This is a guide for preparing to buy a mount.
Making money for your mount[]
Questing[]
It is possible to get enough gold for by just following the progression of the game doing all quests as the player levels. However, getting two gathering professions from herbalism, mining, or skinning can also be helpful. Skinnable mobs also drop meat that can be auctioned alongside the skins and leathers, depending on which is selling for the higher price (usually the leathers). You can also sell cloth that drops from mobs on the AH. It is suggested to decide which production profession you want to pursue after hitting 20 and you have enough for your mount.
Other content[]
Look out for Rare mobs that almost always drop gear you can auction. Look up the item on Wowhead or elsewhere to check prices or just search for similar items on the auction house and price accordingly.
Dungeons will drop little that you can sell, although they can grant daily completion rewards for a few gold each.
Leveling PvP is a difficult proposition without the stats of heirloom gear, but can still be fun, though you will get little out of it except possibly a carry win and potential 
[Honor] token.
Full Steam Ahead[]
- i think the mounts are really cheap now, but for old time sake let us pretend they aren't. It is still good advice to rush to 20 doing just world quests, for reasons listed below, such as reputation and that the game is designed to propel you quickly with the initial storylines. And you should put enjoying the story first. You are only a new player one time. Luckily there are lots of different storylines. -GreenGlobeGamer 2017
Don't waste time doing anything but questing, killing the occasional rare, whenever you find them (not taming them, hunter), and farming materials. You will be so happy to be going faster once you have obtained that first mount.
Helpful tips for saving money[]
- Depending on your class, it might be more useful to run a lot of instances.
- Don't buy yourself any equipment; only use drops. This is fairly easy since dropped and reward gear will always outclass vendor gear.
- Use your professions to your advantage when you can, but avoid investing hard cash into them.
- Alchemists: Make a lot of Swiftness Potions & sell them at the Auction House for around 3
a stack, or whatever they're going for at that time. - Gatherers (skinners/herbalists/miners without leatherworking/alchemy/blacksmithing): Save your gathered items until you get a stack, then sell them at the Auction House.
- Alchemists: Make a lot of Swiftness Potions & sell them at the Auction House for around 3
- Leveling up by doing nothing but grinding is one way to ensure that you have the money to buy your mount when you reach the required level (by selling/auctioning the drops). However, grinding is repetitive, and this method typically requires a good knowledge of grinding spots. You may also have to compete with other players grinding in the same hot-spot. One example of a good spot is an area where there are a lot of humanoids that drop money and various raw cloth, which is always in high demand. Grinding also improves your likelihood of looting rarer drops that are worth large amounts of gold in the auction house.
Take advantage of discounts[]
- Even if you choose to level and raise money simply by grinding, be sure to complete enough quests with your home faction to raise your reputation - with the
Patch 2.3.0 (2007-11-13): All vendors with an associate faction now give discounts at all levels above neutral.
| Level | Discount |
|---|---|
| Exalted | 20% |
| Revered | 15% |
| Honored | 10% |
| Friendly | 5% |
- The discount is available on vendors affiliated with a faction, (for example, 40
off a nether ray from the Sha'tari Skyguard (with Exalted reputation), to a total cost of 160 for the mount). - Mounts are Bind on Pickup as of patch 1.12.1. This means you can no longer have a friend with discounts buy a mount on your behalf.