Until this is changed (if it is), please don't hesitate to comment or mail me about making one. I have always been more than willing to make one for users. You don't have to be my friend for more than the time it takes to get the pet to you and with the name changes you don't have to worry about people seeing the name you want.

I can even get you the base colors/bloodred since I can create them as other pets, elixir them, and then change to bhakoru.

It's been HOW long? Update it. Between these and Cadorges...

If they're one of the pets that don't mysteriously change back en route, I'll happily make for people while this is in the process of being changed or whatever. Let me know. c:

Really in favor of this change

It's been too long. Having a pet gated behind a 9 years old plot makes no sense

They do not change if transferred. Just be aware that any pet can only be transferred once a month so I tend to only create or grab from the pound.

Gotcha. Hey, the offer still stands if it's okay with you guys?

Honestly, if I had the available pet slots right now I'd do the same! I'm kind of taken aback at how much gatekeeping there is in this thread over a pet, that is absolutely silly and someone getting a Bhakoru without "earning it" literally does not affect you in any way and at the end of the day you still have your equippables, forum titles, and achievements from the event. So thank you to kind folks like and for offering Bhakoru creation to those without <3

And again, I'm not saying it has to be available from the get-go in pet creation or elixirs or whatever, but I won't cry if they are either. XD If Staff still wants their acquisition to be special they can be obtained from the shrine similar to Zentus, Scootles, Yaherra/Qrykee/Blob, etc. Pay for them in wizard tokens or do a small series of quests similar to Bumbus. Put some fluffy writing on a news post about how Blake Steele has collaborated with the Wizard or something (since the shrine is in Saherimos) to find a way to let the general public adopt or morph a Bhakoru after all these years. Hell, put the next Secret Blake Challenger in Saherimos if you want that cluster of news posts to be themed. XD There's plenty of ways to go about it!

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if this month was the month where Blake goes looking for a legencary pet in Saherimos, (my current predictions are Saherimos for this month, Omen Islands for next month, Shadowglen for October, Riverside for November, and Arctic Frost for December), and said legendary pet seems likely to be either a Bhakoru, Kumos, or Neela, I think it will most likely be a Kumos but it could still be a Bhakoru.

I agree that there should be something people would have to do to get one, but it should still be available to everyone rather than those who did a plot from years ago since there's been loads of new users since then, and I also agree with letting those users who do have access to not have to do those requirements. I would be satisfied with just elixirs being available though, even if they're in a different place to the usual shop like how the Zentu and Neela elixirs are in different places.

I agree that this feature should probably have been opened up to everyone by now. Having other users help you create the pet is fine, but you might want to create a pet yourself instead of adopting it from someone else (like I do). I don't think the nostalgic pet route is a good solution to present to newer users, it's more of a backdoor/workaround and just seems weird to say this is the official way of creating a bhakoru now. Both of these methods are also ok if you want one bhakoru, but becomes annoying if you want several.

I don't remember all the lore around adopting bhakorus, but like the idea of completing some number of shinwa (or oracle) quests to do it to prove you are worthy/responsible enough to have a bhakoru. Doesn't cost a lot but will take some time and is a goal to work towards.

guess i should chip in by now, being the aforementioned friend 👋

but yeahhhh i was pretty baffled to find that what's considered the "natural" method to create a bhakoru's locked behind a plot reward from, what, 9 years ago? i was fortunate enough to get in touch with generous users that could create them for me, and i can manage just fine these days using the vanya method, but having a constantly-shrinking pool of people with strings-free access to them comes off as needlessly archaic to me...

blue building reqs? shinwa quests? elixirs? anything's fair game as far as i can tell, and i especially like the idea of having the old wizard involved somehow...surely all those quest items that users have been fetching for years have given him the means to do something! and with the dust settling around the pet name changes, surely this band-aid's less painful to pull off?

Games are all about artificial gatekeeping, that's how they're games.

Before the Bhakoru was created, there were many Suggestions by folks about how the exclusive pets weren't exclusive anymore and that they wanted one of their pets to be rare. The threads about this were many and extensive.

Other users have suggested multiple times that there be pets you have to work to get. (It's also common over the years to see suggestions that colors should be worked at to get) The threads about this were many and extensive and still happen.

Nobody has to be always every time good at all parts of all games, and parts of some games are more complicated than others. Is a Bhakoru too hard for you? I don't think that for myself. If there was a new plot or the old one got revived and its code re-written for the modern internet folks IME would still complain.

Some folks like to create things out of other things. They play Baking with Fantine, and they like going through the steps at Steamworks and Uncle Vanya's. I know I do. Some folks like the fun of gambling and they zap or chuck their pets into THE RIFT. I know I do.

By making this particular pet easier to get you are removing that fun aspect of the game for those users just because you-personally don't find that part of the game fun. By making this particular pet easier to get you are removing the fun of the players who like that their pet is rarer and harder to get, just because you-personally don't find that part of the game fun.

I like that the bhakoru is a pet you actually had to do a game mechanic to get. I wouldn't mind if they're changed, but I'd love if it could remain an actual game mechanic instead of a free for all. It's not a bad thing that there is some challenge in the game and I don't think having certain requirements or obstacles or difficulty to get a pet is really "gatekeeping" in this case. Especially because it is still available and not totally exclusive. Pets are allowed to have some prestige and exclusivity.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love if access to the bhakaru are updated since the plot was so long ago. They're one of my favorite species and could stand some time in the spotlight again. I feel like it would lessen the experience if they where simply a free for all without having any lore or requirements. Look at the zentu, you have to jump thru certain hoops to make one of those- that's great and I enjoy that the pet has some lore. So if/when the bhakoru gets updated, I'd hope they get some lore related thing (with Blake since he's been so active recently!) and some kind of thing the user has to do to create one.

Perhaps they're a shy species and only appear a couple times a week? Or even a couple times a month? That would be cute. You could offer one food and it would decide to stay with you.

Edited to add: Honestly I'd love if more pets actually had some kind of requirement or hoop to jump thru because it makes the Subeta world feel more like an actual world. I'd be down for making more pets have requirements for adoption. They don't have to be hard or impossible but having something to build up to would be really fun and might add more depth to Subeta's lore.

I can agree with the basic premise that it’s okay to have to earn things in a game, and that some of those things can be harder to acquire than others...

BUT

That requires there to be a fair way to acquire the things in a way the designer actually intends.

I can’t actually remember 100% but I believe the only thing you had to do was finish the plot in order to have access to the Bhakoru crystal. Not a terribly high bar, not even really meant to be rare. Like I said, the intention was always to have them more widely available eventually, so the prize was more, “look, a pet! And you participated in our little event so you get to make one right now instead of waiting!”

Intentions aside, what do we have now?

1. You can ask another player to make you a bhakoru. You have no way of knowing they can do this unless they say they can or you ask. While I like the idea of a community coming together to help each other, that is something that has to come organically (like the awesome people who run the zombie strain tracking every year.) As a game designer, you shouldn’t force that interaction. Especially if it relies on random people.

2. You use an item that probably cost a lot not for its intended purpose (unless you specifically wanted a nostalgic bhakoru.) If the intention was to have bhakorus come through the crystal or only ever be a plot prize, then a game designer would want to remove this from even being possible. From a player perspective, there’s nothing very fun about it. If a new bhakoru color came out tomorrow and you had to shell out for the melody potion on top of the new color potion, then you’re probably just not gonna bother, and I certainly don’t want that. It’s adding steps, breaking lore, and just being kind of a hassle.

So, idk. I get the frustration here.

The bhakoru is one of my favorite species, I own a number of them, and I very much support the idea of introducing something that would allow more users access to creating them. The biggest thing for me is that... well, the specialness of the bhakoru is largely because of its lore and how it was introduced, and the workarounds for users who don't have the crystal unlocked, don't seem very... lore-friendly to me? One option is just having other people make or morph a pet for you, which is kind of a hassle but simple enough, and anyone with access to the crystal can pretty much create infinite bhakorus if they want lol. The other... I suppose Vanya is magical and all, but it's still like-- if you're a new user who wants a specific color of bhakoru, just buy the right items and you can get a nostalgic bhakoru and then change its color to what you actually want. It makes people work for the bhakoru, sure, but it doesn't feel in the spirit of the bhakoru at all, especially since this version of working for something is pretty much just.. the usual species/color change but a bit more convoluted.

While there are more important things to focus on for staff right now, I really like the idea of newer players maybe being able to unlock access to the bhakoru crystal or something? That way they'd be able to appreciate the pretty art, and if it were unlockable in a 'complete X tasks' sort of way, it would prevent it from just being a mindless "buy these items to change pet" task or something requiring outside help, and it would be a goal to work toward.

I'm not familiar with the original plot (I joined just a bit after it afaik, unfortunately) but I'd love to see the species opened up to more people. I was lucky and found someone who was willing to make and send me one, but I'd love to see it become more accessible. That being said, I feel a task/mini-plot/etc of some kind (as similar to the amount of work the first one took as possible) would probably feel most fair. If just to keep the pool of users who can make them for others from getting too small or limited.

It's understandable that this might not be a huge staff priority, but if it's been 9 years then 10 is just around the corner. Between the pet name changes and the push to get older players back/welcome in more new players the 10th anniversary might be a nice time/excuse to revisit the plot/continue it/etc in some way that leads to new people earning the ability to create Bhakoru. (just spit balling here; this could be a bad idea or wildly unrealistic, as I said I'm not familiar with the original plot so take the suggestion with a grain of salt)

Why not add it to the Wizard section of the Quest Shop?

We don't have a quest shop pet, we don't have high-priced quest shop items and quests are one of the easiest moneymakers for newbies, so they could absolutely do so, at a cost!

I don't have much to add other than: 1) I support making Bhakorus more accessible to everyone 2) I really like the idea of adding them to the Wizard's section of the Quest shop, and most importantly, 3) I thought I was going to use up my new free pet slot right away, but after some thought I've decided to redo one of my other pets instead. Eventually I'll fill the empty slot with another pet, once I can think of a name and the barest bones of a theme or character - but in the meantime: if anyone still reading this thread wants a Bhakoru and doesn't have access to them, please let me know and I'll be more than happy to make one for you!

It is not a bother (trust me, I know that feeling, I don't like "bothering" people either)

I support this.

Would also like to mention that I can create one for anyone who wants. I currently have 2 open pet slots and while I do have plans to fill them, I don't expect it to happen anytime soon. LOL there will probably end up being another quest-a-thon before I get around to it, so I'm pretty much expecting to always be able to get a Bhakoru.