It's time to start thinking about the 450 and 500 mounts achievements

[Kaleredar]

They needed the mount model for the flight master (in case of the fey dragon for sure), so they had to exist. So I mean if you hold the model in your hands already, it's an active decision as to what to do with it. It would have made perfect sense and honestly honing previous traditions to put them as exalted rewards. But they didn't. Instead, the decision with the created and existing model was to put on the shop.

Flight masters could have just been any number of things on draenor. It's not like fey dragons made any freakin' sense being on Draenor anyway.

Moreover, I think people kind of forget how ratfucked the mount reward model in WoD was. They didn't seem to want to make any "official" flying mounts, probably to draw attention away from the fact that flying mounts were potentially just not going to be a thing in WoD. Before the release of pathfinder part 2, the only, and I mean only flying mount released in the entirety of WoD was the one that could drop off of rukhmar.

[Schizoide]

There was the WoD collector's edition mount, remember. Also they put flying mounts in the cash shop. Really pissed people off when they said no flying ever.

[Coconut]

It looks like last week's Beta build lists the cool looking frog as a drop from an Ardenweald creature called Humon'gozz (hopefully the mechanics of obtaining it won't be too insufferable). This leaves the 500 mounts reward open for speculation again.

[Zyrinx]

I really am shocked that these aren't implemented.

Maybe they really are not going to add these. Very disappointing.

[Coconut]

I really am shocked that these aren't implemented.

Maybe they really are not going to add these. Very disappointing.

I am shocked myself. Two rays of hope/theories, though (probably way too optimistic, but we'll see):

1. They will use one or two of the mount competition runners-up. That would mean we'll have to wait at least until next year when the winner is added. I'll be working my way to 550 by then, but at least it will be something desirable and unique.
2. They are using a Brutosaur recolor, but they didn't want to announce it on PTR while the AH one is still available. We'll probably still have to wait a couple of months for that one to have an exclusivity period.

I'm still surprised they didn't use the frog, but I'll reserve judgement until I see what we end up getting.

[Kaleredar]

I am shocked myself. Two rays of hope/theories, though (probably way too optimistic, but we'll see):

1. They will use one or two of the mount competition runners-up. That would mean we'll have to wait at least until next year when the winner is added. I'll be working my way to 550 by then, but at least it will be something desirable and unique.
2. They are using a Brutosaur recolor, but they didn't want to announce it on PTR while the AH one is still available. We'll probably still have to wait a couple of months for that one to have an exclusivity period.

I'm still surprised they didn't use the frog, but I'll reserve judgement until I see what we end up getting.

I would really prefer something that could fly, myself.

There are probably dozens of unused color variants for various flying mounts in-game, and none of the previous mount achievement rewards have really ever been particularly expansion-centric.

[Coconut]

I would really prefer something that could fly, myself.

There are probably dozens of unused color variants for various flying mounts in-game, and none of the previous mount achievement rewards have really ever been particularly expansion-centric.

Meh. I've made my opinion known earlier in the thread. All other things being equal, a flying mount would be better than a ground one, sure. But ultimately this is a trophy mount, so the ultimate goal for it is to be cool. I'd much, much rather have an awesome ground mount than a flying one which is a tired recolor. I have plenty of mounts to choose from, so I'd rather use the trophy half the time than never use it at all because it doesn't reach the bar (besides, if it doesn't have a proper walking animation, I wouldn't use it in early Shadowlands anyway, so that would be half the time as a flier too).

And the thing is, there are few remaining unused flying mounts that would be worthy of a collecting achievement. Even fewer that would be even close to the same level of coolness as the ground mounts mentioned above (the unused chimera might be the only one). Trust me, I checked.

[Kaleredar]

Meh. I've made my opinion known earlier in the thread. All other things being equal, a flying mount would be better than a ground one, sure. But ultimately this is a trophy mount, so the ultimate goal for it is to be cool. I'd much, much rather have an awesome ground mount than a flying one which is a tired recolor. I have plenty of mounts to choose from, so I'd rather use the trophy half the time than never use it at all because it doesn't reach the bar (besides, if it doesn't have a proper walking animation, I wouldn't use it in early Shadowlands anyway, so that would be half the time as a flier too).

And the thing is, there are few remaining unused flying mounts that would be worthy of a collecting achievement. Even fewer that would be even close to the same level of coolness as the ground mounts mentioned above (the unused chimera might be the only one). Trust me, I checked.

All of the achievement mounts have been recolors; they've not made a single "unique" mount for the mount achievement, and I don't really see why they'd start now.

Once Blizzard deigns to let us all fly again in the expansion, a ground mount reward becomes practically useless outside of... flexing on people while waiting for world bosses to spawn?

[Coconut]

All of the achievement mounts have been recolors; they've not made a single "unique" mount for the mount achievement, and I don't really see why they'd start now.

Once Blizzard deigns to let us all fly again in the expansion, a ground mount reward becomes practically useless outside of... flexing on people while waiting for world bosses to spawn?

I disagree about the first part. Most of the rewards were fairly rare if not unique when released. That they didn't stay that way is a different matter, but the achievement themselves also became easier to get.

- The Albino Drake was the first drake of that kind available in game, with a coloration that remains unique to that mount. Most of the recolors remained relatively rare throughout most of Wrath.
- The Dragonhawk was an older model if we are thinking mobs, but as a mount it was unique when released, and only Horde players got a recolor for quite some time outside of TCG items. The Alliance coloration, at least, was pretty rare even as a mob.
- The Pandaren kite was one of only two available, and the other required a fairly grindy reputation meta. The reps got easier as time went by, but when the mount was released, they were still grueling. I, for one, got the Jade Kite before the rep one.
- The armored Dragonhawks were and remain unique models with color palettes and texture resolutions that don't exist anywhere else in game.
- The Felfire Hawk was a bit long in the tooth when released, but still a fairly unique model. Ragnaros hadn't become soloable by all classes for a very long time at the time it was released. And the model itself only appears in game as this mount.
- The Heavenly Azure Cloud Serpent was also an older model, but it had plenty of flair, and the coloration, again, was and is unique to the mount. And keep in mind that the Jade version from Timewalking hadn't been introduced at that point. There was an "easy" to get recolor via deep timeless coin farm, a relatively rare raid meta reward (can't remember if Show Me Your Moves was still required at that time, but it certainly hadn't been removed for long) and the impossible drop from Sha.
- The Frostshard Infernal was one of the most unique of them all. A recolor, yes, but of a recent end boss mount, and only one of three available. This was another time when I got the meta mount before the other versions.
- Frenzied Feltalon was perhaps the only disappointing one, as it was below the 250 one in flair and pretty much every collector had the Alysrazor mount at least. Still on a ground mount trend, though.

The remaining unused flying mounts are all more common right now than the previous rewards were at release (except for the Feltalon), and most wouldn't pass the desirability test like the Felfire Hawk and the Heavenly Azure Cloud Serpent did. The fanciest are the Dread Raven recolors, I guess, but the OG ones from WoD are owed by 18% and 35% of the playerbase, with most collectors probably having both.

Finally, I think it's a self defeating argument to push the idea that the rewards shouldn't be unique. I mean, perhaps they were more low-key than collectors were hoping for in the past, but shouldn't we want something cool? It feels like you're shooting yourself in the foot just to win the "flying mount" argument. Would you really take a Pterrordax or Gryphon recolor over a Brutosaur just because it flies? The latter has way more value!

[ReVnX]

At this point they should even go for 600, with the amount of mounts coming in Shadowlands.

[trapmaster]

Probably would add that halfway of shadowlands.. me think? Hopefully

[AlmightyGerkin]

550 mount achievement and its .... a normal horse but with blue hair wooooo

[Unlimited Power]

So at this point, with probably about a week until prepatch hits, we still haven't seen a single hint of new mount achievements.

Now, that may in part be due to the fact that beta will continue to receive new builds post pre-patch release and the new mount achievement will release with the expansion launch instead of pre-patch.

But there's also a very real possibility that Blizzard might not add a new mount achievement at all, at least for the duration of 9.0.

While not devastating by any means, this would certainly feel like a bit of a gut punch to those of us who mostly play because we enjoy the collection aspect of WoW.

I've personally already surpassed 500 mounts, and it would feel silly to have hit the 550 milestone by the time a 450 and 500 mount achievement is implemented.

[Zyrinx]

Has anyone ever actually, like, asked them what the plan is for this? Are there channels they actually answer?

I don't see it a that controversial of a question really.

[melzas]

Well, according to wowhead 4% of players obtained 400 mount achivement. While I agree they could add more, I don't think this is high on their priority list.

[Uniqed]

Im giving this a bump.

9.0 is live but unlike the last 3-4 expansions no new mount-achievement was added with the pre-patch. Will Shadowlands not introduce a 500-mount achievement? Or do you think it will come at a later date?

[Dakhath]

I think we will get one at some point as I believe there are a lot of mounts available in SL. That said, it should always be added regardless of how many people are eligible right out of the gates, nothing wrong with working toward something.

[Dead Moose Fandango]

I'm voting for mecha bear with jetback on the butt for flying.

[Fistfighter]

hmmm, is there another firelands mount recolor they still haven't used? I'd love another fire bird

[Icelin]

Preferably something that flies. I think for the amount we have to collect, it's getting pretty high up there. They could at least make it a flying mount.