Swift Green Wind Rider

Swift Green Wind Rider is a classic Horde flying mount, one of the six swift wind riders of the tauren wind-rider breed. The mount was added back in The Burning Crusade expansion (patch 2.0.3) and has since remained one of the most accessible epic flyers in the collection of any Orc, Troll, Tauren, Forsaken, Blood Elf or Horde Pandaren.

The mount is sold directly by wind rider keeper vendors and costs 100 gold. No quests, reputation or rare drops — you simply fly to the right NPC, hand over the money and add an epic flying mount with a bright green coat to your collection.

• A quick addition to your Horde collection — the wind rider is added to your account collection after the very first purchase and immediately becomes available to all Horde characters regardless of class and race
• Epic flight speed — the mount grants a +150%, +280% or +310% bonus to flight speed depending on your riding skill. At top speed it's in no way inferior to expensive raid mounts
• Progress toward meta achievements — every extra wind rider in your collection brings you closer to the rewards for 400, 500 and 600 mounts
• Low barrier to entry — after the riding-system changes in patch 9.0.1 the mount can be bought at level 10. Previously Expert Riding was required, now basic Apprentice Riding is enough
• Matches pet sets — the Wind Rider Cub and Rock Whelpling companions visually match the mount, so it makes an excellent thematic pairing for a collector

In the current patch Blizzard simplified the riding system: Apprentice Riding is granted automatically at level 10, Expert Riding at 30, Master Riding at 40. You no longer need to pay for training.

The Swift Green Wind Rider is sold by five NPCs in different locations across the world. They are all wind rider keepers, and the base price is the same for all of them — 100 gold. A reputation discount applies only with Mei Francis in Dalaran above the Broken Isles.

Drakma — Orgrimmar

The most convenient option for any Horde player. Drakma stands in the wind rider pens in the Skyway of Orgrimmar, right past the riding trainer. The easiest way to reach her is through the portal to the capital and the elevator up to the flight trainers.

Drakma sells the entire range of regular and swift wind riders — if you're closing out the collection all at once, it makes sense to buy all the colors you need from her at the same time.

Tohfo Skyhoof — Borean Tundra, Northrend

A tauren wind rider keeper in Warsong Hold. She stands on the upper platform of the hold, on the opposite side from the elevator, next to the flight master Wind Rider Sabamba. Useful if you're farming loot in Northrend and don't want to return to Orgrimmar.

Mei Francis — Dalaran above the Broken Isles

A neutral exotic mount vendor. She stands by the pet shop in Legion-era Dalaran (specifically the one floating above the Broken Isles, not the one above Northrend). She's subject to a reputation discount with the Kirin Tor, but even at Honored the difference is only a few gold.

Bana Wildmane — Hellfire Peninsula, Outland

A tauren keeper in Thrallmar — the first wind rider vendor a fresh Horde player sees right after stepping out of the Dark Portal. A good option if you're leveling through The Burning Crusade content or dropped into Outland for transmog.

Dama Wildmane — Shadowmoon Valley, Outland

Another tauren wind rider keeper, this time in the Shadowmoon Village settlement in the south of Shadowmoon Valley. Useful if you're already in the southern part of Outland and don't want to fly to Thrallmar.

1. Open the portal room in Orgrimmar or use a Hearthstone to the capital to instantly get to the city center
2. Find the nearest elevator and ride up to the Skyway — the upper platform with the flight trainers and wind rider pens
3. Walk past the riding trainer into the animal pens. Drakma stands right among the wind riders
4. Right-click the NPC to open the trade dialog
5. Buy the Swift Green Wind Rider for 100 gold. The item will appear in your bags
6. Right-click the item — the mount will be permanently added to your collection
7. Open the mount collection (default key C, then the "Mounts" tab) and summon the wind rider — provided you've reached level 30 and have a flying skill

The whole procedure from logging in to adding the mount to your collection takes 2-3 minutes if you're already in Orgrimmar. If you're playing a young character, the main thing is to save up 100 gold: that's not hard at levels 10-30 with ordinary zone quests.

For a fresh Horde character, 100 gold may seem like a lot, but in modern WoW it's easy to gather. A few simple methods:

• The starting Expedition chain on the Exile's Reach island usually grants 10-20 gold as a quest reward
• Completing any leveling zone (Elwynn Forest via the Chromie Time hub, Northrend, Pandaria, etc.) grants 50-70 gold over 2-3 hours of play
• Selling loot at the auction house — even gray and white gear from mobs brings a steady income
• Transferring gold from your main via the in-game mail, if you already have a main

Don't spend your starting gold on consumables and engineering toys before buying the mount: the priority is transport, the rest will follow.