When I originally started playing World of Warcraft, there was absolutely no way to get a cross-faction mount. That didn't stop the text on the tool-tip from taunting me though, saying that the Forsaken mounts were available to Orcs and Trolls and not just Forsaken. Of course, as anyone who started the game at the very beginning can tell you, exalted with any of the basic factions was a vague future idea that they said would eventually be implemented. When the cross-faction cloth trade-ins came into the game, I started slowly but surely forking over every scrap of Runecloth I had to the Orc cloth NPC. I eventually managed to hit Exalted with Orgrimmar, and was able to buy a riding Wolf for my Troll Rogue. But between 40 and 60, I spent quite a long time bouncing around on a Green Raptor, wishing I'd been able to get either a Skeletal Horse or Wolf. (As they took the Ivory raptor I had really wanted out of the game altogether, I certainly wasn't buying an epic raptor!)Flash forward to Zangarmarsh, and my baby Blood Elf Rogue. Coming up through the ranks, I thought it would be fun to see if it was actually possible to get a cross-faction mount by no later than level 40 -- and if so, just precisely what it would entail.
The first thing I'd note for those interested in doing this for themselves, Blood Elves are the only race other than Forsaken that starts at friendly with the Undercity. In my case, this made things much easier from the word go. Now, I could have run over to the Forsaken starting area and done quests there from level one on up, but I really didn't want to miss out on the rep rewards with Tranquillien. So in my case, I leveled from 1-20 with Tranquillien, then bounced around doing content here and there until level 38, at which point I settled into the rep grind in earnest.
Starting in the Forsaken newbie area, I tore through the quests from Deathknell to Tarren Mill in easy stages over a few days. (For anyone who has a serious session planned, this can easily be done in a day at level 38, but that blasted real-life thing kept me popping AFK.) I originally intended to try to get to exalted solo, without instancing. Sadly, I wound up about 6k shy at the end, despite having run every arc across the level 1-39 content that I could find that would give Forsaken rep. So I headed to the instances, and chased down every ounce of Forsaken quest rep from Ragefire Chasm to Scarlet Monastery. Sure enough, that last bit of instancing put me over the top. I also managed to make most of the two levels I needed in running around and completing these quests so that when the time came, I was only about 1000xp from level 40. A few kills later, and I was ready to go.
From there it was simply a run back to Brill to get my Little Undead Pony. Thus, a cross-faction mount by no later than 40 via non-holiday regular questing can definitely be done. In the case of Blood Elves and Forsaken, it will require not only chasing all non-instance rep that you can get in the old world, but also at least one run through each of the lower instances to get quest completions as well. (Although I will say that at 38, you can easily stealth run Razorfen Kraul as a Rogue to get the drop for Going, Going, Guano, and I'd imagine Druids would be able to as well.) For races that don't start as friendly to one another, I'd imagine it would be harder to attain by 40, but with the rep available in other instances like Uldaman, Zul'Farrak, and Razorfen Downs, it shouldn't be too terribly difficult to attain shortly thereafter.
Have any of you managed Exalted with a different faction by level 40 just because you wanted that cross-faction mount as your first one? (Or perhaps, you disliked your racial mount that much!) Any tips or tricks that you could give to others looking to get a cross-faction mount by level 40?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-05-2007 @ 2:28PM
Whut said...
Wasn't there already a post about this awhile back?
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8-05-2007 @ 2:30PM
RogueJedi86 said...
For Alliance side, apparently a lot of Draenei get exalted with Darnassus pretty quickly, due to Darnassus-related quests in Azure/Bloodmyst Isles, and of coure Darkshore and possibly Ashenvale and beyond. I've seen at least 2 or 3 level 40-ish Draenei already running around on Saber mounts.
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8-05-2007 @ 2:37PM
Justin said...
I just hit 40 on a Tauren druid and was exalted by that time with Orgrimmar without much, if any, planning or thought at all...
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8-05-2007 @ 2:37PM
Krystalle Voecks said...
@1 - We did a column about someone's advice of chasing down all the Elders from the Lunar Festival to get a different race's mount by 40 since they give 75 rep each with all factions for your side. (50 elders x 75 rep each...) That said, I did not see anyone from the Insider team attempt Exalted with another faction via regular non-holiday questing only. I wanted to see if it was doable solo by the time you're 40.
So, yes, and no. :)
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8-05-2007 @ 2:43PM
Whut said...
Yeah, this one:
http://www.wowinsider.com/2007/03/23/alternate-faction-mounts-at-40/
Just seemed like it was a re-post or like I'd read it before here.
:\
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8-05-2007 @ 2:47PM
Moriggan said...
I managed to get a cross-faction mount, but it wasn't at 40. Right about the time the cloth turn ins came about, my Forsaken warrior was working through the rep to become exalted with Orgrimmar. This involved me doing Chen's Empty keg many a time in my 20's to try and build some extra rep since there was no other easy way to do it. By the time I hit 50, I had amassed enough runecloth (a lot) to push me to exalted. I was one of the first Forsaken on my server to get a wolf mount, so it was definitely a high point.
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8-05-2007 @ 2:51PM
Nati said...
It was really, really easy to get to exalted at 40 as a draenei. I did it on both my draenei characters, Darnassus with the first and Stormwind with the other. Just do a few lowbie quests and it'll be more than enough.
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8-05-2007 @ 3:03PM
White Rabbit said...
I've been leveling my Mage completely in Forsaken lands just because I've done the Blood Elf area to death.
Sure it'll be cool to brag and have a forsaken mount... but I want my chocobo!
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8-05-2007 @ 3:26PM
dhc2nite said...
I actually did this when I was 64. Sure I got my Pally epic mount but I wanted something different. I was revered with UC and decided to go for the epic forsaken mount. I started in the undead starting area and went from there to Brill, Sepulcher, and Shadowfang Keep. It wasn't too boring cause I was also helping my 2 nephews lvl their alts in the same area. The Pally mount is great but it's cool having something different.
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8-05-2007 @ 3:34PM
Brychanus said...
When I hit 40 with my Draenai, I had the mounts for Draenai, Human, Night Elf, and Dwarf. You have to go back and do a lot of grey quests for the rep, but it works out. I wouldn't be able to ride the Gnome mount anyhow, so being unable to reach Exalted there is little disappointment.
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8-05-2007 @ 3:40PM
Baluki said...
Jeez, they've made reputations a hell of a lot easier than they used to be. I've been playing since the beginning, and my reputations with the racial cities are Revered (Trolls, my character's race), Revered (Orcs), Friendly (Belfs), Honored (Cows), Honored (Deadheads).
I sure wish all those quest rep increases applied AFTER you had done the quests too. I'd be Exalted across the board, I'm sure.
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8-05-2007 @ 4:05PM
slayerboy said...
I'm a lvl 32 Orc Hunter, trying to get exhalted with UC for the Undead horse. I just hit Revered, so I think I'm on a good pace. I did a few Orc quests in Durotar, but I mainly lugged myself over to Deathknell around level 3 just so I could get the most XP and Rep out of it.
I have no doubt I'll makeit to exhalted around 40. Money on the other hand will be an issue, as I keep upgrading that stupid armor and weapons!
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8-05-2007 @ 4:16PM
jeremy said...
I play alliance (gorgas on zul'jin for confirmation) but i was able to get exalted with Ironforge, Darnassus and Stormwind factions before i hit 40. I am currently 49 and i am exalted with Gnomeregan. I am left working for Exodar rep (the only one that matters anymore -- i want that f-ing elekk!!). I am going to attempt to get exalted with exodar before i hit 60 but if i cant i'll have to resort to Runecloth turn-ins.
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8-05-2007 @ 4:48PM
Boogy1975 said...
It's not hard anymore. My Draenei Mage got Exalted with Darnassus at lvl 35. So no Elephant mount for me!
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8-05-2007 @ 5:27PM
ubu1968 said...
Looking at mounts for my Dwarven Hunter, I thought the Elven Cat fit her better than any other. So I worked from levels 34-36 doing all the quests in the Darnassus starting area, then worked Ashenvale, which has an incredible amount of quests that one can do. Never had to turn any cloth, ran only one instance (Blackfathom Deep) just for the quests, and finished up at lvl 38 exalted.
I want to do the same with the Draenei for my Pally, but getting rep with them at level 63 is just painful. I guess its cloth for me!
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8-05-2007 @ 5:35PM
Daniel Jackson said...
I managed to get exalted with both the Forsaken and Orgrimmar on my Blood Elf mage, though I ride a wolf mount because not many BE's on my server are on them! Though, it's even more uncommon to see a Blood Elf on a Kodo...
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8-05-2007 @ 5:45PM
Joyd said...
They dramatically increased the reputation gains for the racial factions from quests almost across the board since BC; most of my very low level characters started post-BC have higher rep with everyone than my main, who was already up there and done with all the quests when BC came out.
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8-05-2007 @ 5:57PM
Sarah said...
I didn't realize it was hard to get a different mount by 40, my draenei runs around on a cat, in fact she never even bothered to buy an elephant at all, I just went straight to Darnassus at 40 and bought it.
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8-05-2007 @ 7:13PM
Selven said...
I find it quite cool that it's relatively easy nowadays. I've never had a draenei, but I would like one one day. The problem is that I hate their mount, it's the ugliest thing I've ever seen, so riding a horse would truly make my day :)
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8-05-2007 @ 7:29PM
Bobby Hansen said...
totally doable. I did the whole run of quests on Azuremyst, but I had a Horse by 40.
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