So, I got my first mount tonight. (Not first epic, not first flying, first mount period.) This will all be old hat for most of you, but it's been a really interesting experience so far.
Had the money, had the rep with Darnassus so that I could get a real mount instead of that freakin' elephant, and worked my ass off the last couple days to get those few remaining levels that taunted me before I reached 40.
Even though WoW is just a video game, it's really amazing the actual feelings that can come from certain parts of the game. Before I hit 40, players with mounts were an amazing thing to me. The players with mounts were, to me, the "real" players - all of us lowely peons who actually had to hoof it everywhere were struggling to be that someday. You could take two characters, and have them be exactly the same in every way, expect one has a mount and the other doesn't, and the one with the mount would just have this larger than life atmosphere to them.
Now that I've got a mount, the main reason for having one - the boost in speed for travelling - almost seems like the secondary reason to have one. People in game really do treat you differently when you're on a mount. Groups of lower-level Horde that would have jumped me without a second thought when I was running around at 39 are now falling over themselves to get out of the way as I ride past just one level higher. The attitude that I felt towards people on mounts is now being directed at me from other Alliance members. And again, I know it's all just a game, but sitting there on your mount keeping watch for members of the other faction or making sure that lower level character off in the distance doesn't get overpowered by the monsters he's fighting - there's just a certain feeling there that wasn't there before.
There was also another thing; I flew into Astranaar, right when some Horde was attacking it. A few upper levels were fighting them, and now, I could also hop on a mount and follow along with them as they went around doing patrol for when the Horde rezed. Before, I would either have to have looked pathetic trying to keep up, or sat in Astranaar hoping that the action would come to me.
I just find it utterly amazing how something like an item to increase movement speed can really change the feeling and dynamic of the game in so many non-technical ways. I know I'm probably going a bit overboard on the whole thing, but it really is amazing how, even in a virtual world, real world emotions and attitudes can be so present. And it's funny how I feel like my character is "grown up" now thanks to her mount. *laughs*
The stun release will at least be useful against paladins though.
