Slow Fall

Now can be cast on friendly players, yihaaa!

As bangy mentioned, jumping off the Lumber Mill in AB is great. If you happened to be mounted as well and get a running start, you should be able to make it to the Blacksmith. Neat little trick to assault the middle island from above.

It's helpful to remember that if you blink whilst slow falling, you stay in one place and float gently downwards, which is nice for avoiding overshoots.

If you want to save feathers, you can also try blinking just before you hit the ground. However, this means you need a computer which isn't lagging, and if you do it wrong you have fatal/embarrassing results. It is actually harder than it seems, because you appear to be closer to the ground than you actually are.
If you don't mind using feathers, Slow Fall is the way to go, and is a very useful spell, such as jumping off from Lumber Mill in AB when things get tricky.

Just tested it out and it works.. (Only had access to Sandstone Drake. I will find someone with a X-53 Touring Rocket for further testing..)

Mage was mounted demount himself slow falled and I swooped down and he was able to remount mid-air..

=)

My personal favorite is floating down into the mine raining fire blasts down upon my enemies.

Glyph this, it removes the reagent cost. No excuses: Glyph of Slow Fall

So basically, you and 4 buddies can now aerial assault BS from LM. Farm (Horde) / Stab (Alliance): "Is BS clear?" BS: "BS safe" LM mage: "OK, everyone's got their parachute (aka Slow Fall) on. Let's move out". ...roughly 45 seconds later... Farm (Horde) / Stab (Alliance): "I thought you said BS was clear?" Ghosts at Farm (Horde) / Stab (Alliance): "We were clear, it's like they appeared out of thin air!" Or... Horde mage casts Slow Fall on a couple Tauren, basically re-creating the commercial where the Chik-Fil-A cows are parachuting into the football stadium.

Another option is jumping down to Gold Mine from above. Often underused, this can create great tactical ambushes - while the Horde defenders walk away to defend against assaulters from Stables (or Alliance to intercept attack from Farm), you can quickly slip in and capture the base. One very fun thing to do is to have some people chase after you, then jump off either from LM, or down to GM. You survive, but they die!

Slow fall also helps in high level instances where you can get punted up into the air (AQ40 trash, Anub in naxx) and in boss fights such as Gluth in Naxxramas where you have to jump down or Thaddius where some people miss the jump from the mini-boss platform to Thaddius's platform.

Slowfall is a very fun spell when glyphed, it passes many minutes of boredom waiting for raids to form and arenas to enter, See

Fun change. Lots of mages will be seen falling fast instead of slow after failing to cast it on themselves, because they are still targeting another friendly player.

Hence this macro.The standard spell button is to be put on a side-bar for use when buffing other people. The macro button goes on the main bar, for use in case of emergency.

#show Slow Fall
/cast [target=player] Slow Fall

Non-mages, note the duration and range of this spell.

After helping a buddy with *Last Rites in Borean Tundra, we were joking about me getting him cold weather flying. I cast Slow Fall on both of us, "There's your cold weather flying. Let's jump!" I step off, he mounts and makes a flying leap off the platform, enjoying himself quite a bit. We're traveling forward at very different rates, and it's a long ways to the ground. About half way down, he realizes this is going to be a problem. "oh no, it's wearing off, no no no no!" Dead. I renew my Slow Fall, laugh, and wait for him to come back from the graveyard.

Lesson: Sometimes it takes longer than 30 seconds to slow fall to the ground. If you are more than 30 yards away from your mage mid-fall, you may be in trouble.

True Story.

*Background information: this quest takes place on a floating platform. Players without flight are teleported to and from.

Possible ways to reduce or avoid damage from falling. And also self-resurrection.

ITEMS
[item=32539] Slow fall.
[item=32538] Slow fall.
[item=18951] Slow fall.
[item=9404] Slow fall.
[item=131810] Controlled flight. / Can only be used in Broken Isles.
[item=37011] Instant fly mount / Requires Hallow's End (18 Oct - 1 Nov)
[item=33176] Instant fly mount / Duration: 14 days (real time)

TOYS
[item=134021] Launch up and slow fall.
[item=113542] Slow fall. / Cannot be used while moving.
[item=119093] Launch up and controlled flight. / Can only be used in Draenor.
[item=131811] Controlled flight. / Can only be used in Broken Isles.
[item=139773] Fly up and directed "jump". / Can only be used in Broken Isles.
[item=140336] "Jump" up. / Can only be used in Broken Isles.

CONSUMABLES
Goblin Glider Kit Controlled flight.
[item=104299] 50 charges / Launch far into the distance and avoid fall damage.
[item=104346] Can only be used in Timeless Isle. / Controlled flight.
(not tested)[item=90078] 3 charges / need level <100 / Any damage protection.
(not tested)[item=104320] 50 charges / need level <100 / Any damage protection.

POTIONS (Consumables too)
Potion of Slow Fall Slow fall.
Sea Mist Potion Slow fall.
Avalanche Elixir Avoid fall damage.
[item=8529] Slow fall (1/3 chance).
[item=43472] Slow fall / Can only be used within Storm Peaks (Northrend).

ENGINEERING
Flexweave Underlay Slow fall.
Goblin Glider Controlled flight.
[item=10518] Slow fall.
[item=40727] Reverse your gravity.

RACIAL TRAITS
Pandaren - [spell=107076] Reduces damage from falling.
Goblin - Rocket Jump Directed "jump".

SELF-RESURRECTION
[item=19290] 10% chance.
[item=104328] Only usable in Pandaria.
[item=163743] Only usable in Kul Tiras or Zandalar.
Soulstone Warlock.
Reincarnation Shaman.

CLASSES ABILITIES
Warrior
[spell=6544] "Jump" to location.
Charge "Jump" to target.
[spell=198304] "Jump" to target.

Paladin
Blessing of Protection Any damage protection.
Divine Shield Any damage protection.

Hunter
Disengage Directed "jump".
[spell=186260] "Jump" to target.

Rogue
Safe Fall Reduces damage from falling.
[item=77949][item=77950] Slow fall.
[spell=195457] "Jump" to location.
[spell=51690] "Jump" to target.
[spell=36554] "Jump" to target.
[spell=231718] "Jump" to target.

Priest
Levitate Slow fall.

Shaman
Reincarnation Self-ressurection.

Mage
Slow Fall Slow fall.
[spell=45438] Any damage protection.
Blink Directed "jump".

Warlock
Soulstone Self-ressurection.
(not tested)[spell=111771]+[item=132357] Cast portal and use it.

Monk
(nope)

Druid
Feline Grace Reduces damage from falling.
Flap Slow fall.
Travel Form Instant fly mount.
[spell=102401] "Jump" to target / Directed "jump".
[spell=106839] "Jump" to target.

Demon Hunter
Glide Controlled flight.
[spell=196555] Any damage protection.
Metamorphosis "Jump" to location.
[spell=198793] Directed "jump".
[spell=195072] Directed "jump".

Death Knight
(nope)

Although this spell doesn't get as much use as your other mage spells, getting the light feather reagent isn't terribly difficult. There's a great spot around Moonbrook in Westfall where you can get Light Feathers without much problems. If you go behind the town hall type building, there will be a cemetary with a lot of buzzards. They respawn fast and drop a good amount of feathers. You can also run around the immediate area to get nearby buzzards...overall, a level 60 mage should be able to get 20 in an hour at the most.

For those level 63+ who don't want to go back to Westfall, the arakkoa in Terokkar drop feathers extremely often, as well as money and Netherweave. Probably a more profitable place to farm feathers than low level zones.

Umm...isn't this the standard functionality of the spell anyway, provided you have auto self-cast enabled?

There's a couple interesting bugs with this spell (and probably Levitate):

1) Fall speed drastically increases after removing Slow Fall.

Wowwiki says this is about meeting maximum velocity much faster than normal. I dunno, but it's nearly killed me before. Basically, when you lose Slow Fall in any way, you will drop noticeably faster than normal.

You can use it to your advantage from great heights; slow fall, then instantly remove it.. it's a quicker trip to the ground. Recast when you've almost landed, or just cast Blink or Ice Block.

1a) Ice Block won't momentum cancel after losing Slow Fall

Try it. Slow fall, jump off somewhere high enough to test, cancel it, then Ice Block. You'll plummet allllll the way to the ground. Safely. Unless Ice Block disappears before you land of course. :)

2) Can sometimes blink from great heights

This won't always work.. but this has worked for me many times. Try this: Slow fall yourself, mount up, and jump off somewhere really high. Get off your mount. When you're at a height that seems like *just* enough to kill you if you fell, try Blinking. You may be surprised to Blink safely on the ground!

This obviously doesn't work from too far up. You'll blink and go nowhere midair if it fails. However I've done this many times from a height clearly not Blinkable to the ground under normal circumstances. It's a bug, but a fun one.

Also there's a silly animation bug: Slow fall yourself, mount up, jump off somewhere then get off your mount. You'll do the Gumby Slide. :D

now in the 3.0.8 slow fall becomes castable on others.
That's awesome I'm out of my mind that with the glyph it becomes a raid thing that may save lives and lives to people.

... add a glyph and you're the one who makes people fly for free!...

By flying up to the very top of Violet Citadel in Dalaran, I managed to jump from Dalaran to Wyrmrest Temple (technically, the entrance to the Chamber of Aspects) using Slow Fall. Definitely a fun waste of time.

If you fall off the lowest platforms in the Oculus or Firelands, you'll die even with this spell.

According to vids such as this one, this also happens if you manage to jump off the edge of the world, so I suspect that reaching the lower world limit is always fatal everywhere, and that these two instances just happen to be the only places where it was intentionally made possible.

I just noticed that Slow Fall allows you to jump a lot farther using the thermal vents in Molten front. Insted of having a parabolic curve for the second half of the leap, you are falling down in an oblique line.

You cant polymorph somone on a flying mount, the mount makes them immune. Barrens plainstrides have a pretty good light feather drop rate.

Err, if you have to time something (and hope that you're at least 20 yards to the ground, and there's no obstructions that will cause a "reset" when you Blink) then this isn't exactly obsolete.

This was incredibly uncool. Didnt realise they changed it, and hadnt played my mage in a while.

Clicked Slow Fall like normal, and got a blue outlined hand, some "wtf?" and death.

So remember to F1 before you jump!

fail

Epic.

Im not 100% sure what has happened, but I have tried using this spell everyday for fun and I got some places Ive tested exactly how far it goes, and for some reason it looks like it goes slightly further now, even if just by a couple of feet...Noticed this when applying it to myself and jumping forward, usually I wouldnt be affected by just jumping, but now I am hovering a couple feet forward. Changelog doesnt mention anything regarding this, some other change that may have affected it?

One very fun thing you will be able to do in BC is to follow someone on a flying mount, while on your own one as well. Cast polymorph, watching him fall, then cast slow fall. He will die, sadly you won't. Note that this will only work in PvP realms, have fun! This shows another usefulness to Slow Fall. Use it when you can, else use Blink. Also, don't buy light feathers, people sell them at rip-off prices in AH. They are easy to get, just kill birds, such as in Westfall and Darkshore.

Note that you shouldn't cast slow fall too early. It lasts only 10 seconds, and because your fall speed is reduced by quite a lot, it may take longer than 10 seconds to reach the bottom. In this case, you will still die. Cast it when you're about mid-way or more to the ground.

It lasts for 30 seconds which was plenty of time for me to jump from The Great Lift into Thousand Needles, land on a mesa about halfway down, and jump off again onto the ground without haveing slow fall wear off. Now I use it anytime I'm tired of waiting on elevators and whenever I come upon a ledge rather than walking around. Feathers can be found on plainstriders in The Barrens. Kill them whenever your just trotting between Camp Taurajo and Crossroads and Ratchet.

rofl! "it's raining Big Balls of fire!" .. even tho its just 1 :P

I'm fairly certain we've had this spell a lot longer than TBC. Otherwise I would not have had it until TBC came out ;-) Also, this can be spellstolen from fellow mages. Hilarious in AB :)

With the glyph, this spell becomes very cheap alternative for dispel protection (other than spamming 1st rank of Mana Shield). Might save your PoM or Ice Barrier!

Anyways, best results when combined with Rocket Boots Xtreme (Lite). Can get you to many interesting* places.

* like the roof of blacksmith in AB; as an added bonus, not even death knight can get you out of there

One can mount with slow fall? </envious priest>

Not quite what I meant. I meant it gets you to the ground quicker so you can mount up when you reach the floor. However, you can cast slowfall on yourself, then mount, then leap. If you need to cast slowfall again long fall perhaps) you'll dismount to recast.

This and Thunderstorm were made for each other

Amazed it has not been pointed out yet, but Slowfall is a reference to the classic D&D spell, Featherfall. Used a feather as a reagent too. Even the mightiest wizards were not exempt from this, as Raistlin Majere had to scramble for one to make his great escape in the first Dragonlance book. Of course, with Glyph of Slowfall readily available, I suppose we're better than him. in fact, every mage should glyph this spell, you never know when it will come in handy! Uses include:

Slowfalling from LM to BS, like a boss!
Jumping off of really tall things while mounted to see how far you float!
Not having to pray to various gods that server lag will cause you to blink upwards 40 feet and refall to your death!
Saving yourself from fall damage in encounters, such as Archimonde and Malygos! No more grunting in pain like the unwashed masses for YOU!

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Save gold!
Own a bird other than a phoenix!
Free up an inventory space!

But most importantly, have fun! Seriously, what the hell else are you going to use those 3 Minor Glyph slots for? Penguin polymorph? All the cool kids use Pig! Or Turtle. Or... something other than Penguin. Point is, you've hit level 15, and this is your reward!

An odd and seemingly unaddressed bug I've noticed is if you log on to your mage that happened to have been logged out of while on a flying mount and with slow fall cast, your movement speed will be roughly half what it should be until the slow fall buff wears off or you dismount.

Has anyone had it suddenly drop before the timer runs out? Just happened to me for the third time so I was paying attention. It dropped me with 17s to go.

No longer dispellable. Used to be able to use this as a dispel buffer in pvp but no longer.

In my experience, Blink and Slow Fall work best together. Slow Fall ASAP, then you've got time to figure out whether you're going to overshoot horizontally. If so, turn around and Blink.

I use it to get from LM to GM in about 35-40 seconds. Cast the spell and mount up, immediately leap for the back side of the BS. Even if its in enemy hands you can often run past people. You will have time to leap across the moat to the slope on the north side, if you find the right spot. Then keep riding and leap down to the Mine, casting slow fall a second time (or blink if you are stingey with feathers). Great for when the mine's "defenders" decide to abandon your nodes.

If you are a PoM pyro mage, you can jump down from LM to BS and if they only have 1 or 2 defenders, you can easily take it by yourself. The best thing is, they have no idea that your coming until they get hit in the face by a massive pyro crit ^_^

Don't forget blink :)

I wish it could be cast on enemy players too. As a debuff of course. Like, in AB, when you just HAVE to jump off the lumbermill cliff, you could instead of flying away, make the enemy fly away ^^ At the cost of fall damage, though.

Another fun pastime with slowfall is jumping from one branch of Teldrasil to another. Just head to the waterfall a little ways past the teleporter in Darnassus and go nuts. If done properly, you can make it far enough around the tree to hop down onto the roof of the building in Rutheran Village. Also, with the engineering rocket-boots, you can launch yourself off a branch and soar to Auberdine. Great fun.

You will dismount to recast, but shouldn't you keep moving at the same forward speed? I'm pretty sure my druid kept going at flight speed during my Druid-Drops, but I could be mistaken.

Not quite what he meant. Assume two players are falling, one of which has just removed Slow Fall (the other of which has never had Slow Fall). The player removing the buff will fall faster than the player who never had it.

Correct. This spell was added back in the original WoW Beta. It's the spell Mages received to fufill Blizz's promise of giving them "something cool" when they took away Invisibility, Khadgar's Unlocking, and the ability to be a Dwarf.