World of Warcraft is expanding again, this time to a remote northern continent. Even in the early days of TheWrath of the Lich King expansion, Blizzard had come to understand just how much the players loved their mounts, and that was partly why so many new and exciting options, including mechanized and magical ones, became available when players ventured into Northrend again.
Not all of the new mounts were only available on the new continent. Some, like the magic carpets, were only available to those who had taken up the Tailoring profession. Only the Death Knight class has the power to summon a Crimson Deathchanger. Buthat's not the case with the following mounts. Any World of Warcraft player with the courage to venture into the frozen wastes can acquire one, provided they're willing to grind the report, farm the honor, or pay the gold. And not all of them are the flying variety either.
7 Argent Warhorse
Players fought for the Argent Dawn in Old Azeroth when they raided Naxxramus or battled the undead in the Plaguelands. In Northrend, the Argent Crusade is continuing its work, and players can impress them by collecting Champion Seals at the Argent Tournament.
The Argent Tournament is the type of instance that takes place in a single room, similar to the Violet Hold in Dalaran. But this time, the venue is a tournament. Instead of awarding the players with coins or items for completing the dailies, they get Champion Seals that can be used to buy anything the Argent Crusade Quartermaster is selling, including a selection of mounts.
6 Azure Drake
There are several new dungeons in Northrend where mounts drop from bosses. Given that there are a wide variety of dragons in Northrend, with a whole zone dedicated to them, it makes sense. Some appear more than others.
The Reins of the Azure Drake is one of the rarer and sought-after examples. It drops from Malygos, a boss in the Eye of Eternity, which is located in the Borean Tundra.
5 Grand Black War Mammoth
The Grand Black War Mammoth is one of many Ice Age beasts that players can acquire only in Northrend. Some are available from certain factions after reaching a certain reputation level, purchased from vendors, or exchanged for PvP honor points. The Grand Black War Mammoth is one of the few that drops from a boss, and it's the open-world kind in the PvP area of Wintergrasp.
There are four elemental bosses in Wintergrasp, and although there's a chance the mammoth will drop from any of them, Archavon the Stone Watcher has the highest drop rate. The Grand Black War Mammoth is the perfect raid mount because it can carry two other passengers provided they're in the same party as the driver.
4 Bloodbathed Frostbrood Vanquisher
The preview trailer for The Wrath of the Lich King expansion includes a scene where Arthas resurrects a dragon to be his minion, and everyone watching knew that a similar mount had to be included in the game somewhere. The Bloodbathed Frostbrood Vanquisher is the skeletal dragon everyone wants, and it's only available to players who complete a complicated achievement called "The Glory of the Icecrown Raider."
All the achievements related to raids and dungeons take some time and patience to finish, and this is one of the more difficult ones. There are 16 meta-achievements that players must finish in order to complete this one. They include finishing the dungeons at certain times, under certain conditions, and always in heroic mode.
3 White Polar Bear
Before the drakes, mammoths, and magic carpets get all the attention, of course, the frozen land of Northrend has a polar bear available for a pet. This is also one of the few that players can get solo, without setting foot in a dungeon or finishing an achievement. All that's required is to grind reputation with a faction called the Hyldnir, located on an icy cliff in the Storm Peaks.
This isn't a mount that a player can buy from the Quartermaster after reaching a certain point. Every time one of the daily quests is completed, the character gets a bag of Hyldnir Spoils. There's a variety of goodies in this bag, along with a pretty good chance of finding the Reins of the White Polar Bear.
2 Blue Proto-Drake
There are drakes and then there are proto drakes, and this is one of the latter. It drops from Skadi the Ruthless, the second-last boss in Utgarde Pinnacle, and he rides a drake named Gauf into battle. The encounter with him is a gauntlet-type fight that involves shooting him down and fighting both him and his drake.
It's not really a rare mount, but there are mixed reports as to how often it drops. Both parts of these instances are full of these drakes, so it's a nice idea that players can take one home.
1 Sea Turtle
It's not fair that only Druids have access to a swimming form that functions as a mount in water, so there's the Sea Turtle mount for everyone else. Although adorable, the Sea Turtle isn't the greatest land mount, but it's fantastic when traveling through water.
Another unique feature is how it's acquired. The Sea Turtle is caught by Fishing, and it only can be found in the chilly waters off the coasts or in the rivers and lakes of Northrend.