Hobbies And Interests
Total Number
The total number of available mounts in World of Warcraft is in constant flux because of the introduction of new mounts and the retirement of old ones. However, as of the time of publication, there have been a total of 296 mounts introduced into the live game. About 33 of these have been retired since their introduction. However, these retired mounts can still be owned by players who acquired them while they were available.
Faction and Class Mounts
No single character can own all 296 mounts, however. This is because many mounts can only be used by one faction, either Alliance or Horde. Some mounts can be used by both. Alliance characters have an available 184 mounts, while Horde characters have 186, not including retired mounts. Some of the mounts are not only specific to faction, but also to a particular class, such as Death Knights, Paladins and Warlocks. Each of these classes acquire a unique mount that no other class can obtain.
Achievement Mounts
Some of the most difficult to acquire, and therefore most prestigious, mounts are those gained through achievements. Only characters who have performed a specific task in a raid or dungeon can be rewarded with some mounts. Other mounts are only acquired by the very best players in player-versus-player rankings. These types of mounts usually require great dedication and sometimes collaboration with others and are therefore very rare within the game.
Other Mounts
Some other mounts can be collected only through one of three different methods. Some mounts are created by a specific professions such as a flying machine by an engineer or a flying carpet by a mage. Other mounts, which are easily the most rare mounts of all, are only available through special cards in the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. Finally, two mounts are available for purchase in the Blizzard store.