Flight paths in World of Warcraft Shadowlands are quite strange. They remind of space travel and are really well done.
In World of Warcraft: Shadowlands we find ourselves in the realms of the dead. Much of it does not work as we are used to from Azeroth or Draenor – this applies to the flight paths as well. Those traveling from the capital Oribos to one of the four zones are presented with an unusual sight.
What is there to see? Anyone wanting to travel from Oribos to one of the areas must click on one of the large portals in the capital. After that, they automatically mount a flying mount and fly a few hundred meters out of Oribos, heading towards another portal. So far, so familiar.
As soon as they arrive at the portal, the mount accelerates and the game environment changes. At a rapid speed, the character rushes through a magical tunnel following an Anima flow to the desired area.
The most beautiful flight path in all of WoW: Shadowlands. from r/wow
Visually, it somewhat resembles traveling at light speed or the mass portals from Mass Effect.
Why are the flight paths like this? The reason for these “veiled” flight paths is mainly a representational trick. The different areas of Shadowlands lie “on the same continent,” so no loading screen is necessary. At the same time, the areas are not close to each other story-wise, meaning you cannot just “fly over” from Bastion to Ardenweald . Therefore, Blizzard uses this little sequence as a distraction while the flight mount dramatically accelerates to cover the distance.
While many players find the effect quite cool, others fear that the effect will wear off quickly and become rather annoying. However, Blizzard could further increase the speed of the mount, which would reduce the duration in these “Anima tunnels”.
Are all flight paths in Shadowlands like this? No. Travel within an area, such as from one flight point in Ardenweald to another in Ardenweald, still takes place in a conventional manner. Here, you can enjoy the surroundings and view while a gryphon (or other mount) takes you to your destination.
What do you think of these new flight paths? Cool and fitting for Shadowlands? Or rather annoying?
