Source: www.wow.com/2009/06/10/upcoming-mount-changes/
- 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
Journeyman Riding (Skill 150)
- 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
Expert Riding (Skill 225)
- 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)
Artisan Riding (Skill 300)
- 280% flying mount speed; 100% land mount speed
- Requires level 70
- Cost: 5,000 gold (faction discounts now apply)
- Mount Cost: 100 gold
Let me just say this…I’m a masochist. I love attunements, rep grinds, and overall WORKING for rewards. Gradually Blizzard has lightened up the game in many ways and it’s beginning to get to me.
While I understand that ‘grinding’ is inconvenient and considered ‘not fun’ to some, the rewards felt rare and valuable. Serious players could separate themselves from the pack by putting more time into a certain aspect of the game.
For example, in Burning Crusade, people didn’t start doing heroic dungeons for quite a few months after launch because the instance required a heroic key from a particular faction that was only available at Revered status. So yes, it meant that players had to ‘grind dungeons’, but it also made sure players were geared and experienced enough to handle heroic content (which was MUCH more challenging than Wrath heroics). As Wrath grew closer, the requirements for heroic keys were lowered to honored, and now in Northrend there are no requirements. To compensate, the skill and gear requirements have been toned down BIG TIME.
But I’m getting off topic…
The mount level requirements, and gold cost have been drastically reduced. Now, after finishing up Westfall, players can stroll to Eastvale Logging Camp and hop on a mount…for a measly 4 GOLD! Originally players weren’t able to train riding until level 40. It seems like a bit much now, but when you did ding 40 it was such a great feeling of accomplishment to be able to rush and get your mount. The lower the cost and requirement, the less the feeling of accomplishment and reward.
Again, I get why Blizzard is doing this, but part of the reason why I believe MMOs are successful is because players are able to seperate themselves by the rewards they acheive from work they put into the game. By remove attunements and reducing costs and requirements, the perceived value or riding around on a mount (a symbol of time and dedication) is reduced.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Elitism at its finest right here ladies and gents…
“I loved WORKING for things.. now its so easy” blah blah blah.
So what, you worked hard for things in the past. big deal, we all did, and no one can take that away from us. now quit your b***hing.
I deleted the racial slur, but to reply to your comment, I’m not concerned with what other players have to do to obtain items or achievements. I was stating that the feeling of achievement is dependant on the work it takes to get there, at least to me.
I’m not a hardcore player by any means and am not an elitest, I just enjoy what little rewards I worked for and hope I can keep doing the same.
Thank you for the comment. Good luck.
I for one and happy with the change. I always thought the requirement should be lower. I started playing last year. My first toon was a Night Elf BM Hunter, I remember being excited when I hit 40, I was finally able to get a mount, Yippee! Uhm, why did I have to wait so dang long! I took a break for about 4 months, when I returned I saw a few level 30 something toons with mounts. It didn’t take long to figure out they lowered the requirement. I promptly bought one for my 30 something fire mage.
I’m not too surprised that Blizzard lowered the mount leveling requirement again. Blizz is focused on end-game content and with things like lowering mount costs, BOA items, Recruit a Friend, it is trying to speed people to end-game. It’s great for those who want to move fast to 80, but others.. well they will still take their time despite the improved bells & whistles, and that’s ok. I plan to take my time leveling my Druid.
Yeah, I’m starting to see why the level requirement was changed. I have a bunch of alts and it is brutal to have to walk from town to town after logging off of an 80 toon with epic flying. But obviously I didn’t feel this way on my first toon since I didn’t know any better.
WoW isn’t going to last forever, and I think Blizzard realizes that all of this end-game stuff that they’re putting time and effort into isn’t (or at least, ‘wasn’t') getting played all that much (less so with Wrath, more so with vanilla and even BC).
Whatever the case, the folks at Blizzard sit around all day and weigh the pros and cons of proposed changes…compared to my 15 minutes of pondering while stuck in traffic. They know what they’re doing and I trust that the decisions they make are in our best interest.