Get Reins of the Azure Riding Crane mount

Reins of the Azure Riding Crane is an epic ground mount added in patch 5.0.4 of the Mists of Pandaria expansion. It is a majestic azure crane — a sacred bird that the pandaren consider a loyal friend and companion. The mount is purchased from Jaluu the Generous, the quartermaster of the Golden Lotus faction, for 500 gold at Exalted reputation.

The Azure Riding Crane stands out with its graceful blue plumage. It is one of three riding crane variants available from the Golden Lotus quartermaster: besides the azure one, there are also the golden and regal cranes.

• Guaranteed acquisition — the mount is purchased from a vendor at a fixed price. As soon as you reach the required reputation level and save up the gold, the crane is yours
• Affordable cost — only 500 gold, which is significantly cheaper than most reputation mounts from other expansions
• Unique model — riding cranes have a memorable animation and silhouette, standing out among standard mounts
• Collection value — the cranes are only available through reputation with the Golden Lotus, which makes them relatively rare among players
• Available to all characters — once purchased, the mount becomes available on every character on your account

To buy the mount you must meet two conditions: reach Exalted reputation with the Golden Lotus faction and have 500 gold.

1. Travel to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms on the continent of Pandaria. The zone is accessible through a portal from your faction capital or via the Chromie Time system (Mists of Pandaria timeline)
2. Begin completing daily quests for the Golden Lotus faction at the Golden Pagoda in the center of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms
3. Raise your Golden Lotus reputation to Exalted (42,000 points total from Neutral to Exalted)
4. Save up 500 gold
5. Find Jaluu the Generous at one of the Temples of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms
6. Purchase the Reins of the Azure Riding Crane and use the item to learn the mount

Jaluu the Generous is the quartermaster of the Golden Lotus faction. He was originally located at the entrance to the Mogu'shan Palace, but after the events of the Siege of Orgrimmar (patch 5.4) he moved to both faction shrines in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

For the Horde

Jaluu the Generous is located in the Shrine of Two Moons — the Horde sanctuary in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

For the Alliance

Jaluu the Generous is located in the Shrine of Seven Stars — the Alliance sanctuary in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

How to Reach the Vale of Eternal Blossoms

1. Use the portal to Pandaria from your faction capital (Stormwind or Orgrimmar)
2. If you use the Chromie Time system, select the Mists of Pandaria timeline to scale the content
3. The Vale of Eternal Blossoms is located in the central part of Pandaria, north of the Valley of the Four Winds

To reach Exalted you need to accumulate 42,000 reputation points. The main source of reputation is daily quests in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

Daily Quests (Main Source)

Each day you can complete a set of daily quests, starting at the Golden Pagoda in the center of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. The number of available quests increases as your reputation grows:

• Friendly — quests are available at the Golden Pagoda and the Golden Stair
• Honored — additional quest hubs open up, including the Ruins of Guo-Lai
• Revered — the full set of daily quests

Each day you will earn roughly 1,500 reputation points for completing all available quests.

Guo-Lai Halls (Additional Source)

In the Ruins of Guo-Lai in the northwest of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms there are underground halls where you can open Ancient Guo-Lai Caches. They drop:

• Thunder King Relic — grants 350 reputation points
• Guo-Lai Relic — grants 150 reputation points

To open the caches you need a Guo-Lai Cache Key, which drops from mobs in this zone.

Work Orders at the Farm

At Halfhill in the Valley of the Four Winds you can complete work orders for the Golden Lotus, earning an additional 400 reputation points per day.

Grand Commendation of the Golden Lotus

Upon reaching Revered, buy the Grand Commendation of the Golden Lotus from Jaluu the Generous for 50 gold. This item doubles all subsequent Golden Lotus reputation gains on every character on your account. Be sure to buy the commendation right away — it significantly speeds up the path from Revered to Exalted.

Completing all available quests every day, the path from Neutral to Exalted takes roughly three weeks. With the Grand Commendation of the Golden Lotus (available at Revered) and additional reputation sources, the time is reduced to two weeks.

At max level (80 in The War Within) all mobs and quests in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms are completed instantly, so a daily session takes only 10–15 minutes.

Besides the azure crane, two more riding cranes can be purchased from Jaluu the Generous at Exalted reputation:

All three cranes share the same model but differ in coloring: azure (blue), golden (yellow), and regal (purple). If you collect mounts, it makes sense to buy all three for 1,500 gold.