I got the squashling, i think the drop rate is just out of reach enough where it really is rewarding once you actually get it. However, while i'm at it and one of the epic blizz people might see it, i'd like to throw a request out there for possibly getting some tweaks to the companions.

Is there any way that something like an auto-cast can be put on a companion pet or is there something that can be done so i don't have to click my squashling every time i enter an instance, I log in, die, get off of a windrider, zone in on a zeppelin, die, enter a battleground, leave a battle ground, etc.

It just seems like something forgotten and has been something that has been a slight bother since beta. Plz plz plz add an autocast to companion pets :D

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Q u o t e:


This isn't necessary to complete it. Once a mask enters your inventory, that mask is checked off; you can then delete it if you so choose and it will remain complete in your achievement checklist.

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Ooooo cool! ok thanks I didn't know that ^.^

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Q u o t e:
No, I understand completely that the cause of the outcry is the chance involved in completing the achievement. That's why we upped the drop rates significantly from last year. If the Squashling drop had remained as it was last year, it would be in the same realm as A Mask For All Occasions.

I understand that people would much rather have the title be 100% guaranteed. I've read the threads. I comprehend the concern, I truly do.

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So in essence, you understand that we aren't enjoying the system as it is now, but Blizzard has no plans to change it because you're happy with the way it works on your end?

Personally... I'd prefer if these holiday events rewarded you with an item which you open, and when you open it, can contain (or not contain) the rare items in question.

Example:

Daily quest: Kill the Headless Horseman
Reward: Pumpkin Bag, which you open and -may- contain the squashling or hat.

This way... you do the quest once per day. You don't have to sit and farm it over and over. You don't have to roll for it. Everyone who does it once daily has equal chance.

there wasn't a way to make us collect 20 random rings from the horseman for the mount is there? lol or tell me if the drop rate for his mount is around that of the brewfest mounts? if it drops more or less then them is it?

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Q u o t e:


So in essence, you understand that we aren't enjoying the system as it is now, but Blizzard has no plans to change it because you're happy with the way it works on your end?

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They understand that you're paying your 15 dollars a month and they don't care what you think.

There's nothing more in the world, than I hate is a small company gone big, responses like "We appreciate your feedback sir or ma'am! This is a personal message from ERROR RETRIEVING NAME FROM DATABASE, have a nice day!", drive me up a wall.

I'd like to note I could care less about the achievement, and I agree with the OP. If I don't get the drop this year, there's always next year.

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Q u o t e:
I watched the Sinister Squashling drop six times today, and lost every single time. I don't think it means that Sinister Calling is too difficult to achieve, so much as it simply means I have absolutely miserable luck.

On the plus side, I helped six players get their Squashling/Achievement all in one day. Maybe some poor sap will do the same for you. Good luck everyone. Based on what I've seen today, I think enough people actually will reach this achievement that it can't really be called too difficult--it's just that there will also have to be a certain number of luckless chumps like me who helped the rest of you get it.

To my fellow unlucky, let's try not to be too bitter towards the people we helped out. Maybe kharma will give us a break some day...

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Guess i have horrible horrible luck, i ran it 10-15 times a day, haven't seen either drop, just rings, brooms and the sword, looks like i can kiss the title good bye, GG RNG :(

I think the reasons many of us are upset is as follows.

1. It encourages people to be jerks and hurt others. Sure there are a lot of us nice people, but the ones that exploit the system over and over again ruin it for the rest of us. One bad seed can farm him all day long lying and cheating his way onto teams and in the long run will hurt how many people? Now multiply this amount by how many selfish jerks there are on the game because there are far more than just a few. in the long run, the achievement is akin to telling people it is alright to lie and cheat since there is no consequences to it and only great rewards.

2. The majority of people do not play tanks or healersThe only two groups that are able to get onto teams in a half way easy fashion without having their own summons is the healers and tanks. If you play a DPSer, are you supposed to just accept that you are not meant to have an equal chance as the rest, oops, you rolled the wrong class? Well, unless of course the DPSer learns by the lessons that others have taught them, start lying and cheating to succeed at the game.

3. It does not really reward effort How many people have fought him how many times and no drops yet, however, there is also a lot of people who just got lucky and got it with putting forth extremely little effort.

Easy ways to fix it, since they are determined to keep it as part of the meta achievement, which will hurt the majority of people. Any of these options would work and be fair to everyone.

1. Make it where it is a group loot item, if it drops, everyone on the team can get it. What is the big deal if everyone can get the same title, with the spell power chance, most of the classes and people are bound to look identical anyway. There really is no more uniqueness anymore.

2. Allow people to summon him all day long if they want. You can not DE the item anyway and if it is not able to be sold at the stores, getting 500 rings will make no difference accept fill up your bags. Events like this used to be a special reward for their paying customers, not some frustrating activity where you already know chances are you have probably wasted your time.

3. Make it a reward from doing some long epic chain. Make the person have to do a few heroics to complete it. This is not just a way to make it take longer, but a way to actually make people have to work at achieving their achievement and to make it fair across the board no matter the class or spec.

4. Make it a kill HHM x times. Sure there will be some cheaters still, but at least you will have some control over getting it done, not just throwing your hands up at fate and hoping it does not smite you yet again.

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Q u o t e:
Heaven forbid a achievment be something difficult and require some luck. No it should just have 100% drop rate so every single person has this rite?

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While this has been the main counter-point to the removing of sinister calling from the meta-achievement, we have to realize that it is the extreme. It still takes time to run around and get all the candy, do the quests, and you even have the RNG situation with the mask & toothpick. It is not as if the sinister calling were to be taken out then everyone would be running around with "the hallowed" title.

That said, I think the sinister calling achievement should be left in place as a requirement for the meta-achievement, but at the same time make it so if you get either the hallowed helm of the pet it fulfills the requirement, rather than both at the same time. Because even if you take a 5% drop rate item, split it between a 5 person group, and then add on another 10% drop rate item onto it, you are looking at a 1% x 2% chance of ever getting the item, let alone even SEEING it, but if you only have 1 of the items required, you have a 1% +2% chance of it appearing, which, while still rare, would certainly alleviate the concerns of the forum community as a whole.

To be fair, it's not the rarity of the achievement that has folks so frustrated with it. It's the very high percentage that you could do everything exactly right everyday for 15 days, and still fail. I understand the desire for some randomness and some rarity among achievement titles, but in this case you are getting it at the cost of fun, which makes this ultimately a bad decision considering what the event is.

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Q u o t e:
No, I understand completely that the cause of the outcry is the chance involved in completing the achievement. That's why we upped the drop rates significantly from last year. If the Squashling drop had remained as it was last year, it would be in the same realm as A Mask For All Occasions.

I understand that people would much rather have the title be 100% guaranteed. I've read the threads. I comprehend the concern, I truly do.

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I don't think it's necessairily a problem that the drop rate is low. I think it's that this kind of thing encourages very VERY bad behavior of the players in general. I don't want to point fingers but there are people out there that will do some very underhanded things to get it at someone else's expense.

I've read numerous stories of people who would lie and say they could summon just to get the mount, the pet, etc. People who would gladly offer to buy it paying for it, then having other people need roll on it, taking both the item and the person's money after a business deal had been made. Far worse things happen than just those two.

I feel horrible when I offer to tank it, if I've used my summon for the day. I see people spamming for a tank, I offer to tank. But at least I tell them beforehand that I used my summon. I'm polite enough to offer them a CHANCE to turn me down even though I want the mount HORRIFICLY badly.

I just can't bring myself to lie to other players just to get something for myself. Sadly, not everyone is as honest as I am in this respect.

Can't you make them some compelling quest line? The Horseman is a fallen Paladin right? Make a long 14 day quest chain where you "redeem" him, and the final reward for completing the ENTIRE quest chain (which would require you to actively play and summon him all 14 days.) be the mount. He's redeemed, he doesn't need it anymore. That way people who have the time and dedication will get it. (I'm not saying make it require you to play 24/7, but put in enough effort y'know?) Just don't tell people that it's the reward and then not everyone will have it.

These random drops bring out terrible behavior in people. And mind. If I don't get it. I will next year. I mean, I still think the whole Kodo mount fiasco was crazy. It did the same thing. People lying and cheating others out of their items. And I even GOT my Kodo. I got it honestly on a group where I had a summon and tanked it. But these random drops... Please, steer away from them.

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Q u o t e:


We understand that there is a group who are dissatisfied with the chance involved in completing the meta-achievements, but the original poster explained the concept of why the chance is in place, hence my reply to this thread. Ultimately, there's a disagreement in how common this aforementioned group believes it should be and how common we believe it should be. I respect that you disagree with our decisions on the matter, but considering the drop rate and the data revolving around how many have completed the achievement thus far, it still seems about right where we want it.

EDIT: I also understand the concern about player behavior, and that's something we'll talk about.

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Well, the only response I can really give is that I don't intend to participate in holiday achievements anymore in that case. I'm really not comfortable with going 10 months in and then somehow missing the right RNG rolls and having most of a year's effort wasted, so there's no sense in stressing over it or trying to get it if it's going to be left completely out of my hands whether or not I can accomplish the goal.

My gripe with the HHM is that you only get 1 try per day and no group is willing to take you unless you can summon. I've been managing to get in maybe 1 extra group per day aside from my guild pals for our dailies, but 99% of the time I'm sitting at the door just begging for a shot at it.

I would MUCH rather see this be turned into a harder encounter instead of a limited # of attempts per day.