Honestly in retrospect of WOD (yeas, I know worst expac, but hear me out on this) and the BFA area Mechagon, Flying or rather the lack of could have been explained into the story of the zone and unlocked as you progressed through it.
For example, Gorgrond in WOD the easy explanation is a stupid amount of Iron Horde AA batteries spread out among the area and over the course of the campaign there, you systematically destroy them. Spires of arak… literally lasers.
For a more modern example, Drustvar, blame the witches, and Nazmir, blood magics (also the bat loa would just swoop in and eat you.) And it doesn’t necessarily need to be an outright verbotten thing.
As we saw with mechagon having the aerial patroller going about worked well. It changed how we flew and made it a bit more risky.
Pathfinder part 1 should open flying for Zandalar and Kul Tiras. Pathfinder part 2 should unlock Nazjatar and Mechagon. I don’t mind Pathfinder part 1 at all because I’ll already have it mostly completed just in the process of reaching 120 and unlocking world quests, and the emissary chests keep earning rep through world quests not feel so godawful because I’m double dipping on rewards.
But Nazjatar is a zone I have to unlock later, and which is no longer relevant content. I don’t even know when Mechagon unlocks, I certainly haven’t gotten any cues from the game that I should go there, or even how. Grinding out those reps just isn’t worth it because I’d be grinding them solely to unlock flying in other zones and never go back to Naz/Mech.
I still enjoy the game enough to always and from the 1st day I started to play WoW many many years ago have never been unsubbed from the game. And for the past number of xpac I think since they gone digital down load purchase, I have always pre-order them. I have already not only paid for SL in the $79.99 edition but also for other copies for my other accounts and even gifted a friend a copy of one. Just to get everything out of the way, and to be ready on release day on my main to start leveling at midnight for none stop hours until she hits max level and is geared pretty much for when the 1st raid opens up.
If you didn’t have alts, anyway. Having to walk everywhere while leveling and then shell out another small fortune for every character was a massive PITA compared to earning an achievement once and then every new character you bring to the content can fly as soon as they arrive.
that would undermine his stance on no flight in the game I mean hes so opposed to flying that’s why they always have Blizz-con in California so Watcher can simply drive over to the center
Some one brought it up in another thread, hell maybe even here (I stopped reading.)
Paraphrasing here but they said if Blizz insists on keeping pathfinder then it needs to change. Pt. 1 should be unlockable from launch day. Allow people to work to it at their own pace, once achieved flight is now unlocked for all current zones.
When a new zone is introduced add a Pt. 2 and allow players to unlock at their own pace.
Repeat if needed.
I dislike pathfinder but I would be ok with a system that worked this way.
For a lot of players, Pathfinders is not that big of an issue in general, the wait time between part 1 and part 2 is however more of an issue. The argument being is why cant part 1 unlock be it even a month or two in the main original released zones of an xpac. And then when Blizzard chooses to release other zones later on like in a patch half way though then have a pt 2 just for that. And in saying that it would be a good idea for that. It would work just fine. Really a win for the players and for Blizzard that wants people to farm world quest at the start at a slower place and I suspect also gather resources slower. Which flying does speed both these up by a lot. There is logic to and behind drawing out how fast content can be farmed in game designed if the players like it or not. Blizzard is not the 1st or only company that designs things to slow the player down.
I have never been anti flying, but I am sure not anti Blizzard or anti game. I see pro’s and cons to each side of the coin. Fact that I know I am not in the drivers seat and just along for the ride. I choose to not let things interrupt the enjoyment I get from just playing the game on all my toons and raiding.
I think that is why I don’t have a huge melt down about pathfinder nor the silly little worms that fly around in the current daily zones we farm for our cloaks.
Vulpera is hands down the best race in the entire game.
Flying is for scrubs and scalpers.
Nothing personal but its just how I deal with stuff like this. I will be happy to add more zealous ideas to my head the more stupid crap they make us do.
If it can be purchased with gold a patch after most already have it, it seems a win win to me. The early adopters didn’t need to pay gold and earned it while playing. Later on, it becomes a catch up mechanic.
I have a whole long story about being a returning player after 9 years away and how WoD’s map design being intentionally punishing while also removing flying nearly made me cancel my sub the minute I found out I couldn’t buy flying and had to level a bunch of old reps and do stupid garrison table and shipyard missions to finish the quest chains needed.
That said, to me, Pathfinder is fine for current content for the most part. Locking it behind intentionally obnoxious zones like Nazjatar still feels like a cheap shot by the devs, but BfA was mostly great in map design being balanced and not tedious. Honestly, Legion was pretty good in that regard as well.
But, even as someone who has gone back and unlocked flying everywhere (because Altoholics benefit greatly from this) I have no problems with Blizzard lowering or even eliminating the requirements for it in previous expansions. WoD feels like it needs it most. Make it purchasable. WoD isn’t content most of the players want to go back and experience anyway. In Legion maybe get rid of the need to do Class Hall stuff if any of the quest chains required for Pathfinder have it in it. Also, lower the rep requirements.
I don’t mind. As a person that went back, put in all of the time and effort to unlock flying after a 9 year hiatus from WoW, I don’t begrudge anyone who gets an easier time than I did. In fact, I applaud it because I feel it is better for the health of the game and their getting it easier or virtually effort free does nothing to take away from the accomplishment I made in unlocking it.