Crimson Cloud Serpent — How to Get the Mount

Reins of the Crimson Cloud Serpent is an epic flying mount added in patch 5.0.4 of the Mists of Pandaria expansion. It is a graceful crimson-colored cloud serpent from Pandaria's cloud serpent family. The mount is the reward for the Glory of the Pandaria Hero meta-achievement, which requires completing 28 achievements across Pandaria's heroic dungeons.

Crimson cloud serpents are prone to sudden whims and may set off on random journeys lasting whole days for no apparent reason. The mount model features a rich red-crimson scale coloration with golden accents and the characteristic undulating flight animation shared by all cloud serpents.

• Guaranteed acquisition — the mount does not depend on a random drop. Once you complete all 28 achievements, the reward is yours
• Unique coloration — the crimson cloud serpent stands out among other cloud serpents with its rich red color. Blizzard traditionally rewards dungeon meta-achievements with red mounts
• A mark of mastery — this mount demonstrates that you have successfully handled the diverse mechanics of all of Pandaria's heroic dungeons
• Available to all characters — once obtained, the mount becomes available on every character on your account
• Solo at max level — at level 80, all Pandaria dungeons can be cleared in just minutes, allowing you to complete most achievements alone

To obtain the mount you must complete the Glory of the Pandaria Hero meta-achievement. This means completing 28 separate achievements across nine Mists of Pandaria heroic dungeons.

1. Open the achievements tab (the Y key) and find "Glory of the Pandaria Hero" in the "Dungeons & Raids" section
2. Review the list of 28 achievements and track your progress
3. Visit Pandaria's heroic dungeons and complete the corresponding achievements
4. Once all 28 achievements are complete, the mount will be sent to you automatically via in-game mail

Below are all 28 achievements, grouped by dungeon. Each achievement must be completed on heroic difficulty unless stated otherwise.

Pandaria Dungeon Hero

Pandaria Dungeon Hero — clear all nine Pandaria dungeons on heroic difficulty. This is a baseline requirement that you will complete automatically while working on the other achievements.

Temple of the Jade Serpent

• Spring Cleaning — kill Wise Mari after destroying all of her Jade Fire. Wait until she summons all the flames, destroy them, and only then finish off the boss
• Hydrophobia — defeat Wise Mari without letting a Corrupt Living Water reach the center of the room. Destroy the water elementals as soon as they appear
• Seeds of Doubt — defeat the Sha of Doubt while destroying 12 Figments of Doubt. Let the figments appear, then destroy them all and kill the boss

Stormstout Brewery

• Worth Its Weight in Booze — defeat Yan-Zhu the Uncasked without letting the bubbles reach the ceiling. At max level, simply kill the boss instantly
• Ling-Ting's Herbal Journey — find and talk to Akunda, who is hiding in the dungeon. He is on a platform above the corridor with the hopling masters — jump onto the barrels and climb up
• Gnomercy — destroy 100 wild hoppers within 10 seconds during the fight with Hoptallus. Wait until enough mobs accumulate, then use an AoE ability
• Ling-Ting's Herbal Journey — collect 30 Golden Hoppers along the way through the dungeon. They look like small golden creatures on the ground — inspect every corridor carefully

Mogu'shan Palace

• Glintrok 'n' Roll — defeat Gekkan in under 5 minutes. At level 80 this is easy — just kill the boss right away
• What Does This Button Do? — pull the lever of the Secret Switch during the fight with Xin the Weaponmaster. The lever is on the wall to the right of the boss room entrance
• Quivering Quilen — defeat the five quilen guardians without killing them one by one. Pull all five and kill them simultaneously — at max level a single AoE ability will do the job

Shado-Pan Monastery

• Kuai the Fixer — defeat Master Snowdrift without taking damage from his "Tornado Kick" ability. Dodge the tornadoes or kill the boss instantly
• No Time to Heal — defeat Taran Zhu in under 5 minutes. At max level an instant kill is enough
• Hatred Leads to Suffering — do not let the hatred bar fill up completely during the fight with Taran Zhu. If you kill the boss quickly, the bar will not have time to fill

Gate of the Setting Sun

• Bombs Away — destroy 20 mantid parasites using bombs during the fight with Saboteur Kip'tilak. Catch the bombs dropped by the flying insects and use them against the parasites
• Conscription — make 15 Tideborn Soldiers get hit by Commander Ri'mok's cannon. Wait for the soldiers to approach the boss and let the cannon strike the group

Scarlet Halls

• Animal Husbandry — defeat Houndmaster Braun without killing any of his hounds. Hit only the boss and avoid incidental damage to the dogs
• Mosh Pit — kill 50 Scarlet Trainees within one second in the corridor on the way to Armsmaster Harlan. Gather all the trainees into one group and deal AoE damage

Scarlet Monastery

• Burning Man — set the training dummies on fire during the fight with Brother Korloff so that all 6 dummies burn at once. Use the boss's "Burning Charge" ability, steering him toward the dummies
• And Stay Dead! — kill High Inquisitor Whitemane once more after she revives. Wait for the resurrection, then finish her off

Scholomance

• Attention to Detail — destroy two Phantasmal Adepts before the fight with Instructor Chillheart. The adepts hide in the lecture hall — inspect the rows carefully
• Don't Mind If I Do — defeat Rattlegore without letting him absorb any bone warriors. Kill the adds before the boss absorbs them, or kill the boss instantly
• Full Bloodedness — defeat Sentinel Pierce by letting her fully fill with blood and then killing her. Do not interrupt the boss's cast and wait for the fill
• I'm Not Going Back to School! — kill 50 students during a single fight with Darkmaster Gandling. Let the boss summon enough students, then destroy them

Acid Science (all dungeons)

Acid Science is a special achievement that requires visiting several dungeons. Before the final hall of Scholomance there is a bottle of Polymorphic Acid. Drink the potion and gain a one-hour buff. Then, with that buff, kill specific bosses in other dungeons:

1. Trial of the King — Mogu'shan Palace
2. Commander Ri'mok — Gate of the Setting Sun
3. Wise Mari — Temple of the Jade Serpent
4. Gu Cloudstrike — Shado-Pan Monastery
5. Vizier Jin'bak — Siege of Niuzao Temple
6. Yan-Zhu the Uncasked — Stormstout Brewery

You have 60 minutes to complete it. Plan your route in advance and use a hearthstone or portals to move quickly.

Siege of Niuzao Temple

• Where's My Air Support? — kill Sik'thik Yellowwing first during the fight with Commander Vo'jak. Focus your damage on Yellowwing
• Return to Sender — deflect the projectiles back at General Pa'valak during the siege. Use the ballistae on the wall to fire at the boss
• Race Against the Wind — defeat Wing Leader Ner'onok in under 1 minute. At max level the fight ends instantly

All nine dungeons are located on the continent of Pandaria. At level 80 you can reach any of them in just minutes.

Quick Access

1. Use the portal to Pandaria from your faction's capital (Orgrimmar or Stormwind)
2. The portal leads to the Shrine of Two Moons (Horde) or the Shrine of Seven Stars (Alliance) in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms
3. From there, fly to the dungeon you need

Dungeon Locations

Note: the Scarlet Halls and Scarlet Monastery, as well as Scholomance, are located not in Pandaria but in the Eastern Kingdoms. Use the portals in the capital to move quickly.

The recommended order for clearing the dungeons for maximum efficiency:

1. Scholomance — start here to drink the Polymorphic Acid for the "Acid Science" achievement. Complete all Scholomance achievements at the same time
2. Scarlet Halls — "Animal Husbandry" and "Mosh Pit" (near Scholomance in the Eastern Kingdoms)
3. Scarlet Monastery — "Burning Man" and "And Stay Dead!" (same entrance)
4. Mogu'shan Palace — kill the Trial of the King with the acid buff, complete all three achievements
5. Gate of the Setting Sun — kill Commander Ri'mok with the acid buff, complete "Bombs Away" and "Conscription"
6. Temple of the Jade Serpent — kill Wise Mari with the acid buff, complete "Spring Cleaning", "Hydrophobia" and "Seeds of Doubt"
7. Shado-Pan Monastery — kill Gu Cloudstrike with the acid buff, complete "Kuai the Fixer", "No Time to Heal" and "Hatred Leads to Suffering"
8. Siege of Niuzao Temple — kill Vizier Jin'bak with the acid buff, complete all three achievements
9. Stormstout Brewery — kill Yan-Zhu with the acid buff (the last boss for "Acid Science"), complete the remaining achievements