Black War Bear

Reins of the Black War Bear is a legendary ground mount awarded to players for completing one of the most famous PvP achievements in World of Warcraft: For the Horde! or For the Alliance!. This black war bear was added to the game with the release of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion and has since remained a symbol of valor and coordination for those who managed to assemble a raid and fight their way into the capitals of the opposing faction.

In appearance, it is a massive bear with thick black fur, clad in plain battle gear without excessive ornamentation. It is precisely this austere and grim look that sets it apart from the more decorative Amani War Bear, emphasizing the mount's martial rather than ceremonial purpose.

For the Alliance, the mount is granted on behalf of King Varian Wrynn, and for the Horde, by the Warchief of the Horde (originally Thrall, later Garrosh Hellscream). Regardless of faction, both versions of the mount look identical and use the same spell ID.

• Prestige and recognition — the mount instantly tells everyone around you that you took part in the famous PvP operation to wipe out the leaders of the enemy faction.
• Classic PvP relic — one of the oldest and most respected reward mounts for an achievement tied to faction rivalry.
• Simple, brutal design — the black bear without excessive ornamentation pairs perfectly with any themed character look.
• Speed 10 out of 10 — the standard +60% / +100% depending on your riding skill, making it a full-fledged ground mount for everyday tasks.
• Account-wide — once obtained, the mount becomes available to all characters of your faction on the account.
• A reward with history — collectible value for those who gather mounts tied to the Horde–Alliance faction feud.

To obtain the Reins of the Black War Bear, you need to complete one of two faction achievements: For the Horde! for Horde characters or For the Alliance! for Alliance characters. Both achievements require killing the main leaders of the enemy faction's capitals.

The For the Alliance! Achievement

Alliance players must kill the four Horde leaders in their capitals:

1. Thrall — Orgrimmar
2. Cairne Bloodhoof — Thunder Bluff
3. Lady Sylvanas Windrunner — Undercity
4. Lor'themar Theron — Silvermoon City

After killing all four leaders, the For the Alliance! achievement is credited, and within a few minutes a letter from King Varian Wrynn with the mount arrives in the character's mailbox.

The For the Horde! Achievement

Horde players must kill the four Alliance leaders in their capitals:

1. King Varian Wrynn — Stormwind
2. King Magni Bronzebeard — Ironforge
3. Tyrande Whisperwind — Darnassus
4. Prophet Velen — The Exodar

After completing the For the Horde! achievement, the mount arrives in the mail in a letter from the Warchief of the Horde.

Step-by-Step

1. Assemble a raid group (20–40 players recommended in current content)
2. Agree on a route and the order in which you will visit the capitals
3. Enter the enemy faction's capital and fight your way to the throne room
4. Kill the leader and wait a few seconds for the achievement to be credited to all participants
5. Repeat for the remaining three capitals
6. After the fourth kill, check your mail — the mount will arrive as a separate letter

Horde Capitals (for the Alliance)

Orgrimmar — Thrall

The main Horde stronghold in Durotar. Thrall is located in Grommash Hold in the center of the city. The path to him runs through narrow passages where defending players can create a bottleneck, so the raid needs to move quickly and confidently.

Thunder Bluff — Cairne Bloodhoof

The tauren capital is located on the heights in Mulgore. Cairne is in the Elder Rise on one of the upper bluffs. The city is connected by lift-bridges, which makes retreat difficult in the event of a counterattack.

Undercity — Lady Sylvanas Windrunner

The most difficult target in the achievement. Sylvanas is in the Royal Quarter on the lower level of the Undercity beneath Tirisfal Glades. She uses ranged attacks and periodically vanishes, which demands attentiveness from the raid.

Silvermoon City — Lor'themar Theron

The ruler of the blood elves is located in the Court of the Sun. He is accompanied by Grand Magister Rommath and Halduron Brightwing.

Alliance Capitals (for the Horde)

Stormwind — King Varian Wrynn

Varian is located in the throne room in the center of Stormwind. This is the most heavily defended Alliance capital, with a large number of NPC guards and a high number of online defenders.

Ironforge — King Magni Bronzebeard

Magni is in the High Seat in the northern part of Ironforge. The circular layout of the dwarven capital allows entry from various directions, which is convenient for the raid.

Darnassus — Tyrande Whisperwind

Tyrande is in the Temple of the Moon in the northern part of Darnassus. You can reach her via the Rut'theran port and the night elf portal.

The Exodar — Prophet Velen

Velen is in the Vault of Lights in the eastern part of The Exodar on Azuremyst Isle. This is usually the least populated Alliance capital, which makes it the easiest target.

• A character of any class and race of the appropriate faction
• The minimum character level at which riding is unlocked
• The Apprentice Riding skill or higher
• A raid group (20–40 players recommended)
• Readiness for PvP resistance from defenders
• Time: on average 1.5–3 hours for all four capitals

Raid Composition

• Tanks: 2–3 to hold the leaders and city defense auras
• Healers: at least 5, preferably with a focus on AoE healing, since damage from guards and players hits the entire group
• DPS: the bulk of the raid, classes with good single-target and AoE damage are preferred
• Warlocks: for mass-summoning latecomers to the entrance of the capital
• Raid leader: one experienced player with a clear understanding of the routes in each capital

General Tactical Tips

• Choose off-peak hours — deep night or early morning on server time reduces the chance of running into organized resistance from defenders
• Use raid buffs — boosts to intellect, strength, agility, and stamina noticeably increase the chances of a quick kill
• Assign someone responsible for each target — one player should ensure the faction leader is in focus and is not dropped off the tank
• Prepare PvP trinkets — for breaking crowd control and charm effects from leaders, especially Lor'themar Theron
• Don't linger after the kill — guards and defenders keep arriving, and the time for the next target is limited
• Plan your route in advance — the optimal order depends on faction, but the general rule is: start with the hardest target while the raid is full and fresh
• Stay in touch via voice chat — Discord or another voice app significantly improves raid coordination

Optimal Routes

• Alliance: Undercity (the hardest target) → Silvermoon City → Thunder Bluff → Orgrimmar
• Horde: Stormwind (the most heavily defended) → Ironforge → Darnassus → The Exodar