So just to set the record straight, I did complete pathfinder in WOD/Legion (albeit begrudgingly).
However, I think I have finally reached a point where I just don’t care for doing it this time round. As a person who primarily PVPs (or occasionally does raids), I generally do not care for Rep Grinds. Especially due to how everything is time-gated (can take a couple weeks of serious every-day dedication).
I know some people enjoy this content a lot more than others, so I won’t speak for everyone … But wouldn’t it be better if they made some sort of questline that you could pound out in an afternoon?
Pathfinder is just so damn tedious in it’s current incarnation and feels like a huge chore. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, since they seem to be targeting their content with MAUs in mind , rather than general enjoyability.
I guess I just miss the days where I could get to max level, and purchase my flight license with gold and then play the game how I want to play it. Instead of being told I need to participate in a chore-list of tedious Non-PVP Content, for the next couple weeks – in order to unlock a core feature of the game like flying.
If we can Level-UP our toons doing battlegrounds/PVP, how come we can’t unlock flight this way also?
I guess I’m just feeling the effects of being disinterested in WoW more than usual (although I’ve always been critical of Pathfinder even when I was interested in this game) … The last thing I want to do is have to set a schedule of logging in and doing World Quests on a rotating daily schedule to get optimal rep gains. That just sounds boring AF to me.
As it stands I might login once or twice a week and do some Rated BGs/World pvp for a little bit, and then get off. Most of the content in BFA just doesn’t hold my interest.
Tl;dr version:
Offer 3 ways to unlock flying:
- PVE Pathfinder (existing implementation) - unlocks flying on whole acct
- PVP Pathfinder (new implementation) - unlocks flying on whole acct
- Gold Unlock, appropriate amt of gold - unlocks flying per character
It would cause a lot less frustration for people who do not participate in world quests / rep grinds as their normal WOW Activities.
42 Likes
I don’t mind pathfinder but it does need some tweaking so it can accommodate players of different interests.
11 Likes
Like, I wouldn’t mind if Pathfinder involved some sort of interesting or thought-provoking process on achieving.
But as it stands they just piggy-back it off existing achievements which usually consist of boring rep grinds that a good portion of the playerbase hates.
Why can’t we just enjoy the game?
19 Likes
I think pathfinder part one is. Part two is just overkill.
33 Likes
Well, I mean, it’s better than having no access to flying in new zones at all, but not much better. I’d rather have more than one way to go about unlocking flying, but more important than that, I’d rather have a way to unlock it earlier; ideally something that one could start as soon as reaching max level and unlock completely by the first patch a few months after xpac release.
But, yeah, just as I appreciate having a method of gearing other than through dungeons and raids and pvp, I think there should be multiple ways to unlock flying since not all folks level via questing or do world quests at max level.
6 Likes
Also, if their main concern is that we get to experience the game environment from the ground – we usually achieve this leveling from 110-120. After hitting max level why can’t we just unlock flying at that point?
Maybe just require a short questline that unlocks after reaching 120. I don’t know.
It’s like they’re trying to intentionally make it a long & convoluted process just to keep us busy (maximize MAUs) – I think they should instead try and keep an active playerbase by giving us fun content.
16 Likes
You could do nothing but average 4 WQs a day, so about a 15 minute time commitment per day (or 45 mins every 3 days) and easily get the rep needed for flight.
3 Likes
I used to hate Pathfinder. Now I probably wouldn’t be too upset if they removed flying completely. I’m a Mage who can teleport, have a Flight Whistle, and a hearthstone on 9 minute CD.
And Spud.
I like flying, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not like, the entire game for me. The new zones are easy to navigate and the only thing flying really does is save a little time in some situations.
2 Likes
No because instead of playing the game how I want to you are forced into an extremely horrible rep grind that is not even remotely fun. I have almost zero to little interest in doing Pathfinder even knowing what it will probably unlock in 8.2
The entire concept is extremely hypocritical if you think they are trying to force you to run around. If that were the case why even have flight points? Just get rid of those also to force us to walk everywhere.
If you ask me Pathfinder is designed to increase /played time so that Blizzard can report to Activision that everything is going great with WoW.
14 Likes
Pathfinder, equal parts: Pride, hubris, and spite.
29 Likes
Each and every single expansion now since WoD. It was never an issue until they made it an issue, and now they use it to create content around, because they know you wouldn’t do the grinds on your own anyway without a rotten carrot on a stick.
I’m currently burned-out and have already unsubbed. I might come back later, I might not, only time will tell. All I know is, I’m sick of how the game currently is at the moment. I feel like a payer instead of a player. The magic I once experienced from this game has gone (slowly) away, and now there’s an empty shell full of timegates, rep grinds, scaling, and an artificial currency grind that not only makes no sense, but will be made redundant next expansion. I don’t play this game because a gnome discovered something I now need to grind for each and every week in order to fully take advantage of a better piece of gear, and the goal post will be moved next week anyway.
When I realized I was logging in maybe twice a week, I knew it was time for me to unsub. The way the game currently is, it’s just too frustrating and not interesting enough for me to stick around. I’ve played since BC, and will never forget the time I nearly soiled my pants escaping from ICC with the Lich King following us, casting ice walls blocking our path. Those were the best times for me personally, when the players gave WoW free advertising because the game was epic, and we had 12 million subs. I’ll never forget it, and it makes my heart ache with how much it’s changed since then, to where they’re having players fill out surveys concerning microtransactions and we all have phones now.
Thanks for the memories Blizzard. I wish you could reverse the direction you’ve taken us, but I’m just 1 mere player among those who are left so my voice and opinion means nothing. Thanks for all the fish.
30 Likes
I think slowing down the rapid pace players want to consume content in the beginning of an expansion is a good thing because of how long the development process takes. Once we’ve got 3 patches out is a good time to remove the restrictions and let people go HAM. Obvsiously an unpopular opinion but I’ll stand by it.
1 Like
We don’t know what Pathfinder 2 will entail yet though, but usually it means a fairly dedicated commitment for a couple weeks after that part is available.
Yes I could slowly unlock pathfinder 1, but I hate doing rep grinds/world quests so I would rather not.
I accept that this decision means that I won’t fly, and I’m OK with that. I just wanted to express my disappointment with the Pathfinder system.
For a feature that has been out since TBC, and is old news – I think it’s gated behind way too convoluted of a process for something we need to do every expansion.
10 Likes
I don’t mind Pathfinder to unlock flying in a current expansion. I totally believe if someone puts more time into the game than I do, they deserve an advantage, and I think pathfinder gives that by letting you fly on alts when leveling. However having it required for old expansions is one of the worst decisions I’ve seen.
That being said, I have never done the pathfinder achievements, and to be honest I probably never will. I have done rep grinds in past expansions because I enjoyed their story, or really wanted some cool mount. I get no satisfaction completing rep grinds now. It used to feel like an achievement getting an exalted reputation, now it just feels like a chore I can cross off from a long list.
5 Likes
I appreciate needing only to do pathfinder once, but I prefer the one part.
4 Likes
Sure – we can debate all day how soon we should be able to fly – not really my intention.
I’m more trying to point out that the Pathfinder process is flawed (regardless of when it is made available for us to be completed).
Why does it need to be so convoluted and punishing for players who don’t enjoy rep grinds? Why aren’t their multiple ways to unlock flying?
The game should be fun to play, it shouldn’t feel like a chore.
Instead of piggy-backing pathfinder off existing Achievements, why don’t they devise something UNIQUE (a questline?) that actually feels fun to unlock flying?
Oh god, don’t get me started on that even. Lol. No idea why it’s required still for old expansions. Occasionally I’ll see some poor sap ask why they need to do all this tedious crap on Draenor to fly, and everyone will jump on him calling him a noob and he should L2P “Pathfinder is fine”.
9 Likes
Part 1 is fine, but waiting almost a year for part 2 is just plain stupid.
25 Likes
I did not grind any reps this expansion or last. All I do is the emissaries when they’re available and I got exalted with all factions before 8.2, which is when flight will be unlocked. It’s only punishing if you think you need to actually grind out rep instead of doing 4 WQs a day.
3 Likes
it’s ok for current players doing the pathfinder requirements when content is relevant, but going back to wod and legion to do them is absurd.
5 Likes