The Wandering Ancient has finally arrived in World of WarcraftDuring its BlizzConline 2021 presentation, Blizzard revealed the results of a community poll that let players decide on the next big mount. It's since been revealed that the votes overwhelmingly pointed to the Wandering Ancient—a giant living tree that serves as nature's protector. And it's free to anyone that has the Shadowlands expansion active on their account.

The poll, aimed at increasing player agency in World of Warcraft, also offered the community options like a cat made of ooze, a massive sentient spellbook, a frozen spider from Northrend, and an enormous caterpillar. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the vote ended in a landslide victory for the Wandering Ancient, a familiar character that had been seen in the game since its inception. With the approval of the community, Blizzard set to work crafting this unique mount.

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To guarantee a level of authenticity, Blizzard referenced back at the Ancients already featured in the game and World of Warcraft lore. So it went in, drawing inspiration from decades-old animation, and crafted a mount that they felt was a worthy blend of nostalgia and innovation. As an added twist, the Wandering Ancient's color scheme changes with the seasons. In winter, players can expect their mount to sport frozen branches and a chilly white palette. In the fall, the Wandering Ancient will fade into a sunburst of amber-colored leaves.

In terms of sheer size, the Wandering Ancient will be among one the largest mounts in World of Warcraft. So Blizzard brought in a talented team to rig its motion as well as voice actor Glenn Stafford to bring life to the mount. Since the Wandering Ancient is colossal and, well, ancient, Blizzard wanted it to be the perfect mount for stomping around on. Its movement was purposely designed to appear cumbersome. Oh, and as a consolation prize to the Curious Caterpillar mount that came up short in the polls, a small grub has been included riding atop the Wandering Ancient.

The Wandering Ancient is just one of the first of many in a wave of upcoming releases. Whether players voted for the Wandering Ancient or not, they will inevitably find a suitable option. The Chains of Domination update in World of Warcraft will see the introduction of a whole host of new flying mounts specific to each covenant. These will include the Flying Centurion for Kyrian, Wolf Serpent for Night Fae, Giant Corpsefly for Necrolords, and Stoneborn Brutes for the Venthyr. With no shortage of upcoming content, players will have a surplus of stylish mounts to ride into battle on.

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available on PC.

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