Cataclysm Beta (Build 12759) New Rank of Riding (310%)!

Cataclysm Beta (Build 12759) New Rank of Riding (310%)!: "In the latest beta build Blizzard has introduced a new rank of flying, which was originally mentioned in a #BlizzChat back in April. At level 80, a player is allowed to purchase Master Riding for a hefty price of (discounted by reputation by appropriate vendors) which will allow you to fly any mount at 310%. To purchase this you will need to visit any riding trainer that teaches flying, such as in Stormwind for the Alliance or in Orgrimmar for the Horde. I would assume that your 310% mounts will still go 310% without the training skill, but this will allow players to bust out some more preferred mounts and enjoy the convenience of high speed and style!

Update! A lot of sites are reporting that 310% riding will be learned automatically if you have a 310% - which may or may not be true anymore. For clarification, here is the original blue post from back in May of this year, in which this feature was promised by a Blizzard poster:

I didn't know that they were making 310 flying trainable. If they are then this should also cost a LOT of gold, around 16k would be appropriate.
It certainly is happening, but it will only be purchasable by characters who are level 85. Players who already own a 310% mount will be 'gifted' the training, and it goes without saying that once the skill is learned all flying mounts will become 310% mounts. That's the current plan at least, and we don't plan on offering any further speed increases to these mounts.

This was posted in May of 2010 on the European Official WoW forums. Obviously things could have been changed since then, and judging by the current state of things in the Cataclysm Beta, maybe they have. As there has been no official, recent statement from Blizzard as to whether or not their plans have changed, we can only come to conclusions based on what is currently presented in the Cataclysm Beta:

• Master Riding currently says it requires level 80, Blizzard originally proposed this to be for level 85 players.
• My character already has multiple 310% speed mounts, however she does NOT know Master Riding - it is still offered as available to be trained. I haven't actually trained it, because I'm smart and transferred with 1k gold.
• My character was not automatically granted it just for already owning a 310% as Blizzard originally proposed!

So maybe Blizzard decided that the compromise would just be to offer the training at a rather low cost (5k gold isn't very high considering how much easier it has gotten to earn gold in late Wrath of the Lich King) and at a lower level, allowing players who already have 310% mounts to buy it simply to be able to ride any mount they want at that speed (such as our old, unloved 280%s) and for players who don't own any 310% mounts to be given the opportunity? Or is it just bugged, since this is just the beta, after all?

While this cost may still be subject to change, now that we have an idea of how much it'll cost do you think it's worth it? Will you be purchasing it as soon as you can when Cataclysm drops or will you be waiting to get it later on if at all?

By Miyari on 08/13/2010 at 10:20 PM"