Flying – MMO Fallout

Flying has been a controversial topic in World of Warcraft, with players complaining that the ability to drop in and out at whim removes much of the exploration and challenge, a sentiment that Blizzard has agreed with several times. In an interview with Polygon last month, lead designer Ion Hazzikostas stated rather clearly that Blizzard would not reintroduce flying to Draenor. Today, however, the company has detailed how players will be able to once again take to the air.

However, while we firmly believe that keeping your feet on the ground is a key part of discovery in WoW, we also recognize that breaking free from those restrictions can be fun and rewarding as well, especially for those who’ve already fully experienced the game’s world content. With that in mind, we’re planning some changes in the near future that will allow players to enjoy their hard-earned flying mounts in Draenor—in a way that doesn’t compromise the excitement of ground-based exploration.

Players will need to obtain an achievement called Draenor Pathfinder, requiring a series of tasks including treasure collection, flight path unlocks, securing Draenor achievements, and obtaining revered reputation with the locals.

(Source: World of Warcraft)

Here at MMO Fallout, we stand by our belief that flying mounts are among the worst mechanics ever brought to the genre, and apparently we have friends at Blizzard who agree with us. From a consumer standpoint, it sounds pretty cool. For the developers creating the content in a zone, it messes with the normal flow and can make some areas entirely pointless. Instead of allowing players to trivialize the combat in Warlords of Draenor, Blizzard has announced that they intend to disable flying during the leveling process from 90-100 and have flying available again once the first major patch goes live. Why? I’ll let Bashiok explain:

Flying trivializes combat. A lot of people like to say we’re trying to force world PvP, or that we just really want people to look at the pretty trees we made, but those really aren’t the reasons that drive this same decision we’ve made every expansion. Flying allows you to escape or enter combat at-will. There’s a reason why flying isn’t allowed in dungeons and raids, or battlegrounds and arenas, and that’s because it would trivialize the core mechanic of the game in those areas – combat. For much the same reason it trivializes how content is approached in the outdoor world based on the simple fact that you can lift off and set down wherever you like.

As Bashiok points out, World of Warcraft is meant to be a guided experience and flying mounts render much of that moot, but this is the bed that Blizzard made and now they must lie in it.

(Source: World of Warcraft)