Yeah, and if we couldn’t fly at all in the lead up to Pathfinder, I’d understand the logic in that. But they’re literally giving us the (objectively) better one first, and making us work for the weaker one that some niche people prefer. XD
Like no one’s going to use normal flying who wouldn’t have preferred it from the start anyway. It’s just odd.
It’s a case where you unlock an extra optional convenience (which is what all forms of flying are). I don’t think this is any different than the current system where timing +10s give you a teleport to that dungeon. You do some content, and unlock an optional convenience.
I also think that the requirements are so low, that it’s really just people making a big fuss over nothing.
It’s 5 chapters in one campaign. Which is much shorter than dragonflight and not timegated.
Don’t quote me but I think they did something to flying speed on beta. It feels slower and inefficient. Beta is also laggy as hell, which is particularly impactful while flying.
I love everyone using disabled people as a crutch for flying but in the same breath would screech at addons and for them to be removed while not considering disabled people in this manner.
Well, it comes off a lot different if people complain that the devs need to support the “I willfully refuse to learn how to play the game” crowd.
Are you saying addons immediately equate to not learning how to play the game?
No, I’m saying a lot of the dislike for dragonriding is still from the “it’s new therefore it’s scary” crowd who never tried to learn how to use it.
Although, a lot of the hate for addons is just people parroting what some streamer says, who probably hasn’t played the game in a few expansions.
That makes more sense.
Dragonriding can be done with 1 hand. You really only need 2 buttons on your mouse.
Yes in certain cases it can be impossible to do (Blindness), of which nothing much can be done.
I do agree that regular flying should just be unlocked. But it personally doesn’t bother me to do it because I’m physically able to do it.
If the busy life is this much of an issue, I’m sure you avoid doing dungeons or raids, because going afk at a moments notice means other people have to wait for you or carry you while’s you’re afk.
Having Tendinitis is a valid reason to dislike or have an issue with x in the game. The busy life part seems like we’re just padding the argument against dragon riding to make it seem like more of an issue than it actually is.
Yeah, I actually hate this.
Same thing happened when they nerfed Symmetra’s auto-aim beam in OW. “But think of the disabled people!” was shouted from dozens of threads. Like, sure buddy, this is about disabled people that you care about so much, and not about you personally wanting an auto-aim beam. Riiiiiight. lol
I actually work as a freelance accessibility consultant / game tester for video game companies. I’ve worked on things like New World, Dead Cells, Crucible, etc. So like, from an actual professional opinion on this, what Blizzard’s doing technically is a no-no because there are valid claims from disabled people that dragonriding puts them at a disadvantage or is too difficult for them.
Now, my personal code on how to fix issues like this has two rules.
1.) No accomidations should ever impede on the rest of the playerbase’s expected experience. So, for example, enemy player outlines should not be an accessibility option on CoD because that game is heavily based on camouflaging into the environment and being stealthy, and giving us that option would break the game for the abled playerbase.
And 2.) A game should never be altered to give disabled people an advantage that scales past that of other players. So, for example, we should never have a mount that auto-flies us to quest targets. Or something really silly like a 10% base damage increase, or what have you.
Some problems can’t be solved, but most can. There are almost always options available to make the game accessible and fair.
That’s why I scratch my head at Blizzard not simply allowing players to choose which flying style to start with, especially since dragonriding is the superior one. It’s such an easy and obvious solution to this problem that I can’t believe they overlooked it, is all. lol
Personally? I’ll be fine. I’ll grind through the quests or maybe get a buddy to help, and then use normal flying forever once I unlock it. I’ll take being a little hindered over making a big fuss over it. But I do feel bad for people who will end up deciding not to play because of this.
Anyway, sorry for the rant. I get excited when this type of topic comes up because it’s one of the few things where I actually know what I’m talking about. 
Oh you’re perfectly fine. What you’re saying resonates with me 100% it really is a situation of people using excuses for themsleves.
In fact, just in case you dont know them, i will share with you some addons that falls right into this subject, a blind player shared these with me:
"Console Port for UI navigation (though it still uses a sighted layout which makes it quite clunky).
TomTom for map navigation, which helps us navigate map points, recorded quest objectives, and generally find our way around this huge world.
BlindSlash itself, which adds functionality for screen readers and makes everything quite accessible.
Other add-ons like GTFO, DBM, and Hear Kitty help with fighting bosses, alerting us when we’re standing in damaging areas, and providing sounds for different resources like holy power and combat point changes.
With these few add-ons and some OCR skills to recognize the screen when necessary, one can play the game and do most of the things other players can. The only thing that remains inaccessible is dungeons. Most add-ons are disabled in dungeons, which means we can’t do much on our own inside and need to follow other players.
Yes, several workarounds are needed, and sometimes you might get stuck behind a wall or struggle to find an object or NPC among many others. However, workarounds like /target unitname to target something and points that lead you directly to what you need are helpful."
oof. that sucks OP.
…i’m gonna say something weird now- is it just me, or does dragonriding feel exhausting compared to old flying?
I’ve heard of some of those. I <3 TomTom. XD
I know Ross … (I forgot his last name. :X The totally blind guy who beat Diablo 4) was trying to work out a way to play WoW, but the pathing was the issue. I know he was working with an addon creator, but I have no idea of the progress.
I was part of his discord for awhile. I thought it’d be cool to have two slightly-sighted people (to help with /follow to workaround the pathing issue) lead a group of eight totally blind people to quest, level, dungeon, and eventually clear a 10 man normal raid. Would be so great. lol
Anyway, I’ll have to look into those sound queue addons. I would love something that’d tell me when I had 5 combo points / holy power, etc. That’d be lovely, ty for the info! 
Nobody is going to decide not to play over this because if both flight types were gated by completing the campaign, they would not be complaining.
In fact, had blizzard just outright said “Pathfinder will be able to be completed after completing the leveling campaign, unlocking all flying styles with no time gating” people would be celebrating.
Back when Pathfinder was timegated by x months, waiting for a content patch to add that last zone that needed to be completed, people said “why can’t we just unlock flying after leveling like in BC or Wrath”
Well, now flying is unlocked after leveling, give or take how long it takes to complete the campaign. It’s effectively available at the start of the expansion.
But that’s not good enough. A many months delay for TBC flying is now a 2 day delay. Something once specifically asked for, and now complained about.
There has been reasons provided numerous times, people like you just repeatedly ignore.
Ive often repeated about bots, sure allow static flying with no requirements, ill enjoy the cheaper mats.
“But they have botting for DR or just use teleports or fly hacks so that argument doesn’t count!”
Actually it does for that exact reason, those options make the botting glaringly obvious and get them banned that much faster.
Again not against them removing Pathfinder, but parroting over and over that no reason has been given is just disingenuous.
We would have been celebrating if this was the case after WoD. They’ve gated flying so long that it really should be freely given to us at this point.
Moused…Thanks so much for the detailed information. I came back to WOW after hearing there would be no Pathfinder like restrictions for the next expansion. Haven’t purchased new expansions since Pathfinder went live…looks like I will be doing same for the next expansion.
/wipes tears from eyes
I know how to use it quite fine…I just don’t like it and my hands and wrists don’t like it…what more do I have to say …I want to go Putt Putt not Zoom Zoom…and by me going Putt Putt isn’t interfering anyone in game or the game.
Yes, agreed. Because then we’d know the leveling process wouldn’t be designed with flight in mind.
It’s like playing through Dragonflight leveling zones while using a ground mount is so tedious because the game expects you to fly.
So, yes, if all flying was being locked until after Pathfinder, that would imply questing was designed to be completed on the ground, thus not putting people who struggle with dragon riding at a disadvantage, and making this acceptable.
Edit for clarity: I’m trying to explain opposing views to people who may not consider this side of things. I’m not angry or emotionally attached to this. I don’t really care what happens, though yes I would prefer all flying be allowed out the gate.
Fun tid-bit, I actually haven’t finished DF questing because I just dread having to dragonride everywhere that much. XD I mostly use a ground mount, but sometimes you literally can’t, and I just dislike it enough that I don’t want to spend a long time doing it. To quest, mind you. Traveling and racing is fine and great.
So it does impact people who have an issue with it. Again, I’m really not trying to start a heated debate or make an emotional stance. Just bringing perspective from a viewpoint many people don’t consider.
I do need to buckle down and finish that campaign though so I can just unlock Pathfinder and start actually achievement hunting and such. It’s just I always dread doing it so much I often find something else to do instead. XP
I’m gonna have an aneurysm if I try to explain how absolutely incomprehensibly uninformed that opinion is.