Shadowmane Charger

Shadowmane Charger is a ground talbuk mount with a dark gray coat, a thick mane, and a fluffy tail. The model stands out among the other Draenor talbuks thanks to its unique coloring and glowing eyes. The mount was added in the Warlords of Draenor expansion (patch 6.0.2) and remains one of the most striking rewards from the reputation track of the Arakkoa Outcasts faction.

The Shadowmane Charger is an excellent choice for several reasons. First, it is a beautiful and memorable talbuk model: the unique coloring makes it stand out against the standard Draenor mounts. Second, the mount counts toward collector achievements, bringing you closer to rewards for the total number of pets and mounts. Third, the process of obtaining it also grants you reputation with the Arakkoa Outcasts up to Exalted, which unlocks additional achievements, the title "Talon King," and a companion. Finally, the mount is a good excuse to visit the Draenor zones at the maximum level of 80 in patch 11.1 and feel some nostalgia while collecting old collectible rewards along the way.

Before buying the mount, make sure you meet all the conditions.

Required levels: a character of any level (level 80 is recommended for comfortable farming). Riding skill: Apprentice Riding. Reputation: Exalted with the Arakkoa Outcasts faction. Currency: 5000 gold and 5000 Apexis Crystals. Zone access: Ashran (Alliance — Stormshield, Horde — Warspear). Expansion: Warlords of Draenor must be available, although by 2026 all of its content has long been part of the base game.

The mount itself has no faction restrictions — both the Alliance and the Horde can obtain it; only the vendor changes. If you are already Exalted with the Outcasts, all that remains is to gather the currency and head to the quartermaster.

Step 1. Unlock Draenor. If you are a newcomer, make sure your character has built a garrison and completed the opening story branch of Warlords of Draenor. At level 80 in patch 11.1, this is done quickly.

Step 2. Begin the Arakkoa story. The key starting quests are located in Nagrand. Look for the NPC Reshad and other representatives of the Outcasts at the entrance to the zone. The story chain will give the first boost of reputation and unlock access to daily quests.

Step 3. Grind reputation up to Exalted. Use a combination of story quests, Nagrand daily quests, bonus objectives in Nagrand and the Spires of Arak, as well as garrison missions that reward "Seal of Tempered Fate of the Arakkoa Outcasts." Wear the Outcasts tabard if you have one — it does not grant a reputation bonus, but for some rewards it is tied to the trophies.

Step 4. Farm Apexis Crystals. They are awarded by bonus objectives in the Draenor zones (Nagrand, Talador, Spires of Arak), dungeons, and the "Upper Blackrock Spire" raid. At level 90, one run through the WoD raids gives enough crystals over a few sessions.

Step 5. Accumulate 5000 crystals and 5000 gold. Crystals can be stored on your character — the cap has long been removed for content from past expansions.

Step 6. Head to Ashran. Alliance — teleport to Stormshield via the portal from Stormwind. Horde — portal from Orgrimmar to Warspear.

Step 7. Approach the quartermaster and buy the mount. Alliance — Dark Speaker Brakoss, Horde — Raven Speaker Skiir. Use the "Shadowmane Charger" item, and the mount will appear in your account collection.

To speed up obtaining the mount, follow the optimization recommendations.

Run Arakkoa daily quests in parallel with leveling professions and garrison missions — in a single day you will gain up to 1500 reputation points and hundreds of crystals.

Combine crystal farming with clearing Nagrand: the bonus objectives are located compactly, and one lap on a mount takes 20–30 minutes. In the WoD raids (especially "Upper Blackrock Spire"), you get large crystal rewards and useful reputation trophies.

Use elite bonus objectives such as "Fight Club" in Nagrand — they give a major reputation boost.

Keep an experience and reputation buff active if events are running (seasonal bonuses to old content are periodically enabled in Warcraft).

If you have several characters, distribute the quests: reputation accumulates account-wide through garrison missions, while the crystals are spent only once.

The main mistake beginners make is trying to buy the mount before reaching Exalted. It will only appear at the vendor after you reach maximum reputation, so first earn the required level of respect.

Do not spend Apexis Crystals on random goods until you get the mount: 5000 crystals take quite a while to accumulate.

Check exactly where you are: Ashran is split into two bases, and the wrong vendor simply will not appear in the list.

If you changed factions, the Outcasts reputation is preserved, but the vendor changes — this is a convenient way to also see the alternative quartermaster.

Remember that the mount itself is account-bound once used, but it can only be purchased by one character who is Exalted.