Players can obtain several hundred mounts in World of Warcraft created over the course of its long existence, and passing certain milestones rewards them with a prestigious mount in turn – however, Blizzard Entertainment was forced to amend the most recent reward as it fell way short of expectation. Though dragonriding in Dragonflight revamps aerial movement in a way that evokes Guild Wars 2's dynamic mount system, there is still a place for regular mounts in World of Warcraft, especially in the hands of its passionate collectors.
One of the recent controversies that Blizzard Entertainment faces in terms of design philosophy is the player impression that the developers invest more in online store mounts for World of Warcraft, and leave the in-game mounts that players can earn as an afterthought. The original mount for reaching 500 mounts was slated to be a recolored Yeti, lacking the grandiosity of previous rewards such as the Heavenly Azure Cloud Serpent.
World of Warcraft players can rejoice, as Blizzard made the decision to change the Yeti into a far more worthy reward, with a unique mount that easily rivals the resources and effort put into the store mounts. Tying into Shadowlands lore, the new mount is a soulshape of a majestic sky otter that works in both sea, land, and air – providing a significant boost to one's movement speed in all three environments.
A screenshot of the Otterworldly Ottuk Carrier does not do it justice, and the team at Wowhead who discovered the amended mount in Dragonflight's most recent PTR build provided a GIF that showcased its idle flight animation. The greatest appeal of the mount, in addition to its cuteness factor and overall uniqueness, is the convenience in having an all-round, all-terrain mount.
Players can expect to have their hands on the Ottuk Carrier as soon as the pre-patch for Dragonflight hits the live servers. With the expansion still aiming to hit its December 2022 release date window, the pre-patch should be arriving a few weeks ahead of the Dragonflight premiere – whether that's late November or early December, it's too early to tell. Until then, World of Warcraft players who have yet to defeat the Jailer on Heroic mode for an exclusive mount should try to do so, as the reward will become unobtainable with the release of the pre-patch.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC, with Dragonflight launching later this year.
Source: Wowhead