World of Warcraft: Dragonflight has brought with it two new features, the likes of which haven’t been seen in the game before. The Trading Post coupled with the Dragonriding skill are two much-adored additions to World of Warcraft in the past year, and what’s more, they’ve begun to synergize with each other. The Trading Post is taking full advantage of Dragonriding's established winning streak, giving players even more to enjoy.
The July Trading Post follows the footsteps of the previous few months, offering a bunch of previously unseen cosmetic rewards that players can purchase with Trader’s Tender. This unique currency can be earned by doing pretty much any activity in the game, and when the maximum Tender for that month is reached, players have also been bestowed a delicious extra reward, usually a mount, for free. This does take some dedication, but given that any form of gameplay can count as progress, players can take their time and earn it organically throughout their normal routines.
World of Warcraft's Dragonriding Choices Are Fast Expanding
While the past few months’ Trading Post rewards have included mounts that are merely recolors of existing models or those that were once tied to a promotion, July has introduced a special mount. The Grotto Netherwind Drake is the ultimate prize World of Warcraft players can look forward to, sporting the appearance of a classic Netherdrake, a popular mount from the game’s first expansion, Burning Crusade. What makes this dragon special, however, is that it shares its rigging with the Highland Drake mount, and as a result, has Dragonriding abilities and animations enabled.
Blizzard has promised Dragonriding mechanics will extend to many older mounts in World of Warcraft, and given that fact, the Grotto Netherwind Drake may one day lose its unique charm. Currently, however, players have been zooming around the Dragon Isles at top speeds on this unique mount, as it already uses the community’s favored model, the Highland Drake. This is by far the most popular Dragonriding mount of the five currently available, as its quintessential, compact, and four-legged design means that it's also the only one that's actually considered a dragon per the game's lore.
Dragonriding has proven to be one of World of Warcraft: Dragonflight’s best features, adding layers of dynamic involvement into a mechanic that had grown stale and disconnected from the fantasy setting. Allowing players to actually take full control of their mounts and have to take flight physics into account when setting off for a destination is a true boon to WoW’s immersion. The only drawback to this system was that only five mounts could use it, and only in the Dragon Isles.
The Trading Post’s newest update has made it clear that, although Dragonriding in old-world zones might still be beyond the horizon, the reinvention of older mounts is likely just around the corner. The Grotto Netherwind Drake has allowed for the possibilities of mount customization to extend far beyond the realm of what is currently available. Until now, players could only customize limited parts of their dragon's appearance, not reinvent an entirely new look as the Trading Post mount does.
Suppose World of Warcraft players want Dragonriding mounts with interesting particle effects and unique designs. In that case, the Grotto Netherwind Drake seems to be a stepping stone into a colorful, player-driven future for mounts in the game. There is no real limit to the possibilities of incorporating the Trading Post and Dragonriding features, as making the former complement the latter is a great way to incentivize players to play the game.
The biggest question remaining is not if World of Warcraft’s Dragonriding system will be made even better, but when. It’s easy to see that Dragonflight has changed the game for the better, and with so many players ready to soar, it won’t be long before every winged mount imaginable will paint Azeroth’s skies.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is available now for PC.