This one has been in the game files for a while -- the screenshot above has been with
MMO Champion since November of last year -- but the latest PTR Build reveals that the
Arena Season 5 reward mount is a
Frost Wyrm. Just as the otherworldly Armored Nether Drakes were representative of Outlands, the Deadly Gladiator's Frost Wyrm is the perfect symbol of Northrend. As with past seasons, the mount is expected to be a 310% speed flyer awarded to the upper 0.5% of Arena participants in each of the three brackets.
With Arena Season 5
expected to close soon, perhaps as early as the release of
Ulduar, players now have a small window in which to earn that
Gladiator title and what might arguably be the coolest-looking mount in the game. In mount-related news, the Coralshell Turtle was renamed to Sea Turtle, whose tooltip reveals it as the first aquatic mount in the game:
"This mount can't move very quickly on land, but she's a great swimmer." Better
practice that fishing...
Tags: Arena, Deadly-Gladiator, Deadly-Gladiators-Frost-Wyrm, Frost-Wyrm, Mounts, patch-3.1, patch31, ptr, ptr-3.1, ptr-patch-3.1, public-test-realm, wow-patch-3.1, wow-ptr
Filed under: Patches, Mounts, Arena
Mar 18th 2009 at 11:30PM 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Vassal Mar 18th 2009 11:35PM
Oh crap. The game's PvE content distracted me from the Season 5 PvP. Time to get a mount.
Lemons Mar 19th 2009 4:12AM
If you want that mount, hopefully ur a dk or pally -.-
Alex Mar 18th 2009 11:35PM
That mount is hot. I need to learn to PvP.
Preston Mar 19th 2009 2:43PM
Just level a paladin or death knight, and you're good to go.
volde Mar 18th 2009 11:39PM
ugh that's freaking hot.
Rhyce Mar 18th 2009 11:42PM
Hopefully this mount inspires more people to arena. Because of easy-mode raids, the number of teams participating in arenas this season is a lot less than previous seasons - making this mount and the Gladiator title even harder to get (Gladiator cutoff for 2v2 in my BG according to AJ is 75 at the moment - even less for 3v3 and 5v5).
Jane Gray Mar 19th 2009 10:00AM
I disagree that the pve scene has anything to do with arenas being less popular. Its that pvp is so terribly terribly broken, burst damage is out of control, and if you dont play a paladin, dk, rogue, or mage, you should just go home.
bundee Mar 19th 2009 12:20PM
@Jane Gray
You didn't arena against MS warriors and SL/SL warlocks in TBC, did you?
Zuldim Mar 18th 2009 11:56PM
WTB PVE version.
ShadzKing Mar 19th 2009 12:03AM
I know right?
I'm been dieing for a Frost Wyrm mount and I do like the fact that its extremely rare...well sort of...
I'm not much of a fan of Arena since locks are basically the worst class to play in PvP right now so...I'll be expecting DKs, rogues, and mages to having this >___
Hokuto Mar 19th 2009 12:12AM
Just a matter of time, imo.
MechaKingGhidra Mar 19th 2009 12:14AM
Indeed
While I fully respect that things of the "free" nature (also, the 310% speed certainly helps a great deal, some may say even outweighs any cost that a PvE version would incur) are only going to go to those who put in massive effort to become and continue being skilled in a very specific section of the game, I would nevertheless appreciate it greatly if Blizzard decided to *eventually* implement this sort of mount as a purchased item.
The frost wyrm being my all-time favourite unit in Warcraft III (despite the obvious weaknesses one would run into if you tried to mass-produce them and got distracted by doing so), once I joined the WoW community I hoped some day I could actually get it as a mount.
Yes, in all likelyhood, if it does make it past Arena-exclusive availability, it will be as a ludicrously rare drop from a specific raid boss to help preserve the unique factor it would bring, it doesn't hurt to have a little bit of false hope, does it? =P
((P.S. Even some very minor technicality would be nice, like how even though I have had Nightmare from the Attumen encounter for a good long while, I don't stand out from from all the Hallow's Eve get-go'ers except for some fangs you have to zoom in to see. So, in essence, some mass event to make it a *seemingly* merciless grind, but actually possible for those of us who don't want to bicker and squabble amongst ourselves would prove to be a suitable compromise.))
kabshiel Mar 19th 2009 12:59AM
I'm 99% sure that a Frostwyrm mount will drop in Icecrown somewhere.
John Mar 19th 2009 1:10AM
"I'm not much of a fan of Arena since locks are basically the worst class to play in PvP right now so...I'll be expecting DKs, rogues, and mages to having this >___"
Are you kidding me? Now I know who is bad at pvp.
Max Mar 19th 2009 2:46AM
the way pve is right now? good joke. Everyone and their brother would have a frost wyrm, because everyone and their little 4 year old sister can clear all of the content out right now.
Tryx Mar 19th 2009 4:42AM
@ShadzKing
Considering the fact that 8 out of 10 (that's right, a whopping 80%) of the US top 10 teams on the Arena Tournament realms contain locks, while there are a scant ZERO rogues and ONE lone mage in that group, I'd say your information about locks being the worst class to play in PVP is pretty damn wrong. And there is not a single warrior to be found in the top one HUNDRED teams. QQ more about locks, will you.
Gandeh Mar 20th 2009 6:44AM
@ShadzKing
Check-up on Ajs 2v2 ladder (updated regularly) before you speak and make yourself look A: Stupid and B:the worst pvper going :D - Enjoy lookin the fool ;)
http://www.arenajunkies.com/rankings/2v2/
Warlock at position:-
4,10,11,17,22,26,34,45,47,48,55,62,66,72,78,85,97
Rogues at position:-
68,78,92
Mages at position:-
62
TJ Mar 19th 2009 7:42AM
I'm willing to bet they won't give a PvE version. They never budged on Armored Netherdrakes, why would they change now?
damon Mar 19th 2009 8:52AM
We never got armored netherdrakes because they where just enhanced versions of regular netherdrakes, which we could in fact get. If these are the ONLY frost wyrms to ever be given out, only to the psychotically hardcore arena freaks, well that would be a damn shame. Skeletal dragons on principle are unbelievably badass and they're a pretty big part of both wrath of the lich king's style and warcraft as a whole. Hopefully there will be variants available to others, like red-tinged blood wyrms or pure blue ice wyrms. Or something. I dunno.
Actually, my bro bought the collector's edition on the off-chance that it would let him ride a frost wyrm, even though i repeatedly said it wouldn't. He hasn't played in a long time actually...
Kendras Mar 19th 2009 11:56AM
Imo, we'll be seeing this as a mount off The Lich King probably, or another boss in Icecrown Citadel. It'd make sense, probably off Sindragosa now I think about it.