Over four years after the expansion’s launch,World of Warcraftis finally letting new players soar the skies above Zandalar and Kul Tiras inBattle for Azeroth.Flying inWorld of Warcrafthas long been a contentious point, and the mechanic as a whole has had a colorful history. Initially introduced inThe Burning Crusade, flying allowed players to traverse long distances at a time when zones were still filled with a lot of empty space. As Blizzard Entertainment’s philosophy and approach to world design changed and evolved, the ability to fly was becoming either superfluous or counter-productive to the gameplay loop the developers intended for modernWorld of Warcraft.
Much to the chagrin of theWorld of Warcraftcommunity,Warlords of Draenorbegan a trend of locking flyingmounts behind achievements and patch content, forcing players to spend most of the expansion on the ground. This approach continued throughoutLegion,Battle for Azeroth, andShadowlands. Though it worked for Blizzard in keeping players engaged with the open world zones featured in those expansions, it did not work for the personal enjoyment and convenience of the players themselves. The developers knew something had to change, and thusDragonflightwas designed for dragon riding and flight from the ground up.
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To help funnel players into the new expansion and to ease the leveling experience for newWorld of Warcraftplayers, Blizzard Entertainment has removed the Pathfinder requirements inBattle for Azerothzones. Though players argue that this decision could have come much sooner, it is nonetheless welcomed with universal praise. With Zandalar and Kul Tiras intended to be the starting point for new players, letting them make use of flying in those zones will not only make the experience more enjoyable, but will help prepare them forDragonflight.
The discovery was made by RayZhuLoveHK and shared with theWorld of WarcraftReddit community. Though Pathfinder is no longer required for flying inBattle for Azeroth’s zones, it is still very much worth completing for any aspiring mount collector, awarding players with the Wonderwing 2.0 mechanical parrot mount.
The future of flying inWorld of Warcraftremains a mystery. With dragon riding being thematically linked to the Dragon Isles, there is no guarantee that it will feature in expansions afterDragonflight. There is little doubt that Blizzard Entertainment has observed its competitors in this regard, given how much of dragon riding evokes the dynamic mount mechanics ofGuild Wars 2’sPath of Fire. Ultimately, it is fair to say that the developers are hoping for an expansion’s worth of feedback onDragonflight’s solution to flying before they commit in any direction.
World of Warcraftis available on PC.Dragonflightlaunches on November 28.
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