What does “early flying” mean for 9.2 and 9.3?

[Omedon]

You know what fascinates me is the subtext of getting flight in 9.1, when 9.2 and potentially 9.3 are likely introducing new landmasses that we have to assume will be one of two things:

1) New areas that we cannot fly in

2) Redone old areas

Sure there’s a chance we get multiple flight unlocks, but that feels unlikely to me.

I also refuse to believe we don’t get a 9.3. Shadowlands is way too important and pivotal to the game’s overall tone and future to pull a WoD and cut it short.

So what do you think? Are we getting multiple flight unlocks as new landmasses arrive, are we only going to fly in the covenant zones in shadowlands, or are we returning to older areas again that are already flyable?

[TyrianFC]

If you follow recent rumours (or leaks), its possible the Jailer wins in 9.1 and then invades Northrend, which is where the subsequent patch or raid could take place.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

I am getting this funny feeling with how SL development is going what you see zone wise is probably what you are going to get. It might be possible the Maw or Orbos get a little addition or something but I doubt flying will enter into either zone. You might get a revamp in Ice Crown or something, but flying was already a thing there.. so. I am also fairly certain they are giving flying so soon because in SL it is the least impactful. Have to take FPs to every zone before you can fly. Cannot fly in the main central city of the expansion. Cannot fly in the Maw. Of course people will twist this into saying "flying is pointless" because they have to have some reason to suck air but it is hard to deny it means so much less in SL.

[AlmightyGerkin]

Could be like 8.3 with zones being under the jailer control but still able to fly if he escapes and get to Northrend (imo)/Azeroth

[Hastis]

Jailer takes last key from arbiter that blue orb on his chest and i assume he will put it into his. Blizz said that after 9.1 shadowlands will never be this same

[Stardrift]

If you follow recent rumours (or leaks), its possible the Jailer wins in 9.1 and then invades Northrend, which is where the subsequent patch or raid could take place.

I think it'll be Dragonblight. Galakrond's corpse and unfinished work of the Lich King and all.

[MrLachyG]

You know what fascinates me is the subtext of getting flight in 9.1, when 9.2 and potentially 9.3 are likely introducing new landmasses that we have to assume will be one of two things:

1) New areas that we cannot fly in

2) Redone old areas

Sure there’s a chance we get multiple flight unlocks, but that feels unlikely to me.

I also refuse to believe we don’t get a 9.3. Shadowlands is way too important and pivotal to the game’s overall tone and future to pull a WoD and cut it short.

So what do you think? Are we getting multiple flight unlocks as new landmasses arrive, are we only going to fly in the covenant zones in shadowlands, or are we returning to older areas again that are already flyable?

I think 9.2 will still be in the Shadowlands but yes 9.3 could well be on Azeroth. as far as new zones go, every time we have gotten a new zone in the .2 patch of the last few expansions we have been able to fly there (Tanaan, Broken Shore, Nazjatar, Mechagon) so I don't see why that wouldn't be the case this time. the .3 patch might be a different story

[Schizoide]

There's no way to predict because they keep changing it up, but what I hope they do is add flying to each additional openworld zone after the player completes a questline or achievement.

Also given the pandemic, etc, I wouldn't be surprised of there is no 9.3.

[Unlimited Power]

At the current rate of content patches, either SL will be a 3 year expansion and have a patch 9.3 or Shadowlands will be a 2 year expansion ending with 9.2.

In any case I suspect we'll return to Azeroth by the last content patch of the expansion. From what we can tell on the PTR, it very much seems like the Jailer will "win" after the defeat of Sylvanas and escape the Maw.

And if the potentially leaked cinematic turns out to be true, it's very likely we'll witness the invasion of Northrend by the Jailer, possibly as soon as 9.2.

In that case it's very likely that we'll immediately be able to fly there, much like the reused Vale and Uldum zones in 8.3.

[Schizoide]

I sure hope you're wrong, reused zones suuuuuuuck. (But yeah, that seems likely.)

[Nyel]

I think 9.2 will still be in the Shadowlands but yes 9.3 could well be on Azeroth. as far as new zones go, every time we have gotten a new zone in the .2 patch of the last few expansions we have been able to fly there (Tanaan, Broken Shore, Nazjatar, Mechagon) so I don't see why that wouldn't be the case this time. the .3 patch might be a different story

By 9.1 pretty much all Shadowlands‘ zones are finished and their major stories wrapped up, even the Maw. We had a map from the First Ones about Shadowlands and it only showed the four major zones we got. I really don’t think there’s a completely new zone coming out for Shadowlands in the next patch (or ever).

If we indeed go to Azeroth the flying issue will be a no-issue as we can fly in Azeroth / Northrend already. This would be a neat way to avoid issues with flying altogether.

[FarmerEd]

It feels like a "natural" progression would be Torghast - > Northrend -> Galakrond ressurected -> Dragon isles, though that would either turn the dragon isles into a tiny patch zone (which would be unsurprising considering Argus, Nazjatar and Ny'alotha) or otherwise, we'd need something more inbetween, with Galakrond leading into the next expansion.

At any rate, reused zones looks like a logical assumption for the next step.

[Ohvul]

I doubt it but I'd like to see them somehow pull off three dimensional zones. Shadowlands is such an odd place, flying into floating necropolis', revendreth torn apart like outland, tree cities in ardenweald, bastion platforms.

Phase it based on completing your covenant campaign and similar to threads of fate offer new characters a skip forward option.

[Kalisandra]

I am getting this funny feeling with how SL development is going what you see zone wise is probably what you are going to get. It might be possible the Maw or Orbos get a little addition or something but I doubt flying will enter into either zone. You might get a revamp in Ice Crown or something, but flying was already a thing there.. so. I am also fairly certain they are giving flying so soon because in SL it is the least impactful. Have to take FPs to every zone before you can fly. Cannot fly in the main central city of the expansion. Cannot fly in the Maw. Of course people will twist this into saying "flying is pointless" because they have to have some reason to suck air but it is hard to deny it means so much less in SL.

Flying being so limited is really irksome. There's no reason they couldn't make entering the entry/exit portal to each zone whisk you off to Oribos the way it does taxis. And no flying in Oribos says to me that they were lazy about fully completing it, but a few invisible walls to stop you flying too high and low would solve that and the city is huge and open (as Shattrath was) and thus ideally suited to flight. As for no flight in The Maw, they've said it's not thematically appropriate, but there are other flying things there (the forsworn, for starters), so to heck with that.

It's just more of what we've had ever since WoD. The devs really don't want flight, but simply not having it would mean tons of players leaving (as they did in WoD when they said "We're not doing flight after all"), so when they put it in, they're mean with it.

The problem is, they still design their zones like they're intended for flight - vertical, tightly packed, difficult to get around on the ground because of the barriers and high mob density. As a result the zones get really annoying to move around in really fast, and yet they withhold flight for far longer than is necessary to meet their "you should experience everything 'as intended' first" standard.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

Flying being so limited is really irksome. There's no reason they couldn't make entering the entry/exit portal to each zone whisk you off to Oribos the way it does taxis. And no flying in Oribos says to me that they were lazy about fully completing it, but a few invisible walls to stop you flying too high and low would solve that and the city is huge and open (as Shattrath was) and thus ideally suited to flight. As for no flight in The Maw, they've said it's not thematically appropriate, but there are other flying things there (the forsworn, for starters), so to heck with that.

It's just more of what we've had ever since WoD. The devs really don't want flight, but simply not having it would mean tons of players leaving (as they did in WoD when they said "We're not doing flight after all"), so when they put it in, they're mean with it.

The problem is, they still design their zones like they're intended for flight - vertical, tightly packed, difficult to get around on the ground because of the barriers and high mob density. As a result the zones get really annoying to move around in really fast, and yet they withhold flight for far longer than is necessary to meet their "you should experience everything 'as intended' first" standard.

I don't understand the history lesson or the reason behind it. I am just saying how it likely is going to be. I am not really happy about it but I have learned a long time ago building ones happiness around Blizzard products leads to anti-depressants.