So, I am approaching lvl 40 and I find myself torn. What have you all done about the mount situation? I mean, honestly, I am totally cool with having just my travel form, even if it is only 40% faster. However, I know my compadres will be faster with their regular mounts. I think Blizzard should give our travel form a boost when we reach certain levels, sort of like the training of a pet, our forms would progress, but I guess we have to live with what we have for now. I am a poor druid, as most druids are. I chose herbalism and alchemy for professions, and as most of you know, not big money makers. So, do I save myself the money and forgo a mount? What do you think?

You will have to buy the riding skill at some point, even if you don't buy the actual mount.

I had the cash when I turned 40, so it wasn't a financial hardship, but I still hesitated to get my mount.

The deciding factors for me were:
- In a party, my mates with mounts would outpace me in travel form.
- Regardless of whether or not I bought the actual mount, I'd eventually need the riding skill
- For a long cross-zone run, an extra (however many)% faster does add up, comparing travel form to mount.

On the negative side, I despise the kodo as a mount. Blech.
Good thing I did the daily Brewfest quests and got a pair of Brewfest Rams. (Regular version and the Epic version for when I hit 60). Biggest ram out there when a Tauren is on it. :-) If that weren't available for Tauren, I'd probably have skipped the regular mount entirely, and gone for the epic when I could.

I still use travel form way more often than the mount. Instant cast FTW.

So, I am approaching lvl 40 and I find myself torn. What have you all done about the mount situation? I mean, honestly, I am totally cool with having just my travel form, even if it is only 40% faster. However, I know my compadres will be faster with their regular mounts. I think Blizzard should give our travel form a boost when we reach certain levels, sort of like the training of a pet, our forms would progress, but I guess we have to live with what we have for now. I am a poor druid, as most druids are. I chose herbalism and alchemy for professions, and as most of you know, not big money makers. So, do I save myself the money and forgo a mount? What do you think? You're going to find yourself in situations where you have to travel across the whole map. Sub-40, quests tend to be in the general area of the quest-giver, or at least in the same zone. Above 40, the quests can involve some very long transits. The difference between 140% speed (travel form) and 160% speed (mounted) is the difference between a headache and a migraine.

Here's what I would do:

Don't stop questing/leveling and solely focus on farming gold. Utilize your gathering profession for sure and even go out of your way to level it up to highest for your level range (it'll be worth it when you start running into the more expensive herbs while leveling and not having to dedicated time to powerlevel it @ 70). Don't waste time on your Alchemy and don't waste time in AH unless its for certain quest items.

I just kept leveling at my pace and bought my mount when i could...which was around lvl 43 if I remember right

I just kept leveling at my pace and bought my mount when i could...which was around lvl 43 if I remember right

I did the same ... but at lvl 70 I didnt but a mount and probly wont ...

I did the same ... but at lvl 70 I didnt but a mount and probly wont ...A basic flyer is pretty cheap and in fact required to unlock endgame content. The epic flyer is neither cheap nor necessary, but it is fun. (280% run speed iirc.)

The above is for everyone but droods.

We get our basic flyer as a shapeshifting form at 68. All that's required is show up. And uh, have epic mount riding skill, which you should've already picked up at level 60. At 70, the epic flying form (skill and mount in one convenient package) costs a bunch of gold but ends up being much cheaper iirc.

I suggest for people who are not druids to reroll. If they don't, then I suggest picking up the basic flyer at 70, and doing the level 70 endgame content. If you enjoy it enough to have collected 5000g, buy yourself the epic flyer. If not, reroll. No biggie.

I know that if you have 150 riding skill (enough to ride a lvl 60 ground mount) you get to 225 skill simply by learning bird form at level 68. I have to wonder if it's possible to go from 0 riding skill to 225...

Relying on nothing but travel form all the way to level 68 would be hardcore, though.



Anyway. Unless you're desperate for a level 40 mount, I'd suggest waiting. When you're higher level (ie 60), the financial outlay will be a lot less significant for you.


-Annikk

Well there's is the other option of rerolling to a pally or lock to get free land mounts ... I got my pally to 40 this weekend and actually have gold saved instead of being a broke like I was with my druid at 40 something.

Personally I don't understand all this angst about mount money at 40 or 60. Quest, auction world drops, use your professions to sell stuff on the AH, don't use the AH to level your professions or buy gear. Getting money for the welfare mount at 40 should be no big deal.

Agreed! I've never had a problem with money at lvl 40. And I buy quite a bit of gear off the AH (prior to reaching the Outlands) 'cause pre-BC gear sucks! Now at lvl 60, I always come up a bit short. But it doesn't take long in the Outlands before you have plenty of cash. I've always had my lvl 60 mount just before, or after, reaching lvl 61.

Heck, you can get your lvl 60 mount at lvl 58 with a bit of PvP (if that's your thing).

Sell raw herbs you can make boat loads of gold.

Sell raw herbs you can make boat loads of gold. This is a pretty good idea. Production professions are a giant money sink.

If you use the auction house to buy mats for your professions, god help you. The AH prices are inflated relative to pre-60 characters because of the massive amount of gold available post-60. If you sell mats on the AH they're getting bought by those characters, so the money flows from Outland to you. If you buy mats on the AH, you're paying prices that are extraordinarily high compared to the amount of gold available pre-60. Not only are you burning your mount money, you might not have enough gold to train.

tldr; the auction house is for farmers.

My druid just got travel form tonight, and I'm loving it. However, I've been spoiled by my warlock, who got a free mount at 40. Ever since then I pretty much won't play a char after 40 without his mount. Good thing my warlock is high enough to easily grind out 100gold.

Now, once they hit 60.. that 1000gold is a little harder :(

Although I guess that's not totally true.. my shaman still uses ghost wolf at 43.. but I play him so infrequently that it doesn't bother me.

Now, once they hit 60.. that 1000gold is a little harder :(

Actually, you can't learn flying until 70 unless you are a Druid.

And levelling from 60 to 70 should get you enough cash to be close to buying a flyer.

Money is easy to make now.

Actually, you can't learn flying until 70 unless you are a Druid.

And levelling from 60 to 70 should get you enough cash to be close to buying a flyer.

Money is easy to make now.

I meant epic land mount. The 100% speed runner.

My warlock has it, and zooms around BC pretty well, being able to outrun most things. My 61 hunter on the other hand has only the 60% and is always getting knocked off.

My warlock has it, and zooms around BC pretty well, being able to outrun most things.Do not group with a pally. Once you've had a taste of a 130% (or is it 120%) land mount you never want to go back.

Bought mine with a guild loan. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not sure I like the faster leveling. I used to be able to get plenty of dough to pay for my druid skill and profession improvements, but now I'm not getting nearly enough. Embarrassing, but I don't have enought at lvl42 to buy all the 40 skills. :eek: True, I had to blow it all with riding skills, and I'm balance specc'd - so I didn't buy any feral combat training. Looks like I'll have to spend more time grinding through mobs I don't get xp from so I can catch up with my leveling.

Do not group with a pally. Once you've had a taste of a 130% (or is it 120%) land mount you never want to go back. 120% with Epic Mount and Crusader Aura. It's pretty sick.

Ok, update. I broke down and bought my ugly kodo this week. Am almost lvl 47, so I waited a while. I was trying to get exhaulted with Org so I could get the wolf, but that is HARD!! I got my rich bf's warrior to help pay for it too. LOL

If you don't mind a white wolf, just get 40 AV Marks and buy one.

Frostwolf Howler FTW!

I'm gonna go buy my epic Kodo soon.

I'm a frickin cow....I deserve to ride a dinosaur.

I'm a frickin cow....I deserve to ride a dinosaur.Taurens on Raptors is one of the coolest combinations in the game. Mounted, my troll's head is level with the foot of a Tauren on a Raptor mount. They are huge.

If I could tolerate PvP long enough to get 30 marks from AB, AV and WSG, I'd do it just for the Raptor mount.

I love how the raptor mount scales with the Tauren. It doesn't look like a raptor anymore, it looks like a ****ing tyrannosaur. Like the guy's mount could swallow a human and smaller races.

A tauren in my guild has the raptor mount, he said he feels sort of like a boss mob when he is riding it.

I've always wanted a raptor mount, but since I don't particularly enjoy PVP I settled for the Brewfest Ram for Illhorn.

Mounted, he's still significantly larger/taller than most mounted characters, and you don't see many Horde on rams in any case. I've gotten some obvious double-takes from alliance toons as I ride by - obvious in that they stop running and turn towards me as I go by. I'll usually /wave. :-)

I've always wanted a raptor mount, but since I don't particularly enjoy PVP I settled for the Brewfest Ram for Illhorn.

Mounted, he's still significantly larger/taller than most mounted characters, and you don't see many Horde on rams in any case. I've gotten some obvious double-takes from alliance toons as I ride by - obvious in that they stop running and turn towards me as I go by. I'll usually /wave. :-) Brewfest ram + gnome xmas disguise = confused alliance. You could get away with touring Ironforge if the guards would leave you alone. :)

So being that I am horde, I of course, hate the windrider model just as much as I do the cat form. :p

That being said, I'm trying to think of how I want to mount my main characters, assuming they all eventually get their epic flying mounts, which may or may not happen.

Druid - Flight form obviously
Orc Warlock - I think maybe the nether ray
Tauren Hunter - engineering
Troll Rogue - cenarian mount.. even though that 2k price tag hurts.. it's better than riding around on the windriders :(

I don't really want the huge netherdrake mounts. But may try and get it some day.

Blargh, I had forgotten that I forgot mining for enchanting on my hunter way way back in the day when he was 60; and did enchanting to farm shards. Now I'm not sure if I want to continue with Engineering on him, simply because of the work it will be to level mining back up. I hate those circuits so much.

Now, once they hit 60.. that 1000gold is a little harder :( Not even close to 1000g anymore.

Max cost for Journeyman riding (http://www.wowwiki.com/Riding)skill (150) is 600G. Plus 100G (max) for the Mount (http://www.wowwiki.com/Mounts). That's 700G. Which is still a lot but much less than 1000G.

And if you've worked on your rep then you can do it for as little as 560G (20% rep discount = 480 for riding skill and 80 for mount)

Protip: get your mount. Spend the money. Just do it. I can't tell you how irritating it was for me grouping with druids who's logic was "Why bother? I've got a travel form?" While we waited for them to trolley on down to whatever-it-was-we-were-doing. Not to mention, it's REALLY useful if you're either on a PVP server, or a BG-er. Don't be that guy...cat...thing. Just don't.

Besides, you'll eventually HAVE to buy it, so why put it off?