Get Reins of the Striped Nightsaber mount

Reins of the Striped Nightsaber is a ground racial mount of the night elves, added back in the original World of Warcraft. It is a large saber cat with gray-and-black striped fur and a predatory gaze, one of the most recognizable models among Alliance mounts. According to the in-game description, saber cats are considered "some of Azeroth's most perfect predators" — they are able to move silently through the dense forests of Kalimdor.

The mount is sold for a symbolic price by a special vendor and requires no raids, dungeons, or complex quest chains. All you need is to reach the vendor, meet the race or reputation requirements, and pay 1 gold. Despite how easy it is to obtain, the nightsaber remains in demand: it is part of the night elves' racial collection.

• A cheap and quick way to expand your collection — just 1 gold for the mount, no need to farm bosses or hope for a drop
• A unique model — the striped coloring sets it apart from orcish wolves, human steeds, and other standard Alliance mounts
• Account-wide access — once purchased, the mount unlocks on all characters of your account, regardless of faction and class
• A low barrier to entry — the minimum character level is just 10, and the riding skill is Apprentice Riding, which can be learned for a pittance in any capital
• An easy way to complete the racial collection of a night elf alt — when creating a night elf character, you immediately gain access to the vendor with no reputation required

After the events of Battle for Azeroth and the burning of Teldrassil, the night elves lost their former home. For a long time Lelanai was temporarily located in the Stormwind Embassy, but with patch 10.2.5 "Seeds of Renewal" the night elves received a new capital — Bel'ameth atop the world tree Amirdrassil. That is where all the main vendors moved, including the nightsaber tamer.

Lelanai now stands next to the pen of trained nightsabers in Bel'ameth. Coordinates in Amirdrassil:

If you prefer the classic location, Lelanai still stands in the Cenarion Enclave in the ruined Darnassus, which can be reached via a special teleport. The selection and prices at both locations are identical, so choose whichever one is faster for you to reach.

Route via Bel'ameth (recommended)

1. Open the world map and find Amirdrassil in the Dragon Isles. If the zone is locked, first complete the introductory Dragonflight campaign — it is free and opens at any level
2. Get to Valdrakken — the capital of the Dragon Isles. The fastest way is through the portal from Stormwind in the Hall of Explorers
3. From Valdrakken, use the portal to Bel'ameth — it is located in the portal ring next to the other capital teleports
4. Once in Bel'ameth, head to the southern part of the settlement to the nightsaber pen (coordinates 51.4 65.8)
5. Speak with Lelanai and buy the Reins of the Striped Nightsaber for 1 gold

Route via Stormwind and Darnassus

1. Travel to Stormwind and enter the Embassy next to the gates of the Trade District
2. Speak with the night elf representative and take the teleport to Rut'theran Village on Teldrassil
3. From the village, use the whirlpool that will carry you to ruined Darnassus
4. Proceed to the western part of the city — the Cenarion Enclave (coordinates 42.8 32.3)
5. Buy the mount from Lelanai

The mount's main restriction is racial. The Reins of the Striped Nightsaber are originally a racial mount of the night elves, and only they can buy it directly. For all other Alliance races, you need to earn Exalted with the Darnassus faction.

How to Reach Exalted with Darnassus

If you play a human, dwarf, gnome, draenei, worgen, or any other Alliance race, you will have to grind the reputation. It is not difficult, but it takes time.

• Complete the night elf starting quests — most of the tasks in Teldrassil, Darkshore, and Ashenvale grant reputation with Darnassus. By fully clearing the zones you can easily reach Friendly or Honored status
• Turn in cloth for reputation — in the Cenarion Enclave there is a quartermaster who accepts batches of wool, silk, mageweave, and runecloth, 60 pieces per turn-in. Runecloth can be turned in endlessly and provides the main reputation gain after Revered
• Use the Darnassus Tabard — during the Cataclysm patch the Darnassus Tabard was added, granting faction reputation for killing enemies in Heroic Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King dungeons. This is the fastest method at max level

Reaching Exalted usually takes 10–20 hours depending on the chosen method.

Lelanai sells more than just the striped nightsaber. While you are there, it makes sense to immediately complete the whole collection of basic racial mounts — the price is symbolic.

To buy the epic "swift" nightsabers, you will need the Journeyman Riding skill, which is trained from a riding trainer.