Blue Dragon Turtle Reins

Reins of the Boulder Hauler is a versatile slatewing mount from the Dragonflight expansion (patch 10.1.0). This winged creature of the native rock of Zaralek Cavern sports slate armor and a distinctive gray-stone coloring that sets it clearly apart from the dragons of the Dragon Isles. According to its Mount Journal entry, the niffen trained these slatewings to haul large shipments of goods for their trading operations.

The mount is sold by Ponzo, the chief trader of the town of Loamm in Zaralek Cavern. To gain access to his stall, you need to raise your renown with the Loamm Niffen to level 3 and complete the introductory trading quest. After that, everything comes down to accumulating the barter currency.

• A unique slatewing model. This stone-winged creature of Zaralek Cavern looks nothing like the dragons and stands out in any collection.
• An all-purpose mount. It works as both a ground and a flying mount, and its speed scales with your riding skill.
• An affordable price. Unlike many reputation rewards, it requires no rare ingredients — only active farming of the Loamm Niffen and their barter currency.
• Not tied to a season. The faction and vendor remain available in any current expansion, so the mount can easily be picked up after the fact.
• Account-wide unlock. Once purchased, the slatewing becomes available to all your characters regardless of faction or class.

The main path is to raise your renown with the Loamm Niffen to level 3, unlock trading with Ponzo, and save up the required amount of currency.

1. Complete the introductory Zaralek Cavern quest chain and reach the town of Loamm through the quest Making Introductions: Loamm Niffen.
2. Raise your renown with the Loamm Niffen to level 3 — this unlocks access to the stall.
3. Complete the quest How to Get Rich from Ponzo, after which his inventory becomes available.
4. Save up the currency: 170 Barter Bricks or, after renown level 12, 85 Barter Boulders.
5. Walk up to Ponzo and buy the Reins of the Boulder Hauler.

The key nuance is the timing of the purchase. Until renown level 12, the mount costs 170 Barter Bricks. At rank 12, a currency switch kicks in at Ponzo: sources start awarding Barter Boulders instead of Bricks, and the mount's price becomes 85 Boulders. Since one Boulder equals three Bricks, buying late works out to roughly one and a half times more expensive.

Loamm Niffen renown and both barter currencies are earned from the same Zaralek Cavern activities, so the farm progresses in parallel.

• Every day, clear all the local Zaralek Cavern tasks and public events — this is the main stream of both reputation and Bricks.
• Take the weekly quest Loamm Niffen: it grants a large chunk of renown for a small amount of time.
• The "Sniffenseeking" digs are the densest source of currency per unit of time, and they occasionally drop collectible items as well.
• Don't spend currency on cosmetics and hats until the mount is bought: the price rises along with your renown, and any surplus Bricks will later convert into Boulders at a 3:1 rate on their own.
• Starting at renown level 20, you unlock the option to buy Barter Boulders from the faction quartermaster for Dragon Isles Supplies — a convenient way to top off any missing amount.