Summary
Skyriding, the new form of Dragonriding inWorld of Warcraft: The War Within, recently got some streamlined updates on the alpha. These improvements will make the dynamic flying system overhaul inWorld of Warcraft’s new expansion easier to use and more approachable than ever.
ThoughDragonflighthas been full of popular new features, none became as lauded among players as Dragonriding. With the announcement ofThe War Within,World of Warcraftconfirmed Dragonriding would be carried forwardas an evergreen mechanic, first naming the new system Dynamic Flying, and now Skyriding.
Now that several builds oftheWorld of Warcraft: The War Withinalphahave been rolled out over the past couple of months, fans have first-hand experience of what Skyriding will look at. The new Skyriding talent tree is streamlined and straightforward, with almost half of the nodes, like Redirection, Dragonrider’s Initiative, and Airborne Recovery, having been removed, while others were baked into their base system. Players can access this new talent tree, as well as the ability to change between normal flying and Skyriding, directly from the Mount tab in the Collections interface.
Take to the Skies
1
2
Regain Vigor on the ground faster
Activate to regain Vigor
Vigor regeneration at high speeds increased
3
4
Stop in midair, hovering briefly
Regain Vigor when flying near the ground
5
6
Yearning for the Sky
Free
Choice between two abilities
World of Warcrafthas also dramatically expanded the number of flying mounts that can be used for Skyriding. Previously, it had claimedover 440World of Warcraftmounts could use the new flying system. However, as of its most recent build, only fiveWorld of Warcraftflying mounts can’t use Skyriding: the Golden Discus, Mogu Hazeblazer, Otherworldly Ottuk Carrier, Red Flying Cloud, and Sky Surfer. That said, the majority of these are new mounts fromWoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria, so they will probably get Skyriding beforeThe War Withinlaunches, especially since several of them share models with ones that can use it.
Dragonriding Glyphs fromWoW: Dragonflightcan still be obtained around the Dragon Isles, but they are now only for achievement collecting, and no longer provide points to be spent on the Skyriding Talent tree. The new Skyriding Proficiency points are unlocked periodically throughout the leveling process; with 11 points required to fill out the tree, players will presumably get one every 5 levels from levels 15 through 70. Two nodes – one that enables the Ride Along feature, and another that lets players choose between Whirling Surge and Lightning Rush – require no points to learn.
Regain Vigor when using Aerial Halt at high speeds
Whirling Surge evades Wingshredders and dismounts players
Deal damage to nearby enemies when landing at fast speeds
Surge Forward evades obstacles in races
Surge Forward improved at low speeds
Gain a movement speed and a damage shield when landing
Regain Vigor when gathering
Skyrider’s Hunt
Regain Vigor when defeating enemies
Players can expect these changes to come in theWorld of Warcraft: The War WithinPre-Patch. Many speculate this content update will arrive on August 20, the day afterWoW Remix: Mists of Pandariaends, so it may only be a few more months until fans can take their favorite mounts into the skies.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
WHERE TO PLAY
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and is the ninth expansion pack for the iconic massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft.Dragonflight features an overhauled user interface, raises the level cap to 70, and introduces a new race and class.
