How many of you would like to see pathfinder removed or changed?

[Grimbold21]

Well, besides what I said before, every time this topic pops up my reply is the same: Pathfinder is personally intolerable because of the philosophy behind zone design from WoD onwards.

You want me on the ground for half of an expansion's life cycle? Alright. Give me zones like Tanaris, Badlands, Eastern Plaguelands, you know open zones, not convoluted garbage

[Lolites]

Its going down because their stupid decisions and flying is one of the many reasons,many things are locked behind loooooooooooong time gate.Flying was one of the things that came early on in game,not year after.Please,all this "you dont see world out there"we want you to experiance content,blabla"its all crap.What content exactly?If it werent for forced world quests,what would there be to do,well farm herbs/ores.It's nothing else but a way to make you keep paying them sub... It was fine when they just gave us flying.

here is the thing: theres NOTHING ingame you cant do without flying (well except flying itself), so its only a "speed buff" if you will, and as such, why should we get it free?
you are forced to do wq you say, forced how? if you dont want to do them, you dont have to, you wont unlock flying, but hell you dont need it, and tbh its not usefull for anything else than wq

[Ange]

I would be more on board with Pathfinder if it was one part instead of two and all the requirements were accessible as soon as the expansion launched, with the only 'gating' being your own on how fast/rigorously you pursued it.

The whole point of a timegate is to prevent the content skip. The conditions for PF are so low, that a casual player gets it passive as soon as the timegate ends.

Its a working model to keep casual players engaged with the gaming world who otherwise would not do anything else. Why would you want to take it away from them?

If this was about raiding, you (a mythic raider) would demand the removal of LFR AND the release of all mythic-raid-tiers at once. Releasing all raid-tiers at once would be a great way to skip Moltencore and jump straight into NAXX and make the encounter-design/lore/arts of each tier before the last worthless and second demanding the LFR removal even though its typically not played by a mythic raider is just CONTENT REMOVAL for no reason.

Thats what you asking with a PF timegating removal.

[literallysame]

The only change I would make is that keep the current pathfinder in the game. Part 1 gives you increased mount speed and Part 2 gives you flying and a special mount. At the end of the expansion, say the prepatch for the next expansion, let the people who are just joining back buy flying, but lose out on the Part 1 and Part 2 effects, so no increased mount speed and no special mount. I think this would satisfy a lot of people. You would still be able to go back and earn the pathfinders and get the mount speed increase and mount.

[Shakana]

"How many of you..." no poll

Well i forgot to add poll, then after created, i can't add it xD don't make me embarrassed in front of so many people, shhhhh! xD

[Darknessvamp]

As someone who waited until 8.2 came out before subbing back to the game and was able to do both Pathfinder One and Two in two weeks, I'd say get rid of the time gating aspect for current content e.g. Keep Pathfinder as is but when One in completed flying is available in all current areas immediately then when the next content areas come out Pathfinder Two unlocks flying for them.

Alternatively, just get rid of Pathfinder and go back to 100g at level cap. Maybe make it require Loremaster to be available.

So? People leveled through WoD and Legion without flying. They are designed to be able to be done without it.

And hey, what a perfect chance to get it while leveling an alt!

<.<' '>.> I flew in WoD and Legion whilst leveling...

[rhorle]

By the time we have flight, we already have whatever new world/quest gear is available, so it feels like there's not much left to do as the thing that kept us logging in was earning that flight reward. Make it part of the game and not a grind reward, then add something else for people to keep playing for, and they'll stay sub'd even after they earn flight.

With BfA you could get flight in 2 to 3 weeks. I even took a weeks vacation and still had it with in the month. You could have flying unlocked before you did or saw all of the content of the new zones let alone "fully geared" for those zones.

[Shakana]

As someone who waited until 8.2 came out before subbing back to the game and was able to do both Pathfinder One and Two in two weeks, I'd say get rid of the time gating aspect for current content e.g. Keep Pathfinder as is but when One in completed flying is available in all current areas immediately then when the next content areas come out Pathfinder Two unlocks flying for them.

Alternatively, just get rid of Pathfinder and go back to 100g at level cap. Maybe make it require Loremaster to be available.

I feel that almost everyone and including me really just wants pathfinder part 2 to come sooner. That is not surprising and i think it's exactly what they should do. And make loremaster to be involved with it, not just the usual unlock, or something fun in the process that is not just reputations. Quest-chains can be fun too. Exploring is nice, having zones checked for exploring on the ground, also a nice feeling.

[RaoBurning]

The only change I would make is that keep the current pathfinder in the game. Part 1 gives you increased mount speed and Part 2 gives you flying and a special mount. At the end of the expansion, say the prepatch for the next expansion, let the people who are just joining back buy flying, but lose out on the Part 1 and Part 2 effects, so no increased mount speed and no special mount. I think this would satisfy a lot of people. You would still be able to go back and earn the pathfinders and get the mount speed increase and mount.

This seems really reasonable. I skipped WoD, for example, because it was a trashpile, but I like to go solo the old raids for cash. The Pathfinder for Draenor is a bit ridiculous, so it'd be nice now that it's 2 xpacs old (going on 3) to just spend a grand and fly through it; even if the cash cost is per character while the Achievement is account wide. I'd make the money back in a night.

[Littleraven]

I am fine with pathfinder as a concept. My only gripe with it is how long it takes for part 2 to come out. Pathfinder should be able to be earned from the jump and only be 1 part. Keep the requirements the same aside from the unnecessary second part. Have it require exploring all of the zones, doing all the quests and being max level. That should be all it requires.

Final Fantasy 14 does it somewhat like this where if you explore the zones and do the quests you will have flying by max level.

[literallysame]

This seems really reasonable. I skipped WoD, for example, because it was a trashpile, but I like to go solo the old raids for cash. The Pathfinder for Draenor is a bit ridiculous, so it'd be nice now that it's 2 xpacs old (going on 3) to just spend a grand and fly through it; even if the cash cost is per character while the Achievement is account wide. I'd make the money back in a night.

Yeah gold cost per character.

[Flutterguy]

Flying should be unlocked at end game. I don't mind requiring exploration and completing the zones to unlock it, but I don't think it should be delayed to some uncertain future of the game. The whole point of locking flying was to make us take the tour through the content. If we're done with the content, there's no reason to lock flying.

[Tziva]

I completely fine with:

• Having to do all the content first without flying to unlock flying
• Having to meet some objectives/achievements that shows familiarity with the zone before unlocking flying. Hitting the level cap, getting full zone exploration and through certain storylines makes sense and is reasonable.

I'm not really a fan of the arbitrary time gating of these things, and I'm especially not in favour of the extremely extended timeline that Blizzard has been doing it for the last few expansions. If they were just like "hey we're holding off two months not just so your main but even the slow levelers have made it through on their mains before we do flying because warmode/whatever" then fine. But this months stretching into years just feels completely arbitrary like inconvenience cheaply masquerading as challenge. Flying earlier makes it easier to level alts, which is already a chore, makes it easier for gathering for consumables, and IMO actually pushes people out in the world.

Other than that, the only change I'd really make to Pathfinder is making the current expansion one automatically include flying in old expansions. Make the old Pathfinder achievement feats of strength or something. I've never missed getting Pathfinder as current content, so this isn't me being lazy, I just think that it really sucks for people who come back to the game later to have to suffer through a shitton of obsolete content to be able to get the convenience of flying in places they might want to farm rares or collectables or whatever. It feels unnecessary to make people go back through those old grinds.

[js3915]

Problem with changing pathfinder they are limited if they went back to charging players gold i could see them putting something like 20-50K gold for flying per character. Considering they are doing tokens now heck they might charge well over 100k to fly....

Pathfinder sucks but its account-wide at least. I think the best middle ground would be lower rep requirements from exalted to revered o unlock per character or account wide 1 character all rep exalted and zones explored like currently

[kuhntasmash]

I think previous expansions should either be completely unlocked the day the recent expansion drops or a gold cost at that point.

Current expansion, if they really want people to have to "earn" the ability to fly in a new area, make it unlockable from the get go. Not, waiting half way through the expansion for another reputation to reveal it self.

[Destinas]

The only thing I would change is how long it takes for part 2 to come out. By the time the .1 patch comes around we're well-versed with the new continent - and then we have to wait until the .2 patch. It's a bit too long of a wait for me.

I would also love if each new pathfinder achievement retroactively added the ones from previous expansions as well. I have all the flying, but it kind of sucks for people that didn't/couldn't play much in Legion or WoD, and want to be able to fly there. It's all old content, I find it strange that they expect people to do the same amount of work for that now, while also expecting people to be in the new content entirely.

[vsb]

I want to complete the entire campaign and all quests without flying. Then I'll have enough landwalking experience and ok with flying.

IMO best option would be to enable flying from the start for ridiculous price (10 mil) and after few months for the rest with pathfinder achievements (explore everything and complete all quests).

Postponing it so much as in BfA is not necessary.

[Enthusiastic Steward]

I like how you articulate your words. And also, love your signature, embracing the new expansion ^^

Thanks! And if I had free reign to design a high fantasy zone for WoW with any aesthetic I wanted it would end up looking pretty much like how Bastion is looking, so that's an easy sell.

The whole point of a timegate is to prevent the content skip. The conditions for PF are so low, that a casual player gets it passive as soon as the timegate ends.

Its a working model to keep casual players engaged with the gaming world who otherwise would not do anything else. Why would you want to take it away from them?

The biggest problem with this argument is that by practically any definition I would qualify as a casual player but I am advocating for the system you are positing is against my best interests.

[Ragedaug]

With BfA you could get flight in 2 to 3 weeks. I even took a weeks vacation and still had it with in the month. You could have flying unlocked before you did or saw all of the content of the new zones let alone "fully geared" for those zones.

Don't know what to tell you. By the time I had flight, I no longer felt compelled to grind in those zones. I got on my alts and finally leveled them, and played them until they had some nice gear, but once they had all their benthic, I no longer felt compelled to grind the alts anymore in the new zones.

So granted, I'm speaking just for myself, but in previous expansions, where I didn't have to grind for flight, I continued playing & grinding for other stuff in the game. In the last two XPac's I grind for flight, then once I have it, I no longer feel compelled to keep grinding.

As a note, in WoD, that was the first XPac I let my sub lapse. What separates WoW from any other RPG I might play is unrestriced flight. So WoW without flight becomes a rotational game that I'll sub to when/if I feel like playing it for a few weeks. Without flight, I quickly lost the compulsion to grind for anything so long as they kept me grounded. Let me fly for my convenience, exploration, and wonder. Keeps me much more engaged than flight paths. And then, give me something that feels worth earning and I'll get back out there and grind.

MMORPGers have long been known for their willingness to grind the same tasks over and over for a meaningful reward. Right now, there isn't anything "meaningful" in BFA that's holds my interest.

Blizz "You have 54 AP. Don't you want to grind to get that AP to 55??"
Me: "meh"

Blizz "You have 700 pets, do you want to grind to get this 701 pet, even though you rarely use 99% of your pets, and this one is pretty similar to others you already have?"
Me: "meh"

Blizz "You have 200 mounts. Do you want to grind to get this 201 mount, even though it's mostly a reskin of ones you already have and currently don't use?"
Me: "meh"

[Mirishka]

I'm O.K. how it works.

No, you know what? I would add a Mage-Tower mechanic as the last part of the Pathfinder, so only the really worthy could fly.

One of the worst ideas I've seen in a forum full of bad ideas.

There's nothing 'worthy' about what is basically a glorified noclip mode in WoW.