You may have noticed an interesting little change in the 3.1 patch notes: ground mounts are now able to swim! This made us curious: how does a Mechanostrider swim? How does a Kodo swim? So, Adam and I ran off to the test realms to capture video of it all. And, before you ask, no bears were harmed in the making of these videos. (The Talbuks, though, whose heads seem to be under water even when you're on the surface, we make no promises about.)
Alliance Mounts
Elekk, Draenei Racial Mount
Horse, Human Racial Mount
Mechanostrider, Gnome Racial Mount
Nightsaber, Night Elf Racial Mount
Ram, Dwarf Racial Mount
But that's not all! We've got more mounts just on the next page. Check out Horde mounts and other assorted mounts:
That wasn't what I thought it would be. Lame. Yes, mounts should be able to swim; I've complained about it myself. But they shouldn't be able to go under water; that horse just looked stupid.
I guess I always saw a difference between mounts swimming and mounts diving. Swimming I'm OK with; diving I am not.
Agree with Daniel.. underwater mounts are a silly idea. I imagined them being able to float, so you don't get dismounted. But actually diving on your mount? How does it breathe? It just seems... daft.
I had a few questions regarding these these things that perhaps you guys encountered while testing this. It's my best assumption that this change doesn't really change anything other then no dismounting you when touch water, but I wasn't 100% sure on these :
If I were to put on my walrus people pole, can I cruise around underwater on my mount? Do the mounts offer any sort of their original speed bonuses underwater? Can you get on a mount underwater or only enter it?
I think blizz did this one wrong, hear me out... it would of been way cooler if you got specific underwater mounts like the flying mounts. Imagine riding underwater on a whale or SHARK, how bad @$$ would that of been. WAY COOLER to be mounted on a shark. A SHARK BEST IDEA EVER. Blizz needs to give me a job. Its the little details that make all the difference.
Well, I think there are two issues here. (1) There really isn't much to do underwater. There are a few limited quests and so on but the underwater environment is very limited in terms of action. So it seems a lot of work to create water mounts that would rarely be used. (2) What would this do to Druid Aquatic form....it seems that is one of the few advantages to being a Druid and now that ability would be diminished.
I don't know, though. I don't really think it would be too diminished. I mean, you'd still have your own water form. That's something that other classes couldn't purchase for any price or with any reputation. It's something that would still be unique to the druid class and much cheaper than say purchasing an aquatic mount. So, I don't know.
I don't think anyone should be able to get flying mounts, because it would diminish the druid flight form... oh, wait a minute....
Much like when flying mounts were introduced in BC along with content that required one, I'm guessing that Blizzard will introduce new underwater content to go along with the underwater mounts
Please don't take offense, but I need to say this - you're thinking of "would've" - a contraction of the two words "would have", not "would of". Also, "that have", not "that of".
Ahem. Sorry...[closet grammar nazi]
Okay, now then - a whale or shark mount would be epic, but impractical, I feel. It would only be usable in deep water so there would be little need for it except, perhaps, in Northrend? How many quests involve being in/crossing larger bodies of water there? I don't yet have the expansion, so I can't add to this train of thought. If there quite a few, then it would be practical for a water mount in Northrend, perhaps, but impractical anywhere else (unless you want to have races to see who can get the fatigue bar first around Booty Bay).
Keyra My comment about the specific underwater mount is just a cool idea, but totally useless for most of the time. but still cool. Than again Fairy did say to wait until Maelstrom. Where it would be cool, and practical. If most zones or some are all underwater. So you would need a mount for underwater, but than this creates the problem of underwater breathing. Druids will cry out for joy their underwater form is no longer useless. Hunter's aspect of the fish trainable at level 81. Engineers could make belt clips that allow for underwater breathing that every lvl 80 to 90 would need. Making engineering viable again.
an underwater mount may be completely useless, but who cares as long as its cool? there is tons of useless stuff in wow, and people love it. pets, shirts, tabards, toys, fireworks, etc, etc. i would certainly enjoy just taking a cruise on a giant underwater shark or mana eel. thumbs up from me on the water mount idea, blizzard. on a side note, canoes and sailboats would be awesome, too. or maybe a submarine for engineers?
I'd like to see some ingress/egress. How easy is it to get back up onto the ice (hard enough un-mounted sometimes)? Is travel speed underwater increased?
Request for next time: The herky camera panning in some of the videos (Mechanostrider) makes them hard to watch. I know I forget that it's not just "me" watching when I record video in WoW, and I fight to leave the camera alone as much as possible. Or bump up the tracking resolution on your mouse so it doesn't need to be picked up so much. :)
Me again. I put some more though into it. Engineers could make subs, or subs could be the gnome racial underwater mount. Our other short friends the darves can have sea lions. Night elfs could have sharks, others could have giant jelly fish, orcas, huge frogs, sea turtles, its endless...
I love the idea of underwater mounts and these videos are really adorable and definitely make me giddy. But, I have to say that I sort've imagined the land-based mounts swimming in the water the way that dogs do, most of the time. With their heads above water and their legs doggy-paddling underneath the water. It just seems like that would have made more sense. But, I know that these sort've things might change over time and nothing is in any way final. But, that's just sort've how I always imagined it.
Also, I really do hope that Blizz decides to give us more than a few aquatic mounts, in the near future. Ones that make a lot of sense for the water and wouldn't seem odd, to see swimming both underneath and with their heads above.
I think it would be beyond adorable and awesome if the Kalu'ak would sell both an orca mount and a sea turtle mount with an exalted rep and a pricetag of like 2k.
Feb 27th 2009 at 8:00PM 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Daniel Feb 27th 2009 9:46PM
That wasn't what I thought it would be. Lame. Yes, mounts should be able to swim; I've complained about it myself. But they shouldn't be able to go under water; that horse just looked stupid.
I guess I always saw a difference between mounts swimming and mounts diving. Swimming I'm OK with; diving I am not.
Marveen Feb 28th 2009 4:43AM
Agree with Daniel.. underwater mounts are a silly idea. I imagined them being able to float, so you don't get dismounted. But actually diving on your mount? How does it breathe? It just seems... daft.
vinniedcleaner Feb 28th 2009 8:58AM
How does a mount not break it's legs when it jumps from a high perch? or for that matter, how does it fit in our backpacks when we're not using them?
It's a game... we need to suspend the laws of physics every one in a while....
AndremedaSC Feb 27th 2009 8:17PM
Nice! Looks like they still have some work do, especially on the horse models, which kind of look like they're trotting underwater.
I swear, on that first video of the draenai, I thought we were gonna see a full-on orca attack. Too bad the video ended! :-D
Lucid Feb 27th 2009 8:30PM
I had a few questions regarding these these things that perhaps you guys encountered while testing this. It's my best assumption that this change doesn't really change anything other then no dismounting you when touch water, but I wasn't 100% sure on these :
If I were to put on my walrus people pole, can I cruise around underwater on my mount?
Do the mounts offer any sort of their original speed bonuses underwater?
Can you get on a mount underwater or only enter it?
Ne0nguy Feb 27th 2009 10:47PM
Your mounted swim speed is the same as your unmounted swim speed.
spacehyena Feb 27th 2009 8:36PM
These made me extremely happy...especially the little flappy mechanostrider wings. VERY cute.
...
I'm such a girl. :(
Dave Feb 27th 2009 9:09PM
I think blizz did this one wrong, hear me out... it would of been way cooler if you got specific underwater mounts like the flying mounts. Imagine riding underwater on a whale or SHARK, how bad @$$ would that of been. WAY COOLER to be mounted on a shark. A SHARK BEST IDEA EVER. Blizz needs to give me a job. Its the little details that make all the difference.
oldie Feb 27th 2009 9:13PM
well the water mount is coming soon
Flairy Feb 27th 2009 9:39PM
Wait until Maelstrom is released.
Daniel Feb 27th 2009 9:50PM
Well, I think there are two issues here. (1) There really isn't much to do underwater. There are a few limited quests and so on but the underwater environment is very limited in terms of action. So it seems a lot of work to create water mounts that would rarely be used. (2) What would this do to Druid Aquatic form....it seems that is one of the few advantages to being a Druid and now that ability would be diminished.
tulipblossom Feb 27th 2009 9:59PM
@Daniel -
I don't know, though. I don't really think it would be too diminished. I mean, you'd still have your own water form. That's something that other classes couldn't purchase for any price or with any reputation. It's something that would still be unique to the druid class and much cheaper than say purchasing an aquatic mount. So, I don't know.
vinniedcleaner Feb 28th 2009 8:49AM
I don't think anyone should be able to get flying mounts, because it would diminish the druid flight form... oh, wait a minute....
Much like when flying mounts were introduced in BC along with content that required one, I'm guessing that Blizzard will introduce new underwater content to go along with the underwater mounts
Keyra Feb 28th 2009 12:10PM
Please don't take offense, but I need to say this - you're thinking of "would've" - a contraction of the two words "would have", not "would of". Also, "that have", not "that of".
Ahem. Sorry...[closet grammar nazi]
Okay, now then - a whale or shark mount would be epic, but impractical, I feel. It would only be usable in deep water so there would be little need for it except, perhaps, in Northrend? How many quests involve being in/crossing larger bodies of water there? I don't yet have the expansion, so I can't add to this train of thought. If there quite a few, then it would be practical for a water mount in Northrend, perhaps, but impractical anywhere else (unless you want to have races to see who can get the fatigue bar first around Booty Bay).
Dave Feb 28th 2009 1:20PM
Keyra
My comment about the specific underwater mount is just a cool idea, but totally useless for most of the time. but still cool. Than again Fairy did say to wait until Maelstrom. Where it would be cool, and practical. If most zones or some are all underwater. So you would need a mount for underwater, but than this creates the problem of underwater breathing. Druids will cry out for joy their underwater form is no longer useless. Hunter's aspect of the fish trainable at level 81. Engineers could make belt clips that allow for underwater breathing that every lvl 80 to 90 would need. Making engineering viable again.
sZimm Mar 8th 2009 11:51AM
an underwater mount may be completely useless, but who cares as long as its cool? there is tons of useless stuff in wow, and people love it. pets, shirts, tabards, toys, fireworks, etc, etc. i would certainly enjoy just taking a cruise on a giant underwater shark or mana eel. thumbs up from me on the water mount idea, blizzard. on a side note, canoes and sailboats would be awesome, too. or maybe a submarine for engineers?
G Feb 27th 2009 9:08PM
I'd like to see some ingress/egress. How easy is it to get back up onto the ice (hard enough un-mounted sometimes)? Is travel speed underwater increased?
Request for next time: The herky camera panning in some of the videos (Mechanostrider) makes them hard to watch. I know I forget that it's not just "me" watching when I record video in WoW, and I fight to leave the camera alone as much as possible. Or bump up the tracking resolution on your mouse so it doesn't need to be picked up so much. :)
Dave Feb 27th 2009 11:13PM
Me again. I put some more though into it. Engineers could make subs, or subs could be the gnome racial underwater mount. Our other short friends the darves can have sea lions. Night elfs could have sharks, others could have giant jelly fish, orcas, huge frogs, sea turtles, its endless...
tulipblossom Feb 27th 2009 9:31PM
I love the idea of underwater mounts and these videos are really adorable and definitely make me giddy. But, I have to say that I sort've imagined the land-based mounts swimming in the water the way that dogs do, most of the time. With their heads above water and their legs doggy-paddling underneath the water. It just seems like that would have made more sense. But, I know that these sort've things might change over time and nothing is in any way final. But, that's just sort've how I always imagined it.
Also, I really do hope that Blizz decides to give us more than a few aquatic mounts, in the near future. Ones that make a lot of sense for the water and wouldn't seem odd, to see swimming both underneath and with their heads above.
I think it would be beyond adorable and awesome if the Kalu'ak would sell both an orca mount and a sea turtle mount with an exalted rep and a pricetag of like 2k.
Mike Feb 27th 2009 9:54PM
Engineering mount: Submarine!!
'nuff said.