size="3">Without a
doubt a large
majority of World of Warcraft players find themselves drawn to the
allure of collecting, sometimes for prestige, for money, or even just
because they have nothing better to do on that particular day. At
first only pets and mounts were available to sate the hunger of these
collectors, however Blizzard (probably noticing how addicting
collecting could be) later added in the achievement feature with
rewards for completing certain achievements. These achievements not
surprisingly appealed to those who already enjoyed collecting, and
served to draw in those who had been uninterested in the pets and
mounts game.
size="3">It goes without saying
that regardless of if you are collecting mounts, pets, or just
achievement points there is something basely satisfying about finally
completing what you set out to do. I would even argue that finishing
a difficult achievement, or having the vanity pet you have been
farming for three months drop has the same kind of rush as killing a
boss for the first time, or gaining a difficult to achieve PvP rank.
So, with the
release of Cataclysm and the promise of the world we
play in being torn apart and put back together again looming ever
closer, we must ask what exactly does that mean for the achievement
seekers among us?
size="3">Currently there are
relatively few achievements, pets, or mounts that are unobtainable.
While they are out there, for the most part players can decide on
which one they want, and set out to do it. With the big changes that
are coming with Cataclysm it only makes sense to assume that some of
these things may become obsolete, and Blizzard’s Cory
Stockton
confirmed this in an interview at Blizzcon (see the full interview
href="http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/08/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm/">
color="#0000ff">
size="3">here
size="3">):
“
size="3">Definitely. We’re
going to have to go back and look at those achievements because
certain things might not be available anymore and there are also
going to be new things that we’re going to want to add. So
definitely it will affect that stuff. (Old world achievements) will
be converted to “Feats of Strength” (achievements
that don’t
add points to your player score). So if you have one, for instance,
and we removed that from the game, we removed the ability to get it,
but (in your list of achievements) it will just become a Feat of
Strength.”
size="3">As you can see from the
statement above there will defiantly be certain achievements that
will be going the way of the Wooly Mammoth (the real life version)
and will no longer be available for players to complete. In addition,
while nothing is said directly here about pets and mounts it is
likely that they too will be affected by the changes, and certain
pets will no longer be available, especially those that come from
zones that are heavily affected by Cataclysm.
size="3">This will mean that those
of us lucky enough to have already collected these things will have
extra bragging rights once they are no longer available. Just like
people who reminisce about their days in old school WoW (remember
directing new players to the “window” into
Ragnaros’s room?)
and use it as a sense of extra prestige, so shall collectors be able
to use the soon to be unobtainable mounts, pets, and other
achievements.
size="3">This probably means
that as the release date for Cataclysm draws ever closer the push for
obtaining every pet, achievement, and mount possible will reach a
frenzy. Expect people to race about, with little regard for others,
to collect those last achievements, pets, and mounts. This
determination to complete their collection will bring out the profit
makers in full force, and I fully expect to see a price jump on the
Auction House in the vanity pet department especially those pets that
can be found in zones that will be heavily affected by the expansion.
size="3">So far we have been
focusing on the not so happy aspects of the changes the expansion
will bring, however don’t despair as there
are good things
coming
that I feel will far out shadow the
bad. For starters players will be
able to keep their achievement points for no longer available
achievements that have been converted to Feats of Strength. So wipe
away any worries you have about losing these points, as they will
still be around no matter how drastic the changes.
size="3">Every expansion Blizzard
adds in new pets and mounts, and this time there will be new
achievements to complete. So even if players haven’t managed
to
collect all that they wished in the old world they will probably not
be disappointed or bored with the new items added to the game. With
Blizzard’s focus being on elements and dragons in Cataclysm,
the
new additions promise to be exciting, especially with the new
underwater zone. Underwater mounts anyone?
size="3">The guild advancement
system will also open up a whole new avenue for achievement seekers.
Instead of seeking to gain achievements simply for their own benefit,
players can now work towards gaining guild based achievements that
will not only reward them, but their entire guild upon completion. This
should give an extra level of satisfaction to all involved.
size="3">While nothing is official
yet, I would also dare to venture
that with the expansion we may see
a change to the achievement system as we know it, and perhaps even
changes to how the system
works. While I’m not sure exactly
what
changes will be made, if any at all, if they are made they will
(hopefully) make the system better, and perhaps even offer extra
incentives for players to complete them. This of course is all
speculation and we will have to wait until it is released to see what
Blizzard has in store.
size="3">So, while we wait make use
of your time, and get out there and get that vanity pet you have
always wanted, collect that awesome mount, or finish up that
achievement you have been putting
off before time runs out. In
between killing mobs or questing join us on our forums to share your
thoughts on what Cataclysm holds for the collectors among us.
size="3">To help you complete your collection please
visit these helpful pages:
- href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/loremasterachievement"> size="3">Achieving Everything - Loremaster
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/78355">Popular
Mounts and How to Get Them!
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.
