Marksmanship Hunters are losing their pets in patch 11.1, which makes us wonder: how important are companions for you?
Blizzard just announced that in the upcoming World of Warcraft patch 11.1, Undermine(d), Marksmanship Hunters will lose access to Hunter pets. Instead, all MM Hunters will get a fixed Eagle companion that will be integrated with their skills and abilities, doing things like swooping down to mark targets for you to shoot, for instance. But that wolf you tamed 12 years ago in Grizzly Hills and grew attached to? Tough luck, kid; if you wanna keep using them, better re-spec to Beast Mastery or Survival.
Some of the reasoning given by the developers for this controversial change is sound, I have to admit. Marksmanship has, in fact, struggled in the past with the duality of picking Lone Wolf but wanting or needing to summon their pet for specific moments, such as using their Bloodlust effect or just for quality of life while leveling or soloing. Their solution to the Lone Wolf problem does seem to address many of the core issues with the old design, but… isn’t the cost MM Hunters are paying too high for such a fix? Aren’t they throwing out the baby with the bathwater with this?
No matter the game, players grow attached to their pets, and companions in general. Whether it’s for fantasy, customization, or expression, many of us enjoy being given the chance to pick what our companion will be, name them, customize their appearance, and just knowing that they’re always by our side, loyally tackling adventures and challenges with us, helping us, being cared for by us, and caring for us in return. Games like Stardew Valley let you have multiple pets that you can name and establish a loving relationship with — and developers add those types of features to games for a reason. Much like having pets in real life, they cater to our bonding needs; they make us feel good.
So, what do you think? Marksmanship did have issues for a long time, and many of those issues are being fixed with this solution, but the cost makes us wonder. How important is having a pet to you as a Hunter in WoW? How significant is it for you to have a companion, in any game? Are you willing to trade the ability to choose your own loyal companion for better-designed game mechanics? Are there any games where you feel the attachment to your companion the most, to the point where it’s not negotiable?
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