The Fun - Stop Killing It

I don't know if you've noticed this... but I'm not having fun hoping for Lumpy. Note the use of "hoping" instead of "hunting". Yes, that's pretty much what I and many other collectors have been reduced to when it comes this companion as well as the other holiday loot-bag dropped pets. Rather than working hard and being rewarded for our efforts, all that can be done is pray, hope, and agonize for those few weeks out of the year.

The determination? The persistence? The patience? And all those other awesome, POSITIVE qualities that MOST other pets bring out in a pet collector? They mean NOTHING when it comes to certain RNG based holiday pets. Instead it's all left up to chance.

In all fairness, some players may find this type of random system "fun" and "exciting", but many members of the pet collecting community do not. Can there be no compromise? Where is our small slice of the fun-pie?


Yes, it's time for that angry tree macro.

Soul of the Aspects Updated Animations

MMO-Champion has a new video preview of the Soul of the Aspects (datamined from the 4.3 PTR but wasn't released onto live servers... yet?).

At first I thought it was just the same animation as the Celestial Dragon companion. There are definitely some similarities (such as the star formation it outlines), but to my surprise the Soul of the Aspect has some other pretty cool animations. :D

There's still no information on how this pet will be obtained but hopefully some details will come soon!

Unsettled Mind

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More Panda Love

Looks like the EU Blizzard PetStore is getting a holiday discount as well as the NA PetStore. Until January 2, the Pandaren Monk is now half off in the EU store! For the NA store, this pet sale still ends on December 19.

I've Been Very Bad, Promise!

Well, day 1 of Winter Veil yielded no Lumpy. At least the new daily was quick and painless (hooray for riding on another group's Greench kill? lol).

One day down, 18 more chances left. Despite this being one of the longer in-game holiday events, one chance per day where it's completely out of my control whether or not I randomly receive the new pet... let's just say it doesn't induce very festive feelings in me. Hopefully Great Father Winter hears my plea and decides to give me a "Lump of Coal" before the event ends. Sigh.

But in more lighthearted news, we finally get to see what the updated Winter Veil companions do when the holiday is actually in full swing! Both the Winter Helpers summon and ride their own miniature reindeer when you mount up on a ground mount. Pretty cute!




The Tiny Snowman also gets a holiday upgrade, and he's MUCH larger when brought out during the Feast of Winter Veil. Not to mention he doesn't instantly topple over when summoned. Yay :)

So here's to many more dailies in my near future, but hopefully not TOO many more before Lumpy graces me with an appearance in my Stolen Present...

Stolen Present Surprise?

According to a tweet from Atlasloot and a Wowhead comment, there may be a chance that players will be able to loot the old and original bot pet from 2007, the Clockwork Rocket Bot, from this year's daily reward, the Stolen Present. Currently no one's sure if this is a bug or if this is an intended drop (along with Lumpy), so we'll have to wait and see how things play out. I'm curious to find out if the Clockwork Rocket Bot is still BoP or BoE if looted from the Stolen Present!

Edit: Atlasloot says it's still BoP even if looted from the Stolen Present. Sadness. :( Guess that means I'll be destroying bots on the toons that already have it. Poor pets... I delete you with love, promise!

Update: Wowhead comments are reporting that the Greench now has 3.4m hp, and the quest objectives can be completed even if you're not part of the kill. The Stolen Treats can be looted and Metzen can be freed by anyone for a few minutes after the Greench dies. So it would seem that the mob is not instanced and is more like a world "boss" now, but the quest objectives aren't exclusive to the party that kills him. *sigh of relief*

Fetish Shaman Video Preview

In case you missed it, MMO-Champion has a video preview of the D3 CE WoW pet, the Fetish Shaman. It's pretty wicked and even has an awesome idle animation (D3 inspired of course!) :D

Can't wait to add this companion to my collection. I wonder how big it will be relative to my character. Right now it looks pretty big but looks can be deceiving when there's nothing to compare it to!

Where One Ends, A New One Begins

The title of this post says it all. DMF may be over but another in-game event is about to begin: The Feast of Winter Veil (coming soon to a major in-game city near you - this Thursday, December 15)!

For this holiday, instead of an instanced dungeon boss, it sounds as though players will have to team up with a group to kill an outdoor boss for a holiday loot bag each day. I'm not entirely sure how this will work, but the idea behind it sounds the same as a holiday dungeon boss. You get one shot per day, one holiday loot bag per day, and one chance for a holiday vanity item per day.

I'm starting to get used to the whole "YOU'RE UP AGAINST LMNOPXYZ FACTORS, DEAL WITH IT" holiday thing that Blizzard seems to be so fond of, but depending on how they pull off this year's Winter Veil loot bag... I may just rage a bit.

Before I get into that, though, here's a reminder of the new holiday daily/loot bag:

- New Winter Veil daily: You're a Mean One...

- requires level 80
- group daily
- rewards Stolen Present once per day

- Found within a Stolen Present: Lump of Coal!

Alright, so why will I possibly come to detest this new daily? Like I mentioned earlier, it all depends on how it's implemented. There are a few unknowns, so I can't form a complete opinion about it yet.

First things first: the droprate of Lumpy. Because this isn't a one time quest and it's a daily, my best guess is that the corresponding companion pet will NOT be 100% droprate. If it is a 100% droprate, then my mistake, thank you Blizzard for leaving out the RNG factor! ....But I don't plan on holding my breath.

Secondly, will the objective for this new daily be a phased group quest? Or are we going to have to world PVP and fight with other players over the spawn of this outdoor "boss" (Abominable Greench)? In previous years, the greench has been an outdoor spawn, and it was pretty much whoever tagged it first got the kill. I can't remember the spawn rate, but if it's a slow and low one, there are going to be many groups of 5 just camping the area (not to mention other players' bodies on PVP servers).

Here's what I'm looking at in a worst case scenario:

- extremely low droprate on Lumpy (RNG)
- limited number of attempts for the pet
- limited amount of time for the pet
- BoP pet, so the "wrong" toon could get it
- outdoor group boss, with lots of fighting over the spawn

So worst case scenario would mean that on top of the first 4 factors that pet collectors already have to contend with during holidays (where companions come purely from holiday loot bags), we may also have to "fight" with each other over the quest objective. Sigh. It's easy to see why I might end up raging this Feast of Winter Veil, right?

But like I said before, there are a few unknowns and it may not turn out to be a worst case scenario. Hopefully the droprate won't be THAT low, or the greench will be a phased spawn for each group looking to kill him and complete the daily.

This is another one of those cases where I'm excited and anxious yet extremely disillusioned at the same time. While I enjoy each holiday season and in-game event (hell, I'm even starting to get used to being on the short end of the stick as a pet collector during the holidays where a pet comes from only a loot bag), I still can't say I approve entirely.

Anyway, despite my somewhat pessimistic and cynical outlook on the upcoming Feast of Winter Veil, I am looking forward to the in-game event. I may not be ready for the holidays IRL (getting gifts for friends and family is brutal for someone like me who doesn't have a clue where to begin most of the time!), but I'm ready to face whatever Blizzard has in store for us in-game.

Until Next Month

The Darkmoon Faire ends tonight, but I managed to find all the artifacts, turn them in, and buy my first new pet. I didn't bother with the deathmatch since I'm not a fan of PVP in the slightest, but I still have 60 prize tickets ready and waiting for next month's faire. :D So when the next DMF comes around, I should be able to gather enough tickets for two pets. YAY! I think I'll go for the Darkmoon Zeppelin and the Darkmoon Tonk. What can I say? I'm a sucker for possible pet interactions. :P

There still seems to be some confusion as to how some players are buying more than one pet this month. Although a blue did confirm that 145 tickets each month is the amount of prize tickets that can be earned, it's entirely possible to earn EVEN MORE through the Darkmoon Deathmatch. By looting the chest, a player can earn up to 5 extra tickets each time! Only one player can grab the goodies from inside the chest though, so it's every man/woman/child/animorph/blob for themselves. Be ready for some do or die competition.

If PVP isn't your thing, though, I wouldn't worry about it. In fact, I wouldn't worry about who's collecting what when at all. Just go at your own pace. These pets aren't going away, and everyone who makes even the smallest of attempts each month will eventually get them. They are guaranteed so long as you make a tiny effort each DMF. No RNG involved, there's no competition with other players, etc. Unlike holiday pets where there's only a limited amount of time once per year, because the DMF is guaranteed some show up each month, the anxiety and stress to rush to the finish line isn't as prominent. You can go as fast or as slowly as you want. No mess. No stress. Enjoy what you can for now imo. :)

Personally, I'm a bit glad that I can't buy all the pets all in one go. I actually have a reason to log on outside of raiding, farming for mats for raid consumables, and hunting for that odd transmog piece that may complete a set. Now I need to hunt for those artifacts before each DMF so I'm well prepared once it does come around again. It's not such a terrible farm/grind either because I'm doing it for something I'm passionate about: vanity pets.

So farewell DMF, until we meet again. It will be sooner than you think!

I Think I Broke It

UPDATE: Confirmed! Lil' XT will interact (and ultimately destroy) the Darkmoon Zeppelin. Thanks Neuropathy for testing this! I'm still not sure about the Darkmoon Tonk.

I've read a couple reports that the Darkmoon Zeppelin is destroyed by any nearby Lil' XTs and Landro's Lil' XTs.

Unfortunately, I didn't purchase the zeppelin as my first pet this month, so I'll have to wait until next month to test this out myself. If anyone who did buy the zeppelin could test it out and confirm/deny this for me, that'd be very helpful! For those that bought the Darkmoon Tonk, I would also bring it out for Lil' XT to "play" with and see how they get along.

The other Darkmoon companions, while they are adorable and all, haven't proven to be very animated and don't do much of anything outside of the norm. So I'm pretty eager to find out if this interaction between Lil' XT and the zeppelin and/or tonk is true or not. It would be the first Darkmoon pet(s) with a unique animation.

Needless to say, Lil' XT needs to learn to take care of his toys better! :P