WOW Mount Shopping Guide: How to Choose the Perfect Mount to Buy
World of Warcraft (WoW) offers a vast array of mounts, each with its unique style, rarity, and function. Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or a new player exploring Azeroth, choosing the right mount can be a daunting task wow mount to buy. With hundreds of options available, it’s essential to know how to make an informed decision. This guide will help you navigate through the mount shopping process, whether you’re after aesthetics, rarity, or utility.
1. Understand the Types of Mounts
Before diving into the vast mount options, it’s important to understand the main types of mounts you can find in WoW:
- Ground Mounts: These mounts can be used on land and are the most common type in the game.
- Flying Mounts: As the name suggests, these allow you to fly over the world and are often a game-changer when exploring or completing content.
- Aquatic Mounts: Exclusive for water travel, these mounts can be used in lakes, oceans, and rivers.
- Special Mounts: Some mounts may have unique features, like being usable in both land and water or having special animations or effects.
2. Consider the Rarity of the Mount
The rarity of a mount can vary significantly, ranging from easy-to-acquire common mounts to ultra-rare mounts that require dedication, luck, or a significant amount of in-game time. Here’s a quick breakdown of common mount rarities:
- Common Mounts: These are often available from vendors or as drops from low-level bosses and are fairly easy to obtain. They are great for newer players or those looking for inexpensive options.
- Uncommon and Rare Mounts: These may require more effort, such as defeating tougher bosses, completing challenging quests, or participating in specific events.
- Epic Mounts: These are generally harder to obtain and may drop from end-game bosses, be rewards for difficult achievements, or be purchasable through special in-game events.
- Legendary Mounts: These are typically the most coveted and hardest to acquire, often tied to limited-time events, or are extremely rare drops from high-level raid bosses or world bosses.
If rarity and exclusivity are important to you, then keep an eye out for mounts that are tied to difficult raid achievements or world events.
3. Determine Your Purpose
Why do you want a new mount? This question will help you narrow down your options. Ask yourself these important questions:
- Aesthetic Appeal: Are you looking for a mount that looks visually stunning or unique? Some players enjoy collecting mounts simply because they love the way they look.
- Functionality: Do you need a mount that helps with gameplay efficiency? Flying mounts are useful for traversing large zones quickly, while ground mounts are still great for daily quests and farming.
- Achievement and Collection: Some players love to complete mount collections or hunt down rare, hard-to-find mounts. If you’re one of them, consider focusing on mounts tied to specific achievements or boss drops.
- Practicality: Are you looking for a mount that fits into your daily activities, like farming or leveling? A functional mount (like a fast ground mount or a mount that drops from a world boss) can be highly beneficial in these cases.
4. Where to Get Your Mount
Mounts can be found in many different ways throughout Azeroth. Here are some popular methods for acquiring them:
- Vendors: Many mounts can be purchased from NPC vendors for in-game gold or special currencies.
- Raids and Dungeons: Some of the most stunning mounts are dropped by bosses in raids or dungeons. These mounts may require team coordination and can be quite challenging to obtain.
- Achievements: Completing specific achievements can reward you with rare mounts. Examples include completing certain raids, getting high PvP rankings, or collecting all the items in a specific expansion.
- World Bosses: Occasionally, world bosses will drop unique mounts. These mounts are often coveted due to their difficulty in acquiring them and the specific circumstances surrounding the boss’s appearance.
- Rare Drops: Certain mounts are extremely rare drops from creatures across the world. These can often require hours of farming, and in some cases, some serious luck!
- Events and Promotions: Special in-game events, holidays, or promotions may reward you with exclusive mounts. These are often time-limited, so don’t miss your chance to get them when they’re available!
5. Set Your Budget
While many mounts in WoW are acquired through drops or achievements, some are available for purchase with gold or real-world currency. It’s essential to establish a budget before you start shopping:
- In-game Gold: Many players farm gold in the game to purchase mounts from vendors or the auction house. The price range varies widely based on the mount’s rarity.
- WoW Tokens and Microtransactions: If you’re willing to spend real-world money, WoW Tokens allow you to purchase in-game gold, which can then be used to buy mounts. Blizzard also offers exclusive mounts available through microtransactions.
- Time vs. Gold: If you’re someone who doesn’t have a lot of in-game time, purchasing mounts might be the more appealing route. On the other hand, if you prefer a challenge and have a lot of time to dedicate, farming gold and acquiring mounts through gameplay might be the more satisfying option.
6. Check Out the Mount’s Animations
Sometimes a mount’s charm goes beyond its appearance. Many mounts in WoW come with unique animations and sounds that make them even more enjoyable. For example, the Armored Razzashi Raptor has an exciting animation as it sways from side to side, while the Frostwyrm mount will raise its wings as it takes off.
If the animation is a factor in your decision-making, check out videos or look at community forums to see what other players say about the mount’s animations and overall experience.
7. Joining Mount Farming Communities
If you want to seriously get into mount hunting, there are communities of like-minded individuals who love farming rare mounts. Joining these communities can provide tips on where to find specific mounts, farming routes, and how to maximize your chances of obtaining those rare creatures.
Conclusion
Choosing the perfect mount in WoW is a fun and rewarding experience, but it’s important to balance your personal preferences with the effort required to acquire it. Whether you’re after a rare and beautiful mount to show off in Orgrimmar or a flying mount to make questing more efficient, there’s something for everyone. Happy mount hunting, and may your journeys across Azeroth be filled with joy—and plenty of hoofbeats or wingbeats along the way!