The Drake of the South Wind is a classic Cataclysm-era flying mount that remains a staple for collectors chasing legacy raid drops. Its distinctive wind-themed design and association with one of Azeroth’s elemental lords give it a timeless appeal, especially for players focused on completing older expansion mount collections.
What sets this mount apart is its acquisition model. It drops from a legacy raid boss with a low drop rate and a weekly lockout, meaning progress is gated by time rather than difficulty. While the encounter itself is trivial at max level, obtaining the mount still requires patience, consistency, or alternative approaches such as multi-character farming or the Black Market Auction House.
The Drake of the South Wind drops from Al’Akir, the final boss of Throne of the Four Winds. The mount has an estimated 1% drop chance. Raid difficulty, size, or mode does not affect the drop rate — Normal and Heroic share the same odds.
Because Throne of the Four Winds uses a weekly raid lockout, each character can only attempt this mount once per week. This makes long-term consistency or multi-character farming the primary methods for securing the mount.
The entrance to Throne of the Four Winds
is located in the south-western part of
Uldum.
The raid entrance is only accessible by flying.
/way 38.56 80.53 – Throne of the Four Winds entrance
Throne of the Four Winds map view
Throne of the Four Winds entrance
Important (Dragonflight timeline): If you are playing in the modern timeline and do not see the raid entrance, you are likely phased into the BFA invasion version of Uldum. Speak with Zidormi to return to the Cataclysm version of the zone.
/way 56.0 35.2 – Zidormi location
Do not panic if the minimap marker appears misleading — the actual zone entrance is located on the opposite side of the structure compared to the meeting stone.
Al’Akir is the second and final encounter in the raid. To reach him, you must first defeat the Conclave of Wind. Use the slipstreams on either side to travel between platforms and defeat each of the three Conclave bosses.
Once all three are defeated, a central slipstream will appear, allowing you to reach Al’Akir’s platform.
At max level, the encounter is trivial. Defeat Al’Akir and loot the Heart of Wind for a chance to obtain the Reins of the Drake of the South Wind.
In addition to farming Al’Akir weekly, the Drake of the South Wind can occasionally appear on the Black Market Auction House. This offers collectors an alternative path that replaces long-term RNG farming with a gold-based purchase.
When listed on the Black Market Auction House, Drake of the South Wind typically sells for 800,000 to 2,000,000 gold, depending on server population, time of listing, and bidder activity. On lower-population realms, prices may stay closer to the lower end of this range, while high-population realms often push bids significantly higher.
It’s important to note that purchasing the mount through the BMAH grants the mount directly, bypassing the raid and weekly lockouts entirely. This makes it the fastest possible acquisition method — provided you have enough gold and catch the listing in time.
BMAH Strategy Tips:
Because Drake of the South Wind is locked behind a weekly raid reset, using multiple characters is the most effective way to increase your chances over time. Each character provides one independent attempt per week.
Over several weeks or months, this approach significantly outperforms single-character farming and is the preferred method for collectors building legacy mount rosters.
These addons optimize your weekly farm routine and help track cooldowns or coordinate raid attempts across alts:
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