As well as the dropped epic mounts, there are some other mounts that can be found in other ways, such as completing quests or gaining reputation.

Riding Turtle: This joke mount can be found in-game by turning in a code from the World of Warcraft trading card game to an NPC in the neutral goblin town Booty Bay. It does not alter movement speed like the other mounts.

Winterspring Frostsaber: This mount is only available by doing repeatable reputation quests for the group “Wintersaber Trainers” to gain Exalted reputation. Unlike other 100% speed mounts that require riding 150, it only requires riding 75. It is arguably one of the hardest pre-Burning Crusade mounts to get in the entire game.

Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal: Summons a Black Qiraji Battle Tank. This Legendary (orange) quality mount is only available by doing the quest “Bang A Gong!” in Silithus, a quest only available for completion during the 10 hour opening of Ahn’Qiraj (a one time realm event). Very few people own this mount, and on servers that have completed the event, it is not possible to earn, ever (with the exception of paid character transfers to or from realms which have not completed this event).Once per server, very rare to obtain.

Blue/Red/Green/Yellow Qiraji Resonating Crystal: These rare items drop off of various enemies in the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj, and are the only 100% speed mounts that only require riding 75 other than the Winterspring Frostsaber. They are only usable in the zone Ahn’Qiraj.

In addition to the mounts that are available for purchase, some instance bosses or mini-bosses have a rare mount drop. All races can ride any dropped mount.

Examples of Epic Item Mounts:

Baron Rivendares Steed: Drops off Baron Rivendare in Undead Stratholme (looks just like a Forsaken epic mount except instead of purple or green the armor is a blue/gray color)

Fiery Warhorse: This mount drops off the Attumen the Huntsman, the first boss inside Karazhan.

Razzashi Raptor: This mount drops off the Raptor boss inside of Zul’Gurub

Swift Zullian Tiger: This mount drops off the Tiger boss inside of Zul’gurub

Ashes of Al’ar: This mount drops off Kael’thas Sunstrider, last boss in Tempest Keep: The Eye – A phoenix with 310% speed, that has only dropped three times as of yet.

Warlocks and Paladins of both factions can obtain special mounts through their class’s trainer at level 40 and 60. The Warlock mounts are the Felsteed (at 40) and the Dreadsteed (at 60). The Paladin mounts are the Warhorse (at 40) and the Charger (at 60). For the Horde Blood elf paladin, the mount is named the Blood Charger at 60. The level 60 mounts for both classes require a series of quests to obtain. With both mounts the warlock/paladin automatically gets the required riding skill for non-class mounts of that level.

Original mounts

Dwarf – Ram (40), Swift Ram (60)(Purchased at Amberstill Ranch in Dun Morogh)
Gnome – Mechanostrider (40), Swift Mechanostrider (60) (Purchased at Steelgrills Depot in Dun Morogh)
Human – Horse (40), Warhorse (60) (Purchased at Eastvale Logging camp in Elwynn Forest and also at Menethil Harbor in Wetlands)
Night Elf – Saber (40), Swift Saber (60) (Purchased in Darnassus)
Orc – Wolf (40), Swift Wolf (60) (Purchased in Orgrimmar)
Tauren – Kodo (40), Great Kodo (60) (Purchased in Bloodhoof Village)
Troll – Raptor (40), Swift Raptor (60) (Purchased at Sen’Jin Village in the very south of Durotar)
Undead/Forsaken – Skeletal Horse (40), Skeletal Warhorse(60) (Purchased at Brill in Tirisfal Glades)

A player riding a ‘Swift Grey Ram’With the Burning Crusade expansion and the introduction of the two new races available to players, the mounts for the two races were implemented in the game:

Draenei – Elekk (40), Great Elekk (60) (Purchased in front of The Exodar)
Blood elf – Hawkstrider (40), Swift Hawkstrider (60) (Purchased in the building South East of Silvermoon City called Thuron’s Livery on the map)
Players who wish to purchase the mounts of other Allied factions need to gain Exalted reputation with the faction to which the mount belongs. Due to size limitations, only Dwarves and Gnomes are allowed to purchase mechanostriders. Tauren are only allowed to purchase kodos, wolves and talbuks. The only raptor Tauren can purchase is the Black War Raptor, a PvP mount. There is also an epic saber mount available to alliance from a vendor in Winterspring. To obtain it you must achieve exalted status with the wintersaber trainers by doing repeatable quests in Winterspring.

Starting at level 40, players can purchase mounts from a vendor which increases their ground speed by 60%. At level 60, players can purchase a second-tier land-based mount (the ‘epic’ mount) for a ground speed increase of 100%. Since the Burning Crusade expansion there have been two main flying mounts; both can be acquired at level 70. One increases your speed by 60% but you can fly. The other increases your flight speed by 280%.In order to ride the mount, they must also purchase a Riding skill upgrade to correspond with the mount they purchase at each level. Thus, a level 40 player can purchase the first rank of Riding skill, a level 60 player can purchase the second rank, and a level 70 player can purchase a flying-mount.

Shamans and Druids also obtain a ‘Travel Form’, Shamans at level 20 and Druids at level 30, 68, and 70.The Shaman Travel Form increases movement speed by 40% on land. The Druid ground form at level 30 does the same. At level 68, Druids can obtain a Flying Form that allows them to fly at a 60% speed increase in the air, and with patch 2.1, Druids can also obtain an epic flying form through a quest chain.

Hunters, also at level 20 obtain Aspect of the Cheetah, that increases their travel speed by 30% and is usable indoors and out. And, at level 40, they obtain Aspect of the Pack, which also increases the travel speed of not only the hunter, but everyone in the Hunter’s group as well, by 30%. Any damage done to a player that is benefiting from Aspect of the Cheetah or Aspect of the Pack will daze that player for 4 seconds.

Mounts are race-based and their vendors are located near the main city for each race.