Getting Started: What You Need to Know
The Order of the Cloud Serpent stands apart from other Pandarian factions. You won't find gear upgrades or Valor Point rewards here. Instead, this ancient Pandaren organization focuses entirely on cosmetic rewards and the exclusive art of cloud serpent mastery.
You'll find their main hub at the Arboretum on the eastern side of The Jade Forest. Most of your daily activities happen on Windward Isle, a small island northeast of the main hub. Think of the Arboretum as your home base for turning in quests and buying rewards, while Windward Isle becomes your daily farming ground.
Why Bother with Cloud Serpents?
The Order of the Cloud Serpent attracts specific types of players. If you're hunting for cloud serpent mounts and the exclusive Cloud Serpent Riding skill, this faction is mandatory. Jewelcrafters will want those Gem Panther mount recipes. Achievement hunters have several faction-specific goals to chase. And if you just love collecting cosmetic rewards and toys, you'll find plenty to enjoy.
The faction consists of ancient Pandaren who've spent generations breeding, raising, and taming cloud serpents for battle. Their knowledge stays locked away until you prove your dedication through reputation grinding.
The Reputation Climb
Standard faction progression rules apply here. You'll need 3,000 reputation to reach Friendly, another 6,000 for Honored, 12,000 more for Revered, and a final 21,000 push to Exalted. That's 42,000 total reputation points from Neutral to max rank.
Reputation Requirements
Fortunately, the initial quest chain gets you to Honored automatically, so you're already well into the grind before dailies even matter.
Finding Your Way Around
The Arboretum sits on the eastern coast of The Jade Forest, north of the Temple of the Jade Serpent. This hub houses your main NPCs and the faction quartermaster. Windward Isle becomes your second home, where daily quests and Onyx Egg farming take place.
Starting Your Journey
Elder Anli kicks things off with "Wild Things," worth 500 reputation. This launches a comprehensive quest chain that automatically pushes you to Honored status. You'll complete quests like "Order of the Cloud Serpent" (250 rep), "Beating the Odds" (1,000 rep), "Empty Nests" (1,000 rep), and "Egg Collection" (1,000 rep).
The chain continues with "Choosing the One" (500 rep), where you select your egg. Then comes the main progression: "The Rider's Journey" (500 rep), "It's A..." (250 rep), "They Grow Like Weeds" (250 rep), and three flight training quests worth 400, 600, and 1,200 reputation respectively. "Riding the Skies" caps off the sequence with 1,000 reputation.
Most initial quests cluster on the eastern side of Windward Isle, making completion efficient and straightforward.
The Big Egg Decision
Instructor Tong presents three egg choices after you complete the initial quests. Pick the Blue Serpent Egg for Reins of the Azure Cloud Serpent, Green for the Jade variant, or Yellow for the Golden version.
Don't stress too much about this choice. Once you hit Exalted, you can buy the other two mounts for 2,550 gold each. Your initial pick just saves you money on one of the three.
After selection, your egg hatches into an adorable hatchling companion. This little guy unlocks the daily quest system and becomes your constant companion throughout the reputation grind.
Daily Quest Breakdown
Your hatchling provides three daily quests once it hatches: "Catch!" (450 rep), "Sweet as Honey" (450 rep), and "Pooped" (450 rep). Simple names, solid reputation rewards.
Elder Anli offers additional dailies that rotate through a larger pool. You'll see quests like "The Big Brew-haha," "Sprite Fright," "The Shoe is on the Other Foot," and about twenty others. Each one gives 450 reputation, so consistency matters more than which specific quests you get.
At Revered reputation, Instructor Windblade unlocks racing content. You'll gain access to five trainer challenge quests (450 rep each) and "The Sky Race" worth 600 reputation. Racing adds variety to the daily grind and opens up achievement opportunities.
Secondary Profession Bonuses
Players with secondary professions at level 525 unlock bonus daily quests. Cooking gives "A Feast for the Senses," Fishing offers "Snack Time," First Aid provides "Just a Flesh Wound," and Archaeology adds "Fragments of the Past." Each quest awards 125 reputation.
Mastering Onyx Egg Farming
Onyx Eggs represent your fastest path to Exalted reputation. These small, stone-colored eggs blend into Windward Isle's terrain without any sparkle effects or visual highlighting. Each egg gives 500 reputation when turned in through the "Onyx to Goodness" repeatable quest.
No daily limits exist on egg turn-ins. You can farm and submit as many as you find. The catch? Other players want these eggs too, creating competition for spawns.
Here are all the known spawn coordinates on Windward Isle:
65.08, 26.20 | 66.64, 28.69 | 67.12, 24.94 | 65.18, 24.77 | 67.05, 33.81 | 66.61, 31.58 | 66.54, 32.20 | 63.09, 29.31 | 69.65, 31.64 | 70.53, 28.99 | 61.89, 30.20 | 66.18, 33.43 | 62.40, 32.36 | 65.63, 25.07 | 64.18, 23.92 | 63.39, 21.62 | 62.98, 21.95 | 62.37, 32.84 | 62.17, 31.75 | 62.19, 31.21 | 67.02, 32.68 | 62.46, 28.77 | 62.21, 29.29 | 62.00, 29.54 | 63.73, 21.90 | 62.30, 28.12 | 62.71, 29.78 | 66.43, 29.55 | 65.18, 24.77 | 65.24, 23.91 | 70.33, 28.63 | 67.06, 30.25The Grand Commendation Game Changer
At Revered reputation, San Redscale sells the "Grand Commendation of the Order of the Cloud Serpent" for 43 gold. This consumable provides a permanent 100% reputation bonus for all characters on your account.
Buy this immediately when you hit Revered. The doubled gains apply to daily quests and Onyx Eggs, cutting your remaining grind time in half. This represents the single most important purchase in your reputation journey.
Faction Rewards Breakdown
San Redscale handles all faction purchases at the Arboretum. Prices use gold currency exclusively.
Reputation Rewards by Rank
At Honored, you can buy Design: Jade Panther and Design: Sunstone Panther for 170-180 gold each. These Jewelcrafting recipes start your progression toward the ultimate Jeweled Onyx Panther mount.
Revered unlocks the crucial Grand Commendation for 43 gold, plus Cloud Ring (800-900 gold), various racing flags and finish lines (21-85 gold each), and two more panther designs: Ruby and Sapphire Panthers (160-170 gold each).
Exalted brings the big rewards. All three cloud serpent mounts cost 2,400-2,550 gold each. The Design: Jeweled Onyx Panther recipe runs 170-180 gold. You'll also find the faction tabard (8-180 gold) and Order of the Cloud Serpent Flight Log (2,550 gold).
Pricing varies slightly between sources, likely due to reputation discounts or server economies affecting vendor costs.
Achievement Hunting
Four achievements tie directly to this faction. "Order of the Cloud Serpent" simply requires Exalted status. "How To Strain Your Dragon" means finishing first in the Sky Race, which unlocks at Revered.
"In a Trail of Smoke" challenges you to complete the Sky Race while maintaining 10 stacks of the Fleet Winds buff. This requires careful buff management and racing skill.
"Shadow Hopper" tests your coordination. You must bounce a ball with your hatchling 25 times consecutively without dropping it. Patience and timing are everything here.
Jewelcrafting Strategy
The faction provides access to all Gem Panther mount recipes, building toward the Jeweled Onyx Panther. Smart Jewelcrafters plan their reputation progression around recipe availability.
Gem Panther Recipe Progression
You'll get Jade and Sunstone Panther designs at Honored, Ruby and Sapphire designs at Revered, then the ultimate Jeweled Onyx Panther recipe at Exalted. This final mount requires all four previous panthers as crafting materials, creating natural progression rather than a rush to max reputation.
Time Investment Reality Check
The introductory quest chain takes 2-3 hours and gets you to Honored automatically. Daily quest completion runs 15-30 minutes depending on which quests you receive. Onyx Egg farming time varies wildly based on competition and spawn luck.
Without Onyx Eggs, expect 1,350-1,800 reputation daily from standard quests, plus 500 more if you've maxed secondary professions. The Grand Commendation doubles these numbers at Revered.
Realistic timelines put you at 7-10 days from Honored to Revered with consistent daily completion. Revered to Exalted takes 12-15 days with the Grand Commendation active. Total investment runs 3-4 weeks for casual players, 2-3 weeks for dedicated farmers.
Strategy by Player Type
Casual players should focus on consistent daily quest completion rather than intensive egg farming. Steady progress prevents burnout while maintaining advancement.
Dedicated farmers benefit from aggressive Onyx Egg hunting to reach Revered quickly, then purchasing the Grand Commendation for doubled efficiency on continued farming.
Jewelcrafters want to start early since Gem Panther recipes offer significant gold-making opportunities throughout the expansion.
Achievement hunters need extra time at Revered to practice racing mechanics and hatchling mini-games before pushing to Exalted.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
- Level secondary professions to 525 first
- Save Onyx Eggs until Revered
- Buy Grand Commendation immediately
- Complete dailies consistently
- Choose your egg color carefully
- Starting before level 90
- Turning in eggs before Grand Commendation
- Skipping daily quests
- Ignoring secondary profession bonuses
- Rushing without a plan
Don't attempt reputation grinding before level 90. The game blocks all reputation gains below max level. Focus on hitting 90 first.
Level your secondary professions to 525 before serious grinding begins. The bonus daily reputation saves days of effort over the full progression.
Resist turning in Onyx Eggs before buying the Grand Commendation. Stockpiling eggs until Revered doubles their value and significantly reduces your time investment.
Choose your egg color carefully during the initial quest chain. This saves 2,550 gold on your preferred mount later.
Maintain consistent daily quest completion. Skipping days extends your grind significantly, especially before you have the Grand Commendation bonus.
The Order of the Cloud Serpent offers unique rewards and a different type of reputation experience. With proper planning and consistent effort, you'll be riding cloud serpents and crafting gem panthers before you know it.