Overview
Bear mounts are one of the combat mount types available in Crimson Desert. Unlike horses, which prioritize speed and mobility, bears are built for raw offensive power and survivability. When riding a bear, the mount itself actively participates in combat with claw swipes, bite attacks, and body slams, effectively doubling your damage output during mounted combat encounters.
Bears trade speed for combat dominance. They are the slowest of the three combat mount types (bears, raptors, and direwolves), but they compensate with the highest combat and stamina ratings. A bear mount transforms Kliff into a heavy assault platform that can absorb significant punishment while dealing devastating close-range damage.
How to Tame a Bear
Bears can be obtained through two methods:
Wilderness Taming
Wild bears can be tamed through encounters in forested and mountainous regions. The taming process works similarly to horse taming:
Locate a wild bear in the overworld. They spawn in forested areas, caves, and mountain regions depending on the variant.
Approach the bear and initiate the taming minigame by pressing the interact button.
During the minigame, move your left stick (controller) or press the direction keys (keyboard) in the opposite direction the bear is facing.
Continue until the taming bar fills completely. If you fail, the bear will attack you.
Beat into Submission
An alternative method involves attacking a wild bear until it stops moving. Once subdued, a prompt to ride the bear appears. This method provides a temporary mount rather than a permanent tame. Bears obtained this way will eventually buck you off after a period of time.
Bear Mount Variants
Four bear variants exist across the regions of Pywel:
Mount | Speed | Combat | Ability | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 | 80 | 75 | Intimidation roar that terrifies nearby enemies for 3 seconds | Capture from Black Bear faction stronghold | |
Crimson Grizzly | 45 | 75 | 65 | Ground slam attack that staggers enemies in a frontal cone | Wild taming in Crimson Desert Oasis |
40 | 90 | 85 | Massive HP pool; absorbs damage to shield the rider | Defeat and tame in Ironhide Den, Hernand | |
45 | 85 | 80 | Claw slashes and bite attacks while mounted; provides frost resistance aura |
The Ironhide Cave Bear has the highest combat rating (90) among all bear variants, making it the top choice for players who want maximum damage. The Pailune Snow Bear is notable for its frost resistance aura, which is extremely useful when exploring the cold Pailune region.
Combat Abilities
Bears function as independent combat partners that attack alongside their rider. The bear's attacks activate automatically during combat, though riders can also trigger specific abilities:
Attack | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
Claw Swipe | Melee | Wide horizontal attack that hits multiple enemies in front of the bear |
Bite Attack | Melee | Single-target high-damage attack that can stagger opponents |
AoE | Rearing up and slamming down, dealing area damage and knocking back nearby enemies | |
Rising Bite | Melee | Upward lunging bite that launches smaller enemies into the air |
Powerful forward rush that tramples enemies in the bear's path | ||
Intimidation Roar | Debuff | Black Bear War Mount exclusive; terrifies enemies for 3 seconds (crowd control) |
Bear attacks deal additional damage when the rider applies elemental infusions to their weapon. All three combat mount types (bears, raptors, and direwolves) become substantially more powerful when combined with elemental effects.
Bear vs. Other Combat Mounts
Attribute | Raptor | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Speed | Low (40-50) | High (75-90) | Medium (60-70) |
Combat | Very High (75-90) | Low-Medium (35-45) | Medium-High (55-65) |
High (65-85) | Medium (55-70) | Medium (60-75) | |
Role | Heavy assault; tank | Hit-and-run; scout | Balanced fighter |
Best For | Sustained melee brawls | Desert traversal and skirmishing | General combat |
Where to Find Bears
Brown bears can be found roaming various wilderness areas throughout Pywel. The most reliable locations include:
Hernand Highlands: Several brown bears roam the highland areas north of Hernand. This is one of the earliest areas where you can encounter bears, often near dense tree lines and cliff edges.
Pailune Region: Bears appear in forested and mountainous zones throughout Pailune. The dense woods between settlements are prime bear territory.
River Areas: Bears frequently spawn near rivers and streams across multiple regions. Check riverbanks and forest clearings.
Dense Woodland Zones: Any forested area in the open world has a chance to contain bears. They spawn most commonly in areas with thick tree cover and rocky terrain.
How to Mount a Bear
Mounting a bear requires a different approach than horse taming. There is no taming minigame; instead, you must defeat the bear in combat first.
Step 1: Find a bear in the wilderness and engage it in combat.
Step 2: Damage the bear until it becomes exhausted and stops moving. You need to deplete a significant portion of its health bar.
Step 3: When the bear is incapacitated, quickly approach it and press the ride button prompt that appears on screen.
Step 4: You now control the bear as a mount. The bear is immediately rideable with no additional minigame.
The window for mounting the bear after it collapses is short. If you take too long, the bear may recover and resume attacking you. Sprint toward it immediately once it drops.
Important Limitations
There are several critical limitations to keep in mind:
Temporary Only: Bears are temporary mounts. You cannot register them at stables or summon them later. Once you dismount, the bear is no longer your mount.
Hostile After Dismount: When you dismount a bear, it immediately turns hostile toward you. Move away quickly or draw your weapon to defend yourself.
No Stabling: There are no known stables or facilities that accept bears. This means you cannot keep a bear as a permanent companion.
Dismount on Damage: Taking enough damage from enemy attacks while riding a bear can knock you off, ending the mount session and making the bear aggressive toward you.
Low Speed: Bears move significantly slower than horses. They are combat mounts, not travel mounts.
All Temporary Mount Types
Bears are one of several temporary mounts available in Crimson Desert. Here is a comparison of all temporary mount types:
Mount | Location | How to Obtain | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
Forests, highlands, rivers | Damage until exhausted, then ride | Powerful claw swipe AoE attacks | |
Steel Mountains (east of Spire of Insight) | Defeat Blinding Arrow soldier rider | Gliding from heights | |
Demeniss (Laughing Marionette circus) | Steal from circus performers | Combat mount with bite attacks | |
Livestock farms across Pywel | Mount at farms (no combat needed) | Slow, mainly comedic | |
Story reward (end of Chapter 11) | Automatic during main quest | Flying mount |
Bear vs. Horse Comparison
Feature | Horse Mount | |
|---|---|---|
Permanence | Temporary only | Permanent (registered at stables) |
Combat Power | High (claw swipes, AoE) | Low to moderate (rear kick, Back Kick) |
Speed | Slow | Fast (especially Brianto and legendaries) |
After Dismount | Turns hostile | Stays nearby |
Summoning | Cannot summon | Can summon anytime from stables |
None | Horseshoes, saddles, stirrups, caparisons |
Tips
Use bears as situational combat tools rather than primary transportation. Ride them into a fight, deal damage, then move on to your horse.
If you need to dismount, make sure you are ready to sprint away or have your weapon drawn. The bear turns hostile instantly.
Bears work well for clearing groups of weaker enemies at blockaded areas but may struggle against bosses that have dismount mechanics.
You can find bears near rivers and forested areas throughout most regions of the game. Check the Hernand Highlands for the earliest encounters.
Before engaging a bear you want to ride, clear nearby enemies first. Fighting both the bear and enemies at the same time makes the encounter harder than necessary.
Bears cannot jump obstacles or swim effectively. Stick to flat, open terrain while mounted on a bear.
Related Articles
Bear as Animal Companion
The permanent Polar Bear legendary mount does not just serve as a ride. When you dismount, the bear stays with you and actively fights alongside you as an animal companion. It will engage any nearby hostile creatures or enemies on its own, functioning as a second combatant during encounters.
The bear's companion damage is extremely high. Even in late-game areas where enemies have significantly more health, the Polar Bear continues to deal what can only be described as ridiculous damage, making it one of the strongest combat assets in the game regardless of zone. This passive fighting behavior is unique among the legendary mounts; the Silver Fang wolf also fights while dismounted, but the bear's raw damage output exceeds it.
While fighting as a companion, the bear can also use a roar ability that stuns nearby enemies. This crowd control effect hits multiple targets in a radius around the bear, temporarily incapacitating them and creating openings for you to land free hits or heal. The combination of high damage, area stuns, and independent targeting makes the bear companion extremely effective for clearing camps and handling group encounters.
Brown Bears and Black Bears
In addition to the permanent Polar Bear mount, wild brown bears and black bears found throughout the map can be ridden as temporary mounts. You need to stagger them first by dealing damage until they collapse, then stow your weapon and press the mount prompt that appears.
Members of the Black Bear faction ride bears that have saddles fitted to them, implying that the game's lore supports bears as trained, long-term mounts. If you knock a Black Bear faction rider off their mount, you can steal the saddled bear and ride it yourself.
All bear mount variants, including the wild brown and black bears, share the same attack moveset as the legendary Polar Bear. They have two attack options: a regular claw swipe and a double claw swipe on the turning slash input. The only difference is that wild bears are temporary; you cannot register them at a stable or summon them later. The existence of multiple bear color variants has led players to hope that all bear types will eventually become available as permanent mounts, giving riders the option to choose their preferred color while retaining the full bear combat functionality.