One of the biggest problems in MMORPGs is the amount of time you spend traveling across the world. World of Warcraft sets out to be better than all other MMORPGs and one of the ways it plans to do that is by placing a large emphasis on transportation. Here are all the planned modes of transportation.

[ On Foot ] [ Swimming ] [ Mounts ] [ Animal Form ] [ Air Taxis ] [ Ships ] [ Zeppelins ] [ Teleporting ]

This is the first and most basic way to travel. You will have to go everywhere on foot early in the game. It is the way you will do your combat, but it is by no means the most effective mode of transportation. Later on you will be able to ride taxis or gain the ability to ride a mount, which you will see below. [Top] You can swim in water from the beginning, but swimming is as fast as walking so it won't be effective to swim across the ocean. While swimming you will be able to find sunken ships and treasure. It is confirmed that the Undead will have unlimited underwater breathing. [Top] When you reach level 40 you will be able to summon a mount. Mounts are much faster than walking and you can control where they take you, unlike taxis. Mounts can be taken out or put away with a few clicks, and they never die. You must purchase your mount from a dealer, and if you have good relations with another race you can buy their race's mount from them. However, you still need to acquire the skills to ride another race's mount. For more detail about race specific mounts see below. [Top] An ability of the Druid class is to morph into animals. These animals can quicken your speed, however, the Druid class is only available to the Tauren and Night Elf races. Druids will have forms such as a squirrel, bear, crow, or large cat. [Top] In major cities you will find taxi services for transportation. For a small fee you can ride on the back of your race's taxi to a predetermined destination. Alliance taxis will not fly to a Horde city, and vice versa. While flying atop one of these air-taxis, one has a 360° view of the land around him, which makes for a fun experience, and provides a breathtaking view. The rides are rendered in Real-Time, so you can watch as other characters battle and travel below you, and they can see you fly overhead. For more detail about race specific taxis see below. [Top] Alliance players can board massive ships to traverse the great seas, and visit distant lands. The ships are small communities in themselves, where players can complete small quests, gamble, and fight. It is also rumored that you may have to fight pirates on your sailing journeys. [Top] The zeppelins are the air version of the ships. They are only open to Horde players that pay to ride to a location. It is also rumored that goblins will pilot these Zeppelins, and you may gamble aboard them to pass the time. [Top] Teleportation is a magical form of instantaneous transportation. It will be extremely hard to learn, and require great amounts of mana to use. It is a rare ability, and will only be open to those of a very high level. In constast, there is said to be rare magical items that everyone can use for instant teleportation. [Top]