Sunreaver Hawkstrider

Sunreaver Hawkstrider is a ground mount added to World of Warcraft in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion (patch 3.2.0). It is an elegant riding hawkstrider clad in purple armor bearing the heraldry of the Sunreavers — the blood elf faction that represents the Horde in Dalaran. The item's flavor text reads: "I demand speed, grace, and discipline on the field of battle. This specimen will do nicely. — Aethas Sunreaver."

The mount is sold for 100 Champion's Seals by Vasarin Redmorn — the Sunreaver quartermaster on the grounds of the Argent Tournament in Icecrown. To purchase it, you need Exalted reputation with the Sunreavers faction. The mount is available only to Horde characters.

• Unique hawkstrider model — unlike standard blood elf hawkstriders, this mount wears purple armor with Sunreaver insignia. The model is used only for this specific mount, which makes it stand out in a collection
• Part of the Argent Tournament collection — the tournament sells an entire set of faction mounts for both the Horde and the Alliance. If you have already started grinding reputation at the tournament, the Hawkstrider will be one of several mounts you obtain along the way
• Account-wide — once purchased, the mount appears in the collection of all your Horde characters
• No luck required — unlike low drop-chance mounts, the Hawkstrider is bought for a fixed price. You just need to accumulate the required number of Champion's Seals
• Progress toward an achievement — the mount counts toward achievements for the number of mounts collected, bringing you closer to rewards like A Horde of Hoofbeats

Obtaining the Sunreaver Hawkstrider involves two parallel tasks: grinding reputation with the Sunreavers to Exalted and accumulating 100 Champion's Seals. Both tasks are completed through the Argent Tournament daily quests.

Step 1: Reach the Argent Tournament

The Argent Tournament grounds are located in the northeast of Icecrown in Northrend.

The fastest way to get there is to teleport to Dalaran (Northrend) and speak with Jean Pierre Poulain, who stands next to the flight master. He will send you straight to the tournament grounds for free. You can also fly there on a mount from anywhere in Northrend.

Step 2: Begin the tournament quest chain

At the tournament grounds, find the herald of your race and pick up the starter quest. Progression at the Argent Tournament goes through several stages:

1. Aspirant — introductory quests and training. You need to collect 15 Aspirant's Seals, which takes about 3 days
2. Valiant — you represent one of the Horde's capital cities. You need to collect 25 Valiant's Seals over roughly 5 days
3. Champion — after completing the trial, you become the champion of one city. From this point on, daily quests that grant Champion's Seals become available

It takes about 8 days of daily quests to become a champion and gain access to Champion's Seals.

Step 3: Become champion of all Horde cities

After earning the rank of champion for one city, you can repeat the Valiant chain for each of the remaining Horde cities: Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff, Undercity, Silvermoon, and Dalaran (the Sunreavers). Once you are champion of all five cities, you earn the "Crusader" title, which unlocks additional daily quests and increases your daily Seal income.

Step 4: Grind reputation with the Sunreavers

Reputation with the Sunreavers increases as you complete Argent Tournament daily quests. When you represent the Sunreavers as a Valiant or Champion, the corresponding quests grant reputation with that faction. The process from Neutral to Exalted takes approximately 3–4 weeks of regular daily questing.

Note: the Sunreavers are an Argent Tournament faction from Wrath of the Lich King. Do not confuse them with the Sunreaver Onslaught from Mists of Pandaria — these are two different factions.

Step 5: Accumulate 100 Champion's Seals

Once you reach the rank of Champion, you can earn Champion's Seals daily:

Without the Crusader title you will earn about 8–10 Seals per day and accumulate 100 of them in roughly 10–12 days. With the Crusader title — in 6–7 days.

Step 6: Buy the mount

When you have Exalted with the Sunreavers and 100 Champion's Seals, head to the Sunreaver Pavilion on the Argent Tournament grounds. Find Vasarin Redmorn — the faction quartermaster — and buy the Sunreaver Hawkstrider.

The Argent Tournament is a large-scale event introduced in patch 3.1.0 of Wrath of the Lich King. The tournament grounds are open at all times and are not tied to any seasonal events — you can come there whenever you like.

The tournament grounds feature:

• The lists — an arena for jousting matches mounted on tournament steeds
• Faction pavilions — Horde and Alliance tents with quest givers and vendors
• The Silver Pavilion — the central tent of the Argent Vanguard
• The dungeon entrance — Trial of the Champion and Trial of the Crusader

The tournament's daily quests include: jousting on the lists, gathering resources in the surrounding area, killing monsters, and completing tasks for the Argent Vanguard. At level 80 in The War Within, all quests and jousts are completed in a few minutes.

Horde faction mounts (100 Seals each and Exalted with the corresponding capital):

Once you are champion of all cities and have the Crusader title, you will be able to buy all these mounts one after another — by that point your reputation will already be maxed.

Daily route

The optimal order of actions each day:

1. Fly to the Argent Tournament grounds
2. Pick up all available daily quests at the Horde pavilion and the Argent Vanguard tent
3. Complete the quests on the lists (jousting against NPCs) — takes 2–3 minutes at level 80
4. Gather resources and kill mobs for the quests in the surrounding area
5. Turn in the quests and collect your Seals
6. If you wish, run Trial of the Champion on heroic for an additional 3 Seals

At max level, the entire cycle of daily quests takes 10–15 minutes.

Time estimate

The initial grind to the rank of Champion for one city takes about 8 days. Earning the Crusader title (Champion of all five cities) takes another 20–25 days of daily quests. Alongside this grind you will be accumulating both Champion's Seals and reputation.

In total, from your first visit to the tournament to buying the Hawkstrider it will take roughly 3–4 weeks of daily questing.

Farming on alts

Since Champion's Seals are character-bound while the mount is account-wide, farming on several characters at once will not speed up obtaining this particular mount. However, if you want to collect the entire set of tournament mounts, it makes sense to progress on alts in parallel — each character will accumulate its own Seals independently.