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For as long as anyone can remember,World of Warcrafthas always featured static flying. It’s a simple system, allowing you to leisurely glide through the air and hover wherever you desire. This system, and the flying mounts that accompany it, have been staples of the game since it was introduced.
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However, Blizzard has taken a step in a bold, new direction with the latest expansion,Dragonflight. It features a brand-new system calleddragonriding, along with its own talent tree, and it comes with its own set of unique challenges and obstacles. Here’s everything you need to know about how to fly in the Dragon Isles.
Unlocking Dragonriding
While there areno Pathfinder achievementsto see here, dragonriding will not be available to you as soon as you land in the Dragon Isles. First, you have to quest and progress the story up until you meet withQueen Alexstraszain theRuby Lifeshrinein the first zone,The Waking Shores.
Upon talking with the Queen of Dragons, the campaign will split into two questlines. One continues the story of The Waking Shores, while the other, simply named “Dragonriding,” will allow you to obtain your very first drake mount andunlock dragonriding. Once you’ve obtained your mount from this first quest, you’ll progress through a host of smaller quests to teach you about the system, akin to learning how toSoar as a Dracthyr in The Forbidden Reach.
Description
How to Glide with Your Dragon
Fly through a number of gold rings to get a handle on how your dragon flies through the air.
How to Dive with Your Dragon
Dive downward through a number of gold rings to see how your dragon picks up speed.
How to Use Momentum with Your Dragon
Dive downward with your dragon to pick up speed, then angle upward to use your momentum to reach the gold rings.
From there, the questline will bring you to theSkytop Observatory, where you can find further information onDragon Glyphs, the talent tree, and theRostrum of Transformation, where you can customize your own dragons.
Though you’ll be limited to a red Renewed Proto-Drake mount at the beginning, you’ll earn up to three more dragon mounts, with those being theWindborne Velocidrake, the Highland Drake, and the Cliffside Wylderdrake. These can be earned by completing the storyline in theOhn’ahran Plains, the Azure Span, and Thaldraszus, respectively.
How It Works
Unlike the old static flying, which allowed you to have absolute control over your movement, dragonriding ismuch more dynamic. It mixes physics into the system, introducing real-life elements likepitch and momentumto make you think more about how you fly around. In addition, itremoves the ability to hoverin the air.
The system is also limited to a resource calledvigor, which you spend to use your dragonriding abilities, like lifting off or going faster. Vigorregenerates over timeon the ground or at maximum speed in the air, and although you’re limited to three points of vigor at first, you can increase this through the accompanying talent tree.
To some, dragonriding could seem like a setback from static flying. However, the new system makes up for this by allowing you to increase your speed up to830 percent, more thantwice as fastas static flying’s310 percentincrease.
Abilities
The most useful ability available to you isSkyward Ascent, which is used to take off from the ground and keep yourself in the air by gaining evengreater heights. Meanwhile,Surge Forwardis useful for climbing tomax speedif your dragon is traveling horizontally. Both of these are unlocked automatically, giving you the basic tools you need to learn dragonriding.
Whirling Surge and Bronze Timelockare both situational abilities, unlocked at the same time as the Highland Drake and the Cliffside Wylderdrake, respectively. While you may not use them during every flight like the other two, they’re both very useful in world PvP.
Take to the Skies
One Dragon Glyph
Redirection
At low speeds, Surge Forward’s effectivity is increased to 125 percent, with diminishing returns as you reach higher speeds.
Three Dragon Glyphs
Dynamic Stretching
While on the ground, vigor regeneration is increased to one point restored every 25 seconds.
Thrill Chaser
At maximum speed, vigor regeneration is increased to one point restored every ten seconds.
Ohn’ahra’s Gusts
Surge Forward is able to evade projectiles that aim to ground you, such as Scalechillers or Scalechargers, along with certain obstacles in dragon races.
Dragonrider’s Initiative OR Dragonrider’s Compassion
Gain stacks while dragonriding at middle speed or above, and spend those stacks upon landing at those same speeds to create a damaging shockwave. Low speeds cancels this effect.
OR
Gain stacks while dragonriding, then spend those stacks when you dismount for a temporary absorb shield for 1 percent of your health per stack and gain 1 percent movement speed per stack.
Restorative Travels
While on the ground, vigor regeneration is increased to one point restored every 20 seconds.
Four Dragon Glyphs
Airborne Tumbling
Whirling Surge can dismount airbone enemy players, as well as grounding projectiles like Wingshredders.
Dragonrider’s Cultivation OR Dragonrider’s Hunt
Gathering resources for professions, such as herbs or mining nodes, will increase Vigor regeneration by 10 percent for ten seconds.
Defeating an enemy will increase Vigor regeneration by 10% for three seconds, although this cannot occur more than once every ten seconds.
Five Dragon Glyphs
Yearning for the Sky
While on the ground, vigor regeneration is increased to one point restored every 15 seconds.
At Home Aloft
At maximum speed, vigor regeneration is increased to one point every five seconds.
As you fly around the Dragon Isles and explore new areas, you’ll come across floating tokens called Dragon Glyphs. You can use these to unlock new passive abilities and upgrade existing ones via the new dragonriding talent tree.
This system should be familiar to long-time players, as it’s reminiscent ofartifact weapon trees or the Heart of Azeroth’s system. However, unlike those examples, Dragon Glyphs areaccount-bound, which means that for every one that you collect, you’re able to also spend it on your other characters.
The talents themselves are self-explanatory, sporting such upgrades like increasing yourvigor capacity to sixor allowing yourvigor to regenerate faster. However, there are a couple notable choices where you may pick one talent over another.
Dragonrider’s Cultivation is key if you soar around to gather resources for professions, but if you’re questing or PvPing, taking Dragonrider’s Hunt may be preferable.
Dragon Races
Finally, there’s one last dragonriding activity to consider. you’re able to partake in optional obstacle courses around each of the four zones which require you tofly through a series of gold rings against a timer. You may earn bronze if you complete the course casually, but if you want the silver or gold achievements, you’ll have to push your dragon to its limits.
After you’ve completed all of the dragon races, you may go back and requestadvanced courses, which can be surprisingly difficult. These consist of the same tracks from before, but theirtime requirements are tighterand there are more obstacles thrown in your way.
While it is optional to do these races, completionists may be attracted to the rewards, which are often morecustomization optionsfor your drakes. While scale colors are limited to reputation grinds, you can expect to pick up a fewnew hairstyles and armor colorsfor reaching the upper echelon of the elusive gold times.
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