Mounts

Overview

Mounts are a core part of exploration and combat in Crimson Desert. Players can ride a variety of creatures and vehicles across the continent of Pywel, each offering different speeds, combat capabilities, and terrain advantages. Mounts are obtained through horse taming, quest rewards, story progression, and special encounters. Mounted combat is fully supported, with both the rider and mount attacking simultaneously in many cases.

Beyond living creatures, Crimson Desert also features mechanical and vehicular mounts that expand traversal options. Players can pilot the War Robot, float through the skies in a hot air balloon, haul goods in a wagon, and row across waterways in a skiff. The variety of mount types means different terrain and combat situations call for different rides.

Mount Roster

Summoning

Horses can be summoned at any time by pressing D-pad down. The horse appears near the player and can be mounted immediately. Other mount types have different availability depending on their nature: wagons and skiffs are found at fixed locations, the War Robot becomes available during specific story segments, and dragon rides are scripted late-game encounters.

Mount Stats

Each tamed horse has unique stats that influence both traversal and combat performance. Wild horses come with randomized stat distributions, meaning players who invest time in horse taming can search for horses with ideal stat spreads for their preferred playstyle.

Stamina and Upgrades

Mount stamina governs how long a horse can sprint at full speed. When the stamina bar depletes, the mount slows to a normal pace until stamina recovers. Players can upgrade their mount's stamina capacity through the skill tree, which has dedicated horse-related nodes that improve mounted combat abilities and mount handling.

Physical characteristics vary between horse types. Some horses are more muscular and potentially better suited for snowy terrain in regions like Pailune, while slimmer, more agile horses may perform better in the arid Crimson Desert region.

Mounted Combat

When riding a mount, players retain their weapon attacks while the mount contributes its own offensive abilities. For example, riding a bear allows the player to swing a sword while the bear independently mauls nearby enemies with its claws. This dual-attack system creates unique combat dynamics depending on the chosen mount. See the full Mounted Combat article for detailed mechanics.

Players can also grapple enemies off their mounts and commandeer the enemy's mount for themselves, adding a tactical layer to mounted engagements. Horses feature a unique "horse drifting" mechanic for executing sharp turns at speed, which is useful both for traversal and combat positioning.

Mount Customization

Horse equipment and appearance can be customized through the Dye System. Players can recolor horse tack at the Dyehouse, with multiple dyeable layers per piece (main surface, cloth details, accent trim). The War Robot is also dyeable, allowing players to personalize their mech's color scheme. Dyes are obtained through exploration or crafted via alchemy.

Traversal Vehicles

In addition to living mounts, Pywel features several vehicles that expand traversal options beyond creature-riding. Hot air balloons provide slow but scenic aerial traversal, letting players survey the landscape and spot points of interest from above. Wagons serve as ground transport for merchant activities and hauling goods between settlements. Rowing skiffs are small boats found at docks and shorelines, used for crossing rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.

These vehicles complement the creature mount roster by providing traversal solutions for specific terrain types and situations where combat capability is less important than reaching a destination.