As we draw ever closer to BlizzCon 2023, Blizzard has unveiled the latest round of WoW Twitch drops. Featuring the White Riding Camel from the World of Warcraft card game as a new mount, on the surface there’s a lot to get excited about. That hype has dampened for some, however, when you realize that the free pet, Dottie, is a former charity drop that has now been made completely free.
Dottie is a tiny little alpaca pet in World of Warcraft that, despite her beyond-adorable appearance, can dish out some mean kicks in the MMORPG‘s Pet Battles. She was released back in December 2019 as part of a month-long charity campaign, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and WE Charity.
According to Wowpedia, the pet was then left on sale until Sunday, September 17 2023, where it was removed with no signs of return. This was most likely in preparation for the game’s upcoming Twitch campaign.
For November’s Twitch drops, Blizzard has elected to re-release Dottie, as well as add the White Riding Camel from the WoW card game. For those unfamiliar with the Twitch drop system, you tune in and watch WoW streamers on Twitch for a specified period of time – when you’ve watched enough hours, you get the goodies.
Given Dottie was originally released as part of a charity event, some players find its re-release pretty jarring. “They shouldn’t put Dottie as a Twitch drop, really ruined the purpose of it,” reads one thread on the official WoW Forums. “Now it’s [being] given away for free when its purpose was to support kids in dire need. They [Blizzard] gave it away like [it was] nothing.”
“It was a really bad decision to do that,” replies another. “I understand old things should return but charity things are something you shouldn’t reintroduce,” replies another.
Others, however, believe that the campaign is long gone, so and that it “served the purpose it was used for. It’s fair game [in my opinion].” Clearly the drop has proven divisive.
Blizzard has already come under scrutiny before for re-releasing limited-time cosmetics back into the official store. For example, the once-exclusive Tyrael’s Charger returned to the store in December of last year, and was also part of the rotating Trading Post in July 2023 following the release of Diablo 4. Given that this was supposed to be a one-time drop in Mists of Pandaria, players weren’t exactly thrilled.
Either way, it seems to be the way things will go from here on in. If you’re planning to dive into WoW with your new pal Dottie, we have a rundown of the best WoW addons right here. Or, if you fancy venturing beyond the pastures of Azeroth, we have a list of free MMORPGs to inspire your next adventure.