"Exotic Ability"?

[Acherontia]

Just noticed this on MMO-Champion:

"Ancient Hysteria is now a Exotic Ability."

Are abilities already classified in-game as Exotic? Is this a hint that Exotic Pets might be tameable by all specs of hunters, but that the Exotic Ability will only unlock for BM? Or perhaps that hunters, or only BM hunters, will be able to apply any "exotic ability" to any pet? It's a stretch, but I thought it odd that this was in patch notes.

http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/ (frontpage currently)

[Royi]

Just noticed this on MMO-Champion:

"Ancient Hysteria is now a Exotic Ability."

Are abilities already classified in-game as Exotic? Is this a hint that Exotic Pets might be tameable by all specs of hunters, but that the Exotic Ability will only unlock for BM? Or perhaps that hunters, or only BM hunters, will be able to apply any "exotic ability" to any pet? It's a stretch, but I thought it odd that this was in patch notes.

http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/ (frontpage currently)

I would love that to happen. Jadefang and Arcturis are my two favorite pets out there, but my favorite spec is SV. I think it would be good since I could then play my hunter how I like to with the pet I like to (which I cant currently). I honestly do not care about the little healing spell that Arc can do, I'd rather have him just give the cat buff while I'm explosion shotting all around.

Great idea though Ache even if its reading mostly between the lines here. I'd say that should be something to pitch even if that wasn't the intention.

[Worba]

Another interpretation could be that BM hunters will remain the only ones able to tame exotics, but will be able to do so from lvl 10 as a core passive - with the stipulation that exotic pet abilities remain locked until lvl 69.

Personally I think this makes more sense as BM hunters are already watered down enough as-is, but at least they still have exotics. Taking that away is like giving platemail to cloth casters imo.

[Royi]

Another interpretation could be that BM hunters will remain the only ones able to tame exotics, but will be able to do so from lvl 10 as a core passive - with the stipulation that exotic pet abilities remain locked until lvl 69.

Personally I think this makes more sense as BM hunters are already watered down enough as-is, but at least they still have exotics. Taking that away is like giving platemail to cloth casters imo.

Bah, SV hunters don't get any fancies as it is I think SV hunters should then get to lay multiple Ice traps down, or have a Pet-Feign Death too (so both you and your pet could FD at the same time, I always felt sad FD'ing to watch the pet get killed)

Then it would be fair.

[Equeon]

No! Exotic pets should be kept BM-only. After all, they are renaming the awesome sounding "Beastmastery" into "Exotic Beasts."
There's no point in having a spec called Exotic Beasts if anyone can tame Exotic Beasts.

[Kalliope]

I'm pretty sure this is just a single tooltip change. If anything major was going on with exotic abilities, then we'd see all of them altered, most likely.

[Worba]

Another interpretation could be that BM hunters will remain the only ones able to tame exotics, but will be able to do so from lvl 10 as a core passive - with the stipulation that exotic pet abilities remain locked until lvl 69.

Personally I think this makes more sense as BM hunters are already watered down enough as-is, but at least they still have exotics. Taking that away is like giving platemail to cloth casters imo.

Bah, SV hunters don't get any fancies as it is I think SV hunters should then get to lay multiple Ice traps down, or have a Pet-Feign Death too (so both you and your pet could FD at the same time, I always felt sad FD'ing to watch the pet get killed)

Then it would be fair.

SV gets explosive shot from level 10, which is about as smexy as it gets.

Otoh BM at lvl 10 get... intimidation - which is on the other end of the smexiness spectrum.

Fair? No, but it's not SV who are getting short changed there.

[MaximumOverdrive]

Another interpretation could be that BM hunters will remain the only ones able to tame exotics, but will be able to do so from lvl 10 as a core passive - with the stipulation that exotic pet abilities remain locked until lvl 69.

Personally I think this makes more sense as BM hunters are already watered down enough as-is, but at least they still have exotics. Taking that away is like giving platemail to cloth casters imo.

Bah, SV hunters don't get any fancies as it is I think SV hunters should then get to lay multiple Ice traps down, or have a Pet-Feign Death too (so both you and your pet could FD at the same time, I always felt sad FD'ing to watch the pet get killed)

Then it would be fair.

SV gets explosive shot from level 10, which is about as smexy as it gets.

Otoh BM at lvl 10 get... intimidation - which is on the other end of the smexiness spectrum.

Fair? No, but it's not SV who are getting short changed there.

Not to mention Surv also tends to get to go to raids and such more often. But yeah, ES is pretty cool and you get it right away...BM has it's exotics and should stay that way.

[Shade]

Another interpretation could be that BM hunters will remain the only ones able to tame exotics, but will be able to do so from lvl 10 as a core passive - with the stipulation that exotic pet abilities remain locked until lvl 69.

Personally I think this makes more sense as BM hunters are already watered down enough as-is, but at least they still have exotics. Taking that away is like giving platemail to cloth casters imo.

Yeah... I would be really rather annoyed if all specs could use the exotic pets whenever they wanted, it would really take away what makes the BM spec BM.

I would love the ability to tame exotics at a low level and get their extra exotic abilities at 69. Though it would be moot for me unless I wanted to level YET ANOTHER hunter... I have two at 85, two in the 70's and four more in the 20-60 range, bah. I dont need more hunters!

[Worba]

I would love the ability to tame exotics at a low level and get their extra exotic abilities at 69. Though it would be moot for me unless I wanted to level YET ANOTHER hunter... I have two at 85, two in the 70's and four more in the 20-60 range, bah. I dont need more hunters!

Honestly I think a significant part of the reason they haven't (yet) changed tame exotics to a lvl 10 core passive is that the majority* of hunters are already lvl 69+, and are more concerned with other things.


*Going by general impression and also stats I've seen saying the majority of hours logged are from end-gamers.

[Ziarre]

I've got both lore and other reasons for wanting to see Exotic Pets stay with Beast Mastery--aside from each Exotic family having a reason to be so (respect the freaking Devilsaur! some of us remember when they were the overleveled terrors of Un'goro), MM and Surv already have skills that give them a distinct flavor. The ability to tame Exotics are much of what gives BM its flavor, even if I think Kill Command is pretty awesome.

In regards to the patch, though, it's probably just a tooltip fix.

[Kurasu]

What confuses me with this: isn't Ancient Hysteria *already* an Exotic Ability? They had the flame breath as the 'normal', and AH as 'Exotic'. So... the tooltip is probably just changing.

[MaximumOverdrive]

I pulled up my live version, and looked at it, and right now AH doesn't have a tag on it as to what kind of ability it is (like how Flame Breath says special). So yeah, tooltip change.

[Kurasu]

I have a semi-related question: is Hysteria now no longer affected by the global CD? I.E. can you actually AH in the middle of combat instead of having to drag your pet out of the fight? It was the only 'long' ability that had this problem...

[Wain]

What confuses me with this: isn't Ancient Hysteria *already* an Exotic Ability? They had the flame breath as the 'normal', and AH as 'Exotic'. So... the tooltip is probably just changing.

Yeah I think it's a bit like the Subdued Seahorse (Reins of Poseidus) change that was listed. The mount was already BoA, despite the report. They must have just changed the tooltip to reflect that.

[Acherontia]

It is just a tooltip change, one way or another! My question was more, why this ability and only this ability, and why now? I don't see "Exotic Ability" on any other Exotic pet skills, but as I said, no Beta to check there!

I wasn't trying to read too much into it, just throw it out there on the offchance

[pop]

I hope that once a BM hunter learns 'Exotic Beast', all of the hunter's pets will get exotic skills, not just the exotic ones.

[Tahlian]

It's Just. A. Tooltip. Change. If there were going to be major overhauls to beast mastery mechanics like that, I have a feeling they'd already have us testing them, to see if they were going to work or not.

[Kalliope]

It's Just. A. Tooltip. Change. If there were going to be major overhauls to beast mastery mechanics like that, I have a feeling they'd already have us testing them, to see if they were going to work or not.

Mmmhmm.

I like how these posts keep getting ignored in favor of OOH SHINY.

[Worba]

That or just that it touches on parallel issues people have their own feelings about.