Astral Cloud Serpent

The Astral Cloud Serpent is an epic flying mount added in the Mists of Pandaria expansion (patch 5.0.4). The Astral Cloud Serpent is a majestic creature wreathed in starlight energy and shimmering constellations. According to legend, astral cloud serpents hold the answers to life's greatest mysteries.

The mount drops at a rare chance from the Cache of Pure Energy, which appears after defeating the boss Elegon in the Mogu'shan Vaults raid. It is one of the most beautiful and recognizable mounts in the game, and at the current character level (80) the entire raid can be cleared solo in just a few minutes.

• Unique appearance — the astral cloud serpent stands out among every mount in the game. Its translucent body shimmers with stardust and constellations, giving the impression of flying on a living fragment of the night sky
• Rarity — the low drop rate (around 1%) makes this mount a coveted collector's item. Seeing another player on an astral cloud serpent is always an event
• Simple farm — despite its rarity, getting the mount is easy: just kill one boss in an outdated raid each week. No quest chains, reputation, or special requirements
• Account-wide — once learned, the mount appears in the collection on every character on your account
• Ground and flying — the mount works both on the ground and in the air, automatically adapting to the zone

The primary way to obtain it is as a drop from the boss Elegon in Mogu'shan Vaults. The mount drops on Normal (10 and 25 player) and Heroic (10 and 25 player) difficulties. It does not drop on Raid Finder difficulty.

1. Travel to the entrance of Mogu'shan Vaults in Kun-Lai Summit (Pandaria)
2. Set the raid difficulty to Heroic 25 Player for the maximum amount of gold from loot
3. Clear the first three bosses: the Stone Guard, Feng the Accursed, and Gara'jal the Spiritbinder
4. Defeat Elegon — the fourth boss of the raid
5. Open the Cache of Pure Energy that appears after the victory
6. If the Reins of the Astral Cloud Serpent drops, use the item to learn the mount

Mogu'shan Vaults is located in the northeastern part of Kun-Lai Summit in Pandaria. The raid entrance sits high on the mountainside, and you can only reach it by air.

Quick Route

1. Open the map and select Pandaria, then Kun-Lai Summit
2. Use the portal to Pandaria from your faction capital (Stormwind or Orgrimmar). The portal leads to the Jade Forest, from where you can fly north
3. If you have a hearthstone set to an inn in Pandaria, or access to the Traveler's Whistle, use them for quick travel
4. Fly to the northeastern part of Kun-Lai Summit. The raid entrance is in the Mogu'shan mountain range

Entrance Coordinates

At level 90, all the bosses of Mogu'shan Vaults die within seconds. A full clear up to Elegon takes 5–10 minutes.

The Stone Guard (first boss)

Enter the raid and move straight ahead. The Stone Guard is a council of four stone guardians. At level 90, just hit any one of them — all four will fall almost instantly.

Feng the Accursed (second boss)

After the Stone Guard, continue down the corridor. Feng the Accursed poses no threat at the current level. Attack and keep moving.

Gara'jal the Spiritbinder (third boss)

Gara'jal the Spiritbinder also falls in a few hits. After he dies, the passage to Elegon opens.

Elegon (fourth boss — the target)

Elegon is a celestial construct shaped like a cloud serpent, hovering above an energy platform. At level 90 the fight ends in seconds. After the victory, the Cache of Pure Energy appears — open it and check the loot.

Multiple Characters

The raid can be run once per week on each character. The more max-level characters you have, the higher your chance of getting the mount per week:

• 1 character — 1 attempt per week (about a 1% chance)
• 5 characters — 5 attempts per week (about a 5% combined chance)
• 10 characters — 10 attempts per week (about a 10% combined chance)

Class Choice

For the fastest clear, favor classes with high mobility:

• Demon Hunter — Glide and double jump speed up movement between bosses
• Druid — Travel Form for running quickly down the corridors
• Monk — Roll and Chi Torpedo for fast movement
• Death Knight — Death's Advance for instant repositioning

Optimal Difficulty

Set Heroic 25 Player — the mount's drop chance is the same on all difficulties (except Raid Finder), but on Heroic 25 the bosses drop more gold and valuable loot to sell.

Weekly Reset

Raids reset every Wednesday (on European realms) or every Tuesday (on American realms). Plan your run for the day after the reset so you don't miss an attempt.

Farming Math

At a 1% drop chance and one attempt per week:

• The chance of getting the mount within 50 weeks is about 39%
• The chance of getting the mount within 100 weeks is about 63%
• On average, it takes about 100 attempts to get the mount

With 10 characters, the average time drops to roughly 10 weeks.

The Reins of the Astral Cloud Serpent occasionally appear at the Black Market Auction House from Madam Goya. The starting bid is 20,000 gold, but the final price can reach several million gold depending on the competition on your realm.

This method suits players who have plenty of gold and don't want to spend time on the weekly raid farm.