Patch 3.2 lowers casting time on flying mounts
by Alex Ziebart 
Jul 10th 2009 at 6:00PM
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!Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Mounts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
gdr441 Jul 10th 2009 6:07PM
code is there! should make all mounts the same once you have a 310% already =(
Arktic Jul 10th 2009 6:08PM
Excellent news!
Leviathon Jul 10th 2009 6:11PM
The official patch note update has interesting things in it.
Alex Ziebart Jul 10th 2009 6:14PM
Yup, we're getting to them now!
Bobbo Jul 10th 2009 6:13PM
"Swift Flight Form: Druids who have acquired a mount able to go 310% flight speed will now also go that speed while in this form."
Druids FTMFW.
Döra Jul 10th 2009 6:14PM
I play on a PvE server, so when you look at it in a way that's beneficial to merely saving time, I find it to be a great update. I'm a Druid myself, but I still find it great that every time someone dismounts to, I don't know, mine a rock or pick an herb, they don't have to wait three seconds to fly away again; all the time adds up to a huge amount of time spent mounting up.
BigB Jul 10th 2009 6:18PM
yeah half the time i run around cause it seems stopping to mount seems like a waste of time.
Continuum6 Jul 11th 2009 5:24PM
^^ this.
I have probly literally spent 24 full hours total, looking at my DK's flying mount cast bar.
no joke. Gathering profs are made immensely easier, well, Herbs anyway, by druid SFF.
Less casting time for everyone else is nice, and i welcome it. I don't pay Blizz to sit motionless in front of my PC monitor, watching a cast bar before i can mount up and move. I understand fully the PvP implications of giving every mount an instant cast (negative effects in PvP) but i just never liked cast bars for mounts.
Which may shed some light on why I rerolled a druid and have never looked back :D
Gnosh Jul 13th 2009 8:37AM
You guys sure "don't pay" blizz for a LOT of stuff.
What DO you pay for?
"I don't pay blizz to charge me to repair my gear!"
"I don't pay blizz to wipe on bosses!"
mattyboo Jul 10th 2009 6:30PM
"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."
^actually we shadowmeld first to ensure flightform is a success. another reason to hate those damn elves =]
Alex Ziebart Jul 10th 2009 6:32PM
I play Alliance, so I only have to worry about Warstomp :|
Jeff Jul 10th 2009 6:54PM
I guess I can see how this could be a problem with PvP, but I avoid PvP at any cost. So for me, this should be real nice while doing dailies.
jair Jul 10th 2009 7:25PM
Sure, Druids can get away with escaping PVP that way, but it doesn't always work. It's just a benefit druids have. We could take pets away from hunters, or sap away from rogues in PVP to even the odds too...
Happy about the 310% for SFF though. Then I won't have to weigh whether I want to mount up or just SFF depending on how far I'm travelling.
Engerz Jul 10th 2009 7:58PM
Good news indeed. Should make my life farming for mines and Crystalized gases easier.
Continuum6 Jul 11th 2009 5:37PM
^^ this.
Umm... so... you don't like it that druids can fly instant cast once they are able to "leave combat"?
Tough cookies.
As an 80 druid and rogue, i don't much like fighting hunters at my gear level. The pet still attacks when i've stunned the hunter and the pet can put Bleed damage DoTs on me that are physical and can't be Cloaked. It's not always possible to stun the hunter AND THE PET both for 5 full seconds. It forces me to blow a Vanish if I want to reset. makes things kinda harder for me than i would like (read: i can't totally pwn by facerolling).
But you know what? That's just tough cookies for me. Hunter pets are part of the game.
... And so is druid SFF.
There are plenty of class mechanics that drive people up walls in PvP. Sap, SFF, Cloak of Shadows, DoTs, Fears, the list goes on FOREVER.
Why? Becuase PvP is not necessarily a level-headed thing to begin with. SOMEONE IS TRYING TO STOP YOU FROM PLAYING. That's just not a happy hugs and cuddles concept to begin with.
You know it feels great when you kill someone else's toon. Admit it. Well, sometimes it won't go your way. (shock!)
Why? Becuase you're fighting ANOTHER PERSON not some NPC (non-player character) and guess what that means....
SOMETIMES THEY WILL OUTSMART YOU OR JUST DO SOMETHING YOU DON'T EXPECT OR CAN'T AVOID.
QQ
pew-pew
nehrdd rayge moar
lolatyou Jul 21st 2009 7:44PM
if you defend druid instant cast flight form with the reasoning being "it's apart of the game", you're an idiot.
as for the hunter pet, l2sap and blind the pet, you shouldnt need the blind to reset against a hunter unless it's BM but BM is a broken spec in general which needs to be changed
Hu Jul 13th 2009 3:37AM
Pally stunning and unloading sick amount of damage in a short time (and then bubbling just to annoy you) was also part of the game. It was just too much, and had to be changed. And you can find a lot of other similar points.
SFF with its instant cast and no "dismounting" on damage is imo too efficient over the other classes for farming mines/herbs.
emsee Jul 13th 2009 9:07AM
Welcome changes for farming, no doubt... I just wish that they'd make so that a wandering MOB had to actually hit me to interrupt casting the mount, instead of just seeing me from way over there and interrupting my cast at 90% complete.