Dragon/Skyriding has been a huge success but it has also highlighted the existing issue of the advantage that flying mounts have over ground mounts. During the couple of expansions with the Pathfinder achievement we saw ground mounts for a month or so before going away again.
I’ve always found this disappointed that ground mounts are always a disadvantage to use despite many of them having amazing models like Taivan or the recent Grizzly Hills Packmaster from the store. Another example being the Mythic+ seasonal mounts during Dragonflight were effectively useless since the expansion was focused on dragonriding.
I would like to see all ground mounts converted to flying mounts. There are many mounts that don’t have wings that are able to fly under explanation of magic like the Priestess’ Moonsaber or some of the horse mounts like the paladin or warlock class mounts. With this logic I’d like a way to fly on all ground mounts possibly via some sort of quest chain where in the end you unlock the ability to fly with all mounts account-wide like a magical sprinkle of arcane magic.
I understand this is probably a lot of animation work but I think it is worth it because many of the ground mounts don’t see any use. I’d love to use the cool giant hand mounts from Shadowlands or the infernal mounts but I always feel forced to use a mount with the ability to fly outside of the few dungeons/raids that let you ground mount.
This is a tricky situation. I also like certain ground mounts that I can’t use for flying, like the Reins of the Grand Ice Mammoth. I find it particularly useful for offering rides to other players, while also serving as a reminder of how hard it was to gather the required amount of gold to buy it back in the day.
There are a few alternatives the WoW team could explore for ground mounts in the future. In Guild Wars 2, for example, some ground mounts have higher jumps than others, while others have increased land speed.
Maybe mounts like the mammoth I mentioned could receive some sort of equipment that enables propulsion or unique features. However, this might upset some players who feel it would ruin the mount’s original design.
The point is that in GW2, only a few mounts have these unique characteristics, whereas in World of Warcraft, the team has decided to extend this functionality to a wider variety of mounts.
The game needs to retain more of the essence of what it was.
There isnt a time or a place where you cant choose to ride your ground mount. Except out of glthe need to be the most optimal with your time.
The I want it now homoginzation which is affecting any, and all systems of this game. That has been straining the blood out of the unique and challenging aspects of this game.
This is just another one.
The only part that I can agree with is wanting to be able to use anything you like visually, lorewise, Roleplay, to faciliate your desires in the game.
It however makes no sense for a kodo to flap its wings and challenge a condor to a race.
It doesnt fit, I think its in bad taste. There are well over 1,000 mounts in the game. I think players can find one or five that work for ground and flying mount favorites.
The problem is that exceptions have already been made, and the argument will always be that if mount X, which is a ground mount, can fly, then mount Y, which cannot fly, should also be able to fly.
I believe the focus doesn’t need to be on the literal interpretation of each mount. In a world full of magic, where dragons, demons, and other creatures fly without strict physical explanations, the idea of a ground mount gaining the ability to fly can be justified through magic or other in-game mechanics. After all, we already have examples of mounts that logically shouldn’t be able to fly.
Additionally, the issue is more about giving players the freedom to choose the mount they like without sacrificing efficiency. With so many mount options, it would be interesting to have the flexibility to use any mount in any situation without worrying about restrictions between flying and ground travel. Of course, respecting the lore and aesthetics is important, but there are ways to integrate these changes in a way that still makes sense within the game’s universe.
In my opinion, the World of Warcraft made two major mistakes related to flying mounts:
1-) Allowing flying in capital cities from the Cataclysm expansion onward. 2-) Greatly increasing flying speed after the Burning Crusade and Shadowlands expansions.
Players will always choose what’s most efficient in the game, even if it contradicts the original purpose of creating certain mounts for specific terrains.
The only MMORPG I’ve played where flying mounts had the same balance of impact and efficiency in the world compared to ground mounts was Perfect World during its early expansions.
In that game, flying was much slower than ground mounts because it made travel easier by removing many obstacles ground players faced. However, players had the option to use a speed boost on their mounts, which provided a temporary speed increase, giving players control over when to activate it. It’s similar to what we see with certain abilities or when aiming a mount downward with the skyriding system in Dragonflight and The War Within.
In Perfect World, the big “advantage” of using flying mounts was the ability to engage in PvP while mounted and airborne. The mounts were designed not just for flying and increasing speed but also to enable combat between players while flying across the game’s maps.
In World of Warcraft, although the community complained about the drastic reduction in flying speed on older maps with the new system, I think they got it right. The more movement speed you provide—whether with ground or flying mounts—the bigger the gap becomes in using different types of mounts on various terrains.
This is seen in recent forum posts and feedback from veteran players complaining about how flying affects the player experience.
This discussion about flying mounts reminds me of 2015, when the WoW team announced plans to limit flying in Warlords of Draenor and future expansions. In that same year, Final Fantasy XIV was rising from the ashes after its disastrous launch, releasing its first expansion (Heavensward), which allowed players to fly and was inspired by The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King.
Ion Hazzikostas Confirms No Flying in WoD or Future Xpacs - 2015
Alex Afrasiabi on World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor - 2014
Although Ion Hazzikostas and Alex Afrasiabi were correct in pointing out the impacts that flying had on the game, players had already experienced the freedom of flight and didn’t want to go back to using ground mounts. I think any changes related to flying need to be carefully planned to prevent more players from leaving for other games.
Edit:
Today, for many retail players (though not all), an expansion is only considered good if flying is unlocked from the start. This shows how the flying mount mechanic has become central to the gameplay experience for a significant part of the community.
