Bornakk - the latest addition to the World of Warcraft Community team - responded to a thread today regarding flying mounts and a player's request to allow their use in Northrend starting at level 70.
Bornakk wrote:
From a design standpoint, we don’t want people to just fly over continent and skip things when they are leveling up. Instead we want people to explore and experience the environment around them when they first reach the shores of Northrend. You will walk (or ride) from one quest to another as the zones unfold before you instead of just flying over it without batting an eye.
At some point though you will definitely be able to fly in Northrend. We are currently thinking around level 78, but haven’t made a final call on this yet.
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So it looks like right now players can expect to be able to use their flying mount starting at level 78, but this is of course still in the decision process, so it could be higher or lower once the expansion launches. Thoughts?
Comments
First of all, 5000g isn't that hard to get. I hate people that are complaining just because of that. I got almost all the gold I needed just by questing after 70.
Second, I think this is a great way for them to introduce the zone. It gives the feel of being back in the midst of it all, rather than being able to just fly away from whatever's going on. I do think, though, that those that have the epic flier should get access to a faster ground mount. It will be very frustrating going back to such slow movement methods. Probably not as fast as the flier, because that would have issues with navigation and such (since it's not a max speed, it's the only speed), but like +175% or something.
I think Blizz learned alot of lessons from BC and this expansion will be alot better.
I'd say give freedom to the people, to the customers who payed for this game and still are paying for it. Those who wanna rush through, if that's their thing fine, others who wanna sit down and count the daisies, even better......myself i'ld like to keep use of a 5000G worth mount I spend months grinding for or a Netherdrake even longer, I'd really hate to not be able to use them anymore.....
Im totally in support of banning flight. The detail and brilliance of the zones they create should be explored and seen on foot - as was originally intended. Flying through it all /yelling 'LOL DEFFNIGHTZ!!!??' is not the way it should be seen.
well the azeroth excuse basically boils down to they designed the original azeroth to zone from one area to another from particular places. hence why you can't cross teh mountains in some places even though its possible to climb them cuase there is the invisible wall of the end of the area. or why in stormwind you can climb up the seam of one wall and clip under stormwind to go to the portal side of the gate in the canals. its just not designed to transfer your toon between the zones at every point along the borders.
that won't be the case in outland as it will be build from the ground up with being able to do that in mind.
however i don't find the flying mounts become unusable again until 78 a bad idea necessarily. it allows them to use terrain to dictate quests and such. i mean its more difficult when your objective lies at the end of a canyon full of mobs then if you can just fly over and land behind them all.
i would however like to see limited flying before 78. in essence it would be due to the cold and high winds (and maybe magical influences too) our current mounts find staying airborne for extended periods difficult. then blizz could toss a fatigue meter on when we lift off the ground before we hit 78 and obtain the spell/item/doodad that allows them to move effortlessly again. then we would be able to leapfrog a little but stay in the air too long and your mount tires causing you to dismount and fall back to the ground. thus we can't skip large stretches of new areas but can take short flights over areas we no longer need while trying to get to new areas or run a quest back.
oh and druids flight form would fatigue as well
Okay, first off, they aren't using the "Azeroth Excuse" for their level requirement, that would be if they had said that there was no mount at all.
They're using the "There's no feasible way to deter you from using a flying mount to skip all the incredible content they've been working on without making you hate the game, such as flak cannons or dragons, which would still bother you when you're 80" excuse.
And as far as the "Azeroth Excuse" is concerned, I can't say I am really that happy that they don't allow mounts there. At all really, but still, I would MUCH rather have incredible new content with all Blizzard's effort being poured into it then to fly around in Azeroth, when I'm really not doing anything there anyways.
This is really a declaration of failure on the part of Blizzard. They are not able to design proper zones, despite they fact they have known for more than a year that most players would have a flying mount when they enter the expansion.
Its just an excuse on their part. People who like to explore will do that, and people who don't like to explore won't. Flying mounts have nothing to do that.
And the excuse that it makes leveling faster is equally wrong. People say that "oh you'd just fly in and kill your target and fly out" they totally overlook that 99% of the quests ARE NOT LIKE THAT. You have to get drops from mobs, you have to kill many different types, you have to run around picking up items on the ground - haven't people played the game? Not to mention I can routinely run past mobs on my Elite ground mount, if they get dragged along for a bit, no big deal - I can outrun them, I don't need a flying mount for that BUT I spent a lot of time getting one - it was one of the big selling points of the expansion - The reason why I personally would feel this to be a slap in the face is because this was never advertised as just an end-game toy... and if that was the intent, it wasn't obvious enough. Again, epic ground mounts are only available at level 60. That would suggest that they are an "end game toy" but they aren't, they're a game feature for which players spend time and effort to attain.
There is no gameplay need for this, gameplay can be designed so that flying mounts give no other advantage than good views and easier farming, if designers only wanted to recode some things. They are taking easy way out and some of you actually think it's intelligent solution?! :/
People will skip if they can. Maybe you're the type who wouldn't, but I do know many who would.
As for the other ideas, its easier to just put a restriction on what level you can use a flying mount in those levels, it's the best idea.
You'd think that they could be a little more intelligent with their design and make it so that people either wouldn't want to "skip over" content...or that content would be very tedious to "skip over"...think something like zone factions with anti-air flak cannons or similar. Much like the Dragons in Blades Edge can knock you out of the air...why not have similar air-aggressive mobs only...There HAS to be a better solution than the Azeroth excuse.
yup gj imo. i just hope those `beautiful landscapes` you mentioned will actually be so beautiful:) i don`t see any notes on improving the engine or some new decent shaders at least except the Ice/Snow shader...
/applaud blzzard, this is a good idea, whats the point in making all these awesome landscapes if people are just goin to fly over it and not appreciate it
maybe ur tawny windriders and swift purple griffons and stuff will still be outland only, but a new flying mount that you can get cheap (maybe a frost chimera or something) and dont have to pay for training
Level 78 makes sense. Makes sense, and it's an agreeable place to be able to fly from. Kudos, Blizzard. :)
It's not like your losing the ability to use the flying mounts forever... I see the reasoning Blizzard has behind their decision.
The longer it takes for everyone to get to end game content the better. I'd hate to spend a hole week playing the New Xpac. Only to reach the end and go. Oh theres so much more i could do if only I raided everynight or Joined a guild who can do things.
Dude, you will use it in the end, you earned it... I am just glad there isn't another skill to pay 5000g on once you ding level cap. =D