In modern WoW, "dragon mounts" usually means the five customizable Skyriding (originally Dragonriding) drakes added in Dragonflight: the Renewed Proto-Drake, Windborne Velocidrake, Highland Drake, Cliffside Wylderdrake, and Winding Slitherdrake. You earn all five for free through the Dragon Isles campaign and exploration, then reshape their look and unlock flight talents with Dragon Glyphs.

The five Skyriding dragon mounts

  • Renewed Proto-Drake — the first one you get, handed to you early in the Dragonflight intro.
  • Windborne Velocidrake — earned exploring the Ohn'ahran Plains.
  • Highland Drake — tied to the Azure Span.
  • Cliffside Wylderdrake — unlocked in Thaldraszus.
  • Winding Slitherdrake — a serpentine dragon from the Waking Shores questing.

Each one shares the same physics-based flight but has its own body shape and a deep customization window (horns, scales, color, armor). You collect appearance parts as drops and rewards while playing through the Dragon Isles.

How do you unlock dragon riding (Skyriding)?

Start the Dragonflight campaign and you'll receive your first drake within the opening quests, no extra requirement beyond reaching the Dragon Isles. From there you fly around collecting Dragon Glyphs scattered across each zone; each glyph gives points you spend on a talent tree that adds speed, longer flight, and better stamina regen.

Since patch 10.2.6 the system was renamed Skyriding and opened up beyond the Dragon Isles, and in The War Within it became the standard fast-flight mode across most of the game's continents.

Are dragon mounts free in WoW?

Yes. All five core drakes and their basic customizations are earned through normal play at no gold or real-money cost. You do need the Dragonflight content to start, but the mounts themselves come from questing and exploring rather than a shop or a raid boss.

What's the difference between Skyriding and normal flying?

Regular ("steady") flying is a slow, hover-anywhere autopilot. Skyriding is momentum-based: you flap to build Vigor, dive to gain speed, and pull up to glide. It's much faster over distance and genuinely fun to pilot, but takes practice. Most zones now let you toggle between the two mid-air.

What other dragon mounts exist?

Plenty. Older expansions added drakes and proto-drakes from raids, achievements, and reputation — the Netherwing Drakes, Reins of the various raid drakes, and the classic Icecrown proto-drakes. These are traditional "steady" mounts, not the customizable Skyriding type, and many are prized rare collectibles.

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