Quick answer: what does the Netherdrake really cost on TBC Anniversary?
The Netherwing Drake is "free" from reputation — but the real cost is a ~5,000g gold wall plus about two weeks of dailies, and almost nobody warns you about the gold half. On the Anniversary progression realms, the Netherwing faction arrives with Phase 3 "Black Temple" on August 27, 2026 (3:00 pm PDT / 23:00 BST), confirmed by Blizzard. To actually progress the grind you need Artisan Riding (300 riding skill = epic flying), which costs roughly 5,000 gold to train — and without it you're hard-stopped at Neutral. Then it's 42,000 reputation from Neutral to Exalted, or about 14 days of full daily quests (faster if you farm Netherwing Eggs). Get the gold sorted before launch and the mount is a two-week formality; show up broke and you'll watch the drake dealer for a month. Here's the exact breakdown.
When Blizzard drops a phase date, the Anniversary economy pivots to prep overnight — and Phase 3 is now on a hard countdown. Most of the hype is about Illidan and Black Temple, but the feature that quietly drains the most gold from casual players is the one that looks free: the Netherwing Drake. It's a reputation reward, so people assume it costs nothing. In reality it has a stiff prerequisite gold cost that gates the entire grind, and a time sink that punishes anyone who logs in casually. This guide breaks down what the Netherdrake actually costs in gold and days, whether it's worth it for your play style, and exactly what to have ready before August 27.
What is the Netherwing, and when does it go live on Anniversary realms?
The Netherwing is a daily-quest faction based on Netherwing Ledge, a floating crystalline outpost high above southeastern Shadowmoon Valley in Outland. You grind its reputation to earn the Netherwing Drake — one of the most iconic epic flying mounts in The Burning Crusade.
Per Blizzard's official Phase 3 announcement, the Netherwing is one of the headline additions to Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition Phase 3, launching globally on August 27, 2026 at 3:00 pm PDT / 23:00 BST, alongside the Black Temple and Battle for Mount Hyjal raids, Epic Gems, and Arena Season 3. It is not live yet — as of this writing the Anniversary realms are still on Phase 2 "Overlords of Outland" (Serpentshrine Cavern + Tempest Keep, level cap 70). Don't let a boosting site tell you the drake is farmable today; it isn't until the 27th.
"Begin earning Netherwing reputation through daily quests on Netherwing Ledge... Flying mounts are a must to reach it—or a willingness to take a very strategic fall." — Blizzard, Black Temple Arrives August 27 (news.blizzard.com)
That quote is doing more work than it looks. "Flying mounts are a must" is the polite version of the real gate: to progress the faction, you need epic flying — and that's where the gold goes.
How much gold does the Netherdrake actually cost?
The mount itself is bought from Drake Dealer Hurlunk in the Dragonmaw Base Camp for a token sum once you hit Exalted. The expensive part is everything you need before Hurlunk will talk to you. Here's the honest tally for a fresh level 70 heading into Phase 3.
| Cost item | Gold (approx.) | Why it's required |
|---|---|---|
| Artisan Riding (300 skill) | ~4,400–5,000g | Hard-required to advance past Neutral and to use/buy the drake |
| Epic flying mount (any 280% flyer) | ~100–200g | You fly the Netherwing dailies; you need a working epic flyer |
| Daily consumables / repairs (2 weeks) | ~150–300g | Two weeks of dailies, some group content, deaths |
| Realistic total to be "Netherdrake-ready" | ~4,700–5,500g | The gold wall that gates the whole grind |
The single number that matters is Artisan Riding at roughly 5,000 gold (reduced modestly by faction reputation discounts). This is the same 300-riding investment that unlocks epic flying anywhere in Outland — so if you already bought epic flying for other content, you've already paid the Netherdrake's real price and the rest is just time. If you didn't, that ~5,000g is a brutal ask on a fresh realm where gold is tight and everyone's competing for the same farms.
Blizzard's announcement confirms the requirement in black and white: you can obtain the Netherwing Drakes from Drake Dealer Hurlunk "provided the required Artisan Riding skill is achieved, and the 'Blood Oath of the Netherwing'... is completed." No Artisan Riding, no drake — full stop.
If your gold isn't there before the 27th, the fastest way to skip the wall entirely is to top up your balance ahead of launch:
Get ready for Phase 3 before the rush:
- WoW Classic Anniversary Gold — instant & safe — safe · best rate · fast delivery
- All WoW Classic Anniversary services — everything in one place
How long does the Netherwing grind take to Exalted?
Once you're past the gold wall, the Netherdrake is a time problem, not a gold problem. The numbers:
- 42,000 reputation separates Neutral from Exalted (the standard Friendly → Honored → Revered → Exalted total).
- With every Netherwing daily completed plus roughly one egg or gathering turn-in per day, you earn about 3,050 reputation per day.
- That works out to roughly 14 days of full dailies to reach Exalted — the figure community guides like Warcraft Tavern cite for a dailies-only grind.
The wild card is Netherwing Eggs. These are rare world drops around Netherwing Ledge that grant a big rep chunk on turn-in, and they're the only way to gain reputation without waiting for daily resets. On a fresh Anniversary realm with everyone farming at once, expect heavy competition for egg spawns — which means most players will land closer to the two-week dailies pace than the "exalted in a weekend" clips you'll see from veterans exploiting event overlaps.
A player on r/classicwowtbc summed up the reality check bluntly when asked if Netherwing Exalted is too hard for casuals: do your dailies every day and you'll get it in about two weeks; log in once a week and you simply won't finish in a reasonable timeframe. It's not hard — it's relentless. That daily-login demand is exactly why leveling and gold prep before launch matters so much: every day you spend still farming your 5,000g is a day you're not banking Netherwing rep.
Is the Netherdrake worth it in Phase 3?
Straight verdict: yes for mount collectors and mains, no for alts you won't play daily.
- Worth it if: the Netherwing Drake is a prestige epic flyer (six color variants — Azure, Cobalt, Onyx, Purple, Veridian, and Violet), it's account-defining transmog-era clout, and you're already logging in daily for raid prep anyway. Stacking Netherwing dailies onto an existing routine is nearly free time-wise.
- Skip it if: you're a casual who logs a few hours on weekends, or it's an alt. The 14-day daily cadence punishes irregular play harder than almost any other TBC grind, and the ~5,000g Artisan Riding cost is better spent on your main's raiding consumables and gear if gold is tight.
One thing that is not in question: the drakes are pure 280% speed epic flyers — mechanically identical in speed to any other epic flying mount. You're paying for the look and the flex, not for extra utility. Decide accordingly.
For the bigger prep picture — raids, attunements, and Epic Gems — see our full breakdown of everything coming in TBC Anniversary Phase 3, and if the gold wall is your blocker, our guides on affording epic flying fast and making gold fast on Anniversary realms are built for exactly this window.
What to do before August 27 (the prep checklist)
You have a hard countdown. The players who own their Netherdrake in mid-September are the ones who did this before launch, not after:
- Bank ~5,000g for Artisan Riding if you don't already have epic flying. This is the real gate — everything else is downstream of it.
- Train Artisan Riding early so you're never stuck at Neutral watching rep-capped dailies you can't progress.
- Know the start: the Netherwing questline begins via Mordenai in Shadowmoon Valley and gets you from Hated to Neutral before the daily grind opens up — have Shadowmoon Valley flight paths ready.
- Line up your daily routine. Netherwing rewards consistency, so plan to fold its dailies into whatever you're already doing for Black Temple attunement and Ashtongue rep.
- Watch for eggs while you fly. Every egg is a daily-reset skip; grabbing incidental ones off the ground during your route quietly shaves days off the grind.
Do the gold prep now and the Netherdrake is a two-week victory lap. Leave it until launch day and you'll spend your first fortnight farming silver while everyone else banks reputation.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Netherwing come out on TBC Anniversary realms? With Phase 3 "Black Temple," which launches globally on August 27, 2026 at 3:00 pm PDT / 23:00 BST, per Blizzard's official announcement. It is not available on the Anniversary realms before that date — they're currently on Phase 2, "Overlords of Outland."
Do I need epic flying for the Netherwing grind? Yes. You need a flying mount just to reach Netherwing Ledge, and 300 riding skill (Artisan Riding, i.e. epic flying) to advance past Neutral and to purchase the Netherwing Drakes. Blizzard's announcement states the drakes require "the required Artisan Riding skill." Budget roughly 5,000 gold for the training if you don't already have it.
How long does it take to get the Netherdrake? About 14 days of completing every Netherwing daily to go from Neutral to Exalted (42,000 reputation), earning roughly 3,050 rep per day. Farming Netherwing Eggs can speed this up, but egg competition on a fresh realm is fierce, so plan for the two-week pace.
How much does the Netherwing Drake mount itself cost? The mount is bought for a trivial sum from Drake Dealer Hurlunk at the Dragonmaw Base Camp once you reach Exalted — the "cost" is almost entirely the Artisan Riding prerequisite (~5,000g) and the reputation grind, not the mount's price tag.
Is the Netherdrake faster than other epic flying mounts? No. Netherwing Drakes fly at 280% speed, the same as every other epic flying mount. You're grinding for the appearance and the six color options (Azure, Cobalt, Onyx, Purple, Veridian, Violet), not for a speed advantage.
Is it worth buying gold to prep for the Netherdrake? If the ~5,000g Artisan Riding wall is what's stopping you from starting the grind on day one, topping up your gold before August 27 lets you begin banking reputation immediately instead of farming silver for two weeks first. You can grab WoW Classic Anniversary gold with instant, safe delivery to skip straight to the grind.
