WoW Dragonriding Mechanics Overview

One of the most intriguing features of the new WoW expansion is Dragonriding; and it’s just the time, as flying mechanics didn’t have any global renovations for ages. Never, to be more precise. And even though these renewals work only inside a new continent, we may experience absolutely new feelings of flying, as if we were flying an actual dragon.

This overview will cover all aspects of dragonriding, including glyphs locations and the known customisation nuances. To learn about new Dragonflight expansion features, check out our complete overview.

General Facts

There are four dragonriding mounts, each given to a player during the main questline in each Dragon Isles zone. A Highland Drake, a Cliffside Wylderdrake, a Renewed Proto-Drake, and a Wildborne Velocidrake. All drakes are completely customisable; players may change their skin tone and the form of their tail and horns and select armour and eye colour. There are so many appearance changes that it may seem you are customising a new character. But there are lots of things in common, indeed. Drakes are to be levelled and trained; they have their own talent tree. To get a rare appearance players are to visit Mythic+ dungeons, raids, Arenas, RBGs, and all other game activities, just as they would for dressing up their character. So practically, these mounts are another character you should take care of.

We’re also recommend to view our Mythic+ Compendium, with all the Dungeon tactics and M+ Loot.

Apart from practical usage, Dragonriding also has an entertainment aspect. Players participate in races and sort of PvP skirmishes high in the sky. And all the more bitter is the fact that Dragonriding is not a replacement for regular flying and won’t be available outside Dragon Isles. But if the experiment proves itself right, the developers will widen it to other continents, probably.

A funny, yet very important note. You may turn your dragon into a two-seater mount. Visit a Dragonriding Trainer to do so and see your group member flying alongside you as a whelping!

Dragonriding Talent Tree

As was already mentioned, all four dragons have their own talent trees. Players get acquainted with this mechanic during the introductory quests within the first Dragon Isles zone, the Waking Shores. A responsible NPC is called Lithragosa; she stands at the Skytop Observatory and will eagerly present to you the dragonriding talent tree.

The tree has only one branch and not that many talents, but each talent is really useful and gives new abilities. An interesting fact: These talents affect Dracthyr’s racial ability Soar in different ways.

All dragonriding abilities spend Vigor – a special material that regenerates 1 point every 30 seconds when you stay on the ground. It does not matter whether you are mounted or dismounted.

The dragonriding talent tree has nine rows and looks like this:

Each ability has a price to be learned. These prices are special Dragon Glyphs (the last column) which can be found all over the Dragon Isles. The amount of Dragon Glyphs required to unlock talents in the next row increases as you progress further down the tree. Hence, you are to collect them all to master your dragon to the maximum level.

Dragonflight Leveling Boost

Get Ready to Explore Dragon Isles!

How to Get Your Dragon

To start a new flying adventure, players are to learn Dragonriding skill first. The corresponding quest chain starts in Waking Shores and calls In Defense of Life. The Dragonriding Emissary Lord Andestrasz will become your teacher in everything concerning new flying ability.

By the end of this storyline, you will get your first dragonriding mount, a Renewed Proto-Drake, learn some air manoeuvres, and gain a few new skills. 

A Highland Drake is a reward for the quest Calling the Blue Dragons of the main storyline in The Azure Span zone.

A Cliffside Wylderdrake mount is also a quest reward. You are to complete all four storylines in the Thaldraszus to get it. Well, technically, it will be a reward for the quest Back to the Future, but it stands at the very end of all chains.

A Wildborne Velocidrake is granted to players as a reward for the quest Shady Sanctuary in Bonds Renewed, the third chapter of the main storyline of The Nokhud Offensive in Ohn’ahran Plains.

It’s good to know that you can start your dragonriding mounts hunt right after you have finished the introductory quest chain in Waking Shores.

Drakewatcher Manuscripts Sources

All four dragonriding drakes are completely customisable. We may change literally everything, starting from the colour of their eyes and scales up to the form of spikes on their tails. Some customisation options are more frequent, while others are very rare. Some tints and forms you get automatically while moving along the plots in the Dragon Isles locations, and some you can find in dungeons, raids, and various PvP activities.

To attach a new, say, set of claws, you need to find a special scroll, Drakewatcher Manuscripts, which, in their turn, are given for completion of various activities. Below, you may find a list of all known Drakewatcher Manuscripts.

World Quests:

Manuscripts have a chance of being found in Dragon Racer’s Purse.

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Dual Horned Crest;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Hooked Snout;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Curled Horns;
• Highland Drake: Curled Back Horns;
• Highland Drake: Hooked Tail;
• Highland Drake: Swept Spiked Head;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Large Tail Spikes;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Spiked Brow;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Curled Head Horns.

Reputations

Valdrakken Accord

• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Plated Brow;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Split Head Horns;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Spiked Cheek;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Hook Horns;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Scaled Pattern;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Spear Tail;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Red Hair;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Bronze Scales;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Bronze Scales;
• Highland Drake: Bronze Scales;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Silver and Purple Armor;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Silver and Purple Armor;
• Highland Drake: Silver and Purple Armor;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Silver and Purple Armor.

Wrathion & Sabellian

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Black Scales;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Black Scales;
• Highland Drake: Black Scales;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Black Scales;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Gold and Black Armor;
• Highland Drake: Gold and Black Armor;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Gold and Black Armor.

Cobalt Assembly

• Windborne Velocidrake: Finned Back;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Thick Spined Jaw;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Finned Back;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Beaked Snout;
• Highland Drake: Triple Finned Head (Also from the Quest Send It!);
• Highland Drake: Vertical Finned Tail;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Finned Tail;
• Highland Drake: Spined Head;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Blue Hair.

Quests

The Waking Shores

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Razor Snout – Quest: Home Is Where the Frogs Are;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Finned Crest – Fighting Fire with… Water;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Spined Tail – Training Wings.

Ohn’ahran Plains

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Spiked Throat – The Black Locus;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Maned Tail – Covering Their Tails.

The Azure Span

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Gradient Horns – Mad Mordigan & The Crystal King;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Curved Horns – In Defense of Vakthros;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Finned Tail – Driven Mad.

Thaldraszus

• Highland Drake: Heavy Horns – Cache and Release;
• Highland Drake: Spined Back – What Once Was Ours;
• Highland Drake: Plated Head – Vengeance, Served Hot;
• Highland Drake: Maned Chin – The Land Awakens;
• Highland Drake: Spined Cheek – The Awaited Egg-splosion.

Rare Spawns & World Drops

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Impaler Horns – From  Lookout Mordren;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Gray Hair – From  Eaglemaster Niraak;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Heavy Horns – Klozicc the Ascended;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Club Tail –  Ancient Hornswog;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Cluster Horns –  Char;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Large Head Fin –  Skewersnout;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Club Tail – Drops from the Grand Hunt Bosses;
• Highland Drake: Finned Back –  Cascade;
• Highland Drake: Maned Head – Drops from the Grand Hunt Bosses;
• Highland Drake: Toothy Mouth –  Firava the Rekindler;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Blunt Spiked Tail –  Dragonhunter Igordan;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Black Horns – Drops from the Grand Hunt Bosses;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Heavy Horns –  Ancient Hornswog;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Horned Nose –  Dragonhunter Igordan;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Head Mane –  Skaara;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Ears –  Sharpfang;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Maned Neck –  Klozicc the Ascended.

Professions

Inscription

Renown Reward:

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Spined Crest – Dragonscale Expedition;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Black Fur – Maruuk Centaur;
• Highland Drake: Black Hair – Iskaara Tuskarr;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Red Hair– Valdrakken Accord.

Dungeons:

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Silver and Blue Armor – M+ Ruby Life Pools;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Silver and Blue Armor – M+ Nokhud Offensive/Mythic Balakar Khan.

World Drop:

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Bovine Horns -The Waking Shores;
• Highland Drake: Silver and Blue Armor -The Azure Span;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Triple Head Horns – Thaldraszus;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Silver and Blue Armor – Thaldraszus.

Fishing:

• Windborne Velocidrake: Spined Head;
• Highland Drake: Spined Neck;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Conical Head.

The Great Swog:

• Renewed Proto-Drake: Predator Pattern;
• Renewed Proto-Drake: Steel and Yellow Armor;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Windswept Pattern;
• Windborne Velocidrake: Steel and Orange Armor;
• Highland Drake: Steel and Yellow Armor;
• Cliffside Wylderdrake: Steel and Yellow Armor.

PvP

Highland Drake: Embodiment of the Crimson Gladiator – Gladiator in Dragonflight Season 1 Rated PVP.

Dragon Races

There are a bunch of different races all over the continent, where you take part in riding your Dragonriding mount. For completing all of them at Gold, you get new customisation options.

• Waking Shores: – Renewed Proto-Drake: Red Hair & Renewed Proto-Drake: Gold and Red Armor;
• Ohn’ahran Plains: – Windborne Velocidrake: Red Hair & Windborne Velocidrake: Gold and Red Armor;
• Azure Span: – Highland Drake: Brown Hair & Highland Drake: Gold and Red Armor;
• Thaldraszus: – Cliffside Wylderdrake: Blonde Hair & Cliffside Wylderdrake: Gold and Orange Armor.

Dragon Glyphs

As we mentioned, Dragon Glyphs are, so to speak, a currency for learning new dragonriding talents. Unused Dragon Glyphs look like this: and as soon as you interact with this logo, it turns grey.

There are a total of 40 Glyphs scattered all around the Dragon Isles, for 10 per zone. To get them, players have to fulfil minor tasks like climbing up the highest mountain or flying under a very low bridge. To get to some places, players will have to use newfound talents and abilities. Each Glyph awards one Dragonriding talent point, so you must collect them all. Each Dragon Glyph you collect rewards you with achievement, which means they are account-wide! Now, this is outstanding news! You need to gather all Dragon Glyphs only once, and after this, your alts will gain all talent points automatically! 

Dragon Glyph Locations

Glyphs are spread all over the new continent, and it’s hard to explain their locations. Instead, we leave here all 40 achievements given for finding Dragon Glyphs. They are hints themselves already.