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Patch 3.2 lowers casting time on flying mounts
As dear Wryxian announced earlier today, we're getting a new build on the PTR. The unofficial notes for this build are already making the rounds, and they're... not very interesting! Perhaps the most notable change is that the change to mount casting speed, previously only applied to ground mounts, now affects flying mounts as well.When the casting time change to ground mounts in Patch 3.2 was announced, Eliah Hecht, Michael Gray and I had a long debate about why they wouldn't have applied the change to flying mounts as well. We ended up coming to the conclusion that they were avoiding it for PvP reasons; only needing to be out of combat for a second and a half to mount up and zoom off to escape a fight that's not going your way would be a little... cheap. The outlier here was the Druid Flight Form, which is an instant cast spell. Everyone but Druids hate that though, right? It's pretty freaking annoying when you get into a scuffle, you gain the upper hand, and then the Druid just runs in circles like a headless boomkin spamming their flight button and hoping it eventually takes. So we figured that didn't count. It was a perfect example of why being able to fly away quickly was a bad thing.Boy, are our faces red. Flying mounts get the 1.5s cast time now as well. Sometimes trying to figure out Blizzard's reasoning doesn't really pay off. I'm not going to complain that much, though. I certainly appreciate being able to get into the air faster! Patch 3.2 will bring about a new 5, 10, and 25 man instance to WoW, and usher in a new 40-man battleground called the Isle of Conquest. WoW.com will have you covered every step of the way, from extensive PTR coverage through the official live release. Check out WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2 for all the latest!
Need flying mounts? Mei Francis has you covered
Patch 3.1.2 brought it with the usual slew of undocumented changes, but here's one that appears to have flown under the radar for a while -- Mei Francis, Dalaran's exotic mount vendor, now sells basic Outland flying mounts (read: gryphons and wyverns) at both regular and epic speeds. This is great news for, well, anybody who doesn't want to go to Outland! I know that when my shaman hit 77 and I bought all of my flying skills, it was a pain to have to go to Shadowmoon Valley to buy my mount, so I can certainly appreciate the change. Of course, there are even more mount changes in store -- a 150% speed flyer at 60, for example -- so this is obviously part of the devs' mission to streamline the leveling and traveling process for players of all levels. A welcome and unexpected change for quality of leveling life -- that's what I like to see.
Have we already seen future mounts?
One of the things I never forgot in the run-up to patch 2.3 was seeing the photo above from MMO Champion. This was before the Cenarion War Hippogryph went live, and it was the faction's new (albeit expensive) reward for reaching exalted. Boubouille, as so often happens, datamined a bit more than what Blizzard actually permitted to go live, and the skin at the top left was what wound up being the Cenarion Expedition's flying mount. Sprinting for the CE quartermaster when the patch hit and discovering that that was the only model available (and that it couldn't walk) was a bit of a let-down, to the point where I decided to wait on buying the mount in the forlorn hopes that the other mount colors and animations would go live. Quoth the female Tauren, moo hoo hoo. Since then it's become apparent that the hippogryph at top right became the Argent Hippogryph (score!) and the one at bottom left is now the Silver Covenant Hippogryph. That some of the Tournament daily quests award Silver Covenant/Sunreaver reputation makes me suspicious that the hippogryph and Sunreaver dragonhawk are eventually going to be rep mounts. That still leaves two hippogryph skins "left over," and you've got wonder if they're going into the game -- and if so, in what capacity. EIther way, there aren't words to describe my happiness at not being consigned to the ugliness of a wyvern (the airborne version of Tauren cat form) forever. I'll grant that my main is a Druid so I had a ready escape anyway (and I thank thee daily, Blizzard, for thy boon of total win in the guise of swift flight form), but sometimes a girl likes options.
Flying in old-world Azeroth
One of players' most frequently asked questions since BC emerged has been when -- or if -- Blizzard plans to make flying mounts usable in classic Azeroth. It's an attractive proposition due to the sheer size of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, and how convenient it would be to take a fast flyer to places that aren't well-served by flight paths. CM's and developers have said that the programming and time required to "retrofit" the old world to be usable by flying mounts isn't worth it, and that they'd rather spend developmental resources on new content.A player who got irritated with all the begging -- and someone who I can only assume has access to GM powers on a private server -- decided to take an aerial tour of several zones in Azeroth in December 2007 to document the territory Blizzard would have to redesign in order to make flying mounts feasible. It's a really interesting look at how Blizzard exploited perspective and line-of-sight in order to make buildings and zones appear bigger and more built-up than they actually are, and there are a few places in the video that I haven't seen even on websites dedicated to the "secret places" of Azeroth. I'm not sure why this video hasn't popped up previously but it doesn't seem to be tagged or categorized in any way, so that might be why. Check it out; flying in Azeroth would be great to see these things, but there's no denying Blizz would have a lot of work to do.
WoW Rookie: Level 80 - now what?
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic.Ding ... you're 80! So what are you going to be when you grow up? Don't get us wrong: levelling your first character to 80 (especially if this is your first massively multiplayer online game) is a not-insignificant accomplishment – but you're not quite ready for prime time yet. Hitting level 80 in WoW is less like being a graduating senior than it is being a new sophomore. You've finished WoW 101; now it's time to make sure you've covered all your core classes and start taking a stab at some electives and specialized coursework.If you've just hit level 80, consider this basic checklist a graduation gift of sorts from WoW Rookie. It'll help pointed you in the right direction for whatever type of game play you're interested in pursuing. Your game's just beginning. Dig in!
Breakfast Topic: I can't show off my flying mount in Dalaran
So I had a pretty lucky run in the heroics last Friday night. In particular, I ran heroic Culling of Stratholme for the first time. Not only did we handily beat the Infinite Corruptor with a few moments to spare on the timer, but I won the roll on the Bronze Drake, much to some of my more veteran group mates' chagrins.I've been having a lot of fun with my buddy. It's pretty cool riding around the skies of Northrend and Outland on such a classic-feeling WoW mount, especially since I've been a fan of the bronze flight since helping them do some bug extermination back in the day. One thing does bother me a bit, though: It's pretty tough to show this dude off.
A WoW burnout's guide to Wrath of the Lich King, part 2
The phrase, "Ten more levels." certainly isn't new to the ears of long-time WoW players. Since these new zones are a part of Azeroth -- as opposed to a dimensional space-placed outcropping -- there shouldn't be the same disconnect that many players felt with The Burning Crusade zones.
Northrend-flying quest removed in favor of cash payout
Drkshadow posted in the official forums with what he considers a slap in the face for folks looking to use their flying mounts in Northrend. (It's always a slap in the face, isn't it?) The quest to "attune" your mount to Northrend has been removed, and replaced with a simple 1000 gold payout. If you don't pay, you don't fly. Bornakk confirms the change only a few posts later. He says turning the attunement into a cash payment makes it easier for more players to get. It might suck to pay the 1000G for each hungry alt. But, really, if you consider it -- how hard is it to farm up 1000G on your main? I think Bornakk makes a fair point -- it's probably easier to just grab cash on your main than take a relatively undergeared alt through a quest over and over. Of course, we already knew that flying wasn't going to be very expensive. I guess someone might argue that 1000 gold can be a lot of cash, but that's really only a few days of dailies, or maybe a quick trip to sell loot at the auction house. At level 80, I'm just not going to get intimidated by a single grand.
Ask a Beta Tester: Flight, gear, and more
Welcome back to Ask a Beta Tester! We'll jump right into things today with a question from Snuffles...In regards to flight, what areas are restricted (besides Dalaran) and how to they prevent us from flying over the ocean? Is it a wall, or a new fatigue system?Beyond places that are indoors and you can't mount period, Dalaran and Wintergrasp are the two no-flight zones I've seen. You can't fly in Dalaran so it's more city-like, and Lake Wintergrasp so you actually have to take part in the combat and plan your travel routes, not simply fly from point A to point B without a care in the world. Flying too far out to sea gives you a fatigue bar
Dalaran continues to grow and change
Dalaran, the magical "Shattrath of Wrath," just keeps growing and changing. Mumper spelled out some of the coming changes for Dalaran. Don't worry -- it's all good news for those of us looking forward to slumming it up with Rhonin in the floating citadel. One of the more nagging issues about Dalaran is that no matter how high above the city you fly, you get a debuff that warns your flying mount is about to disappear. You must land before you plummet to your doom. It's set up this way to help enhance the feel of the living, bustling city -- you experience it from the ground, without racing Netherdrakes swooping by you at every turn. Mumper promises they're keeping an eye on the debuff and any other issue where flying mounts might disappear. There are many more NPCs coming for Dalaran. Vendors will have both dungeon token gear, like the new Heirloom items, and also high end Honor gear. Mumper describes a pretty awesome new NPC. Around 6pm each night, a new character will walk around the city, and light each of the lamps with a spell. It's just fluff, but it's awesome. Details like this make WoW such a rich, interesting game. There are other bits and pieces. Characters jumping into the magic well will get teleported to one of five sewer locations. Guards will be spawn at the exit of Dalaran, to deal with any griefers trying to keep PvP flagged characters from leaving the city in safety. And the target dummies are definitely staying.
New Death Knight starting screen and skeletal gryphon mount
Fresh from the new Beta build today: new Death Knight starting screens and our first look at the Death Knight flying mount – a skeletal gryphon! The starting screen pictured above is pretty cool. The Death Knight is standing on a terrace surrounded by Northrend. Neat. Be sure to click on the picture for a hi resolution image.The gryphon that we're seen, which is pictured after the break, is about the same size as a normal flying gryphon – but a complete skeleton. The actual name of the flying mount item is "The Winged Steed of the Ebon Blade." It is something that I'm really looking forward to picking up now, and I'm pretty sure most of you will be as well.Lots of great bits of information coming out from this beta patch – stay tuned for more
How to fly through the cold winds of Northrend
Blizzard has stated that they'll be disallowing the use of flying mounts in Northrend for the first few levels in order for players to appreciate the geography and not miss anything in the latest expansion. Given the amount of work they've put in so far, and looking through the fantastic scenery, it seems like a fair charge. It's recently come to light that the 'attunement' process, which was under much speculation, will not be an attunement at all or cost any money.In fact, the ability or key to fly in Northrend, called Cold Weather Flying, is a reward from a quest chain obtained in Sholazar Basin at Level 77. The so-called attunement process for flying will actually even reward money, rather than cost anything. MMO Champion has screenshots of, and Wowhead has information on the ability and quest chain. It seems like the mad rush won't necessarily be to Level 80, but a first stop at the all-important Level 77.
One Shots: Traveling in style
There's generally very little fun about commuting in, but can you imagine how cool it would be to head in to work or school on the back of a pegasus? Well, as one of our regulars here on One Shots found out this weekend, this is just one of many ways to get around in Vanguard. Wookers (normally one of our Lord of the Rings Online contributors) grabbed this lovely screenshot while he was flying off to a new adventure there. Now that's the way to travel!Do you have an interesting screenshot from a game we don't generally get to give love to here? Something a bit off the beaten path? If so, gather those screenshots up and send them to us here at oneshots AT massively.com! We love to see lots of new worlds -- especially those we don't see often.%Gallery-9798%
Insider Trader: Tradeskills for noobs
You've entered Azeroth with a brand spanking new character and you're trying to find your footing in the world. Perhaps this is even your first MMO entirely, and while looking for guidance, you're overwhelmed at the sheer volume of information available. Sound like you? While our very own WoW Rookie column has a wealth of information specifically tailored to new players, this week's Insider Trader is going to go in-depth and personal with your profession choices to help make sure that you get the job you want. Whether you are looking for a challenge, thinking ahead to your future, or looking to maximize your profit, you'll find the advice you need to make an informed decision. Have you already chosen, and are regretting it? Never fear, I'll walk you through backing out of the deal and finding something that really suits you.Make sure not to skip the comments section, as input and personal experience will help you learn about the different outcomes you might face.
Forum post of the day: Flying mounts in the old world
I was thrilled when Blizzard announce that the Burning Crusade would usher in flying mounts. Then we found out that we would only be able to use flying mounts in Outland, since Blizzard had not rendered some areas of the game. Lalia of Icecrown suggested that flying mounts should be allowed in the old world, just with a lowered ceiling. The biggest objection to this idea was the possibility of sky-ganking. Ganking however is a fact of life on a PvP server. I try to avoid going to Azeroth whenever possible, partly because it takes so long to get from place to place. Sure it would take a great deal of coding, but I would love to see this explored further. If nowhere else, flying should be an option in Moonglade. That way Druids could try out their fantastic flying skills as soon as they get them. Do you think we should be able to fly in Azeroth?
Vanguard live dev chat scheduled for March 12th
Excited for Vanguard's Game Update 4? Then consider attending the upcoming developer chat which will take place at 8pm EST this Tuesday, the 12th of March, and will focus on this major update. MMORPG.com will play host to the event, and they invite anyone to come along with a question for the Vanguard devs about the upcoming patch, or the future of the game in general.You can join in the chat by visiting MMORPG.com's live chat room, or by using an IRC client to go to the irc.coldfront.net server, and join the channel #mmorpg.
Vanguard Game Update 4 preview shows new flying mounts
The next Vanguard content patch, Game Update 4, has now had it's features listed. Headlining the preview over at VGPlayers is the addition of flying mounts, and we get to see what they look like (that spiffy griffon pictured above, if you didn't guess). Also mention in the preview is the introduction of visible helmets -- while it's nice to see them in the game at last, it's hard to be too thrilled with visible helmets being a big feature in a patch for a game that's been out this long. GU4 will bring Veteran Rewards for older accounts to Vanguard as well, similar to what we have already in EverQuest II.Over at the forums, there is an extensive list of the other things that GU4 will bring. Notable among these is a new overland raid target, Fengrot Foulbreath (designed for 18 well-geared high level players) and updates to the Druid, Necromancer, Shaman and Dread Knight classes. If you want to try out all the updates, the whole lot is already in place on the Test Server, so you can take to the skies with your fancy new helmet right now. We have the full list of changes for the patch posted after the break for your perusing.
I spent how much on my alt?
Just this weekend I did something I never expected I would do: Spent 5,000 gold on epic flight. On my main? Oh no, I've had that for months now. I spent 5,000 gold on my alt. My alt! Good gravy!Honestly, I don't really regret it, it's mostly the shock of spending that much gold on an alt that gets me. I'll definitely be putting the epic gryphon to good use, I play my alt quite a bit. Like I mentioned in another recent post, my alt is almost my second main. Pretty much full epics, has seen the insides of Zul'Aman, Tempest Keep and Serpentshrine, capped Blacksmithing, all of that. The fact remains, though, it is an alt. 5,000 gold on an alt!I can't be the only one crazy enough to do this, am I? Surely there are others with alts that have epic flight? Most of my friends poked fun at me about it, but besides waiting for Wrath of the Lich King, what am I going to use that money for anyway? I suppose I could feast on Stormwind Brie instead but I have a feeling an epic gryphon is a little more useful, no?
Birds of prey: Is Druid epic flight form OP in PvP
I was sitting at dinner with a buddy of mine (I'll call him Zebulon), excited about the prospects of being one of WoW Insider's newest bloggers. He suggested that I should write a post on why Druid's Swift Flight Form is "OP." I thought he was just whining, so in my least empathic voice I said, "QQ more nub, you knew what you signed up for on a PvP server." As it turns out Zebulon had a run-in with a shifter who really knew how to use his class abilities. As he was flying back from Skettis daily questing high above Terorkkar Forest, Zebulon, who was playing a Rogue, was ambushed by a Druid in Swift Flight Form. The attacker flew above him and shifted into caster form. The Druid cast Insect Swarm and began spamming Moonfire as he dropped toward the ground. The altitude permitted the Druid to break combat and return to flight form. Because of the speed boost from epic flight form the Druid was able to make another pass. Damaged, dotted, and desperate, Zebulon searched for a safe body of water to drop into. The plan was to dismount into the water, Cloak of Shadows, and then Vanish from the attacker. No luck- HK for the Druid.
Around Azeroth: Run away!
Reader Sigyn of Grim Batol (EU) offers us this shot from Nagrand, where we see poor Sigyn being chased by a blast from one of the cannons in Forge Camp: Hate. But if you're familiar with the landscape of Nagrand, there's something wrong with this picture... Sigyn doesn't seem to be near either of the forge camps in Nagrand. How did this happen? Apparently with an epic flying mount and a riding crop you can outpace them, and apparently Sigyn had been kiting this one all over Nagrand for fun.Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? Because we'd love to see your idea of the best looking instance on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!
