Blizzard politicians - Ghost Wolf reversal

Back in the gaming world Blizzard is up to it's usual tricks.

See in patch 2.3 of World of Warcraft a new area opened up and allowed a cool new wolf to be tamed by Hunters. Problem is that only level 70's could tame it and the wolf was only level 30. Had to be 70 to get certain equipment needed. Also needed help from a friend or so.

Well of course hunters were concerned that the pet might not stick around (much like other rare pets) but a post at the Euro Forums aleaved that concern:

While this feature of the Grimtotem Spirit Guide wasn’t exactly intended, it was agreed by the development team that this is a fun use of in-game mechanics, and we therefore have no plans to address this issue - it will still be possible in future for everyone who wishes to tame this NPC to do so. :)

I hope this alleviates your concerns!

So people went about happily taming their Ghost Wolves.


(image stolen without permission from www.maniasarcania.com)

Well now (as usual with Blizzard) we see a complete reversal by Blizzard-US and removal of the Ghost Wolf on 1/14/08 in a STEALTH hot fix. Drysc posted the details over at the US-WoW forums:

Through a hotfix we’ve recently removed the ability to tame a Grimtotem Spirit Guide. Players who have already gone through the trouble of taming the creature will be able to keep them unchanged. This hotfix only removes the possibility to tame this creature from here on.

The removal of the spirit guide has been debated within design discussions for a while now as to what impact the pet and its precedent has on the game.
The unintended nature of the taming, the undead status of the guide, appearance of the wolf in relation to the feel of the hunter class, and the complex processes of taming were all issues touched upon and discussed.

Ultimately the discussions brought us to the conclusion that this should not be a permanent addition to the pet selection available to hunters; however, those that have already tamed them should be allowed to keep them due to their efforts in obtaining one.

This is pretty much identical to what happened with the Serpents in Zul Furrak and Zul Gurrob before they were removed.

1. Yes can keep taming
2. Removed taming ability
3. Removed ability to feed pet (stuck in stable stasis or lose it)
4. Put similar pet in expansion that is easy to get so any joker can have thereby negating it's rare factor.

So how does this tie in to politicians?

Easy during the election say one thing to get people to support you, then after the elections go the flip opposite direction leaving the people that supported you with nothing but an empty sack of crap.

Thanks Blizzard.

By the way I have my wolf, just waiting for another few weeks when Blizzard makes it so I can't feed him.