Flight Paths

Flight paths are the network of routes that carry players across a continent on the back of a gryphon, wind rider, hippogryph or bat. In Classic they are the fastest way to cover long distances, but each point on the map must first be found on foot, so the network grows with the character, and a high-level player's flight map is a record of where they have been.

How flying works

Every major town and outpost has a flight master. Speaking to one for the first time "discovers" that point and adds it to the character's flight map. After that, any flight master on the same continent can send the player to any point they know, as long as the two are linked through points the player has found. The game picks the route, the player pays, and the mount follows a fixed path in the sky. The player cannot steer, stop or get off until it lands.

Flights cost a few silver for short trips and more for long ones. A long flight in Classic can take several minutes, which players spent reading, chatting or stepping away from the keyboard. Flying is safe: nothing can attack a player in flight.

Flight paths do not cross the sea. Each continent has its own network, and travel between the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor goes by boat or zeppelin.

Alliance and Horde

The two factions have separate networks, and a flight master only serves their own side.

The Alliance flies gryphons in the Eastern Kingdoms. Dungar Longdrink in Stormwind City and Gryth Thurden in Ironforge are the hubs, with points such as Thor at Sentinel Hill in Westfall and Ariena Stormfeather in Lakeshire in Redridge Mountains. In Kalimdor the Alliance flies hippogryphs, starting from Vesprystus in Rut'theran Village below Teldrassil.

The Horde flies wind riders, from Doras at the top of the tower in Orgrimmar and Tal in Thunder Bluff, to points such as Devrak at the Crossroads in The Barrens. In the Eastern Kingdoms, the Forsaken send riders out on bats from Michael Garrett outside Undercity.

The neutral goblin towns, such as Booty Bay, Gadgetzan, Ratchet and Everlook in Winterspring, have a flight master for each faction, standing a short way apart.

Getting there first

Because a point has to be discovered in person, reaching a new zone often started with a long run to its flight master. Levelling guides told players where to find each one. Some points are far from roads, and a few, such as those in Felwood, Silithus or Winterspring, are only reachable by crossing zones full of high-level monsters, so low-level characters sometimes made "flight path runs", dying their way across the map to collect points for later.

Other ways to travel

Flight paths are part of a larger travel network in Classic:

• Boats link Menethil Harbor in the Wetlands with Theramore and Auberdine, and Booty Bay with Ratchet. They are free.
• Zeppelins link Orgrimmar with Undercity and with Grom'gol in Stranglethorn Vale, and Undercity with Grom'gol. They are free too.
• The Deeprun Tram runs underground between Stormwind and Ironforge.
• The Hearthstone returns the player to their inn once an hour.
• Mages can teleport themselves and open portals for others to their faction's capitals.

Later history

The Burning Crusade gave players their own flying mounts in Outland, and Cataclysm let players fly over the old continents too. Classic Era and WoW Forever keep the 1.12 network.

Sources

• Flight master on Warcraft Wiki
• Flight path on Warcraft Wiki