How do you polarize your fans into two groups with just a single announcement? If you are Blizzard Entertainment, the answer is to simply announce that flying will never be added into the Warlords of Draenor expansion. With just this one statement, a war was started. Players on both sides of the issues are passionate about their cause Wondering what the reasoning is behind each sides crusade? We did too; so we browsed the forums and other chat channels and came up with this list of arguments for and against flying in game. Read onward and see which side you stand with:

Pro Flying

Flying Mounts

If you have played World of Warcraft at all before this expansion, you have probably collected a few flying mounts along the way. These mounts can swoop through the air with the greatest of ease and make you look good while doing it. Of course, all of these mounts can walk on the land, but it isn't quite the same. Players wishing for flying claim that to truly enjoy our mounts with wings, they need to be able to once again take to the air. Otherwise what is the point?

Ease of Transportation

Flying yourself from place to place is one of the easiest methods of travel in the game. All that changed when flying was removed. Now even high level players have to either walk or take a flight path, both of which are an inconvenience. Being able to take the shortest route and stop off to grab ore or an herb along the way is something that many players miss.

Birds Eye View

When we were first introduced to flying we were able to see the world we play in from a whole new perspective. Looking at things from the air gives us the ability to see every angle of the world in all its splendor. World of Warcraft is beautiful from the ground, but it is truly a masterpiece once you have seen it from the air. Without flying we have no chance to have this same perspective of the world ever again.

No Taksies Backsies

One of the main arguments for flying to be returned to the game is that we have already had it, so why take it away now? Players have flying mounts and have gotten used to being able to skip from one destination to the next at their leisure, taking that away seems rather unfair. No one likes taksies backsies.

Anti-Flying

Explore the World

While flying may have made travel easier, it may have made exploration and discovering the unknown a thing of the past. When restricted to the ground players are more likely to find hidden alcoves, treasures, and other goodies. All these things and more tend to be skipped over and forgotten when players spend all their time above the clouds.

No Air Ganking

It seems that many players do not appreciate being killed by air assault. A popular method of wiping out an enemy was flying about your unsuspecting victim, then falling down onto them and killing them before they could process what was happening. This unsavory and frowned upon method of PvP has all but been obliterated with the discontinuation of flying in Dreanor.

Sense of Danger

One of the things that many players will argue is wrong with World of Warcraft is that the game has lost its sense of danger. Thanks to flight we no longer have to worry about being attacked by anything unexpected. Remember when you got wtfpwned by that Fel Reaver? Us too. By taking to the skies we spend our days in a perpetual safe bubble that takes the feeling of danger and the unexpected out of the game.

Both sides have legitimate claims and seem prepared to defend their side till the very end. How do I feel about the issue of flying? Personally, I do not particularly care either way. I am more than happy to sit back and let the powers that be decide for me. For now, it seems that we won't be seeing flying anytime soon. However, that doesn't mean it will remain that way forever. All we can do is wait and see.