Red Hawkstrider

Red Hawkstrider is one of four racial ground mounts of the blood elves, added to the game with the release of The Burning Crusade (patch 2.0.1). It is a large red-plumed flightless bird associated with Silvermoon City and considered an in-game symbol of the blood elf capital.

The mount is sold for 1 gold by hawkstrider breeder Winaestra at the Sanctum of the Sun stables in Eversong Woods. Blood elves buy it without any additional requirements, while other Horde players need to earn Exalted reputation with Silvermoon City. The mount is fully available in The War Within (patch 11.1) and remains one of the easiest ways to complete the Horde racial collection.

• Complete Horde racial mount collection — the red variant is part of the four basic blood elf hawkstriders alongside the Blue Hawkstrider, Black Hawkstrider and Purple Hawkstrider. Achievements for mount totals and "Leading the Cavalry" require exactly these simple purchasable models.
• Cheap purchase — 1 gold per mount, one of the most budget-friendly additions to your collection in the game.
• Unique Horde design — hawkstriders belong only to blood elves; no other race gets similar racial transport.
• Account-bound — once purchased, the mount becomes available to all characters on your account, including the Alliance (via later transfers or allied races).
• A step toward Silvermoon City as a hub — if you farm the mount on a non-elf alt, you'll also complete the Silvermoon City reputation needed for other purchasable mounts and transmog.

The Sanctum of the Sun stables are located along the southern road leading to the gates of Silvermoon City, just east of the city itself. The landmark is a large open area with stalls and hawkstriders running around.

Blood elf of any level

1. In the starting zone, the story will eventually take you past the Sanctum of the Sun stables — if you're still leveling, it's easiest to combine the purchase with the quest line
2. If your character is already in Silvermoon City, exit through the southern gates and ride along the road for about 30–40 seconds
3. Navigator coordinates: /way #3430 61.0 54.6 Winaestra — Sanctum of the Sun Stables

Other Horde races

1. Open a portal to Silvermoon City from any Horde capital. The most convenient hub is Orgrimmar: in the Hall of Legends (in the Valley of Spirits area) there's a portal to Undercity, and from there a teleport and zeppelin lead to Silvermoon City
2. From Silvermoon City, exit through the southern gates — you'll end up in Eversong Woods
3. Travel south along the main road, keeping the Sanctum of the Sun stables on your right
4. Coordinates: /way #3430 61.0 54.6 Winaestra — Sanctum of the Sun Stables
5. Before buying, make sure you have Exalted with Silvermoon City — without this reputation the vendor won't sell the hawkstrider

For Horde characters who are not blood elves, Silvermoon City is locked until Exalted. This is the longest step in obtaining the hawkstrider, so set aside a few hours for it.

Main ways to raise reputation

• Argent Tournament — daily quests in Icecrown on the tournament grounds grant reputation points for the capital of your choice. By becoming a Champion of Silvermoon City, you automatically earn huge amounts of reputation and also unlock the purchase of other racial mounts from Trellis Morningsun.
• Capital tabards — equip the Silvermoon City tabard from the quartermaster and run any dungeons in Heroic or Mythic+ mode. All reputation granted by the dungeon goes to your chosen faction.
• Quest chains in Eversong Woods and Ghostlands — if your character only has the blood elf starting zones open, the linear quests will give a decent boost to "Honored" and "Revered" in the early stages.

When combining a tabard with the current expansion's Heroic dungeons, the path from "Neutral" to "Exalted" takes roughly 3–5 hours, depending on your luck with group queue times.

1. Stand next to Winaestra at the Sanctum of the Sun stables.
2. Right-click to open the trade window.
3. In the list of goods, select the Red Hawkstrider and confirm the purchase for 1 gold.
4. Open the item — the spell will automatically be added to your mount collection.
5. If you don't have riding skill, buy "Apprentice Riding" from any riding trainer (also available in Eversong Woods and Silvermoon City).

What else you can buy on the same visit

Winaestra sells all four basic hawkstriders with the same requirements. If you're completing the racial collection, it makes sense to grab the full set at once for 4 gold:

• Red Hawkstrider
• Blue Hawkstrider
• Black Hawkstrider
• Purple Hawkstrider

Winaestra does not sell swift (epic) hawkstriders — for those you need to go to the Argent Tournament to Trellis Morningsun after earning the Champion of Silvermoon City title.