Pre-Cataclysm: Avoid a 5k Gold Hit — A List of 310% Flying Mounts

Posted by pixiestixy on August 16, 2010 - 11 Comments »

Screenshot from MMO-Champion

Oh, the dreaded flying skill. I know plenty of guildies who are holding off on handing over the 5k gold needed to learn the artisan riding skill that takes you up to 280% flying speed. A lot of them are not going to be happy to hear the news that came out over the weekend.

Cataclysm (as of the latest beta build) will up the ante and require an additional 5,000 gold to learn the Master Riding skill that takes your flying speed to 310%.

While that may be considered too steep a price to pay at this point, I also know that Cataclysm likely will increase the weight of our moneybags considerably as inflation hits. Regardless of how you feel about the pricetag, there is some good news.

According to MMO-Champion, toons that already have a 310% flying mount will not be required to pay the gold for this new skill. So if you don’t already have a lucky 310% mount, now’s the time to get one. Let’s take a look at your options:

  • Reins of the Violet Proto-Drake — If you didn’t finish What a Long, Strange Trip it’s Been for the achievement points, then you can do it for the guaranteed mount. Big time investment, but big reward.
  • Reins of the Rusted Proto-Drake — Your reward for completing Glory of the Ulduar Raider (10-man). Still in-game, but may eventually be removed like the original Glory of the Raider mounts. Blue Posts indicate that if it is removed, players will be given a 1-month notice.
  • Reins of the Ironbound Proto-Drake — Same as above, but for the 25-man version of Glory of the Ulduar Raider.
  • Reins of the Onyxian Drake — About a 1% drop rate off 10/25 man Onyxia – if you can get the groups together, that means you have two shots per week. It’s the rarest item yours truly has ever won in a roll, and I can testify to her beauty.
  • Ashes of Al’ar — Another rare mount, but perhaps THE coolest looking one currently in-game. About a 1.7% drop rate of Kael’thas Sunstrider in The Eye of Tempest Keep, and you can only farm once per week. Good luck on this one, it’ll be a tough ride.

My list doesn’t include mounts that scale to 310% — since you already have to have a 310% mount for it to scale that high — or old PvP rewards / other mounts that are no longer available (such as the original Glory of the Raider mount rewards). But if you already have another 310% mount that isn’t listed, then you’re still in luck.

Who’s going to try to get one before Cataclysm? Alternatively, anyone already raising the 5k gold you’ll need to train the skill? It certainly doesn’t seem that this will be a necessity to have, but it will be a perk for flying high over Azeroth. Personally, my alts probably won’t be getting it anytime soon after Cata’s release, unless I get lucky with another drop before then.