Does a mount's rarity make it more desirable than it's actual model?

[Deleted]

What do you guys think?
I think this is a strange thing, and perhaps it's just me who thinks this, but the more rare a mount is, even if there are other mounts which aesthetically look better, the more "awesome" it seems.

I have the red fire bird thingy from Firelands, I got it when it was (relatively) current. Now it's a 1% drop, it feels so much more awesome.
Same, indeed, with mounts I don't have; I want them more if they are not obtainable/hard to get/rare.

The opposite effect happens to, and while I really don't want this thread to be a rant about the store, I kinda wish mounts with awesome, unique models, like the ones on the store (thinkin' that epic Enchanted Fey Dragon), were rewards for doing awesome things. The recent 2 headed monstrosity thing looks brilliant, but brings an "eh..." whenever I see it.

I personally think in relation to the store mounts, it would be offset if they were only on sale for a small while, and then were unavailable after that. Perhaps that would make them more awesome in years to come, as opposed to always being on sale? (not that Blizzard would ever do this.)

Anyway, what'd you all think?

[Deleted]

Yes, it's how the entire world works.
For many people their "streetcred" is more important then their own enjoyment.
Or maybe I should rephrase that: Their enjoyment comes from how other people 'look up' to them.

As to the store-mounts, I have most of them and they are a hot item when they come out but after a few months you hardly see it anywhere.
I always pick the mount that fits my character the best. (So I am quite upset my Warlock still doesn't have the Halloween-mount!)

Not attacking you or anything, but is it wrong for people to get enjoyment out of other people appreciating their achievements? Clearly people do things for their own enjoyment; I would not have killed Heroic Rag, for example, if it was not an enjoyable activity, but if having people respect your "street-card" is how the world works, is it such a bad thing?

[Sinndra]

i find it easier to switch out one mount for another when its common, but they also tend to have rather boring looking models. for me, its about looks. if it looks pretty i will use it all the time, no mater how many other people have it. occasionally i use a different mount but i have my 2-3 favorites that i keep going back to, and half the wow population has them.

i cant agree with the sell this model once then never again concept. thats the base argument for all the stuff that has been removed or made unavailable in game, RNG is cruel. i can agree with selling mounts only at special times, as long as the sales happen at the very least, yearly. gives people a chance to get the mount if they missed the first sale for some bad luck reason.

[-Skye]

Yes, people hate to admit it because apparently to take pride in having something rare, exclusive and having others think it's cool that you have it, is wrong. Or should I say, caring what other people think about your mount, if it's common or not, is very "stupid".

[ACES]

For so many people the answer is 'yes' and it's just stupid. I get that it's cool to have and use something rare but when people won't use something because it's common there's a problem.

[Trubo]

Experiment 12-B is probably one of the rarest mounts I have and I think it's extremely ugly. The only reason I sought it was because it's a mount available in-game. I rarely ever use it except to show people how ugly it looks.

[Kalcheus]

Not attacking you or anything, but is it wrong for people to get enjoyment out of other people appreciating their achievements? Clearly people do things for their own enjoyment; I would not have killed Heroic Rag, for example, if it was not an enjoyable activity, but if having people respect your "street-card" is how the world works, is it such a bad thing?

Not wrong, per se, but it typically represents an insecure personality. Those with strong self-confidence don't need external validation.

[Deleted]

I have Onyxian Drake which is pretty rare but ugly as hell, and I prefer to use my Galakras mount which looks alot nicer but is not rare at all anymore, so I guess model>rarity for me.

[Deleted]

Not for me. I use mounts because they look good.

Deathchargers and Raptors remain top of my list and I always use them, even though EVERYONE has one.

[hrugner]

Most mounts for me remind me of the thing I did to get them and that's where their value comes from. So, the raven lord reminds me of sharing druid runs with people from my guild, or the black proto drake reminds me of the day when people stopped dying in our Nax runs... things like that. How they look is important too, but something that looks awesome, but reminds me of opening my wallet one day isn't much of a draw.

[Constraint]

For so many people the answer is 'yes' and it's just stupid. I get that it's cool to have and use something rare but when people won't use something because it's common there's a problem.

How is that a problem? How are there any negative connotations whatsoever with people choosing to use an uncommon mount over a common mount? I personally favor both extremes - I'll generally use either Amani War Bear/Onyxian Drake or Tawny Wind Rider/Brown Wolf. But seriously, how is it a problem if people want to use their uncommon mounts? I think it's great, it gives people something in-game to strive for. Sounds almost like in-game communism.

Oh and for what it's worth, I do believe that a mounts rarity makes it more desirable. I think if, say, Mimiron's Head was an Engineering mount available at around 450 Engineering, hardly anyone would bother using it. This is just an opinion, I could be completely off base.

[Deleted]

Not for me. I use mounts because they look good.

Deathchargers and Raptors remain top of my list and I always use them, even though EVERYONE has one.

Eh... I can't stomach that. I grinded to my beautiful Nether Ray mounts. There was no RNG involved at all. Sometimes there is yes, but not always.

Lol I think you edited your post. Not cool. xD

[ACES]

How is that a problem? How are there any negative connotations whatsoever with people choosing to use an uncommon mount over a common mount? I personally favor both extremes - I'll generally use either Amani War Bear/Onyxian Drake or Tawny Wind Rider/Brown Wolf. But seriously, how is it a problem if people want to use their uncommon mounts? I think it's great, it gives people something in-game to strive for. Sounds almost like in-game communism.

Oh and for what it's worth, I do believe that a mounts rarity makes it more desirable. I think if, say, Mimiron's Head was an Engineering mount available at around 450 Engineering, hardly anyone would bother using it. This is just an opinion, I could be completely off base.

I never said it was a problem for people to want to use rarer mounts. I said it was a problem that people won't use, or look down upon mounts because they are common even though the models are nice. Store mounts and some rep mounts are examples of this.

[Splatter]

I thought I always liked mounts based on their rareness, but when I think about it I use the Ruby Panther mount for nearly everything on every toon. Its small and unobtrusive, it acts as a ground and flying mount and I like the look of it. So i guess Practicality>Looks>Rarity for me. That said I do like to collect every damn rare mount I can get my hands on and like to bring them out occasionally to flex my epeen.

[Deleted]

One of the main reasons i play this game is to collect mounts. Yeah, i know, not everyone's cup of tea, but it makes me happy (and yet so frustrated!)

I do tend to show off on the rarer mounts, but i usually pick one that's more aesthetically pleasing to me for riding around on. I love some of the drake skins: mottled drake/azure drake being my fav. And experiment-14b is not ugly, it's gyth man, GYTH! nostalgia mount!

[Gwiez]

For me, it's some of column A and some of column B. If a mount is really common, then even if it looks cool, I might retire it for a while. But if it's really rare and ugly, then I'm not too keen on using it. For example, I had no interest in the armored dragonhawk until I saw that it actually looked pretty nice. I farmed VP during cata because I liked the mount there, but didn't touch Stonecore because I wasn't too impressed with how the mount looked. Same with Alani and the bone white raptor. Alani would be more prestigious, but it doesn't look remarkable. I have a gnome I dress up as a voodoo priest, so I'm farming for bone raptor, even though it's more common.

That being said, if the mount is rare and looks cool, I'm going to favor it over cool and common. Well sometimes.

[Saft]

Experiment 12-B is as ugly as shit can be and I still want it because I'd be one of a handful on my server with it. Had Bronze Drake been a 1%er from Nerfarian or something it would've been just as attractive as any heavenly cloud serpent.

[Chirri]

For me, personally, no. Ugly is ugly is ugly. My favorite mount for years has been the Headless Horseman's mount - it's extremely simple, there's something off about the setting of it's hooves, but I love that thing because it's not obnoxious to look at (that is, it doesn't have a wingspan that obscures NPCs or gathering nodes or other interactables). It's not pretty, but it's not "I must look away!" ugly.

Lots of people have this mount, now. It's still really high on my list of favorites because, again, it's not obnoxious to look at - it doesn't call attention to itself not only because it's slim and simple, but also because it's not super flashy and screaming "I'M AWESOME, LOOK AT ME!" I find flashy mounts to be off putting, whether I own them or not. It speaks to their user's personality and doesn't speak in a complimentary manner.

My alternative is the Jeweled Onyx Panther mount, which is rarer, but isn't nearly as visually flashy as the colored ones and is a pleasant change of pace from the Headless Horseman's mount (no wings, wider but feels shorter, cats are cuter than horses, I prefer the sounds it makes to the horse's shriek). One could argue that it can be expensive and count as a status symbol mount, but that's not why I like it so much. The red, yellow, green and blue ones are much more attention grabbing, visually, but I very much prefer the Onyx one's look (even the bright accent gems kinda bother me). 60-80k isn't much for a lot of people, so it's easily attainable for lots of players. I like the sound of the wind when I'm flying around on it, and it's been a pleasant alternative to the HH mount since I got it.

[Shirohibiki]

I would say, for a lot of people, yes. I've seen that sort of 'mentality', if you wish to call it so, a lot.

I base mounts on how I personally like them. Like Experiment 12-B, I noticed some people think is ugly -- I think he's gorgeous, and I'd give anything to have him because I've ALWAYS wanted a chromatic drake mount.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I despise Mimiron's Head and think it's the ugliest thing. Yet, so many out there fawn and drool over it. Is this due to rarity? I honestly want to say yes for most. Not all, but most.

I personally don't care what other people ride in general, well, unless I want said mount :P I like riding what I have, whether it be old or new; I tend to use my new ones more, and then use my randomizer addon to just pick one for me when I don't feel like picking. <: I mainly judge by looks, not rarity/popularity.
(I will say, however, that sparklepony has become a sore sight; I was enthralled when it was released, but... Now I just kinda... Eugh... Though it goes to say I also don't like Elegon's mount. It must be something about transparency, which is something that always annoys me.)

[Sansnom]

Anyway, what'd you all think?

Rarity does not bother me. It is the look.