I'm going to start off saying that I get and respect that Staff didn't want us to be able to get all of these at once. I get that Staff was trying to get us to engage with some features that maybe we don't always use. I also understand that they will probably be around next year too so we aren't doomed if we don't get them this year.

That being said, putting some of these cookies behind RNG just feels kind of unfair, especially when people will want at least two of each because they are fun wearables.

I've been going to the crypts multiple times a day and I haven't made it to the end once. I usually get these points from the bathhouse and that still feels like the best way I'm getting these cookies. I'm kicking myself for spending my points before they were released because now I might not get them both at all this year if I forget the bathhouse too many times or it gives me a different type of currency instead. I'm not even worried about getting an extra copy for the wardrobe because I'm trying to get the first copies to feed to my pet.

And those aren't even the worst offenders because at least people have extras to sell of those. At least I can try the crypts once an hour even if it feels like I'm never getting these.

There are no tempest cookies for sale! There is one rift cookie in the trades and the trade description is basically a "oh wow it exists". This isn't a great sign of how many people are getting these. We can only try the rift once a day and we're starting to run out of time. Tempest lighting rods are almost 20 mill because people bought them up trying to get a cookie. I think personally I encountered her twice since these cookies were released and of course, I didn't get one.

Being able to earn a cookie is fun. Throwing yourself at the rift or hoping that Tempest will be nice if you actually see her isn't. RNG with a crunch time and limits to how often we can for an item isn't fun.

[Edit] The community has helped out with the crypts cookies (thanks everyone 😊!). My point still stands for the rift and storm cookies.

Subeta: "Wow, there's so much sP in circulation, let's make a sink." Subeta: makes Tempest cookies an sP sink Subeta: makes the sink RNG and some kind of absurd odds at that Users: sP just exchanges hands repeatedly for a super rare, drives cost up to new heights while managing to generate new sP on a nearly daily basis Subeta: "Wow, there is so much sP in circulation. These things have diminished in value, while some have been artificially driven up. Why aren't people playing more."

That's what I've gotten from these topics. These cookies are a joke and if saying that gets me a warning, I guess it does.

the cookies were all mostly, really fun! and i was excited to see so many features be highlighted with them. but the odds on the rift cookie and the tempest cookie must be insane, i havent seen anyone talking about getting either, so i would definitely appriciate a boost to those odds.

I agree about the rift and storm cookies. I've encountered Tempest once since they came out, didn't get the cookie. Haven't gotten a single lightning rod from the bathhouse in all that time either. Gone to the rift every day since then, no cookie. I think the fact that these cookies are still unbuyable after so long, shows that they need to be made at least a little easier to get.

I don't have an issue with us having to work for the cookies. Heck, having one locked behind scratchcards got me to finish up the final tier of the scratchcard achievement! I was about 300-ish scratchcards short, and I got like 5 of the cookies while I was at it and a small pile of stat points for my active pet, so that was really nice.

RNG, however... Meh. I play and browse the site a decent bit (questing, snooping wishlists, buying stuff for pet TCs), and I have seen (not gotten/clicked, seen) less than 3 Tempest events since the cookies were released. I've possibly gotten more, but haven't seen that I got the event so I haven't clicked to redeem my reward from Tempest. I've even tried my luck with some of the lightning rods I had saved up. Regretting this decision, wish I'd waited and sold them instead. :') Result: zero cookies.

I've been at it with tossing random gubbins into the rift on a more or less daily basis since the cookies were released. I either keep losing my items, or keep getting retired items back that I usually feed back into the rift the next day. Result: zero cookies.

I vaguely remember Amber mentioning that there is still time for us to get the cookies and there is still time for her to step in to help the distribution along somehow, which I'm thankful for and looking forward to. I just hope that in the future, RNG won't be the thing tripping up a really fun achievement idea.

Maybe in case of future achievements like this, it might be worth considering some random-pull cookie boxes instead of chucking these into site features that already have a pretty good pool of items to pull from? Something like the old pastry boxes from the zombie event, or like the Melody ornament boxes.

tl;dr - had fun getting almost all of the cookies I needed for the achievement, except the two RNG-gated ones.

Tempest REs as a concept are long-term rewards, not suited for releasing anything short term. It may have been a bit better if we had a full year to get them instead of a few months. I hope they continue to come back next year at the very least.

I'm just waiting for to make the rift and storm cookies easier to get. It was stated in the cookie achievement news comments that "there will be things happening with those harder to get cookies but you need to give it time." It's been 50 out of 105 days the cookies will be available, so maybe the news of things happening will come soon.

No rift or storm cookies for me yet. I'd like to feed each of them to my gourmand and it would be nice to have a second one of each for wardrobe. We will see.

I posted on a Feedback thread when it got moved to a Problems and Bugs forum, but the feedback still stands.

yeah the rng is getting really disheartening. like a few of you have said, i've had 3 or less tempest events since the release of the cookies, and ive been throwing things into the rift daily. not a single cookie to show for it lol. i know it wasnt supposed to be easy but it should still be... possible, right? (and yes i know its "possible" as theres one in the trades or whatever but at this point its really stretching the definition.) i say this all with love, just also a lil frustration ^^' <3

y'all have even gotten tempest events? I haven't seen her in ages, and the drop rate is freaking bonkers even from people that have been getting her, so I have no chance at all of even getting one of them, let alone the two for the achievement & wearable. :

really hope they extend and/or actually follow through on bettering the odds on these two. :<

I keep neglecting the Rift because I haven't gotten a cookie and I've barely gotten any other Rift-related items. The item pool for both Tempest and Rift are just too big, and the cookies need to have their odds increased so we have more of a chance of getting them and so that trying for them feels more rewarding than just hoping for the best.

Maybe an idea thats not feasible, but perhaps somewhere, maybe from Pete we could turn in one of each "basic" cookie to get a random "special" cookie. That way more use for the basic ones and there's more of a chance to get those that have been elusive, without it being too easy

that's good to hear, thank you!

sorry if this was already answered elsewhere, but are the token shop/crystal shop cookies going to restock again at some point or is that a case of 'you snooze you lose'?

They'll have at least one more restock! :)

out of pure curiosity, were the storm and rift cookies intended to be so exceedingly rare from the start, or did it just pan out that way on its own and the December thing you mention is why the rates weren't adjusted?

They were thrown into the same pool as any of the other prizes from rift and storm. They weren't made harder than any other item; I wasn't going to adjust the rate for all the prizes just for one item. I did my best to match the colors of the cookies to areas that match them. I'm kinda confused, they weren't an extra drop chance, you just put a cookie in with every single retired item in the rift pool and so yes, they were meant to not have any in shops for months after (despite retiring at the end up the year and needed for achievements)? that seems.... very odd of a choice to me, especially for what is a celebration of the site and its users imo. I really hope this December mystery you have cooking up actually gets them out into circulation.

I'm guessing we will get one of the RNG-based cookies each from Melody or something?

Hasn't it been mentioned before that some of the Tempest and/or Rift items that are really cheap in usershops might be retired? At least until they inflate in price again? That might be a good way to give us a better chance of getting the newer items and not be so annoyed at yet another lightning bracelet or anklet.

It might not be so easy with the Rift, though, since that also has retired restocking shop items.