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Temporary Mounts
April 17, 2026 at 02:08 AM
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Temporary mounts are rideable creatures in Crimson Desert that cannot be registered at a stable or summoned on demand. Unlike permanent mounts such as horses or the Blackstar Dragon, temporary mounts must be acquired fresh each time you want to ride one. They are classified as Fleeting Companions in the Knowledge Journal, which tracks 11 total entries across two subcategories: 10 Wildlings (organic creatures) and 1 Machine.
Temporary mounts offer an exciting variety of riding experiences, from gliding through the air on a Kuku Bird Hatchling to charging through enemies on the back of a bear. However, because they cannot be stored or recalled, they serve as opportunistic tools rather than reliable transportation. Players who spot one of these creatures in the wild, on a farm, or under the control of an enemy NPC should seize the chance to ride it while they can.
The core mechanic behind temporary mounts is straightforward: find an eligible creature, obtain it through one of several methods, ride it for as long as you need, and accept that it will not be available once you dismount. There is no stable slot, no summoning whistle, and no way to save a temporary mount for later use. Each encounter with a temporary mount is a one-time experience.
There are three primary ways to acquire a temporary mount, depending on the creature type and the situation:
Combat Submission: For hostile wild animals like bears, you must fight the creature until its health drops low enough that it stops resisting. A mount prompt will then appear, giving you a short window to climb onto the animal before it recovers. This is the most common method for large predators found in the wilderness.
Stealing from NPCs: Some temporary mounts are ridden by enemy soldiers, bandits, or circus performers. Defeat or dismount the current rider, then quickly mount the creature before it flees. Kuku Bird Hatchlings used by Blinding Arrow soldiers and the lion at The Laughing Marionette circus are acquired this way.
Mounting Docile Creatures: Certain animals found on farms, in towns, or in specific open-world locations are not hostile and can simply be approached and mounted directly. Cows, bulls, and some other livestock fall into this category.
What happens after you dismount depends on the creature. Predatory animals like bears become immediately hostile the moment you step off, forcing you to either fight or flee. The Kuku Bird Hatchling is a notable exception; after dismounting, it will wander peacefully nearby and can even be re-mounted. The lion from the circus also does not turn aggressive, though it may wander away or despawn over time. Livestock animals like cows and bulls are generally non-hostile after dismounting but will not follow you or remain conveniently available.
Some temporary mounts allow mounted combat. When riding a bear, for example, you can trigger the bear's own attack patterns (claw swipes, charges, and body slams) using RT/R2, while your character can independently swing a weapon or use skills from the saddle. This dual-attack setup makes bears particularly effective against groups of enemies. Other temporary mounts like the Kuku Bird Hatchling are primarily used for traversal and do not have dedicated combat moves, though you may still use your own weapons while riding.
The following table lists every confirmed temporary mount in Crimson Desert, along with where to find each one and how to acquire it.
Mount | Type | Location | How to Obtain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wildling | Damage in combat until it submits, then mount | Strong swiping attacks; tanky; becomes hostile on dismount | ||
Wildling | Ridden by Black Bears faction soldiers in various regions | Defeat the enemy rider, then mount the bear | Similar to Brown Bear; often encountered during faction encounters | |
Wildling | Steel Mountains, east of the Spire of Insight | Defeat Blinding Arrow soldier riding it, then chase and mount | Used for gliding from heights; remains docile after dismount | |
Wildling | The Laughing Marionette circus, Demeniss | Approach and mount directly (no mask equipped) | Very fast but low stamina; cannot attack on its own | |
Wildling | Crimson Desert region; ridden by hostile NPCs | Defeat the NPC rider, then mount | Fast land mount; suited for hit-and-run movement | |
Wildling | Towns and settlements in the Crimson Desert region | Approach and mount docile creatures in town areas | Slow but steady; primarily a novelty mount | |
Wildling | Crimson Desert region; saddle-equipped NPC camels | Dismount the NPC rider or find unattended saddled camels | Well-suited for desert terrain traversal | |
Wildling | Livestock farms and rural areas across Pywel | Approach and mount farm animals directly | Very slow; mostly comedic or for short-distance travel | |
Greywolf | Wildling | Wilderness areas across Pywel | Subdue through combat, then mount | Fast and agile; becomes hostile on dismount |
Wildling | Forested areas and woodlands | Subdue through combat, then mount | Sturdy but slow; charges through obstacles |
Note: The Fextralife wiki also lists Black Bear, Buffalo, and Elephant as temporary mount types. Some of these may overlap with entries above (Black Bear and Clawed Bear share similar mechanics, and Buffalo may be the same category as Cow/Bull). The community is still documenting the full list as of early 2026, and Pearl Abyss may add or adjust temporary mounts in future patches.
The Brown Bear is the most widely discussed temporary mount in Crimson Desert and one of the first that most players will encounter. Bears roam the forests of Hernand in the south and the snowy wilderness of Pailune in the north. There is also a guaranteed Brown Bear spawn at the Greenfield Highlands near the Grace Estate Abyss Nexus, where it respawns every 24 in-game hours.
To ride a Brown Bear, engage it in combat and continue dealing damage until it collapses and stops resisting. A mount prompt (Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox) will appear briefly. Once mounted, you gain access to the bear's own attack moveset: powerful claw swipes, lunging bites, and charging body slams, all triggered with RT/R2. Meanwhile, your character Kliff can independently swing his equipped weapon or activate abilities from the saddle. The bear can also jump and sprint on all fours, recovering stamina over time.
Bears are described as "quite tanky," making them effective mobile combat platforms for fighting groups of enemies. Their strong area-of-effect swiping attacks deal significant damage to anything nearby. However, the moment you dismount, the bear turns hostile again immediately. The Game8 guide recommends getting away quickly after stepping off to avoid taking damage. Bears cannot be registered at any stable or summoned later.
The Clawed Bear is a variant encountered during faction conflicts rather than in the wild. These bears serve as mounts for soldiers of the Black Bears faction, the mercenary group that acts as the primary antagonist during the early chapters of the story. When you defeat a Black Bears soldier who is riding a Clawed Bear, you can mount the animal yourself.
The Clawed Bear handles similarly to the Brown Bear in terms of combat abilities and dismounting behavior. It becomes hostile once you step off, and it cannot be stored for later use. Because Clawed Bears are tied to enemy encounters rather than static spawn points, finding one depends on running into Black Bears patrols or engaging in faction-related missions.
The Kuku Bird Hatchling is one of the most unique temporary mounts in the game, prized for its gliding ability. These large flightless birds (described as giant fowls) are found in the Steel Mountains, specifically east of the Spire of Insight, where they serve as mounts for Blinding Arrow soldiers.
To acquire one, you must first defeat the Blinding Arrow soldier riding it. Once the rider is down, the Kuku Bird will attempt to flee at high speed, so you need to chase it down and mount it before it gets away. After you have successfully ridden one for the first time, the bird becomes non-hostile and will not flee or attack you.
The primary value of the Kuku Bird Hatchling is its gliding capability. While it cannot generate upward lift or truly fly, it allows you to glide safely from tall heights and land without taking fall damage. You retain directional control during the descent, making it useful for traversal across mountainous terrain.
Unlike bears and other predatory mounts, the Kuku Bird Hatchling remains peaceful after you dismount. It will wander the area calmly, making it one of the few temporary mounts that can be re-mounted after stepping off. Despite this, it still cannot be registered at a stable or summoned at will.
The Lion is found at The Laughing Marionette, a circus located in the Demeniss region. On the map, the circus sits between the "M" and the second "E" of the Demeniss label, just outside the City of Demeniss. The lion sits near the circus tents, being petted by NPCs.
Obtaining the lion is surprisingly simple. You do not need to fight it or complete any special task. Just approach the lion and press the mount prompt (Square/X) when it appears. You can ride away immediately without triggering a wanted status or any law enforcement response. However, you must not be wearing a mask when attempting to mount the lion, as the prompt will not appear while disguised.
The lion is extremely fast but has poor stamina reserves, meaning it tires quickly during extended sprints. It cannot perform its own attacks while you are riding it, unlike the bear. You can still use your own weapons from the saddle, but the lion itself functions purely as a transport mount. Once you dismount or the lion dies, you must wait for it to respawn at the circus location, which takes a significant amount of in-game time (reportedly weeks of in-game days).
One important note: the guards stationed throughout the Demeniss region are hostile to the player until after Chapter 8 of the Main Quest. Approaching the circus and mounting the lion before this point means dealing with aggressive patrols on your way out.
The Feathered Raptor is a dinosaur-like creature found in the Crimson Desert region. These raptors are typically ridden by hostile NPCs, and obtaining one requires defeating the current rider first. Once the NPC is down, you can mount the raptor before it runs off.
Raptors are among the fastest temporary land mounts available, making them well-suited for covering ground quickly or executing hit-and-run maneuvers. As of early 2026, detailed documentation on specific raptor spawn locations is still limited, with some players reporting difficulty finding them in the open world. They appear to be more commonly encountered during enemy patrol events in the desert areas rather than as standalone wild spawns.
The Giant Iguana is a docile creature found in towns and settlements within the Crimson Desert region. Unlike predatory mounts, Giant Iguanas do not need to be subdued through combat. You can simply walk up to one and mount it directly.
Giant Iguanas are slow and lack any real combat capability, making them more of a novelty than a practical transportation option. They are best thought of as a fun diversion rather than a serious alternative to horses or other faster mounts.
Camels appear in the Crimson Desert region, typically equipped with saddles and ridden by NPCs. To ride one, you can either dismount the NPC rider through combat or find an unattended saddled camel in the area. Camels are naturally suited to desert terrain and provide steady, reliable movement across sandy environments. Like other temporary mounts, they cannot be stored or recalled after dismounting.
Cows and Bulls can be found on livestock farms and in rural areas scattered throughout Pywel. These animals are docile and can be mounted directly without any combat. As you might expect, they are very slow and offer no combat advantages whatsoever. Riding a cow or bull is largely a comedic experience and only practical for covering very short distances. They will not turn hostile after dismounting.
Greywolves are predatory temporary mounts found in wilderness areas across Pywel. Like bears, they must be subdued through combat before mounting. Once tamed temporarily, they are fast and agile, making them better suited for quick movement than for prolonged combat. They become hostile again upon dismounting, similar to bears.
Boars inhabit forested areas and can be ridden after being subdued in combat. They are sturdy animals that can charge through obstacles, but their speed is modest compared to wolves or raptors. Like other predatory temporary mounts, boars revert to hostile behavior the moment you dismount.
Understanding the distinction between temporary and permanent mounts is important for planning your travels across Pywel. The following table summarizes the key differences between the two categories.
Feature | Temporary Mounts | |
|---|---|---|
Registration | Can be registered at stables and summoned at will | Cannot be registered or summoned; one-time use per encounter |
Types | Standard horses, legendary horses, Blackstar Dragon, ATAG, wagons, Cloudcart | Bears, Kuku Birds, lions, raptors, iguanas, camels, cows, wolves, boars |
Leveling | Gain experience and unlock skills through trust levels | No leveling or skill progression |
Can equip saddles, horseshoes, stirrups, champrons, and barding | Cannot equip any gear | |
Dismount Behavior | Mount remains available for re-summoning | Creature becomes hostile, wanders away, or despawns |
Acquisition | Combat submission, stealing from NPCs, or mounting docile animals | |
Tracked under Mounts category | Tracked under Fleeting Companions (Wildlings and Machine) |
Some mounts in Crimson Desert occupy a middle ground between truly permanent and fully temporary. The Blackstar Dragon and the All-Terrain Armored Gear (ATAG) can be summoned from your mount roster, but they have a 15-minute usage timer followed by a 50-minute real-time cooldown before they can be called again. These timer-based restrictions have generated significant community discussion, with many players feeling that the cooldowns are too harsh for such late-game rewards. Despite their limitations, the dragon and ATAG are still classified as permanent mounts because they can be registered and recalled, unlike the temporary mounts discussed in this article.
Act quickly after defeating a rider. When you knock a soldier off a Kuku Bird or raptor, the creature may bolt. Sprint toward it immediately and press the mount button before it escapes.
Use bears for group fights. The bear's area-of-effect swiping attacks make it the best temporary mount for clearing out groups of enemies. Position yourself near clusters of foes and let the bear's attacks do the heavy lifting.
Grab Kuku Birds near cliffs. The Kuku Bird Hatchling's gliding ability is most useful in the Steel Mountains and other elevated areas. Look for them near high vantage points to maximize the distance you can cover through gliding.
Remove your mask before mounting the lion. The lion at The Laughing Marionette will not display a mount prompt if you are wearing a mask. Unequip it before approaching.
Plan your dismount from bears. Since bears turn hostile immediately after dismounting, try to dismount in a safe area away from other enemies. If you hop off mid-combat, you will suddenly have the bear attacking you along with whatever else you were fighting.
Do not rely on temporary mounts for long-distance travel. While fun and occasionally useful, temporary mounts cannot replace a good horse. They are best used as situational tools when you happen to encounter one.
Check the Knowledge Journal. The Fleeting Companions section of the Knowledge Journal tracks which temporary mounts you have ridden. Filling out all 11 entries (10 Wildlings and 1 Machine) contributes to your overall Knowledge completion.
The temporary mount system has been one of the most discussed design decisions since Crimson Desert launched. Many players were drawn to the game by pre-release trailers and promotional materials showing characters riding bears, raptors, wolves, and dragons, and they expected these creatures to function as permanent, summonable companions. The discovery that most exotic mounts are temporary, single-use encounters led to widespread disappointment across Steam forums, Reddit, and gaming outlets.
Players have pointed out that promotional trailers showed bears and raptors equipped with saddles, which implied a deeper taming and ownership system than what the game actually delivers. The community has actively petitioned Pearl Abyss to make exotic mounts permanent, with suggestions ranging from an in-game animal tamer NPC who could register temporary mounts at stables (possibly for a fee) to a loyalty system where repeatedly riding the same type of creature would eventually unlock permanent access.
As of Patch 1.00.03, Pearl Abyss has not announced any changes to the temporary mount system. However, given the intensity of the feedback and the developer's history of post-launch updates with Black Desert Online, many players remain hopeful that the system will be expanded or adjusted in future patches.
The brown bear at Greenfield Highlands near the Grace Estate Abyss Nexus respawns every 24 in-game hours, making it the most reliable repeatable source for a temporary bear mount.
The Kuku Bird Hatchling is the only temporary mount that remains docile after dismounting, allowing it to be re-mounted without another fight.
Wild lions found outside the circus in Demeniss are always aggressive and cannot be mounted. Only the circus lion at The Laughing Marionette is docile enough to ride.
The lion is one of the fastest mounts in the game in terms of raw speed, but its poor stamina means it runs out of breath before most horses would.
The Fleeting Companions section of the Knowledge Journal contains 11 entries total. Riding each type of temporary mount at least once will register its entry.
Bears do not appear in the Crimson Desert region itself. They are found in Hernand and Pailune.
