Drake of the West Wind

Reins of the Drake of the West Wind is an epic ground and flying mount added in the Cataclysm expansion (patch 4.0.1). It is a majestic drake wreathed in elemental energy: its body crackles with lightning and rumbles with peals of thunder. The mount is purchased for 200 Tol Barad Commendations from your faction's quartermaster on the Tol Barad Peninsula once you reach Exalted reputation with Baradin's Wardens (Alliance) or Hellscream's Reach (Horde).

The Drake of the West Wind belongs to the family of storm drakes introduced in Cataclysm. It shares its model with the Drake of the East Wind, Drake of the North Wind, and Drake of the South Wind, differing only in coloration.

• Guaranteed acquisition — the mount is bought from a vendor rather than dropping at a certain chance. As soon as you reach the required reputation and save up 200 commendations, the mount is yours.
• No gold required — unlike many reputation mounts, the Drake of the West Wind is purchased exclusively with Tol Barad Commendations, with no additional gold cost.
• Unique appearance — the drake is wreathed in lightning and elemental energy, setting it apart from most mounts in the game.
• Available to both factions — both Alliance and Horde can obtain this mount. Once learned, it becomes available to all characters on the account.
• Ground and flying — the mount works in any zone, and its speed depends on your riding skill.

• Character level: 30+ (to access the Tol Barad daily quests; at max level the content is cleared instantly)
• Exalted reputation with Baradin's Wardens (Alliance) or Hellscream's Reach (Horde)
• 200 Tol Barad Commendations
• Apprentice riding skill (ground mode) or Journeyman and above (flying mode)

Tol Barad is a PvP zone located on a separate island. You can reach it through a portal in your faction's capital city.

Alliance

1. Head to Stormwind
2. Find the Tol Barad portal next to the Cataclysm portals in the Eastern Earthworks (the command center area)
3. The portal will take you to Baradin Base Camp on the Tol Barad Peninsula

Horde

1. Head to Orgrimmar
2. Find the Tol Barad portal in the Cataclysm portals area (by the western gates)
3. The portal will take you to Hellscream's Grasp on the Tol Barad Peninsula

Vendor Coordinates

Step 1 — Unlock Access to Tol Barad

At max level (80 in The War Within), head to your faction's capital and use the portal to Tol Barad. You will arrive on the peninsula, home to both factions' bases and the daily quests.

Step 2 — Complete Daily Quests on the Peninsula

Each day, 6 daily quests are available on the Tol Barad Peninsula from a shared pool. Each quest awards:

• 250 reputation points (regular quests) or 350 points (elite quests)
• 1 Tol Barad Commendation (regular) or 2 commendations (elite)

For completing 6 daily quests, you will earn roughly 1,500 reputation points and 6–8 commendations per day.

Step 3 — Take Part in the Battle for Tol Barad (When Possible)

If your faction controls Tol Barad, an additional 12 daily quests open up within the fortress itself. This grants up to 3,900 extra reputation points per day.

Winning the PvP battle for Tol Barad rewards 3 commendations. A loss grants 1 commendation.

Step 4 — Reach Exalted

Reaching Exalted from scratch requires accumulating 42,000 reputation points. Completing all available quests daily, this will take:

• Peninsula quests only (6 per day): roughly 4 weeks
• Peninsula + control of Tol Barad (up to 18 quests per day): roughly 1.5–2 weeks
• All quests + PvP wins: about 7–10 days

Step 5 — Buy the Mount

When your reputation reaches Exalted and you have 200 commendations, visit your faction's vendor:

• Alliance: Quartermaster Brazie at Baradin Base Camp
• Horde: Pogg at Hellscream's Grasp

Use the Reins of the Drake of the West Wind from your inventory to learn the mount.

Daily Action Plan

At the current max level (80 in The War Within), all enemies on Tol Barad are destroyed instantly. The optimal order is:

1. Use the Tol Barad portal from your faction's capital
2. Pick up all available daily quests on the peninsula (6 of them)
3. Complete the quests — at level 80 this takes 10–15 minutes
4. If your faction controls Tol Barad, enter the fortress and complete the additional 12 quests
5. If a PvP battle is active, take part for extra commendations

Commendation Priority

You need to accumulate 200 commendations, and your reputation will grow alongside them. Note: you may accumulate commendations faster than reputation, or vice versa — it depends on whether you take part in PvP battles. Don't spend commendations on other items at the quartermaster until you've bought the mount.

Combining With Other Goals

The Tol Barad quartermaster also sells other mounts and pets:

• Reins of the Spectral Steed (Alliance) / Reins of the Spectral Wolf (Horde) — 165 commendations, Exalted
• Fox Kit — 200 commendations, Exalted

If you want to obtain several rewards, plan out the total number of commendations you'll need in advance.