The first time flying was special.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crXdWAU-ddc
If you are in connection with World of Warcraft uttering the word “for the first time” usually results in tons of people saying “Well, ACTUALLY…” and a game like Meridian 59 or Everquest mention. But there’s nothing like flying over the world of Azeroth for the first time. The MMOs of the time were still mostly zone based and didn’t present a complete world that you could explore without loading screens Wow only occurred relatively rarely, for example when you went into a dungeon or traveled across the continent. There were of course exceptions: Dark Age of Camelots Horse rides through the wilderness were wonderful experiences. But World of Warcraft went so much further. Of course, sooner or later almost all players got tired of traveling, which is why Blizzard ultimately removed it almost completely. But the first flight over the world was a fascinating experience. A fluid journey across a world that was still new and exciting and largely unexplored, with one’s would-be hero looking down in awe at the deadly lava fields and spooky castles that would one day be his playground.
It was a chance to float majestically through the scenery and enjoy Blizzard’s design skill and complete disregard for geology, with the highlight almost certainly being the journey through the sewers of Undercity and out into the real world. All these adventures that awaited you. The loot that had to be collected. All the friends you could make.
Crossing the sea for the first time had a similar feeling: you were boarding a ship and sailing to the edge of the world and into a new one, with Menethil Harbor really giving the impression of entering a new continent. But nothing beats the feeling of flying over Azeroth for the first time and looking forward to a time when you might be able to fly your own fantastic pack animal.
