Drake of the South Wind is one of those mounts that still gets collector attention years after its original release. The model is striking, the color palette stands out, and the acquisition method gives it a bit more prestige than a simple vendor purchase. It is not the hardest raid mount in the game, but it is absolutely the kind of drop that keeps people revisiting old Cataclysm content.

For many players, the appeal is simple. It is a clean-looking dragon mount with strong visual presence, and it comes from a raid boss that can still be farmed today. That combination makes it a solid long-term collection target, especially if you enjoy chasing older raid drops with weekly lockouts.

Quick Answer

Drake of the South Wind is a mount from Cataclysm raid content. It drops from Al’Akir in The Elemental Plane / Throne of the Four Winds, and it is still obtainable as a rare raid drop. Collectors pursue it because the model remains distinctive, the mount is still farmable, and old raid drake drops always carry a bit of prestige.

Mount Overview

The Drake of the South Wind is a sleek elemental drake with a bright, airy look that fits its source well. It has a strong visual silhouette, and unlike some older dragon mounts that feel dated, this one still looks clean in modern collections. The design leans into the wind-and-cloud aesthetic rather than a heavy armored dragon style.

This mount comes from Cataclysm and is tied to a raid drop source rather than a reputation grind or vendor purchase. That alone makes it more interesting for collectors. Raid mounts tend to stay relevant for years because they are limited by weekly lockouts, which gives them a natural prestige factor.

At a glance:

• Expansion: Cataclysm
• Source: Raid drop
• Boss: Al’Akir
• Instance: Throne of the Four Winds
• Availability: Still obtainable
• Collector appeal: High for dragon mount collectors and old-raid farmers

How to Get Drake of the South Wind

The mount drops from Al’Akir, the final boss of Throne of the Four Winds. You need to clear the raid and defeat him, then hope the mount appears on the loot table. Exact drop rates have not been officially confirmed, but community estimates have long placed it in the low single-digit range, which is typical for older raid mounts.

Because this is a raid drop, the main limiting factor is not difficulty, it is repetition. You can only loot the boss once per week per character on the relevant difficulty, so most of the grind comes down to consistent weekly clears on as many eligible characters as you have.

What the farming loop looks like

1. Enter Throne of the Four Winds.
2. Clear the raid to reach Al’Akir.
3. Kill the boss and check the loot.
4. Repeat on the next weekly reset with the same character or another alt.

For mount farmers, this is a straightforward old-raid loop. The raid is short by modern standards, and once you know the layout, the run is mostly about getting in, clearing quickly, and moving on. That makes it much less annoying than some longer legacy raids where the mount drop is buried behind a long clear.

Can it be farmed on multiple difficulties?

For older raid content, mount farming often depends on the raid’s difficulty structure. Throne of the Four Winds was originally a raid with separate difficulties in Cataclysm-era design, but the practical farming experience today is limited by the legacy lockout rules of the instance and the current version of the game. The important point is simple: you should check the raid entrance and lockout behavior on your character before planning an alt farm route, because legacy raid rules can vary by instance and expansion.

If you are farming the mount specifically, the safest approach is to treat it as a weekly boss kill rather than something you can chain endlessly on one character.

Location

Throne of the Four Winds is tied to Cataclysm content in Uldum, on the continent of Kalimdor. The raid entrance is in the sky area associated with the elemental raid zone, so you will need to travel to the correct Cataclysm entry point rather than a standard dungeon portal.

If you have not run the raid in a long time, it is easy to forget where the entrance sits. That is one reason many collectors keep a teleport or portal route handy for old raid farming. Time saved between weekly clears adds up quickly across multiple alts.

Requirements

The actual requirements are light compared with modern endgame content, but there are still a few things worth noting.

• Access to Cataclysm raid content: You must be able to enter the legacy raid.
• Soloability: The raid is generally soloable at modern level caps for geared characters.
• Weekly lockout: You are limited by the raid’s reset cadence.
• Expansion ownership: No special current expansion ownership requirement beyond access to the game client and your account’s content access.

If you are a low-level alt or undergeared character, the fight may still be manageable depending on your class and current level, but in practical terms this is a farm most players handle comfortably at max level. As with all legacy raid mounts, the real requirement is patience.

Farming Tips

Because Drake of the South Wind is a boss drop, efficient farming is all about minimizing wasted time and maximizing weekly attempts.

Use alts for extra weekly chances

If you are serious about the mount, run it on every character you can reasonably access. Old raid mount farming is one of the best uses for alts because each character adds another roll per week. Even a small alt roster gives you a noticeable edge over time.

Keep the run short

Throne of the Four Winds is not a long raid, which is one of the reasons collectors like it. Once you know the path, clear speed is good enough that the main time sink is the raid lockout itself, not the run. If you are doing a big weekly mount route, this is an efficient stop.

Check your legacy lockout habits

Make sure you do not accidentally mix up raid sizes or reset expectations if you are farming multiple old raids in the same session. A clean mount route saves time and avoids confusion when you are juggling several boss kills across expansions.

Expect a long grind

Even when a mount is obtainable, that does not mean it will drop quickly. Community experience with old raid mounts usually points to a long-tail farm, with some players getting lucky quickly and others going many weeks or months without a drop. That variance is exactly why these mounts retain value.

Is This Mount Still Obtainable?

Yes, Drake of the South Wind is still obtainable. It remains a farmable drop from Al’Akir in Throne of the Four Winds. It is not a retired promotion mount, and it has not been moved into the Trading Post or removed from the game.

That matters a lot for collectors. Older raid mounts stay desirable because they remain available, but the acquisition window is still naturally limited by weekly resets. You can work on it steadily without worrying about missing a one-time event or seasonal window.

Is It Worth Farming?

For most mount collectors, yes, it is worth farming. The model still looks good, the source is easy to revisit, and the mount carries the right balance of accessibility and rarity. It is not an ultra-exclusive prestige piece, but it is far from a throwaway collection item.

The biggest reason to farm it is visual quality. Some older raid mounts feel dated or overly generic, but this one still stands out when summoned. If you like dragon mounts, elemental-themed mounts, or anything that fits a clean blue-white visual palette, this is a strong pickup.

The effort level is moderate. It is not mechanically difficult, but it can be time-consuming if luck is poor. That is normal for raid mount farming, and it is part of what gives these mounts collector value in the first place.

Collector verdict: worth farming for anyone who likes raid mount chasing, dragon collections, or older expansion prestige pieces.

Rarity and Prestige

Exact drop rates have not been officially confirmed, so any rarity discussion should be treated as practical collector experience rather than hard data. Community estimates suggest the mount sits in the typical rare raid-drop category, which means you should expect a real farm rather than a quick guaranteed acquisition.

Its prestige comes less from being the rarest mount in the game and more from being a recognizable old raid drake. Players who understand mount collections will immediately know it came from Cataclysm content, and that gives it a little extra weight compared with easy vendor mounts or temporary event rewards.

The model also helps preserve its appeal. A rare mount only stays interesting if people still want to use it, and this one does well because it has a clean appearance that ages nicely.

Collector Notes

Drake of the South Wind fits neatly into a dragon mount collection because it shares a visual language with several other legacy raid drakes, but it still has its own look. It is not just another reskin you toss aside. For players who care about variety, that matters.

It also sits in the sweet spot between “easy enough to farm casually” and “rare enough to feel good when it drops.” That balance is why raid mounts from older expansions remain a core part of many collectors’ weekly routes. You can make visible progress without needing a group, a reputation track, or a limited event cycle.

Similar Mounts

If you are farming Drake of the South Wind, these related mounts are worth keeping on your radar:

• Drake of the North Wind: Another Cataclysm-style drake with a similar elemental feel. Good for players building a wind-and-storm-themed collection.
• Mount from Al’Akir’s raid tier companions: If you enjoy this raid’s aesthetic, other Cataclysm elemental and draconic rewards pair well with it.
• Life-Binder’s Handmaiden: A more prestigious dragon-style mount from older raid content, appealing to collectors who like large drake silhouettes.
• Experiment 12-B: Another Cataclysm raid drop with strong collector value, especially if you are working through old raid mount farms.
• Smoldering Ember Wyrm: Not visually similar, but a strong legacy dragon target for players who enjoy older-content mount grinds.

These are not perfect lookalikes, but they fit the same collector mindset. If you are already farming old raids for one drake, it makes sense to build a route around other rare legacy mounts in the same general category.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Drake of the South Wind still drop in 2026?

Yes. It remains obtainable from Al’Akir in Throne of the Four Winds.

What type of mount is it?

It is a raid drop mount from Cataclysm content, specifically an old raid boss reward.

Is the drop rate officially confirmed?

No official drop rate has been published. Community estimates suggest it is a rare drop in the usual old raid mount range.

Can I solo farm it?

Yes, most max-level characters can solo the raid comfortably, which makes it a good legacy farm.

How often can I try for it?

Typically once per weekly lockout per character, so alts are the best way to increase your total attempts.

Is it account-wide once learned?

Yes. Like other mounts, once you obtain it, it becomes available across your account for eligible characters.

Is this mount considered rare?

Yes, but in the context of old raid mounts rather than ultra-limited promotional rewards. It is rare enough to be valued, but still farmable.

Is it worth farming compared with other Cataclysm mounts?

Yes, especially if you like dragon mounts. It is one of the more appealing legacy raid drops from that expansion.

Final Thoughts

Drake of the South Wind remains a solid collector target because it combines an attractive model with a straightforward legacy raid farm. It is still obtainable, it still has raid-drop prestige, and it still feels worthwhile years after Cataclysm.

If you are building a dragon collection or working through older raid mounts on weekly reset, this one belongs on the list. It is exactly the kind of mount that rewards patience without demanding a complicated grind, which is why collectors keep coming back to it.