Reins of Valiance

Reins of Valiance is a ground skeletal-horse mount added to World of Warcraft in patch 10.1.5 "Fractures in Time." Visually, Valiance reuses the steed model of Thane Korth'azz from the Four Horsemen and is a massive undead horse with burning blue eyes. The mount is account-bound and available on all characters once any one of them obtains it.

The mount is a guaranteed drop from Instructor Razuvious in old Naxxramas, but only under a special condition: you first "tame" a horse named Valiance in the Military Quarter, then mount a controlled Death Knight Understudy onto it and kill the boss. Without this preparation, the Reins of Valiance will not drop.

The item's flavor text reads: "Most undead steeds receive their riders by order. Valiance, however, chooses its own rider."

• A unique skeletal-horse model — a variation of Korth'azz's steed without its apocalyptic horseman rider, one of a kind in the player's collection
• A guaranteed drop — once all the steps are done, the mount drops with a 100% chance, with no endless farming
• Part of a major Naxxramas secret — the guide introduces you to Zackett Skullsmash, Death's chips, and the Ancient Secrets of Naxxramas system
• Account-bound — once obtained, the Reins of Valiance are unlocked on all characters of either faction
• Counts toward your achievement collection — completing the chain credits the overall "Lord of the Reins" achievement and brings you closer to the collector title

Obtaining the mount is a multi-stage chain from patch 10.1.5. Before the final run, you need to prepare two account unlocks and gather a special item.

1. Gain access to old Scholomance through the Memory of Scholomance achievement. Without it, you cannot progress along the Naxxramas secrets line
2. Earn the Wards of the Dread Citadel achievement by completing one of the "Citadel of Terror – Naxxramas" quests from the Argent Dawn. This opens the Revealed Portal in the Plaguewood and activates access to old Naxxramas
3. Craft the Makeshift Grappling Hook from three components: an abomination chain (fished from the slime inside the raid), a hook from the Construct Quarter, and Grand Widow Faerlina's sewing kit
4. Climb up to the rafters of the Hall of Resurrection in the Construct Quarter and wake up the goblin vendor Zackett Skullsmash by completing his quest "Payment for the Inconvenience"
5. Turn in Corruptor's Felshells (from Naxxramas bosses) or Invader's Felshells (from Stratholme and Scholomance) to Zackett and collect Death's Bargaining Chip
6. Buy Rotten Delicious from Zackett for 30 Death's Auction Tokens
7. Enter Naxxramas on 10-player mode and keep Instructor Razuvious alive
8. Head down to the Military Quarter and use Rotten Delicious on the horse Valiance in the stables
9. Go up to Razuvious's arena, activate a Crystal of Obedience, and take control of a Death Knight Understudy
10. While in control, lead the understudy to Valiance — it will automatically leap into the saddle
11. Drop control via the portrait icon and kill the understudy and Instructor Razuvious. The Reins of Valiance are guaranteed to drop from the boss's corpse

Access to old Naxxramas and its secrets is a mandatory requirement for the entire Reins of Valiance line. Without these unlocks, neither Zackett nor Valiance will react to you.

This stage is done in a single run of 10-player Naxxramas. If you accidentally kill Razuvious before using the treat, you'll have to wait for the next weekly reset.

1. Bring Rotten Delicious with you. Without it, the horse won't react to your presence
2. Enter Naxxramas. Difficulty must be 10-player — on 25-player there are no Crystals of Obedience, and the secret won't work
3. Head down the Military Quarter corridor to the stables in the northern part. The horse Valiance stands by the far wall
4. Use Rotten Delicious — the horse will eat the treat and show readiness for a new rider
5. Climb the stairs up to Instructor Razuvious's arena. To the left and right of the entrance stand two glowing purple Crystals of Obedience
6. Click on either crystal — you'll take control of one of the two Death Knight Understudies
7. While in control mode, run with the understudy back to the stables. As you approach Valiance, the understudy will automatically climb into the saddle
8. Return to Razuvious's arena and drop control by clicking the understudy's portrait icon (the "Remove Enchantment" button)
9. The understudy and the boss aggro onto you. Kill both — the Reins of Valiance will drop from Instructor Razuvious's corpse

The main obstacle is the 30 Death's Bargaining Chips needed to buy the treat. The exchange rate varies greatly, so choose your source according to the situation.

• The fastest path is a weekly farm of Corruptor's Felshells in Naxxramas itself. Patchwerk and Grand Widow Faerlina go down in minutes
• If you have alts, mail them part of the shells — the exchange can be done on any character
• Alongside farming shells, you'll gather components for the Makeshift Grappling Hook and trophies for crafting T3 sets