When I first saw the Heart of the Aspects mount, I was quite fascinated by the look of it, until I saw it in-game. I didn’t realise just how huge it was. It hovers when low to the ground and has a kind of backstroke swimming animation. That didn’t stop me from buying one though as I was amped to play the beta and get immersed in the rich Chinese landscapes.

In order to get your own Cloud Serpent in Pandaria, you’ll first have grind reputation with the Order of the Cloud Serpent – an order of ancient flying warriors, founded during the Zandalari wars. Only by gaining favour with them, will they reveal the secrets of training a cloud serpent to become a loyal mount.

To begin, you’ll have to decide which colour you want out of three possible colours – blue, green or gold. The egg you choose will promptly hatch into a tiny little mini-Serpent which you will raise.

Blue serpent hatchling

From there you will be completing daily quests for your mini-Serpent until he matures into a fully grown, rideable mount; much like the Venomhide Ravasaur (Horde) or Winterspring Frostsaber (Alliance) mount. As soon as you’re revered, you’re told to see Instructor Windblade who will teach you the rules of the racing course. The next series of quests involves training your serpent to race through the training track.

For an extra 500 rep a pop, you can also hand in Onyx Eggs found scattered around Windward Isle. This quest is repeatable but the number of eggs at a time appears to be quite low due to the limited area.

Onyx Egg

Here are the three colours available to buy once you’re exalted.

Golden Cloud Serpent

Jade Cloud Serpent

Azure Cloud Serpent