Revision 15

Overview

Horse taming is one of the core traversal and life skill activities in Crimson Desert. Wild horses roam across Pywel, and players can tame them through a hands-on minigame. Horses are integral to both traversal and combat, with their own stats, equipment slots, and customization options. The game features 29 different mounts in total (visible in the Knowledge System), with horses being the most common and earliest available.

Each horse has randomized stats, a trust level that unlocks new abilities as it increases, and four equipment slots that can be filled with gear from saddleries and contribution shops across the world. Horses can be healed, fed, customized with dyes, and even raced against other players. Whether you are crossing the open plains of Hernand or charging into a bandit camp on horseback, understanding how the horse system works will make your time in Pywel significantly more efficient and enjoyable.

Getting Your First Horse

Your first horse is obtained early in the main story at Deepfog Basin, a battlefield area in the Hernand region. This is a scripted story event during the Unknown Space quest, where Sebastian offers the wild capture. Kliff mounts the wild horse and must complete the taming minigame to gain control of it. After acquiring the horse, you can summon it at any time by pressing down on the D-pad (controller) or the assigned whistle key on PC. The horse will run to your location from wherever it is in the world.

From this point forward, horseback riding is your primary method of long-distance travel. The estimated map size is 80 to 110 square kilometers, and crossing it on horseback takes roughly two hours compared to six hours on foot. Pywel's open world is described as larger than the maps of both Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption 2, so a reliable horse is essential.

The starter horse is a Hespia breed, which serves as a general-purpose mount with balanced stats. As you explore more of Pywel, you will encounter other breeds and eventually the three legendary horses, all of which can be tamed to replace or supplement your starting mount.

Horse Stats

Each horse has eight stats that influence both traversal and combat performance. Wild horses come with randomized stat distributions, meaning players who invest time in taming can search for horses with ideal stat spreads. You can view a horse's stats at any stable or when inspecting a tamed mount in your inventory.

The Abyss Tree includes dedicated mount nodes that can improve your horse's stamina capacity and other attributes. Investing in these nodes is especially valuable if you rely heavily on mounted combat. Equipment from saddleries can also boost specific stats, so pairing skill tree investments with the right gear creates a noticeable difference in horse performance.

Horse Trust Levels

Every horse in Crimson Desert has a trust level that ranges from 1 to 5. As trust increases, the horse unlocks new movement and combat abilities. A freshly tamed horse starts at trust level 1 with only basic walking and galloping. Leveling trust requires consistent interaction: riding the horse regularly, petting it, and feeding it treats.

How to Increase Trust

Trust increases through three main actions, and doing a mixture of all three will level up your horse in a relatively short amount of time:

• Riding: Simply using the horse as your primary mount builds trust passively over time. The more you ride, the faster it levels up.

• Petting: Focus on your horse with CTRL (LB on controller) and press R (or the assigned interact button) to pet it. There appears to be a daily limit on how much trust you can build through petting alone.

• Feeding: Mount your horse, open your inventory, select a feed item such as hay, sugar beets, sugar cubes, or oats, and long-press the Use button to choose "Feed to Horse." You can gain trust from feeding approximately three times per day.

Controller shortcut for petting: While standing near your horse, hold L1 (PlayStation) or LB (Xbox) to bring up the radial interaction menu, then press X (PlayStation) or A (Xbox) to pet it. On keyboard, hold CTRL and press R. Petting is one of the fastest ways to build trust early on, so make a habit of petting your horse every time you stop to gather materials or visit a town.

You can also build trust by discarding food items that horses like (oats, apples) on the ground near your horse. The horse will walk over and eat the dropped food, granting a small trust increase.

Taming Wild Horses

How Taming Works

Wild horses can be found roaming various regions of Pywel. When approaching a wild horse, players engage in a taming minigame comparable to Red Dead Redemption 2. Kliff sprints after a pack of wild horses, mounts one, and must desperately cling on as it tries to kick him off. Successfully holding on long enough tames the horse and adds it to your stable.

Taming Controls

The taming minigame requires you to counter the horse's movements by pulling in the opposite direction of its tail. A circular progress indicator appears on screen that must fill completely in yellow before your stamina runs out.

If you fail to fill the progress circle before your stamina depletes, you get thrown off the horse. However, you can get back up and chase the horse to try again as many times as you want. The horse does not despawn after a failed attempt. Stamina food cannot be consumed during the taming minigame, so make sure your stamina is topped off before you start.

Tips for Taming

• The easiest technique is to keep the camera fixed directly behind the horse and hold the backward input (S on keyboard, back on stick). This counters most of the horse's movements.

• Approach wild horses carefully and slowly. If you sprint directly at them, they may scatter before you can mount one.

• Have at least 6 or more stamina before attempting to tame a legendary horse. Legendary horses buck harder and drain stamina much faster than regular wild horses.

• Wild horses appear in groups. If one runs away, look for others in the same herd.

• Save your game before attempting to tame legendary horses so you can retry without losing progress.

Where to Find Wild Horses

Wild horses spawn in open fields and grasslands throughout Pywel. The most reliable locations include:

• The river areas to the east and south of Hernand, where multiple herds graze near the water.

• Open plains and meadows across Demeniss, particularly near Stonewell Farm and Ironwood Farm.

• Grassy lowlands throughout the Hernand region, especially along major roads between settlements.

• Mountain foothills in Pailune, where sturdier horse breeds tend to roam.

Why Tame Multiple Horses

Since wild horses have randomized stat distributions, taming multiple horses lets you find ones with optimal stats for your preferred playstyle:

• Speed-focused horses: Best for players who prioritize fast travel and covering ground quickly.

• Stamina-focused horses: Better for extended sprinting sessions and long explorations without rest stops.

• Combat horses: High health, attack, and defense for players who engage in mounted combat frequently.

• Terrain specialists: Muscular horses for mountain regions like Pailune, leaner horses for desert and plains.

Horse Breeds

Crimson Desert features several distinct horse breeds, each with different base stat tendencies. While individual stats are randomized within each breed, certain breeds lean toward specific strengths. Known horse breeds include:

One of the Harmonious Hooves horse challenges requires you to ride four specific breeds (Priden, Brianto, Numont, and Elantrima) for over 100 meters each, so it is worth taming at least one of each breed as you encounter them in the wild.

Horse Rarity Tiers

Horses in Crimson Desert fall into three rarity tiers: Common, Rare, and Legendary. Regular wild horses found throughout Pywel are classified as either Common or Rare depending on their stat rolls and breed variation. The three legendary horses (Royler, Rokade, and Camora) occupy the Legendary tier with fixed, significantly higher stats. Harmonious Hooves 9 specifically requires you to tame a horse of each rarity tier to complete the challenge.

Legendary Horses

Three legendary horses exist in Pywel, each with significantly higher stats than any regular wild horse. Legendary horses are harder to tame, requiring at least 6 stamina to have a realistic chance of filling the taming circle before getting thrown off. Each legendary horse has a fixed spawn location and a distinctive coat color.

Royler's Stats

Rokade and Camora have comparable total stat points distributed differently. Rokade maximizes health at the cost of speed, while Camora maximizes attack and defense at the cost of handling. See the individual legendary horse articles for their full stat breakdowns.

Legendary Horse Stat Comparison

All three legendary horses have significantly higher total stats than any regular wild horse. Here is a side-by-side comparison based on confirmed community data:

Royler is generally considered the best overall legendary horse because stamina is the most universally valuable stat. Longer sprinting means more efficient exploration, and stamina can be further enhanced through saddle equipment and Abyss Tree upgrades. Rokade's high health makes it the choice for players who frequently engage in mounted combat and need their horse to absorb hits. Camora's attack and defense stats make it the most aggressive option, dealing the most damage with the rear kick ability and taking less damage from enemy attacks.

Taming Legendary Horses: Region Tips

• Royler (Pailune): The Silver Wolf Mountain area where Royler spawns is at high elevation and can be cold. Cold weather drains stamina faster, so consider equipping cold-resistant clothing before attempting to tame Royler.

• Rokade (Steel Mountains): The area near the Spire of Insight has no significant weather penalties, making Rokade slightly easier to tame from a stamina perspective. Focus on keeping at least 6 stamina and holding the backward input.

• Camora (Tashkalp): The Redtree Forest in the southern Crimson Desert region is hot. Heat-resistant clothing reduces the stamina penalty from the environment, giving you more effective stamina for the taming minigame.

Horse Equipment

Horses have five equipment slots that can be equipped and customized independently. Equipment is purchased from Saddlery shops found near stables in most settlements, crafted at a blacksmith, or acquired from Contribution Shops in exchange for Contribution points.

Each settlement's saddlery and blacksmith offer horse equipment matching the region's aesthetic. Players can mix and match pieces from different settlements for unique combinations. Full equipment dramatically extends the horse's usefulness in combat-heavy mounted encounters against large groups of enemies.

Notable Saddleries

Horse Equipment Upgrade Priority

When building out your horse's equipment loadout, prioritize slots based on your playstyle:

• Exploration focus: Start with Horseshoes (passive stamina regeneration) and a good Saddle (health pool increase). These two pieces have the biggest impact on long-distance travel.

• Combat focus: Prioritize Barding (body armor for defense) and Stirrups (mounted attack power and stability). These make your horse significantly more survivable in fights.

• Balanced: Equip the best available piece in every slot. Even lower-tier equipment in every slot is better than leaving any slot empty.

Contribution Shops offer high-tier bardings in exchange for Contribution points earned from bounties. If you have been completing bounties regularly, check Contribution Shops before spending gold at saddleries.

Pre-Order Equipment

Pre-order editions include exclusive horse equipment sets. The Deluxe Pack includes the Exclaire Horse Tack Set, and the Ultimate Pack includes the Hyperion Horse Tack Set. These are cosmetic sets that do not provide stat advantages over equipment obtained through normal gameplay.

Dye Customization

All horse equipment slots can be dyed individually at the Dye Station in settlements, which is the same location as the Barber Shop and Dyehouse. The Dye System offers full color and material customization, section by section. Each piece has multiple dyeable layers, allowing for detailed color combinations.

Dyes are found through exploration or crafted via alchemy. Horse customization is purely cosmetic and does not affect gameplay mechanics or combat stats.

Horse Healing and Fatigue

Horses take damage from combat encounters and falls from high places. A wounded horse is visually identifiable by blood or dirt on its body, and an injured mount cannot gallop. Instead, it limps slowly while you ride, which makes exploration painfully slow until you heal it. If the horse sits down on the grass, it has reached critical condition and needs immediate attention.

Horse Fatigue

Separate from health damage, horses can also become fatigued from extended sprinting. When a horse's stamina is fully depleted, it enters a fatigued state and refuses to sprint until stamina regenerates. Fatigue is different from injury: a fatigued horse moves at normal walking speed, while an injured horse limps. Horseshoes with stamina regeneration help prevent fatigue by passively recovering stamina during rides. If your horse frequently becomes fatigued, consider investing in the mount stamina node on the Abyss Tree or equipping better horseshoes.

Healing Methods

Force Palm Heal is the more practical option during extended exploration sessions, since stables are only found in settlements. Make sure you have invested at least one Abyss Artifact into the Healing Force Palm upgrade on the Abyss Tree before relying on this method.

Feed Items Reference

Preventing Horse Damage

• Avoid riding off tall cliffs. Fall damage applies to horses and can leave them limping even if Kliff survives the drop.

• Dismount before engaging large groups of enemies. Your horse can be hit by area attacks and staggered, which interrupts mounted combat.

• Horse armor (especially barding) significantly reduces incoming damage. Equip it before heading into dangerous areas where mounted combat is likely.

• If your horse is killed in combat, it can be recovered at an outpost and is not permanently lost. However, recovering a dead horse takes longer than simply healing a wounded one.

• Stirrups with passive health regeneration (like Crude Stirrups at +1.0 HP per second) help keep your horse topped off during light skirmishes.

Mounted Combat

Basic Mounted Combat

While riding, you retain access to your weapon attacks. Combat on horseback combines your personal combat moveset with the horse's own capabilities:

• Weapon attacks (swords, bows, spears) can be performed while mounted, allowing hit-and-run tactics against ground enemies.

• The horse provides a speed advantage, letting you charge through enemy groups and strike from unexpected angles.

• Some enemies are easier to fight from horseback due to their size or attack patterns.

• Archery is particularly effective while mounted, as you can keep distance and circle enemies while shooting.

Horse Combat Abilities

As your horse's trust level increases, it unlocks combat-related abilities. The Abyss Tree also includes dedicated mount nodes that unlock additional horse-specific combat options:

Note that the horse's only independent attack is the back kick. Unlike bears and other late-game mounts, horses do not attack enemies on their own. All other mounted damage comes from the rider's weapon attacks.

Horse Summoning and Death

Press D-pad down (controller) or the assigned whistle key (PC) to summon the horse to the player's location. The horse runs to your position from wherever it currently is in the world, so there is no penalty for dismissing it or leaving it behind.

If a horse is killed in combat, it can be recovered at an outpost and is not permanently lost. However, losing a horse mid-mission can make traversal significantly slower until you reach the next outpost. Recovering a dead horse also takes longer than healing a wounded one, so it is always better to heal or dismount before your horse's health drops to zero.

Horse Drifting

Horses in Crimson Desert can perform sharp, almost racing-game-style turns once they reach trust level 3. This drifting mechanic, which echoes the horse Drift skill from Pearl Abyss's Black Desert Online, allows rapid direction changes during mounted travel and combat. The feature has been described as "over-the-top in a very video game sort of way."

To drift, gallop at speed and input a sharp turn direction while pressing the drift button. The horse slides sideways before snapping into the new direction, maintaining most of its momentum. Drifting is useful for dodging obstacles, repositioning during combat, and navigating tight mountain paths at high speed.

Buying and Selling Horses

In addition to taming wild horses, you can buy and sell horses at any stable across Pywel. Visit a stable and speak to the stablehand to browse available horses for purchase. Purchased horses have set stats that you can inspect before buying, unlike wild horses whose stats are only revealed after taming.

You can also sell your tamed horses at stables for currency. This provides a way to profit from taming multiple wild horses. If you tame a horse with poor stats, selling it and trying again is a viable strategy. The stable also lets you switch between your owned horses, assign horses to different characters, and manage your full stable roster.

Horse Cargo and Transport

Horses in Crimson Desert serve as more than just mounts. You can load animals, captured bounties, and dead bodies onto the back of your horse for transport. This is essential for completing bounty quests, where you need to haul captured outlaws back to a Guard Station.

How to Load Cargo

1. Pick up the target: Walk up to a knocked-out or tied-up bounty target (or a dead body/animal) and press the interact button to pick them up. Kliff will carry the body over his shoulder.

2. Load onto horse: While carrying a body, approach your horse. Hold L1 (PlayStation) or LB (Xbox) to focus on the horse, then press the corresponding face button to stow the cargo on the horse's back. On PC, hold CTRL and use the interact key.

3. Ride with cargo: Mount up and ride to your destination. Kliff will automatically manage the cargo while riding. If the bounty target was captured alive and tied up, they may struggle and break free during transport. If that happens, dismount, subdue them again, re-tie them, and reload them onto the horse.

Carrying Two Bounties at Once

You can transport two bounty targets in a single trip. Load the first captured target onto your horse's back, then go pick up the second target and carry them on foot while riding. This saves significant travel time on multi-target bounty hunts.

Bounty Rewards and Cargo

Captured bounties pay double compared to killed targets. If you bring a dead body back to the Guard Station, you still collect the bounty, but at half the reward. Always try to tackle, beat down, and tie up your mark before transporting them. You cannot fast travel when transporting bounties, so plan your route accordingly. See the Bounties article for a full list of outlaw bounties and capture strategies.

Horse Racing

Horseback Racing is a side activity in Crimson Desert where players race on horseback against NPC opponents along courses that wind through the open world. Different mount stats affect racing performance, giving players incentive to tame and train horses with high speed and stamina. Speed determines top sprint speed, while stamina governs how long you can maintain that speed. Handling affects how well you navigate turns at high speed.

The key to winning races is stamina management. Sprinting consumes your horse's stamina bar, and when it runs out, your horse slows to a walk. Balance full gallop bursts with short recovery periods where you ease off the sprint button and let stamina refill. Horse equipment such as horseshoes (stamina regeneration) and saddles (health pool) can improve your race performance.

Racing joins other side activities like fishing, cooking, and other life skills.

Horse Challenges

The Horse Challenges are part of the Mastery category in the Challenges system. There are 10 horse challenges in total, called the Harmonious Hooves series. Completing all Horse Challenges unlocks the Tamer of Legends trophy and achievement. Each challenge also rewards an Abyss Artifact and a passive bonus.

Challenges are unlocked by finding Sealed Abyss Artifacts scattered throughout the world. Look for glowing stone markers near intersections and crossroads to discover new horse challenges.

Managing Your Stable

The Greymane Camp's ranch serves as the home base for your collected animals. You can steal NPC animals and bring them back to your camp, where they can be raised and either sold or butchered for resources. Note that stealing in towns triggers the wanted system, so exercise caution.

Stable Interface

When you visit a stable, speak to the stablehand and select "Use Stable" to open the management menu. From here you can:

• Manage Horses: View all your owned horses, inspect their stats, and choose which horse to ride by selecting a mount and pressing "Switch Mount."

• Retrieve and Heal Horse: Summon your current horse back to the stable and heal it to full condition. A delivery fee may apply if the horse is far away.

• Buy and Sell: Browse horses available for purchase with set stats you can inspect before buying, or sell your own horses for currency.

Stables are marked on the map with a horseshoe icon, but they appear as question marks until you visit them for the first time due to the fog of war system. You can identify an undiscovered stable by looking for horses and a farm-like area as you explore. Once discovered, stable icons permanently display on your map. The stable north of Hernand City is one of the first you will encounter.

Other Mount Types

While horse taming is the primary mount system, Crimson Desert features several other rideable creatures that become available through progression. See the Mounts article for the full list of all 29 mounts.

Dragons and the War Robot are intentionally time-limited to prevent them from trivializing ground exploration. Pearl Abyss has designed "tons of hidden corners" throughout the world that cannot be spotted from above, ensuring ground-level exploration with horses remains valuable throughout the game.

Traversal Integration

Kliff can smoothly land from a Crow Wings glide directly onto a horse, allowing seamless transition between aerial and ground-based movement. Horses are faster and more efficient than sprinting on foot, making them the primary way to cover long distances across Pywel's open world.

There is no auto-path feature for horses. Riders must manually guide their mounts along roads and across terrain. Both horse riding and gliding require stamina, which can be upgraded through progression.

Traversal Comparison

Tips

• Summon your horse frequently with D-pad down (or the whistle key on PC). It runs to you from anywhere, so there is no penalty for dismissing it or wandering away on foot.

• Pay attention to horse stamina during long rides. Let the horse recover by slowing to a walk when stamina gets low rather than depleting it completely.

• Invest in the mount stamina node on the Abyss Tree early. Extended sprinting makes exploration much more efficient across Pywel's enormous map.

• Tame wild horses whenever you encounter them. Each horse has randomized stats, and you may find one with a better stat spread than your current mount. You can always sell unwanted horses at a stable.

• Use mounted combat for hit-and-run tactics against groups of enemies. The speed advantage makes it easy to disengage and re-engage at will.

• Horse armor (especially barding) is worth acquiring before tackling mounted combat in dangerous areas. An unprotected horse can be knocked down, throwing you off and leaving you vulnerable.

• Visit the Dyehouse to customize your horse's appearance. Cosmetic changes do not affect stats, but they make your mount feel more personal.

• Unlock Healing Force Palm with an Abyss Artifact as soon as possible. Being able to heal your horse anywhere in the field is far more convenient than riding to a stable every time it takes damage.

• Pet and feed your horse daily to build trust faster. A trust level 3 horse with drift and back kick is significantly more useful than a level 1 horse with only basic riding.

• Keep hay and sugar cubes in your inventory at all times. They are cheap to buy and provide reliable field healing when Force Palm is not yet available. You may need several pieces to fully restore a severely wounded horse.

• Equip horseshoes with stamina regeneration (like Shabby Horseshoes) to passively recover stamina during long rides. This reduces the number of times you need to slow down and wait.

• When taming, hold back on the stick and keep the camera behind the horse. This simple technique works against most wild horses and conserves your stamina.

• Legendary horses require at least 6 stamina to tame. Do not attempt them until your stamina stat is high enough, or you will waste time getting thrown off repeatedly.

• Different horse breeds suit different regions. Consider keeping multiple horses for different environments if you find terrain specialists through taming.

• Load bounty targets onto your horse for transport instead of carrying them on foot. You can even carry two targets at once by loading one on the horse and carrying the second yourself while riding.

• You cannot fast travel while transporting bounty cargo. Plan your route to a Guard Station before picking up bounty targets to minimize travel time.