Posted by Juggynaut on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 - 29 Comments
Tags: Achievements, black, bornakk, glory of the hero, mmo champion, plagued, proto-drake, razorscale, rusted
Bornakk, blue poster on the official forums, broke the news today that the Glory of the Raider and Heroic Glory of the Raider meta-achievements are going to have their mount rewards removed upon the implementation of Patch 3.1. While the achievements themselves will still be… achieveable, there is no longer a 310% mount rewarded for completing all of the requirements. Of course, players who have already obtained the mounts will keep them.
This change will keep the extremely fast mounts limited to those who are either extremely lucky or have the dedication to complete the most difficult challenges that Blizzard sets forth to players at their intended difficulty level. The proto-drakes will be proof that a player was able to complete the achievements without having to get gear from higher tiered raids.
It is bad news for players who are more casual WoW players, but makes a lot of sense. It also falls in line with the removal of the Amani War Bear reward from the timed event in Zul’Aman when patch 3.0 went live. Patch 3.0 made many changes to player abilities and lowered the health and damage of level 70 raid bosses, making completion of the event much easier.
The silver lining is that MMO-Champion has uncovered a couple of new Proto-Drakes, Ironbound and Rusted that will be added in 3.1 and in my opinion look even cooler than the Black and Plagued ones. They will probably serve the same purpose, only for Ulduar Achievements.
What are your thoughts? I for one am in favor of this change. Now I just need to finish off those 10 man achievements!
Related Posts: What a Long, Strangle Trip It’s Been, RaidID Fix Coming In Patch 3.1, Soloing: Dorkins Does Dailies Part 17, Patch 3.3: Frost Wyrm Mount Incoming, Why Do Now What You Can Do Later?,
By Nebulus on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
wow this is poor news thought the plagued drake was the best looking one shame for most of us casual gamers
By Gerandor on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
doesn’t bother me too much ^^ doubt i’d ever have gotten any of those drakes anyway..
By elion on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
i whould like to formaly extand my grats to those of you lucky bastards who have achieved the achievement that being said i think this bites i missed the ZA event and now iam gointo miss this
By Wyndgem on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Dude, they need to at least give us someway of obtaining them. That’s just not fair. I’m still disgruntled about loosing the War Bear
By Zeb on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
very very lame
By Laeltis on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I think it’s lame. They need to give some sort of reward for those achievements. The rewards that achievements DO give is the only thing really worth doing them, other than when you’re bored.
By Rikaku on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I think this is terrible. At least with the Zul’Aman bear we had alot of time to do these achievements. I think it’s been far too short of a time to suddenly remove these. ZA bears didnt get removed til 3.0, but we’re gonna remove mounts introduced IN 3.0 in 3.1? That’s just stupid.
Way to go Blizzard.
By pogwollup on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
If they are going to do stuff like this, they might as well have kept the Realm First titles.
By demonicduke on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
i really believe that this is sad for us non hardcore players or just people that go to school and work a lot and don’t have the time to do this sort of thing. i also think it would be a good idea to at least give us a little forewarning (hope i spelled that correctly) for those people that were behind in getting their characters leveled up compared to the XPACS coming out ( i started WoW about a month or 2 ago) it is really hard to gain levels and do the level 60-70 raids as there is no one willing to run them anymore. and the same for dungeons especially since DK’s came out ( I miss you my healer friends! please come back!). so it is hard for us to “catch up” and be able to have a shot at these achievements.
i’m sorry about getting a little off topic but i’m just sick of not being able to find a raid or dungeon group because of all the afore mentions things.
thanks PL for the good work and i really hope Blizz reconsiders their decision on this
demonicduke bleeding hollow ( and yes i made a dk on this realm to help my irl friends i have a rogue and an army of alts on executus) lvl 63 atm sadly
if you read all that tank you but i probably will not look at any replies to this =D
By Hatell on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Ya know what? WHY ARE THEY TAKING ALL THE MOUNTS OUT?! /cry Ok, it’s not all of them, but still. If they put something in and then one patch later take it back out, they should just remove them completely from the game. Even the people who achieved them shouldn’t get them. It’s bogus, let the rest of the people out there work for them as well, just keep them there. *grumbles and munches on a fry.*
By Illithian on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Thank you blizzard. Finally, some catering to the hardcore players.
In 3.1 there will be much better gear then was available to people who were first doing these achievements and it will make it much easier. The point of reward mounts was for them to be rare, not for every 80 to be flying on one. A better plan, in my opinion, would be to edit the Glory of the Raider achievement to include Ulduar achievements.
However, I’m also surprised that no one has commented on the new Proto-Drakes, which look absolutely epic and I’m excited to see how they are implemented.
By Illithian on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Oh, to add on to my last post. Blizzard has every right and reason to take out the mount reward. If you didn’t get the achievements in time, then too bad.
At least theres some advance warning.
Look to the future at the potentially more awesome new proto-drakes.
By Rikaku on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
“Oh, to add on to my last post. Blizzard has every right and reason to take out the mount reward. If you didn’t get the achievements in time, then too bad.”
Why not remove the Albino Drake achievement then? After all, getting 50 mounts pre-patch 3.1 was way harder than it’s going to be now. Why not replace it with a blue drake instead of a white one?
Why not remove the red proto drake? After all, that acheivement will be easier too with the over-gearing of 3.1.
By Dan on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 12:51 am
lol if they are going to take out the rewards I won’t even bother with those achievements later. Yes there is a new tier of gear but that doesn’t mean it will be any easier unless you have people who know what they are doing.
Oh well. They do what they think is best for their game.
By Thad on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 7:14 am
As others have said …LAME! I think this is kind of stupid and they might as well slap many players across the face. I feel bad for anyone who is just short of attaining this. If Blizzard is going to yank these things as soon as they add them, then clearly they aren’t putting enough thought in before they add them in the first place. Perhaps better planning is in order, and less hosing of your customers Blizzard.
By Agathon on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 8:12 am
@Illithian
Blizzard doesn’t have a track record of replacing something with something else remotely close to as good as the original.
By Lawman30 on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 8:42 am
As a casual player who has supported things like 10/25 man versions of raids as things that make content in the game more accesible to casual players, here’s my 2 cents:
1. The actual removal of the moutns is, I believe, more than fair. People who pull off those achievements at the intended level and in the intended gear DESERVE something special.
2. The implementation of this removal is HORRIBLE. Blizz comes along and, with very little warning, informs everyone that the mounts will be removed is a bad thing. Some people are in casual raiding guilds, that despite being slower than the hardcores, have the skills necessary to pull these achievements off but do so at their own pace. They have set their pace because there has been NO indication that these rewards will be removed. Now they are told that in a short while, they will be removed. The timing is the thing that seems somewhat unfair to me. I don’t say this as someone who feels they, personally, will be screwed by this. Despite the fact that I am a mount whore, I NEVER thought i’d get one of these. I just simply don’t have the time to play the game on that level. I have no problem with that. To the victor go the spoils. I’m just saying I can very easily see how the timing of this is upsetting to people.
3. NO MORE REFERENCING THAT THE RED PROTO DRAKE HASN’T BEEN HIT WITH THE BAN HAMMER YET! This one is one I can work towards, I am working towards and one that I pray slips through the cracks. Please please please DON’T bring this to Blizz’s attention anymore. =P
By Aisha on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 10:50 am
@ Lawman
You say it’s sad for the casuals for it to be removed which I can completely follow. On the other hand this I’ve heard predicted ages ago so it’s not unexpected
By Lawman30 on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 11:01 am
@ Aisha
There’s a HUGE difference between ‘hearing’ something might happen and being ‘told’ its’ happeneing. Soon.
And I didn’t say it was sad the drakes are being removed. I said that was fair. I said to make the announcement now is what rubs me the wrong way. They did the same thing for virtually the same reason with the Amani War Bear. Blizz could just have easily said ‘these rewards go bye-bye once the next tier of gear is patched in’ AT THE TIME THEY PUT THE ACHIEVEMENT IN GAME. In all fairness, players could have figured some of this out as well, but its all conjecture until Blizz makes a difinitive statement.
Look at the other mounts in game which can be farmed (Baron’s mount, ZG mounts, etc.). It is a crapton easier to farm these now than it was when they first came out but Blizz hasn’t removed them. Why not? It’s the same principle as removing the reward mounts. Blizz can do whatever they want…its their game. All I’m saying is a little more ‘heads up’ time wouldn’t hurt anyone.
By Najata on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
This does not fall in line with what Blizzard did with the Amani War Bear … unless the level cap is going to increase anytime soon. The war bear was removed because the dungeon difficulty was nerfed and the expansion was coming and having lvl 80’s rip through ZA would trivialize the achievement of getting a war bear. I totally agree with this.
What blizzard is proposing with the removal of the proto drakes from these achievements is penalizing those of us that took our time to enjoy the expansion while leveling, spent the time to help other guildies get gear and are working our way through Naxx. If there is no nerf or level cap increase on the horizan then all blizzard is doing is rewarding those that have raced through the content. I didn’t know this was the purpose of the game.
By Wolt on Saturday, February 28th, 2009 at 11:28 am
The reasoning Blizzard gives for removal of the mounts is quite flawed.
They feel that with the new gear it will be too easy to obtain, which I find to be a flawed excuse.
The people who are getting the Glory of the Raider(non heroic) achievements done at the moment are people decked in epics from the 25 man version and thus making it more easy then people with 10 man gear.
Just like the new version of the mounts will probably only fall to the hands of players decked in the epics from the 25 man version.
Lame or not the reasoning feels flawed.
By Rukus on Saturday, February 28th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I doubt most of you would even be able to get the drake, so why complain about it? 6 min Malygos and Immortal are not exactly easy.
It is good they made something which everyone cant just get with farming. There needs to be a line; why should everything be available to everyone? Give the hard core players and guilds something not everyone can acheive.\
I think tihs is a good thing
By vinnie the cleaner on Monday, March 2nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Once again, people that don’t live in mommy and daddy’s basement and don’t make WoW their career get reamed. If they keep this up, their player base is going to become a bunch of overgeared, no-lifers who stroke themselves by ganking what few casual players are left.
By Runa on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I do not agree with the change. It is frustrating that the mounts are set as temporary rewards for completing achievements. What is the point of working on achievements after the rewards are stripped away?
Furthermore, as soon as Ulduar comes out the high-end guilds won’t even be using their plagued/black protodrakes. They will be riding the shiny new mounts for bragging rights at that point. So, why remove plagued/black drakes from game when they won’t be so popular anymore? Surely there is another way to give hardcore players their bragging rights without preventing *everyone* else from reaping the rewards. I know many skilled players that choose to have fun at their own pace and will get screwed out of the rewards for achievements they’ve been working on due to factors such as time and bad luck.
By Yvrael on Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
well i do agree that the new drakes from ulduar look way cooler, but i still think getting rid of the plagued and black drake after just a few months is not a good idea. although i must admit that having them would then be able to show how fast your guild managed to clear all the extra hard content, which will prove your coolness, plus having them adds to your mount achievements, but for those of us whose guild doesnt like to do the raid achievements no matter how much you may beg…..thank you blizzard, lol.
By Preatorian on Monday, March 16th, 2009 at 3:01 am
Despite what people say, i agree with what blizzard is doing.
“This change will keep the extremely fast mounts limited to those who are either extremely lucky or have the dedication to complete the most difficult challenges that Blizzard sets forth to players at their intended difficulty level.”
As it should be, if you want the mount, then put some effort in it!.
By Grana on Thursday, March 26th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
GUTTED, got into wotlk a little late, and now i hear this, these mounts are being removed ffs blizzard :<
a,mani was ba enuff
By Me on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Holy crap people - quit your bitching - im “The Undieing” away from the plague proto, and in the run i was in yesterday some deusch died in a circle on the KT fight - first death the whole raid - yeah im pissed that i dont get the plague but thats just tough shit for me - i was also one of the only 2 to not get the ZA bear in my group - but its good that theyre removing these - it makes having them that much more special, because it was those proud few who put the time and effort into getting them - im just hoping to get one of the new Uld ones - but in the mean time stfu you stupid shits.
By Myles on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 8:45 am
well i was able to obtain the plagued proto drake within a couple of weeks of hard raiding after lvl 80. i am happy to have gotten it and in the years to come u will see some of these lucky players flying there once in a life time mounts around. but i fell very bad for those who did not get the chance to even start these acheivements. it is sad that blizzard wouldent even give the players jsut hitting 80 a couple of months to even a year of wow toobtain these very hard to get mounts. although there is still the red, blue and green proto drakes that are very cool but tthey do not go the same speed as the others 310% is a big differance from 280%. well that is my bit on all this and i did miss the amani war bear guys it was huge lose that more people did get it. thanks fro reading my blog:D
P.S.
Blizzard you are fucking retards please keep the drakes in for the casual player!!!!