Mudback Riverbeast

Mudback Riverbeast is a ground saurian mount resembling a huge river monster with thick, bumpy hide. The mount was added in patch 6.2 of the Warlords of Draenor expansion and to this day remains one of the most recognizable trophies of the garrison era.

After the changes in patch 9.0.1, the mount requires only character level 17 and basic riding skill, so it can be used by almost any hero who has had it drop. The model uses the riverbeast family and shares its animation with the sapphire, icy, and other related mounts.

• A unique and fairly rare model: players have noticeably fewer riverbeasts than riding cats or wolves.
• A contribution toward mount-collecting achievements.
• A nostalgic reason to return to Draenor and bring your garrison back to life.
• An excellent choice for roleplaying characters and themed accounts: the model looks powerful and unhurried.

The mount is awarded only through the Draenor garrison, so beforehand you need to:

1. Have a character of at least level 40 (for comfortable progress through the Warlords of Draenor questline).
2. Complete the introductory campaign in Draenor and build a level 3 garrison in Shadowmoon Valley or Frostfire Ridge.
3. Unlock patch 6.2: complete the Council of War questline from Vol'mar Island, which grants access to Tanaan Jungle.
4. Build a shipyard and upgrade it to level 3 to increase the number of available ships and missions.
5. Learn the main ship blueprints from the faction representatives in Tanaan Jungle: the Alliance works with the Hand of the Prophet, the Horde with Vol'jin's Headhunters.
6. Keep a steady supply of oil — the mission costs 150 units. The best source is the daily apexis crystal quest in Tanaan Jungle (about 600 oil per day).

The mount's own requirements after obtaining it are minimal: character level 17 and apprentice riding skill.

Step 1. Prepare the garrison

If you are starting with a fresh character, at level 40+ pick up the introductory quest in Stormwind or Orgrimmar and follow the story up to building the garrison. Upgrade the town hall to level 3 — this unlocks the maximum set of followers and buildings.

Step 2. Unlock patch 6.2 and build the shipyard

Once the Council of War quest appears, head to Vol'mar Island, complete the questline, and build a shipyard next to the garrison. Upgrade it to level 3 through the quests Recruiting a Crew and Naval Supremacy.

Step 3. Assemble the right fleet

For the rare missions you will need at least one ship of each type: transport, destroyer, battleship, carrier, submarine. Mission 615 requires specifically a battleship and a destroyer, so give them special attention:

• A battleship with a human or Forsaken crew, a True Iron Rudder module, and a Blast Furnace.
• A destroyer with a pandaren crew, a Felsmoke Launchers module, and a Ghostly Spyglass.

Such a pairing covers both mission threats and consistently yields a 100% success rate.

Step 4. Wait for the mission to appear

The mission It's a Boat, It's a Plane, It's a... Riverbeast belongs to the rare category and appears randomly among ordinary naval missions. On average it takes completing several hundred ordinary missions before a rare one shows up in the list. In December 2015 Blizzard increased the appearance rate of rare missions, but the element of chance still remains.

Step 5. Send the ships and get the mount

When the mission appears, make sure both ships — the battleship and the destroyer — are alive and properly equipped. Spend 150 oil and launch the mission for 18 hours. When the ships return, collect the reward from the shipyard master — the bag will contain an item that adds the mount to your collection.

• Launch naval missions every 4–6 hours: the more missions completed, the higher the chance of seeing a rare mission.
• Keep the mission queue full: if there are no free ships, a rare mission will "burn" pointlessly, so try not to fill every slot with long expeditions.
• Use the Tanaan Jungle daily for oil so you don't have to worry about resources.
• Assemble a full set of crews of every race: pandaren, goblins, draenei, and humans give different bonuses and come in handy for different missions.
• Run mission 615 in parallel with five other rare naval missions to unlock the achievement Explore Tanaan Jungle along the way.
• Farm on several characters at once: each garrison is independent, and the chance of seeing a rare mission adds up.
• Don't sell old ship modules: they may come in handy if one of the elite ships is lost.