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Overview

The dragon mount is a rideable flying creature in Crimson Desert that becomes available as players progress through the main story. It is one of six confirmed mount types in the game, sitting at the top of the mount progression alongside the Battle Robot. The dragon grants aerial flight across the open world of Pywel, fire-breathing attacks against ground targets, and acrobatic aerial maneuvers. Like the Battle Robot, the dragon is usable for a limited period rather than being a permanent mount like the horse.

Availability

Players start the game with horses as their primary mount. As they progress through the campaign, additional mount types become available, including bears, wolves, raptors, the dragon, and eventually the Battle Robot. The dragon is unlocked through story progression later in the game. Pearl Abyss marketing director Will Powers has noted that flying mounts are intentionally limited in availability because the world contains "tons of hidden corners" that would not be visible from the air, encouraging players to explore on foot or by ground mount.

The dragon provides genuine aerial flight across the open world, but it is "usable for a limited period," similar to the Battle Robot's fuel-based energy system. This means players cannot rely on the dragon as a permanent traversal solution. The exact nature of the limitation (whether it is a timer, cooldown, or fuel mechanic) has not been fully detailed.

Aerial Flight and Combat

The dragon is not simply a transport; it is a fully combat-capable mount with its own attack suite.

The dragon uses its fire breath and physical strength to capture fortresses and destroy enemies on the ground. Players will encounter sequences where they must dodge magical missiles while riding the dragon, creating dogfight-style gameplay in the skies. The dragon covers vast distances quickly, making it useful for both combat and rapid traversal when available.

Appearance

The dragon is described as a large, grey-colored winged beast with a traditional fantasy dragon silhouette. It is a living, organic creature, visually distinct from the mechanical Golden Star boss (a colossal clockwork dragon built by dwarven engineers). In one trailer scene, Kliff's organic dragon is shown chasing the mechanical Golden Star alongside the Battle Robot mech, creating a dramatic contrast between natural and engineered creatures.

Connection to Golden Star

The Golden Star is a colossal mechanical dragon boss that Kliff must defeat during the story. The boss fight unfolds across multiple phases.

In the first phase, Kliff fights Golden Star at an abandoned keep while it deploys fire tornadoes, explosive fireballs, and missile barrages. Players can use EMP bullets to bring the boss crashing down for melee strikes. In the second phase, Golden Star retreats into the air with Kliff hanging on. During this aerial chase, Kliff's own dragon appears and pursues the two from behind, attacking Golden Star from afar. This three-way aerial sequence is described as "more of a set piece than other boss fights" and represents one of the game's most cinematic encounters.

Mount Progression

The dragon sits within a broader mount progression system that unlocks different creature types as the player advances.

All mounts have their own attributes including movement speed, health points, and attacks that can be leveraged during combat. Mounts actively engage in combat alongside Kliff. Mounted combat allows Kliff to add his own weapon strikes while the mount performs its own attacks independently.

Trailer Appearances

Dragon riding has been shown across several official videos.

No hands-on demo at gaming events has included dragon riding. The Summer Game Fest 2025 and Gamescom 2025 sessions focused on the Calphade Rebellion questline and did not feature the dragon mount segment.