(Spoiler) "Hidden" mount was a mistake and mounts in general need to be toned down.

[Haishao.6851]

@Demeth.5816 said:

@bOTEB.1573 said:Try skip content with the griffon when u start from the ground. The griffon is basically an upgraded glider - you can't fly with it, just the angle of falling is smaller. How can you even compare it with WoW mount that can fly upwards, like forever? Even if you are on a hill you still can't use its speed boost - you need to be a lot higher. So it is even slower than the raptor or the jackal.

The griffon CAN fly upward. Stop saying that.

You can go upward If you dive downward first. Which mean you have to be at good height already.

[Lorienys.5407]

The griffon may greatly outrank some of the other mounts (see raptor) but in my honest opinion after the work that goes into doing the achievement, it's only fair. I spent all those hours and all that money on it, and then even more hours leveling up the masteries, I deserve to be able to fly around and have fun.

Besides, it can't do everything. I use the level 3 springer just as often as the griffon, not to mention the level 3 jackal and its portals. The griffon also can't save you from the Desolation's sulfurous haze once you've fallen into the pits where the skimmer is essential. Even the raptor is still useful when you're grounded and want to go fast.

[Vyrulisse.1246]

@Tekey.7946 said:

It

feels almost

certainly is

overpowered, and it could take you to places that weren’t intended to support player exploration, but it’s just fun. It’s a whole new way to see the world.

Fixed it for him.

Also here's a video of someone unlocking every waypoint in Queensdale without touching the ground once:

Sweet. I can do that faster though... just going to the Gem Store and buying a waypoint unlock pack. Easy. Let's be real here, the Griffon is cool and it's fun to use. It's basically just a souped up Glider and there's nothing wrong with that. In order to perform stunts like what is seen in the video requires preparation, getting somewhere high enough. It's a fun thing to do, it doesn't break anything. I don't understand the pushback against fun and the game evolving.

[holotype.1643]

I use the gryphon in combination with other mounts, it certainly doesnt replace all of them. It's a helpful addition depending on where you are. I don't like the gold cost, however. I feel that should be toned down considerably.

[Nokomis.5076]

It will definitely break like any map existing. So I'm afraid sooner or later (more sooner) we will have invisible walls like everywhere.

[Menadena.7482]

@Nokomis.5076 said:It will definitely break like any map existing. So I'm afraid sooner or later (more sooner) we will have invisible walls like everywhere.

I already hit mount walls on other mounts while wandering around the map. Annoying as they place them around JPs but those can be anywhere. So if you do not do JPs you have no idea where they are, just wandering around and suddenly your mount dies.

[flog.3485]

Honestly they should just lock the benefits of masteries behind Lvl 80 characters.

Furthermore, don't you think that it might rub new players the wrong way, if these players see that, at same low lvl, one player accessing PoF is able to ride a mount while they can't because they haven't played enough to get a character to lvl 80 that has finished/is playing PoF ?

Edit: other than that the damage behind the engaging skill of mounts in core low level zone is just too high imo

[Sarge shot Grif.6450]

Hm.... incorrect, next post.

[bthomas.3605]

@Manimarco Devil.1790 said:People are allowed to bypass too much by using them.

Because granting a max-level boost when the player buys HoT or PoF in no way allows us to do just that.

[PookieDaWombat.6209]

There is only one place that I have found that the combination of the griffon mount and glider (so you need both HoT and PoF) is "broken" and that is in Gendarrin Fields, at the jumping puzzle with the moa at the end that you need to distract with food. I was able to bunny to a ledge, get started high enough with a griff flap and then swap to my glider to completely bypass the jumping puzzle. Of course I did this one ages ago as I've been playing since the start, but yeah, that's the only spot i've been able to intentionally bypass something that I couldn't before.

[Egrimm Van Horstmann.7921]

I like the mounts for their utility, they make a lot of tasks a bit less crazy. Second why should everything bog you down with aggression across the map. The one aspect I dislike in PoF is every mob practically has a ranged attack that halves your mounts health. It really doesn't make sense for the entire map to be hostile.

[sephiroth.4217]

@EvlSkitso.1546 said:Didn't you know? The next expansion will be focused on underwater combat making mounts irrelevant ;) LONG LIVE BUBBLES

Shark mounts?

QUAGGAN MOUNTS!

[sephiroth.4217]

@Theocraft.6053 said:

@Spurnshadow.3678 said:I have no issue with the Griffon or how it's obtained. What I do have an issue with is that you're able to use it outside of PoF maps. There are people who didn't by PoF and they're being left behind. If you have a mount, you are able to get to the champs, events, whatever faster and stuff can be finished before non-PoF people can get there. That's a problem.

that actually is indeed an issue. I think I saw a topic where somebody was encouraging ANet to provide a "basic" mount for everybody. While I am sure ANet has bigger heads than ours, I am quite convinced that this would help both new and old players, both without any expansions (yet) and with both of them.

How is it an issue? Regardless of mounts, if someone is at the event before you then it's still the same result.

[Witch of Doom.5739]

@Myrdreth.6829 said:I have unlocked all the mounts. I ADORE the griffon, but it's definitely not the most useful one. It's one of the most fun, but not one of the most useful ones. The jackal is way more useful in my opinion. And the springer!

I have unlocked all and while I think the griffon is the prettiest, I use the springer most of the time, even though I think it looks ridiculous. It's usually the most useful for where I want to go.

[Menadena.7482]

@Witch of Doom.5739 said:

@Myrdreth.6829 said:I have unlocked all the mounts. I ADORE the griffon, but it's definitely not the most useful one. It's one of the most fun, but not one of the most useful ones. The jackal is way more useful in my opinion. And the springer!

I have unlocked all and while I think the griffon is the prettiest, I use the springer most of the time, even though I think it looks ridiculous. It's usually the most useful for where I want to go.

No griffon but out of the other 4 I use the springer the most too. Yes, I know it is not the fastest mount but there are plenty of ways to go fast and not too many ways to jump way up.

[Haishao.6851]

@PookieDaWombat.6209 said:There is only one place that I have found that the combination of the griffon mount and glider (so you need both HoT and PoF) is "broken" and that is in Gendarrin Fields, at the jumping puzzle with the moa at the end that you need to distract with food. I was able to bunny to a ledge, get started high enough with a griff flap and then swap to my glider to completely bypass the jumping puzzle. Of course I did this one ages ago as I've been playing since the start, but yeah, that's the only spot i've been able to intentionally bypass something that I couldn't before.

Swashbuckler's Cove could be skipped with experimental rifle already so being able to skip it with mounts doesn't change that much.

[Talindra.4958]

err.. i honestly can not see the problem with mount and how it can destroy the game. :o

[Sobx.1758]

@Manimarco Devil.1790 said:

@Paralux.6714 said:The raptor is still much faster than the griffon and when riding the griffon above quicksand, for example, which kills you almost instantly when you fall inside it, is not safe, since you can fly for a while but as soon as there's a rise in the environment the griffon will touch the ground since pressing sb for take off consumes all endurance directly. Of course it's easier to keep flying if you are already up high, but that's basically the same as gliding.

The raptor by design cannot be faster as it has to deal with ground obstacles. The griffon is far faster than gliding and can take you longer distances.

Anyone can think of contrived situations where one mount

may

shine but in general the griffon is the best in a majority of cases a majority of the time. So unless Anet wants to keep making specific situations where another mount is optimal, the other mounts may as well not exist.

No, not really.The only way griffon can outperform other mounts (aside of getting through longer gaps) is by getting to a high ground, but in most cases by the time you find and get to that higher point, it's much faster and easier to just use raptor or other mounts as needed. You also can't replace 'bunny jump' with a griffon -again- unless you get to the elevated point first (so no, it's not about "jumping up faster than flying up", do you even have a griffon? :D ).

Overally what you wrote in this thread is mostly false.

[Sarge shot Grif.6450]

Um.... no. There's nothing wrong with the griffon as it is very rarely a better option than the other mounts, it has it's own unique areas where it shines and sucks just like the other 4.People are having fun with it and it doesn't hurt the game in any real way, if you don't like it then don't use it and quit trying to kill other peoples fun.

It's also objectively false to compare it to the WoW mounts, they can't just shoot up into the sky indefinitely at any time.

[Grampybone.3716]

I barely used the Griffon so far, same for jackal. Just the Raptor and bunny. Skimmer only if needed. I'm happy with them because it motivates me to explore the vanilla maps for every toon and achievements.I got my toons to lvl 80 and stopped putting lots of time in GW2 before HoT, I pre-ordered it but never played. When I read PoF had mounts I pre-ordered again and got back. Now I'm enjoying the game more than ever, and buy more gems than ever ;-) Mount skins (and griffon) are expensive but no one forces me to buy them.

I know mounts makes things easier but without it I'd never be motivated to explore vanilla 100% on more than 1 toon.

[Sister Saxifrage.7361]

@Wintermute.5408 said:It's not like we can fly on our own since HoT...

And ability to ride instead of constantly using speed buff traits is THE best thing that happened to OW in a long, long time.

I cackled audibly as I replaced my guardian's Traveller runes, and several gimpy traitlines and signet slots.

[Kapax.3801]

<3 <3 <3 People dream of being able to fly some day, the Gryphon brings them closer to that dream. <3 <3 <3 <3

[Mister Asdasd.6194]

I cant get 250 gold so no one should have a griffon waaaah. Griffon is just a fancy glider on max speed of the gliding leaning mastery witha few wing flaps to get you a few feet further. The springer is even more broken because it jumps s high it is easier to go out of bounds than the griffon which needs high ground and might still land before reaching the end of the map

[Dual.8953]

I’ve been bypassing content long before the mastery system, let alone mounts. Core gives us skills like Rocket Boots, Shadow Refuge and Infiltrator’s Arrow. HoT brings Gliding (not to mention the leyline networks in the LS3 maps) (and Unhindered Combatant which I’ve used a ton). Should we get rid of all those things too? I mean, escaping combat in this game isn’t hard, all it takes in most of the time is just ignoring the mobs chasing you. Leaps, dashes and blink skills and gliding will get you out of combat with ease (you can’t even mount in combat).The Griffon isn’t that much different when roaming the OW than the glider was before it tbh. It has a neat trick but it hardly breaks any new ground.

[Ayumi Spender.1082]

@Mister Asdasd.6194 said:I cant get 250 gold so no one should have a griffon waaaah. Griffon is just a fancy glider on max speed of the gliding leaning mastery witha few wing flaps to get you a few feet further. The springer is even more broken because it jumps s high it is easier to go out of bounds than the griffon which needs high ground and might still land before reaching the end of the map

To be fair, the glider is much slower than a Griffon even when leaning, but it has a lot more benefits than a Griffon though.