Thundering August Cloud Serpent

The Reins of the Thundering August Cloud Serpent is an epic flying mount added in patch 5.5.0 of the Mists of Pandaria expansion. It is a majestic cloud serpent shrouded in lightning and electrical discharges. The mount is purchased from the quartermasters of the The August Celestials faction in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms for 10,000 gold at Exalted reputation.

The Thundering August Cloud Serpent differs from ordinary cloud serpents thanks to the distinctive lightning effects that pulse around the serpent's body. Its golden scales shimmer with electrical discharges, creating a striking visual image. According to the item description: "From the moment they are born, thundering cloud serpents are drawn to storms. They are known to chase lightning through black, roiling clouds and to bathe in driving rain."

• Guaranteed acquisition — the mount is bought from a vendor at a fixed price. No RNG and no repeated boss kills — reach Exalted, pay the gold, and the mount is yours.
• Unique model with lightning — unlike ordinary cloud serpents, the Thundering August Cloud Serpent is shrouded in pulsing electrical discharges, making it one of the most spectacular serpents in the game.
• Ground and flying — the mount works both on the ground and in the air. Its speed depends on your riding skill.
• Available to all characters — once purchased, the mount appears in your collection and is available on every character on your account.
• Low cost — only 10,000 gold, which is a trivial amount by modern WoW standards. The main investment is the time spent grinding reputation.

To purchase the mount you must meet two requirements: reach Exalted reputation with the The August Celestials faction and have 10,000 gold.

1. Travel to Pandaria and unlock access to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. To do so, complete the Pandaria storyline or use the Chromie system to scale Mists of Pandaria content.
2. Begin doing the August Celestials daily quests. The starter quest is given by the faction quartermaster in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
3. Grind your reputation with the August Celestials up to Exalted (42,000 points total from Neutral to Exalted).
4. Upon reaching Revered, buy the Commendation of The August Celestials to double the reputation you earn.
5. Save up 10,000 gold.
6. Head to the August Celestials quartermaster and buy the Reins of the Thundering August Cloud Serpent.

The August Celestials quartermasters are located in two shrines in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms — one for each faction.

Alliance — Sage Whiteheart

Sage Whiteheart is found in the Shrine of Seven Stars — the Alliance capital in Pandaria.

Horde — Sage Lotusbloom

Sage Lotusbloom is found in the Shrine of Two Moons — the Horde capital in Pandaria.

How to Reach the Vale of Eternal Blossoms

1. Use the portal from Orgrimmar (Horde) or Stormwind (Alliance) to Pandaria
2. If there is no portal, get there via the Chromie system — talk to Chromie in your capital and choose the Mists of Pandaria timeline
3. Complete the introductory Pandaria quests to unlock access to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms

To reach Exalted you need to earn 42,000 reputation points. The main source is the daily quests in the four temples of Pandaria.

Daily Quests (Main Source)

Each day the quartermaster sends you to one of the four temples. Each temple offers 4 daily quests:

• Temple of the White Tiger (Kun-Lai) — 1,250 reputation points per day
• Temple of the Jade Serpent (Jade Forest) — 1,100 reputation points per day
• Cradle of Chi-Ji (Krasarang Wilds) — 1,100 reputation points per day
• Niuzao Temple (Townlong Steppes) — 1,100 reputation points per day

You do not choose the temple yourself — each day the quest sends you to a random one of the four.

Work Orders at the Farm

Once you have leveled the farm in the Halfhill area to a certain level, you can complete work orders for the August Celestials. This grants an additional 400 reputation points per day.

The August Celestials Commendation

Upon reaching Revered, be sure to buy the Commendation of The August Celestials from the quartermaster for 50 gold. This item doubles all reputation earned with the August Celestials on every character on your account. This cuts the grind time almost in half.

Without the Commendation

Earning ~1,100–1,250 points per day from daily quests alone, the path from Neutral to Exalted takes roughly 35–40 days.

With the Commendation

From Revered to Exalted the daily gain is doubled. Factoring in the commendation, the total time drops to 27–31 days.

At Max Level (Modern Retail)

At level 80 (The War Within), all mobs and quests in Pandaria are completed instantly. The daily quests take 5–10 minutes a day. The main limiter is precisely the daily quest cap, not the difficulty of completing them.

Daily Plan

1. Pick up the starter quest from the quartermaster in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms
2. Travel to the indicated temple and complete all 4 daily quests
3. Complete the work order at the farm (if available)
4. At max level the whole process takes no more than 10 minutes

Reputation Boosters

• Darkmoon Faire — ride the carousel before doing your quests to get the WHEE! buff (+10% reputation for 60 minutes)
• World Quest Bonus Event — grants +50% to reputation earned during the event week
• Banner of Cooperation — a guild perk granting +10% reputation
• The August Celestials Commendation — +100% reputation (bought at Revered)

Combining with Other Factions

While grinding August Celestials reputation you will inevitably level up other Pandaria factions as well. Use this time to work in parallel on reputation with The Lorewalkers, the Order of the Cloud Serpent or the Sunreavers / Kirin Tor Offensive.