I left the game during Cataclysm. I don’t understand all of the game’s current mechanics, but nothing is as confusing to me as Pathfinder. But I’ve come to terms with it even if I probably won’t have it for a long time.
My idea for how to implement Pathfinder 1 and 2 going forward is simple. Hopefully to make it more approachable to people that have the daunting task of running content that very few people are interested in anymore.
Part 1 Unlocks slow flying: Current content related. You have to run the content specifc to the current content in whatever way is appropriate. Slow flying (60%) can make flying meaningful, but ground mounts can still be better in some situations.
- Reputation
- Quest Achievements
- Dungeon Achievements
Part 2 Unlocks fast flying: Gold related. To get gold, you have to run content. Basically anything will get you some gold, but the amount will depend on what you do and how lucky RNG likes you for some things.
This makes gold something anyone can do if they have the time. Raid achievements are almost impossible to do at level once the main playerbase moves on. Put the amount in at 100,000 gold or so.
Part 2 can be added as fast as Blizz can implement vendors.
My thinking regarding this is that gold is a universal currency. It may take a long time for most to accumulate a large sum of gold, but it is possible doing any content (even grinding mobs). But having to clear out current story content is important too, so that’s why it should be first before the gold sink is added in.
So that’s my idea. Please discuss it as you wish.
2 Likes
We already have an easy pathfinder that’s doesn’t make me spend my gold. I’d prefer to keep what we already have.
8 Likes
Gold isn’t useful for anything that I can see. Bearing in mind that this comes from a fresh ‘returnee’… What do you use gold for besides repairs?
Pathfinder would be fine if part 1 unlocked first zones and part 2 unlocked the next zones. Doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.
3 Likes
So far as I can see, the simplest thing to do is make gold. I’ve only been back a few days, and I’m in the tenthousand range. It seems meaningless though. lol
What does gold have to do with pathfinder?
Also I’m not promoting it but just take a look in trade or the group finder and people are selling M +10-20 and heroic raid runs. People wouldn’t be selling them if others weren’t buying them.
I don’t understand that kind of economy. I do, but I don’t. lol
I’d rather just pay gold like it used to be. There was no pathfinder, we just had to grind our little hearts out.
That said, I like the idea of encouraging people into the story first. But some of the ‘mid tier’ is not easy to group for. Part of my fun is from talking to people and socializing… and I don’t feel comfortable having mercenaries in my group. To me that is off-putting.
1 Like
Wowtoken and blizzard balance, to buy expansions and other games
And, if they come back with fly by gold, it would be much more expensive than pandaria, at least 250k per character
That would be fine. Especially if it were for Part 2, and not 1. You could still preserve the intent of Pathfinder. Which seems to be encouraging some challenge early in the new content.
My PF idea.
Leave it in the game, many seem to enjoy the ‘once for all’ thing.
It wasnt that PF was a bad concept, its just that it was ONLY born because blizzard was trying to destroy yet one more enjoyable part of this game…flight.
Had PF been created to COMPLIMENT the game…an entirely foreign concept to this team of devs, apparently…added as a ‘once for all’ for flight for those who might prefer alongside the existing method of max level and gold PER character, I doubt that anyone anywhere would have had a valid complaint to lodge against it, or against blizzard.
As far as PF, I fully expect it to continue to annoy players who will do the grind for it until there arent enough willing to do it to matter until they can finally remove flight entirely.
Then the PF fans can thank themselves for helping blizzards agenda of removing it like they wanted to do in WoD.
True. I think flight was implemented perfectly for Burning Crusade. It seems that from Wrath onward they’ve been wrestling with it from a design point of view. I’m not really sure why they’re so reluctant to embrace flying. The content is completed by the hardcore crowd rather fast regardless of flying.
I guess I’m just remembering the time when the content opened at a pace set by the players’ ability to get through content. Casuals didn’t care (and likely weren’t aware of) what hardcore players were doing, and hardcore players didn’t care what the casuals were doing.
1 Like
I really feel the reputation requirements should be removed. Rep has NOTHING to do with flying. Just completing the zone stories should be enough. Also, no dungeons or raids tyvm.
Yes patchfinder is confusing to returning players. It is sloppy and bad game design which has no consistency to it. Worse, it is now going to span over four separate patchfinders with the level squish in shadowlands. Really puts a dark stain on the game if you think about it for new or returning players. Sad.
2 Likes
Maybe for older content, allow a gold sink?
True. I was just going to roll with it, but I agree with you.
1 Like
My most memorable death in this game was a hunter dropping me off my mount a couple hundred feet in the air. See, Im STILL talking about it a year and a half later.
I ducked and bobbed and weaved for a few minutes, then finally tried to bee line away from him. That was my mistake. He musta ditched his mount, fired Murder of Crows, then goblin glidered to safety…the jerk 
My character was only 100 so it was an easy ganking for him.
But I got a kick out of it anyway.
Instead of embracing flight like they COULD, assuming they had the talent to do so, this game could easily be the king of the MMO mountain for another decade and a half.
KISS and RUSH were two of my favorite bands growing up.
I loved them both , and still do love their older music.
At a point both got lazy. KISS last really good album was Lick it Up.
For Rush it was Signals.
It was like they felt like they were big enough and didnt need to really put as much work into the music itself anymore.
I never bought another album from either after those ones.
Blizzard has gotten lazy. Its that simple. Like those bands they figure they can just sail on former glory and the fans wont care enough to stop being interested.
KISS and RUSH were both a forced to be reckoned with thru the 70s and early 80s.
After they got lazy i couldnt have cared less about either.
Looks like Blizzard had decided to take a page from the bands playbook and see if they can hold out just well enough to keep making some $$$ without putting in the hard work they used to.
Pathfinder has been a huge source of contention since its inception in WoD.
It’s unpopular with the majority of players.
1 Like
Appreciate the band references. Those were some great albums. I have memories of my aunt playing kiss songs (had posters and black light too) while I was a little guy.
1 Like
I think you’ve mi$$ed the fundamental rea$on for pathfinder. It i$ to $low leveling, force a grind, and keep you playing longer. The current model work$ perfectly to achieve Blizzard’$ goal$.
2 Likes
I $ee what you did there. 
3 Likes