World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade was not only the first expansion to the critically-acclaimed MMORPG, but it also introduced flying mounts to the game. While flying mounts could only be used in Outland, they nonetheless gave players a new perspective of the alien world on the other side of the Dark Portal.
Outland is home to some unique creature designs, many of which are vastly different to those native to Azeroth, and this design philosophy extends to player mounts too. While flying mounts were a highlight of the expansion, ground-based mounts also got some love in this broken world.
10 Wind Rider Or Gryphon
The Wind Rider and Gryphon are likely to be the first flying mounts a player acquires. They are sold by each faction’s respective initial flying trainers. The Horde had access to the Wind Rider, the Wyverns of Kalimdor, and the Alliance had access the Gryphons, the proud bird-like creatures used by both humans and dwarves.
While they were relatively slow in the air, they served as most players’ introduction to flying in Outland and deserve to be recognized for their memorable designs.
9 Great Purple Elekk
The Great Purple Elekk is an epic version of the initial Elekk available to Draenei characters and any Alliance players exalted with the Exodar. While this is a race-specific mount available relatively early on, towering above other players on a gigantic elephant is a hard feeling to match.
Later expansions would add Tundra Mammoths and other huge mounts for players, but in The Burning Crusade Classic, the Elekk stands above the crowd as one of the largest and bulkiest in the game.
8 Swift White Hawkstrider
The base model of the Hawkstrider, like the Great Purple Elekk, was the racial mount exclusive to the Blood Elves and Horde players exalted with Silvermoon City. However, those that wanted to stand out, or Alliance players who really enjoyed the Hawkstrider’s design, had a chance of obtaining the very rare Swift White Hawkstrider from the Magisters’ Terrace dungeon.
Magisters’ Terrace was a 5-man dungeon on the new Isle of Quel’Danas, a region also home to the raid, Sunwell Plateau. After defeating the final boss of Magisters’ Terrace, players have a minute chance of looting the Swift White Hawkstrider, along with the fan-favorite toy, Orb of the Sin’dorei, which disguises the user as a Blood Elf.
7 Silver Riding Nether Ray
The Silver Riding Nether Ray is a mount only obtainable by grinding reputation with the Sha’tari Skyguard in Terokkar Forest. It’s a beautiful, unique flying mount that is far superior to the faction-restricted mounts players can buy, but it does take a long time investment. However, on retail servers, players have found a way to get exalted much faster.
It’s an epic-quality mount, meaning it has increased movement speed in the air but requires the player to have bought the 5,000 gold training to ride.
6 Cobalt War Talbuk
The Cobalt War Talbuk is a cross-faction Outland-exclusive ground mount that can be found in Nagrand. Alliance members will need to grind reputation with The Kurenai, while the Horde must grind reputation with the Mag’Har orcs, to buy this mount. Doing so requires completing the primary questlines in the region, along with a series of dailies.
The Cobalt War Talbuk is the first of two Talbuks that ranks higher, as its snowy appearance with a slight twinge of blue makes for a stunning mount to ride around the wastes of Outland.
5 Dark Riding Talbuk
The Dark Riding Talbuk, like the Cobalt War Talbuk, is found in Nagrand, but doesn’t require a reputation grind to acquire. Instead, players must engage in world PvP over the town of Halaa to earn battle tokens and research tokens, which can be spent on a variety of rewards.
Adding the Dark Riding Talbuk to a growing mount collection requires 70 battle tokens and 15 research tokens. However, depending on the day, the strength of the opposition, and the server population balance, this could be exceedingly easy or a frustrating grind.
4 Onyx Netherwing Drake
The Onyx Netherwing Drake is another epic mount locked behind a reputation gate with the Netherwing faction in Shadowmoon Valley. The Netherwing Drake mounts were the first dragon-like mounts in World of Warcraft and tower above others even when used as a ground mount. The Netherwings had to be earned through a series of daily quests, a lot of Netherwing Egg farming, or a combination of the two.
Its icy hands, light blue wings, twin-pronged tail, and special effects make it one of the more attention-grabbing Netherwing Drakes available in The Burning Crusade Classic. Each Netherwing Drake is uniquely named, and this one is Onyxien.
3 Azure Netherwing Drake
The Azure Netherwing Drake requires players to reach exalted status with the Netherwing faction. While the Onyx Netherwing Drake is black with blue highlights, the Azure Netherwing Drake boasts colorful, sea-green claws and wings as well as white stripes on its neck and spine.
It is unique for its almost transparent appearance; the wings, specifically, are nearly see-through, making this a must-have for any rare mount collector. Each Netherwing Drake is uniquely named, and this one is Suraku.
2 Cenarion War Hippogryph
The Cenarion War Hippogryph is a vibrant, intricately-designed, epic flying mount available to those who become exalted with the Cenarion Expedition in Zangarmarsh. Despite being a hippogryph, Horde players will be able to grind for this mount just as well as Alliance players once Zangarmarsh becomes available.
It appears much like traditional fantasy hippogryphs look, with the front half of an eagle and the back half of a horse, the same base model used for many Kalimdor flight paths. It’s a colorful addition to any mount collector’s arsenal, and it feels far less clunky than a Netherwing Drake.
1 Ashes Of Al’ar
The Ashes of Al’ar are one of the few mounts in The Burning Crusade that drop from a boss, namely Kael’Thas Sunstrider. It’s unlikely that Kael’Thas will be killable upon release of the expansion, as Blizzard will time gate content releases akin to the original game’s release schedule. Nonetheless, this is certainly one to set sights on, and tends to be the premier mount in any collection, especially during Burning Crusade.
Al’ar, a beautiful immortal phoenix, is described as being Kael’Thas’ beloved pet. It appears as a traditional phoenix complete with a flaming trail in flight, firey wings, and a color scheme that pops out in any environment. The Ashes of Al’ar are an extremely rare drop, only dropping 1.7% of the time, so be sure to gear up and get ready to fight Kael’Thas over and over again for this unique mount.
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