Can You Fly at Level 20 in World of Warcraft?

No, you cannot fly in World of Warcraft until level 30 at the earliest. While mounts become available at level 20, flying requires specialized training only offered at higher levels.

As an avid WoW player since the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, I‘ve fielded this question many times from new players eager to take to the skies. In this beginner‘s guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about unlocking flying in WoW so you can spread your wings as fast as possible.

When Can You Start Flying in WoW?

The minimum requirement to unlock flying in WoW is reaching level 30 and purchasing Expert Riding training. This allows you to fly in most outdoor zones added prior to the Cataclysm expansion.

Here‘s an overview:

• Level 20 – Gain access to ground mounts
• Level 30 – Purchase Expert Riding skill (250g) to unlock flying mounts
• Level 60 – Upgrade to Artisan Riding (5,000g) to max out flying mount speed at 280%
• Level 70 – Purchase epic flying mounts with 310% speed

However, WoW‘s newer expansions often have additional requirements before allowing flying:

• Complete the main story questlines
• Earn reputations with local factions
• Achieve exploration objectives or feats of strength

So for a new player starting today, you can ride ground mounts from level 20, but you won’t unlock flying until closer to the new level 50 cap after progressing into the Battle for Azeroth content.

What Are the Key Flying Unlock Requirements?

Here are the milestones you need to hit to unlock flying across WoW‘s various expansions:

As you can see, the process has become more complex over time. You used to just visit your trainer and spend gold to unlock flying at lower levels. Now, you must quest through entire expansions and grind out reputation to earn meta-achievements before flying is allowed.

The exception is Shadowlands – here flying is unlocked automatically around the new level 60 cap upon advancing your Covenant storyline and Renown. My guess is it‘s an experiment meant to improve returning player retention.

How Long Does Unlocking Flying Take?

So how long will it actually take to unlock flying compared to the level 20 mount tease? Here are some estimates:

• Level 30 (Expert Riding) – For experienced players following optimized leveling guides – approx. 1-3 days played
• Level 50 (BFA Pathfinder) – For new players leveling normally – approx. 5-8 days played
• Level 60 (Shadowlands Flying) – Tacking on the full Covenant campaign – add 2-3 days

Based on the median World of Warcraft playtime of around 5 hours per week, that means:

• Level 30 Flying: 3-4 weeks at casual pace
• Level 50 Flying: 10-16 weeks casually
• Level 60 Flying: 15-22 weeks casually

So you‘re looking at a couple months invest just to fly – longer if you mostly play solo rather than dungeon spamming in groups.

Not as quick as veteran players might think compared to the early days of buying skills instantly. The expanded requirements stretch out that carrot substantially longer for new players.

Is Buying WoW Game Time Worth It to Unlock Flying Faster?

Now, as a long-time player with 250+ mounts across my account, I personally think flying is well worth investing in – it saves tremendous amounts of time traversing WoW‘s huge open worlds over a long-term play period.

However, if flying specifically is the main motivation for subscribing initially, buying game time before level 30 may not yield a swift enough payoff boost as a new player.

Here is a comparison of the costs in USD to unlock key mount upgrades as a subscriber:

You would essentially need to commit to around 2 months of paid subscription just to unlock level 30 flying. That also doesn‘t factor in the actual character progression time required do the quests to get an appropriate gold income.

My advice: Enjoy the free trial gameplay while working towards level 20 mounts initially without paying. Then subscribe around level 30 if you find the core game compelling enough to make flying worthwhile long-term.

Alternate Options if Flying Isn‘t Your Focus

Now I‘ve been laser-focused on optimizing the path to flying from the mount lover perspective.

But what if exploring the world on ground mounts sounds more appealing as a fresh new player?

The great news is WoW offers a massive amount of amazing content accessible without flying. The early WOW levels feature some of my favorite zones like Westfall, Redridge Mountains, Darkshore, Loch Modan, Silverpine Forest, and The Barrens.

Instead of grinding to fly, focus simply on:

• Experimenting with all classes to find a great fit
• Running dungeons to unlock awesome gear sets
• PvPing in battlegrounds against real opponents
• Crafting professions like Enchanting or Engineering
• Pet collecting across Azeroth
• Unlocking transmorg outfits to customize your look
• Roleplaying with other community members
• Chilling out earning Achievements at your own pace

If after all that you‘re still drooling for those wings by level 50, go ahead and grind out Pathfinder. But don‘t feel forced into it – play WoW however makes you happiest rather than some manufactured rush to fly ASAP.

Trust me, as a mount-aholic with 397 total collected, take time to stop and enjoy the journey or you‘ll miss the real magic underneath your Azerothian skies!

So in summary, no – you cannot fly yet at level 20. But let that entice you to check out amazing places on the winding ground-bound road ahead rather than a sprint to the end-game flying finish line. Keep it casual, soak in all that sweet exploration ambiance, and earn your wings when the time naturally comes.

Hopefully this flying primer has given you balanced insight into unlocking those glorious wings everyone craves! Let me know any other WoW questions in the comments below.

Your friendly guide,
Peacewing

Proud member of Darnassus Sentinels realm first guild from classic WoW launch