For me, I didn’t like it at first. Without having a good supply of Vigor it was useless and a real downgrade from TBC flying. However, with enough Vigor the potential opens up and it’s quite useful. The way I see it, you have a choice in which mode of flying you want to use … except for a new expansion.
With a new expansion, you have to earn TBC flying and I think this is where the legitimate gripes come in. With Skyriding being available from the start, I have to wonder if the DEV’s are pushing this new riding style hoping to get more people onboard. For what reason I have no clue and in fact, I may be wrong about this. Either way, we have what we have. We are not forced to use it. YMMV
And it’s no secret that skyriding was a nerf to static flying. Blizzard has always thought static flying was overpowered. It let players do too much too easily.
I think the reason is what it has always been: “old” flying makes completing objectives more trivial because it allows you to be very precise and instant in takeoffs and landings and it allows you to hover. So it really, really speeds up questing by making it more surgical. They don’t intend the initial run through the content to be played like that, because it trivializes it, from their perspective, at least for the first run.
Now, not everyone agrees with that approach, of course. Many players see leveling content as inherently trivial and chore-like, and therefore approaching it in a way that appears to trivialize it is no big deal – after all, for them the content is already trivial. And given that they see it as trivial, they prefer to do it more surgically, which means faster.
And we all know that Skyriding isn’t as useful for questing in a small area as TBC flying is – because it just isn’t as maneuverable in small areas. I know there are some total experts at Skyriding who have perfected their ability to manipulate it in small areas, but for most players it’s far easier to do that kind of small area/detail flying in TBC mode than it is Skyriding mode. And so that’s why Blizzard doesn’t care that you can Skyride from Day 1. It doesn’t really make questing much easier and faster, the way that TBC flying does.
In the past, Blizzard was more punitive in its approach to Pathfinder, and kept flying away for far too long in my opinion. They’ve relaxed a lot since then, and now we will have flying unlocked for all characters once we’ve made one run through on our mains, so it really isn’t a big deal other than the very first run through the content.
It is a big deal because gating TBC normal flying with PF means they did not learn anything from BFA and systemlands. Which is why the 5 second toggle switch also exists.
The joke is on you, they have learned something about it over the year. It can be in the game with pathfinder attached to TBC flight and people will still keep subbed and will still play. Thus its not a big deal at the end of the day. They do not lose many people in the long run anymore over flight.
Its just not something they worry about, specially now they have it the way they do with Skyriding as the flight they give right at the start and that for very little effort you still get pathfinder that unlocks steady flight shortly there after. They know, that they will lose hardly anyone at all no matter how mad they say they are over pathfinder attached to steady flight.
It depends what I’m doing. If I’m needing to fly long distances with little need to dismount then dragonriding is far better to get you there, however if I’m farming ore and there’s nodes everywhere, then it’s more annoying so I’ll switch to regular flying. I do miss just having two separate mounts though I can dismount/mount versus having to switch styles with a slow cast timer.
Some people have physical issues with SR and it makes them sick so I am glad there are other options. Others have trouble with controlling the mount/speed/direction for a variety of reasons which I am also glad there is normal flying for.
I personally love it and can’t fathom going back to normal flying.
Because it feels like its a slight against mat farmers. The season 1-Prepatch Dragon-riding was mount specific and I was happy with that because I had my farming mount and my DR mount. NOW they made every flying mount “skyriding” and you have to cast a 5 second spell to disable it completely. Honestly this all or nothing spell and skyriding is the dumbest thing they implemented.
