Choose World of Warcraft: Shadowland's next mount

(Image credit: Blizzard)

World of Warcraft's next mount will be picked by the community. With Shadowlands on its way, players will soon be able to descend upon the afterlife and add a bunch of mounts to their menageries, and the latest addition will be selected by a vote. 

Blizzard has already got the ball rolling by coming up with a quintet of concepts for you to pick from, from a big tree to a big book, though the dearth of even a quick doodle means you'll have to use your imagination. Disgusting. 

Here's the list, along with Blizzard's descriptions:

  • Wandering Ancient – Not all ancients are interested in war or lore, some just want to travel the world! A large and leafy mount, the Wandering Ancient invites you to climb aboard and grab ahold of its branches as you embark on a lumbering expedition.
  • Soaring Spelltome – In the forgotten depths of the Dalaran library, this oversized tome was found flapping madly around the room. Open the pages of this arcane-infused book and hitch a ride to magical adventure.
  • Nerubian Swarmer – When the Helm of Domination shattered, the Nerubians under the control of the Lich King were unleashed. Some were captured by the Argent Crusade and turned by their allies in the Ebon Blade. Now their spidery claws are put to use as mounts, skittering through the frozen tundra of Icecrown in pursuit of the rampaging undead.
  • Curious Caterpillar – A curious caterpillar found its way to the Heartland in Valley of the Four Winds one night and gorged itself on the oversized vegetables. The Pandaren of Halfhill awoke the next morning to find the crops half-eaten and an enormous, slumbering caterpillar among them. Too large to become a butterfly, this friendly worm is just the right size to train as a mount.
  • Gooey Slimesaber – From the slime pools of Plaguefall emerged all manner of jellied creature, including this sticky kitty. A slimy saber cat that’s dripping with ooze, it’s the kind of mount that you’re going to want to wear gloves for.

It's a tough one! You're never going to see me voting for spiders, unless it's voting to hurl them all into the sun, but the rest are all pretty appealing. The caterpillar's extremely compelling backstory does put it slightly ahead of the others, though. I similarly prefer to stuff my face instead of becoming a beautiful butterfly. 

You can vote for your fave over on the EU forums and US forums until 9 pm BST/3 pm PDT on September 18. The winning mount will then be given to every Shadowlands player early next year. 

Last month, Blizzard also announced the Shadowlands release date. You'll be able to head to the afterlife on October 27. 

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.