Quote Originally Posted by Gunspec View Post
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I think the difference between that situation and this is that I feel like flying is/should be treated as a reward for conquering the initial challenge of higher level mobs. You're thrown out into the wilderness and forced to deal with the mobs carefully. You go around, do the quests, and get the ability to fly, allowing you to not have to be as cautious. It's essentially a symbol of "conquering" the zone.