Forum post of the day: Ride your pony
by Amanda Dean 
Jun 19th 2008 at 2:12AM
I had to look twice at the 2.4.3 patch notes before I could bring myself to believe that the developers are planning on reducing the level requirement for ponying up. It makes a lot of sense, as we ramp up toward Wrath of the Lich King, it will progressively longer to reach the endgame, especially for new characters and particularly new players. The change makes sense to me, and I'm looking forward to Desolace being a less crummy place to level alts. No, you won't get a refund on previously purchased mounts, but nobody got refunds when the cost of the level 60 riding skill decreased either.
The community seems to be having primarily positive reactions to the news that basic mounts will be purchasable by characters at level 30. Ithnnin of Scarlet Crusade (posting on a level 40) feels that this change is an added insult to the game. He feels that Blizzard has spent too much energy catering to a "small new audience." He feels that the changes to make leveling easier have a negative effect on the accomplishments of those who when through the process when it was more difficult.
This prompted a response from Zarhym "Allowing players to purchase and ride mounts at level 30 does not at all diminish your prior accomplishments in my eye sockets, Ithnin" This was followed by a post explaining that new players may get their mounts ten levels sooner, but they have ten and soon twenty more levels to go through before they reach the endgame. The majority of responses in this thread are supportive of the change.
As an altaholic, I'm excited about the change. I don't know how many times I've pressed the key I ordinarily reserve for my mount on lowbies and am disappointed when I have to keep on hoofing it. I'm interested in knowing what our readers think of the change: does lowering the level requirement for mounts diminish your accomplishments or rob some of the gaming experience for new players?
Filed under: Patches, Economy, Leveling, Buffs, Forum Post of the Day
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Ametrine Jun 19th 2008 2:30AM
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=7116399585&sid=1
Nick=har Jul 15th 2008 12:15AM
I think that this is a downgrade. It took me forever to farm that gold and i suffered through all the giant areas without complaint with my mind settled on only one thing: getting my lvl 40 mount. Altough now its time to contradict myself. I NEVER IN MY LIFE EVER WANT TO STEP FOOT IN DESOLACE OR ARATHI HIGHLANDS WITHOUT A MOUNT EVER AGAIN. Now, that being said maybe compromise? Upgrade the 40 mounts to 75% speed increase but make the 30 mounts have 50% speed increase. Then everyone wins.
See? *starts singing...badly*
WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS? WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS...
(next song, please)
DON'T STOP BELIEVING! HOLD ON TO THAT FEELING! STREETLIGHTS, PEOPLLLLLLLLLLLE!
Starlin Jun 19th 2008 2:36AM
As a fellow Altaholic, I applaud the change. Moving around takes far too long with the way some of the quest lines in the old world were planned out.
However I totally understand the frustrations that older players are feeling. But just like all the other "streamlining" changes go, it's hard to complain when things are made easier. I just don't want things to get too Monty Haul. A lot of great D&D campaigns were ruined by this.
Zarzuur Jun 19th 2008 5:03AM
I have four 37s who will probably just miss this change, since I am powerlevelling them now. Ah well!! But I do not think it is a bad change, so long as they do not depreciate the other movement increase skills and talents, such as Travel form or Aspect of the Cheetah.
Super Guest Man 9000 Jun 19th 2008 6:20AM
Nice change for those with alts and new players. I was rather shocked to see it myself. I figured it to be one of those things that blizz would never change.
Myself with altistis so bad that I have no characters below 60 (6 70s 3 65-60s) wont see much benefit to this. Though yay for those that will.
Demosthenes Jun 19th 2008 2:36AM
Now that you put a positive light on the change, it doesn't seem like such a horrible thing. But as with mine, every other players reaction when first hearing this was disbelief and a unconscious want to return it to 40.
Chris Anthony Jun 19th 2008 4:14AM
Not every other player. In fact, just about everybody else I've talked to has said from the get-go that it's a positive change.
SpaceDog Jun 19th 2008 6:49AM
Speak for yourself, matey.
Eternalpayn Jun 19th 2008 10:41AM
Yeah, I was super-excited. My priest is 18 now, I just started it a few weeks ago, and anything that'll get it to 70 faster is excellent in my book. Except, y'know, gold buying and powerleveling services. :P
Bloodtrip Jun 19th 2008 2:45AM
Seems to me that the "Small crowd" is the people that don't want the change... not the other way around. it is like the hard core raiders complaining about making raids easier and more catered to the casual player... same concept, THEY are the small crowd, not us... if only a small percentage is on SWP and full BT clears/farm status, then good for them, they get the uber loot and all the props for doing it first, and i applaud them.
I support the change, and pretty much any change Blizz makes to a point. It is all about how YOU play, and what your "In game" morales are... it is a game, have fun, and don't forget to take a break and enjoy real life every once and a while.
Jagoex Jun 19th 2008 2:48AM
I can understand both perspectives, but agree more readily with Ithnnin's position, to be honest. Let me explain.
Mounts were initially placed at level 40 to give players a chance to feel the vastness that is WoW. But now that the map has expanded via TBC and the upcoming WotLK packs, it makes sense on some level (...) to decrease the level requirement for speeding things up a bit.
However, this change seems to be along the same lines of those that have made Epic gear less awe-inspiring than they once were. "They used to take effort to get, but now, everyone has them, etc." Call me an old-schooler or an elitist or whatever, but I enjoyed having an identity within WoW before everyone started wearing the exact same gear.
Now, I know that this specific change isn't all that bad and that maybe my argument presents a potential slippery slope, but I do feel that changes like this do lean in the direction described above.
Hopefully Bliz will not make a habit of doing this too much and too often, because then, we really would lose all the identities we have created and enjoy.
Bluebear Jun 19th 2008 3:32AM
>Call me an old-schooler or an elitist or whatever, but I enjoyed having an identity within WoW before everyone started wearing the exact same gear.
So what you're saying is you liked to lord it over players who had less time to get epics than you?
nyttyn Jun 19th 2008 7:28AM
So your saying you like to be just like everyone else?
darian Jun 19th 2008 1:00PM
Do I enjoy being exactly like everyone else? No.
Am I silly enough to think that gear/spec make me the same as everyone else? No.
My mistakes, choices, skills and communication make me and my character who they are. The kind of people I like to hang out with don't friend list you because you have T4, T5 or T6. They pick people who are gracious enough to know when they've screwed up and admit it, intelligent enough to make sacrifices for the team, skilled enough to deal with potential disaster, and simply fun to hang around from the get go.
Nick S Jun 19th 2008 2:47AM
i'm a hardcore player, and i want this to happen. i have alts, and intend to have more. if anyone benefits from this, it's the power player who multi-boxes, has multiple 70s, and powerlevels.
who is this bad for? 39 druid twinks?
naysayers are just trying to find fault.
Nick Jun 19th 2008 2:48AM
I'm happy. But then again... I enjoy the game and don't complain on the forums. I'm not sure why the ppl who complain play the game... it would seem like a lot of money to just moan about a game change... silly ppl.
Tenchan Jun 19th 2008 2:58AM
The only one who can cheapen my accomplishments is myself. Maybe people like Ithinn should have a little thinking about that simple truth.
Lios Jun 19th 2008 4:00AM
Best comment ever! I agree. I still feel extremely proud of getting an epic kodo on my troll. I did it before tBC, before the dramatic change in getting reputation for different factions and before PvP mounts. Even though it's not special to have one now, I am still proud of it. I'm also proud of getting the Talbuk mount, the epic flyer and the Primal Mooncloth set, even though most people don't consider that special at all.
Being proud, feeling you've accomplished something, is not going away because someone else can get it easier (or sooner). In fact, the feeling should only increase, as you did it the hard way!
I like the change btw. I'm leveling an alt that's now 31 and I hated having to level on foot in Desolace and all those other huge zones. I don't feel my accomplishment on my other characters is now less, because they got their mount at 40. I don't even use those mounts, so why care that you get them at 30 now? It just makes leveling more pleasant.
spectre Jun 19th 2008 12:23PM
i also completelty agree. The end-game elitist might look down their nose at my season 1 warrior armor, and i am aware that it is woefully obsolete, but i still feel proud that i earned the right to purchase and wear it.
Starbeast Jun 19th 2008 6:12PM
Well, I agree with Tenchan. And don't get me wrong, I don't have any of those nifty little niceties. I don't even have a level 70 as of yet. However, it seems to me that actual proliferation of any extremely difficult to attain thing makes it seem just a bit less nice.