TBC Anniversary Flying Guide: Riding Costs, Trainers, Mounts

Quick summary

• Expert Riding (60% flying) costs 800 gold to train plus 100 gold for a mount. Artisan Riding (280%) costs 5,000 gold plus 200 gold for an epic mount. Reputation discounts don't apply (Warcraft Tavern).
• You need level 70, Journeyman Riding, and Outland. Flying doesn't work in Azeroth.
• Trainers are in Shadowmoon Valley only: Ilsa Blusterbrew at Wildhammer Stronghold (Alliance) and Olrokk at Shadowmoon Village (Horde). The mount vendors stand next to them.
• Druids fly at 68 with Flight Form for about 8 gold, which gives them Expert Riding free. Swift Flight Form needs Artisan Riding plus a 17-quest chain that ends in Heroic Sethekk Halls.
• Phase 3 is live, so every reputation flyer is available now: Cenarion Expedition, Sha'tari Skyguard, and Netherwing.

Check that you can fly

Requirement	Detail	Source
Level	70 (Druids: 68 for Flight Form)	Warcraft Tavern
Riding skill	Journeyman Riding (epic ground) already trained	Warcraft Tavern
Zone	Outland only. No flying in Azeroth	Warcraft Tavern
Gold	900 for Expert, 5,200 more for Artisan	Warcraft Tavern

Plan your gold

Path	Train	Mount	Total from scratch
Expert only	800	100	900
Expert, then Artisan	800 + 5,000	100 + 200	6,100
Druid: Flight Form only	About 8	—	About 8
Druid: Flight Form, then Artisan and Swift Flight Form	About 8 + 5,000	—	About 5,008

Prices from Warcraft Tavern. Druids: bring about 9 gold for Flight Form.

Example: you hit 70 with 1,400 gold. Buy Expert Riding and a 100-gold mount. That leaves 500 for repairs and consumables. Put Artisan on hold until you've saved 5,200, since the epic mount is a separate 200-gold purchase. Our gold farming guide covers ways to get there.

Take your first flight, step by step

Alliance

1. Reach 70 and fly or ride to Wildhammer Stronghold in Shadowmoon Valley.
2. Train Expert Riding from Ilsa Blusterbrew (/way 37.4 56.1).
3. Buy a gryphon from Brunn Flamebeard next to her: /way 37.6 55.9 or 37.6 56.0. Golden, Ebon, and Snowy Gryphons are 60%. The Swift Blue, Green, Purple, and Red Gryphons need Artisan.

Horde

1. Reach 70 and travel to Shadowmoon Village in Shadowmoon Valley.
2. Train Expert Riding from Olrokk.
3. Buy a wind rider from Dama Wildmane: /way 29.2 29.4. Blue, Green, and Tawny Windriders are 60%. The Swift Green, Yellow, Purple, and Red Windriders need Artisan.

Come back to the same trainer for Artisan Riding when you have 5,000 gold.

Don't drop your ground mount. Warcraft Tavern points out that 60% flying mounts also move at 60% on the ground, slower than your 100% epic ground mount. Artisan mounts run at 100% on the ground, so they replace it.

Fly as a Druid

• Flight Form at 68: train it from any Druid trainer. You need Journeyman Riding first (Warcraft Tavern). It gives you Expert Riding free, it's instant cast, and you can gather herbs in it.
• Swift Flight Form (280%): you need level 70 and Artisan Riding (300 skill). Any Druid trainer offers the intro quest, though most players use Loganaar in Moonglade. The Warcraft Wiki says the last step is in Heroic Sethekk Halls, which needs Honored with Lower City.

The full chain, from the Warcraft Wiki:

1. Morthis Whisperwing
2. The Ward of Wakening
3. Waking the Sleeper
4. No Mere Dream
5. Return to Morthis Whisperwing
6. To the Evergrove
7. The Book of the Raven
8. Eyes in the Sky
9. To Catch A Sparrowhawk
10. The Raven Stones
11. The Eagle's Essence
12. The Falcon's Essence
13. The Hawk's Essence
14. Return to Cenarion Refuge
15. Chasing the Moonstone
16. Vanquish the Raven God (Heroic)
17. Eternal Vigilance

Rewards include Swift Flight Form, about 1,800 Cenarion Expedition reputation, the Essence-Infused Moonstone (kept in your key ring), a choice of the Charm of Swift Flight or Idol of the Raven Goddess, and the Swift Flight Form Feat of Strength (Warcraft Wiki).

Example: you're a level 70 Feral Druid at Friendly with Lower City. Start the chain now. Wowhead's guide says the early steps take you to Zangarmarsh, the Evergrove, Nagrand, and Terokkar. Run normal Auchindoun dungeons on the way to reach Honored before you get to step 16.

Choose your flying mounts

Mount	How to get it	Cost	Needs	Available now?
Gryphons / Wind Riders (60%)	Faction vendor in Shadowmoon Valley	100 gold	Expert Riding	Yes
Swift Gryphons / Wind Riders (280%)	Faction vendor	200 gold	Artisan Riding	Yes
Cenarion War Hippogryph	Exalted with Cenarion Expedition. Fedryen Swiftspear, Zangarmarsh (79.2, 63.8)	1,600 gold	Artisan	Yes
Riding Nether Rays (5 colors)	Exalted with Sha'tari Skyguard. Grella, Terokkar Forest (64.4, 66.1)	160 gold each	Artisan	Yes (Phase 2 and later)
Netherwing Drakes (6 colors)	Exalted with Netherwing. First one free, the rest from Drake Dealer Hurlunk (65.6, 87.8)	Free, then 160 gold	Artisan	Yes (Phase 3)
Flying Machine / Turbo-Charged Flying Machine	Engineering crafts	Materials	Engineering to ride	Yes
Ashes of Al'ar (310%)	Drop from Kael'thas Sunstrider, The Eye	—	Artisan	Yes
The Horseman's Reins	Drop from the Headless Horseman, Hallow's End	—	Seasonal event	During Hallow's End
Gladiator Nether Drakes (310%)	End-of-season reward for Gladiator arena rank	—	Top arena rating	Per arena season
Starshard Netherdrake	Optional Anniversary upgrade pack	Real-money pack	—	Yes
Voidfeather Dragonhawk	From playing Midnight's intro scenario in retail	—	—	Yes

Mount names, vendors, costs, and coordinates come from Warcraft Tavern's list. Our Netherwing guide, Skyguard guide, and Arena Season 3 guide cover those mounts.

Example: you want a Nether Ray and a Netherwing Drake on the same character. Fly at 60% while you work on both reputations, since both factions are based in flight-only areas. Train Artisan before you reach Exalted, because both rewards need Artisan Riding to ride.

Get to Shadowmoon Valley at 70

The trainers are in Shadowmoon Valley, the last leveling zone in Outland, so most characters are already nearby when they reach 70. If you leveled somewhere else, here's how to get there:

1. Pick up the flight path. Alliance players need the Wildhammer Stronghold flight point. Horde players need Shadowmoon Village. You get them automatically if you quest in the zone.
2. No flight path yet? Take the gryphon or wind rider to the nearest Outland flight point you have, then ride to Shadowmoon Valley on your epic ground mount.
3. Bind your Hearthstone in Shattrath afterward. Shattrath is the hub for daily quests, reputation vendors, and portals, so you'll be flying out of it from now on.

Our TBC leveling guide covers the 67–70 route through Shadowmoon Valley.

Decide when to buy Artisan Riding

Artisan Riding is the biggest gold sink most characters face in TBC. Use this table to decide whether to push for it now:

Your main activity	Is Artisan worth it now?	Why
Herbalism or Mining	Usually yes	Gathering is mostly travel, so 280% speed means more nodes per hour
Netherwing or Skyguard dailies	Helpful, not required	You can do the dailies at 60%. The faster speed cuts the flying between quests
Raiding only	Can wait	You mostly travel from Shattrath to the raid entrance and back
Arena only	Can wait	Arenas queue from anywhere
Collecting reputation mounts	Yes, eventually	Hippogryph, Nether Ray, and Netherwing Drake rewards need Artisan to ride

Example: you're a Herbalism and Alchemy main who just bought Expert. Spend the first week gathering at 60%, sell part of what you pick, and put the rest toward the 5,200 for Artisan. Once you have it, every gathering route gets faster.

Know where flying matters

Warcraft Tavern notes that in TBC you need flying to reach several endgame areas, including Tempest Keep (The Eye raid), Doom Lord Kazzak, and a number of level 70 quest hubs. The Skyguard and Netherwing reputations are based in flight-only areas of Terokkar, Blade's Edge, and Shadowmoon Valley, so you can't start them without flying.

Avoid five common mistakes

1. Expecting a reputation discount. Warcraft Tavern says reputation doesn't change riding or mount prices.
2. Buying a 60% flyer as a druid. Flight Form already gives you Expert Riding.
3. Riding a 60% flyer on the ground. Your epic ground mount is faster.
4. Starting Swift Flight Form without Honored Lower City. The last quest needs Heroic Sethekk Halls.
5. Buying the 200-gold swift mount before Artisan. You can't ride it until you've trained.

If you're returning, boosted, or making an alt

• Returning? If you trained Expert before a break, you only need Artisan and a swift mount. Check your riding skill in your spellbook.
• Boosted or powerleveled to 70? You may arrive with no gold for riding. Do a few days of 70 quest hubs and daily quests before buying Expert, so you're not left without repair money. Our powerleveling page describes that service category.
• Making an alt? Riding is per character, and so are reputation mounts like the Netherwing drakes. Budget 900 gold per alt for Expert, or level a Druid alt and skip it.

Want a hand with this?

If you would rather not grind this part yourself, TBC Anniversary mount services are listed on FullBoosts. Read Blizzard's End User License Agreement before you buy any service from anyone, FullBoosts included — a marketplace listing isn't publisher permission.

FAQ

How much does flying cost in TBC Anniversary?

Expert Riding is 800 gold plus a 100-gold mount, 900 in total. Artisan Riding is 5,000 gold plus a 200-gold epic mount, 5,200 more.

What level can you fly in TBC Anniversary?

Level 70 for most classes. Druids can learn Flight Form at 68.

Where do you learn flying in TBC?

In Shadowmoon Valley: Ilsa Blusterbrew at Wildhammer Stronghold for Alliance, and Olrokk at Shadowmoon Village for Horde.

Can you fly in Azeroth in TBC Anniversary?

No. Flying mounts and forms only work in Outland.

Do reputation discounts apply to riding training?

No. Warcraft Tavern says reputation doesn't change the cost of riding skills or flying mounts.

How do Druids get Swift Flight Form?

Train Artisan Riding at 70, then do the 17-quest chain that starts with Morthis Whisperwing. The last step, Vanquish the Raven God, is in Heroic Sethekk Halls and needs Honored with Lower City.

What is the fastest flying mount in TBC Anniversary?

Ashes of Al'ar from Kael'thas Sunstrider and the Gladiator Nether Drakes fly at 310%. Other epic flyers and Swift Flight Form fly at 280%.

Do you need epic flying for Netherwing or Skyguard?

No. You need flying to reach their quest areas, and Expert Riding is enough for that. You'll need Artisan Riding to ride the reward mounts, though.