The Crimson Water Strider is a reward for committing to fishing rather than simply visiting a mount vendor with enough gold. Its vivid red body and long legs make it immediately recognizable beside the quieter Azure version.

The project has several distinct gates: develop the garrison Fishing Shack, recruit Nat Pagle, build his friendship, and save his special coins. Skipping one can leave a seemingly finished fishing grind without a purchasable mount.

Quick Answer

Buy Reins of the Crimson Water Strider, item 87791, from Nat Pagle at your Draenor garrison Fishing Shack for 100 Nat's Lucky Coins at Best Friend standing with Nat. Open the level-three Fishing Shack through Draenor Angler, then complete Nat's recruitment chain. Both factions can obtain this ground mount in Retail. It no longer has innate water walking; that ability was removed when mount equipment was introduced.

Mount Overview

Crimson Water Strider belongs to Warlords of Draenor's garrison fishing collection. It is different from the Azure Water Strider bought through the Anglers in Pandaria.

The mount carries one rider, cannot fly, and has no vendor services. Modern water walking depends on an appropriate mount-equipment effect rather than a unique built-in Crimson ability.

Nat's personal friendship is separate from the Anglers' faction reputation. Anglers Exalted alone does not satisfy the Crimson reins' current Best Friend requirement.

How to Get the Crimson Water Strider

Open and upgrade the Fishing Shack

Establish your Draenor garrison and complete its fishing introduction through Anglin' In Our Garrison. This opens the Fishing Shack as a dedicated garrison building rather than consuming an ordinary building plot.

Develop the garrison and shack to the stages needed for the level-three upgrade. The level-three Fishing Shack blueprint is unlocked by the account achievement Draenor Angler, so inspect existing achievement progress before repeating completed fishing goals.

Train and develop Draenor Fishing. Historical references to 700 Fishing describe the old unsplit profession system; current Retail uses the expansion-specific Draenor skill track, whose maximum is 100.

Complete Draenor Angler

The achievement requires catching 100 of each of seven Enormous Draenor fish types. Track the individual Angler achievements rather than assuming ordinary or small fish count toward the Enormous requirements.

The freshwater and lava species are distributed by zone:

• Enormous Abyssal Gulper Eel: Spires of Arak.
• Enormous Blackwater Whiptail: Talador.
• Enormous Blind Lake Sturgeon: Shadowmoon Valley.
• Enormous Fat Sleeper: Nagrand.
• Enormous Fire Ammonite: Frostfire Ridge lava fishing.
• Enormous Jawless Skulker: Gorgrond.
• Enormous Sea Scorpion: Draenor coastal waters.

Use the relevant bait and fishing bonuses when available, and watch the actual achievement counter. Buying already caught fish does not replace an achievement requiring you to catch them.

Once the blueprint condition is met, purchase the required plan and complete the Fishing Shack level-three upgrade through the normal garrison building system.

Recruit Nat Pagle

Take Luring Nat from the developed shack and follow Finding Nat Pagle and The Great Angler Returns. The recruitment sends you to Nat in Pandaria before bringing him into your Draenor garrison.

Continue with A True Draenor Angler. Use Nat's Hookshot as instructed and catch the six required zone lunkers in inland Draenor waters: the appropriate ones from Shadowmoon, Talador, Nagrand, Gorgrond, Spires of Arak, and Frostfire Ridge.

Check that Nat's quest bait effect is active. The recruitment lunkers are not the same as the Enormous fish already caught for the achievement, and coastal Sea Scorpion fishing does not replace the six inland objectives.

Finish An Angler on Our Team to establish Nat's follower and garrison vendor access. He does not need to be Best Friend merely to be recruited; that standing is needed later for the mount purchase.

Build friendship and collect coins

After recruitment, catch eligible Draenor lunkers and turn them in to the garrison Nat through his repeatable hand-ins. These provide Nat's Lucky Coins and personal friendship together.

The mount costs 100 coins, but Best Friend remains a separate check. Starting from low friendship may require more hand-ins than the coin price alone suggests. Conversely, a character that already befriended Nat in Pandaria can still need the Draenor coins.

Cavedweller rewards from the level-three garrison pond can supply additional coins. The relevant pond summons use Lunarfall Carp on Alliance or Frostdeep Minnow on Horde; this is a supplementary option rather than the essential recruitment route.

At Best Friend and 100 Nat's Lucky Coins, buy the Crimson reins from Nat at the garrison shack, use them, and check the learned journal entry.

Location

The final vendor is the Draenor garrison Nat: Lunarfall for Alliance or Frostwall for Horde. His Pandaria location at Anglers Wharf is part of recruitment and an alternative friendship source, not the final Crimson coin shop.

Use Draenor's Shadowmoon Valley and Nagrand for the fishing objectives, not the Outland zones with the same names.

Requirements

• Draenor garrison and level-three Fishing Shack access.
• Draenor Angler blueprint unlock and Nat's completed recruitment progression.
• Best Friend standing with Nat Pagle.
• 100 Nat's Lucky Coins and ordinary ground-mount eligibility.

The journal's historical Honored-style faction wording should not override the current reins' explicit Best Friend requirement.

Farming Tips

Audit old fishing progress first. A previously earned Draenor Angler achievement or established Nat friendship can remove a large part of the setup.

Keep the seven Enormous-fish achievements separate from the six recruitment lunkers and the later repeatable lunker turn-ins. They are connected stages, not interchangeable fish lists.

Save coins for the mount rather than buying Nat's other collectibles midway through the grind. More friendship alone does not restore coins spent on another reward.

Is This Mount Still Obtainable?

Yes. The normal Retail garrison fishing route remains available. The loss of innate water walking changed its utility, not the availability of the red appearance.

Is It Worth Farming?

Crimson is most attractive to fishing collectors and players who enjoy the garrison progression. The long-legged red model remains distinctive, but it should no longer be promoted as a uniquely necessary travel tool.

If water walking is your only goal, evaluate the modern mount-equipment system separately. Collect this mount because you want its appearance and fishing achievement connection.

Collector Notes

The route naturally overlaps with other fishing collectibles and Nat rewards. Finish the mount budget first, then decide whether the additional toys and pets justify continuing the same routine.

Similar Mounts

• Azure Water Strider offers the blue version through the separate Anglers reputation route.
• Sea Turtle provides another fishing-themed collection goal.
• Riding Turtle is a distinct ground-mount collectible associated with several historical sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Nat charge?

100 Nat's Lucky Coins.

Is Anglers Exalted enough?

No. Crimson checks Nat's personal Best Friend standing.

Where is the final vendor?

Nat at your Draenor garrison Fishing Shack.

What unlocks the level-three shack blueprint?

Draenor Angler, covering the seven Enormous-fish achievements.

Does buying Enormous fish complete the catches?

No. Track your own qualifying catches.

Are the recruitment lunkers the same as Enormous fish?

No. They belong to a separate quest stage.

Do I need the old global 700 Fishing skill?

Current Retail uses the separate Draenor Fishing track instead of that historical number.

Does the mount still walk on water innately?

No. Use the modern mount-equipment system for that effect where applicable.

Final Thoughts

Build the shack, recruit Nat, then finish both friendship and coins. Treating those as separate milestones produces an accurate path to Crimson without promising an obsolete water-walking benefit.