Fourth Anniversary Bear

World of Warcraft launched on November 23rd, 2004. I know that because when I logged in this morning I had an in-game mail from Blizzard letting me know that today was their fourth anniversary — and giving me a really cute baby polar bear. Err … Baby Blizzard Bear, that is. I also earned the Feat of Strength achievement [WoW's 4th Anniversary].

The text of the achievement is “Logged in during WoW’s 4th Anniversary”, so if you want the achievement on a particular character you should probably log them in today. (Keep in mind that there are no achievement points associated with Feats of Strength, however.)

The Baby Blizzard Bear, on the other hand, is bound to account — so it isn’t used up when you learn it and you can pass it to other characters on the same account and realm/faction, even characters you haven’t created yet.

What I don’t know is whether the bear was mailed out to all active accounts today (which would imply that you can log in later this week to get it out of the mailbox) or whether it is mailed to you when you login (in which case you’d better login today to trigger the mail). To be on the safe side, I’d recommend logging in at least one character on each realm/faction today — as well as any characters who want the achievement.

Enjoy the bear! And happy 4th anniversary to World of Warcraft!

28 Comments

  1. Seraphima - November 23rd, 2008 @ 4:55 am UTC

    First!

    It’s mailed to you when you log in…just logged on all my chars to get one, seeing as it’s so adorable <:

  2. Palladiamors - November 23rd, 2008 @ 5:57 am UTC

    Amusingly enough, it also mails it to you when you zone. I wiped in an instance, and upon being a ghosty in the graveyard, got both achievement and bear.

  3. Makoes - November 23rd, 2008 @ 6:48 am UTC

    Luckly some of my guildies stay up to date with info like this, and they told us the login/check mail trick, so it was pretty easy…took me around 5 min to get on my toons…though some of my toons are currently on a locked realm…Blizz needs to add some more Oceanic realms, the current ones are all locked…

  4. Deidare - November 23rd, 2008 @ 9:38 am UTC

    Hmm this is quite the lovly surpise on blizzards half it makes me feel better that i didnt buy a collecters additoin (haha). Feel sorry for anyone who wont log on today (like my friends haha).

  5. Rahthiel - November 23rd, 2008 @ 9:49 am UTC

    I got one on every char I have, including bank alts and chars I made but haven’t played. This way I have bears to spare when I make new chars in the future.

  6. Zildaya - November 23rd, 2008 @ 11:24 am UTC

    It is cute. My food bill is going up again. Two whelps, a bear now, plus my Worm!

    Oh, and, my first post! Long time reader, first time poster. :-)

  7. Naztheros - November 23rd, 2008 @ 12:35 pm UTC

    @Zildaya
    Try having 45 pets, 53 mounts, and a full stable to feed. ;P
    The bear is super cute, imo.

  8. Rikaku - November 23rd, 2008 @ 1:03 pm UTC

    @Naztheros
    Try having 54 mini-pets, 56 mounts, and a full stable ;)

    I love this little bear pet. I’ve wanted one for so long. It goes great with my big Blizzard Bear mount <3

  9. hyena84 - November 23rd, 2008 @ 2:17 pm UTC

    mmmbears.it matchs some of my hunter pets.just need some matching mounts…

  10. The Wild One - November 23rd, 2008 @ 2:23 pm UTC

    52 mounts and 62 mini-pets, a full stable, and an itch for Loque’nahak. ;)

  11. Palladiamors - November 23rd, 2008 @ 2:48 pm UTC

    Welcome to the fray, Zildaya!

  12. Tashi - November 23rd, 2008 @ 4:31 pm UTC

    I made a new tauren hunter which I will level to ten sometime tomorrow. She’s an albino cow, has a baby polar bear, and will soon make the trek to get Mangeclaw. This little mini-pet inspired me today! :P
    I had been wanting to make a tauren hunter for some time now anyway, just never got around to it with all the WotLK stuff going on.
    Actually, at first, I thought only one character per account could get this, so I was pulling my hair out over who to send it to. Now all of my toons on all my realms has one! Yay and TYVVVVVM Blizzard!
    This has made my day! :)

  13. Gelannerai - November 23rd, 2008 @ 5:11 pm UTC

    I do wonder if a bunch of hunters will promptly go tame Mangeclaw because of this little guy.

  14. Dobblesworth - November 23rd, 2008 @ 5:43 pm UTC

    I wish this was worth forking over £10 to re-activate my currently frozen account half-way during my university semester, but I guess I’m content with the more ‘achievement’ feats of strength and vanity pets than simply “log on and get rewarded on an arbitrary date”. But happy birthday to them I suppose.

  15. sybok - November 23rd, 2008 @ 7:24 pm UTC

    I too am contemplating reactivating my account just for this bear. its got quite the price tag for something I wont really own. 14.00$ Don’T forget the only thing you own is the CD and the box that came with it, everything else blizzard owns.
    I had to stop playing for University too. Why celebrate 4 years and not 5 years. 5 would be the standard year to commemorate, one would think.

  16. sybok - November 23rd, 2008 @ 7:34 pm UTC

    Screw it! Its only money, I cant take it with me when I’m dead. At Least I will get some happiness having a fuzzy cute polar bear by my side.

    Polar Bear. Cost 14.00$
    Exploring Northrend with your new best friend. Priceless.

    Teddy bears get all the chicks.

  17. Selesti - November 23rd, 2008 @ 10:25 pm UTC

    I LOVE this little bear! He even sits for an idle animation. But…HOW THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS GETTING ALL THESE MINI PETS! I’m 7 pets away from getting my skunk! And does anyone know if the little shark mini pet made it into live? I know there were rumors…

  18. Sigrdrífa - November 24th, 2008 @ 12:08 am UTC

    this is a really nice surprize this morning. I couldnt wait till my granddaughter woke up so she could see for herself. :)

  19. Maree - November 24th, 2008 @ 1:21 am UTC

    @Selesti;
    Unfortunately, it didn’t.

  20. Lure - November 24th, 2008 @ 3:23 am UTC

    I’d been whining at my bf through days of questing in Dragonblight; “why oh why can I not get a bear cub?”

    Needless to say, he thinks blizz spoils me ::P

  21. MelRedcap - November 24th, 2008 @ 3:45 am UTC

    I love my baby bears (all, um, eighty-something of them… altaholism is me!), but is it evil that the first thing I thought of was “Ooh, I bet anyone who ground kills or paid a lot of money to get their 50th minipet yesterday is pissed!”?

    :D

  22. Kristy - November 24th, 2008 @ 12:48 pm UTC

    I love the Baby Polar Bear! So cute. It just sits and lets you go away for it awhile before following. lol

  23. Ujarak - November 24th, 2008 @ 1:44 pm UTC

    Imagine my surprise to discover I shared a birthday with WoW. And even got a gift for my, er, OUR birthday! Thanks Blizz!

  24. blake curry - November 24th, 2008 @ 5:14 pm UTC

    its sssssssssssssssssooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!!! i,m as gitty as a school girl which deeply desterbing cuz im a 6″4 and a half 15 year old guy O.O when i say that ppl call me gay but ya know what! he is cute and im not gay

  25. Lamis - November 24th, 2008 @ 6:49 pm UTC

    Lol, I’m just happy with my albino drake! I love that mount so much! :D Have a full stable as well X.x The baby polar bear is adorable! but I can’t get it because my account died a few days before they released this ._.

  26. Zwingli - November 25th, 2008 @ 2:15 pm UTC

    I like it a lot. But, doesn’t it look like the polar bear cub from the coke commercials?

    Z

  27. Kaynein - November 25th, 2008 @ 9:40 pm UTC

    So, my boyfriend had mentioned this cute baby bear, and while my computer had been on the fritz, he decided to get the pet for me. Can’t wait to finally finish patching so I can enjoy it.

  28. featherkitty - November 26th, 2008 @ 7:02 pm UTC

    HEs soooo cuteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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