Winding Slitherdrake speculation

[FelPlague]

Are you talking about protodrake mount that looks exactly like the final boss of the raid?
I’d laugh if that was a KSM reward instead of a drop from the raid.

... that is the point

PVP is getting a skin
Raiding is getting a skin
so why in your mind would you think M+ would get AN ENTIRE NEW DRAKE?

[Nightshade711]

... that is the point

PVP is getting a skin
Raiding is getting a skin
so why in your mind would you think M+ would get AN ENTIRE NEW DRAKE?

Because like SL they’d just use the new drake model for all of DF’s KSM rewards? Just like they used the mostly unique elemental model for all of SLs KSM rewards.

[loras]

Because like SL they’d just use the new drake model for all of DF’s KSM rewards? Just like they used the mostly unique elemental model for all of SLs KSM rewards.

Except that elemental doesn't have a ton of customisation options, which would be wasted resources once it's no longer available.

It's sensible enough to waste a single model on a limited mount, but something with that much work put into it? Doubtful.

[Nightshade711]

Except that elemental doesn't have a ton of customisation options, which would be wasted resources once it's no longer available.

It's sensible enough to waste a single model on a limited mount, but something with that much work put into it? Doubtful.

They said they don’t have any plans to carry dragonriding forward after DF (unless ‘there’s enough feedback for it’ so they’re wasting the work on all the dragons anyways.

[loras]

They said they don’t have any plans to carry dragonriding forward after DF (unless ‘there’s enough feedback for it’ so they’re wasting the work on all the dragons anyways.

Not quite, people will still be able to visit the zones and enjoy that work. An unobtainable mount? Not so much.

It's much more likely going to be available after some story-quest thing. I think that unique customisations for a given mount are much more likely than an entire mount with unique locked-off customisations.
It's also worth noting that this KSM mount thing is a recent thing, it's not nearly as justified for it to reward anything notable as it is for, say, gladiator.
And gladiator usually gets dogshit, as in it's certainly unique dogshit but dogshit nonetheless.
(the last time they got a decent reward might have been WotLK)

[Lady Atia]

They said they don’t have any plans to carry dragonriding forward after DF (unless ‘there’s enough feedback for it’ so they’re wasting the work on all the dragons anyways.

And than they will just enable them as normal mounts once the expansion ends, just like what they did with Artifact Weapon transmogs or the Soulshape toy.

[Berkilak]

Questing in the 10.1 zone, definitely.

That's probably the right call. With all the pom poms and whistles being unlocked with whatever new grind zone we happen upon when the storyline finishes.

[Celement]

My guess would be from a solo difficult to do gameplay option. Kind of like the mage tower going off the artifact system that was similar to this.

[Berkilak]

My guess would be from a solo difficult to do gameplay option. Kind of like the mage tower going off the artifact system that was similar to this.

Maybe if it was a "one and done" sort of deal. But there's so much customization to it that I can't see them gating it all behind a skill check.

[Celement]

Maybe if it was a "one and done" sort of deal. But there's so much customization to it that I can't see them gating it all behind a skill check.

Think it will work akin to the mage tower. One hard to get achievement then mostly flavor ones for tints.

[Berkilak]

Think it will work akin to the mage tower. One hard to get achievement then mostly flavor ones for tints.

I could see a colouration being locked behind a difficult challenge. But not the model itself, and therefore all the different colours, armours, horns, etc.

[Celement]

I could see a colouration being locked behind a difficult challenge. But not the model itself, and therefore all the different colours, armours, horns, etc.

It's how it worked in the past.

[Temp name]

I wonder what kind of animation it would have, as the base model "slithers" way too much for the dragonriding gliding to not look goofy as hell.

I mean, it looks like the cloud serpent model, so it'll have cloud serpent animations

[Berkilak]

It's how it worked in the past.

This would be more akin to locking an entire weapon behind the challenge, not just a single skin.

[Gigantique]

I mean, it looks like the cloud serpent model, so it'll have cloud serpent animations

Yeah but cloud serpent animations would simply NOT work with dragonriding, the slithering movements would be pretty jarring with the gliding aspect. I think it would have new animations to adapt it to dragonriding like the other mounts have (the Highland Drake doesn't have the baseline dragon animations either but new tweaked ones etc)

[Nathanyel]

I mean, it looks like the cloud serpent model, so it'll have cloud serpent animations

I think it rather reuses the skeleton of the Heart of the Aspects, which was a 'preview' of the Cloud Serpents, but was still a winged dragon.

Although that model had issues on its own, mostly wing movements that were way too fast, but I guess that'll get addressed that for the Dragonriding version, as the wings operate differently anyway.

[Nymrohd]

I could see a colouration being locked behind a difficult challenge. But not the model itself, and therefore all the different colours, armours, horns, etc.

A Full Transformation could be behind something like that if we get it. Honestly designing FIVE different challenges (tanking, healing and three different dps ones) and locking behind them ASPECT Full Transformations would be cool (assuming Wrathion gets a new Aspect form because we know it will be him).