If Skyscale, why Griffon?

[Ozymandias.7561]

I wanted a flying mount but didn't have 250g, so I did the work and got myself a Skyscale. I love my Skyscale. I now have 250g, but it's not like I have so much money that 250g means nothing to me, it's still a lot of money. Is there any point in spending that money on a Griffon? I understand that if I ever wanted to have 366 mastery points above my head then I would need to unlock the reward track, but I'm not that bothered; certainly not bothered enough to spend 250g. Basically, is there anything that the Griffon can do that the Skyscale can't do that would make it worth the money?

[Sir Alric.5078]

If you want an example of what a Griffon can do that the Skyscale can't > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWENCGZbVKk&list=LL&index=16&ab_channel=Orpan%2FAlcira 

Anyway, the Skyscale is basically a helicopter while the Griffon is a jet. They are both great, just serve different purposes. 

[ShadowCatz.8437]

6 minutes ago, Ozymandias.7561 said:

I wanted a flying mount but didn't have 250g, so I did the work and got myself a Skyscale. I love my Skyscale. I now have 250g, but it's not like I have so much money that 250g means nothing to me, it's still a lot of money. Is there any point in spending that money on a Griffon? I understand that if I ever wanted to have 366 mastery points above my head then I would need to unlock the reward track, but I'm not that bothered; certainly not bothered enough to spend 250g. Basically, is there anything that the Griffon can do that the Skyscale can't do that would make it worth the money?

Griffon are a faster flying mount that can dive to gain speed. If you use Bond of Faith, then you can jump of your Skyscale, glide and summon Griffon or reverse which make it easier to stay in air. By combining both flying mounts and gliding you have more option fro getting around, avoid getting hit from ground (stealth on mount and gliding helps a lot) and can reset your mounts HP, if it gets dangerously low.

It is more or less the same reason if you look at ground based mount like Beetle, Jackal and Raptor. All three do more or less the same thing to get from one point to another, but in different ways.

Jackal is a very fast teleport mount which can be used in air to land on ground, Beetle is very fast ground based mount that can be used to cover large distance in short time, but is harder to control in short distance. Raptor is good to get across gaps (Jackal do the same, but needs more control - faster use of endurance bar to get across and looses elevation if distance is a bit to far, which Raptor manager better). Beetle can also cross gaps, but it need to be have enough high speed to get across (acceleration) and can't stop as fast as the other mount on the other side.

Addded to that Jackal have a Barrier that work in AoE, Raptor can collect mobs in point blank with tail sweep and Beetle can do some damage when it stops and break certain type of doors. Jackal also can make use of portals which it can use to get around on certain maps with portals around.

Skyscale can instead increase elevation by using paths in air from Volatail Magic or Karma (Bjora Marches) and with Bond of Faith it is possible to use Griffon to get more speed by diving when Skyscale is at the highest possible position in air from combining paths like this and increase it a bit with Bond of Vigor to get higher up and then BoF and Griffon.

[Ozymandias.7561]

1 hour ago, Sir Alric.5078 said:

If you want an example of what a Griffon can do that the Skyscale can't > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWENCGZbVKk&list=LL&index=16&ab_channel=Orpan%2FAlcira 

Anyway, the Skyscale is basically a helicopter while the Griffon is a jet. They are both great, just serve different purposes. 

Thanks for the link but, without realising it, you may have have just made this a very easy decision. Did I mention that I'm a professional helicopter pilot?

[Ozymandias.7561]

1 hour ago, ShadowCatz.8437 said:

Griffon are a faster flying mount that can dive to gain speed. If you use Bond of Faith, then you can jump of your Skyscale, glide and summon Griffon or reverse which make it easier to stay in air. By combining both flying mounts and gliding you have more option fro getting around, avoid getting hit from ground (stealth on mount and gliding helps a lot) and can reset your mounts HP, if it gets dangerously low.

Skyscale can instead increase elevation by using paths in air from Volatail Magic or Karma (Bjora Marches) and with Bond of Faith it is possible to use Griffon to get more speed by diving when Skyscale is at the highest possible position in air from combining paths like this and increase it a bit with Bond of Vigor to get higher up and then BoF and Griffon.

That is very interesting, thank you. I hadn't even considered the usefulness of switching between the two of them in the air.

[NorthernRedStar.3054]

Griffon is the flying Rollerbeetle, essentially. If you're a good rider, it's one of the fastest and best mounts.

Edited December 20, 2021 by NorthernRedStar.3054

[Ozymandias.7561]

I only ever flew Griffons that I picked up from roosts. Having watched the video that Sir Alric.5078 suggested, I can see how dramatic the improvement is when you unlock the mastery upgrades. Of course, you do need to put the effort in to learn how to do that. My Skyscale is always going to be my favourite because it can hover, and I am a helicopter pilot, but it looks like I'm going to have to stump up the money and get a Griffon. Eventually, when I'm a bit richer.

[LucianDK.8615]

Just cant go back to griffon after getting the skyscale. Compared to the griffon, there is a lot more use for upwards movement and precision landing than the griffon's flying superspeed, as you need to have a high location to dive from which isnt always available. Whereas the rollerbeetle can go fast with no work at all needed beforehand.

 

And the two biggest cons of the griffon. You constantly have to tap space to flap to remain in the air, as well a constant forward momentum that makes it quite difficult with precision landings. A problem which the skyscale does not have.

Edited December 20, 2021 by LucianDK.8615

[SinisterSlay.6973]

Skyscale is always my default mount.  But whenever I am high up, Griffon is my go to mount.  Endless high speed flying means getting to anything really fast.  Easily the fastest mount in the game.  As fast as a roller beetle is on land, but with crazy maneuverability.   It's also really fun.  The Skyscale is great utility.  Pretty much makes the Springer obsolete since it can fly higher  than the Springer can jump.  It's easily the safest way to travel on the crazy large argo range maps of PoF.  But the Griffon is smile on face fun.  When you nail that griffon master challenge or you buzz across the map in blinding speed to just barely get that hit in on a bounty. It's simply fun.  And it can travel much further than the Skyscale and at a much faster rate.  The Griffon at max mastery level never needs to lose any height.  It can always climb back to the starting height.

The Skyscale is really easy.  Anyone can use it.  But the Griffon takes skill to maximize and it pays off.

Edited December 21, 2021 by SinisterSlay.6973

[Ashantara.8731]

10 hours ago, Ozymandias.7561 said:

If Skyscale, why Griffon?

For the fun of it! And for its practicality in super speed in certain locations (e.g., the Drizzlewood Coast Keepers chest run, getting from one boss platform to another during Verdant Brink's night meta, etc).

[Alcatraznc.3869]

20 hours ago, Ozymandias.7561 said:

Is there any point in spending that money on a Griffon?

 

I've been using Skyscale for a while now and it does a great job but after a while, flying becomes pretty boring, especially when you're farming a map. First you get excited because you can finally glide/fly but after a while that excitation turns into boredom and you want something that can go from A to B faster. On map with a lot of high space (Verdant brink being a perfect example of that actually) Skyscale will allow you to get a high ground but Griffon will make you traverse the map much much faster.

 

On the long run you will actually save a lot of time by using both. If I wasnt crafting my legendary armour, I think I would have already purchased the Griffon already

[Goettel.4389]

Get it because it looks better.

[Ozymandias.7561]

6 hours ago, Alcatraznc.3869 said:

 

I've been using Skyscale for a while now and it does a great job but after a while, flying becomes pretty boring, especially when you're farming a map. First you get excited because you can finally glide/fly but after a while that excitation turns into boredom and you want something that can go from A to B faster. On map with a lot of high space (Verdant brink being a perfect example of that actually) Skyscale will allow you to get a high ground but Griffon will make you traverse the map much much faster.

 

On the long run you will actually save a lot of time by using both. If I wasnt crafting my legendary armour, I think I would have already purchased the Griffon already

Yeah, I just spent almost all of my cash crafting my first legendary weapon and raising another 250g will put a big delay on other things that I'm working towards. Big thanks to all those who have taken the time to convince me that I am going to get the Griffon at some point. It was an if, now it's a when.

[mikansei.5742]

1 hour ago, Ozymandias.7561 said:

Yeah, I just spent almost all of my cash crafting my first legendary weapon and raising another 250g will put a big delay on other things that I'm working towards. Big thanks to all those who have taken the time to convince me that I am going to get the Griffon at some point. It was an if, now it's a when.

The good news is you don't have to pay the 250g all at once - it's broken up into 25g chunks, so you can just buy one here and there until you've finished.

[TheQuickFox.3826]

A griffon can quickly hop over obstacles and jump on ledges where the skyscale is just annoying there grabbing on the side of things while I just want to jump on it.

 

My griffon is my go-to standard mount and I only use the skyscale for special abilities like ascending, hovering and the skyscale specific content.

[Teratus.2859]

Skyscale is awesome and will generally get you around easier, albeit slower than Griffon.

But Griffon is vastly more fun to fly around on and do races with.
Nothing quite like high speed air obstacle courses that have you dashing through archways, and natural openings while dodging all sorts of terrain hazards so you don't crash.
Griffon is super fun to play around on.

[voltaicbore.8012]

3 hours ago, Ozymandias.7561 said:

Yeah, I just spent almost all of my cash crafting my first legendary weapon and raising another 250g will put a big delay on other things that I'm working towards. Big thanks to all those who have taken the time to convince me that I am going to get the Griffon at some point. It was an if, now it's a when.

Good call, glad to see the information here led you to that choice.

Overall, I think it's unwise to compare any single mount against the skyscale. While the skyscale certainly has its limitations (extremely low air speed compared to griffon, limited range over vast open water compared to skimmer, low ground speed compared to all the terrestrial mounts, etc), by design it's an extremely flexible mount - you just never need to swap out of it in the vast majority of environments. It does at a "good enough" level what several other mounts do, so a straight mount-vs-skyscale comparison heavily favors  the skyscale if you're thinking about practicality.

As subjective as it is, I think the fun factor and aesthetics should play a much larger role when it comes to skyscale alternatives, including the griffon. And on those two fronts, plenty of reason to go for a griffon!

[Defias.1892]

In terms of timeline, the Griffon was released at least a year prior to Skyscales, so most players at the time, seeking an actual flying mount, rushed after the Griffon.  However, with the introduction of the Skyscale, the cost of the Griffon is simply not worth the gold investment.  The Skyscale is a low skill ceiling flying mount and extremely versatile, while the Griffon is a high skill ceiling niche mount. Outside of doing neat tricks, gaining higher altitude for invisible wall breaks, traveling aerial distances faster (pretty uncommon outside of time trials), Griffons are a niche mount, similar to the Jackal.  Some people prefer the Griffon because of their cute skins, or maybe just the general feel, but if you ask me, the 300g investment is not worth it. Maybe you can come back to it a later date when you decide you're willing to spend the g on it

Edited December 22, 2021 by Defias.1892

[ClickToKill.8473]

I use the Griffon more than any other mount.  It offers the most convenience out of all the mounts, and IMO is worth the gold. (similar to how people buy QoL upgrades in the gem store in the form of gathering tools).

 

The Skyscale has its place, but it doesn't offer the same mobility the Griffon does. 

[monpetit.9764]

I've always seen the skyscale as a helicopter and a griffon to a plane. If I need to cover long straight distances, I'll hop on the griffon for that bit since it does feature far more speed, and almost endless airtime as opposed to the skyscale. You may never see players use the griffon for that squeeze of speed, but it's definitely there if you want it.

[Gibson.4036]

I got the griffon first. When I got my skyscale, I largely stopped using my griffon. 
 

Then, I saw a thread on the forums with links to videos on what the griffon can do. I went and did a bunch of the griffon mastery adventures.

Turns out, the reason I stopped using it wasn’t because the Skyscale made it obsolete, but because I’d never really learned how to use it well.

Now, I use both whenever they are the optimal mount to use. Griffon is not only useful for covering distance quickly where a beetle would be problematic due to terrain, it’s also very useful for fast, controlled descents.

[Drarnor Kunoram.5180]

The Griffon is by far the most skill-intensive mount in the game, but it absolutely pays off that learning curve. When you know what you're doing, you can get around faster than even waypointing if your rig isn't great on load times.

[Svarty.8019]

For most people the Griffon is amazing for about 5 seconds and then ingloriously hits a floor/wall. 

 

It's a good way to waste >200 gold.

 

 

Anybody can play Skyscale so it's easy to state with 100% certainty that it's worth the investment.

 

 

 

 

[Borked.6824]

On the right map, Griffon is a lifesaver for rushing to events/metas last minute.  The thing friggen moves.  And it's just more fun.  People talk about the novelty of GW2 mounts in general, but you could build a standalone AAA game that involves doing what the Griffon does.

[LucianDK.8615]

Edit: Blah, didnt realize I already had said most of it in a post above

Edited December 28, 2021 by LucianDK.8615