Reins of the Great Blue Dragon Turtle

Reins of the Great Blue Dragon Turtle is a ground mount that teaches you to summon a large blue dragon turtle. The item was added in the Mists of Pandaria expansion and is still available in the current version of the game, The War Within (patch 11.1, 2026).

Dragon turtles are racial mounts of the pandaren people. The creature stands out with its massive armored shell, calm temperament and measured gait — exactly the kind of companion that suits the pandaren in spirit: strength, patience and readiness for a long journey. The "Great" version differs from the regular one with a larger model and a more imposing silhouette.

The mount's speed matches your current riding skill: +60% with Apprentice Riding and +100% with Journeyman Riding. At character level 80 and above you automatically learn all the riding skills you need.

• Pandaren mount collection. Great dragon turtles come in six colors; the blue one is among the most striking and fits the theme of the sea and the Wandering Isle.
• Achievement progress. The mount counts toward the overall achievements for the number of mounts (Stable Keeper, Filling Up the Barn, Mountain o' Mounts), bringing you closer to the valuable rewards for 300, 400 and 500 mounts.
• Thematic roleplay. If you play a pandaren or simply love the pandaren aesthetic, the great blue dragon turtle is perfect for roleplay rides across Pandaria and Kul Tiras.
• Accessibility. Unlike rare drop mounts, this turtle is guaranteed to be yours once you meet the requirements — no RNG involved.

To buy the mount you must meet one of two conditions:

1. Play a pandaren. Pandaren of any faction can purchase any great dragon turtle from "their" vendor without any reputation.
2. Reach Exalted with a pandaren faction.
   • For the Horde — reputation with the Huojin Pandaren at the "Exalted" level.
   • For the Alliance — reputation with the Tushui Pandaren at the "Exalted" level.

Additional requirements:

• Character level: 10+ (the item binds when obtained and is account-wide available after the first learning).
• Riding skill: Apprentice Riding (learned automatically while leveling).
• Gold: 10 gold.

Reaching the vendor couldn't be easier — both NPCs are located in capital cities:

• Horde: Orgrimmar, Valley of Honor, by the turtle stable (approximately coordinates 71, 29).
• Alliance: Stormwind, Eastern Earthshrine (the area near the gates leading to Pandaria), coordinates around 52, 76.

Step 1. Decide on Your Faction and Character

If you already have a pandaren of any faction, you can skip all the reputation steps and fly straight to the vendor. For all other races, the path runs through reputation farming.

Step 2. Get the Tabard of Your Faction

The tabard is given out for free in the capital:

• Horde: speak to the Huojin Pandaren representative in Orgrimmar and take the Tabard of the Huojin Pandaren.
• Alliance: take the Grand Commendation of the Lorewalkers from the Tushui representative in Stormwind.

The tabard grants reputation for killing elite enemies and bosses in dungeons — the key farming tool.

Step 3. Farm Reputation in Dungeons

With the tabard on, enter the heroic dungeons of past expansions. The biggest gains come from:

• Mists of Pandaria heroics. The optimal choice: a full clear gives about 1500–2500 reputation points.
• Wrath of the Lich King heroics. They clear faster, giving roughly 3000–3500 reputation per run (15–20 minutes).
• Pandaria scenarios. A small but steady gain.

Reputation for killing an elite mob is 15 points, for a boss 250 points (with guild bonuses and Akolik's Acid-Soaked Robes the percentage can be higher).

Step 4. Use Reputation Boosters

• Pandaria feasts: ready-made dishes such as Akolik's Acid-Soaked Robes grant +10% to reputation gained for an hour.
• Guild achievement Diplomacy: +10% to reputation with all factions if your guild has the corresponding perk.
• "Reputation Bonus" weekends. Watch the event schedule: +50% to reputation.
• Commendations. Unfortunately, no commendations are issued for Huojin and Tushui — you have to farm directly.

Step 5. Fly to the Vendor and Buy the Mount

When the reputation bar reaches "Exalted" (42,000 points from "Friendly"), head to your vendor and buy the Reins of the Great Blue Dragon Turtle for 10 gold. Use the item — it will be added to your mount collection forever, across your entire account.

• Collect the whole set at once. The vendor sells all twelve colors of dragon turtles (6 regular and 6 "great"). Once you reach Exalted, buy them in a single batch — this instantly adds +12 mounts to your collection.
• Use "Group Finder" for heroics. Assembling a group for old dungeons speeds up farming 2–3 times compared to random queuing.
• Level several factions at once. Alongside Huojin/Tushui, the same dungeons progress the Ambassador of the Pandaren achievement — a memorable achievement that often goes hand in hand with buying the turtles.
• Play a pandaren alt. A fast way to get the mount without reputation is to level a pandaren to level 10 and buy the mount from your own vendor. After the purchase any of your characters can use the turtle.
• Don't forget guild feasts. If your guild has a Pandaria food table, that's a free +10% to reputation on every run.