New Wolf Skin.

[Moderator]

Let's keep this thread focused on the new skin and try to avoid the tornado argument about specialness. We've already edited one post in this thread - it would have been two if the author hadn't apologized - and we'd rather not have to shut the thread down.

[Worba]

... OTOH as I think about it some more, it could also be said that Blizzard may just consider SBs to be transparent, and that Skoll was an aberration from back before the concept had fully gelled.

In other words he is an electrified wolf, and in that regard more like Terrorpene (e.g. animal with energy effect) than Gondria, Ban'Thalos, et al... and thus fair game for being "shared out".

Which if so would make a kind of sense (although I'd be a bit disappointed to think that future spirit beasts are likely to be limited to being see-thru...)

[Redith]

We need more solid SB like Loque

[Worba]

We need more solid SB like Loque

But would it have to a SB or could it be equally cool as a rare-energized-animal with trick tame requirements, like Terrorpene or Deth'Tilakk?

And yes I realize I'm going back and forth on this - like I said earlier I'm still thinking it through.

[Redith]

We need more solid SB like Loque

But would it have to a SB or could it be equally cool as a rare-energized-animal with trick tame requirements, like Terrorpene or Deth'Tilakk?

....Eh just another cool model would be nice

[Kalliope]

... OTOH as I think about it some more, it could also be said that Blizzard may just consider SBs to be transparent, and that Skoll was an aberration from back before the concept had fully gelled.

In other words he is an electrified wolf, and in that regard more like Terrorpene (e.g. animal with energy effect) than Gondria, Ban'Thalos, et al... and thus fair game for being "shared out".
from Cata
Which if so would make a kind of sense (although I'd be a bit disappointed to think that future spirit beasts are likely to be limited to being see-thru...)

Noting that Loque is also not transparent, but is a spirit beast, and that there are transparent non-spirit beasts (ghost saber, original ghost wolf, Lone Hunter, Olm, among others), I don't think ghostliness is a factor. It's a straight up question of whether the beasts in question possess the greater power that classifies them as a spirit beast.

I don't think that Blizzard is locked into spirit beasts being transparent; the ghosty pets we've been seeing all throughout Cata all had the specific NEED to be ghosty. Karoma made an old skin tamable again. Ghostcrawler could only be a ghost crab. Ankha and Magria were both unused Gondria recolors (fan service to us as a community). Bantha'los is a WCIII owl. I'd say MoP has as much chance of being different from Cata as Cata was from Northrend.

Given, I'm just speculating here, but you know what they say about hindsight....

[Rikaku]

... OTOH as I think about it some more, it could also be said that Blizzard may just consider SBs to be transparent, and that Skoll was an aberration from back before the concept had fully gelled.

In other words he is an electrified wolf, and in that regard more like Terrorpene (e.g. animal with energy effect) than Gondria, Ban'Thalos, et al... and thus fair game for being "shared out".
from Cata
Which if so would make a kind of sense (although I'd be a bit disappointed to think that future spirit beasts are likely to be limited to being see-thru...)

Noting that Loque is also not transparent, but is a spirit beast, and that there are transparent non-spirit beasts (ghost saber, original ghost wolf, Lone Hunter, Olm, among others), I don't think ghostliness is a factor. It's a straight up question of whether the beasts in question possess the greater power that classifies them as a spirit beast.

I don't think that Blizzard is locked into spirit beasts being transparent; the ghosty pets we've been seeing all throughout Cata all had the specific NEED to be ghosty. Karoma made an old skin tamable again. Ghostcrawler could only be a ghost crab. Ankha and Magria were both unused Gondria recolors (fan service to us as a community). Bantha'los is a WCIII owl. I'd say MoP has as much chance of being different from Cata as Cata was from Northrend.

Not to mention MOST of those ghost models were old unused skins/models that have been sitting in the game files never used. Cataclysm took many old unused skins/models and implemented them. So it wasn't really a reason of being 'locked into' ghosts = spirit beasts. It strikes me more as a "well the gamers want these old models and skins, let implement those and add in a few new ones here and there."


Personally I like the wolf. And it looks vastly different then Skoll to me. We have all sorts of 'crazy cats' like gem cats and the hunched over tigers, and crazy firey spiders and a turtle. I don't see why wolves couldn't have something a little special in their family.

[Bonita]

Skoll still looks 1000000 times better to me, but hes also the only wolf model Ive been able to bond with. My wolf Luna changes appearances constantly because I just cant find a skin that I like. If I do end up having to play mm/surv for MoP I'm so getting this wolf as my new Luna. She'll be Skolls gf xD

[Nachtwulf]

I'm BM and I approve this message.

Mostly, for the simple reason that compared to pretty much every family, wolves get kind of screwed in the 'interesting' category and always have. Cats come in lilac and teal, or shiny metallic, or rock. Birds of prey come in zombie, or rock, or phantom rock. Even boars have armored skins, or an undead one.

Wolves get bupkis. You get white, brown, gray, other gray, more gray, dark gray, light gray, black or.... mm. well, you can have one that looks like a Horde mount, which is not so great if you happen to be alliance, or one transparent one. Neither one is as generally neat looking as any of the special skins for other nonexotics, at least in my opinion.

I use a wolf because I like the buff and devilsaurs annoy me. They're too big, I don't honestly like any of the color schemes much (and there's only four of them) and the noises they make annoy me. (This is just my personal opinion; if you like 'em, that's fine). So even as BM I run with a wolf... out of sheer necessity because people whine if you don't bring a buff pet, and wolf is rarely overwritten.

Hell, if they made the God-Cat skin a Cat instead of a SB, I'd be behind that too. Shiny pets for errone, I say.

[Ziarre]

My apologies as well. I could have, and should have, worded things in a more respectful and less heated fashion. I'd say something about my night, but it'd come off as an excuse, so I won't.

[Worba]

... OTOH as I think about it some more, it could also be said that Blizzard may just consider SBs to be transparent, and that Skoll was an aberration from back before the concept had fully gelled.

In other words he is an electrified wolf, and in that regard more like Terrorpene (e.g. animal with energy effect) than Gondria, Ban'Thalos, et al... and thus fair game for being "shared out".
from Cata
Which if so would make a kind of sense (although I'd be a bit disappointed to think that future spirit beasts are likely to be limited to being see-thru...)

Noting that Loque is also not transparent, but is a spirit beast, and that there are transparent non-spirit beasts (ghost saber, original ghost wolf, Lone Hunter, Olm, among others), I don't think ghostliness is a factor. It's a straight up question of whether the beasts in question possess the greater power that classifies them as a spirit beast.

Loque falls under the same basic criteria I ascribed to Skoll, e.g. he was the first, and was added before the devs had a clearer picture of how they wanted spirit beasts to be, as distinct from other creatures. By the time Arcturis came along however, things were starting to gel and that was the trajectory that all of the subsequent cata spirit beasts continued (e.g. that in re: post-Skoll SBs, not-all-ghosts-are-spirit-beasts-but-all-spirit-beasts-are-ghosts, whereas beasts-with-energy-effects became just that...beasts (re: Terrorpene and all of the various flavors of lava spider)*).

Could MoP change that? Certainly, anything's possible. But just going by late 3.3 thru the present, we have a pretty clear and consistent trend.


*Also just as an aside when speaking of non-SB ghostly beasts, the spirit guide (and crocoslime while we're on the subject) was never intended to be tamed e.g. a glitch that was left in place for existing owners, but that's it - so not terribly relevant to this discussion... the ghost saber, lone hunter and Olm however are valid as "SB spillover", as I would characterize it.

[Crotalus Horridus]

Should I just change this to a discussion thread? It's starting to turn into that...

[Worba]

It's a thread. It developed. But the end result is still recognizably related to the original post.

As opposed to what happened with say, the "gnomes as hunters" thread (where certain persons shall remain nameless)...

[Kalliope]

... OTOH as I think about it some more, it could also be said that Blizzard may just consider SBs to be transparent, and that Skoll was an aberration from back before the concept had fully gelled.

In other words he is an electrified wolf, and in that regard more like Terrorpene (e.g. animal with energy effect) than Gondria, Ban'Thalos, et al... and thus fair game for being "shared out".
from Cata
Which if so would make a kind of sense (although I'd be a bit disappointed to think that future spirit beasts are likely to be limited to being see-thru...)

Noting that Loque is also not transparent, but is a spirit beast, and that there are transparent non-spirit beasts (ghost saber, original ghost wolf, Lone Hunter, Olm, among others), I don't think ghostliness is a factor. It's a straight up question of whether the beasts in question possess the greater power that classifies them as a spirit beast.

Loque falls under the same basic criteria I ascribed to Skoll, e.g. he was the first, and was added before the devs had a clearer picture of how they wanted spirit beasts to be, as distinct from other creatures. By the time Arcturis came along however, things were starting to gel and that was the trajectory that all of the subsequent cata spirit beasts continued (e.g. that in re: post-Skoll SBs, not-all-ghosts-are-spirit-beasts-but-all-spirit-beasts-are-ghosts, whereas beasts-with-energy-effects became just that...beasts (re: Terrorpene and all of the various flavors of lava spider)*).

Could MoP change that? Certainly, anything's possible. But just going by late 3.3 thru the present, we have a pretty clear and consistent trend.


*Also just as an aside when speaking of non-SB ghostly beasts, the spirit guide (and crocoslime while we're on the subject) was never intended to be tamed e.g. a glitch that was left in place for existing owners, but that's it - so not terribly relevant to this discussion... the ghost saber, lone hunter and Olm however are valid as "SB spillover", as I would characterize it.

Well, like I said, there were specific reasons for each and every spirit beast in MoP to be ghostlike, so (to me) it doesn't necessarily indicate a trend behind the scenes, even though it does visibly appear to be a trend.

The ghost saber and ghosty demon dogs in Kara predate spirit beasts. Olm is a previously unreleased skin who could have gone either way. As you said, the SB summons and original ghost wolf were mistakes. But the Lone Hunter is a completely new skin that was added after spirit beasts were implemented. Sure, to a certain extent, all are spirit beast "spillover," as you say - but to me, it's significant that a cool new ghost skin was added outside the spirit beast family after the fact.

Perhaps these lightning (thunder?) wolves don't count as spirit beasts because they're not the vivid blue that Skoll is. Or maybe they simply haven't been reflagged.

[Meggers]

OR they're just not to that higher form of existence there, but are totes on their way.

[Kalliope]

OR they're just not to that higher form of existence there, but are totes on their way.

I like that. They're searching for enlightenment!

[Meggers]

Here's some comparison screenshots with Skoll and the new wolf:

....Is that male cow wearing a front facing papoose thing with a baby cow in it? LMFAO

[Kalliope]

......I did NOT see that! Good catch!

Do want!

[cowmuflage]

I have to say I like the new one 100 times more than the SB. I personally think the SB one looks crap. I might get this new one and it's common you say? Makes it even better!

[Vephriel]

OR they're just not to that higher form of existence there, but are totes on their way.

I like that. They're searching for enlightenment!

As a random aside that just occured to me, (pet head canon if anyone wants it), if anyone has Skoll tamed but spends most of their time in MM or SV, you could tame one of these wolves and call it the same name as your Skoll and just pretend it's not at full power so you could enjoy your pet while not in BM.