World of Warcraft: Shadowlandsis the game’s eighth expansion pack, and for an MMO with such a storied history, certain patterns start to emerge and traditions get established. One of these traditions is the inclusion of timed rewards centered around completing the final raid in an expansion prior to the release of the next one – and receiving a unique, exclusive mount as a reward.
This reward system is tied to the “Ahead of the Curve” achievements, initially introduced at thelaunch ofMists of Pandaria,culminating in Garrosh Hellscream awarding players with a Kor’kron War Wolf for completing the final raid on Heroic difficulty before the launch ofWarlords of Draenor. The gesture of providing players with tangible prestige for conquering the challenges of current content was met favorably byWorld of Warcraftplayers, and in response, Blizzard continued with “Ahead of the Curve” into the patches that followed.
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DespiteShadowlandsbeing shorter than the average expansion pack, its final raid tier is no exception, as completing the Heroic version of Sepulcher of the First Ones –introduced with “Eternity’s End"and located in Zereth Mortis – will reward the players with the Carcinized Zerethsteed, a mechanical mount themed around the First Ones and described as “impossibly old, almost timeless.”
While the theme of the reward mounts has usually been tied to the raid tier they were awarded in, defeating Archimonde inWarlords of Draenorinstead gave players the Grove Warden, a graceful elk mount related to the zone of Val’sharah in the expansion that would come immediately after –World of Warcraft: Legion. The decision threw the community into a loop of ceaseless speculation at the time, wondering if Blizzard was hinting at the often-suggested and much-anticipated Emerald Dream expansion that never came to be.
Given the popularity and emphasis on timed exclusivity that “Ahead of the Curve” brings, one unfortunate side effect of the current system is that it encourages a player to pay for boosts and carries with in-game currency in the hopes of obtaining the coveted achievement or mount. Furthermore, the in-game currency is sometimes bought with real money through official channels endorsed by Blizzard (such as selling aWorld of Warcraftsubscription tokenon the auction house).
While there is no easy solution for the emergentboosting culture plaguingWorld of Warcraft’sparty finder, some voices in the community have suggested that the best solution would include either removing the subscription token inWorld of Warcraftor implementing a no-tolerance policy on paid boosts. Other voices have instead argued that the boosting culture is harmless, and serves a purpose inside the game’s community at large.
Regardless of where one stands, it is likely that “Ahead of the Curve” achievements will follow into thenextWorld of Warcraftexpansionas well, be it Dragon Isles or something else entirely.
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