Get Black Battlestrider mount

Black Battlestrider is a ground PvP mount of the Alliance faction, added to the game back in patch 2.0.1 and originally conceived as a battle version of the gnomish mechanostrider for players with a high PvP rank. It is a massive walker of steel and copper in a black finish with brass accents, easily recognizable by its distinctive mechanical clatter while running.

In the modern game the mount is sold for 15 Honor Points by Lieutenant Karter — the riding stable master near the Champions' Hall in Stormwind. No PvP rank, title, or reputation with battleground factions is required anymore: any Alliance character who saves up 15 Honor Points in combat gains access to the purchase. On patch 11.1 The War Within the mount is fully current and remains one of the fastest ways to complete the collection of "black battle" racial mounts.

• Completing the "Black Battle" Alliance mount set — together with the Black Battle Ram, the Reins of the Black War Steed, and others, the strider is part of the classic set of PvP mounts for Alliance races. All five are sold by the same vendor at the same price
• A unique model among mechanostriders — unlike ordinary gnomish mechanostriders, the battle version is larger, bulkier, and painted black with metallic highlights. In look and sound it is a fundamentally different model that cannot be obtained through quests or reputation
• The historical legacy of the Commander rank — originally the mount was granted only to gnomes and dwarves with the PvP title "Commander" and above. In patch 2.0.1 the rank requirement was removed, and in 3.0.8 the racial restrictions were lifted as well. Now any Alliance race can buy and use this strider, but in the collection it is still considered a PvP reward
• A cheap way to advance mount-count achievements — 15 Honor Points are farmed in a few wins in random battlegrounds or epic battles. The purchase advances progress in "Mountain o' Mounts", "Leading the Cavalry", and other meta-achievements based on the number of mounts
• Account-wide access — after using the item the mount goes into the shared journal and unlocks for all Alliance characters on the account, regardless of class and race

Since patch 7.0 (Legion) the old grind of marks for individual battlegrounds was removed from the game, and all PvP mounts of this kind were moved to a single currency, Honor Points. Today, to buy it, it is enough to take part in any PvP activities — separate Alterac Valley, Warsong, or Arathi Basin marks are no longer needed.

Lieutenant Karter sits mounted on a horse right in front of the entrance to the Champions' Hall in Old Town, Stormwind. This is the same courtyard where PvP quests are handed out and where battleground quartermasters and arena organizer NPCs stand.

Route from the hearthstone

1. Teleport to Stormwind via your hearthstone, a portal from any major The War Within hub, or the main portal from Valdrakken and the Hold
2. Move from the Mage Quarter or Trade District toward Old Town — it is located to the northeast of the center of Stormwind
3. The Champions' Hall is in the eastern part of Old Town, its entrance guarded by two Alliance banners and guards
4. Lieutenant Karter stands right in front of the doors of the Champions' Hall, in an open square
5. Coordinates for the navigator:

If your character is Horde

The mount is bound to the Alliance and cannot be bought on a Horde character. The only way for a Horde player to complete this mount is to create or transfer a character to the Alliance side, buy the strider there, and use it through the shared journal of allied Alliance characters. On a Horde character the mount will not appear in the journal.

Honor Points are the single PvP currency introduced in patch 7.0 along with Legion and still current today. At level 80 in The War Within they can be earned in practically any PvP activity.

Main sources

• Regular battlegrounds — for a win you receive a reward chest that is guaranteed to contain Honor Points. A loss also gives a smaller amount. The fastest and shortest battlegrounds are Warsong Gulch and Temple of Kotmogu
• Epic battlegrounds — Alterac Valley, Isle of Conquest, and Ashran (epic) give more Honor Points per win but take longer. They are optimal if you are farming several mounts from the PvP vendor at once
• 2v2 and 3v3 skirmish arenas — unrated arenas give several Honor Points per win and do not require a pre-made team
• Rated arenas and battlegrounds — give an increased amount of Honor Points plus Conquest points if you are progressing through the PvP season in parallel
• Weekly PvP quests in Stormwind — handed out by the local PvP quartermasters near the Champions' Hall. The reward is small, but it is taken on the way to Lieutenant Karter herself

How long it takes

With active play, 15 Honor Points are gathered in roughly 40–60 minutes:

• 3–5 wins in regular battlegrounds of 10–15 minutes each
• Or 1–2 wins in epic Alterac
• Or 8–10 wins in skirmish arenas

If your goal is to collect all five "Black Battle" mounts from Lieutenant Karter at once, plan for 75 Honor Points and 3–5 hours of meaningful PvP farming.

1. Walk right up to Lieutenant Karter at the Champions' Hall
2. Right-click to open the trade window
3. Make sure you have at least 15 Honor Points in your bag
4. In the list of goods find the Black Battlestrider and confirm the purchase
5. Open the item with a right-click — the mount spell is automatically added to the collection, and the strider becomes available to all Alliance characters on the account
6. If you do not yet have the "Apprentice Riding" skill, you can learn it from any riding trainer in the Alliance capitals

What else is worth buying from the same vendor

Lieutenant Karter sells the full set of "Black Battle" Alliance racial mounts. The prices and conditions are the same — 15 Honor Points, no reputation or rank requirements:

It is optimal to spend one visit to the vendor on the whole set — this closes five positions in the mount collection and advances all related achievements at once.