Patch 5.3 interview with Ghostcrawler
Mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsUpcoming mount changes
by Adam Holisky 
Jun 10th 2009 at 9:11PM
- Regular land mounts trainable at level 20 (was 30)
- Epic land mounts trainable at level 40 (was 60)
- Regular flying mounts trainable at level 60 (was 70)
- Regular flying mounts speed increased to a 150% gain (was 60%)
This means that when you hit 60 you'll be able to fly around Hellfire and finish all those quests. Leveling from 60 to 68 is going to become easier and more relaxed. You'll hit Northrend much sooner with this change.
The full details after the break.
Apprentice Riding (Skill 75)
- 60% land mount speed
- Requires level 20
- Cost: 4 gold
- Mount cost: 1 gold
- Mail will be sent to players at level 20 guiding them to the riding trainer
- 100% land mount speed
- Requires level 40
- Cost: 50 gold
- Mount cost: 10 gold
- Mail will be sent to players at level 40 guiding them back to the riding trainer
- 150% flying mount speed; 60% land mount speed
- Requires level 60
- Cost: 600 gold (faction discounts now apply)
- Mount Cost: 50 gold
- Can now be learned in Honor Hold (Alliance) or Thrallmar (Horde)
- 280% flying mount speed; 100% land mount speed
- Requires level 70
- Cost: 5,000 gold (faction discounts now apply)
- Mount Cost: 100 gold
Filed under: News items, Mounts
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 18)
Lykofos Jun 11th 2009 2:05AM
As others have stated, Ghost Wolf/Travel Form are extremely useful even if you have an Epic Flying Mount. Oops, pulled a few too many mods, it's time to shift and get the hell outta Dodge. Accidentally pulled that Elite you where try to avoid (Fel Reaver or Thrymm anyone?). You can outrun that Elite before you end up as a greasy spot on the ground. Some Mage is trying to gank you? He/she is an idiot anyway, however you can shift, Break Polymorph or any snare and run far enough to go Out of Combat. Apply a couple of HoTs, slip in to Cat Form and then Prowl to return the favor to that Mage. As you can see GW/TF is extremely handy for us Shammys and Druids.
toxicityj Jun 11th 2009 1:20PM
travel form as a polymorph breaker is pointless because switching to caster, bear, cat, etc. all break you free of polymorph. it's not as though travel exclusively does that.
Calavera Jun 10th 2009 9:25PM
Isn't this going a tad too far?
Wasn't the point of giving flying mounts after TBC content the same as with Cold Weather Flying in Wrath, not to skip content and doing quests 'the right way'?
Well, I guess since TBC is old news now it doesn't matter.
onslought Jun 10th 2009 10:47PM
Everyone has seen the content.
Faulken S Wulf Jun 10th 2009 11:29PM
Actually I'm just into Hellfire and Zang right now. Been to Underbog only three times so far.
Stow the elitism.
Alchemistmerlin Jun 10th 2009 11:55PM
@Faulken S Wulf
Sorry, "The vast majority of everyone has seen the content, and those that have not are free to not use this feature while leveling if they'd rather have a ground-view of things"
Stow the victim/inferiority complex.
Fedya Jun 11th 2009 6:30AM
Well, big majority of people have seen the content. Other than that, most of the Azeroth and Outland are deserted now, it's extremely hard to find groups for say Maraudon or Underbog (normal group, I'm not talking about run-through).
People leveling in those areas should be given an edge over the rest of us who leveled through there together.
Sarabande Jun 11th 2009 7:50AM
I wish they could somehow make it so that new players (those going through BC for the first time) would have to explore it the old way. The only problem would be if they were grouped with people who are playing their alts. That or make it so you can get the flying mount at 65, when you've probably explored at least most of Terokkar and some of Nagrand. This way, if you want to get out to, say, Skettis or do some of the Shattrath cooking quests, you still could starting at 65, a short while before heading out into Northrend, but it won't be TOO soon after getting to the Outlands.
There is something to be said for having to explore, having to get through the dangerous areas, and not just fly over everything easily.
While it's cool for those playing their 3rd or 4th toons, I think it would benefit newer players to actually see all the content as it was intended.
And in a way, this may also apply to the land mounts. For new players, it's not always easy to get the hang of making gold in the game - finding out the best resources to farm, figuring out how to use professions to make money, etc. Many people at 40 weren't properly prepared. And at 20, even that low amount may be difficult to get (if people quest quite a bit, they can get to 20 in a very short time). I can just see all the increased begging in SW now!!
Also, it's kind of too bad for the Locks and Pallies who may have wanted to do the Epic quests (granted, there probably were not many . . .) since it's pointless to wait until lvl 60 to get one when everyone else has theirs at 40.
I don't know - they may have taken it a bit far this time.
DanH Jun 11th 2009 10:00AM
"While it's cool for those playing their 3rd or 4th toons, I think it would benefit newer players to actually see all the content as it was intended."
Thing is, you can't see the content as it was intended, because it was intended to be current content, not legacy content. Hellfire Peninsula was intended to be something you came to after running Molten Core and Onyxia, not something you jumped to halfway through the Plaguelands.
toxicityj Jun 11th 2009 1:22PM
Wulf, it's not elitism. you're behind everyone else having just begun enjoying an expansion that's one expansion behind. Stow the behindism.
Tatinatorrrr Jun 10th 2009 9:26PM
Whats happening to cold weather flying then????
Alja Jun 10th 2009 9:29PM
I would highly imagine that cold weather flying is not being changed in the least - blizzard doesn't want people skipping over current content, I don't think they care how much old content you skip over.
Mickthathick Jun 10th 2009 9:26PM
You rock Blizzard! Nothing worse then leveling an alt and having to run around the god-forsaken Old World up till level 30.
Adorialea Jun 10th 2009 9:38PM
Was much worse when you had to do it until level 40!
Helloimbob Jun 11th 2009 11:09AM
Oh god yeah, and you know what takes the mick?
The day I dinged 40 on my first character 2.4.3 hit.
Typical!
Nick=har Jun 11th 2009 11:30PM
dude i dinged 40 the day before it went to 30. i was not a happy camper. Have to read patch notes next time.
Liitz Jun 10th 2009 9:26PM
if they make this game any easier i swear.....
mibluvr13 Jun 10th 2009 9:38PM
It's not their responsibility to keep your infinite skills occupied. Buy your regular mount at level 40 if you'd like. Send the difference in gold to an alt and then delete the alt. Run Ulduar naked.
Lessening annoyance =/= making the game Neopet-esque.
I'm glad they're not going the way of Guitar Hero and metaphorically, making their guitar tabs more difficult than playing an actual guitar and adding guitar solos to songs that don't need them musically. Poor design (like making an annoyingly huge world that cannot be traversed any faster for forty levels) is not how a game is made difficult. It's how a game is made poorly designed.
tl;dr: Shut up.
havitech Jun 10th 2009 10:26PM
"It's not their responsibility to keep your infinite skills occupied."
Uhh, isn't that the very point of a game, to challenge one's skill?
Having said that, leveling to endgame never was a challenge, just a timesink. I'm actually hoping Blizzard's next MMO gets progressively more challenging the closer you get to endgame, assuming they use a traditional leveling system.
Oneiromancer Jun 10th 2009 10:37PM
"Uhh, isn't that the very point of a game, to challenge one's skill?"
Um, no, the point of any game is to have fun. WoW, Trivial Pursuit, Hide and Seek--whatever game you are playing, presumably you are doing it to enjoy yourself.