Reins of the Regal Riding Crane

Reins of the Regal Riding Crane is an epic ground mount added in the Mists of Pandaria expansion (patch 5.5.0). It is a purple crane with a noble plumage, one of three cranes sold by the quartermaster of the Golden Lotus faction.

In Pandaren culture, cranes are considered a symbol of wisdom and nobility. Despite the item's poetic description about its "ability to carry us into the skies," the mount is strictly ground-based and cannot fly — this is important to keep in mind before buying.

To obtain it you must reach Exalted with the Golden Lotus faction and purchase the item from Jaluu the Generous for 1,500 gold. The mount is learned account-wide.

• Noble purple coloring — the regal purple makes the crane stand out among other Pandaren mounts and looks great with purple and silver armor sets.
• Access to the other cranes — together with the Reins of the Azure Riding Crane and the Reins of the Golden Riding Crane it forms a complete set of three colors.
• Reasonable price — 1,500 gold is pocket change by modern standards; the real challenge is the reputation.
• Pandaren aesthetic — the elegant crane fits perfectly into Kul Tiras, Pandaria and classic-zone themes
• Learned for all characters — obtain it once and it becomes available to every character on the account.
• Progress toward achievements — it counts toward general collection achievements.

You can reach the Vale of Eternal Blossoms via the portal in Kun-Lai Summit (Temple of the White Tiger) or directly from the Shrine of Two Moons / Seven Stars if you have already unlocked the area through the story.

Step 1: Unlock the Vale of Eternal Blossoms

If you have never been to Pandaria, you need to complete the expansion's introductory storyline. On retail the zone has long been streamlined: at level 10 you can travel to Pandaria through a capital-city portal and quickly run through the chain up to unlocking the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

An important point about phases: on retail the area defaults to its post-N'Zoth attack state (Battle for Azeroth). Jaluu the Generous remains available in the shrines, but the Golden Lotus daily quests are absent in the standard phase. To reach the undamaged version of the Vale with the full set of daily quests, talk to Zidormi — she stands at the entrance to the Vale and switches the phase to the past.

Step 2: Start Building Golden Lotus Reputation

The first reputation and access to the daily quests come from the quests at the Golden Pagoda. Switch to the past version of the Vale with Zidormi and start the story chain with Sunny Lao or Taran Zhu.

As your reputation grows, new quest locations open up:

• Friendly — Golden Pagoda, Golden Stair (4-5 quests)
• Honored — the Pang's Stead crafters, Mokimo's Floating Workshop (additional quests)
• Honored+ — an elite daily quest with an enhanced reward unlocks

Step 3: Get the Grand Commendation of the Golden Lotus

Upon reaching Honored you can buy the Grand Commendation of the Golden Lotus from Jaluu the Generous for 50 gold. This item grants +100% reputation gain for all characters on the account, including the current one.

Be sure to buy and use it right away — this effectively doubles all of your remaining grind.

Step 4: Complete the Full Cycle of Daily Quests

At Exalted, with the full set of unlocked hubs, up to 9 daily quests per day are available. With the Grand Commendation active you can earn around 3,000–4,000 reputation per day.

A standard route:

1. Start at the Golden Pagoda (5 quests in rotation)
2. After the first batch you are directed to the second hub (4 more quests)
3. Complete the elite quest with the increased reward
4. If needed, add secondary quests from the unlocked hubs

Step 5: Farm the Ancient Guo-Lai Caches (optional)

At Honored you gain access to the Guo-Lai Halls — a dungeon beneath the Vale filled with Mogu and Mantid. Mobs and chests there drop:

• Guo-Lai Relic — 250 reputation when turned in
• Keys to the ancient Guo-Lai caches, which open chests with additional relics

This method is especially effective if you have little time for the full daily-quest circuit, or if you want to speed up the push from Honored to Exalted.

Step 6: Buy the Mount

Upon reaching Exalted, head to Jaluu the Generous. The easiest place to find him is in your faction's shrine — the Shrine of Seven Stars (Alliance) or the Shrine of Two Moons (Horde). He also stands by the Mogu'shan Palace in the Vale itself (coordinates roughly 74, 43).

In his inventory you will see all three cranes:

• Reins of the Azure Riding Crane — 500 gold, requires Honored
• Reins of the Regal Riding Crane — 1,500 gold, requires Exalted
• Reins of the Golden Riding Crane — 2,500 gold, requires Exalted

Upon reaching Exalted you can buy out all three at once — the complete set costs 4,500 gold.

• Use Zidormi — without switching to the past version of the Vale you will not get the Golden Lotus daily quests. Check the phase on every visit.
• Buy the Grand Commendation at Honored — putting off the purchase means losing hundreds of reputation points. Activating the bonus pays for itself in a single day.
• Combine with other factions — the Vale of Eternal Blossoms is also home to representatives of the August Celestials and offers overlap with other Pandaren reputations. Do the quests in parallel.
• Human racial trait — humans have the "Diplomacy" passive that grants +10% reputation. If you have a human alt, consider using it as the main for this grind.
• Don't forget the flask of greed — various feast bonuses and potions can also increase the rate of reputation gain.
• Farm Guo-Lai Relics during downtime — if your main round of quests is done but Exalted is still far off, drop into the Guo-Lai Halls for 20-30 minutes.