Breakfast Topic: What's the longest you've ever farmed for something?
by Jake Evers 
Sep 30th 2011 at 8:00AM
I used to farm Attumen in Karazhan every week for the Fiery Warhorse mount. I used to farm Anzu in Sethekk Halls every day for the Raven Lord mount. I used to farm the quest in Brunnhildar Village every day for the White Polar Bear mount. I used to farm a lot of things ...
One of my longest-running farming attempts was for the elusive Time-Lost Proto-Drake. I would fly around The Storm Peaks for hours while working on homework, watching shows on Netflix Instant, waiting for random heroic queues, etc. After a few months of diligent hunting, my determination to find, kill, and loot the reins of the Time-Lost Proto-Drake was incited all the more when a friend just happened to fly past the dragon on his way from Ulduar to Dalaran.
At first, I was upset that the mount I sought so dearly had fallen haphazardly into his hands. Soon, though, I realized that if someone could get the mount by sheer dumb luck, it would be much more likely that I find it through persistence. After I spent several more months farming, however, this same friend just happened to see the shadow of the Time-Lost Proto-Drake flash by while he was questing in The Storm Peaks on the new Worgen mage he created when Cataclysm dropped. When I saw him flying around on his second TLPD mount, that was the last straw for me. I gave up the hunt.
What items, mounts or achievements bring out the farmer in you? How long have you been farming for that seemingly unobtainable something?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 9)
Jere Hunter Sep 30th 2011 8:04AM
the longest I have ever farmed for something, Baron Rivendale's mount in Strat, (still dont have it ;D ), going on 3 years now
Jere Hunter Sep 30th 2011 8:05AM
and any rare in Northrend, Havent found a live one yet :(
Hates Sep 30th 2011 9:13AM
Deathcharger's Reins took me 322 runs at 80 in WotLK on my rogue. Now....that's 322 runs since turning level 80, not to mention all the runs i did previously (and my rogue is 6yrs old, remembers Strat/Scholo being 10mans and UBRS 15!)
112 runs on my shaman and counting....
Good luck all
Dan Sep 30th 2011 9:38AM
@Hates
Wow, and I was gonna log on and QQ about the 152 runs it took for me. Now I feel like a chump. ;-)
Lockefeller Sep 30th 2011 10:40AM
Hey, ya know it's just a blue Forsaken mount right? Unless you're Alliance I don't the point the grinding for this mount.
eel5pe Sep 30th 2011 10:55AM
"unless you're half of the WoW population, even more if you count alts" =)
Animaneth Sep 30th 2011 11:00AM
Baron Rivendare also, got it on my main after 150 runs since achievements / statistics were implemented. Add another 50 runs since lvl60 to 80.
And i'm near 50 on my resto shammy... I think I should just faction transfer to horde and buy one of the undead mounts XD
Thundrcrackr Sep 30th 2011 1:48PM
I really wish Blizz would cap the number of attempts it takes to get these rare drops. There is no reason lore-wise or fun-wise that we should be killing the same mob hundreds of times over. On your 100th attempt for example, it should just give it to you. If you're lucky and get it before that, good for you. But if you're unlucky, you should at least be rewarded for your persistence.
I've been lucky with some mounts, but others like Anzu and Baron I've killed well over 100 times each with nothing to show for it but wasted time.
This wouldn't help for rare spawns of course, but they could always reduce the spawn timer for these a little bit. Especially as time goes on and they are no longer considered current content. Similar to how they nerf raids and reduce xp requirements for old content. Farming something for literally years is just a little bit ridiculous.
And i'm not talking about handing these things out like candy, just about adding a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak, so you know your time and patience will eventually pay off. As it is now, you could potentially farm them forever and still not get them, and that's just silly.
Patrick B Sep 30th 2011 3:21PM
3 weeks before the Wrath expansion I decided that I had nothing better to do and went to farm the Deathcharger. I figured that even though it would suck, I would put some serious effort into getting that mount. 1 hour and 3 runs later, I had my Deathcharger.
Wayne Sep 30th 2011 8:07AM
For almost 2 years straight...the Green Proto Drake has eluded my grasp...as of 2 weeks ago I stopped buying the egg from the oracles and have decided to try my luck on the random dungeon finder (I que as a tank).
My guess is I won't see it there either though
Jay Sep 30th 2011 9:09AM
I used to farm the Green Proto drake as well during Wrath, but I gave up towards the end of Wrath. Since Cata came, I've been getting the egg about once or twice a month and yesterday I finally got the drake. Then about 30 mins later I got the Brewfest Kodo
Noyou Sep 30th 2011 9:51AM
Yeah. I used to get those eggs. I need to get back doing that. I generally don't farm things that are open ended. I will farm rep here and there and farm materials from time to time. But something like kara or heroic UP for the drake mount, the RNG factor deters me too much. I wish I had more determination in that category and have respect for anyone who does.
paragorillabear Sep 30th 2011 10:56AM
ehrm...
*shuffles feet nervously*
Maybe I shouldn't mention this, but I'm very proud to have received the green proto drake from my very first egg, the day I made the move from wrath to Cata...
Sorry...
(the best though was getting the brewfest ram for my belf priest after having done the boss only once. In fact, I was totally clueless that I had won the roll and didn't discover the keg in my bags till a month later, during Hallow's End. People close to me whispered, "Gratz! Wait... WTF?" )
oh yeah and getting that drake in Vortex Pinnacle my first time in -- that was pretty cool too...
Wait. What were we talking about?
photofire1969 Sep 30th 2011 10:57AM
The list is long for me...RGN drops absolutly HATE my main and collector of mounts and pets.
Time-Lost----countless hours with no luck
green proto----Countless eggs no luck (My GF's toon has destroyed 3-4 drakes!!! she got it her second egg back in wrath)
Azure whelpling------countless more hours in Winterspring 1000's upon 1000's of kills
gundrak raptor pet----hr's and hours inbetween looking for the time-lost
Turtle mount-----5000 fish added to guild fishing achievment in cata with no turtle and I lost track of how many from Wrath!!!!!(some guildies have it on multiple toons!!!)
RNG = Really Never Gonna drop for you!!!!!
(i am the owner of the camel horder title and the Hyacinth Macaw pet....but hey even a blind squirle finds a nut now and then)
TheBishop Oct 1st 2011 10:59AM
@photofinder1969
I have farmed up 3 azure whelps back during BC, but as of the Cataclysm they were removed from the game, so you might wanna give that one up. But the answer to why you never got that pet was...(drum roll) you were farming in the wrong place. It never dropped in Winterspring. It dropped off of blue dragonkin in Azshara over by Azuregos. Wowhead=success.
stoneyrs Oct 1st 2011 9:05AM
I have one toon that got SEVEN green Protos in just a few months. Like every second or third egg had one.
That same toon also found TLPD twice by accident.
And got both brewfest mounts his first year running.
Still no Raven Lord though...
Shorty Sep 30th 2011 8:09AM
Heck, I'm still farming for the Ashes of A'lar...
Paul S Sep 30th 2011 8:15AM
My wife gave up farming the Headless Horseman's mount last year out of sheer frustration. Didn't help that my new 80 Pally got it on the first run!
That went down well :-/
I dare not ask if she intends to farm it this year
MattKrotzer Sep 30th 2011 8:40AM
Paul:
Same boat. Been farming it every year on my main. My shaman (who apparently has incredible luck with mount drops) got it on her first-ever attempt. She also got the blue drake from Occulus on her only visit to the place.
Possum Sep 30th 2011 9:12AM
They upped the drop rate of the headless horseman's mount last year I'm pretty sure, by like a lot.