Maybe Ulduar drakes aren't going away in 3.2 after all
by Michael Sacco 
Jun 18th 2009 at 6:30PM
We had a bit of a minor freakout when we heard that the Rusted and Ironbound protodrakes might be getting removed as rewards for the Ulduar meta achievements in Patch 3.2, and then even more of one when the slow trickle of information about 3.2 turned into a firehose. Bornakk mentioned the change initially with the caveat that it was their intention to remove the drakes eventually, but that he'd seek definite confirmation either way as to whether it was happening in 3.2 or not. There's been no update about it in the past few weeks.
Well, after a thorough reading of the 3.2 patch notes, I don't see a single trace of anything saying the drakes are getting removed. At the risk of counting my protochickens before they hatch, I think we might be safe, given how fast 3.2 looks like it's coming out.
This is at least a relief for my guild, who's doing pretty well on 10-man hard-mode progression but ... is there a word worse than "dismal"? ... on 25-man hard-modes. Maybe there's hope for us yet.
Should we get the soul-crushing confirmation that they'll be removed with 3.2, we'll be sure to let you know. There's still a lot of time for change on this one, though -- maybe it was an accidental omission, maybe it'll get decided on later -- but for now, you can breathe a little easier knowing you might be able to keep hacking away at those hard modes to get your undeniably awesome drakes even after the Argent Coliseum is commanding your guild's attention.
Patch 3.2 will bring about a new 5, 10, and 25 man instance to WoW, and usher in a new 40-man battleground called the Isle of Conquest. WoW.com will have you covered every step of the way, from extensive PTR coverage through the official live release. Check out WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2 for all the latest!Filed under: Patches, Raiding, Achievements
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Rimefang Jun 18th 2009 6:39PM
A more extreme version of "dismal"? My personal favorite is "ferociously bad".
traptinacivicsi Jun 18th 2009 6:44PM
PLEASE don't take these away, we're grinding our way through Ulduar, and these are some of the few proto-drakes I think look cool!
If only they had this same skin only in a brighter/icier blue color :D
megamogx Jun 18th 2009 6:47PM
Raid drakes shouldn't be removed period... As fun as having the carrot yanked out in front of one is each new pve season its really stupid to force pve seasons just to coincide with the crapfest that is arena. Cause u know guild progression works like arena so lets just screw everything up for arena's sake...
Viper007Bond Jun 18th 2009 7:40PM
Say Karazhan dropped a drake. Would it be fair to the people who worked really hard to get their drake if people could come back in Sunwell gear and get the drake?
megamogx Jun 18th 2009 9:43PM
You argument brings a lot of faillogic to the table viper. First of there is a mount that drops in kara and people can still get it. Second you said drop and pretty much all bosses that drop cool mounts have remained in and been farmed more as they became ezer.
Second the ZA bear was farmed in the fashion you said where people had sunwell gear so they had higher chance of beating the timer. Yet was it removed just because better gear was available, no....
Fair is subjective, was it fair that many many people where close to naxx ones told that they would stay in then 9 days later be told o next patch we are gonna take em out and screw people who spent tones of time working on hard modes? Is it fair that people who can't get into the best end game guilds on server who actually give crap about doing hard modes when a ilevel checker for each batch of achievements is very doable well not forcing everyone to have to rush threw content and grind tell players burn out instead of other viable options? Is it fair those that do hard modes fast deserve a reward and people who take there time or leveled alts won't ever have a chance at the mounts? Is it fair that wow tips say to take everything in moderation and then blizz say the game is going to be more casual based then expect one to pretty much put in as much hours as a second job to have a chance at mastering END game hard modes and earn the drakes in their silly undetermined time frames?
Osc Jun 19th 2009 11:09AM
Yeah actually it's perfectly fair. Because a fancy proto-drake doesn't affect your game play in any way shape or form. Its a vanity object that the top end guilds can WORK for. Key word there being work. If you can't put in the effort to finish the meta in the allotted time then you don't deserve the vanity object. I'm saying this as a semi-casual raider (mimiron down no hardmodes) who won't ever see an ulduar proto-drake.
impurezero Jun 18th 2009 6:48PM
If you ask me, it's silly to get rid of them altogether just because it will one day be easier for everyone else to get them.
So? Isn't that like everything in the game? Most items eventually lose their "special-ness" when they become easier to get. But who cares if a group of level 90s goes and gets their snazzy drakes a couple years down the road.
There's this weird culture in WoW that thinks their accomplishments are somehow diminished anytime a future lesser accomplishment garners someone else the same pixelated reward.
In any case...leaving this reward in the game would certainly go along with Blizzard's recent attempts to make this game less of a pissing contest.
Osc Jun 19th 2009 11:14AM
That's kind of the key with accomplishments. They are diminished if every one can accomplish them. In the same way an Olympic gold medal loses its value if every guy with a sweatsuit can win them an elite object that only the top raiders can earn loses its value when every scrub level 90 can faceroll to it.
Azhoul Jun 24th 2009 2:53AM
But the analogy doesn't hold true, because it's a game, not an olympic sport. Everyone is trying to be the "best" and obtain a pat on the back for playing a video game. As well, if you fail at achieving the gold medal, you can come back the next time it's held to obtain it again; unlike this situation.
The thing about acheivements, is far from being that not just anyone can achieve them, it's that the bar is constantly being pushed higher. Getting the proto drake isn't going to be some big deal when there's a a mega-super-flying citadel of destruction at level 90. Just like having the Baron's mount now isn't a big deal. Think of it like how living to be 50 isn't a big deal now, but it was a few hundred years ago.
Folks have just become so terrified of getting thier E-peen hurt and lowering thier self sense of greatness, that they're clinging with desperation to these pixelated "rewards" for the "work and effort" put into the game. WoW is not a job; the only reward should be playing later parts of the game.
In the end, it's all about competition, and people only want the mounts to be removed because they want to be the absolute best, and always be the best. They want to be able to say "I have it and you don't, and you never will." That's just greed. I don't like rewarding greedy people by giving them thier way. I think the mounts should stay. Maybe Blizzard doesn't want to maintain them because it takes up memory, or that it might cause glitches later down the road, but seriously, everyone in this game is trying so hard to be the "best" that it's ruining the fun.
Do you remember that kid in school who constantly tried to be the best at everything and liked to rub it in your face when he beat you? Or worse yet, would ruin YOUR fun just so he could be better? You didn't like that kid, did you? If you were that kid, did you have many friends? Didn't think so. Think about it guys, it's a game. If you're the best, gratz, but stop trying to ruin the game for everyone else just because other people will be comparable to your "greatness". It's a game. I feel as though I can't say that enough.
TLDR: It's a game, not a job. Stop competing to be the best and ruining everyone else's fun on your quest for "greatness".
daemeonkin Jun 18th 2009 6:51PM
Oh great. Now you just went and reminded them. THANKS A LOT.
Gorevinor Jun 18th 2009 6:53PM
Between achievement item level, character level auditing and no xp gain disabling, there's no reason why Blizzard can't keep all the old achievement mounts in for those who can handle the original challenge.
Craig R Jun 18th 2009 6:54PM
for the record, the last set of drakes were removed without being listed in the patch notes.
See: http://www.wowwiki.com/Patch_3.1.0_(undocumented_changes)
So don't hold your breath.
Eric Jun 18th 2009 11:19PM
In fact there are articles dedicated to undocumented changes on this very site. Take your hopes, put them in a box and bury them next to your dreams. Blizz likes taking stuff out right along with altering the way classes play and nerfing everyone to feed off the QQ :P its like the Mountain Dew Game Fuel for Blizzard employees.
Craig is very correct. The patch notes are a mile long already and not every change makes the notes. Be prepared to have tons of "stealth nerfs" and missing rewards come 3.2, or maybe 3.2.1. Who knows? Not even blizzard :P
Zul Jun 18th 2009 6:54PM
I'm sure those of you who are whining about the drakes getting removed, aren't the ones who raid 4+ days a week, 4+ hours a night. I'm assuming you would like to crap one for kicks in the next expansion pack, while getting all the achievements by pure power, and not skill. I am going to be honest here. Please STFU, if you want a 310% drake do the holiday metas. Let the people who are dedicated to raiding have at least one thing...
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As for staying after 3.2 I hope they allow it for a little bit (a month or so). The time on 3.1 seems dismal compared to 3.0. BUT REMOVE IT EVENTUALLY!
Sech Jun 18th 2009 8:17PM
Despite the aggressive language, I'm going to have to agree with him. There's a reason they're called 'achievements', because you have to actually achieve something noteworthy for the reward, not just do something for a reward that was designed for weaker gear/ levels.
They could, however, make the achievements something where everyone in the raid has to have below a certain level armor, and be level 80.
peagle Jun 18th 2009 6:55PM
"Well, after a thorough reading of the 3.2 patch notes, I don't see a single trace of anything saying the drakes are getting removed."
Wasn't their removal an undocumented (though announced) change in the last patch for the Naxx achievements? I thought I recalled that being the case.
@impurezero: As for whether its a pissing contest or not, in the interests of catering to every playstyle, I don't think Blizzard does anyone a disservice by tossing a tiny bone toward the elitists and "hardcore" out there. (I say this not having managed to complete the Naxx ones in time myself).
impurezero Jun 18th 2009 8:43PM
Just to expound upon where I stand on stuff like this: I'm level 58 on my main. With the new options to turn off experience, I fully plan to stay 60 while I experience the old-school raids as they were meant to be experienced. Same at 70, 80, etc.
I'm also quite the completionist, so I've been taking forever to level anyway. Doing rep grinds, going for Loremaster from the start, taking in all the storylines. The reason I'm not in Ulduar right now isn't because I'm some terrible player. It's because I'm making every effort I can to fully experience the game.
So, for someone like me...I would actually get screwed out of the reward even though I plan to do the achievements the "right" way.
If you ask me...having the hottest, coolest new thing BEFORE everyone else IS the bone you're asking for. If you're really that dedicated though, then by the time all the less hardcore players get their drakes, you're gonna be flaunting something even cooler! It's like real life. You buy a huge, awesome HDTV and everyone goes, "Ooh!" But one day they'll be cheaper and everyone else will have them too. So if you wanna stay special, you better go get the next big thing again, right?
BUT if having people get these rewards later on is really such a downer for you guys, perhaps they could at least replace them with slightly less cool mounts for all the late bloomers and/or over-geared folks, who still went around doing the achievements.
Or, as someone else suggested, take group composition into account somehow. Level 80's in appropriate gear get the best mount, level 100s soloing Ulduar get Clown Makup Drakes.
Just throwing in my 2 cents is all. Hopefully it makes sense.
megamogx Jun 18th 2009 10:42PM
Its not a tiny bone tho we are talking about 2 epicly cool flying mounts going to top percent of guilds each season well rest get to smash there head against a wall and gear up players so they can join those guilds. Applying arena logic to pve is bad for the game in so many ways.... Arena 200games take a few hours hardcore raiding is an epic time sink comparedable to a second job. Why do the raiders that get these done before other raiders do deserve them? Just because they finish before blizzard chooses to release a patch?
The people who whine about needing these mounts to be rare tend to be people with them, and its the same logic that has lead to epic levels of whining that the wow forums have exploded with over the mount changes and the emblem changes. WAAA it was harder for me so its not fair if other people can do it more easily after i did it. Pretty much the i walked 20 miles in the snow to get to school logic...
Moony Jun 18th 2009 6:58PM
I think you'd graduate to "dismal" if you didn't have rogues complaining about having to be rogues. :3
BillDoor Jun 18th 2009 7:08PM
Given that 3.2 is introducing the next Tier of raiding gear, I fully expect the Ironbound and Rusted Protodrakes to be removed as rewards for the Ulduar and Heroic Ulduar Meta achievements.