Why aren't there mount adoption sets for one type of mount?

[Chyro.1462]

Like the idea of getting a random mount skin for 400 gems is neat - what isn't is that the adoption sets always cover a wide range of mounts.

The chance of getting a skin for a mount you don't even have unlocked or aren't using kinda ruins the appeal of gifting this to my new player friend.

Wouldn't it be nice if there were adoption licenses that give you a random mount skin of one type of mount? Like a random raptor license, or random springer license. Could even be a compromise and pricing it a bit above 400 gems - like 600 or even 800. But the price dif from 400 random to 1200 selec is such a leap, and the 400 option has such a huge chance of screwing someone over.

[Lanfear De Noir.9127]

I bought an adoption license... I was very disappointed when I adopted a griffon.  I don't have griffon's unlocked.

I was VERY DISSAPOINTED. 

I like your idea.

[Danikat.8537]

Yes it would be nice, I think that's why it didn't happen. The random mount adoption licences are loot boxes. They're loot boxes with only 1 specific type of drop (and the guarantee that you won't get a useless duplicate) but otherwise the same as any others and like all loot boxes they rely on buyers not getting what they want on the first try to increase sales.

I think even the system we have now is a compromise. The first random licence they came out with was the one just called Mount Adoption Licence (all the rest have a name like 'Istani Isles' or 'Curious Creatures') which had no select licence for a very long time. I think the original plan was to just keep adding skins to it, like they do with the Guaranteed Wardrobe Unlock, or maybe cycle them every so often.

That got a lot of backlash from players (before then there had just been a few festival themed packs so it seemed like this would be the main way of getting mount skins) and Anet ended up posting a statement promising they wouldn't add any more skins to it (so the odds of getting one you wanted wouldn't go down if you weren't quick enough) and future licences would have a way to choose a specific skin instead of gamble for it. The one part they didn't address was getting skins for mounts you don't have, I think they got away with that because at the time there were only the 5 PoF mounts so everyone could unlock them. It was like getting a weapon or armour skin you couldn't use - you do have the option to make another character. That doesn't quite work now there's mounts which require extra purchases to unlock, but I think by then the system was settled.