So, the Netherwing Drake epic flying mount is the next goal on my 70Hunter’s list.
As a casual player, it’s been quite easy to chase this goal so far (after the epic training cost of course, which took a lot of saving up to afford) - sure, I don’t have Heroics dungeon keys nor anywhere near enough rep to get them quickly, but most of my friends are still levelling a host of pre-60s characters anyway, and we play solo a lot because of our restricted play times.
A day or so after I bought my epic flying training and epic flying mount (a few days after hitting 70 on my first toon) and stumbled around, wondering what to do next, I was again reminded that whenever I see a Netherwing Drake, my pupils dilate while I stare and drool. So, my emotions inspired me to move towards this goal. Exalted is a long grind, but given enough time and day-to-day effort, anything can be accomplished.
About Netherwing Reputation
One thing about Netherwing reputation is that until you’ve completed a quest line in Shadowmoon Valley, you won’t have Netherwing showing up under your reputation page, and all of the dragonmaw will be at ‘hated’ status with you, meaning they’re red and aggro on you like a standard enemy.
The good thing about not having the reputation in your bar at this time is that you do not get punished for killing the dragonmaw at this time, either, so there’s no reputation you have to re-gain.
Unlocking Netherwing Rep
The process of unlocking Netherwing rep can be done largely solo, but the last bit requires a party of fellow 68+s, preferably with flying mounts or a warlock who can summon.
The quest line that brings you from “Hated” to “Neutral” is outlined here on WoWiki - essentially, starting with Mordenai in Shadowmoon Valley, there are four “real” quests (gathering, killing a certain # of things) smattered with “go see this guy, listen to his tale, go find his mate and talk to her” ones, followed by a level 70 5-person group quest to take on Zuluhed the Whacked.
Once Zuluhed is downed, you can take a ride on the previously-held-hostage dragon, Karynaku, back down to the ground and to where she meets her mate, right around where Mordenai is walking about, where you turn in the quest series and are awarded 46000 reputation and moved immediately to Neutral.
No 300 Riding Training? Stop Here
One thing I didn’t fully realize, even though I probably read it and just didn’t comprehend it properly, was that if you don’t already have 300 riding training, your quest line ends with the ability to get to Neutral reputation with the Netherwing.
There are two very important implications to this truth, both impacting very different parts of the whole rep-gaining game:
- If you DO NOT have 300 riding trained, when you turn in the Zuluhed quest to Mordenai, you’ll get to neutral but he won’t have the next stage of quests to offer you - the ones that lead you back to Netherwing Ledge and on to the Daily Quests. So, 225 riding skill = NO Netherwing daily quests. Must have 300, even if you don’t have the epic flying mount itself.
- If you DO have 300 riding trained, when you turn in the Zuluhed quest to Mordenai, you’ll get to neutral and he’ll offer you a quest to talk to a guy in the Dragonmaw Base Camp on Netherwing Ledge, and from there you’ll get your daily quests. HOWEVER as soon as you accept Mordenai’s quest to talk to the guy on the Ledge, you get changed into some kind of “fel orc” that is of FRIENDLY status with the Dragonmaw, and therefore you can’t help kill Zuluhed! If you hope to help your friends with this, be careful!
The disguise you get whenever you go near the Dragonmaw Fortress or the Netherwing Ledge is that of a fel orc, but as a bonus, your mount turns into a Netherdrake as well! And when you leave the Netherwing Ledge, your mount stays the Netherdrake until you log out or leave Shadowmoon Valley, even though you yourself change back to your normal toon body.
Moving On Alone
In getting that Zuluhed quest done, I got a few of my guildmates interested enough that they completed the full line up to and including Zuluhed only to realize with me that 300 riding was required to move on. Since most of my guildmates don’t have the cash for the training, they’ve gone back to their other pursuits while I work on the daily quests.
Tags: epic flying mount, how to unlock netherwing rep, hunter, Netherdrake, netherdrake quest guide, netherstorm quests, netherwing, netherwing ledge, Netherwing Quest Guide, netherwing rep, netherwing reputation guide, netherwing tips and tricks, warcraft mount, warcraft mounts