The PTR development notes for Patch 10.1.5 have dropped, and while the new Evoker specialisation is naturally stealing the spotlight, there's a whole host of other buffs to the gameplay experience that you shouldn't sleep on.
The most exciting news comes from the determined dataminers over at Wowhead. While we know from a past interview with Morgan Day that Dragonriding is "here to stay", a huge list of achievements and animations have been excavated from the current PTR build, and they suggest that old-world Dragonriding is just around the corner.
I completed the gold trials as soon as I'd maxed out my dragon glyphs, so the prospect of dozens of new races has me giddy to get behind the reins again. Collectors will also be pleased to hear that over 100 mounts look to be getting compatibility updates with the Dragonriding system, letting you use your shiny status symbols both in and out of the Dragon Isles.
It's not been confirmed if these additions will be coming in patch 10.1.5, or if they'll be slated for a later date. Considering how loud players have been—ourselves included—about keeping Dragonriding around, you'd have thought Blizzard would make a larger fanfare. While they could be keeping secrets for a future announcement, datamining is an accepted part of the game's patch cycle by this point—so why hold back?
Other updates include removing the need to trek to riding trainers to learn your mount riding skills. Instead, you'll get these skills for free as part of your usual level-up bonuses at the appropriate levels. This acts as the final nail in the coffin for the days of hoarding gold for your epic mount, even if the cost hasn't been significant for years. A part of me is sad that riding skill trainers are joining the list of abandoned NPCs, though it's a logical next step in the genre's trend towards convenience.
There's another major change slated for allied races. Previously, you had to gnaw through old content to unlock races such as the Lightforged or Mechagnomes, completing quest lines and minimum reputation requirements. All you'll need now is to be level 40 or higher. That's it. While these unlock routes did give a proper reason to do old questlines—prompting me to experience Legion's Argus, a quest chain I'd previously missed—this is a huge quality of life boost.
Despite the concerning news that Activision Blizzard is bleeding talent due to its unfortunate return-to-office work policies, the future for Dragonflight is, for now, looking bright. We'll have to see if the team can keep the wind beneath their wings for updates to come.
WoW next big patch, Undermine(d), gets a release date, starting the countdown clock until my gaming time is entirely consumed with doing donuts in my new ride
Bobby Kotick says he'd never have raised World of Warcraft's subscription by even a dollar because 'it's a prickly audience, you don't wanna do too much to agitate them'
