World of Warcraft recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary, showcasing the extravagant Golden Trading Brutosaurs mount, priced at 78 euros. Over 60,000 players purchased it, drawn by its unique features like auction house access. However, some players on Reddit noted that it appears to be a reskin of the Yak of the Great Expedition, suggesting limited development effort behind its creation. As anticipation builds for Season 2 of The War Within, many players express dissatisfaction with Blizzard’s recent development efforts.
World of Warcraft’s Twentieth Anniversary Celebration
The recent celebrations marking the twentieth anniversary of World of Warcraft have come to a close, leaving players with memories of a grand event. For those willing to splurge, the highlight was the acquisition of one of the most extravagant cosmetic items in MMO history: the Golden Trading Brutosaurs. This event mount made waves upon its release last December, primarily due to its jaw-dropping price tag. Players needed to fork out a hefty 78 euros in real currency to snag this mount, which is quite a departure from the already steep subscription costs associated with the game.
However, when passion drives you, price tags become secondary. Drawn by the allure of this exclusive mount, along with its incredible functionality—including constant access to an auction house broker and a mailbox—over 60,000 WoW players eagerly made the purchase and continue to express satisfaction with their investment. Yet, a conversation is brewing on Reddit that suggests the Brutosaurs may simply be a ‘reskin’ of basic mounts.
The Yak’s Dino Makeover?
A particularly candid post on Reddit by a user named Brylic has sparked intrigue. While executing a buck with the Golden Trading Brutosaurs, some textures and elements from the Yak of the Great Expedition briefly appear, raising eyebrows among players. In the comment section, another user corroborated this observation, noting a similar bug with the Powerful Caravan Brutosaurs, which has been part of the game for several years. In both instances, traces of the Yak seem to resurface.
This minor glitch suggests that Blizzard may have reused the Yak model to design the Brutosaurs, merely copying and pasting it onto the Golden Trading Brutosaurs. Such practices are fairly common in the gaming industry, allowing developers to save time. By reusing models and applying new textures, developers can maintain functional hitboxes, animations, and skeletons, all while reducing the potential for bugs, provided the original models were well crafted.
Pricing and Development Efforts
What makes this situation even more intriguing is the realization that the treatment of this 78 euro mount appears to mirror that of the most basic mounts in the game. In essence, the high price does not reflect any substantial development efforts from Blizzard but is instead based on the accumulation of exceptionally convenient features.
As players eagerly anticipate Season 2 of The War Within, their excitement isn’t solely about the equipment set bonuses that await from the bosses of the Liberation of Terremine. Many players feel that Blizzard’s development efforts for the passive abilities have left much to be desired.