I’ve been collecting World of Warcraft mounts since Wrath of the Lich King, when I scored my first ever rare drop: the Bronze Proto-Drake from the Culling of Stratholme timed run. I screamed so loud my roommate thought I’d won the lottery. Back then, there were less than 200 total mounts in the game, and getting 100 unlocked felt like a massive achievement. These days, I get dozens of DMs every month from new and returning players asking how many mounts are there in world of warcraft, and how many they can actually get their hands on. This guide breaks down all the numbers, plus the tips I’ve picked up over 15 years of grinding for every ride I can get.
How Many Mounts Are There in World of Warcraft Right Now?
Let’s cut straight to the numbers, because that’s what you’re here for. As of the latest WoW content patch, the total number of released mounts sits at just over 1140. That counts every single mount ever added to the game, from the basic racial mounts you get at level 10 to the ultra-rare BlizzCon exclusive rides that only a few thousand players own. But that number is misleading for 99% of players, because a huge chunk of those mounts are no longer obtainable, or locked behind specific requirements you might never qualify for.
For example, if you’re a Horde main, you’ll never be able to unlock the Alliance’s unique horse and gryphon mounts without making a character on the other faction, and even then, they won’t show up on your Horde toon’s collection. The same goes for old promotion mounts, like the 10th anniversary Molten Core Core Hound mount, or the Mountain Dew promotional ride from 2009. Those are gone forever unless Blizzard decides to re-release them. Most casual players can realistically unlock between 750 and 850 mounts without spending hundreds of dollars on rare resold promotion codes, or switching factions permanently.
It’s also worth noting that Blizzard adds roughly 30 to 50 new mounts every expansion, plus extra mounts for minor content patches and seasonal events. So that total number will keep going up every year, and you’ll never really “finish” your collection unless you’re willing to grind every new update as it drops. I’m sitting at 827 mounts right now, and I still have 20 or so I’m actively grinding for from the latest expansion.
Key Categories of WoW Mounts That Affect Collection Counts
To understand why the total mount count is so much higher than the number you can actually get, you need to know the different buckets mounts fall into. A lot of new collectors get frustrated when they see streamers with 1000+ mounts, and don’t realize those players have been playing since launch, attended every BlizzCon, and have characters on both factions at max level. The main categories that reduce your accessible mount count are:
- Faction-exclusive mounts: Around 120 mounts are locked to Alliance or Horde, with no cross-faction unlock option even after the cross-faction grouping update. This includes racial mounts, faction-specific PvP rewards, and some story unlocks.
- Limited-time event mounts: Roughly 90 mounts are tied to seasonal events, BlizzCon exclusives, or expired promotion collaborations that are no longer obtainable. Some seasonal event mounts come back every year, but one-time promotion mounts are gone forever unless Blizzard re-releases them.
- Class and profession-specific mounts: 47 mounts are only available to specific classes (like Paladin chargers, Warlock dreadsteeds, or Druid travel forms that count as mounts) or max-level professions (like Engineering flying machines or Tailor flying carpets).
- Legacy removed mounts: 75 mounts were pulled from the game permanently after expansion updates, including original Vanilla PvP rank rewards, removed dungeon drops, and pre-order bonuses for old expansions that are no longer sold.
If you add all those up, that’s roughly 332 mounts that the average player won’t be able to unlock, which lines up with that 750 to 850 accessible mount count we mentioned earlier. You don't need to target every single released mount to earn top collection achievements either. The highest mount collection achievement only requires 800 mounts, and you’ll get tons of rewards along the way, including extra riding speed boosts and unique titles.
That means you don’t have to drop $200 on a resold BlizzCon mount code to hit the top achievement tier. I hit 800 mounts last year without owning any limited-time promotion mounts, just by grinding old content, seasonal events, and faction rewards on my main Horde characters.
Pro Tips to Grow Your WoW Mount Collection Fast
If you’re just starting your mount collection, or you’re stuck at a certain count and want to push for the 800 mount achievement, there are a ton of easy tricks to unlock mounts faster without grinding 40 hours a week. I’ve tested all of these over the years, and they’ve cut my total grind time in half.
Prioritize legacy expansion content first, as most of these mounts can be soloed in 10 minutes or less per run. Old expansions like Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, and Mists of Pandaria have dozens of mount drops from dungeons and raids that you can run alone at max level. The drop rates for these mounts are usually between 1% and 5%, but since runs are so fast, you’ll get a new drop every few weeks if you run them consistently. Some of my go-to easy farms are the Deathcharger’s Reins from Stratholme, the White Hawkstrider from Magister’s Terrace, and the Blue Proto-Drake from Utgarde Pinnacle.
Set a weekly reminder to run 5-10 old dungeons and raids with high mount drop rates. It only takes an hour total to run all of them, and you’ll also get extra gold and transmog gear along the way. I do this every Sunday evening while I watch TV, and I usually get at least one new mount every month from these runs.
Next, grab all the easy reputation and story mounts first. Most faction reputations only take a few hours of grinding to hit exalted, and their mount vendors sell 3 to 10 mounts each for cheap gold. Covenant mounts from Shadowlands and Dragonflight campaign mounts also only require you to finish the main story for each expansion, which you can do in a weekend. Don't sleep on profession and covenant mounts, as many only require a small time investment to unlock. I got 12 mounts in one weekend just by leveling my Engineering and Tailoring professions to max, and finishing the four covenant campaigns on my main.
Seasonal events are also a great source of free mounts. Most events last two weeks, and have 1 to 3 mounts you can unlock by doing daily quests. These events come back every year, so you can plan ahead to grab them when they’re active. I usually mark the start and end dates of each event on my calendar so I don’t miss out.
Common Mistakes New Mount Collectors Make
I’ve made every mistake in the book when it comes to mount collecting, so I can save you a lot of time and gold by pointing out the most common ones. A lot of new collectors get discouraged early on because they’re wasting time on the wrong things, and don’t realize how many easy mounts they’re missing.
The biggest mistake I see is new players grinding for ultra-rare low-drop-rate mounts first, like the Ashes of Al’ar from Tempest Keep or the Invincible from Icecrown Citadel. These mounts have drop rates under 1%, and you could run them for years without getting them. You’ll build your collection way faster if you grab all the 100% drop rate and easy unlock mounts first, then go back to the rare ones when you have nothing left to grind.
Don't waste gold on overpriced auction house mounts until you've grabbed all free, easily obtainable options first. A lot of players drop 500,000 gold on a mount from the auction house, when they could get 10+ mounts for free by doing a few hours of reputation or story grinding. Save the auction house mounts for last, when you’ve already unlocked all the free options.
Another common mistake is grinding for mounts on alts without checking if they’re account-wide. 99% of mounts in WoW are account-wide, so once you unlock them on one character, you can use them on all your characters. Double-check if a mount is account-wide before you grind for it on an alt, as most unlocks apply to all characters on your Battle.net account. I once wasted two weeks grinding for a reputation mount on my alt, only to realize I already had it unlocked on my main. Don’t make that mistake.
Lastly, don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a rare drop after 50 runs. RNG is RNG, and sometimes you’ll get a mount on your first run, sometimes you’ll run it 100 times. The fun of mount collecting is the grind, not just the end reward. I’ve run the same raid 72 times for a mount I still don’t have, and I still look forward to running it every week.
At the end of the day, whether you’re just curious how many mounts are there in world of warcraft, or you’re actively grinding for the 800 mount achievement, collecting mounts is one of the most fun side activities in WoW. You don’t have to go for every single mount to enjoy it, and you can take it at your own pace. I’ve been collecting for 15 years, and I still get excited every time I see that mount drop notification pop up on my screen. Start with the easy ones first, set small goals, and you’ll be surprised how fast your collection grows.
