With the advent of Dragon Riding (DR) and the knowledge that DR is coming to legacy content, I can’t help but wonder: where will ground only mounts fit into the future of WoW?
Previously, we either only had ground mounts (Vanilla), or we had to use ground mounts until we unlocked flying (the Pathfinder system).
Now, please note, I am NOT saying we should go back to Pathfinder. DR has proven to be very fun and engaging, and going backward would be a HUGE mistake. However, with DR being available pretty much at the outset of future expansions, what is justifying the existence of ground mounts at all? Older flying mounts have already been confirmed to be getting DR (not all at once, but over time, more and more will get the upgrade). Ground mounts are going to be forgotten and left behind.
I mean sure, they could still be useful within “outdoor” instances, but even then, The Nokhud Offensive was 100% outdoors, and they just let you use DR.
Outside of Ground Mount racing, I don’t see them ever again finding use, even in legacy content once DR is introduced there too.
But as we have seen it took till DF to actually institute a basic dynamic flying system.
I would have loved a “best of both worlds” approach…ground mounts with unlimited stamina, with a more restricted flying ability over short distances…especially with PvP (instead of using grounding items) to ensure fairness.
They could still do this…I feel DF is now TOO easy and literally I never run out of stamina now, and can fly indefinately if needed.
As for PvP, who cares? 0.001% of the player base even sincerely engages in WoW PvP content. I’m concerned with what affects 99.999% of the player base.
Well you’re asking what’s the fate of ground mounts like something is going to change. We’re in Dragonflight with dragon riding and we still use ground mounts so what’s the problem ?
Ground mounts served their purpose after TBC. Nothing has changed that fact after DF. All blizz has done is altered flying mounts. There will still be as much of a reason to use ground mounts after DF as there was before.
News flash: A lot of you are assuming there won’t be no-flying zones in the future. This is a delusion. There is no evidence to support this faulty assumption.
Blizz has proven only one thing over time, and that is they will create whatever content they deem appropriate for the narrative and world building they are aiming for. Thoughts of whether the players will be able to fly or not do not enter into that equation. This is empirical fact. Deal with it and select your favourite ground mounts you will inevitably be forced to use in the future.
I have made this suggestion time and time again, and will continue doing so: Just let every mount fly.
This is a world of both magical and technological marvels, and there are already plenty of mounts that can fly with no visible means of flying. What harm is there in letting other mounts fly, even if they just use run animations in the air? Add some sparkles or whatever to their feet and there’s your reason for it to fly. Furthermore, different mounts could have different visual effects on their feet for added variety.
And of course, with the advent of dragonriding… just let every mount dragonride too. Yes, all of them. I wish to see hippos soar through the sky.
You are incorrect here. Not a single zone in DF was flight locked. Not one. You can fly in every single zone. Blizzard themselves confirmed that DR is here to stay. Considering those two points, it is not only a safe bet, but a probable bet that DR will be a staple in every zone going forward. If, and that’s is a huge if, they were to make a flight-locked zone, players would HATE it. Going from the immense convenience of DR to plotting around in the ground would be a nearly intolerable experience. Heck, just going back to do legacy content and using regular flying is grueling. It feels so, SO slow. It’s painful.
Also irrelevant. None of that means there won’t be a zone with no flying in the future.
I wouldn’t take that bet if I were you. The only thing blizz has proven is that they do what they feel is appropriate for their world building. Your desire for flying is irrelevant to that fact.
If Blizz slaved themselves to the playerbase as much as you think they do, then mechagnomes and Dracthyr and flight vigor wouldn’t exist.
FYI, there are advantages to no-flying.
No-flying forces you to actually engage in gameplay mechanics more often than not. Sometimes this is actually a good thing (shocker, I know). Flying does not always equal a better game. In fact, sometimes it makes it worse imo. The necrolord covenant proved that. No-flying also makes the world feel more alive with players rather than everything being empty 100% of the time. I played DF from launch and didn’t encounter a single other player the entire campaign ouiade of the main city. Obviously sharding was also an issue here, but I suspect not even sharding could take 100% of the blame. Not to mention the state of world PvP. The list goes on.
If Blizz releases a narrative where flying wouldn’t make sense in a zone, they will disable flying in it. It may not happen in the next expac even. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
Maybe you would hate it but Korthia and Argus weren’t that bad in my opinion, and there are benefits to not having flight in some areas
WoD had its highest subscription numbers at the start when there was no flying, so clearly people found a way to enjoy it anyway. In fact all of the past few expansions most likely peaked before flying was allowed
While I haven’t heard anyone say it, I think ground mounts have some longevity. Low levels can’t fly immediately, and I don’t believe DR will be introduced for them. At least this hasn’t been answered definitively yet. Now level 1 new characters? Level 10? Who gets to DR first?
There will probably be some zones and small areas that require a ground mount. I don’t think they’re going to open the Maw, for example, or Argus, to flying. I believe those will return.
They are retrofitting “3 digits” of mounts with new DR animations and capabilities, so you don’t lose some of your favorites.
So far, I’ve been impressed with all Blizzard’s decision making. People seem to come to all the worst conclusions if they are left alone to simmer without being told the answer directly. But forums are forums.
Point one is very relevant. It’s relevant because historically, since the introduction of Pathfinder, the final or final two zones in an expac are flight-locked. Emerald Dream not being flight-locked is not insignificant, and is a sign of things to come. Now that Blizzard has successfully experimented with an end of expac zone with DR, they have no reason to abandon the concept, and every reason not to.
Point two is relevant because the entire conversation is about both the immediate and long term effects of DR on ground mounts’ relevance, in case your pathetic reading comprehension missed that for some reason.
Apparently, you haven’t been following Blizzard news recently. In multiple interviews during and shortly after BlizzCon, Blizz leadership admitted (in their corporatist, round about way) that they have been wrong in many aspect of their design philosophy, that players have been right on many issues, and that they are course correcting. Presenting a product that is tailored to your audience is not being “slaved” to them, as you assert.
The rest of you post is the same ol’ “sOcIaL aSpEcT iMpOrTaNt” argument, that has repeatedly been proven to be utter rubbish. As for engaging in gameplay mechanics, your argument is ridiculous. How many times do you think I had to land to complete a quest in DF? It was 100% of the time. I had to get off my mount every. single. time. I had to kill a mob or gather some odds and ends. It affected my engagement with WoW’s gameplay mechanics a whopping zilch.
Just give everything the same treatment as “Gleaming Moonbeast”
The idle flight animation is the swimming animation and then it just runs in the air. Say it’s a blessing from the aspects or whatever, doesn’t really matter.