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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: What it's like to have a Spectral Tiger
by Mike Schramm 
Apr 10th 2009 at 8:00AM
Cogfizzle of the aptly named Ace of Spades over on the forums recently came across a Spectral Tiger in the TCG, and has an interesting post up about how people are reacting to his new mount. Most of the people who say something to him simply want to know where to get it (which means to us that more people need to read WoW Insider), but there's also an undercurrent of hostility -- some people think that as a TCG item, the Spectral Tiger mount isn't a "real" achievement in the game, compared to, say, a Netherwing mount or a Zul'Aman bear. True, you can (legally) buy the special loot cards from eBay (or win them from WoW Insider, hint hint stay tuned), when you can't buy those other mounts. But Cogfizzle, we presume from what he says, got his the old fashioned way -- by buying and playing the WoW TCG. Can you blame him for that? I'm of the second group he describes -- when I see a rocket mount or a Spectral Tiger ride by, I just give whoever's riding it a nod and go on my way. But are these mounts less impressive because they can be bought, even if they were gained the "right" way? Or are you not "impressed" with rare or tough-to-get rep mounts in general? Ezra Chatterton famously came to us with the news that he was the first with the Pheonix mount, for fear that players in game might give him grief for having it.
It's an interesting thought, and of course social quirks like this are why we play this game in the first place. Of course none of you would ever harass anyone in the game (right?) but how do you feel when you see someone ride by on a Spectral Tiger?
Filed under: Items, Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Blizzard
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 7)
winks Apr 10th 2009 9:33AM
i feel jealous lol
Laziek Apr 10th 2009 9:37AM
I was extremely lucky with loot cards regarding the Hunt for Illidan, four boosters and I got both the Fel Fire Footprints and the Ethereal Soul Trader.
Most common responses have been: Where do you get it? Where do you get Soul Credits? I can't say I've received any insults, but neither do I get many compliments from people other than guidies. I'm pleased to have it because I know I got lucky, but I rarely bother to have it out.
Lord Negatron Apr 10th 2009 9:38AM
Lmao Usdom, new to WoW? Your rant is almost ridiculous as it is ignorant...
I won't ask why you said what you said, but, its obvious you don't know wtf you are talking about and your fixation with "yuppie kids" actually makes you the douche.
Jack Kelly Apr 10th 2009 9:43AM
I have no issue at all when I see someone with a cool mount that is hard to get. As long as it doesn't interfere with my enjoyment of the game.
What does bug me is when said players get in the path between the mailbox and the AH and either sit there all night long or simply run in circles and jump in the same general area for hours.
Others will also get into a spot and move a couple of inches to the left or right until they're in their "perfect spot" to be seen by as many people as possible until somebody gives them the attention they're after.
Lycanthro Apr 10th 2009 10:02AM
They may just like staring at themselves. I got the ZG Raptor recently (alliance here) and I've been running in circles outside the ally bank in dalaran just watching myself. I'm not really concerned about the other people I just like seeing my Night Elf in Valorous Dreamwalker's riding around on a lime green dinosaur.
Lycanthro Apr 10th 2009 9:44AM
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DELETE THESE POSTS! NEVER EMAIL ANYONE YOUR ACCOUNT INFO EVER! DO NOT LISTEN TO YOUTUBE VIDEOS ASKING FOR ANY WOW INFO!
Lord Negatron Apr 10th 2009 9:50AM
Personally if i see ANY mount that appears to be rare/epic etc. I acknowledge it, and continue about my business. If i "were to be interested" i would simply ask how or where they got it from.
Other than that, if you have to send a hateful message to ANYONE that has done nothing to you . Your an immature young person or adult that needs to stay off of the internetz.
barth Apr 10th 2009 9:58AM
He's bitter because he defines himself based on pixels in a video game and has not gotten lucky enough to get this mount.
Personally I assume most people with this mount either bought it with real money, which to me is more impressive than having 70 hours of free time per week that they dedicate to raiding, or they won it on some online contest or found it in the TCG-- and good for them if they did.
It doesn't bother me, it's a cool mount to see and run across.
Jazdan Apr 10th 2009 10:00AM
I have the BlizzCon mount, but no other special mounts. I got mine not by attending the con in person, but watching it on DirecTV. I got a couple of negative comments from people who don't think it was fair for home viewers to get them, but most people were very positive.
The Spectral Tigers (and many other of the special mounts, no matter how they are acquired) look wonderful. I do admire players more who have put in-game work into getting their mounts, but I don't look down on anyone.
As for the subject of enough gold for fast flying and special mounts and the like, there is simply no reason for anyone to get worked up about anyone else. People enjoy the game in different ways. None of my toons are perfect, but I still have fun, and I still contribute to my guilds.
Houston Apr 10th 2009 10:03AM
I never really get excited over mounts and pets because they don't really serve any purpose other than to stand out in the crowd. With regards to WoW in general it's difficult to be a unique snowflake, and these help, but really have no other purpose in the game.
Rilgon Apr 10th 2009 10:16AM
"You know perfectly well that if someone "gave" you any of the mounts you referenced that you would accept them with open arms... gleefully. Turning down the offer would make you a chump, a stupid chump."
Lol? Unlike seemingly the whole population of this game, I pick a mount based on how much I like what it looks like. Sure, my Bronze Drake may not be extremely rare, but there's only one mount I'd trade her for, and that's the Ashes of Al'ar. I would very happily turn down a Spectral Tiger, any of the Proto-Drakes (gave away the spawn of a Time-Lost and have passed on two Blues), or pretty much any mount that's not the Ashes.
If that makes me a "stupid chump", then so be it, but that makes you sound about as childish and petty as Usdom.
Kamare Apr 10th 2009 10:19AM
I generally think "oooh, look at the shiney!" no bitterness about it. They bought it...so what? If it bothered me I would just buy it too. But instead I just enjoy the look of it. I got the Polar Bear mount from Blizzcon....technically I bought it when I bought the tickets, doesn't make it any less enjoyable.
Gimmlette Apr 10th 2009 10:22AM
There is one person I know of on my server who has the tiger. He parks it in IF, SW or Dalaran on various days just to have people oogle it. It is interesting looking but when I sent a query to him, the response was, "If you have to ask where you get this, then you're not a WOW player." Huh? So, I asked some people in game whom I know and they responded that the person with the tiger is well known as something of a jerk who would rather insult you than say a simple, "Thanks. I like it."
I don't begrudge the guy on my server who got one, I just don't pay him any mind any more when a simple, "Nice mount. Where did you get it?" resulted in a snotty response.
I'm more impressed with Baron Rivendare's, Attumen's, the ZG mounts or Skaldi's drake than I am with the tiger. Even people with Amani War Bears are more impressive to me than someone with a spectral tiger. Those mounts represent some actual work to get rather than plunking down cash and trusting the fates. I'll take my chances with the RNG.
And jumping into the epic flyer discussion, I turned 70 a full 18 months before Wrath hit the stores. The very first thing I did was spent a month doing dailies for my epic flyer. In fact, a bunch of us would do them together, clearing 20 dailies in 2 hours. You did everything in Shatt before hitting the Isle and doing all of those. On weekends, we'd run instances or quest and sell all gray and white items and blues no one could use and which weren't BoE. I'd spend an hour herbing and AH those and any greens I got from questing or instances. One of my friends had his account hacked so I gave him 500g to replace all the gear he had worked so hard to create. It set me back a day or two in my flyer goal so the group I was running with gave me the rest I needed to get the flyer. My friend had me paid back in a week and I, in turn, paid back my other friends.
I just bought the red drake from Wyrmrest. I've not been making as much money because I've been working on the Loremaster of Kalimdor achivement which doesn't pay as much as Wrath quests. Now that I have that and am back in Icecrown, I make 2-300 g a night between dailies and questing and selling anything I get. And that doesn't include the occasional instance and the weekend guild raids.
Yes, there are gold sinks in this game. I have a "gigantique bag". But, with a couple of hours, I can make more than enough to cover my expenses for raiding AND save for my next purchase.
To paraphrase a writer named "Bill", 'Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much."
FFTARoxorz05 Apr 10th 2009 10:25AM
Probably the feeling to have wasted $500 on something that you'll never actually own. They're in the same boat as the vendor and motorcycle mount folks, I laugh at any of the above whenever I see them.
Zamboni Apr 10th 2009 12:58PM
The tiger is $750 of real cash. That one, I can't understand.
The motorcycle is only 15K of free gold. I can make that over the weekend just by mauling the auction house for a couple hours. For players that have a quarter-million gold sitting in the bank, what else do they have to spend it on?
FFTARoxorz05 Apr 10th 2009 8:46PM
Considering I could get $150 for that gold or fund a small twink army, I'd say its a huge waste of gold. Blizzard dropped the ball for gold sinks this expansion, as 1.2k is nothing and the only other thing you need is a kirin tor ring.
Pyornthe Apr 10th 2009 10:33AM
I think the title of this post needs to be changed to, "What it's like to have a lot of disposable income".
TUFF Apr 10th 2009 1:48PM
I see them al l the time selling on ebay for about a thousand dollars. So when I see one in game I think to myself, that player either payed a bit for it or passed up a good bit of real money for it. Either way I think to myself 1000$ for pixels?
Anelf Apr 10th 2009 10:40AM
As a Druid, fancy flying mounts hold no interest for me at all - what could possibly be better than (instant cast) epic flight form.
If a nice land mount came my way I'd use it, but I wouldn't spend time chasing one. (I don't use land mounts much because I can fly).
Waiting for Blizzard to buff travel form to land mount speed (and add epic travel form). Shapeshifters shouldn't need pack animals :-).
Lyraat Apr 10th 2009 10:40AM
Tis a cool mount. Congrats on buying it?
So close to Plagued Proto-Drake. Ugly as sin, but 310 speed is sexy.