You get your first mount in World of Warcraft: Forever at level 40, when you can train Apprentice Riding for about 100 gold, and the mount itself comes with the training. Your fast mount comes at level 60 with Journeyman Riding, which costs about 1,000 gold.
That is the biggest change from the original game: you no longer pay a trainer and then pay a vendor for the animal. Below is how riding works in Forever, every cost and discount we have confirmed, the races’ trainers, the class mounts, and how to have the gold ready when you ding 40. Costs are launch values as of November 7, three days after launch, and may move with patches.
Riding Levels and Costs at a Glance
| Riding skill | Level | Training cost | Mount speed | Mount included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Riding | 40 | About 100 gold | 60% faster | Yes, one of your race’s basic mounts |
| Journeyman Riding | 60 | About 1,000 gold | 100% faster | Yes, under the same rule |
Extra mounts in other colors cost about 20 gold for a basic one and about 200 gold for a swift one at your race’s mount vendor. There is no flying: Blizzard’s What’s Next panel recap promises “no flying mounts, no level scaling” in WoW Forever.
How Riding Works in WoW Forever
In the original game you paid a riding trainer for the skill and then bought the mount from a vendor, two separate bills. Blizzard’s deep dive panel recap explains the change: Forever is “shifting the up-front mount cost into training and granting a mount when players learn the riding skill.” In practice, the training fee is the whole price of your first mount, and you leave the trainer with a mount in your collection.
The same rule means a mount you already own is useless until you can ride. The Cerulean Prideclaw that comes with the Skyborne Heroic Pack is a ground mount, and you still have to train riding in game before you can use it. Our guide to which upgrade pack to buy lists every pack’s mounts.
How to Get Your First Mount, Step by Step
- Reach level 40. The trainer will not teach Apprentice Riding before then.
- Save about 100 gold. Check that you also have enough for your level 40 class spells, which you will want on the same trip.
- Visit your race’s riding trainer. They sit beside the mount vendor in or near your race’s home area (see the table below).
- Learn Apprentice Riding. Your first mount is granted with the skill. Open your collection, drag the mount to an action bar, and you are riding.
Where Each Race Trains Riding
| Race | Mount | Riding trainer location |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Horse | Eastvale Logging Camp, Elwynn Forest |
| Dwarf | Ram | Amberstill Ranch, Dun Morogh |
| Gnome | Mechanostrider | Steelgrill’s Depot, Dun Morogh |
| Night Elf | Saber | Darnassus |
| Orc | Wolf | Orgrimmar |
| Troll | Raptor | Sen’jin Village, Durotar |
| Tauren | Kodo | Bloodhoof Village, Mulgore |
| Undead | Skeletal horse | Brill, Tirisfal Glades |
| Skyborne (both factions) | Galestrider | Zephras Isle |
As in the original game, riding another race’s mount means reaching Exalted reputation with that race first. If you play a Skyborne, our guide to getting to Zephras Isle covers the trip back to its trainer.
Discounts on Riding and Mounts
- Honored with your home faction: about 10% off both the riding skill and your race’s mounts.
- The Bartering Legacy perk: Blizzard says it “reduces the gold price of items purchased from vendors,” and its mid-October development notes fixed “an issue where Bartering was discounting training.” So Bartering helps on extra mounts from the vendor, but not on the riding skill itself. Our guide to getting Legacy Points covers the perk trees.
Paladins and Warlocks Get Their Mount From a Quest
Paladins and Warlocks do not pay for their first mount. At level 40, both classes take a class quest that ends with a summoned class mount, and at 60 a much longer quest chain leads to an epic class mount, with materials that cost a lot of gold. If you play one of them, put your level 40 gold into class spells and gear instead.
Moving Faster Before 40
Several classes and races do not have to walk everywhere until level 40. Shaman get Ghost Wolf, Druids get Travel Form, and Hunters get Aspect of the Cheetah, all before 40. Tauren have the Plainsrunning racial, and Horde Skyborne have Skysight, a 15% speed boost for 15 seconds. Our best race and class combos cover which pairings get the most speed.
How to Have 100 Gold at Level 40
Riding lands at the same time as a pricey batch of class spells, and Blizzard’s November 2 notes put the total cost of class training from 1 to 60 at “between 206 and 207 gold.” Two gathering professions, everything sold on the Auction House and careful talent planning get most characters there. Our guide to how to make gold has the full plan, and if you want to avoid spending on talent resets, plan your build before you go.
For the controls once you have it, see our guide to how to ride a mount, and every guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What level do you get a mount in WoW Forever? Level 40, when you can train Apprentice Riding. The fast mount comes at level 60 with Journeyman Riding.
How much does a mount cost in WoW Forever? About 100 gold for Apprentice Riding at 40, which includes the mount, and about 1,000 gold for Journeyman Riding at 60.
Do you have to buy the mount separately? No. Blizzard moved the mount’s cost into training, and you get a mount when you learn the riding skill. Extra colors cost extra at the vendor.
Are there flying mounts in WoW Forever? No. Blizzard has promised no flying mounts.
Can I use my Skyborne Heroic Pack mount at level 1? No. The Cerulean Prideclaw is a ground mount, so you need to train riding first.