Mounted Combat

Overview

Mounted combat is a core pillar of Crimson Desert's gameplay, not simply a traversal convenience. Pearl Abyss has designed mounts as an integrated part of the combat loop, stating that "players can adapt to each encounter by using different mounts and, in combat situations, using the environment to their benefit." The game features multiple mount types, each with unique combat applications, from standard horses to bears, dragons, and even a late-game battle mech.

Mounted combat has been described by journalists as "heavier, more grounded gameplay" compared to on-foot combat, which leans more toward fantasy-oriented acrobatics. The distinction creates a deliberate contrast between the two modes, with horseback fighting emphasizing charging, sweeping attacks, and the mount's own abilities.

Mount Types

Crimson Desert features a diverse roster of mounts, each with its own movement speed, health, and combat attacks.

Horses

Horses are the primary and default mount, available from early in the game. Players can attack enemies while on horseback, charge through enemy lines during large-scale battles, and run over opponents while riding. At least two distinct horse types have been observed in preview footage: a muscular variant potentially suited for snow traversal, and a slimmer, more agile variant.

Horses feature a unique "horse drifting" mechanic for executing sharp turns at speed. Kotaku described this feature as "over-the-top in a very video game sort of way," comparing it to drifting in racing games.

Bears

A Black Bear mount was shown in the Features Overview #2 trailer. Bears have their own attack set, including paw swipes that hit enemies. During bear-mounted combat, both Kliff and the bear attack simultaneously. GamingBolt confirmed that "Kliff isn't just commanding the bear to attack; he's also adding in his own sword swipes into the mix," creating a dual-attack system unique to this mount.

Wolves

Wolves are confirmed as rideable mounts, though detailed combat mechanics specific to wolf riding have not been extensively documented in preview coverage.

Raptors

Dinosaur-like raptor creatures are confirmed as rideable mounts with combat applications.

Dragons

Dragons serve as aerial mounts that allow players to "scorch entire battlefields with aerial fire attacks" and rain fire on fortresses and enemy positions from above. One source describes a sequence where players "meet a dragon in the air, fight it, train it, and then use it as a weapon to fire down on enemies."

Dragon usage is time-restricted per use, preventing the mount from becoming a game-breaking tool. This limitation ensures that dragon combat remains a powerful but temporary advantage rather than a default mode of play.

War Robot

A late-game mount engineered by the Dwarves, the battle robot (or mech) is armed with a machine gun, lock-on missiles, jump jets, and an EMP blast. Every weapon drains the mech's energy reserves, requiring players to balance destruction with strategy before it overheats and shuts down. Like dragons, the battle robot is available for a limited period per use.

Mount Combat Abilities

Horse Taming

When Kliff encounters a wild horse, the game triggers a taming mini-game. The horse does not cooperate willingly; instead, Kliff must jump on its back and cling on while the horse tries to throw him off. Journalists have compared this mechanic to horse taming in Breath of the Wild and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Preview footage shows Kliff smoothly landing from a glide onto a wild horse's back, triggering the taming sequence. Once tamed, horses can be summoned at almost any time by whistling.

Horse Customization

Horses have three armor pieces (head, body, and saddle/stirrups), each with multiple dyeable sections. Customization is performed at the Dye Station in the Greymane Settlement. Players can change both the color and material of each armor piece.

The battle robot also supports color customization through the same dye system. Pearl Abyss has confirmed that all mount cosmetics, including dyes, hairstyles, and tattoos, are earned exclusively through gameplay with no microtransactions.

Grappling Enemies Off Mounts

A confirmed advanced combat mechanic allows players to grapple enemies off their mounts and commandeer the creature for themselves. This is listed alongside heavy finishers, launchers, and crowd-control abilities as part of the game's expanded unarmed combat system.

Horse Physics

Crimson Desert features exceptionally detailed horse physics powered by Pearl Abyss's BlackSpace Engine. GameSpot highlighted a specific example: when Kliff rides through a stream, "only the parts of the horse that actually touched the water remained wet after leaving the stream." The game accurately reflects whether only hooves, legs, or partial submersion occurred, using a volumetric masking system rather than applying a uniform wet texture to the entire horse. GameSpot described this as potentially "the most realistic in-game physics" they had ever seen.

Large-Scale Mounted Battles

The Calphade siege demo showcased mounted combat in the context of large-scale warfare. Players approach the battlefield on horseback before dismounting to fight on foot, demonstrating the seamless transition between mounted and ground combat. During these sequences, dozens of combatants fight simultaneously with environmental destruction, siege equipment, and cavalry charges.

One journalist described the experience as riding into battle, "tearing through legions of NPCs," before dismounting for more precise close-quarters combat. Even during full-scale warfare with large numbers of on-screen combatants, the game maintained its visual fidelity, though some journalists noted NPC pop-in when approaching large groups at high speed on horseback.

Aerial Boss Encounters

Mounted combat extends to aerial sequences during boss fights. The Golden Star boss fight, a multi-phase encounter against a colossal mechanical dragon, features an aerial chase sequence where Kliff rides a companion dragon while pursuing the boss. The companion dragon attacks Golden Star from range while Kliff clings to the mechanical dragon's body during the pursuit.

This encounter was described as "definitely more of a set piece than other boss fights," combining mounted aerial combat with the game's climbing mechanics.

Seamless Transitions

Crimson Desert emphasizes fluid transitions between all movement and combat modes. Confirmed seamless transitions include:

• Landing from a glide directly onto a horse's back

• Dismounting from horseback into on-foot combat mid-fight

• Mounting a horse while sprinting through the open world

• Grappling an enemy off their mount and immediately riding the captured creature

• Transitioning between horseback riding, gliding, climbing, and ground combat without loading screens

Mounted vs. On-Foot Combat

General Mounted Combat Controls

The control scheme for mounted combat changes depending on the mount type. Horses, bears, raptors, and direwolves share a common set of melee-oriented inputs, while the dragon and ATAG each have unique weapon systems.

Summoning Your Mount

Press H on keyboard or D-Pad Up on controller to call your active mount. If you have multiple mounts registered, hold H (or hold D-Pad Down) to open the mount wheel, then select the one you want with the right stick or mouse. Your mount will sprint to your location from wherever it was last left. To mount up, approach the animal and press F on keyboard or Triangle/Y on controller.

Mounting and Dismounting

Press F (keyboard) or Triangle/Y (controller) near your mount to climb on. Press the same button while mounted to dismount. Note that the mount and dismount buttons are different from the interact button, so take care not to accidentally attack your horse instead of mounting it.

Sprinting While Mounted

On keyboard, tap Shift repeatedly to maintain a gallop. On controller, hold A/X or press L3. Sprinting consumes your mount's stamina. When stamina runs out, the mount slows to a trot until it regenerates.

Horse Combat

Horses are the first and most common mount you encounter. They support full melee combat from the saddle, including weapon swings, charge attacks, and ranged weapon aiming. Horses do not attack enemies on their own; all mounted damage comes from Kliff's weapon.

Melee Attacks on Horseback

On keyboard, left-click swings your weapon to the right side and right-click swings to the left. Holding Shift + Left-Click while at full gallop triggers a charge attack that deals significantly more damage. On controller, R2 performs a charge attack that hits hardest when the horse is galloping at top speed. The direction of your swing depends on the camera angle and stick input.

Timing matters. Charge attacks at full gallop deal the highest damage multiplier, so try to build speed before committing to a swing. If you stop or slow down, your attacks lose the momentum bonus.

Ranged Attacks on Horseback

Equip a bow or firearm to shoot from horseback. On controller, L2 enters aim mode, which automatically slows your horse to a manageable speed. On keyboard, hold right-click with a ranged weapon equipped to enter aim mode, then fire with left-click. The camera shifts to an over-the-shoulder perspective while aiming.

Ranged mounted combat works best for softening enemies before a melee charge. Draw your bow, fire a volley, then switch to your melee weapon and ride through at full gallop for the finishing blow.

Horse Trust Levels and Combat Skills

Every horse has a trust level that ranges from 1 to 5. As trust increases through riding, feeding, and petting, the horse unlocks new movement and combat abilities. These skills directly affect your effectiveness in mounted combat.

Legendary horse breeds may have slightly different skill sets at Level 5, so check each horse's skill page after taming to see what it offers.

Horse Equipment for Combat

Horses support four equipment slots that directly affect your mounted combat performance:

Stirrups are the most important slot for offensive mounted combat because they directly boost the damage of every swing you make from horseback. Prioritize upgrading stirrups if your goal is to fight from the saddle rather than simply travel.

Healing Your Horse in Combat

If your horse takes heavy damage and can no longer gallop, you have several options. The fastest method in combat is to charge your Force Palm ability, then press the Healing prompt to strike the horse's torso. This restores the horse to full condition immediately. You can also use Horse Tonic (extreme health boost, lets the horse endure deadly blows), Horse Stimulant (stamina amplification), or have the horse retrieved at a stable for Copper or Silver Coins.

Bear, Raptor, and Direwolf Combat

Unlike horses, combat land mounts like bears, raptors, and direwolves have independent attack actions. They fight alongside you automatically, effectively doubling your offensive output. All three combat mount types become substantially more powerful when you apply elemental infusions to your weapon attacks.

Bear Mounts

Bears are the heaviest-hitting ground combat mount. While mounted, the bear performs claw swipes, bite attacks, and body slams without any rider input, dealing constant area-of-effect damage to enemies in front of and around you. This frees Kliff to focus on high-priority targets while the bear handles crowd control.

Mounted bear combat also grants extra move sets: long slashes, rising bites, and heavy forward charges that stagger groups of enemies. The tradeoff is speed. Bears are slower and less agile than horses, making them better suited for direct engagements and defensive fights rather than hit-and-run tactics. If you are fighting a large group in a confined area, a bear mount is often the strongest choice.

Raptor Mounts

Raptors are the fastest land combat mount and the best option for hit-and-run tactics. While mounted, the raptor dashes in and out of engagement range while Kliff attacks. The raptor's speed makes it extremely difficult for enemies to pin you down, and you can quickly disengage to heal or reposition before diving back in.

Raptors excel in open terrain where their speed advantage is most pronounced. In tight spaces, their lower health pool compared to bears makes them more vulnerable. Use raptors when you want to control the pace of a fight and pick off enemies one at a time.

Direwolf Mounts

Direwolves sit between bears and raptors in terms of combat style. They are faster than bears and feature agile flanking maneuvers with coordinated attacks alongside the rider. Their pack-hunting instincts translate into a predatory combat feel where the direwolf circles and harasses enemies while you strike from above.

Direwolves are best for medium-length engagements where you need both mobility and sustained damage. They are not as tanky as bears and not as fast as raptors, but they offer a balanced middle ground.

Dragon Aerial Combat

The Blackstar Dragon is the most powerful combat mount in the game. Once unlocked in Chapter 11 (see the How to Unlock the Dragon guide for details), the Blackstar grants full aerial combat capability with devastating fire attacks.

Dragon Combat Controls

Both Fireball and Fire Breath consume stamina, but stamina regenerates even while airborne. The Fireball is a quick projectile attack best for single targets, while Fire Breath is a sustained stream of fire that devastates groups of enemies and spreads the Burn status effect across clustered targets.

The barrel roll is your primary defensive option. Press the dodge input to roll mid-air, which makes the dragon invulnerable during the animation and repositions you away from incoming projectiles. Use it liberally when enemy archers or mages target you from the ground.

Dragon Combat Strategies

Dragon Limitations

The Blackstar operates on a strict timer. Each summon lasts approximately 15 minutes of real time, followed by a 50-minute real-time cooldown. There is currently no in-game method to reduce this cooldown or extend the active duration. This means you should treat each dragon summon as a strategic resource. Do not waste summon time on trivial encounters that you could handle on foot or horseback.

The Blackstar can be summoned anywhere in Pywel but cannot be used in the Abyss realm.

ATAG Mech Combat

The ATAG (All-Terrain Armored Gear) is a walking tank that turns Kliff into a one-man army. First introduced during Chapter 10's defense of Gorthak, the ATAG offers the heaviest firepower of any mount in the game.

ATAG Weapon Systems

Additional weapons become available through the Machine Parts Research system. Research unlocks dispatch missions to craft the ATAG Cannon, ATAG Laser, and ATAG Pincers. You can also upgrade defensive plating to Mk II and Mk III through research.

Getting Your Own ATAG

After helping the Ironflame Orcs in Chapter 10, you can speak with Marek at the Zargan Tankworks and complete a quest chain to build your own ATAG for free-roam use. You need the required parts and fuel to craft one. You can also find pre-built ATAGs at certain locations: areas like Regent's Rise have ATAG factories where pulling a lever reveals a fresh mech ready for use.

Mount Combat Comparison

Choosing the right mount for each combat situation is one of the keys to success in Crimson Desert. Here is a quick comparison of how each mount type performs in combat:

Tips and Best Practices

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