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 newsBreakfast Topic: Reining in the ease of collecting mounts
by Audrey Bell 
May 21st 2010 at 8:00AM
Mounts are everywhere -- rightfully so, as they're an absolute necessity. These furry, feathery, leathery or mechanical steeds practically fall from the sky. You can get them from in-game vendors, out-of-game vendors, random drops, timed heroic runs, fishing, trading cards and even just having a bunch of mounts. With so many ways to get them, it's easy to forget how hard they were to get just a few scant years ago.
My first character at level cap was my much-missed warlock. As if slinging curses, ordering around demons and sipping the tears of my enemies weren't enough, I was treated to one of the best climaxes to a quest chain in game. The sheer wildness of trying to keep everything working while simultaneously fending off droves of enemies, culminating in a fantastic boss fight, is something everyone should experience. True, the quests leading up to the final showdown were annoying and expensive, but they were worth it in the end.
However, Blizzard has gone out of their way to make mounts very easy to get. Paladins and warlocks no longer have to go on an epic adventure for their noble or demonic steeds; they simply have to talk to their trainers. The minimum level to get the first mount has been dropped from 40 to 30 to 20, while epic mounts are now under the rumps of those much lower than level 60. Even flying mounts are now available almost as soon as you step into the Outland.
So I've been pondering: Does the huge variety, abundance and awesomeness of mounts these days make up for the ease of obtaining them? Or do you think it was better when you had to walk for a much longer time and scrounge up much more gold (when gold was hard to get)? Are new players missing out on something special by not having to triumph over waves of demons to get their new demon, or are they simply bypassing an unnecessary annoyance to get to the real meat of the game?
Have you ever wanted to write for WoW.com? Your chance may be right around the corner. Watch for our next call for submissions for articles via Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. The next byline you see here may be yours!Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 5)
MW May 21st 2010 8:48AM
I still feel proud of the grind that it took to get my Winterspring Frostsaber. It just fits my Holy priest. Same for her Covenant Hippogryph.
I'm not a mount collector, I prefer to have the quintessential mount for the character's "flavor". I would grind Consortium rep forever to get a crystal mount for my jewelcrafter.
I wish Blizzard would allow us to "upgrade" a current mount to epic for a fee. My mage's Black Stallion was so wonderful, since I read every one of those books as a girl. If only he was a bit faster...
MusedMoose May 21st 2010 8:56AM
This! It's not about the number of mounts - at least not for me - it's about finding the right mount for the character. My DK is doing all kinds of PvP to get enough honor for three of the black war mounts, because they're so very suitable for a DK. And I took tailoring specifically to get my mage the flying carpet, because it's so very magely. Good times.
Luci May 21st 2010 9:28AM
Also this ^ !
Each of my characters has their own mounts and that is that. If I was in a ZG group on my druid and the Zulian Tiger dropped I wouldn't be thinking, "Wow, the Zulian Tiger!" I would be thinking, "OMG I HAVE BEEN FARMING THIS FOR MONTHS ON MY HUNTER I WANT IT ON MY HUNTER!!" /pass.
Grovinofdarkhour May 21st 2010 10:57AM
Exactly.
In hindsight, I think my comment above would have fit better here.
Rajinnu May 21st 2010 8:48AM
I think how it is now is just perfect, mounts back in they day were annoying to wait for, running around is sooooooooooo slow and it really is something you notice whenever you roll that first 15 levels (before DF)
I am quite happy with how it is now
20
40
flight
epic flight is still not a push over, not everyone has 5k laying around and leaving it like this is good, 6k if you want epic and flying in NR still somewhat of a challenge or at least a gold sink.
I wish they had kept it in that your racial mounts REQUIRED the quest, but i guess its still in game.
Mal May 21st 2010 8:48AM
I you ask me, the best compromise would be to do something like the Death Knight deathcharger quest.
It's short, simple, FUN, and most importantly, it's part of the natural progression of the "storyline" for that class.
Malvyn May 21st 2010 8:50AM
I think that times have just changed. When I first started playing you had to be 40. And getting that first 100g was HARD. I didn't even have it when I hit 40. I ended up getting it loaned to me by a 70 in my guild. Who I worked diligently to pay back asap. On my warlock, they had just changed it as I was finishing up the last parts of the quest to be that you didn't need to do the quest any more. But I still had some guildee's help me do it. It felt like a warlock rite of passage. How could I look any of my warlock buddies in the face, around the pub if I didn't do it?
Do I think new players miss some of the epic feeling I had when I first started playing? That wonder when everything is new and that sense of accomplishment when you finally get your first mount or have to complete long quest chains to get it? Yeah I do. But I think at this point pandora's box has been opened and it can't be unopened. For better or worse, mobs drop more gold, I have almost 5 80's, tons of mounts, tons of experience. The game holds less awe for me these days. I've lost a lot of my noobish shine. But it's been replaced by the shine and far away look I get in my eyes when I think back on my old days in game. When I had to walk up the black temple steps uphill both ways just to kill ilidan...
MusedMoose May 21st 2010 8:53AM
I think what matters the most about mounts is what they mean to *you*. For example: I don't think much about the elekks that my draenei mage rode around on at lower levels, because they're the basic race mounts and easy to get. However, the rep grinds I did for her lovely white talbuk and her awesome purple netherwing drake mean that those are special mounts to me, and so I make sure to use them as much as I can. Much the same for my DK's red drake. I'm a roleplayer at heart, so these things end up meaning more to me as I play my various characters.
This is why I don't think there's anything special about the celestial steed. Most mounts you rarely see have some story attached to them, like the ones that come from the ICC achievements. They show that the player with that mount has done something that required skill and/or time, even if it's just a long rep grind like the netherwing. All the celestial steed shows is that someone bought it. Not a bad thing, no, but nothing special. *shrug*
noel mcleod May 21st 2010 8:58AM
I got my first mount at lvl 40 by borrowing money from my daughter, my guildies and my alts. I scraped together every gold I had and messed up my training -didn't have money - for a week. Do I miss that? NO! The awesomeness of finally having a mount doesn't make up for the cost. I started the Paladin Charger questline 2 years ago on what was then my second most played alt - it was one of the reasons I abandoned him. Find a group for Strat before the LFG tool? Are you kidding me? It's actually probably doable now.
I DO think there should be epic questlines available to everybody that result in - for example - an epic weapon or an epic helm or ... something that is truly best in game that's not limited to the elitist jerksand the self-styled raid gods (who aren't the majority players anymore ...).
Greg May 21st 2010 8:57AM
As the classes become more homogenized, it's nice to have something to distinguish you from other players- even if that thing is as trivial as a mount.
Arizor May 21st 2010 9:00AM
Well at this stage, I imagine levelling for most players is just an obstacle in the way of raiding/dungeon farming becuase most of us have already gone through the experience several times and not much has changed.
Come Cataclysm of course it will be different becuase it will be a totally fresh new thing to enjoy, 1-60 and then 80-85 but for now I see getting mounts earlier and easier as an undoubtably good thing.
I mean who really enjoys walking the length of the Barrens or Darkshore time after time at such a slow pace?
For me, they've employed a fine solution and kept the Paladin and Warlock quests in the game for anyone that wants them, and anyone who wants to masochisticly wait another 20 levels for their mount can do and it'll effect basically nobody but themselves.
tadedra May 21st 2010 9:01AM
I love this topic.. I have so much need for this topic. I'm all for everyone having every mount there is either by blood sweet or working for it. For instance I Miss the quest for your mount. I believe that everyone should get a faction mount and a class mount via quest not gold (at first) just because I love earning what I get. I wish the UG raptor mount was the style for the raical mounts. An orc can raise a pup, nightelf raise a nightsabre etc. It should be our first experience as dailies.
I want every class to have a mount dungeon related still at level 40. I mean if you are getting this cute little young pet at 19lvl and then leveling it to a mount by 20 you can wait till 40 before you get a class mount. With Goblins having race car mounts wouldn't it be nice if Rouges had to steal a car. What if Warrior had to fight collesum style? I've heard the gruff on Druid and Shaman instant cast. What if there was one instant cast that went at 40% and one cast that would then allow them to travel mount speed. I just want my ghost wolf to go 100% - 160% cuz it's cool. But I would let it work for lvl 40 after some dungeon quest.
Finally how to gain cross faction mounts. I think the Blood sail pirates have been ignored long enough. After earning exaulted reputaiton with them a player could say go to the towns where enemy mounts are sold and do a good old fashion mount stealing quest. Just like the Death Knights stealing their chargers. If you want a Ram, accept the pvp quest to steal a ram from that little town outside of IF. Of course Pirates being pirates they will sell the mount back to you for 100x the gold they are after all business men. Some nightelf wants a raptor or wolf, same thing. Orc's are the only city I know that have the wolves there in the city. But what a city wide raid that would be. It would be very much the pvp fun don't you think. It would be the pride of a guild to have everyone one on a faction opposing mount. ---smiles with glee--
Finally, figure out a way to sell engineering/Tailoring mounts. I'm thinking making that a new level of riging through trainers of that profession. Its just so sad that I can't give a flying carpet to all my friends. --frowny face---
Glenn May 21st 2010 9:23AM
I really really love the idea of a pup or a cub, like raising it to maturity.
It would be interesting if you left it be, it would mature to a full grown mount (non epic),
but if you did some questline, a right of passage type quest (somewhat epic or hard) it could become a full on epic mount YOU GOT TO NAME.
Just me, I love WoW & all, just anything that is a sidestep evolution that doesn't take from the end game is a bonus to me. Personally, I did the massive grinds back in vanilla (just pre BC) with my hunter, earned gold to funnel to my would be main. I used my first top lvl character for farming (Nagrand any one?) and earned the gold for my other toons this way.
TBH, now I find it isn't even an issue anymore for gold, as to power lvling through questing seems to generate more than enough gold for mounts (non epic flight, of course).
Moorit May 21st 2010 9:11AM
I have no idea where you're getting this.
I have a level 66 shaman who was level 20 when the random dungeon finder came out. Since then I've probably only soloed five levels' worth of XP. The RDF has made in-game grouping easier than ever. Did you ever try to pug Maraudon before the RDF? How about Mana Tombs?
As people have said countless times, the badge changes also make it easy to gear for raids *so that more people can participate in raids.* That is, so that you can go hang out with other people in the game.
And then there's the guild changes coming, which are probably going to reinforce the guild system.
I've seen a lot of changes in favor of increased participation in groups lately. I'm surprised that you haven't.
PvtDeth May 21st 2010 9:16AM
It's funny this comes up now. I recently decided it was time to start working on Netherwing rep, having done the lead-up quest chain during BC. I also just recently got to exalted with Sahatri Skyguards; I would do the dailies here and there whenever I thought of it. So I figured if I'm going to be flying around Outland for extended periods of time, it's only appropriate that I do it on a Nether Ray. I put it on the place on my hotbar where my Black Drake usually goes, so when I got back to Northrend I just mounted up on the ray, not wanting to search for the drake spell. Then I realized I've only ever seen someone on a ray once since Wrath launched.
I'm not especially vain or insecure, but I like to show off a bit like most anyone. I've been riding it around for the past few days. I don't like to buy mounts or pets. I love collecting, but I only get the ones that are rare or difficult. My black drake is definitely cool, but the ray kind of trumps it on the "where did you get that scale." Even if the drake is more rare (I don't know one way or the other,) to most people it's just another drake.
MusedMoose May 21st 2010 9:21AM
Gotta agree with you there - that's part of why I went for the netherwing drake on my mage and part of why I'm going for the nether ray for my DK. The BC mounts are going to get more and more rare as content progresses, so when Cataclysm hits, you won't see mounts like those two very often.
That, and flying around Azeroth on a strange otherworldly creature is going to be just plain cool. ^_^
PvtDeth May 21st 2010 9:17AM
wow.com permabans, right? please say yes.
Kay May 21st 2010 9:21AM
You sure are an edgy and offensive 31 year old sir.
Aggrajag May 21st 2010 9:25AM
I've never seen an online psycho; it's strangely fascinating watching them deteriorate.
Glenn May 21st 2010 9:26AM
Downrate FTW!!!