Expedition Bloodswarmer

Reins of the Expedition Bloodswarmer is a Horde flying mount added to World of Warcraft in the Battle for Azeroth expansion (patch 8.0.1). It is a large blood tick of a pale purple hue, trained by Queen Talanji's handlers from the young left orphaned after the blood trolls were defeated. The model resembles a giant arthropod creature of Nazmir and echoes the Reins of a Tamed Bloodfeaster.

The mount is sold by Provisioner Lija in the ruins of Zul'jan in Nazmir for 10,000 gold and requires Exalted reputation with the Talanji's Expedition faction. It is one of the faction's two mounts, alongside the Reins of the Captured Swampstalker.

• Unique blood tick model — one of the few rideable creatures in the game based on the insect-like model of Nazmir. It stands out visually among the standard dragons and wyverns
• Flying transport — a speed bonus of +150%, +280%, or +310% depending on your riding skill, working everywhere flight is allowed
• Horde exclusive — the mount is available only to Horde characters. Once unlocked, it appears on all account characters of the matching faction
• Completes the BfA collection — together with the Reins of the Captured Swampstalker and the pet Tragg the Curious, it finishes the Talanji's Expedition reward set.
• Progress toward explorer achievements — it counts toward the overall tally of collected mounts for the "Bold Explorer" achievement and above.
• Tied to Zandalar lore — the mount's story refers to the war against the blood trolls and Queen Talanji's alliance with Bwonsamdi.

To buy the mount, you need to reach Exalted status with the Talanji's Expedition faction and pay the quartermaster 10,000 gold.

1. Complete the Battle for Azeroth Horde story campaign and reach the quest Uniting Zandalar — it unlocks access to Zandalar world quests
2. Finish the Nazmir storyline to the end — this gives around 3,000 reputation and raises the faction nearly to Revered
3. Complete world quests in Nazmir daily: each grants 75 reputation, and quests flagged for the emissary award a bonus chest
4. Use the Talanji's Expedition emissary chest — for four completed faction quests you receive 1,500 reputation
5. Increase your farming speed with the Contract: Talanji's Expedition and war board mission table quests
6. Once you reach Exalted, head to Provisioner Lija in Nazmir and buy the Reins of the Expedition Bloodswarmer

Talanji's Expedition only becomes available after several steps through the BfA story. Skip any of them and you will see neither world quests nor emissary bonuses.

1. Reach max level (80 in the current patch) and unlock Zandalar war quests through the Horde war campaign story
2. Pick up the introductory quest Talanji's Expedition, which sends you to Nazmir
3. Complete the zone storyline to the end — the main chains: "Deep in the Swamps," "A Pact with Death," "Let There Be Thunder," "The Blood Wanes"
4. Finish the quest Uniting Zandalar — it unlocks world quests in all three Zandalar zones and grants the Flight Master's Whistle
5. Raise reputation to Friendly by completing zone quests — afterward, daily Talanji's Expedition world quests appear in Nazmir

Reputation sources

While grinding reputation up to Exalted, it is worth picking up the rest of the unique rewards from Provisioner Lija along the way. Many of them unlock before the mount and are available for gold.

• Reins of the Captured Swampstalker — the faction's second mount, a ground saurid, 90,000 gold, Exalted
• Tragg the Curious — a battle pet, unlocked at Revered
• Talanji's Expedition Tabard — a dapper tabard for your transmog collection
• Rank 2 and rank 3 profession recipes for Inscription, Engineering, Enchanting, Alchemy, and Leatherworking — unlocking gradually from Friendly to Exalted
• Item level 355 gear sets — outdated by stats in 2026, but suitable for transmog

After reaching Exalted, every additional 10,000 reputation points fills the paragon bar and awards a Talanji's Expedition Supplies parcel via the quest Supplies from Talanji's Expedition. This is a good reason to keep doing world quests even after buying the mount.

Chest contents:

• A chance at the battle pet Pair of Tiny Bat Wings
• A chance at the toy For da Blood God!
• Nazmir gear set pieces
• A small amount of gold and Lapis Lazuli

The mount is not part of the paragon chest — the Reins of the Expedition Bloodswarmer are purchased only from the quartermaster for gold.

An efficient cycle on a single character

In the current patch (The War Within, 11.1), the BfA story and Zandalar zones scale to level 80, so quests are completed quickly and without risk of death. One run through Nazmir with 5–7 world quests takes about 20 minutes.

1. Come to Nazmir on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays — on these days the Talanji's Expedition emissary is usually active
2. Use the Flight Master's Whistle for instant travel to the nearest flight point
3. Start from the farthest points and work your way back to Zul'jan — at the end of the loop you turn in the emissary chest right at Provisioner Lija
4. Always activate the Contract: Talanji's Expedition — +10 to every world quest in Zandalar

Reputation boosters

• Battle for Azeroth bonus weekends — a periodic event that doubles reputation with all BfA factions. The ideal time for a final push to Exalted
• Cup of Planar Energy and Warsong Blood Sap — 10% bonuses from the Pandaria and Wintertide holidays
• Alliance human racial trait — irrelevant (the mount is Horde-only), but goblins and orcs can use racial gathering and movement boosters
• An experience/reputation toy from the Cascade Range boost and the Darkmoon Faire — give a +10% bonus for an hour

How long farming from scratch takes

Approximate figures for a Horde character with no prior reputation:

• Nazmir story campaign (first run): ~3 hours, ~3,000 reputation
• From Friendly to Exalted on world quests alone: about 4–6 weeks at a pace of 4–6 quests a day plus emissary chests
• With an active emissary, contract, and buffs: 3–4 weeks
• Running dailies on other BfA factions at the same time: the farm parallelizes — the mount often drops on the same day as a second faction mount