Highlights
- Blizzard has revealed the rewards for BlizzCon 2023, including an exclusive mount, pet, and banner for World of Warcraft.
- Some World of Warcraft players are underwhelmed by this year's rewards, considering the mount a re-skin and the pet a retread.
- BlizzCon 2023 may experience a lack of attendance due to recent controversies surrounding Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, but World of Warcraft has been receiving praise for its latest expansion.
Blizzard has revealed the ticket rewards for BlizzCon 2023, though World of Warcraft players have found this year's offerings to be somewhat underwhelming. The BlizzCon 2023 exclusive mount for World of Warcraft was previously teased through the program overview, but with the event's date rapidly approaching, it was time to reveal the full slate of rewards. Both virtual and physical ticket owners can already receive their new cosmetics in-game, which comes in the form of a mount, a pet, and a banner for World of Warcraft.
In addition to getting the previously-teased elemental mount for World of Warcraft, players will also receive a Ysera-themed murloc pet appropriately named Ysergle the Dreamurk. BlizzCon has almost always awarded fans with murloc pets themed around upcoming expansion packs, and unless Ysera plays a central role in the next World of Warcraft expansion, it would seem that the new pet was conceived with the Emerald Dream in mind.
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However, as opposed to previous BlizzCon ticket rewards, World of Warcraft players have mixed feelings about this year's bundle. The rewards were shared by BlizzLee1 on the game's subreddit, and while the Bound Blizzard mount does have a cool factor, many fans see it as little more than a re-skin, and thus not worth the $50 price tag of purchasing a virtual ticket. Furthermore, as pointed out by TheSentinelBlue, Ysergle the Dreamurk hit the live servers with a string error in its Feat of Strength achievement. With Murkastrasza being obtainable by purchasing a deluxe edition of Dragonflight, some players feel that having another Dragon Aspect murloc is a retread.
Ultimately, with BlizzCon 2023 being the first BlizzCon to not have its tickets sold out, a sense of apathy or apprehension seems to permeate among fans of Blizzard games. Given the recent controversies that Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 have dealt with, it may help explain why players are hesitant to show up in full number. By contrast, World of Warcraft seems to be receiving plenty of praise from its own community, as players consider Dragonflight to be one of the better World of Warcraft expansions, and a definite upgrade over Shadowlands and Battle for Azeroth.
With Chris Metzen becoming the new Creative Director for the Warcraft franchise, coupled with his return to Blizzard Entertainment, having a familiar presence at BlizzCon could help to reinvigorate interest in Blizzard IPs. Even though the next World of Warcraft expansion will undoubtedly be announced by Metzen on November 3, the event will be streamed for free on the official website. Some players will almost certainly be enamored with the exclusive cosmetics offered in the virtual ticket for BlizzCon 2023, but it seems that a good chunk of the community will sit this year out.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.