Risen Mare

Risen Mare is an epic ground mount added in patch 8.1 "Tides of Vengeance" of the Battle for Azeroth expansion. It is a skeletal horse without a saddle or bridle — the only undead horse model of its kind available to both factions. The mount drops from Island Expeditions when a necromancer invasion appears, and it is also contained in the Havenswood Salvage crate, which is purchased with seafarer's doubloons.

The Risen Mare is a bone horse with a greenish glow characteristic of the Havenswood undead. Unlike the standard skeletal horses of the Forsaken, this mount has no saddle, giving it a wild, untamed appearance. The item text reads: "Something terrible happened in the lost town of Havenswood."

• Unique model — this is the only skeletal horse without a saddle or bridle available to both factions. The six other color variants of this model are unused in the game
• Rarity — according to Wowhead, only 2% of players own the mount. The Risen Mare will set you apart from other collectors
• Available to all characters — once learned, the mount appears in the collection of every character on your account
• Solo farming — since patch 9.1.5, Island Expeditions can be completed solo. At a high character level, expeditions are finished in mere minutes
• Two ways to obtain — you can get the mount either as a direct drop from an expedition or by purchasing the salvage crate with seafarer's doubloons, which lets you specifically target this mount

The Risen Mare can drop upon completing an Island Expedition if necromancers were present on the island during the run. This themed invasion determines the reward pool, and the Risen Mare belongs to the necromancer pool.

1. Head to your faction's port: Boralus (Alliance) or Dazar'alor (Horde)
2. Find the Island Expeditions sign-up table
3. Launch an expedition at the highest available difficulty — the higher the level, the greater the chance of a rare drop
4. During the expedition, watch for necromancer enemies. Kill named rare mobs — their loot tables become available when the expedition is completed
5. Don't rush to close the expedition by collecting Azerite. First find and kill all the rare and named mobs on the island
6. Complete the expedition and check your reward

Important about the loot mechanic

Island Expedition rewards are generated through a special system: killing certain types of creatures on the island adds the corresponding items to the final reward pool. If you want to obtain the Risen Mare, kill as many mobs related to the undead and necromancy theme as possible.

This method is considered more efficient, since the chance of the mount dropping from the crate is significantly higher — roughly 12–14% according to players.

1. Accumulate 175 seafarer's doubloons. Doubloons drop from the reward chest at the end of an Island Expedition, as well as from mobs on the islands
2. Find the salvage vendor:
   • Alliance: Captain Nightrunner in Boralus Harbor
   • Horde: Captain Kitt at the port of Zandalar (Dazar'alor)
3. Check the vendor's stock — it refreshes weekly, and Havenswood Salvage is not available every week
4. If the crate is for sale, purchase it for 175 seafarer's doubloons
5. Open the crate. In addition to the Risen Mare, it can drop pets, transmog items and other necromancer-themed rewards

How to farm seafarer's doubloons

Seafarer's doubloons are a currency earned exclusively through Island Expeditions. The main sources are:

• Reward chest — granted upon completing an expedition, it contains several doubloons
• Mobs on the islands — some enemies on the islands drop doubloons when killed
• Weekly quest — completing the weekly Island Expeditions quest rewards additional doubloons

You earn an average of 3–6 doubloons per expedition, so buying a single crate will require completing around 20–40 expeditions.

For high-level characters (recommended method)

1. Head to your faction's capital in Battle for Azeroth:
   • Alliance: Boralus (Tiragarde Sound, Kul Tiras). Portal from Stormwind
   • Horde: Dazar'alor (Zuldazar, Zandalar). Portal from Orgrimmar
2. Find the Island Expeditions table in the port
3. Sign up for an expedition

Solo mode (since patch 9.1.5)

Since patch 9.1.5, Island Expeditions can be completed solo. To do this, you need to speak not to the table but to a specific character:

• Alliance: speak to Flynn Fairwind in Boralus Harbor and choose the "Private Tour" option
• Horde: speak to Captain Rez'okun in Dazar'alor Harbor and choose the "Private Tour" option

Solo mode is available on Normal and Heroic difficulty. On a level 90 character (Midnight), expeditions are completed in 3–5 minutes.

Combined approach

The most efficient strategy combines both ways of obtaining the mount:

1. Run Island Expeditions in solo mode on Heroic difficulty
2. During the expedition, kill all necromancer-themed mobs, especially named ones
3. Collect seafarer's doubloons from mobs and the final chest
4. Once you accumulate 120 doubloons and Havenswood Salvage appears at the vendor — buy the crate
5. Each expedition gives both a chance at a direct mount drop and doubloons to buy the crate

How much time it will take

The time estimate depends on the chosen method:

Keep in mind that Havenswood Salvage is not available at the vendor every week. The stock refreshes weekly, so check the vendor every Tuesday after server maintenance.

Which class to farm on

At level 80, any class can easily handle Island Expeditions. Nevertheless, for maximum speed, classes with high mobility and area damage are recommended:

• Druid — instant shapeshift into flight form between groups of mobs
• Demon Hunter — high movement speed and powerful area damage
• Mage — Teleport, Blizzard and Arcane Explosion for quickly wiping out groups

In addition to the Risen Mare, the necromancer invasion on Island Expeditions and Havenswood Salvage may contain:

• Pet: Rotting Ghoul — an undead-style battle pet
• Transmog: the Dark Animator's set — an armor set with a necromancy theme
• Reputation tokens and other minor rewards

If you are a collector, Island Expeditions with necromancers are a great way to fill out several collection categories at once.