Revision 3

Confirmed Flying Mounts

The announcement trailer at The Game Awards 2023 showed two types of flying mounts. Dragons are the most prominent: multiple shots show players riding saddled dragons above mountain ranges and through cloud layers. Giant kingfishers (or large birds with visible saddles) also appear in the footage.

Both mount types carry saddles, which suggests some kind of taming or mounting system rather than just hopping on a wild creature. The trailer shows multiple players riding dragons at the same time, flying in formation over landscapes.

Why Flying Mounts Matter

The planet is Earth-sized. Walking from one continent to another is not practical; it would take months of real time. Flying mounts solve the traversal problem at medium distances. They let you cross mountain ranges, survey terrain from above, and reach elevated locations that would be difficult to climb on foot.

For ocean crossings, flying mounts may not be sufficient. Murray has specifically described oceans as requiring large boats and crews, which suggests there are limits to how far you can fly over water. The exact mechanics have not been detailed.

What is Not Confirmed

• How you obtain flying mounts (taming from the wild, crafting saddles, quest rewards, etc.)

• Whether mounts have stamina or flight duration limits

• How many species of flying mount exist beyond dragons and large birds

• Whether mounts can be used in combat while airborne

• Multiplayer interactions on shared mounts (can two players ride the same dragon?)

Trailer Observations

The dragon sequences in the trailer show smooth flight over varied terrain with no visible pop-in or loading. The camera pulls out to show the curvature of the planet as the dragon gains altitude, which gives a sense of the sheer scale involved. One shot shows a dragon diving between narrow canyon walls, suggesting there is real flight control rather than just point-to-point fast travel.