Heirloom Tome Will Allow Cold Weather Flying at 68

Zarhym has confirmed on the official forums that a new heirloom item called Tome of Cold Weather Flight is planned to be added in patch 3.2 that allows your alts to learn Cold Weather Flying at level 68. You can only purchase the tome with a level 80 character on the same realm, faction and account to mail to your alts. Each tome costs 1,000 gold and is consumed once it's used. "It's a small perk for those who have reached level 80 and like leveling new races or classes," Zarhym said.

As always, the functionality of the tome may change as testing progresses. You can discuss the topic in this thread in our general forum and read Zarhym's original post below.

Just to confirm, Tome of Cold Weather Flight is actually a new heirloom item planned to go into patch 3.2. At level 80 players can buy this heirloom item from the Cold Weather Flying Trainer in Dalaran for 1,000 gold and send it to an alt of the same realm, faction and account. The tome can be used to learn Cold Weather Flying at level 68, consuming the tome in the process.

Please note this feature is not yet in the newest version of the public test realm patch notes updated today. The item and its functionality are subject to change during the testing process.

PTR Patch Notes: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=17899680776&sid=1

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Shortest Straw?
# Jul 10 2009 at 2:42 AM Rating: Decent
I met WoW pre-BC, I had a NE Druid and of course that I was a noob, I wasn't playing it properly. Never actually enjoyed it, so i dropped playing, then i made a new subscription and opened a new character(which was a troll) and i was having fun. Being a Horde was far more fun even its level was low. When it was still low level, BC came out, my friend bought it first, then i went and bought it and opened a new BE Hunter. I was having more fun than I had with the troll, but other people had already had a hugely long way, and there was one big problem(according to a friend) that i didn't enjoy instances. Even a little bit. I quested my way, traveled a lot, appreciated the view.. When I was 40, I didn't have the money to buy the mount and get the mail training at the same time, and i wasn't even close. I started to take proffesions seriously and leveled my skinning. Then I got to Alterac Mountins and started to farm something. Like literally. And the whole thing, was fun. AH started to become my friend, I definitely understood what people wants. And of course, if there are some suckers who buy an over-priced item once in a blue moon, then i got lucky, etc.. I was having fun. Then when I got close to 60, most players I know was 70 for a long time, and I was dropping playing for 1-2 months and WoTL was close, i think, and I was still not having fun in the instances because of the over-the-top-ambitious people and pressing the same 6 buttons for an hour or 2, so I haven't bothered. I did pvp, and I enjoyed that. I got myself a war walf and i loved it. I still do. I didn't bother with the instances because I knew no matter how many hours I tried to pick up some good gear, the new expansion was soon and all of my efforts were going to be placed with quest awards.
Now that I'm 80(recently)i am doing instances as long as i find someone. I have to have some good gear before I start the heroics, but no one is looking for Normal anymore, though, i try to do it. And yeah, i do have a little fun. Not like before though. Not like I pvp'ed my *** to get that pvp mount. Like, "eh, I've got nothing to do anyway, let's try to get some better gear." I started the tournament, but after some point, it started to get boring too. And, "The Grand Melee" is freaking impossible. All of a sudden they have 2 shields out of nothing? I sometimes continue my quests in Icecrown&Storm Peaks, but not getting xp from my kills, it feels like i'm doing it for nothing. And I can't even stay at Dalaran for a long time because there are sooo many people in it and my fps drops like hell in dalaran and our crappy internet connection in my country(not crappy for anything else, just Dalaran) doesn't allow me to see in Dalaran like i should. And now i won't be able to play like 10 months, and when i come back, the game will be changed like crazy. And after like 2-3 months after i come back, there will probably be a new expansion pack, and the level limit will be 90. And what? mounts at 10 after 20? What the hell is 20 anyway? And the prices going low like, every minute? I'm so sorry and I love the game, but **** that man. It's driving me nuts. What are you trying to do Blizz? Because i really don't think they know the answer to this one. This(cold weather at 68 for alts thing) isn't even a bad change and i know i'm far off topic but i just had to say those, i think.
Catering plays very little part.
# Jul 09 2009 at 7:24 AM Rating: Excellent
45 posts
Look a little more closely at what these changes are all intended for. Heirloom items, mount minimization, etc. The point is to keep the game balanced NOT by level - but by play time from entry to cap.

This change is a bit unique. Note that it's an heirloom item, so the only players who can take advantage are those who already "explored Northrend", Blizzard's self-proclaimed reason for introducing the limitation to begin with. Everyone still has to reach at least L77 the first time, and have an L80 character to enable alts.

Most of the complaint comes from those players who invested so much time on something that Blizzard then hands away. There are a few things to keep in mind here, why (while it's entirely reasonable to feel frustrated) Blizzard finally decided to introduce the changes.

1) It's an MMO - where are all the people?
Let's be honest. Outside of the main capitals, the rest of the world is a wasteland. I remember when I started the game (just after the BC expansion release), there were low-levels everywhere. Need help with that group quest? Wait 5 seconds, someone will wander along. But pay close attention - because they're ALL Blood Elves and Draenei. When I re-rolled as a Horde Troll 6 months later, I found a barren wasteland. (Okay, yes, I was in the Barrens. Regardless.) The high-levels had either abandoned their experimental new toons or levelled them past 60 already.

For new players, this can be a major turn-off. If Blizzard leaves the difficulty level, especially in the 40-60 range where it was originally, people burn out. No other people means less engagement and more difficulty, and when you toss $15 a month on top of what is now (apparently) a one-player game - what's the point?

Many of the changes being introduced (mounts at 20, anyone?) are intended to help newer players survive the sheer boredom and drudgery that the abandoned continents have become. The goal is to help them get where everyone else is - Dalaran.

These are, quite honestly, the same points that I believe led Blizzard to some of the more disputed topics, such as dropping Emblems of Heroism and Valor and handing out Conquest. Yes, there are a lot of people who are angry at having these made so freely available after bleeding all over Ulduar and Naxx. But when the change happens (3.2), all of you will be moving into the Tournament, and the heroics and raids will start to empty out. Players will struggle to find groups for heroics, and hit a wall where they would need those heroics to progress to Naxx, Naxx to move to Ulduar, and Ulduar to get into the Tournament - with no way to make it happen. Even with this change, Blizzard is trying to help their non-elite player base catch up to the rest of the players.

2) What's the benefit for us?
Now, the important part. All of the players who have been in-game for a long time, sweated through Molten Core, scraped through Kara, and won that first uber-victory against Yogg-Saron... Are upset. They feel like Blizzard forced them to struggle then proceeded to hand it out like candy to children. I'm certainly going to be furious when the epic flying drops to 1,000 gold, or Mechano-Hog parts start to be craftable.

But should we be? If you're in this class, you already have these things. You probably had them a while ago, soaring around with ease while the more casual players ate themselves inside-out with envy. And with the new expansion, if you continue to play as you do, you're going to be riding Dragonhawks and smiting Onyxia with your pinky-finger, while they lose half their health in a duel with a Rabbit.

So the question you should ask yourself is this:

What's most important to me: Staying on the bleeding edge, or enjoying the simple pleasures?

Think about it carefully. Is it worth the cost to always be on top? If the answer is yes, then be prepared to always pay a higher price than those that come after. You are the forerunners. The ones who cut the trail, who battle for every inch, and who fight and die to leave a mark. After you've come and gone, what you do is used by those who follow after. Some may even fail to appreciate what you've done in making a way for them.

This is a fact of life. I certainly almost never think about the people who invented the automated counting machine, or liquid crystal display, or spent half a year writing thousands of lines of code just so a digital avatar's chest could bounce. (I'm just kidding, nameless software engineer. You're my hero. Really.) But thanks to their cumulative years of effort, I can now walk into a room, push a few buttons, and enjoy a game that still holds my attention. And let's not ignore that, for most of us, the fact that we live where we live, with air conditioning and comfy chairs, is a result of more of the same.

Older people do this all the time. We all know the phrase, "When I was your age..." Well, when I was your level...

If you've played the game for a while, you know well by now that the time will come when the level cap reaches 90, and all of Northrend becomes the frozen wasteland it should originally have been. The dragons will return to their dreaming, the Old Gods will fade into legend, and the Lich King will move to Aruba. All of your work will, at that point, be replaced by a few world drop greens and a quest reward or two. New players will neither appreciate nor understand what it means to have the Undying title, as they wander in with a few friends and have it in a couple hours.

Why are you always one of the first to beat a new instance? Why do you have 5 characters with Epic / Cold-Weather flying? Why is your Emblem of Valor total in the triple digits, with nothing left to spend it on? If you don't know, maybe it's time to try the life of a casual player. Read through the achievement list and try out a few (non-raid) challenges. Maybe take up fishing or cooking. Or go solo Deadmines; hunt for rare creatures; work on the Loremaster title. Maybe start collecting companion pets and mounts. Or just wander around offering aid to the new players who are stuck in a game that they started three years too late. There's a lot to do in the game that neither needs nor particularly cares whether you've capped your gear or mastered that skill rotation, and it can be a lot more fun.

You may find that you've been missing out on the real pleasure that the game offers, and that you should have been a casual all along.

Or you may try it, and discover that the thrill and discovery of the bleeding edge is worth always paying more than those who come after.

Or, perhaps after breaking free off the desperate press to not be left behind, you may find that the game has turned hollow for you, and move on to something else.

In the end, what you learn about yourself will be worth the time.
re : against it
# Jul 09 2009 at 5:06 AM Rating: Good
24 posts

i whole heartedly agree ... if u wanted to do something productive to help "older" players why not allow soul bound items to be account bound or some such similar thing ? i have 5 toons at 80 all of them have 300 riding skill and cold weather flying , guess what we all do now is go /sigh Blizzard every time one of these " new" changes comes into play. just my 2c worth .

I'm sure there is going to be a whole lot of fuss...
# Jul 08 2009 at 7:21 PM Rating: Decent
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1,882 posts
I'm sure there is going to be a whole lot of fuss about this but why? Majority of us veteran players got our flying and potentially epic flying in Burning Crusade. I thought it was completely ridiculous that I couldn't use my epic flier in Northrend, which I spent ridiculous amounts of time in BC earning, until I was almost done.

I spent 5000g to make my life easier. And in the end was denied. Yes, I did work my tail off for it. Then they release a new expansion and go "Well we want you to see everything."

This change fits under the whole "It really should have been this way all along." patches. If we had been allowed to fly in Northrend at 68 from the get go the majority of players and I'm going to assume posters on this forum wouldn't have said a thing.

Yes, they are also increasing basic flying to 150% (up from 60%). I am by far not a "lazy" player. I never, ever understood why a flying mount was so painfully slow. It was easier in most situations to land and grab my epic ground mount. (only exceptions being zones like Storm Peaks or Blade's Edge where terrain made it too difficult to ride on ground). This never made any sense to me at all. And I believe this is about the speed it should have been all along.

I think the majority of changes being made to the game are common sense changes. Things that had they been like this from the beginning nobody would scream "Wow its too easy lets make our 900g fliers go the speed of our very first mounts! And lets make it so we can't fly in Northrend until 77. Lets make it so clams don't stack! (yes i went there)."
Faster Speed
# Jul 08 2009 at 4:49 PM Rating: Good
Yes, regular flying mounts will fly at 150%, but still run at 60%.
Faster Speed
# Jul 11 2009 at 3:33 AM Rating: Decent
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267 posts
I thought the ground speed of flying mounts was being brought up to 100% like the epic ground mounts. Maybe I was mistaken on that but that was my understanding.
Faster speed for flying mounts??
# Jul 08 2009 at 3:06 PM Rating: Good
26 posts
I thought I read somewhere that 3.2 would increase the speed of regular flying mounts. Can anybody confirm thie? And, if true, what is the speed increase? Thanks
Blizzard
# Jul 08 2009 at 2:40 PM Rating: Excellent
It has always been Blizzards policy to even out game between more casual players and those who don’t have any other life than WOW. Some of us WoW players actually have wives, children’s, other hobbies and full time work that take big part of our life. We can’t stay here 24h/7days a week to get all benefits for us casuals this kind of chances are great.
Blizzard
# Jul 08 2009 at 3:05 PM Rating: Default
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132 posts
Quote:
It has always been Blizzards policy to even out game between more casual players and those who don’t have any other life than WOW.


Even as a longtime supporter of the casual player, I have to call BS on this one.

It is NOT hard to get money in this game to get your epic flight and cold-weather flying. 99% of the time someone complains about being short money in this game, it's because they are not willing to do anything other than sit in Dalaran spamming LFG messages in trade. Get off your butts and do your dailies. Learn how to make money with your professions. Learn how to use the auction house. Other than trips to the nearest local spirit healer, money is the easiest thing to get in this game.
Blizzard
# Jul 09 2009 at 5:26 AM Rating: Excellent
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499 posts
Quote:
99% of the time someone complains about being short money in this game, it's because they are not willing to do anything other than sit in Dalaran spamming LFG messages in trade. Get off your butts and do your dailies. Learn how to make money with your professions. Learn how to use the auction house.


You wake up at 7am, at work by 8:30. You put in a 9-hour day, get home, have dinner with the family, play with the kids for an hour. By the time you spend a little time with the wife and take care of bills, etc, it's 9pm. You have 2 hours to enjoy the game. Do you:

1. Do the same freakin dailies you did yesterday?
2. Farm for mats like you did yesterday?
3. Spend half an hour in the AH like you did yesterday?
4. Do completely different quests than you did yesterday?
5. Run a new instance that you've never run before?

I'll give you a clue: for many of us, it's not 1, 2, or 3. You clearly do not comprehend the playstyle and time requirements of every player who is a self-described casual player. For the casual player who prefers to explore the environment, see content, and wade through lore, there is nothing more boring than doing the same dailies over and over or farming for the same mats over and over. Quests provide a solid level of gold, albeit far from the vast sums that a player with more time available to them may have. I have no problem with Blizzard making things like flight - which is really an aid to those who have limited time on their hand and less of a boost to hardcore players who don't mind the 3-minute trip from Dalaran to SP - more attainable to the masses and making the cost akin to a reasonable amount of questing.

Cheers,
Jorge
#REDACTED, Posted: Jul 09 2009 at 6:47 AM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) Yes, I do. I also see the difference between casual play and someone that just wants everything handed to them with one hit of the easy button. You made your lifestyle choice. You have kids? That was your choice. Guess what? That means you have to sacrifice some of your precious time. Once again, don't go demanding that things be made easier for you because you can't keep up due to your choices.
Blizzard
# Jul 09 2009 at 1:13 PM Rating: Excellent
Here is another clue: Blizzard did not get 9+ million people to play WoW by making a hardcore game.

When people have played the game long enough that they do not want to invest time into making another character they quit. Obviously Blizzard by the changes they have been making to the game want to give players who have played the game a little incentive to play longer by making the leveling process a little faster. This is the path Blizzard has chosen to take. So really, when it comes down to it if you don't like the changes then who is the one that needs to find a new game?

WoW is the most successful MMORPG to date, I think they have an idea of what they are doing.
Blizzard
# Jul 09 2009 at 8:16 AM Rating: Excellent
**
499 posts
Well said, Katchii. Thanks.

Quote:
Did I ask Bliz to make the game easier?


Please explain how granting someone who is level 80 the ability to have an alt fly SEVEN WHOLE LEVELS SOONER makes the game easier. Does my new flying mount get to fight alongside me like a pet? Can I use it in The Nexus to get an extra edge on a boss? Sure, you can argue that I can hop over a stray mob here and there, but it's not like I couldn't have handled them. It's purely a time-saving device. You could also say it makes farming easier, except that, as noted, people who are limited in their playtime aren't spending it farming.

Quote:
That means you have to sacrifice some of your precious time. Once again, don't go demanding that things be made easier for you because you can't keep up due to your choices.


Hmmm...Blizzard announced the change and I'm happy to have it. YOU are the one whining about how unfair it is and implying that it shouldn't be done. Who's demanding here? And who said I care about "keeping up?" I have zero interest in anything beyond the occasional 5-man. I will never have uber-leet purplz and I really don't want to. But I don't see the connection between time spent in the game and quality of skill. If two players complete 70-80, one with a regular 280% epic flier and one with a 310%, are you really saying that the one with the slower flier is the better player and is more dedicated? Please.

It still baffles me that people view any playstyle less hardcore than their own as unsuitable for the game.
Blizzard
# Jul 13 2009 at 8:11 AM Rating: Decent
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132 posts
Wow, Jorge, I can tell just how insecure you are in your statements because you seem to have this burning desire to put words into my mouth that I did not say in order to demonize my position.

Quote:
It still baffles me that people view any playstyle less hardcore than their own as unsuitable for the game.


I don't care if people "less hardcore" than I do play or not (yeah, I'm hardcore, I've been in 25 Ulduar ONCE... that's how hardcore I am), what I do care about are lazy people that can't be bothered to learn how to make money demanding that things be made cheaper. I'm all for making gear easier to obtain - I love that they're puttng emblems of conquest into 5-man heroics, as it will allow people to get geared up easier for Ulduar and beyond without having to find a hardcore raiding guild - but I draw the line at people too damned lazy to learn how to make money, the easiest thing in this game to get.

It's all about responsibility and time management, something that seems to get less and less popular with each generation. Instead, you would rather demand that everything be tailored to you.

Edited, Jul 13th 2009 12:14pm by Yngvie

Edited, Jul 13th 2009 12:16pm by Yngvie
Blizzard
# Jul 09 2009 at 7:14 AM Rating: Excellent
**
747 posts
Your post may be true, but the irony of what your saying is laughable.

Quote:
Did I ask Bliz to make the game easier? No. I realized that my lifestyle choice conflicted with what the game required if I wanted to achieve a certain status, and I quit the game until I could spend more time on it.


That was your choice... he chooses to play for the 2 hours he has on this game because he likes it. And casual players don't really ever DEMAND anything. Complain yes, but hardcore players ***** and moan and cry and whine 1000 times more than any casual player does... look at your post for confirmation on that.

Maybe he's just trying to level to 80 so he can PvP and do the fun daily quests or help out guildies or whatever... it's his choice. Get off your high horse and play your game... we casual players will play ours.... because it's our choice.
Against it
# Jul 08 2009 at 2:04 PM Rating: Decent
Why?
I have 5 alts for both my main Alliance and Horde toons on 3 different servers. I made each one of them earn their own keep and all of my 80's have their Epics and cold weather. It took time and effort... now Bliz seems to be committed to just give away all of these things that many of us worked hard for ( like waiting till 40 AND have a spare 100 gold laying around for a mount). Now it's just almost a freebie at what... mid 20's now?

If Bliz REALLY wants to do something productive... how about allowing you to mail your soul-bound items to an Alt (or for that matter any toon) that can disenchant the item? Maybe allow you to mail them to your alts to DE AND allow a Trade Window just like the locked boxes for Rogues, so an Enchanter can DE your item for you? WHEN!!!!! Hell I think making some of your hard earned work in the trades is worth more than yet another mount!.

Maybe with those changes.. refund the older players that spent a small fortune on the same items.
They're tightening that grip...
# Jul 08 2009 at 12:03 PM Rating: Excellent
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93 posts
Man, they are just goin nuts with the accessibility, aren't they? I think everyone's gut instinct (as older players) is to wince at moves like these, but in the end, we know we all want 'em. ;)
They're tightening that grip...
# Jul 11 2009 at 3:30 AM Rating: Decent
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267 posts
I think it's a great move the way they're doing it. Most of the complaints about the ease of getting mounts etc stem from the fact that it removes the need for newer players to put in the effort that was once required which was fair enough. Too many new players rushing to get things that took a lot of time, enjoyment and learning for other players to get. In this case though they're making it easier for people who have already put in the effort with another toon which I think is great.
They're tightening that grip...
# Jul 08 2009 at 1:14 PM Rating: Decent
Reminds me of EQ days how they made everything start to get more and more easy to obtain. Seen it today on PTR and was shocked at it. I do like the idea of it and all as I do have numerous alts with epic flight already so it will make questing easy would have prefered to see it cost gold + some Heroic marks or something honestly getting to 80 is its own reward.
They're tightening that grip...
# Jul 08 2009 at 12:39 PM Rating: Decent
I know I want it. I'm holding my Druid alt at 61 for the moment. Going to gather up all the movement changes on him in one fell swoop.
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