Swift Purple Wind Rider

Swift Purple Wind Rider is an epic Horde flying mount, one of four swift wind riders sold by the tauren wind rider tamer race in capital cities and old zones. The mount was added back in The Burning Crusade (patch 2.0.3) and has remained one of the most accessible routes to epic flight ever since: no reputations, no quest chains, no rare drops — just 100 gold from the nearest tamer.

The purple variant stands out with its distinctive violet-lilac fur and dark gray wings. Against Orgrimmar's standard yellow-brown wind riders it looks far more noticeable, while its price is exactly the same as any other epic wind rider in the Horde lineup.

• Fast route to epic flight — the wind rider gains a +150%, +220% or +420% flight speed bonus depending on your current riding skill. At Master Riding it is full epic flight with no additional conditions
• Very low barrier to entry — just 100 gold and Apprentice Riding. Since patch 9.0.1 the requirements have been lowered: previously the mount was sold only to holders of Expert Riding, but now any Horde player from level 10 can buy it
• Collection and meta achievements — the wind rider counts toward mount-count achievements. Each cheap copy like this brings you closer to the rewards for 250, 300, 400 and 500 mounts in your collection
• Account-wide — once learned, the mount becomes available to all your Horde characters regardless of class and race
• Unique coloring — among starter-tier flying mounts the purple coloration is rare, so this wind rider will stand out in flights over the capital and in screenshots

Riding skills are granted automatically as you level up: Apprentice at 10, Expert Riding (the equivalent of the former Journeyman) at 20, Master at 30. No additional payment to a trainer is required since patch 9.0.1.

The Swift Purple Wind Rider is sold by five NPCs all over the world. Their stock is identical — all six colors of regular and swift wind riders — and the price for all of them, except for May Francis in Dalaran above the Broken Isles, is 100 gold.

Drakma — Orgrimmar (the most convenient option)

The primary and fastest route for any Horde player. Drakma stands in Orgrimmar's Skyway, in the wind rider pens, right past the elevator, next to the flight master. This is the same NPC from whom you buy the other colors of swift wind riders.

If you have just entered Orgrimmar, use the portal from Stormwind, a hearthstone, or any portal to the capital. Take the nearest elevator up to the Skyway, walk past the flight master to the wind rider pens — Drakma stands among the animals.

May Francis — Dalaran above Northrend

A neutral exotic-mount vendor who has been working since the days of Wrath of the Lich King. She is located in old Dalaran, suspended above Northrend. Useful if you are farming ancient content in Northrend and don't want to go back to Orgrimmar specifically.

May Francis is a member of the Kirin Tor, so the reputation discount with the Kirin Tor applies to her. At Exalted status the price is reduced, but only by a few gold at most, so it makes no sense to grind reputation specifically to save money.

May Francis — Dalaran above the Broken Isles

In Legion, Dalaran was moved to the Broken Isles, and the mount vendor moved with it. In this version of the city she sells wind riders at a discount: 80 gold instead of the standard 100. If you are already in Legion-era Dalaran, it makes sense to buy the wind rider here.

Note: this is specifically the Dalaran above the Broken Isles, not the one above Northrend. The easiest way to get there is via the portal from the Hall of Mages in Orgrimmar or via the Herald of the Legion in the capitals.

Dama Wildmane — Shadowmoon Valley, Outland

A tauren wind rider tamer in the Shadowmoon Village settlement — a historic NPC from The Burning Crusade. Useful if you are already in Outland and don't want to return to Orgrimmar. This is also the zone where groups once gathered for raids on the Black Temple, so combining the mount purchase with a transmog run is a good idea.

Bana Wildmane — Hellfire Peninsula, Outland

Located in Thrallmar, on Hellfire Peninsula. She is the first wind rider vendor that fresh Horde players meet right after passing through the Dark Portal. Her stock fully matches that of the other tamers.

Tohfo Skyhoof — Borean Tundra, Northrend

A tauren wind rider tamer in Warsong Hold on the southern coast of the Borean Tundra. He stands on the upper platform of the hold, next to the flight master. Convenient for characters leveling through Wrath of the Lich King who want to buy an epic flyer without returning to the capital.

1. Fly into Orgrimmar via the portal from the portal room in the Hall of Mages of any capital, or via your hearthstone
2. Take the nearest elevator up to the Skyway — where the flight master trains
3. Walk to the wind rider pens right past the elevator. Drakma stands among the animals
4. Open the dialog with the NPC and switch to the trade tab
5. Buy the Swift Purple Wind Rider for 100 gold — the item will appear in your bag
6. Right-click the item — the mount will be added to your collection forever
7. Open the mount collection (the C key by default, then the "Mounts" tab), summon the wind rider and take off

The whole procedure from logging in to adding the mount to the collection takes 2–3 minutes if you are already in Orgrimmar. For a fresh character the main task is to save up 100 gold, which is easy at levels 10–30 from any zone quests.

For a fresh Horde character the sum may seem large, but in modern WoW it is realistic to collect it in a couple of hours of play. Several working methods:

• The Exile's Reach starting chain on the refuge island usually gives 10–20 gold as quest rewards
• Completing any leveling zone — Elwynn Forest via the Plaguelands hub, Northrend, Pandaria or Draenor — gives 50–70 gold over 2–3 hours of play
• Selling gray and white loot from mobs directly to a vendor steadily brings income
• Turning in quests from an alt to your mailbox — if you already have a main, it's easier to send gold by mail than to farm
• Auctioning low-level resources — herbs and ore from starting regions are always in demand among alchemists and blacksmiths

Don't spend your starting gold on consumables and toys before buying the mount: transport saves dozens of minutes of game time, everything else will follow.