Epic riding in WoW Forever costs 1,000 gold, while apprentice riding costs 100 gold at level 40 and includes your first mount. Preparing for both means treating the level 40 purchase as your first savings target, then rebuilding for epic training. You can also browse WoW Forever Gold as an optional paid purchase while deciding how to fund those costs.
1 How much should you save before epic riding
Your riding budget covers two purchases: 100 gold for apprentice training and another 1,000 gold for epic training. That makes 1,100 gold across both stages, before profession training, bags, or other expenses. The distinction matters because paying for your first mount doesn't reduce the stated epic riding price.
You don't need to fund both purchases before level 40. Aim to cover apprentice riding first, since getting mounted improves travel between quests and gathering locations. Holding back that purchase while saving for epic training leaves you doing more of your earning on foot.
◆ Your first mount is included with apprentice training, so a separate racial mount purchase isn't part of the initial 100 gold target.
◆ Riding training is paid per character, so funding an alt's apprentice riding takes another 100 gold away from your main's epic savings.
Keep optional mounts outside this budget. They offer another spending choice, but they don't help you meet the 1,000 gold training cost.
2 Which spending decisions protect your riding fund
Skipping short-lived gear purchases protects your savings, but spending nothing isn't always the useful choice. Quest rewards can replace purchased upgrades, while larger bags let you carry more gathered materials before returning to sell. Judge an expense by what it helps you earn or accomplish before your next riding purchase.
A gear upgrade you'll soon replace has a different role from extra carrying space you use throughout leveling. Bags can support your income, but they still reduce your available gold immediately. Keep their cost visible alongside your profession training expenses so you don't mistake your entire balance for mount money.
Crafting also creates a resource trade-off. Materials you use to raise a profession are materials you can't sell, and training adds another expense. Delaying crafting until apprentice riding is paid can make sense when your immediate goal is getting mounted, especially if gathering already supplies goods you can sell.
◆ Two gathering professions can supply saleable materials, but their training costs still belong in your pre-40 budget.
Sell unneeded quest items as you level instead of letting them occupy storage indefinitely. Those smaller sales won't replace gathering income, but they contribute toward the same target without requiring another purchase.
3 How should you earn the 1,000 gold
Gathering, dungeon drops, and auction house sales are the main earning routes to combine after your first riding purchase. Mining, Herbalism, and Skinning produce materials you can sell, and gathering along your quest route keeps earning tied to progress you're already making. Once mounted, shorter travel between locations gives that routine more room to work.
The early launch period can bring strong material demand as players level professions together, but demand alone doesn't guarantee that your listing will sell. Check current prices before posting. Repeated listings at unrealistic prices can consume deposits and reduce the money you're trying to save.
Dungeon runs provide another source of saleable drops. Crafting can also produce higher-value items, but a higher selling price isn't automatically a better return: compare it with the value of the materials consumed and any training expenses needed to make the item.
On PvP rulesets, interruptions can change the value of a gathering route. A route with useful materials may still be a poor fit for your available playtime if defending the area repeatedly stops you from collecting them. Choose an earning routine you can actually sustain, not just one that looks attractive before travel and interruptions.
4 What should you do after buying your first mount
Start tracking the epic fund immediately after paying for apprentice riding. A weekly target makes progress easier to judge, but it should reflect what you actually keep after expenses, not the total value of everything you collect.
1) Record your remaining gold after the 100 gold apprentice purchase so your epic savings have a clear starting point.
2) Continue gathering and selling while recording profession costs, bag purchases, and auction expenses against your earnings.
3) Review your progress each week and adjust optional spending when your retained gold falls short of your target.
Keep your next action tied to the shortfall you can see, with essential expenses accounted for before committing more gold. You can explore WoW Forever Gold for sale to review available purchasing options, then decide whether an optional purchase fits your budget.