Black Hawkstrider

The Black Hawkstrider is one of the four racial ground mounts of the blood elves, added to the game with the release of The Burning Crusade expansion (patch 2.0.1). It is a large black-feathered flightless bird with a predatory profile that, according to the item's flavor text, is considered "a true symbol of Silvermoon."

The mount is sold for 1 gold by hawkstrider breeder Winaestra at Turon's Stables in Eversong Woods. Blood elves can buy it with no additional requirements, while other Horde players need to earn the rank of "Exalted" with Silvermoon City. The mount is fully available in The War Within (patch 11.1) and remains one of the easiest ways to add Horde racial models to your collection.

• A complete collection of Horde racial mounts — the black variant is part of the four base blood elf hawkstriders alongside the Red Hawkstrider, the Purple Hawkstrider, and the Blue Hawkstrider. Achievements for mount counts and for "Leading the Cavalry" require exactly these simple purchasable models.
• A cheap purchase — 1 gold per mount, one of the most budget-friendly additions to your collection in the game.
• A design unique to the Horde — hawkstriders belong only to the blood elves; no other race gets a similar racial mount.
• The most restrained coloring — the black scheme pairs well with dark transmog sets and stands out against the standard gaudy hawkstriders.
• Account-wide — once purchased, the mount becomes available to every character on your account, including the Alliance (through later faction changes or allied races).
• A stepping stone to Silvermoon as a hub — if you farm the mount on a non-elf alt, you will also finish reputation with Silvermoon City, which is needed for other purchasable mounts and for transmog.

The hawkstrider binds to the character on purchase, so you cannot gift it to a friend — you have to farm it on the account where you want to see it.

Turon's Stables is located along the southern road leading to the gates of Silvermoon City, just east of the city itself. The landmark is a large open area with stables and hawkstriders running around.

Blood elf of any level

1. While leveling through the starting zone, sooner or later you will pass Turon's Stables — if you are just leveling, the easiest option is to combine the purchase with the quest line
2. If your character is already in Silvermoon City, exit through the southern gates and ride along the road for about 30–40 seconds
3. Navigator coordinates: /way #3430 61.0 54.6 Winaestra — Turon's Stables

Other Horde races

1. Open a portal to Silvermoon City from any Horde capital. The most convenient hub is Orgrimmar: the Hall of Legends (in the Valley of Spirits area) has a portal to Undercity, and from there a teleport and zeppelins lead to Silvermoon City
2. From Silvermoon City, exit through the southern gates — you will end up in Eversong Woods
3. Head south along the main road, keeping Turon's Stables on the right side of the road
4. Coordinates: /way #3430 61.0 54.6 Winaestra — Turon's Stables
5. Before buying, make sure you are "Exalted" with Silvermoon City — without this reputation the vendor will not sell you the hawkstrider

For Horde characters who are not blood elves, Silvermoon City is locked until "Exalted." This is the longest step in obtaining the hawkstrider, so plan to set aside several hours for it.

Main ways to raise reputation

• Tabard of Silvermoon — equip the Tabard of Silvermoon City from quartermaster Magister Nizard next to the flight master in Eversong Woods and run any old dungeons: all the reputation that mobs and bosses award goes to the chosen faction. This method works for dungeons up through Wrath of the Lich King
• Argent Tournament — daily quests in Icecrown on the tournament grounds grant reputation points for your chosen capital. By becoming a Champion of Silvermoon, you automatically earn huge amounts of reputation and at the same time unlock the purchase of swift hawkstriders from Trellis Morningsun
• Quest chains in Eversong Woods and Ghostlands — if your character has only the blood elf starting zones unlocked, the linear quests will give a decent boost to "Friendly" and "Honored" reputation in the early stages

By combining the tabard with Wrath of the Lich King dungeons (for example, the Halls of Lightning), the path from "Neutral" to "Exalted" takes about 3–5 hours. For alts it is convenient to grab several group keys at once and turn them in back to back.

1. Stand next to Winaestra at Turon's Stables
2. Right-click to open the trade window
3. From the list of goods, select the Black Hawkstrider and confirm the purchase for 1 gold
4. Use the item — the spell will automatically be added to your mount collection
5. If you do not have a riding skill, buy "Apprentice Riding" from any riding trainer (there are also some in Eversong Woods and Silvermoon City)

What else you can buy in the same visit

Winaestra sells all four base hawkstriders under the same conditions. If you are completing the racial collection, it makes sense to grab the full set at once for 4 gold:

• Red Hawkstrider
• Blue Hawkstrider
• Black Hawkstrider
• Purple Hawkstrider

Winaestra does not sell the swift (epic) hawkstriders — for those you need to go to the Argent Tournament and see Trellis Morningsun after earning the Champion of Silvermoon title.