The problem With The Griffon

[rapthorne.7345]

Let me preface this by saying I absolutely love the Griffon mount. It's a beautiful character model, and it's animations are wonderful. ANet did an amazing job on it (and all the other mounts).

 

So I unlocked my Griffon pretty early in to the PoF relase, and I love it. It looks awesome and the movement abilities are great fun, but there is a problem.

 

Since unlocking the griffon I have very rarely had to resort to using any other mount. The Griffon's jump + wingflap glide clears Canyon Jumper Raptor jumps and Jackal flits with ease, and many of the obstacles designed to make use of the Springer can be cleared using the Griffon's jump + wingflap height, too. Once you have some mastery on the Griffon, you can also skip huge portions of terrain designed to be accessible only to Skimmer owners. There's also the clear fact that it outright replaces gliders outside of HoT content (as the griffon can not use leylines or updrafts - but can gain altitude with practice after maxing the mastery line for it)

 

About the only time I ever need to use the other mounts now is if I need to go somewhere only a Jackal portal can take me, or need to spend a prolonged time in hazardous zones only the Skimmer protects you from (or the very, very rare instance of content only the Springer's high jump can reach, but almost all of these can be worked around some way using the Griffon's gliding).

This really kills the diversity of the mounts, and I've conferred with other Griffon riders that it's not just me. Pretty much all of my fellow Griffon owners I have talked to rarely touch the other mounts now, because they just don't need to outside very specific use cases.

 

What are your thoughts on this, my fellow Tyrians?

[Kiza.5630]

I actually like it that the griffon can almost do anything the springer can. I'm not particularly fond of the springer, it feels too slow/clunky to get around.

 

I still use the jackal most of the time, it's my default mount. I like how it looks and I love the frantic teleporting. The skimmer is great, because it feels so smooth to get around. It just glides over everything without making noise and once you got jackal #4 mastery it's really good to avoid attacks. And you can't really pass over huge areas of quicksand with the griffon since you lose altitude. Unless you dive from a higher spot first.

 

So I don't think it replaces them. Most will have a preference and while the griffon is great it's really only majestic high in the air.

[jwaz.1908]

I find myself using all five depending on the scenario, but that's just me. On the topic of Griffin replacing gliding, I actually think it was a mistake to allow mounts in HOT zones (core tyria is fine), since it removes any of the challenge/requirement of gliding, using mushrooms, etc... thus rendering many of the HOT masteries useless.

[KryTiKaL.3125]

> @jwaz.1908 said:

> I find myself using all five depending on the scenario, but that's just me. On the topic of Griffin replacing gliding, I actually think it was a mistake to allow mounts in HOT zones (core tyria is fine), since it removes any of the challenge/requirement of gliding, using mushrooms, etc... thus rendering many of the HOT masteries useless.

 

Useless may be a strong word, I would say they just make navigating most HoT areas, **especially** when going after unlocks a whole hell of a lot easier. Still need Ley Line gliding, mushrooms for other certain places, and nuhoch wallows especially for Tangled Depths still because that can still be a nightmare to navigate.

[Shirlias.8104]

I do understand and share what you feel.

Fortunately sometimes you still need to swap mount, though many other times you can replace em with the griffon.

 

As Kiza said i have a main mount ( raptor, cause i really love the leap... though jackal is way stronger and cool ), though could be easy with the new map to reach a high spot while moving and then swap to griffon and take it easy ( avoiding everything and prevent swap ).

 

Also, now that the griffon has been given to us, they can't simply tone it down.

The best suggestion i can give you is to play the mount you like or, if the time sink related to movements has the priority, the most efficient.

[Dante.1763]

I end up using all five, the gryphon cant do everything the springer can unless you get to the highest point of a map. I still use my raptor more too because it just feels better than the others.

[Zok.4956]

> @rapthorne.7345 said:

> What are your thoughts on this, my fellow Tyrians?

 

I think there is no problem with the griffon and for me it does not replace the other mounts. Sometimes I use the mount that is best suited für the situation (thats not always the griffon) and sometimes I use the mount I have (at that moment) the most fun with (which is also not always the griffon).

 

So, use the mount you want and just have fun. :)

 

 

[DakotaCoty.5721]

> @rapthorne.7345 said:

> Let me preface this by saying I absolutely love the Griffon mount. It's a beautiful character model, and it's animations are wonderful. ANet did an amazing job on it (and all the other mounts).

>

> So I unlocked my Griffon pretty early in to the PoF relase, and I love it. It looks awesome and the movement abilities are great fun, but there is a problem.

>

> Since unlocking the griffon I have very rarely had to resort to using any other mount. The Griffon's jump + wingflap glide clears Canyon Jumper Raptor jumps and Jackal flits with ease, and many of the obstacles designed to make use of the Springer can be cleared using the Griffon's jump + wingflap height, too. Once you have some mastery on the Griffon, you can also skip huge portions of terrain designed to be accessible only to Skimmer owners. There's also the clear fact that it outright replaces gliders outside of HoT content (as the griffon can not use leylines or updrafts - but can gain altitude with practice after maxing the mastery line for it)

>

> About the only time I ever need to use the other mounts now is if I need to go somewhere only a Jackal portal can take me, or need to spend a prolonged time in hazardous zones only the Skimmer protects you from (or the very, very rare instance of content only the Springer's high jump can reach, but almost all of these can be worked around some way using the Griffon's gliding).

> This really kills the diversity of the mounts, and I've conferred with other Griffon riders that it's not just me. Pretty much all of my fellow Griffon owners I have talked to rarely touch the other mounts now, because they just don't need to outside very specific use cases.

>

> What are your thoughts on this, my fellow Tyrians?

 

I constantly use my Jackal and Raptor over the griffon after the "honeymoon" phase is gone. Yeah, it's cool to use the griffon everywhere you go for the first few days, but ultimately, the Raptor and Jackal are still going to be the best mounts to use, unless you're on really rocky terrain like Desolations.

[zealex.9410]

Raptor is still bis if you dont have the option of higher ground. Skimmer is also bae if theres a big section of quicksand and moving in water if theres no higher ground. U will be suprised how often i said to my self "damn theres not alot of places i can used griffon to its fullest. I agree he offers just as much that springer offers.

[Mea.5491]

I got the griffon, I like it but rarely use it. I enjoy open world meta events the most in GW2 and doing stuff on maps like SW and DS, raptor is the best option. And now that my PoF masteries are maxed I don't go back to PoF maps anymore so I don't really have to use the other mounts.

[Samnang.1879]

I mostly use raptor cuz it's the fastest.

I only use griffon for cosmetics purposes tbh, its such a majestic creaeture.

[Celldrax.2849]

Eh, I still use all my mounts.

 

If not very high up, raptor and jackal will always beat griffon over open terrain, springer is still great for shortcuts and high obstacles that even the griffon can't get around, and skimmer (my least used) is still good for crossing those large gaps or water if you really have to.

[Oglaf.1074]

Raptor is the absolute best to me because of the scoop-de-woop vaccuum attack it does. Very handy for a Warrior.

[Kaneth.4951]

I can't say that I agree that the Griffon makes all other mounts useless. If you're starting from a higher point, you can travel for long distances with the Griffon. However, Raptor will still have superior ground speed across distances when travelling on mostly level grounds via Canyon Jump. Jackal being damn good as well with the ability to rapid teleport forward. The Griffon also does not have the same potential for height as a Springer from a single jump. Skimmer is amazing across long distances of water/quicksand.

 

I will say though, I do love getting up higher and gliding all over the Silverwastes on my Griffon. Going from cliff to cliff viewing the land from above.

[Rauderi.8706]

I still use my raptor. The jump distance is amazing for traversing flatter maps, and I like my little raptorpuppy.

Skimmer has always been situational, and will continue to be so.

Springer.. hff. I should love it, because mountain climbing in MMOs has always rankled me, but Springer is far more situational than I thought it would be. It wins for reaching those very high jumps that the griffon would have to jump-flap several times for.

And I generally don't use Jackal unless I have to. My jumps with raptor are more accurate, so jackal only comes out for sand portals.

[FrizzFreston.5290]

Its definitely something that I fear the griphon will turn into once I got it. On the other hand, I dont think I run into things to do in the air so it becomes useless as fast as I actually want to do some events or explore things up close.

[Ashen.2907]

Not sure that being able to spend most of your time with the mount that required to most investment of time and money to get is a problem.

 

I would consider it more of a problem if, after spending the time and money, you were mostly locked out of the griffon by the content design.

[Ojimaru.8970]

Had to go back to LWS3 zones to farm some materials, and I haven't used the Griffon as much as the other mounts. Each mount, in my opinion, is well-balanced and fulfill their respective niches amazingly.

[Khisanth.2948]

I have every mount and every mastery maxed out but overall I still prefer to have the raptor so this is all a personal preference thing. For certain things the griffon is quite a bit clumsier to use.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @rapthorne.7345 said:

> This really kills the diversity of the mounts, and I've conferred with other Griffon riders that it's not just me. Pretty much all of my fellow Griffon owners I have talked to rarely touch the other mounts now, because they just don't need to outside very specific use cases.

 

You must not have spoken to a lot of Griffon riders. I find riding the griffon to require a lot more micromanagement for both speed & convenience. Sure it _can_ get anywhere you need... eventually, but it's a lot easier outside of caves to use a raptor, easier to use skimmer over water, easier to use raptor (or jackal) to cross gaps, and much easier to gain heights on a springer. Besides that, the other mounts are a heckuva lot of fun. Riding the skimmer for me is really relaxing for some reason and I love leaping past foes on the raptor.

 

Maybe I'll feel the same as you when I get more practice. But in the meantime, I'm still having a lot of fun with all mounts.

 

[Druitt.7629]

Haven't gotten the Griffon yet, but of the four mounts I have I prefer the Jackal because it has the least clunky steering. The other mounts seem to turn a minimum of 30 degrees at a time -- while on the ground, which means that the bunny and lizard are actually more maneuverable while in the air -- making them hard to use in places where you actually want to go in a particular line. And the Skimmer's a slow-turning boat by design. So a big part of my decision will be how well it steers: if it's as responsive as the Jackal it might be my go-to.

 

I'd also emphasize that once you have Jackal, getting Jackal mastery 4 -- which transfers its dodge ability to the other mounts -- is amazing. You can make a looong dodge on the Skimmer, and generally avoid getting dismounted on the other mounts.

 

The Jackal can travel pretty amazing distances from height -- and can fall unlimited distances and survive with a last-second phase-jump. Probably not comparable to the Griffon's dive, etc, but I could see still preferring the Jackal in most situations even after getting the Griffon.

 

Right now, my default mount ('x' key) is the Skimmer since it's the one mount that you literally need in some areas to survive so I don't want to have to reach for the right F key to summon it. Not sure if the Griffon might replace it as the default, even if I don't use it that often. Certainly if you didn't have HoT (i.e. gliding) it would make total sense once you've mastered mounting while in the air.

 

Question: if you can mount the Griffon in mid-air, can you also unmount in mid-air? That's one annoyance of the other mounts, though of course they can't fly so maybe it's a moot point. (Except in a situation where you really want to dismount, catch an up draft by gliding, then re-mount at hight.)

[Wizler.8192]

It is for the reasons the OP mentioned that I purposely use the griffon sparingly. I like to use the original 4 mounts for their intended purpose, and the griffon on occasion when I can't find any other path (or when I'm lazy lol). Cuz yeah, flying everywhere makes things too easy.

[Taelac.7036]

If I'm trying to accomplish something, I generally use whichever of the first four mounts is most appropriate to the terrain. I mostly _play_ with the griffon--it's a lot of fun to explore its movement, and I haven't quite got the trick of the swoop-and-climb, but it's the other mounts that are the workhorses in my stable.

[Ayumi Spender.1082]

The only worthless mount to me is the Jackal.

If I want to travel fast, I use the raptor.

If I want to jump over things and find an easier way around something, I use the springer. (Griffon is a Core Springer in jumping)

If there's water, I'm getting on the skimmer of course.

If I.... um... if.... if I'm on the PoF maps and there's a sand portal I need to use... I use Jackal.

[Cameryn.5310]

To me, the raptor feels like the fastest by far... even going uphill and not being able to leap forward. It's my go-to. I spend a lot of time on the springer too.

 

I only use the jackal for portals, and never use the skimmer.

 

The griffon is very useful when already up high but on the ground I don't get any use out of it.