Upgrade account - get free stuff... a trend.

[Merusk]

I saw this on my Facebook feed today. 

Warcraft  Show everyone in Azeroth that you're serious about account security with man's (and orc's) best friend! Beginning today, any World of Warcraft player who protects his or her Battle.net account using either a Blizzard Authenticator or the Battle.net Mobile Authenticator will get their very own in-game Core Hound Pup, a ...

So after the success of getting folks to switch to B.net accounts by offering a pet, they're trying another carrot approach on reducing account scamming.  Looks like I know where I'm dropping my next free $20.

[Sheepherder]

It's $6.50, like a meal at McDonalds, except it doesn't give you the shits and isn't filled with bone splinters.

[Musashi]

And you don't get AIDS.

[Merusk]

Well, I was figuring $10 with s&h and the fact I have to buy one for the wife's account, too.

[Signe]

I don't think there is any S&H.  Just $6.50. 

The puppy has two heads!  I never remember them, though, and the only time I ever have them out is right after I get one.  Still, it's a cutie.

[JWIV]

Does the B.Net mobile authenticator work on Android yet?    I know it doesn't support the Blackjack v1's that both I and the wife have, but we're going to be swapping out phones here shortly after Christmas.

[Musashi]

I don't think there is any S&H.  Just $6.50. 

The puppy has two heads!  I never remember them, though, and the only time I ever have them out is right after I get one.  Still, it's a cutie.

Make an extra hotbar and put it somewhere inconspicuous.  Then drag your favorite pets onto it.  Then bind all of them to like F9-F12, or keys you don't ever use.  Then make the bar invisible.  ??.  Profit.

[Malakili]

The authenticator is definitely worth the 6.50 if you ask me.  My friend has his account hacked TWICE, I want nothing to do with that crap, I purchased one, hell its worth it just for piece of mind.  Oh, also, I'm assuming because its associated with my battle.net account, even though I doubt I'll go back to WoW,  it'll work with Starcraft II, Diablo III, etc.

Of course, I didn't get any fancy pet when I bought mine.

[Feverdream]

Well, if you ever do go back to WoW, your fancy pet will be waiting for you in your mailbox.  Everyone with an authenticator on their account got one.

[Signe]

I don't think there is any S&H.  Just $6.50. 

The puppy has two heads!  I never remember them, though, and the only time I ever have them out is right after I get one.  Still, it's a cutie.

Make an extra hotbar and put it somewhere inconspicuous.  Then drag your favorite pets onto it.  Then bind all of them to like F9-F12, or keys you don't ever use.  Then make the bar invisible.  ??.  Profit.

Thanks for the tip.  I don't have favourite pets.  I love them all the same which isn't very much.  Maybe if I could name them, we'd have more of a connection and I'd learn to love them.  There should be a Dr. Phil show on WoW.  I have issues.

[Shrike]

Well, if you ever do go back to WoW, your fancy pet will be waiting for you in your mailbox.  Everyone with an authenticator on their account got one.

Hot damn. Still going to wait another day before logging into this mess.

[Musashi]

I don't think there is any S&H.  Just $6.50. 

The puppy has two heads!  I never remember them, though, and the only time I ever have them out is right after I get one.  Still, it's a cutie.

Make an extra hotbar and put it somewhere inconspicuous.  Then drag your favorite pets onto it.  Then bind all of them to like F9-F12, or keys you don't ever use.  Then make the bar invisible.  ??.  Profit.

Thanks for the tip.  I don't have favourite pets.  I love them all the same which isn't very much.  Maybe if I could name them, we'd have more of a connection and I'd learn to love them.  There should be a Dr. Phil show on WoW.  I have issues.

Maybe if you had a rare one.  Like Mr. Pinchy.  I dare you not to love him.

[Morfiend]

My friend has the Space Marine Murloc pet, and its so awesome. If he encounters some one with the collectors edition Zergling pet, they fight.

[Signe]

Well, to be honest, I love them momentarily.  On the first day I get them and then I neglect them.  Are the rare ones the ones you get with those cards?  If so, I'll never have one.  I don't like those card games at all so I'll never have a reason to buy any.  A lot of the vehicles are from cards too, no?  

I don't know Mr. Pinchy but I love his name!

[raydeen]

My favorite is still the Spirit of Competition dragon pet. I love him because I had to work for him. I lost count of how many Arathi Basins I went through to get him.

[Fordel]

It's a toss up between the little baby tree druid pet that dances, or the little beholder pet that zaps critters. 

[Musashi]

Mr. Pinchy is a rare (!!!) pet that can be fished up in Outlands.  He is glorious.

[Nevermore]

Maybe if you had a rare one.  Like Mr. Pinchy.  I dare you not to love him.

Sadly, Mr. Pinchy isn't the name of the permanent pet.  He's the temp pet you fish up that has a chance of giving you the Magical Crawdad permanent pet.  He also has a chance of pinching you, hard!  I think Mr. Pinchy might actually be Signe in disguise...

[Numtini]

I collect pets, my favorites are the spirit of competition and the crimson whelpling. The original whelplings are slimmer and more "realistic" and like the mob model than the freebies.

I got two of the whelps on my first character, sold one, and kept one. And she's been shelved since. I've tried to get another with every character I've run through there and if it's one in a thousand drop, I'm owed a half dozen.

[Mattemeo]

I love my Magical Crawdad because he's one of the few genuinely rare things in the game. He should have an orange name. The only thing that could make him more awesome is if he did a '/pinches [random target]'s arse' emote.

There's really too many pets to choose favourites, though. Most of my characters end up with a 'prefered' pet, but I hold a special place in my heart for the Sprite Darter Hatchling. I just want them to exist in reality. Is that so much to ask? Magical butterfly gecko-chameleons!

[apocrypha]

Ahh I need to get one of the Magical Crawdad's. My main is called Gorgeous you see. I think you can see where that's going.

[Zetor]

Yeah, I like my Spirit of Competition too... along with the White Kitten. White Kitten sees into your soul and wipes groups he doesn't like (this trend started in pug UBRS runs in vanilla), true story! I also rolled with the prairie dog back in vanilla (as a gnome), 'cos prairie dogs are awesome.

Rare (usually ground) mounts are another popular 'differentiator'. A lot of people have black war bears, everyone with RAF can have a zhevra, BC raiders like to flaunt the amani warbear, druids can solo the raven lord (only 1/day, so no 'powerfarming'), most classes can solo the stratholme mount (does it still drop?), some classes can solo Attumen, and yet others get lucky during brewfest or halloween. Even if most of these have no real 'difficulty' behind them, they are just as much of a "status symbol" (heh) as the {hardmode raider achievement flying mount du jour}. 

[Merusk]

Rare mounts are meaningless to me, now that I have my 310% drake.  Wooosh.

I agree on the older whelps, though.  Farmed a red one a few months ago.. two hours running around one shotting things in Wetlands.  It was like a mini window to 1999!

[Mattemeo]

Rare (usually ground) mounts are another popular 'differentiator'. A lot of people have black war bears, everyone with RAF can have a zhevra, BC raiders like to flaunt the amani warbear, druids can solo the raven lord (only 1/day, so no 'powerfarming'), most classes can solo the stratholme mount (does it still drop?), some classes can solo Attumen, and yet others get lucky during brewfest or halloween. Even if most of these have no real 'difficulty' behind them, they are just as much of a "status symbol" (heh) as the {hardmode raider achievement flying mount du jour}. 

Got the Black War Bear for my Gnome DK recently, and it was a major boost to my character's sense of place in the game. I always think Gnomes on horses look at least faintly ridiculous (mostly due to the head size:mount size ratio meaning 3' Gnomes ride 30 hand horses - wat) but a tiny Gnome on a fuck-off-huge 2 ton bear goes from the ridiculous to the sublime, it just looks right. So I don't see the bear so much as a status symbol, more an elegant solution to wondering how I even got up on that damn horse.

Still need to get the Reins of the Raven Lord for my SPriest though... *sigh*

And we won't talk about holiday mounts. 

[Selby]

Even if most of these have no real 'difficulty' behind them, they are just as much of a "status symbol" (heh) as the {hardmode raider achievement flying mount du jour}. 

Yeah, I felt really good about myself once I got my netherwing drake and my albino drake.  Just because most people don't have them (everyone's on a bronze) and I'm not anywhere near cool enough for the "I did Ulduar really well" Iron-bound drake or the "We zerged Sarth down in 65s" drake.

I do collect pets, not crazily, but I've got a decent amount.  My favorite is still the worg pup from UBRS.  Had that one since 2006 and still pull it out in all raids.

[Numtini]

Farmed a red one a few months ago.. two hours running around one shotting things in Wetlands.  It was like a mini window to 1999!

Two hours? i'm going to weep.

[Tarami]

I remember farming a Crimson Whelpling back in 2006 for my then SO, using my Holy-specced priest. Good times.

[Morfiend]

I love my Murky, but he is on my rogue, who I dont really play any more. /sadface

[apocrypha]

I remember farming a Crimson Whelpling back in 2006 for my then SO, using my Holy-specced priest. Good times.

Hehe, same here, but with an enhance shaman. GF still has the whelpling and considers it her favourite pet 

[Ingmar]

I love my Murky, but he is on my rogue, who I dont really play any more. /sadface

Murky is bind on account now you know!

[Kitsune]

Murkimus the Gladiator's my favorite.  The effort needed to get him makes him nicely exclusive, plus he just looks sweet in general.  Only shame's that he doesn't really do anything.  The old Collector Edition pets are rare enough now to provoke comment, and I love how my zergling will go and eat other peoples' Grunty.  The Kirin Tor Familiar looks swank, and also takes enough effort to not be very common.

I typically don't bother with common pets and mounts, but will go a fair bit out of my way to pick up uncommon and limited-edition stuff.

[Sjofn]

I remember farming a Crimson Whelpling back in 2006 for my then SO, using my Holy-specced priest. Good times.

Hehe, same here, but with an enhance shaman. GF still has the whelpling and considers it her favourite pet 

Why don't you love me that much, Ingmar?

[Merusk]

Farmed a red one a few months ago.. two hours running around one shotting things in Wetlands.  It was like a mini window to 1999!

Two hours? i'm going to weep.

I shouldn't mention the black one I got back in '04 then.

The green, however, continues to elude me.

[Cadaverine]

Apparently, my account has been upgraded.  The bad news is that I never upgraded my account.  So now, it requires me to provide a 6 digit code from an authenticator I don't have. 

Getting this snafu resolved ought to be fun.

[Sheepherder]

Maybe a new method for account compromise?  Instead of changing the password put an authenticator on it?