Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsBlizzard responds to Guardian Cub controversy
by Matthew Rossi 
Oct 11th 2011 at 4:00PM
Bashiok - Re: Blizzard, you've crossed the line
TCG Loot card mounts like the Spectral Tiger have been BoE for a long time now (since patch 3.2), and that was and continues to be well-received, and as far as we've been able to tell hasn't had any adverse impact to the game or economy - despite them selling for sometimes astronomical amounts of gold.
It's potentially worth noting that no new gold is being introduced into the game's economy with those mounts or the new Guardian Cub pet.
Our goal with the Guardian Cub is to provide alternative ways for players who don't want to spend real money to add these pets to their collection. Even though this has been available a while now with the TCG mounts, this is obviously a new kind of way to deliver Pet Store pets, and we're definitely interested to hear your feedback and ultimately see how this will play out.
It's potentially worth noting that no new gold is being introduced into the game's economy with those mounts or the new Guardian Cub pet.
Our goal with the Guardian Cub is to provide alternative ways for players who don't want to spend real money to add these pets to their collection. Even though this has been available a while now with the TCG mounts, this is obviously a new kind of way to deliver Pet Store pets, and we're definitely interested to hear your feedback and ultimately see how this will play out.
To be fair, since this is exactly what I said about the Cub on the WoW Insider Show this week, I'm already on record as agreeing with him fully. The only difference between the Guardian Cub and loot cards is that you don't have to spend money hoping you'll get the Cub. You spend ten bucks and you know you have one.
Well, also, the thing is adorable. That's not really germane to the discussion, though. What do you think about our friendly Cub? Cute pet, money for gold, soul-meltingly cute step off of the slippery slope? Tell us.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, News items
Reader Comments (Page 7 of 8)
Brent Oct 11th 2011 5:13PM
I think they should give the option of buying the one-use pet that you can trade, or the bind on account and all your characters receive one.
MysticalOS Oct 11th 2011 5:21PM
My only issue is the cost being high for a ONE time use. the other pets got me a pet that EVERY char on my account got. This is 10 dollars PER CHAR, that's asking a lot. I'd like some compromise that says binds to account when used, but not consumed, that way,if you use it, you can now mail it to your other chars to use but no longer sell/trade it. this would be a great fix I think. Because i just can't justify dishing out 10 dollars for a ONE time use pet, what if I main change or something. All my other pets are on all chars, so should this one.
Ice Oct 11th 2011 5:48PM
I agree.
You know what. If this wasnt blatant "give money" attempt they would literally give the pet for 10 dollars AND make it boa on use.
I dont see ANY reason why this would need to be ONE time use only if its same 10 dollars as other "boa pets".
If they just wanted actually people to have "option" as actual "helping players" manner to buy pet with gold instead of money that option would also include account wide on use. Why NOT?
Option 1: Sell for gold. Talk to npc or whatever(already possible with vanilla CE pets). Make it BOA.
Option 2: Sell for money. Choose option in store. Make it BOA.
But no. Just because you can buy it with gold its just one time only for no other reason than "sell less, they will buy more to sell and use".
Would it make the price higher if it was boa? Maybe for while. Going "10 dollars got you 500g? Too bad, no refund. We are not responsible for player economics" is just..ugh, come on.
Blizzard is just biting the hand that feeds it. Come on.
edgarrinwow Oct 11th 2011 5:27PM
It'll be a placeholder for gold to USD conversion.
10 USD = pet = x Gold
10 USD = X Gold
People will buy the pets a post them in AH for the amount of gold that 10 dollars equals. We have no idea legal example of the currency exchange but I believe the black market is $9.99=10,000. so the pet would be 10k gold.
So blizzard is letting people buy gold without adding to hyper-inflation.
Chance Oct 11th 2011 5:34PM
I personally think this is a great idea. I see no downside to this at all. Blizzard is not selling us gold, they are selling us pets, just as they've always done, and for the same price they have always done. The only difference is that now if you want to list the pet on the AH and make it available to those who do not have the extra cash income you can do that as well.
Considering how limited the pet collection market is I would be amazed to see this as a way to "buy gold". People will value the pet highly at first, maybe, but as the more avid pet collectors purchase this pet the price will quickly drop dramatically, most likely evening out at around 1 - 2k gold. Couple that with the AH cut and the leanth of time it will take to find a buyer most people will see this as an entirely inefficient way to "buy gold".
The idea is brilliant and fair to all parties considered. As already stated the only thing this does is open up the option to buy this companion pet to those without the income to shell out real cash for the companion. There is no downside and all the people naysaying it are just people jumping onto the "let's hate anything that blizzard does" bandwagon that passes through town whenever blizzard does anything.
Skye Oct 11th 2011 5:42PM
The problem I have with this is blizzard is basically giving a green light to gold selling and gold sellers (as they will be profiting from this too). Their comment that this is no worse than the TCG pets and mounts is flawed since those are very rare and only the most die hard pet/ mount collector will buy those and they only occasionally show up in-game on the AH and are of no interest to gold sellers because of their rarity and risk. Depending on how much these sell for on the AH it could give some players a definite in-game advantage in terms of gold to buy gear and weapons which Blizzard has stated in the past that they were against. The other issue with this pet is unlike all other online store pets this costs $10 but is only available to one character instead of $10 for all characters making it a waste of money compared to the other store pets.
This seems to be either Blizzard's attempt to make some money off lazy gold buying players to help make up for lost subscription revenue or a slippery slope towards true gold selling from Blizzard and micro-transactions for other items such as gear and weapons. I will wait and see how this affects the game but if this is the direction WoW is heading in then other games like SWToR will start looking much more appealing.
Mork Oct 11th 2011 6:08PM
They could use this model as a new means for a gold sink as well.
Say, you can buy the pet from the pet store for $10, or you can buy it from an in game vendor for, say 15k, or whatever.
They could further that with other pet store items as well. Find a good balance of gold/cash and make both options available. So, those without time, but means can purchase the pets quick and easy from the pet store, and those with more time and less means, or just a ton of gold, can buy them from vendors.
Granted, it won't line blizz's pockets with free cash if they did it that way, but it would even out that market, make them some cash, and provide a reasonable gold sink all in one.
I only care about pets on one toon, so really the boa/boe thing is a non issue for me, that said I do have an issue spending RL money on in game shinies. It's simply a matter of principle, if they were $1 each I'd still rather buy one with in game currency given the option. If these show up on AH's for 10k or less I'll likely buy one, any more then that I'll just wait it out. 10k seems reasonable to me, as I've spent far more then that on other pets, and hell the time invested for some of the more rare in game pets if considered in actual RL time/hourly wage sort of thoughts is substantially more costly. At the end of the day though, I can reconcile my wasted time in game with a choice of fun, where as spending RL money on stuff takes a level of delusion I haven't quite mastered.
Killik Oct 12th 2011 5:06AM
If they want a gold sink, they could just make the pet only purchasable from a vendor. Also selling it for money dilutes that effect.
3XAmethyst Oct 11th 2011 6:10PM
It's a game people. A GAME. Get over it. If people choose to purchase the pet and sell it on the AH, so be it. If Blizzard wants to change things up... so be it. Good! Change and trying new things IS A GOOD THING. "Slippery Slope", "Blizzard has gone too far", "As long as Blizzard gets their cut", "Screw you Blizzard", QQQQQQQQ. If you don't like it, then don't play the game. You sound like a bunch of goddamn whiners who blame everybody else for your problems and aren't satisfied with your lot in life. "It's NOT FAIR!". Jesus, shut up and go back to work, go back to school, go back to your life and live it. How's this going to negatively impact you and your life? If you let it get to you (which many of you have already displayed) you really need to just chill. OH MY GOD THERE'S AN EXTRA 100,000 GOLD IN MY SERVER'S ECONOMY! HORRORS! Go pick some herbs, make a belt, enchant some items, whatever your professions may be and worry about your own gold.
Oh, and if you're mad because you can't afford the pet from the Blizzard store in order to sell it like the others you're worried about... get a job.
Amaxe Oct 11th 2011 7:32PM
Take a few deep breaths and then check your meds.
/sheesh.
Dodes Oct 11th 2011 6:17PM
Tired of seeing how this is the same as the spectral tiger. Unless they generate tiger codes to sell on the side there are only so many of them around, which is why they sell for so much.
sd_fuller Oct 11th 2011 6:23PM
I think this is clearly an attempt by Blizzard to gauge the community reaction to gold selling in WoW. The entire BOE aspect versus the BOA of previous pets/mounts is a clever way to do this versus the model that will be used in Diablo III. I do find it curious how Blizzard had said there were "no plans" to bring the real cash AH to WoW and now this new pet shows up. I don't think this is a coincidence.
I think it is clear that WoW is winding down and so trying new things with it at this point is not outragious or really that damaging to Blizzard. Their numbers are likely to continuing to go down and when Star Wars comes out and Diablo next year, it will only increase... so why not give this a shot now?
Marius W. Oct 11th 2011 6:39PM
I really don't see what the big deal is. I really don't.
It's a pet. You can spend 10 bucks on it and do whatever you want with it.
The only part I have an issue with is that all other $10 pets go to each and every toon you have already or in the future... kinda feel ripped off with this one.
Amaxe Oct 11th 2011 7:27PM
I just had a thought... apologies if this has been mentioned already...
If this pet can be bought for gold and auctioned, could this be a way to launder gold selling?
I'm envisioning a situation like the following:
Person goes and contacts a gold seller and works out a transaction. The buyer is told, "OK, buy a pet and sell it in the AH for 100,000g. We'll buy it." Could Blizzard really prove you made a deal with a gold seller and paid real money to make that transaction vs. you got lucky and sold the pet to someone with more money than brains.
Any thoughts?
Killik Oct 11th 2011 7:42PM
You can already sell linen cloth on the AH for 10,000g so that a goldseller will buy it. If anything, cutting Blizzard in on the deal makes it riskier for both parties - more of a chance someone is looking at these transactions.
Noah Oct 12th 2011 6:48PM
anyone else notice it looks like a remodled baby crockolisk, just a little
styopa Oct 11th 2011 7:42PM
Let me direct both of you to the Gold Capped article that IMMEDIATELY followed this one:
http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/gold-capped-legally-buy-gold-with-the-guardian-cub/
"Legally buy gold with the Guardian Cub".
He sees it precisely the same way I do, that this is not direct gold-selling, but proxy gold-selling, and the distinction is trivial.
Granted, I agree with you, that the price will fall dramatically, but also remember that there are tons of people with tons of effectively meaningless in-game gold.
Blizzard is not selling gold. Blizzard is selling something that can easily be used to generate gold. You might find that a large distinction, I don't.
Balgus Oct 11th 2011 7:48PM
Them talking about the loot cards isn't a fair comparison because the loot cards are rare and aren't available to anyone that has 10 bucks.
Julian Perry Oct 11th 2011 7:53PM
A Stupid, Stupid idea - an mana from heaven for the gold sellers.
It simultaneously creates additional demand for Gold (from those who don't know they can buy the mount for money) - and provides a fresh, free source for Gold.
Buy mount with stolen card - sell on AH - get Gold - Profit!
poor bugger who buys mount from Auction house gets mount revoked.
I cannot POSSIBLY see how this is anything other than a bad idea.
Callan
llcjay2003 Oct 11th 2011 8:09PM
In my eyes, it is no different then the TCG loot cards except it is guaranteed, like Matthew said. No more, no less.
If the end effect is harmful to gold sellers, all the better.