Swift Warstrider

Swift Warstrider is a ground PvP mount of the Horde faction, added in patch 2.4.3 (The Burning Crusade) as the battle version of the elven hawkstrider for characters with a high PvP rank. It is an elegant hawkstrider in red-and-black armored barding bearing the Horde emblem, noticeably larger and more massive than the regular Silvermoon hawkstriders. The model differs from the standard Sin'dorei riding birds with a more aggressive silhouette, heavy armor, and distinctive crimson plumage.

In the modern game, the mount is sold for 15 Marks of Honor by Raider Bork — the riding animal quartermaster by the Hall of Legends in Orgrimmar. No PvP rank, title, or reputation is required anymore: any Horde character who has accumulated 15 Marks in battle gains access to the purchase. The mount is fully current and remains one of the fastest ways to add Horde racial PvP mounts to your collection.

• Completing the set of Horde "battle" racial mounts — together with the Black War Wolf, Black War Kodo, Red Skeletal Warhorse, and Black War Raptor, the hawkstrider is part of the classic set of PvP mounts for the Horde races. All five are sold by the same vendor at the same price
• The only armored hawkstrider from PvP — unlike the regular Silvermoon hawkstriders sold for gold, the battle version is larger and wears a full set of red-and-black armor. This model cannot be obtained through quests or Silvermoon reputation
• TBC historical legacy — originally the mount required the PvP rank of "Knight-Captain" and belonging to the blood elves. In patch 3.0.8 the racial restrictions were lifted, and since Legion the mount was switched to the unified Mark of Honor currency. Now any Horde race can buy and use the hawkstrider
• Advancing mount-count achievements — 15 Marks of Honor are farmed in just a few battleground wins. The purchase advances progress in the meta-achievements for the number of riding animals
• Account-wide access — after using the item, the mount is added to the shared journal and is unlocked for all Horde characters on the account, regardless of class and race

Parameter	Value
Item	Swift Warstrider
Item ID	34129
Mount type	Ground
Speed	+60% or +100% (by riding skill)
Cost	15 Marks of Honor
Minimum level	20
Riding skill	Apprentice Riding
Faction	Horde only
Vendor	Raider Bork
Vendor role	Riding animal quartermaster
Location	Orgrimmar, by the Hall of Legends
Binding	Binds when picked up
Expansion	The Burning Crusade (patch 2.4.3)
Availability	Fully available

Since patch 7.0 (Legion) the old system of separate battleground tokens was removed from the game, and all PvP mounts of this kind were switched to the unified Mark of Honor currency. Today, taking part in any PvP activity is enough to purchase it — separate Alterac Valley, Warsong Gulch, or Arathi Basin tokens are no longer needed.

Raider Bork stands not far from the entrance to the Hall of Legends — the orcish equivalent of Stormwind's Champions' Hall. The hall is located in Orgrimmar near the passages from the Valley of Strength and is marked on the map with a PvP icon.

If your character is Alliance

The mount is bound to the Horde and cannot be purchased on an Alliance character. For an Alliance player, the only way to complete this mount is to create or transfer a character to the Horde side, buy the hawkstrider, and use it through the shared journal of Horde characters. The mount will not appear in the journal on an Alliance character.

Marks of Honor are the unified PvP currency, introduced in patch 7.0 together with Legion and still current today. At level 90 in Midnight, they can be earned in practically any PvP activity.

Main sources

• Regular battlegrounds — for a win you receive a reward chest that is guaranteed to contain Marks of Honor. A loss also gives Marks, but in a smaller amount. The fastest battlegrounds are Warsong Gulch and Temple of Kotmogu
• Epic battlegrounds — Alterac Valley, Isle of Conquest, and other epic modes give more Marks per win but take longer. The optimal choice if you are farming several mounts from the PvP vendor at once
• Unrated 2v2 and 3v3 arenas — practice matches give a few Marks of Honor per win and do not require a pre-assembled team
• Rated arenas and battlegrounds — give an increased amount of Marks of Honor plus Conquest points if you are leveling the PvP season in parallel
• Weekly PvP quests in Orgrimmar — handed out by the PvP quartermasters near the Hall of Legends. The reward is small, but it is picked up on the way to Raider Bork himself

How much time it takes

With active play, 15 Marks are gathered in roughly 40–60 minutes:

• 3–5 wins in regular battlegrounds of 10–15 minutes each
• Or 1–2 wins in epic Alterac
• Or 8–10 wins in unrated arenas

If the goal is to gather all five racial PvP mounts from Raider Bork at once, budget 75 Marks and 3–5 hours of PvP farming.

1. Walk right up to Raider Bork by the Hall of Legends
2. Right-click to open the trade window
3. Make sure you have at least 15 Marks of Honor in your bag
4. In the list of goods, find the Swift Warstrider and confirm the purchase
5. Open the item by right-clicking — the mount spell is automatically added to the collection, and the hawkstrider becomes available to all Horde characters on the account
6. If you do not yet have the "Apprentice Riding" skill, it can be learned from any riding trainer in the Horde capitals