So, as many of you are aware, there is a wolfhound in the game, but the only way to get it is to throw your money at the steam machine and buy a steam copy of ESO, and even then you might not be able to get the wolfhound on your current account since it would be the steam account, and steam accounts for ESO cost money, currently $48 with the sale, and $80 when the sale ends, and you would need to pay $15 a month to keep that account active, so buying an account through steam to get a wolfhound is rather illogical imo since, if you can reply to this post, you already paid money and are paying monthly to play ESO.

Now, a wolfhound is a pretty significant pet, judging how its the only dog available in game, its part wolf, and its pretty big (waist height to a breton male judging by the picture). So, obviously people who already bought the game and have been around for a while and perhaps even bought the original physical/digital imperial edition are going to want it because, like I said, its a pretty significant pet. Also, people who bought the original I.E. from stores or online are going to feel cheated out since people from Steam will be buying their I.E. and be getting more then them since Steam I.E. people are gettings all the benefits of the I.E. (Even the Mudcrab) as well as this new and excitingly awesome pet.

Also, quick side not to keep the above paragraph from getting to long, original Imperial Edition people might feel EXTREMELY cheated because not only are they getting more for their money through steam and original Imperial Edition people had to pay more, since the Steam I.E is on sale right now for $48, and people who ordered the Physical copy had to go through reserve fees and what not. (For example, I bought mine at Gamestop and paid over $100 for it, like $118 or something like that). I don't remember what the original price of the digital version was or if it has gone down, but just incase, after the sale it is going to be $80.

Now, also for the sake of covering more bases, some might say the physical I.E people got he book and statue and what not. Well, $80 vs $118, the physical edition people paid more, but back to the point (enough side tracking!)

Now, there seem to be a lot of argument threads and complaining (for lack of a better word) threads floating around about this. Ever since I heard the news, so maybe 2 hours before the typing of this thread, I have been trying to think of ways this could be changed to be viewed in a better light, since discontent seems rather high at the moment.

So, what can ZOS do to amend this situation so everyone walks away happy, or discontent is lessened down?

1, Remove the pet all together?

2. Put it on the cash shop immediately after the Steam deal ends?

3. Give it to long standing members of the community and or original Imperial Edition people?

4. Give a wolf and a dog to long standing members and or original Imperial Edition people?

5. Have the wolfhound be available elsewhere in the game right after the Steam deal ends?

6. Give long standing members and or original Imperial Edition people a wolf mount (direwolf?)?(Are there even wolves big enough in ES lore?)

Those are the ideas that I have managed to come up with that I think either make sense, or just came up with as I was typing them. Number 1 might not work since some people might already have it and its there, so it kinda has to be dealt with now. Number 2 might just cause more of a problem than anything because some people really hate the cash shop. Numbers 3, 4, and 6 might make newer members upset as well as Steam Imperial Edition people.

Either way you slice it, it is a multi-leveled situation with many different groups that people might fall under that might get upset, whether that be newer people, steam people, original imperial edition people, beta people, or even Steam itself. It seems the situation needs to be evenly distributed in some way so that everyone is on an equal playing field and people don't feel like they are being cheated by ZOS for X, Y, or Z (I really, REALLY, hate it when stuff like special offer pets and what not become available in situations like this after launch because it always is just a mess and usually ends with people feeling cheated/lied to.)

So, getting back to the list I posted above... 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 all would end up making some group of people angry.

Now, for number 5. Number 5, which states "Have the wolfhound be available elsewhere in the game right after the Steam deal ends?" can go a couple of ways. For one, it might make new players, original players, Imperial Edition players, and beta players feel as if they are on a level playing field since the pet is out there and able to be taken, and it helps the Steam I.E. people feel like they are on a level playing field because they already have it. Now, on the downside, they might feel that having it might make them feel less special and less likely to stand out since they paid money for potentially just that. So, to counter that, perhaps having the dog at the end of a hard to complete quest chain might be better since it makes non Steam I.E. groups of people feel like the accomplished something without having to necessarily spend money on it, and Steam I.E. people already have it, and perhaps feel special since they already have the reward of a non exp giving hard to complete quest.

Now, that seems a bit more logical, but some problems still remain. Some people might argue that exclusive pets should remain exclusive, like the monkey. And while, for the case of the monkey I can say that the beta was really easy to get into, if not even in open beta stage at the end (I honestly forgot), exclusive pets really kill off people from the community and cause all around problems. I also understand that sometimes exclusive deals are required for things like getting your product posted on Steam, but of all the things they could have picked, they picked a wolfhound.

All in all, this situation just makes my brain hurt. I had some more ideas that I forgot while typing other bits of this, if they come back great and I will post them here, but for now I need to go lay down. If you have any ideas/suggestions for ZOS on how this mess can be resolved, post them below, lets be constructive and helpful (I know, that can be very hard, especially if its for something you love and are passionate about (You want to fight for what you love, I get it)). If any of my ideas come back to me after I rest my brain, I will either edit this or just post them below.

P.S. - did I mention I really hate exclusive deals?