Warclaw: it used to cost 8 gold, now it is free

The Warclaw is a case of the game being simplified while its reputation stayed put. Guides still circulate telling you to bank 8 gold and grind a reward track. Skip all that. It is free now, and it takes minutes.

Route one: WvW

Requires Path of Fire.

1. Enter any World versus World map.
2. Spend one World Ability Point on the Warclaw Mastery line.

Done. The mount is yours and works in WvW immediately.

World Ability Points come from WvW ranks, and the first arrives almost at once: spend a little time on the map and take part in something.

If you have never set foot in WvW: it is a running war between three worlds across large maps. Any gear works, any level works, your character is scaled up to 80 automatically.

Route two: Janthir Wilds

If you own Janthir Wilds, the mount arrives through the story and works in PvE.

Play the chapter “Unknown Territory”. It includes an objective to feed the warclaw Barbed Vale’s concoction so it learns to trust you. That unlocks the mount, its mastery track and the Janthir Wilds Warclaw skin.

Using it in WvW still wants Path of Fire and that same single World Ability Point.

How it used to work

For context, since the old guides are still in the search results. You once had to:

• spend a World Ability Point to open the Warclaw Companion collection
• complete an entire Warclaw Reward Track
• buy the mount from Elvie the Warclaw Tender for 8 gold

That was hours in WvW for players who never go there. One step of that chain survives.

Is it worth having

In WvW, without question. Distances are long and infantry is slow.

In PvE it loses to the rest of the roster: no vertical jump like the Springer, no gliding over water like the Skimmer, no flight at all. But it is free, and spare speed never hurts.

The reason to take it now is that it costs minutes and lasts forever. There is nothing to gain by putting it off.

The other eight sit in the general table.