an entire year.

If (and that's a big 'if' since there's no official word) these Prestige rewards are going away at the end of Legion and there are no catch-up mechanics or changes.... then I hope this expansion has more than a year left to go. T_T

Activity-Exclusive Pets In Legion

A late addition was added to the 7.2.5 PTR. With the patch set to release next week, this pet really seems more like an afterthought than a well-thought out and planned reward.

The pet, Micronax, is earned by completing the meta-achievement Glory of the Tomb Raider. This achievement can only be done in Normal mode or higher. The pet is BoP and not cageable.

Needless to say, some pet collectors are not all that enthusiastic about this. Myself included; it really saddens me to see the community divided and/or feeling upset over how a pet is implemented.

This has been a long-time coming, but I think it's time to address the seeming trend in Legion. Activity-exclusive battle pets.

The direction of pets becoming more and more exclusive to a specific activity, with no other recourse other than to do said activity, is becoming exhausting and discouraging. It feels as if a certain balance between multiple gameplay factors has been lost or abandoned, and things are becoming too extreme.

Why is Micronax and the achievement it's tied to so disliked by some in the pet collecting community? What makes this situation any different from other achievement pets?

Micronax pushes the boundary of what collectors need to do to fulfill their style of gameplay. It's the FIRST pet reward from a raid meta-achievement. The closest exclusive pet from a group-achievement is Lagan. Even that pet was somewhat crossing the line for a few collectors, as it required the help of 4 other players in a Mythic dungeon. Many see Pet Battles and pet collecting as more of a "solo" and "casual" style of play. And Lagan put collectors in a position where they had to travel outside of that preferred style.

However, other achievement pets fit more inline with solo-gameplay. Zoom, for example, is a from a quirky achievement that can be completed alone OR with others.

The upcoming Micronax cannot be earned alone, at least for a few expansions. There's no option but to either wait that long or do the achievement yourself.

More and more collectors are feeling pushed out/away from their preferred gameplay because of the extreme and exclusive direction Blizzard is taking with pets. Pets seem to be treated more like any other reward in Legion, rather than a mini-game localized to itself.

It's understandable that the developers want to encourage everyone to try new aspects of the game, but for a collector, Legion is starting to feel more like mandatory participation and not so much like encouragement.

I've heard multiple times throughout the community a growing sentiment that Blizzard would much rather push players into activities they may not wanted to participate in, instead of maintaining pet collecting. They feel coerced and forced into parts of the game when all they would like to do is collect pets/play solo.

For collectors, the pet IS the game, the goal, the activity. To gate this gameplay behind another activity that's completely unrelated...it's only a matter of time before it's just too demoralizing to continue. As Liopleurodonic once said, "...it's a lot easier to stay motivated when completion is an attainable goal."

I was really hoping that Micronax would be tied to the Glory achievement, but not directly like the title. My hope was that it would be similar to the MoP and WoD Challenge Mode pets, and collectors would be able to find a pet-friendly guild should they be unable to or unwilling to complete the achievement themselves. This would give collectors options, something that seems to be missing these days.

I think this is one of the reasons why collectors are starting to feel more alienated. The options are disappearing, and the number of pets in Legion where there's only one way to collect a pet is growing.

It's getting overwhelming. The carrot being so far away has left some collectors feeling like there's no point, no hope, not doable, why bother.

Do I think it's ok to have some exclusive pets? Sure. Some variation is nice and probably healthy for the game.

But I think there needs to be a balance with exclusive pets. Maybe make them tradeable or cageable in the future. Maybe add them to a number of different exclusive sources. Even better yet, keep the number of exclusive pets to a minimum, while providing an abundant number of pets readily available for all collectors.

Balance. Options. These would make situations like Micronax, the class exclusive pets, the PVP pets, feel better for many collectors. Sometimes that's what people need - even if it's all in their head, you can't understate how important it is to FEEL positive/hopeful about something.

Balance the RNG better with other factors. Requirements should be reasonable (as subjective as that is). Give collectors different ways to collect pets. Keep the number of exclusive pets small, allowing collectors to feel that there's much more they can actually accomplish rather than not.

I recognize that much of this post is entirely subjective. How one person views pet collecting in Legion may not be the same as how someone else sees it. My thoughts may not accurately reflect that of the entire community. I am merely pointing out my observations and thoughts on this matter.

My personal feelings about Micronax and similar activity-exclusive pets are more ambivalent. Part of me is not happy but is willing to accept it. Part of me is hopeful that there will be changes made along the way to help out collectors (pets changed to BoE and/or cageable). And part of me is deeply invested in the community and wants to see collectors happy and excited about a new pet, not upset and disappointed.

We, as pet collectors, need to admit and accept that the pet collecting environment is probably changing. Perhaps exclusive pets are just how things will be from here on out. Pets may not be just for Pet Battles anymore, and we may see more pets added as mere rewards for various activities.

We must consider that developers might be looking at a bigger picture, and these exclusive pets are intended as long-term gameplay. Content that doesn't have to be completed right away, and it's something that's perfect when there's not much else going on later down the line. It's also possible that they have plans for the future to make exclusive pets less exclusive and more inclusive.

However, I still hope that developers will acknowledge that some pet collectors are feeling very discouraged and alienated. That there's ongoing sentiment that pets are being used to force players into different aspects of the game, rather than in an already established mini-game. And that Blizzard will take all of this into consideration and possibly address these issues going forward with pets that are implemented in a more thoughtful and collector-friendly way.

Class Pets: I'm Taking a Step Back

I believe I'm done. Done with responding or adding my two cents into conversations about the upcoming 7.2 class pets. It's just put too much of a strain on me emotionally.

I think I was done as soon as is started. When it was revealed how the DK and Monk pets would be earned, I had a very distinct sinking feeling in my stomach. No, no, no, my gut told me. This will not go over well.

The extreme way these pets will be obtained is causing an equally extreme response from the community. Those against it, they're upset because of the various reasons they're against it. Those for it, they're pushing back against those that oppose it because they think it's ridiculous to have issue with this situation. Middle-grounders and those trying to seek a balance between two sides are largely drowned out, not present, or dismissed.

As I stated on Twitter earlier, I'm disillusioned with these pets. To be entirely honest, I'm quite bitter towards Blizzard for implementing them in the first place, as it's caused a divide within the pet collecting community. In all my years volunteering for WarcraftPets, I don't think I've seen such a divisive topic as class pets (specifically the ones coming in 7.2).

I'm not expecting everyone to get along and agree with everyone else all the time. But these pets have caused any sense of civility and community to fly out the window, and it's very much an "us vs. them" type of scenario. And both sides consider the other wrong. One side is dismissive and considers the other as being entitled and merely complaining. The other side is angry (understandably so) and cannot fathom the (valid) points made by the other.

It's (excuse my french) a shit show.

What was my hope to involve myself in these discussions about the DK/Monk class pets? To shed some light and perspective for those that don't understand why others are upset. Those unaffected have nothing to fear or worry about, therefore there's really nothing to discuss from their point of view. But if we're to maintain a healthy community, I believe we need to consider the less fortunate. Empathy and empathizing goes a very, very long way.

As I mentioned before, whether Blizzard decides to change how these pets will be collected or keep them as they are now, it will not impact me much. I'm lucky to be part of the fortunate. But that doesn't prevent me from understanding why those, who feel they WILL be negatively impacted, see this as poor design.

I can also understand why the other side is ok with these pets, and even possibly why developers would want to implement collectibles like this.

But when it comes down to it, I think those that feel these pets will have an adverse effect on their gaming experience need to have their concerns addressed. They, in my eyes, are the little guy. And the big guys should stand up for the little guys (while not neglecting the big guys' desires/outlook).

So I advocated for a compromise. One that wouldn't take away from the intended overall experience, but one that would concede to those that are against these pets that it could be a bit more reasonable.

The compromise: Everything would stay the same, but the requirement to learn all traits post-empowerment would be removed. That's it.

The intent is to ensure those that want the challenge (and/or to feel special for a time) will still get it for the most part, and those that felt it was originally impossible to even strive for, may not be as discouraged and come to think it's not as out of reach as they initially thought.

But it's a minefield, and each side (mainly the side that's for the pets) is very much stuck in their beliefs. It's impossible to get across that a compromise as light as this would address both parties.

There's a serious lack of empathy involved from many that are vocal about supporting the design choice regarding these pets. I could say the same about the side that's voiced opposition, however I've read many responses that state that they're not looking for an overhaul of the entire collecting process, just a small concession.

I've yet to come across a response in support of the class pets, that acknowledges there are players whose gameplay experience will be negatively affected and to help with this, there's room for a reasonable change. I've yet to read a response from a supported of these pets that has a tone other than dismissive.

You're selfish for feeling the way you do.
You're entitled.
Stop complaining and whining.
You won't get to participate, get over it.
It's not that bad, do it later.

And so on.

We get to see the true colors of the community, I guess. Which makes me incredibly demoralized.

So I'm going to just stand by and watch and wait and see what happens. I think I've said all that I can to provide perspective. In the end my point of view really doesn't matter.

Blah, blah, blah. Overreacting. So melodramatic. Etc. Spin this situation however you want. It will not take away from the fact that some collectors feel very strongly about all of this, and to dismiss or ignore them would be a disservice by Blizzard.

Updates and Additional Thoughts on 7.2 Class Pets - At a Loss

UPDATE: Thanks to Adumbledore, there's now a DK/Monk pets feedback thread on the US Bnet 7.2 PTR forums.

Whether you're for or against these upcoming class pets, feel free to leave your feedback. Keep in mind that feedback will be better received and taken seriously if it's constructive, respectful, and on-topic.

------------------------------

This week's PTR build added in the Death Knight and Monk class pets. To put it bluntly: I am not looking forward to these pets in their current iteration.

Disclaimer: I'm aware that this is the PTR and things could still change. Nothing is set in stone yet. I'm desperately hoping things will change for the better, and class pets will be implemented in a more collector-friendly manner. At the same time, I'm a pessimist at heart. So... there's that.

Both the DK and Monk pets are purchasable from Class Hall vendors. Each pet costs 10k Order Hall Resources each (DK's have 3 pets, so 30k total). BoP and not cageable.

To see the pets on the vendor, you need to complete the class mount questline. To purchase the pets, you need to meet the following requirements:

Death Knight pets (3 whelplings) -

Must empower and fully unlock all artifact weapon traits for each DK spec (Blood, Unholy, Frost). This includes the new traits added in 7.2. Each pet requires the corresponding fully unlocked artifact weapon.

Monk (Ban-Fu, Cub of Ban-Lu) -

Requires the achievement Power Ascended (empower and fully unlock all traits for one Monk artifact weapon).

Note: It's still unclear how the Rogue class pet will be obtained. The PTR Pet Journal still only states "Hall of Shadows". If anyone has a high level Rogue on the PTR and can try/test where Crackers is from, please let me know!


Feels Bad Man
I don't know what to say about these class pets at this point. It seems bonkers that Death Knights must farm artifact power to fully unlock talents for not just one but THREE artifact weapons. It seems a bit unreasonable to require fully unlocking traits for any artifact weapon, if I can be honest.

Sure, Artifact Knowledge is going to increase come 7.2, so each AP token thing will grant more AP per. But it still takes time and energy to go out and collect each token. WQs, dungeons, raids, etc. These activities still all require so much time. Especially for those playing with a time constraint. If DK or Monk aren't main characters, it'll be rough grinding the resources and AP just for the pet(s).

I was going to add arguments and logic to this post about why these pets shouldn't be so heavily gated behind seemingly unreasonable requirements, but I'm tired. Emotionally tired.

Since this PTR cycle started, I've argued for compromise when it comes to class pets. Add more exclusive pets? Ok. But consider the player-base that actually want these pets, and implement the pets in a way that doesn't completely alienate them. No need for "dumbing down" the game, just a few tweaks here and there so collectors don't feel completely discouraged/turned off.

There have been valid issues about class pets post-Legion and come next expansion. DKs and Monk will essentially be trapped in Legion, farming AP and resources in order to buy their class pets. If there's a weapon requirement for these companions, what will happen if we don't get to keep these artifact weapons in the next expansion?

I've discussed on Twitter at length the changing environment that is pet collecting. How once upon a time it was less like a job, and more like a quirky pastime. These days, compounded with the extreme content over-saturation in Legion (and gating and RNG among other things), many collectors seem to be burnt out. Or they've put collecting on hold indefinitely. Would-be collectors simply see it as too daunting of an activity and don't even bother.

The addition of new class pets with stringent requirements doesn't help. Gating these pets behind tasks that have nothing to do with pets or Pet Battles doesn't help.

I feel like I've said as much as I can, as logically and reasonably as possible.

Yet I can't shake the feeling that all that I've said is in vain. Am I simply yelling into the void? Is my point of view that of the majority? Or vocal minority? Have I surrounded myself in an echo chamber, where thoughts and ideas just bounce back without any real discussion? Am I not stating each point well enough? Is my mode for feedback incorrect; should I be directing it elsewhere?

If I'm being unreasonable about my dislike for these upcoming class pets, I'll gladly bite my tongue and back off on the subject. If my suggestions for compromise and not alienating pet collectors are out of line, I won't push the issue further.

The majority of myself feels that my point of view is not irrational though.

And then there's a small part of myself, the devil's advocate, that's insisting that I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. Perhaps it really won't be that bad.

Minus having to level each class that has a class pet.

Oh and having to contend with RNG for some of them.

Plus the gating behind certain Order Hall Advancements.

And can't forget about the steep resource price and artifact weapon requirements coming soon to a Class Hall near you.

Yea, sure. It won't be that bad. (Sorry for the sarcasm, but I feel so passionately about this whole situation that it's slowly turning into a sense of hopelessness/helplessness.)

So I don't know what to think anymore. Self-doubt, inner conflict, plus I'm incredibly discouraged and demoralized about the whole thing.

Do I hope that there's some future yet-to-be announced mechanic that will make collecting these pets viable next expansion and less tedious? Yes, absolutely. Even if there is, does it remove the fact that I still advocate compromise? No. I would still very much like to see these pets implemented in a gentler, more collector-friendly manner for those aiming to collect the pets in current content.

I just don't know what else/what more can I say to get my points across. I'm at a complete loss.

RE: PVP Prestige Battle Pets

UPDATE: Apparently it takes 50k Honor to Prestige each time. Season 2 will likely introduce 5 additional prestige ranks (without removing S1 ranks and rewards).

----------------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday night I started the PVP Honor grind with a few guildmates. To sum up the experience:

• Arenas are not worth it. The Honor earned is just dismal.
• Battlegrounds are a little better (if you win, at least).
• PVP World Quests are the best in terms of Honor and time.

After hours and hours of grinding mainly bgs, I checked my Honor level and it was only 16. I had started the night at level 9. What.

I was incredulous. All of that and I had only earned 7 levels? Needless to say, I then realized that the Grind. Is. Real.

This made me stop and and seriously think about these PVP Prestige battle pets. Not only do I need to grind to Prestige 1, but I need to keep going and max out for this season so that I won't be behind once Season 2 comes out in 7.1. There is a new pet coming in S2 that, as a collector, I need to fulfill my gameplay.

Did I mention that all of this has to be done on Alliance AND Horde? I'll have to endure the grind on not just one character but two, just to collect these pets.

Is this worth it? How will other collectors fair? Why does it have to be this way?

@Spankyhunter @perksnpeeves ... and I think to the average collector the stick is starting to get too long to see the carrot any more

— Wayne Woods (@WayneGWoods) September 26, 2016

After some long and hard contemplation, I'm on the verge of excluding the Prestige pets completely. It pains me to even consider this, but trying out the grind and then realizing just how long of a journey it is (in quite possibly the most uncomfortable part of the game for me)... I just can't think of what my other options are.

At first, when I first heard about the Prestige pet (singular, not plural) I thought I would be ok. Prestige once and then be done, once on Alliance and then Horde - even someone who's as allergic to PVP as can be like me can manage that, right? But with the news of a second pet being introduced next season...that changes things.

It's incredibly disheartening and discouraging. Anxiety-inducing. Almost rage-inducing.

I'm already pretty lucky and have guildmates who will help, but what about collectors that don't have that luxury?

I don't want to over-generalize, but a good portion of the pet collecting community are just not that into PVP. Collecting is largely a solo-form of gameplay and fighting others is generally not necessary. "Care-bear" is thrown around a lot, but really, some just prefer to avoid certain activities that make the game less enjoyable for them. PVP is one of those activities.

It seems unfair to put collectors in this situation where they must choose between their collection (gameplay) and being coerced into a part of the game that they've chosen to largely avoid.

There are some collectors that love PVP, and that's great that they can collect while PVP'ing. But just like them, there are collectors that enjoy raiding, and some that don't. Some that like professions, others less so. Collectors that prefer making gold, and collectors that don't. And so on.

However, unlike every other aspect of the game, the PVP pets are only for those that PVP. There's simply no other way to collect them. Don't want to raid? That's ok, because the raid-dropped pets will be up on the Auction House in time. Same with many other pets that can initially only be obtained from a single source -- they can be traded and/or caged and thusly made available to many types of collectors.

Perhaps Blizzard wanted to put an emphasis on how special PVP is now, and that's why these pets are so exclusive. Raiding? Psh. That's just an everyday thing now, right? Some raiders will have words with you if that's the case.

So this whole PVP thing feels like a mistake. Adding in a reward that many PVP'ers will probably ignore and not benefit from, and placing that reward in an aspect of the game that collectors (that actually want the pet) try to avoid... it feels very underhanded as if something else is at play here. Like maybe WoW has this new shiny Prestige System that Blizzard wants us, everyone, to get into so that it's a HUGE SUCCESS! And what better way, than to add a pet, because you know collectors will flock to it, right?

Sorry for the sarcasm, I'm pretty upset about all of this.

I don't think Blizzard can take back what they've already implemented, nor do I think they want to. But I implore them to consider the following options for future PVP seasons:

1. Don't include a battle pet reward.

2. Include a battle pet reward, but make it tradeable/cageable so PVP'ers AND non-PVP'ers can benefit.

Option #2 seems to be the best of both worlds - you can reward PVP'ers for their efforts (doubly so since they will be able to make a one time profit from selling the pet if they choose to), and collectors that are actively avoiding PVP won't feel forced into an activity that they don't enjoy.

I hope I'm not alone in feeling this way about the Prestige PVP pets. As opposed as I am towards PVP, I'm open to compromise. I'm sure there's a better way to implement these pets without taking away from the PVP community, and simultaneously not excluding the collecting community.

Thoughts On 7.0.3 Menagerie Daily Stealth-Change

I've largely been quiet about the elephant in the room in 7.0.3, but a point was recently made that really resonated with me.

Let's talk about the stealth nerf to the Menagerie daily, shall we?

The Menagerie daily is now account-wide as of the pre-expansion patch. This includes all dailies handed out by the Menagerie NPC (regardless of building level or faction).

With all that's been going on since 7.0.3 dropped (updating the WarcraftPets database, managing my own characters with the talent and spec changes, transmog stuff, etc.), I haven't commented much on the stealth change to the Menagerie daily.

Initially, everyone speculated that being unable to pick up and complete the daily on more than one character was a bug since there was absolutely NO mention in the released patch notes about changes to the daily other than reduced Pet Charm rewards. (Patch notes have since been edited to include the additional daily change.)

It was later revealed on a secondary patch notes page that the daily becoming account-wide was indeed intended. This underhanded ninja nerf is what upset the Pet Battle community more than anything, nevermind the actual change. It was unexpected, initially unannounced, and seemingly uncalled for.

Many can understand why the double nerf (reduced Pet Charm rewards PLUS account-wide Menagerie daily change) was implemented -- the garrison was just too strong. Those with multiple characters reaped what could be considered an excessive amount of rewards over the span of WoD, and these changes were made primarily to dissuade players from camping their garrisons in Legion. I strongly believe that the target audience for these nerfs are veterans of not just the game, but also veteran Pet Battlers with multiple characters.

One thing Blizzard didn't consider, however, is how this would affect newer players and those just starting to hop into Pet Battles. This double whammy impacts their impression of Pet Battles the most.

Most veterans will have stockpiled enough Pet Charms to last for quite a while in Legion, so it's really no skin off their backs. Veterans largely remember what it was like leveling, grinding, and progressing without the luxury of Pet Charms -- it's nothing new for them, it's not a culture-shock.

But noobies, who may have joined later and rely on Pet Charms to level pets and participate in Pet Battles, will now struggle to earn Pet Charms to purchase bandages, pet food, and battlestones until Legion drops. Even in Legion, prior to level 110 there isn't much content for battlers to collect Pet Charms. Going from 100 to 0 can be a huge shock, especially for those who have never known any other style of gameplay other than 'use charms to progress'.

On top of this, many are upset at the fact that their multiple Menageries across multiple characters are now a wasted investment. An account-wide daily means that any building constructed will be largely unusable once you've completed and turned in the daily on your first character for the day. Yes, you can still purchase items and heal at the Menagerie, but I think a large draw for dumping gold into building the lot for many players was the daily, dropped pets, and the Pet Charms. Not so much the vendor.

All of this has caused a stir in the community. An unpleasant stir.

I definitely agree that this should have been handled better. If they had intended to hand out this double nerf from the get-go, it should have been announced prior to 7.0.3 going live so collectors could have a chance to adjust and prepare accordingly. Suddenly logging in to find an unannounced change is completely jarring and it's only understandable that players would have a negative knee-jerk reaction to the unexpected change.

Despite my silence on this topic, it does bother me that the account-wide status of the Menagerie daily went unannounced, and we had to find out about it through some player sleuthing (the change was finally officially noted in a SECOND patch notes page, not the one initially released) rather than a Blizzard representative addressing our questions and concerns.

I'm also bothered by the fact that throughout all of this, there was ZERO compromise on the matter. Just flat nerfs. Yes, I can understand why the changes had to happen, but I don't agree that there was nothing to be done to offset the negative.

This comment is what really sparked my desire to express my 2 cents. It struck me as the perfect compromise that COULD HAVE been included - it would have been the perfect time for it - but wasn't.

A baked in reduced cooldown on the pet revive/heal as a reward would have been a great way to help balance the changes in 7.0.3. With the removal of garrison perks, many other bonuses were baked into gameplay but for some reason the Pet Battle one (reduced revive/heal cooldown while in Draenor) was left out.

I think adding a cooldown reduction (in general, not just for Draenor) as part of a 'you built the Menagerie and upgraded to level 3!' achievement would be a wonderful positive in what has been perceived as an overwhelmingly negative patch for pet battlers/collectors. Would it erase the whole Menagerie daily debacle? No. But it would be a wonderful peace-making gesture.

Overall, I'm going to give Blizzard the benefit of the doubt about all of this. Do I think there was malicious intent? No. Do I think there were oversights and poor communication? Yes. Do I agree with all of the changes? No, not really BUT I can understand why they were necessary adjustments to the game, and have largely accepted them.

Some may not be able to overlook this matter or take it as lightly, and it could turn them off from Pet Battling completely...or for at least a while. (It's hard to say no to cute and cuddly pets...)

So an additional change to give players some kind of compensation for investing in a max level Menagerie (often on multiple characters) would go a long way. The best one that I've seen suggested is definitely the reduced cooldown of the pet revive/heal, for all zones and not exclusively Draenor.

Just my thoughts on this matter. Better late than never, right?

Patch 7.0.3 Pet Battle Bugs

Update: Enchanted Broom issues have been fixed.

Update #2: Thanks to ‏@Aurinya on Twitter for pointing this out to me -- blue post on the German Bnet forums confirming that the Menagerie daily is intended to be account-wide as of 7.0.3.

Google Translate:

"That seems to be currently on the state of affairs . This daily quest is now far account and can be done only on a character , therefore : Unfortunately Absammeln no pet brands .

I can certainly understand that this response is not necessarily desired . Should there be need for discussion on this change , this carries me in the General Forum as a potential discussion there learns a little more attention and is seen by more players."

-------------------------

Patch 7.0.3 has been out for about half a week now and while there are perks, there are definitely some pet peeves.

But let's talk bugs. Or possible bugs.

So far I've heard of 2 issues that Pet Battlers have been experiencing.

1.) Enchanted Broom has decided to go on strike?

No, but some players are finding that they cannot use battlestones on it, and the broom's level appears as zero when summoned. It can still earn experience and battle just fine though.

2.) Menagerie daily...or is it?

There's mounting evidence that Battle Pet Roundup/Scrappin' and Mastering the Menagerie were intended to be changed to account-wide in this patch, however something went wrong, terribly wrong. This has left many players wondering what's bugged and what's intended. Some toons can pick up the daily, some alts can't, some can on some days, other days they can't, etc.

It doesn't help that Blizzard recently changed the daily reset time, 07:00:00 UTC (EU), 15:00:00 UTC (NA, LA, Oceanic).

There hasn't been any official comment from Blizzard on either of these topics. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Make the Mountain Cottontail Great Again

Now that the Patch 7.0.3 dust has settled a little (so many changes - love the Wardrobe system, can't praise it enough), I'd like to take a moment and mourn the loss of the beloved 'glossy-skin' Mountain Cottontail (pre-7.0.3 version pictured above).

In this pre-expansion patch a few pet models received updates to make them look fluffier and less jagged.

The bunny/rabbit model was included in the model updates, but an unfortunate side-effect is that although the Mountain Cottontail appears with a BRAND NEW SHINY-GOLD SKIN (omg!) in the Pet Journal (see image below), it does not retain that appearance when summoned out or in a battle.


If you collected a 'shiny' Mountain Cottontail before 7.0.3, you'll find that your bunny friend has turned into a color-changer. When summoned it will take on the appearance of any of its possible skins...EXCEPT the shiny-gold (glossy) skin.

This is disheartening and very disappointing but it's something that I knew was coming since it was a bug (or intended?) on the PTR prior to 7.0.3's release. I was hoping that this error would get fixed by the time the patch dropped, but there were probably more pressing issues for developers to address.

Many, myself included, went out of their way to collect a glossy Mountain Cottontail. It took time and effort, but felt highly rewarding upon capturing your own special bunny. It was unique but not out of reach like promotional pets or limited time companions. It was proof of dedication as a collector.

As it is right now, this rabbit looks like any other...but if you own a shiny version, you know the truth! Dare I say that owners of a glossy cottontail are lucky?

This is because, unfortunately, it will be impossible for those who have yet to capture their own glossy Mountain Cottontail to find and capture one post-7.0.3.

Since this particular pet is now a color-changer that does NOT use the shiny-gold skin when summoned or in battle, it will not appear as such in the wild. This makes it completely indistinguishable from other generic-colored Mountain Cottontails. Collectors have no way of determining whether or not the wild cottontail they're facing is actually the shiny version (without capturing every single one they come across and checking their Pet Journal, that is).

I really do hope that developers find some spare time to fix the Mountain Cottontail and return it to its previous glossy-glory. While I enjoy color-changers and find them charming, I also adored my shiny Mountain Cottontail in its own uniqueness. It's just not the same now.

If they can somehow use the new bunny model but preserve the unique, shiny skin, that would be ideal. I don't think many collectors would object to having an ACTUAL shiny-gold rabbit following them around!

Please, please fix the glossy Mountain Cottontail!. :(

Legion Alpha: Epic Pets In Legion...?

Oh boy. New stuff added to Legion Alpha? Yes.

New pet: Zoom, new baby falcosauros model, a new Trainer: Amalia and her team of corgi pets: Foof, Lil' Sizzle, Stumpers (tribute to @gloriaboboria). Plus datamined toys for our companions: Flaming Hoop, Leather Pet Bed, Leather Pet Leash.

But the biggest and most shocking addition is the ability to upgrade your current pets to epic quality with an Immaculate Battlestone.

Currently these new battlestones drop from a new bag sold in Breanni's shop in Dalaran. Each bag costs 200 Pet Charms and drops at least one family-specific epic stone.

The price, I hope, is not final. With over 700 pets in-game and at 200 charms per stone, it would cost over ~140,000 Pet Charms to upgrade all pets to epic. Yikes. Plus with the randomness of the bag, what a headache it will be trying to get that last Humanoid stone but all you get is Undead.

Someone needs to do the math and figure out how many charms a player would have had they continuously done all of the WoD dailies that reward Pet Charms since the beginning of the expansion. Would it even be close to 140,000?

It's not set in stone (hah) yet that these battlestones will get released or that we'll be able to upgrade/collect epic pets. All of this is still undergoing testing and feedback will help developers determine the best course of action. Maybe new content will be in the form of epic pets, maybe it won't. We'll have to wait and see.

That said, I have fairly strong feelings of...well, panic when it comes to the possibility of having to upgrade all of my pets to epic. Be it for stat increase or cosmetic purposes, there's a swell of anxiety that I can't suppress.

Many of the arguments of why epic pets should not be collectible have already been stated in the official feedback thread, and more eloquently than I could ever compose. So I'll just leave it at that.

Honestly, I'm exhausted from thinking/agonizing over this topic and reading through concerns and arguments for and against epic upgrades.

I'm not for the idea, no. But if they add it I will most likely be undergoing the grind because I simply love my companions and want them to be the best that they can be. Will I complain? Probably. Will I enjoy it? It's hard to say for sure, but probably not.

Getting all of my pets to rare was a tough grind but satisfying at the end. Epic pets would devalue that "end" and while it would give me a new goal/task, it wouldn't feel as rewarding simply because it feels tacked on for the sake of tacking it on.

Anyway, developers are keeping an eye on feedback and it's been proven that they do listen/take into consideration our concerns and thoughts. So keep leaving constructive criticism for them. Keep it mature and nontoxic -- it makes it easier to take us seriously when there's a civil conversation happening. Let's maintain our awesome community, even if we may not always agree with one another. :)

PVP Exclusive Pet Possibly Coming In Legion?

I've always had a difficult time with PVP, both participating and mentally accepting the act of PVP'ing. So you can imagine the amount of dread that I feel when reading through the Legion PVP Preview blog that Blizzard recently posted. Specifically about the prestige rewards and "A unique mount and pet".

"All For The Prestige
However, once you've reached Honor Level 50, you'll have a tough choice to make. You'll be given the option to Prestige, which will reset your Honor Level back to 1, and once again restricting access to higher-level Honor Talents. However, in return, you'll increase your Prestige Level, which grants access to a number of other rewards, including:

• A badge, based on your Prestige Level, which appears on the scoreboard in Battlegrounds and Arenas, as well as on your nameplate and unit frame.
• A title, also based on your Prestige Level.
• A wearable faction pennant
• A new appearance for your Artifact
• A unique mount and pet

The higher your Prestige Level, the better rewards you'll have access to. We see the Prestige system as a great way for players who aren't interested in pursuing higher rating, but still enjoy PvP, to have their own unique rewards to chase after."

They don't discuss in detail how/when the pet will be awarded, so it's still up in the air what the exact requirements to be eligible for the pet will be.

At this time, the only sure thing I can say is...NOOOOO does not want! I detest PVP (even pet PVP).

However, because I'm lacking further information and details on the pet as well as the process necessary to earn the pet, I'll wait to formulate a concrete opinion on the matter.

I mean, maybe it won't be all that bad? Perhaps the only requirement will be to reach Prestige level 1 (Honor level 50). That will just be a matter of grinding Honor until reaching cap, and only just the one time.

Then again, it could just as well be something like "reach Prestige level 20", which would mean reaching Honor level 50 multiple times (20 times)...and that might make me lose more than a few nights' worth of sleep and some hair.

I definitely am NOT hoping for the latter. As a pet collector, I will feel obligated to collect whatever this PVP exclusive pet will be. And I can only speak for myself, but PVP is not an activity that I actively seek out. It's just not my thing; I don't enjoy it and feel extremely stressed out when faced with PVP. So while this is all "optional", in the end I will still feel as though I'm being cornered into participating in an aspect of the game that I would rather not take part in.

I know some will thrive in this type of situation and are probably ecstatic that they will get to play two very different aspects of the game at the same time. And that's great! Everyone should be able to enjoy this game in their own way.

I just hope that Blizzard chooses the path of compromise between those that want PVP and those that don't want PVP. Prestige 1? Maybe even Honor level XX? Ok, I will buckle down, hold my tongue, and do it for the pet. That's not too much to ask of me so someone else can enjoy collecting while PVP'ing, right? We'll see.

I'm crossing my fingers for a quick and fairly painless process for the PVP pet. I mean, not only do I not want to be in a battleground, I'm sure avid PVP'ers will probably cringe at having my inexperienced and poor PVP skills in their highly competitive game space. The less time I have to spend "ruining" their games, the better...right? lol *is reminded of the Children's Week PVP achievement*

Anyway, until more information is given, I'll sit and wait. Anxiously wait. *stressed* Hope for the best, prepare for the worst? =\

Details I'm most eager to learn more about:

• What the pet will be and if it's truly exclusive to this activity (PVP, or will it be available through some other means?)
• Prestige level required to earn the pet
• The rate at which you earn honor and time necessary to earn Prestige
• Any possible limitations on the pet (Will the ability to summon it require you to maintain a certain honor/prestige level? Or is it yours to keep forever once earned?)

Balance, Balance, Balance (And Not the Druid Kind)

I wrote up an entire thing about flying and how it affects activities such as Archaeology and Pet Battles, but it started going off in a tangent that wasn't intended. So instead, I'll just lay out what I have plain and simply.

If Blizzard is dead set on no flying, then please, PLEASE create content with no flying in mind. Don't add in content same as usual; amend or alter them so that they accommodate the inability to fly.

This article that Lio linked explains how WoW has steadily shortened the stick upon which the carrot dangles. Not only that, though, but the tools to get to that stick have also been cut. Flying, for example.

When I read about the two new pets coming in 6.2 that will have similar if not same spawning mechanics as the Unborn Val'kyr, I was pretty livid. Not only did I not understand the logic (or lack thereof) behind it, but the fact that it felt like manipulation also upset me.

I gauge content and the desirability of it with the following (loose) equation. It's something I feel should be kept in mind when adding features and mechanics to the game.

RNG + Effort required = Willingness to participate

I say loose equation because 1 - I'm no math major nor was it my strongest subject, so I can't even say it's a proper equation. And 2 - the three things involved can be broken down into smaller parts. Perhaps it's more like a puzzle and these are just the three main pieces.

Anyway, to give an example of what I'm talking about, let's take the Sprite Darter Hatchling. Before and after Cataclysm, when the source of this pet was changed.

Pets With Unborn Val'kyr-Style Spawning In 6.2 - NO THANKS

Update: After thinking it over (and I've been thinking about this the entire day) I've come to the conclusion that IF Blizzard really, really wants to implement new wild pets using the Unborn Val'kyr spawning mechanic, they're pretty much damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Let's say they take into account the desirability factor of the two generic pets (a moth and a firefly), and decided to replace them with super new models with shiny new abilities. That would make them extremely desirable yet players would feel stuck behind the "one spawn per zone" mechanic. It addresses the "why should we care about these two pets" and "why do they deserve such unique spawning", but it adds a different type of irritation to the equation.

Well ok, let's pretend that the two pets aren't ultra special and they are just a moth and a firefly (how they are currently). We then return to the issue of why these two pets and why should anyone care. It feels like a gimmicky, pointless addition to the patch, all in the hopes of getting us out of our garrisons and wandering aimlessly in Draenor. It's almost as if our collector mentality is being taken advantage of and manipulated in order to give the false impression of engaging and compelling gameplay.

So what is Blizzard to do? Damned if they do, and damned if they don't.

My personal opinion is scrap the whole Unborn Val'kyr-style spawning and go with something else. Maybe the wild pets don't need any kind of gimmick. Just make them rare or spawn under certain conditions.

I thought about what made finding a pet fun and interesting, and for some reason Nethaera's Light (a 6.2 pet from Dalaran) came to mind. It's such a simple encounter, if you could even call it an encounter. Yet finding the NPC, figuring out what to do to trigger the event and adding the little candle to my collection -- all of that had me brainstorming and actually thinking. If that's not engaging (yet short-lived) gameplay, I don't know what is.

Perhaps that's what the Crimsonwing Moth and Sapphire Firefly need, some sort of simple mechanic that allows the player (not RNG) to take the lead. More gimmicks and what not, but if Blizzard absolutely insists on implementing these two wild pets in a way that's outside of the norm, then gimmicky ideas is what they'll get.

Just random ideas off the top of my head: Perhaps give a prerequisite to the Crimsonwing Moth. Only spawns if the player drops a campfire down in a specific location. Moth to a flame, right?

Or some other requirement that the player has to figure out. But something like that would be interesting and different. It would make the moth available only to those in the know. Gate it behind multiple requirements, whatever, go nuts. Sure, over time everyone will know about it, but by that time the impact of having players out trying to figure out how to heck to get the moth to spawn should be felt throughout Draenor.

Another random idea: Sapphire Firely spawning only at night, and only if you have another firefly pet out. Makes sense since fireflies are drawn to each other, yea?

My point is, you don't need to use extreme mechanics to make a pet rare or to draw out gameplay. One per zone at any given time is such a punishing concept, and it won't even help accomplish the intent behind adding two hard to find pets. Because guess what? Players will camp a spot, that is...sit unproductively for hours, capture their pet and then leave. The Unborn Val'kyr-spawning style leads to a mindless and infuriating activity, and it's not really necessary, is it?

And if it is necessary, someone please explain to me why.

-------------------------------------------------------------

An official 6.2 pet preview was released today, and while most of it is information we already know about, one piece (conveniently added towards the waa~ay bottom) is new and somewhat alarming.

• Crimsonwing Moth -- A rare spawn in Talador with many spawn points, and only one ever appearing in the zone at a time.
• Sapphire Firefly – A rare spawn in Spires of Arak who also has many spawn points and appears only once at a time.

Wait, wait, what? If I'm reading this correctly, this is Unborn Val'kyr-style spawning. In zones where there is no flying. For pets that are recolored versions of pets that we already have.

Again, WHAT?!

I generally try to avoid knee-jerk reactions, but I can't stop myself from being fairly annoyed and upset with this announcement. The underlying reason for my irritation though, is the lack of reasoning behind these two new additions and the way they were implemented. WHY?

To be clear, the Crimsonwing Moth and the Sapphire Firefly are two entirely new pets being added to 6.2. Don't confuse them with the other wild moth and firefly (Cerulean Moth and Violet Firefly) also being released in the next patch. Nope. The former two are special...kinda? Not really.

These two are not unique in any way other than their skins and planned spawn-style. Unless changes are made to their movesets, both have uninspiring abilities that are identical to other moths and fireflies.

So again, why are these two pets receiving such special treatment? Giving them the unique spawning must mean they are desirable and worth our time, right?

Because that's what we're going to be investing in these two pets. Time. Lots of it. Both Talador and Spires of Arak are zones where flying is not allowed. Sure, you can Aviana's Feather around every 10 minutes, but that doesn't exactly make scouting out the entire zone for ONE spawn any less of a headache. Even the Unborn Val'kyr was a pain to find (still is for some), and you can zoom around in the air in Northrend.

A mechanic that might set these two wild pets apart from the Unborn Val'kyr's spawning is if the spawns come in one right after another. A Crimsonwing Moth gets captured in one area, and another one immediately spawns somewhere else. One collector manages to snag a Sapphire Firefly, and another person is able to collect one almost right after in another part of Spires of Arak. That would make the difficulty of traveling around these zones less of a negative factor. But that's something we'll have to test once the PTR comes back up.

Even with this small consideration, I'm not exactly excited about these two new pets. Traveling around aimlessly, hoping for a spawn isn't very engaging gameplay.

I'm still failing to understand the "why" behind their implementation. Currently my only impression is that developers really wanted to stick these two pets in somehow, but also wanted to draw out 6.2 content. What better way, than to keep two boring wild pets just out of many collectors' reach! Two birds with one stone. Compelling. Gameplay.

I mean, some collectors still don't even have the Unborn Val'kyr. Granted the area in which those spawn is MUCH larger and spread out, but it's still disheartening news hearing that you'll have to find two more wild pets in a similar fashion, when you don't even have the Val'kyr that was added in Patch 5.3.0.

And again, I come back to the "why?" in this. Why these two generic, recolored pets? Why should collectors care about/desire these two pets? Why this style of spawning? I'm sure I'm not the only one asking these things. Unfortunately I don't think we'll get any real explanation, and the answers that I come up with on my own only anger me further.

6.1 PTR: Two New-ish Pets, Graves and Hogs

UPDATE: Bashiok responded to a forum thread, clarifying what the recent Hogs datamining is.

"It's old data. The "Hogs" mini-Hogger pet is not a reward from that achievement, and we'll correct it in the next PTR build. We haven't determined yet if/when he'll be obtainable, or from what source."

-------------------------------

A new patch was released onto the 6.1 PTR today, and a new pet was added. Grave Golem, previously named My Special Pet, is going to be a reward for an achievement related to Heroes of the Storm. No details on what we'll have to do to earn Hero of the Storm, but as a non-moba player I hope it doesn't require something too complicated.

If it's something similar to the Hearthsteed achievement, Hearthstoned/Mount Up!, I think I could live with that. I'll just need someone (probably the OH) to carry me through a few Heroes matches haha. I apologize ahead of time to any serious Heroes players that have to suffer through a game with me. :P

Another change from the PTR was reported by MMO-Champion. The source specifically is notable because MMO-Champion seems to be the only one reporting this -- Hogs now a reward from the anniversary achievement Victory In Hillsbrad. Wowhead doesn't list this change and Hogs is not in the Pet Journal on the PTR.

IF this is not a mistake in datamining and Hogs WILL be a reward for an achievement that's no longer obtainable, I foresee a large portion of the community being ticked off. Yes, it was briefly listed as the reward for the PVP Feat of Strength early on, but that was removed before the anniversary event rolled around. There was no notice that this would be reverted yet again, and Hogs would eventually be retroactively rewarded.

So it's only natural that those that skipped out on the anniversary BG would be upset if the pet is ultimately the reward. Had there been some sort of early warning, I think more would have participated in the BG just to earn the achievement for this future change.

But, as I mentioned before, only MMO-Champion is reporting this. It could be a simple datamining error. Or Hogs might be a reward for something else and the anniversary BG achievement is just a placeholder until the actual achievement is implemented. All we can do is speculate for the time being and wait and see where (if anywhere) Hogs winds up. I wouldn't panic yet; the PTR is known for changing.

I have to admit that news of these two pets does put me a little on edge, though. I'm not one for mobas or PVP, so even speculating that pets might come from these two sources makes me anxious. Ahhh :(

Possibly Problematic (Wild) Pets In WoD

UPDATE: The Bone Serpent was removed from the Pet Journal in a recent beta patch. So while we won't have to worry about finding it, we'll also lose out on a really awesome looking wild pet. :( :( :(

Being the compelled collector that I am, I decided to dive in and go for the 1k achievement on the beta to unlock the level 3 Menagerie blueprints. Since I need to grind my face off on wild battles, I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone and collect all the WoD wild pets.

For only one dedicated night of collecting, I'd say I was very successful. I managed to collect all but a few wild pets from Draenor. The conditions on beta are ideal for collecting, though, so I don't expect my experience on live servers to be as lucky/quick. With more competition it will probably take more time to just find the new pets.

Unfortunately in a few cases, even without a ton of collectors searching for the same thing I was, some of the wild pets gave me trouble.

What a Pain in my...


If my experience on the beta is any indication of what it will be like on live, there are three wild pets (maybe more) that might give collectors a headache in WoD.

- Axebeak Hatchling
- Bone Serpent
- Shadow Sporebat

The main issue with the first two is that despite searching all over the respective zones that the pets should have appeared in, I couldn't find a single location where either spawned. Not even a critter (non-battle pet) version. It's possible that the Axebeak Hatchling and Bone Serpent may only come as secondaries in battle, but I find that a little silly.

Both zones have appropriate places where they could spawn. Why implement them as exclusive secondaries when there's all this real estate for them to wander around?

The entire southern half of Gorgrond is a jungle that's filled with other birds, some of which are even wild pets too (Junglebeak). And there's a cluster of actual (bone) wind serpent mobs in Spires of Arak (they share the same model as the pet). It's a wonder to me that neither seemed to appear near any of these likely locations.

Perhaps they haven't been fully implemented yet? Did I somehow miss them? Was someone else clearing them out faster than I could spot them? Or maybe they're just really, really rare?

I have a problem with the last explanation, though. Even with the rarer wild pets of Draenor, there is usually some indication of where they could spawn. All you have to do is find the non-battle pet version of them to get an idea of where to hunt. The exceptions, of course, being the Axebeak Hatchling and Bone Serpent. They were nowhere to be found in any form when I looked. Maybe they're the new Minfernal/Unborn Val'kyr? I cringe at the thought...

Oh, speaking of non-battle pet versions of wild pets...

In the end I did manage to find a Shadow Sporebat, but only after many hours of fruitless looking and waiting. This particular pet gave me trouble for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it's spawn location. The sporebat seems to appear alongside its larger counterpart, the Zangarra Sporebat. These mobs can only be found in the tiny little area in north-eastern Talador, Zangarra. And when I say tiny, I mean tiny (compared to other zones/areas). With such little space, there's probably only a limited number of spawns for that area.

Secondly, there ARE non-battle pet versions of the Shadow Sporebat hovering around the area. That's the only reason I knew to check there. But do they share spawns with the actual pets? I really don't know.

I decided to take it upon myself to try and coax the spawning of actual pet versions by killing off the critters. One would hope that by doing this, it would free up "slots" for the real pets to spawn in, right? Unfortunately, that didn't seem to help.

Another method that some collectors swear by is killing off the mobs associated with the pet. I didn't need to since Zangarra was full of people questing and therefore killing the Zangarra Sporebats for me.

Absolutely no battle pets were spawning. Not even miscellaneous wild pets, such as snails, rats, etc. It was only after I had left the area and checked back hours later that I found one lone Shadow Sporebat and managed to collect it.

I'm not a designer or developer so I don't know the finer details of how spawning works, but to me the tiny area in which the sporebat could spawn coupled with possibly sharing a spawn rate/timer with non-pet versions both made it very difficult to collect this particular pet. Not to mention that since there's a lot of traffic in that spot, questing and what not in such an enclosed area, it's possible that any pets that DID manage to spawn were instantly casualties of player versus mob battle.

Needless to say it was very frustrating, and this situation might end up applying to a few other wild pets as well.


From what I've observed, many of the wild pets that only spawn near/around their larger counterparts (the hippos for example) tend to have a similar problem as the Shadow Sporebat. It's not quite as bad for most of them since there are more areas in which they can appear (it's still limited for the hippos though since they only appear around bodies of inland water), but there were A LOT of non-pet versions wandering around. As adorable as they are, I was fairly annoyed whenever I came across one that I couldn't actually interact/battle with.

It would be nice if there was some official confirmation on whether or not killing the mobs and the non-pet versions actually helps the spawn rate. In some situations I did away with both, while in others I let both be and just hoped to come back and find a pet to battle. I really can't say which method worked better; both were equally aggravating because neither seemed to have any impact at all.

Anyway, these are just the few exceptions to the norm. And it's possible that I just happened to be extremely (like a million times) unlucky. Perhaps others will have a better experience with the aforementioned pets, and easily find their spawn locations. (Please let me know if you do!)

My overall experience with collecting wild pets in Draenor was good. The majority of pets spawned in logical areas, so it wasn't that hard to find them. I expect that due to higher competition on live servers there will be fewer spawns up, and the quality of spawned pets not as ideal (most were rare on beta). But that can be overcome with some patience and dedication. That's collecting in a nutshell for ya, I guess? ;P

WoD Beta: Patch Day Full of Mixed Emotions

A new beta patch was released today. The servers went down just as I had time to sit down at my computer, so what did you know the DMF was finally back from the void (all weekend the error of instance not found kept popping up) but I was too late to take a look at all the new neat stuff. At least that was this afternoon.

Once beta maintenance was finished and the servers came back up, I popped on to see what was new. The Pet Journal had 5 new pets in it, but Wowhead and MMO-Champion datamined 5 additional pets not yet added.


Fruit Hunter (BoP) - Drop: ?

Hydraling (BoP) - Drop: TBD

Land Shark (BoU) - Fishing (skill 700), Vendor: Nat Pagle (garrison), Costs 50 Nat's Lucky Coin (Requires "Good Friends" rep with Nat Pagle)

Lanticore Spawnling (BoU) - Drop: The Lanticore, Zone: Upper Black Rock Spire

Nightfeather Hatchling - Pet Battle: ?
The five pets that were not found in the journal (all BoP):

- Brilliant Spore
- Crimson Spore
- Seaborne Spore
- Umbrafen Spore
- Zangar Spore

First and foremost...LAND SHARK! I think we've been waiting for the shark pet for a while now, huh? The Baby Shark was first datamined in 2008, pre-WotLK, but it never made an appearance as a collectible pet. Leave it to Nat Pagle to catch them and sell at a premium price.

And boy is that price high. 50 coins! According to El, the coins can be obtained by turning in "Lunkers" (special fish) to Nat Pagle. Turning them into him also rewards reputation (350), and you need to be "Good Friends" with him to purchase the pet. While I'm excited for the shark, can't I just buy Nat a beer? :P

The other pets are also pretty interesting. I have to say the Lanticore Hatchling looks pretty BADASS and I'm intrigued about the UBRS drop. Wowhead currently lists The Lanticore as a rarespawn in UBRS. How rare will it be? I don't know but I'm hoping it won't be too elusive.

There seems to only be one new wild pet in this patch, the Nightfeather Hatchling. I'm glad to see another one added, to be honest. We have a ton of drops and rewards and vendor pets, not so many wild ones. The ones that are in the journal at the moment are somewhat, dare I say, boring? Only because the majority of them are different pets using the same model with different skins. Not that I mind. But when comparing wild pets to all others, so far WoD has a much wider variety of the latter than former. Hopefully that will change as the course of beta continues.

Erm, what to say about the spore pets? I have no idea! I'm guessing these might look similar to actual Spores (in different colors), but who knows? I don't think they're quite finished yet (still using balloon placeholder models), so we may see them in a future patch.

Let's Go to the Darkmoon Faire!
Another new pet-related thing: new DMF pet battle. :D Since the beta went down earlier, I was unable to try out VonFeasel's battle. So I fixed that and went and kicked his butt. :P His team consisted of Syd, Mr. Pointy, and Otto (omg cow pet!).


I took a page from Lio's book and used her strat, but with one pet modification. My team consisted of Jade Owl (1,1,1), Blue Clockwork Rocket Bot (1,2,2), Lil' Bling (2,2,1). The biggest annoyance is VonFeasel's second pet, Mr. Pointy, and his shield. With Lio's advice about picking mechs that were hard hitters, though, it wasn't a tough fight. I never knew cows knew magic! :P

Speaking of cows...developers Jeremy Feasel and Jonathan LeCraft had some interesting exchanges on Twitter about the "TinyCow operation". What could this mean? A cow pet MUST be in the works, right? RIGHT?! My expectations are totally not through the roof for a calf now. Yea, totally. *cough*

Back to the faire, there are new dailies/mini-games at the faire, but they're not pet-related. I had a blast with the rings, and if you complete the achievement to collect 50 of them, you receive a vanity item. Let's just say I'm absolutely in love with it. I'll just leave this image here since it speaks volumes.


Garrison Updates
There's a new achievement, Draenic Pet Battler (win 1k pet battles in Draenor). The reward: Unlocks Pet Menagerie, Level 3 Blueprint. What could a tier 3 menagerie have in store for us? New items to purchase from Lio the Lioness? MORE pets wandering around your garrison? An even better trap? I'm pretty curious and excited to find out!


Other perks that had me bouncing in my seat, the pets that wander about your garrison finally use the names you assign them in the Pet Journal. The bug where they could be killed from player attacks was also fixed, as was the incorrect "wild" or "boss" icon floating above their heads.

The only downside to all of these awesome things is that they no longer interact with you or each other. SUCH SADNESS. It was a huge shock to me and was a colossal disappointment.

Having multiple pets out that respond to me was something that I was looking forward to in the garrison. Now that this is gone, and there's no indication if the feature will be coming back or not, I'm torn about feeling happy that my pets now have personalized names. For a while I was fluctuating between happy, sad, happy, sad. I'm still not sure how to feel about all of this.


I'm grateful for ALL the pet content implemented so far, that goes without saying. Just...let me sit in a corner with my Filthling(s) for a while. Oh, the memories of an earlier time (on beta)... :(

On another note, the daily quest from Lio the Lioness now rewards 15 Pet Charms instead of battle-stones. Yay, finally the source of this currency. More hats and treats!

Misc
Lastly, there's a new tailoring pattern for a pet vanity item, Murloc Chew Toy. It sounds like it will work the same way as the Fetch Ball does, but instead of a ball it's a murloc plushie? Hm...not sure how I feel about that. I mean, I'd like to keep the murloc toy for myself, if possible. :P

At the very least, if my pets get this new toy, can they um...not use their face all the time to pick it up (like with the Fetch Ball)? I mean, some pets have HANDS but they still insist on grabbing it with their head. So silly! XD

No clue how we'll get the recipe for it. It looks like I need to level up my toon with tailoring fairly soon, though. Not only will there be a craftable pet (Elekk Plushie), but now a toy. MAKE ALL THE THINGS!

Edit: More new pet toys! Rubber Duck, Discarded Bone, Small Football.