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The long-awaited World of Warcraft expansion, Midnight, is finally here, and Blizzard's hard at work tidying up fans' experience with it via hotfixes and updates – including one that lifts the requirement to unlock Pathfinder for Steady Flight.
There were discussions surrounding the necessity to unlock Pathfinder for traditional flying in Midnight before the expansion even released – see Reddit for examples.
Folks were frustrated about the potential grind, with one fan dubbing the requirement "so fucking stupid," but the community hasn't exactly been able to agree on the matter… well, ever. There are arguments for mounted flight, of course, but also a movement against flying.
Yes, that's right – the "No Flying Movement" or "Ground Mount Movement," whatever you prefer to call it, has seen a rise in supporters as arguments that not enough players interact with the world meaningfully anymore and avoid all challenge via flight.
It's… a lot, but Blizzard is listening, and a new Midnight update proves as much. Now, Steady Flight in Midnight and The War Within zones are no longer unlocked via Pathfinder achievements.
While discussing why this requirement was in place at all, community manager Randy 'Kaivax' Jordan explains, "Questing through Azeroth has always had a… complicated relationship with flying. There are countless cases where the ability to fly trivializes a challenge or ruins the pacing of an experience."
He uses an example in which flightless players fight to reach their target, while those flying can avoid any difficulty altogether. "That said, players love their mounts, love being efficient, and love seeing the world from above, so flight has stuck around," admits Kaivax.
"Different expansions have handled rulesets differently, but we've generally sought compromise in the form of: your first time through the game, your flight capabilities are limited, and then after you've explored most of the world, your flight capability is less limited."
Seems fair enough, right? The old system of Skyriding vs. Steady Flight doesn't really work anymore, though. "The distinction between Skyriding and Steady Flight has diminished greatly so that it no longer really makes sense to distinguish between Skyriding and Steady Flight while leveling" – hence the hotfix.
As for what the future holds, Blizzard "will continue to look at how the ability to fly affects our play experiences."
Although the studio acknowledges recent arguments against flying and how Midnight "hits different" from the ground, the developers "don't have any plans to restrict flight access meaningfully in the future" – although they'll keep such feedback in mind.
Overall, fans seem impressed with the announcement so far, thankfully, and the direct replies showcase this. "Good change, reads one." Another simply declares this a "biiiiiig W."
Here's hoping some sort of balance is found between frequent flyers and ground truthers. I'd personally agree with comments pointing out that, as it stands, World of Warcraft is suited to both styles of exploration… It's up to the player to choose, which is fair enough.
