Patch 3.2 Brings Cold Weather Flying to Level 68 Alts
Posted by 
pixiestixy on Thursday, July 9, 2009 - 25 Comments Tags: 3:2, Mount, Zarhym, bind to account, cold weather flying, flight, flying mount, heirloom items, level 68, northrend, patch 3.2, ptr, tome of cold weather flight
pixiestixy on Thursday, July 9, 2009 - 25 Comments Tags: 3:2, Mount, Zarhym, bind to account, cold weather flying, flight, flying mount, heirloom items, level 68, northrend, patch 3.2, ptr, tome of cold weather flight 
You now can add another significant mount change to the ones already announced for Patch 3.2. Earlier this week, Wow.com discovered a nifty new item on the Public Test Realm. The Tome of Cold Weather Flight, a bind to account item, teaches Cold Weather Flying at level 68.
Blue poster Zarhym confirmed the upcoming addition in a thread that linked to the post, and he also elaborated a bit on how the tome will work:
Just to confirm, Tome of Cold Weather Flight is actually a new heirloom item planned to go into patch 3.2. At level 80 players can buy this heirloom item from the Cold Weather Flying Trainer in Dalaran for 1,000 gold and send it to an alt of the same realm, faction and account. The tome can be used to learn Cold Weather Flying at level 68, consuming the tome in the process.
Please note this feature is not yet in the newest version of the public test realm patch notes updated today. The item and its functionality are subject to change during the testing process.
So this clears up one thing: You only will be able to get the Tome of Cold Weather Flying once you've already gotten at least one character to level 80. This is something I can get behind, knowing that players will (hopefully) be able to fully appreciate all the wonderful lore in the Northrend area before plowing through the content as quickly as you'll be able to on a flying mount.
In subsequent posts, Zarhym responded to questions about whether an alt would still have to buy the flying skill if they have a tome:
You just have to buy the tome. The cost for the player is the same. It just means if you have an alt and can afford it, you can get yourself flying in Northrend by level 68.
...The tome costs 1,000 gold. It is not meant to bypass the cost of the training, but only to allow for level 80 players with alts the ability to fly in Northrend once they arrive at level 68. It's a small perk for those who have reached level 80 and like leveling new races or classes. :)
I still have a couple of questions that I haven't seen answered, and likely won't be answered until we see how it works when Patch 3.2 goes live to all realms (things may change by then anyways, since the PTR is subject to change). Mostly - if this is BtA, but a players has level 80 characters of both factions, are they required to choose only one faction to use this new ability (since it only can be sent to players on same realm, same faction)? Or, since the tome is consumed when used, perhaps that means that we'll be able to buy the item multiple times, but only have one active at any one time? It'll be interesting to see how this one unfolds.
I've heard a lot of complaints from players about what they see as nerfs to a lot of the WoW content coming in 3.2. So what do you guys think - would you consider this a nerf, or does the fact that you have to have a level 80 to get the tome help negate that? Personally, I'm a long distance away from having an alt to level 68. But I'd be all for taking advantage of the change once that time comes.
Reader Comments (25)
Pretty sweet idea, though its gonna come to late for my 75 druid.
i just hit 77 on my priest alt...
This idea is awesome! I totally understood and got behind Blizz taking flying away from us in Northrend 'till 77. In fact, as my main was questing through it, I APPRECIATED that they did it. Now that I've got one alt in Northrend already and another on the way, I could care less if they took in all the majesty. I just want them to fly, dammit!! Kudos to Blizz on this move.
Hi mom :D
My 3rd alt will be lvl 80 before this patch releases.
I can't decide if that is sad that I leveled all 3 80's the hard (old school) way, or awesome cause now I can get my priest to 80 faster.....
@Zerkest
In the same boat as you. It'll be a convenient way of helping level an alt, but I'm planning on having my priest alt to level 80 before patch 3.2.
I like it. I get that Blizzard wants us to see all the content but at the same point, it just ends up being (even more) of a grind, after you have done it a couple of times.
I was discussing it with a guildy last night and came up with something I'd rather see even more.
'An Empty Travelers Journal', a high level inscription item that allows any player to write down all of their current flight paths. Which can then be traded to any other character of the same faction, server, account.
-j
hashmal as in electricity in hebrew?
@James
Awesome idea. :)
I like the idea but i wana know when the cost of artisan flying will be reduced! 5000 gold? c'mon thats way too much!
Pretty sweet idea imo :) Shame my 3 Level 70+ alts will be high enough to fly normally when 3.2 hits...
the cost of artisian allready cost 5000g
I am a complete "altist" - I have one alt for each class (10 in total) and my lowest is 63 - so this is very good news for me. Cold weather flying in addition to the new 150% reg flyers in the new patch is an altist's dream com true....
... too bad i decided to take a short break from wow :(
@ Kevin
artisian flying is going down. it will have reputation reductions thru horde expedition and whoever the alliance equvalent is. i might have the exact groups wrong, sorry if i do
5000g isn't really a lot.
You'll easily make more than 5000g, it's the "OH LOOK SHINY PURPLZ ON AH!" syndrome that you have to avoid, in order to get to the 5000g mark. =p
Some of my guildies don't even have regular flying (we have to use the lock to summon them in to raids. ¬_¬.
Personally, I like this idea. Handy for my rogue, mage and priest I'm simultaneously levelling. (multi-boxing RMP ftw?)
@ Kevin
5k gold isn;t that much, took me 3 weeks to get to 16k gold for the travlers mammoth, and i wouldn;t call me self a hardcore gamer either.
i wouldn't call this a nerf cause u have to have a lvl 80 to get it so only people who have already quested through northernd once can use this and not have to go so slow during the lvling proses.
5k gold for something you don't need isn't to much, especially since regular flying will be 150%. Stop crying and save the gold.
If they EVER lower the cost of epic flying I am quitting this game.
@ James.
yes, i would love to see that happen, sounds a better idea then what blizz came up with.
Good job!
@ Dan
Then you better pack your bags becasue epic flying is a ton cheaper next patch...p.s. send me all the gold you have now that your quitting i need it for epic flying! lol
Thank you, 67 rogue, one lvl and a 150% flyer=im set
damn...my alt is on another realm and faction :(
Is this really needed?
If you're 68, you shouldn't be questing outside of Borean or Fjord.
This is only for peeps who need to get to dalaran.
I used a lock summon at 68, easier and cheaper!
I have one 80 main a lvl 65 alt and a lvl 72 dk atm but i have 8 other toons alll of wich are under 20's( one for every race/class/job. so it will be much faster to lvl them i love that idea of faster lvling not so much easyer but faster also means i can make that much more money from my skinner/herbalist/miner farmer's lol *denalo lightningsblade server* aliance (pvp)
Hmm handy when i'm close to 77 on my alt...
But at least they've made it so that new players can't get it at 68. It would have really pissed me off to see first timers get it then already when i've grinded through all that content on horseback twice.
Come to think of it, how do all of you feel on the ridiculous price drops in riding skill for the low levels? i did some research, for all of us 80's full flying skill cost us around 7300 gold ( slightely lower depending on reputation )
With the changes it doesn't drop that much overall, but the amounts needed especially for the first few are lowered by insane percentages ( 90% ) and 50% for the first two. Though it makes riding a lot easier to acces, more so since the levels required to get it are lowered that far. Is it fair to all of us that did have to spend that extra time?
I know the argument for it is that we were in those zone's while they were populated and nowadays its empty out there. But in all fairness i started wow only in late tbc ( just before sunwell to be exact ) so when i leveled my first toon the old world was just as empty, and by the time i got to outlands wotlk hit when i reached 63.
And anyone that bothered to level an alt has been there, grinding in deserted area's. Heck i'm dreanei, i was level 20+ before i even saw more then 3 other players in my screen at the same time. ( little did i know i should have gone and leveled in ironforge )