You are correct. It’s gone into the PTR, and once it’s there, it means they’ve put forth the work to take it to live, or they wouldn’t have paid their team to develop this “fix” …to whatever problem they fantasized.
All this “what do all of you think”? is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
Mark my words, despite the fact this is hugely unpopular, despite the fact none of it was ever needed or warranted, it’s gonna be what we get, like it or not. I’ve been around 14 + years. Seen this before.
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This describes so much of how I feel about the game as a whole.
Off topic here, but:
I agree with your post, except re leveling skills.
Archaeology - if like me you enjoy it, is another way to level up and quite a few finds are worth having multiples of. You can only get one of each rare per alt.
For other professions, I have alts on both factions on a bunch of different realms, and I make each group self sufficient. There are also cooldowns, and it can be worth doing some of them more often than just the one a day or one a week a single character is restricted too.
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My predictions on all this…
Blizzard: hey we want your feedback on this thing.
Forums: we give it to them!
Blizzard: thank you for the feed back; based on that, here’s what we’re going to do…
Exactly what we planned on doing anyway: thanks for the free entertainment though!
#YourRageSustainsUs!
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That’s my biggest problem with the entire premise. It’s a simple If>Then logical assessment. If the issue was people being forced to use the striders, then they will feel forced to use the shoes. The problem, though, is that they are framing this entire thing with the premise of choice. Bornakk’s post “We want there to be a choice based on your play and interests.” But if the problem was that having only two mounts that could walk on water took away choice, then we won’t have a choice on the shoes either. If that wasn’t really a problem, then the premise that this entire thing started as is a false premise.
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True that. They could just not have shoes at all, keep the strider, and add in like a vendor floating boat mount (alliance and horde themed) that floats on water for everyone. (Not shop mount, everyone would be miffed that you have to drop cash on it.) Boom, not everyone is forced to use a strider, boom, you get a boat and the ability to go on water, and boom, you could apply a different sort of equipment to your other mounts.
Actually, I would be okay with this. If not using the system left everything as it is now, I’d be perfectly happy. Sadly, that’s not how it’s going to be, and so I’m annoyed. I’ll be putting water walking in my slot–and then using only my strider to water walk just to tick off the devs.
I think my bigger issue with taking away the strider water walking is more in line with how it shows Blizzard isn’t ok with allowing unique things, if its op take it away and make it blanket. Id rather Blizz keep the strider the same and have it follow the same rules as the sky golem than lose the ability to get a mount that can water walk when ever I want (bc thats what i farmed it for) and still be able to use the equipment system in a broader scope then be stuck just putting water shoes on and never seeing the system again. Hell, there should also be equipment that lets you gather while mounted that professions can make.
Honestly, more mounts should have unique passives that maybe turn off the equipment (or not, we could use more “fun” toys to play with") rather then making all mounts generic. Its actually the exact opposite direction I want the game to go in, we should be adding not taking anything away. And while it will only matter until the next expansion, but pathfinder 2 is out at the same time so we will all be flying so most of the equipment will be useless at the start.
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Eh, I disagree there. I think adding in more ability mounts just pushes you into using a mount with that ability only if you want to get it. I still find it funny how a mythic jaina mount which is so much harder to get than rep-bug strider would not be able to water walk, for example.
Rather, being able to apply an ability per mount would be nice, as opposed to being restricted to one ability per character.
Again, Bornakk, thank you and Kaivax for replying in this thread. I know with all of the changes that are coming in 8.2, you’re both going to be busy readers and jotter-downers of input.
However, after further contemplation of how this change to the water strider’s innate ability to stride is being removed and replaced by a system that will require further purchases made to regain that ability, even with all of the free ones that appear to be mailed to alts @ 100 or above, I cannot agree with the implementation. If there were an item that was BoA and reusable, or a toy perhaps, or a spell that replaced the function of the striders with zero additional cost to their owners, then yes. It’s a sad to inform but easy to live with decision, my conscience will just not let me accept the current rendition being shown.
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yeah, those that don’t know, grinding out exalted with the Angler’s was a LONG grind. Not particularly taxing, but long. You could only earn so much rep per day and it was easily a two month daily grind iirc.
for those of us who put in that effort, it’d be nice to have some sort of in game acknowledgment (more than just another piece of equipment) that reflected the time and effort. Maybe something like the riding crop from BC that would remain in effect in all zones for mounts that water walk? I dunno, but something real.
And people who wanted the water walking mount could easily get one if they choose. It only took me a few hours of fishing to get the Crimson Water Strider, doing the dailies for the Aqua Strider was a breeze and now there are time walking rep tokens to use if one wishes.
I’m sorry if some feel the strider is an eye-sore, but sounds like sour grapes from a few players who don’t have one and manipulative hog-wash from Ion, who is hardly likely to admit this is just a money grab.
Fair enough 
Takes about 5 hours on a timewalking week with ten alts to get, if you take the rep token mount. Having strider’s walking and the benefit of other mount equipment for other mounts admittedly would be nice.
See I disagree.
I would much prefer if mounts had themed abilities. As opposed to us choosing them.
I think only adds flavor to the game.
I think I see what you’re getting at with having to get certain mounts just for the ability, but as of now so few are purposed that I think it wouldn’t be hard to cover all the bases.
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Putting a portal back to CoT.
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Again this not about giving more utilities. This about trying to cover up longstanding design and decision flaws. You keep missing the entire point of this feature and why it is now being placed into the game. In another expansion or two this feature, like the mounts that have come into question will be seen for what they really were and will also at that point become a problem for whatever content that is created at that point. This feature is looking to become a solution to decisions and design problems that have long been part of this game. You see this as a positive feature. I see it as another means of creating a band-aid to mask more problems that will be created as a result of this feature. So no, we are not gaining anything. If anything this feature in due time will rear its only ugly head like the rest of these so-called good ideas over time. Yea, apparently it goes far and beyond what you think it to be. This not about a mount or mount equipment. This about overcoming shortcomings of previous designing and decision flaws.
Again you want to only focus on the mounting equipment and that is exactly what Blizzard wants you and the rest that want to see this from the perspective of a positive feature. When it is anything but a positive. Blizzard does not do anything unless it is going to take something else away they chose not to fix long ago.
No, this does not come down to removal of stuff. What this comes down to is past decisions and design flaws and problems to mask other problems and issues. Instead of actually fixing what is broken, Blizzard is merely providing another in a long list of band-aids and masking them as features. Features that by the way provide their own problems and issues, as well as future unintended consequences. Stop looking at this from a glass half full approach. This not net gain, its another abortion covering up a previous abortion that was allowed to fester like an open wound for years.
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Me and my friendly water strider thank you for your comment! Here we are enjoying a ride over by the horde base.
See his smile? He loves striding over the water!
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I mean, okay.
…What about Worgen?
Will they be given some kind of passive bonus for being, you know, freaking werewolf mounts?
I do see your point but my counter would be that thats what equipment in its current state is for. You could still use the other mounts when the situation suited it and as more of these types of mounts were introduced it wouldnt feel like a mandatory choice anymore.
I get where you’re coming at too, but yeah… well, it’s a matter of disagreeing there, to be honest Your way would work if mounts were like hunter pet categories, though. But personally, I like being able to pick my mounts.
Granted, it would be much better if I could apply per mount, as I said, but I established that many times now.
Which is pretty much zilch compared to what they could/should have done. Which is leave the portals alone entirely. Guess what? Their solution right now is that rep item. So, have fun. The “CoT” portal is this.
Nice optimism, but it’s not happening. Not with how they’ve ignored feedback. (Not saying we should stop talking, by any means. But don’t get your hopes up.)
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