Crimson Desert boasts so many mounts that it’s time to open a whole new bestiary. Horses, wolves, bears, exotic beasts like the ibex, and even walking mechanical armor—the developers at Pearl Abyss clearly didn’t want to limit players to a simple stable. Some mounts are temporary, while others are permanent. However, the most impressive specimens will take hours to obtain.
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Horses in Crimson Desert and How to Get Them
The classic horse is still available. You’ll get a regular horse right after the prologue—and in most situations, it’s truly the best choice. Plains, fields, long treks between regions: if you need to cover a long distance without unnecessary adventures, mount a horse and gallop. Comfortable, predictable, fast.
Legendary Horses and Their Hidden Abilities
Different horses have different stats, and the more you use a mount, the more skills it unlocks. There are also Legendary horses, which have higher base stats and ultimately more skills. To see the locations of all the legendary animals on the map, you’ll first need to complete the Legendary Wolf quest. Without it, the locations will remain hidden.
War Bears as Mounts
Upon reaching Pailun, you’ll almost immediately encounter wild bears and Black Bear riders. If you weaken one of these beasts sufficiently in battle, you can mount it. The temporary mount will obey your commands and attack enemies while you’re still in the saddle. Dismount, and the friendship ends.
How to Get a Permanent Polar Bear
A permanent bear mount is awarded for defeating a Polar Bear. Kill the beast, skin it, and receive a special item. Take it to any Witch in Pailun, and she’ll transform the trophy into a Seal of Solidarity. Activate the seal in your inventory, and the legendary Polar Bear is yours forever. It has a huge amount of health, and what’s especially nice is that it continues to crush enemies even when you dismount.
Legendary Mounts of the Crimson Desert and Where to Find Them
Snow Ibex: Boss Fight and Reward
Another legendary mount, but with a different method of obtaining it. You won’t have to skin anyone—instead, you’ll need to defeat a boss in the western part of Pailun. This is an archer riding a Snow Ibex, and the fight can be challenging: he’s assisted by other hunters and mounted archers. Be prepared. Essentially, the Ibex is the same horse, just a different model. It behaves similarly, but lacks the unique skills that make legendary steeds so valuable.
Rock Warthog for Aggressive Combat
This beast is also obtained through a boss fight. Look for it in the jungle between Delesia and the Crimson Desert—the reference point is a location far east of Hernand. Warthogs have low stamina, making them unsuitable for marathon runs. However, if your goal is to charge into the thick of a fight with style, you won’t find a better steed.
Silverfang the Wolf and the Howling Chasm quest
You receive a permanent wolf named Silverfang after the Legendary Wolf quest—without it, as a reminder, the locations of all the legendary beasts on the map will remain hidden. Once the quest is completed, the path leads to the Howling Chasm cave. It’s located south of the Ancient Rift in Hernanda. A silvery predator lives inside—track it down, defeat it, and claim the trophy. Then it’s the standard procedure: visit the Witch, craft the Seal of Solidarity, and activate it in your inventory. After that, Silverfang is yours forever. And yes, it fights by your side when summoned—just like the legendary Polar Bear.
Temporary Mounts You Can Ride
Besides permanent companions, Crimson Desert is full of animals you can mount right now, but they don’t grant you ownership. The list is impressive:
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Lions
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Elephants
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Giant Stone Lizards
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Kuku Birds
Lizards are used by the Goldscale Bandits in the Crimson Desert, and Kuku Birds are used to pierce the Blinding Arrows in Demeniss. Elephants can be found in the Demeniss Menagerie, a location south of the city. Fun fact: all of these guys can be ridden temporarily until you dismount them or lose them in battle.
Best Mounts in Crimson Desert and Why You Should Level Them
In Crimson Desert, mounts aren’t just decorations, but a fully-fledged part of your build. Horses, bears, wolves, warthogs, and even a dragon fulfill various purposes: from a long farming route to an aggressive PvP encounter. We’ll explore which mount to choose for a specific scenario, how to level them, and where to find hidden legendary mounts.
Secret Mounts and Their Spawn Conditions
Some of the most interesting mounts in Crimson Desert aren’t tied to a stable or a regular spawn, but to conditions that easily pass by. One mount will only unlock after completing a specific quest, another will drop from a boss, and a third will appear in a specific zone when an event triggers. Miss the chain, miss the mount. Among such finds in 2026, the most notable are the legendary horse, silver wolf, polar bear, ibex, and rock fang warthog. There are also temporary exotic beasts, including horned beasts, which are available for a limited time. These mounts are the most frequently discussed in guides, as they provide not just transportation but a real combat advantage. The advice is simple: close the storylines and return to old regions later. You’re almost sure to find something you missed the first time.
Which Mount to Choose for Farming and PvP
Focusing on a mount’s rarity is a mistake. It’s far more important to understand what content it’s designed for.
Mounts Guide: Best Selection
The Black Star Dragon, by the way, isn’t strong solely on damage. It combines flight, fire breath, and mobility, meaning it can close the gap, pressure, and finish off enemies in a single summon. However, a Snow Ibex or a regular horse are more of a transport option in combat with a small bonus. Their value is revealed outside of combat.
If you need a mount for farming, consider its stamina and performance on long routes. For combat, other factors are more important: HP, range control, and the ability to attack after dismounting. This is why legendary beasts are valued not as trophies, but as practical tools for various types of content in Crimson Desert.
Mount Leveling and Mount Development System
The development system is tied to active use. Horses can be fed, petted, and simply ridden around the open world. This helps them unlock skills faster, including speed boost, dash, double jump, and passive abilities. For some animals, taming through the Beast Taming skill is key, while mechs and story-based mounts progress through quests and blueprints rather than traditional training.
Things to keep in mind:
Appropriate food speeds up leveling if the game allows feeding a specific mount type. Regularly using a mount increases its level and unlocks new skills faster than infrequent rides. Before taming, check whether the beast is immediately available or requires Beast Taming first. Don’t confuse permanent mounts with temporary ones: the latter have no ownership rights, and investing in them is pointless. For mechanical and story-driven options, look for quest chains, not stables.
Black Star Dragon and how to remove the summoning cooldown
In the final chapter of the main story, the ability to summon Black Star is unlocked. This is a dragon, and it seems to be connected to the mysterious defenders of the Abyss. It runs, flies, and spits fire—the perfect fighting machine. One problem: the summoning cooldown is 50 minutes. Tolerable, but inconvenient. Narima’s Horned Horn fixes the situation—it completely removes the cooldown. With it, Black Star becomes your personal apocalypse on a permanent basis.
Mechanical and Special Vehicles
Cloud Carriage and How to Build Your Own
Essentially a hot air balloon, it’s one of the first mechanical vehicles the player encounters. You can ride one after completing the House of Grace faction storyline in Hernand. If you study the blueprint, you can build your own carriage. While it’s certainly not as fast or epic as the Black Star, access to it becomes available much earlier. Furthermore, the Cloud Carriage can be upgraded by completing a quest for the Chief Scientist NPC at the Scholastone Institute.
Most horse-drawn carriages scattered throughout the world are controllable. They’re not much different from regular horses, but there’s a catch: they can be sold profitably to Black Market merchants. There are several ways to acquire transport: steal it from merchants on the road, steal it parked on the side of the road, or liberate one seized by the Bandit Gang. After upgrading the Gray-Mane camp a few times, a side quest will unlock that will grant access to your own wagon. Its primary purpose is to sell packaged goods at local trading posts.
ATAG Mech and Iron Flame Quests
The ATAG is a walking ‘Mech, chock-full of weapons. Missile launchers, machine guns, and electric field generators. With such an arsenal, any ordinary enemy will turn to dust in seconds. ATAG suits can be found in special hangars in Gorthak, and you’ll receive your own ‘Mech after completing a series of quests for the Iron Flame orcs. Once the quest chain is complete, summon the ATAG at will and wreak havoc across Pailun.
Crimson Desert Trains
Technically, the trains running through the Crimson Desert and Delesia aren’t considered mounts. But it’s entirely possible to ride them. From time to time, you’ll spot a train on the tracks crossing these regions, and you can hop on one—just for the fun of it.
Boats and Water Travel
Rowboats are scattered throughout Pailun in considerable numbers. They’re convenient for crossing wide waterways, but there’s a catch: none of them can be claimed. If you need to travel over water, there’s only one option: a flying mount. Alternatively, use the Palmara Strike skill to triple your jump and glide over the surface. This is also an option, albeit not the most elegant.
