Runebound Firelord

The Smoldering Rune of Binding is an epic-quality item that teaches the spell Runebound Firelord. The mount is a fire elemental inspired by the Ragnaros model from the Firelands raid of the Cataclysm era. The item was added in patch 10.2.0 "Guardians of the Dream" on November 7, 2023, in the Dragonflight expansion and belongs to the store-mount category.

Since September 25, 2025, the Smoldering Rune of Binding can be purchased directly from the Battle.net Shop for $25. Previously, the item was part of two Cataclysm Classic upgrade packs — the "Blazing Heroic" and the "Blazing Epic" — which went on sale on November 3, 2023. The mount works on modern World of Warcraft servers and does not require ownership of any Classic account.

• Striking fire model — a massive elemental with a blazing body that echoes the silhouette of the Firelord Ragnaros. One of the few mounts with this level of detail in its fire effects
• Full Skyriding support — the Runebound Firelord supports flight with all the maneuvers, speed bursts and tricks.
• Dual mode — on the ground the mount moves without wings at standard ground-mount speed; in flight it transforms into a winged form
• Available on every character — after the first activation, the mount appears in the collection of all current and future characters on your account, regardless of faction and class.
• Auto-scaling speed — the mount automatically uses the highest riding skill known to each character, so it suits both low-level heroes with basic riding and max-level players with expert riding.
• Guaranteed acquisition — no farming and no RNG: after payment the mount appears in your collection right away.

The main way to obtain the mount in 2026 is a direct purchase from the Battle.net Shop.

1. Log in to the Battle.net Shop with your account
2. Open the World of Warcraft section and find the card for the Runebound Firelord mount
3. Pay $25 USD (the price may vary by region). The mount periodically goes on sale with discounts of up to 50%
4. After the transaction is complete, log in to the game on any character on a modern WoW client
5. Open Collections → Mounts or use the search function and activate the Runebound Firelord

An alternative route, relevant for collectors, is buying one of the Cataclysm Classic upgrade packs, which included the Smoldering Rune of Binding as a bonus. This option is time-limited and depends on the current availability of the packs in the Blizzard shop.

Throughout its history the mount has been distributed through several channels. Below is a summary of the current and archived ways to obtain it.

If you missed the purchase window for the Cataclysm Classic packs, the current option of a direct purchase for $25 remains the most cost-effective.

The Runebound Firelord is one of the rare store mounts with full support for the Skyriding system, which keeps it relevant even alongside the new mounts of The War Within.

• Adaptive animation — on the ground the mount moves slowly and majestically, gliding over the surface on a wave of fire. In the air it spreads its wings of flame and shifts into combat flight
• Sound design — its own set of sounds with the roar of flames and low-frequency growls that distantly recall Ragnaros's lines
• Color palette — a rich orange-red with dark patches of charred rock. It looks great in dark and snowy locations thanks to the strong contrast
• Collection quote — the description in the mount journal reads: "May fire burn away all obstacles in your path!"
• Movement modes — supports all standard styles: ground, regular flight and Skyriding. In zones where flight is disabled it automatically switches to its ground form