Blizzard has presented the new WoW expansion Dragonflight. Included is a new dragon mount that players can customize to their liking. However, the general design and animations strongly remind many players of the mounts from Guild Wars 2.
What kind of mount is this? With the Dragonflight expansion, every character in WoW will have their own dragon to fly over the new dragon islands. Over the course of the expansion, players will be able to customize this dragon more and more to their liking.
Additionally, the dragon will learn new abilities over time, allowing players to fly further and faster.
Accompanying this, a video clip of the dragon was shown. Many players immediately associate it with the Skyshard and the Griffin from Guild Wars 2.
What is identical? Both the general model and the flight animation have strong similarities with the Griffin from Guild Wars 2. Particularly during the dive and the subsequent speed boost, it is hard to tell the difference between the mounts.
Later, a roll in the air is also shown. This is something that the Skyshard from Guild Wars 2 can do as well.
The reddit user TheKound222 directly compared the mounts in a video:
“Looks like the low-budget version of Guild Wars 2”
What do the players say? On reddit, almost all users agree that Blizzard was inspired by the mounts from Guild Wars 2. However, player reactions vary greatly.
The user Naholiel finds it unbothering, as the mounts in Guild Wars 2 are still better animated and the mount in WoW will be neglected anyway when flying mounts are enabled:
As a GW2 player, I don’t mind; this presentation really shows how much better GW2 animations are.
And since I know the rhythm of WoW expansions, this mount will be useless in 2 years for the next expansion or worse, in 6 months when they allow flying mounts.
Other users on reddit referred to the mount as “bad” or a “low-budget version” of the Griffin in Guild Wars 2.
Others see it as good publicity for Guild Wars 2, as the mount system generally receives a lot of praise and many players who previously played WoW are now getting a sense of what other and better mounts feel like.
Some users, however, wonder about the direct comparison. After all, there isn’t much room to design a dragon, at least that’s what user Practical thinks:
They are very similar, but that’s exactly what you would do if you were to build an active dragon-based mount in a game. You would implement a dive, roll, flap with the wings, and glide.
However, this explanation is not enough for some. User Kare_kano states that, even if one were to implement just a bicycle in a game, one would still want to put some personal and unique stamp on it. Here, however, it feels like there has been a strong copy, especially in the dive.
Mount system of Guild Wars 2 is showered with praise
Are the mounts in Guild Wars 2 really that good? In the reddit thread, the mounts of Guild Wars 2 are praised in the highest terms. This starts right from mounting, as each mount takes a few seconds to reach maximum speed.
Moreover, each mount has its own maximum speeds, special attack abilities, and also different turning radii. Much of this is not available immediately but must be unlocked gradually through mastery, which WoW seems to be relying on in the future.
Generally, the mounts in Guild Wars 2 have their own specific uses:
- The raptor can jump particularly far
- The rabbit can jump particularly high
- The skimmer can dive underwater and hover above water
- The griffin glides through the air
- The siege turtle is designed for 2 players and does a lot of damage
However, the highlight is the animations, which appear particularly “natural”. The mounts shake while stationary, look at their rider, and move very fluidly in general.
What do you think about the mounts in Guild Wars 2? And how do you feel about Blizzard being so heavily inspired by these mounts? Feel free to write your thoughts in the comments.
If you want to try the new mount in WoW, you can now register for the beta:
WoW Dragonflight: How to register for beta – This is how you secure a chance
