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Dragon Riding
August 6, 2026 at 09:47 PM
Added a mounted-Familiar traversal image to the handling-changes section
Dragon Riding is the named aerial traversal feature in DragonSword: Awakening. It sits on top of the broader Familiars system: dragons are one of the collectible creature types that function as mounts, and Dragon Riding is the specific flight-focused traversal mode Hound13 has built around them.
Hound13 has publicly said that the freedom-of-movement design of Dragon Riding is inspired by The Legend of Zelda series. The reference is a freedom-of-movement design touchstone, not a specific in-game mechanic translation. DragonSword: Awakening applies that idea to dragon flight across the Continent of Orbis.
Traversal Tier | How It Works |
|---|---|
On foot | The default way to explore. The entire continent is explorable on foot as the first-tier option. |
Ground Familiars | Plants, beasts, and insect-type Familiars act as ground mounts, growing from a mini follow-along form into full-size mounts when ridden. |
Bird Familiars | Flying Familiars provide aerial traversal without the scale and maneuver set of a dragon. |
Dragon Riding | The top-tier aerial traversal option, purpose-built around dragon-type Familiars and the Zelda-inspired freedom-of-movement design. |
Hound13 has said that some areas of the open world are only reachable once the player has the right mount. That includes aerial-only regions that specifically need a flying Familiar, and by extension the dragon mount for Dragon Riding is the traversal option that opens up the most of the vertical map.
Starter mount. Each of the nineteen Heroes begins the game with a mount. Whether any Heroes start with a dragon specifically has not been individually detailed.
Collected through play. Additional Familiars, including dragons, are acquired as the player progresses through the story and explores Orbis.
Store-side cosmetic mounts. Under the Buy-to-Play Model, extra Familiars are one of the two cosmetic categories sold alongside character costumes. No dragon-type mount has appeared in the paid catalogue since release; the only dragon on the store is the Deluxe-only Brave Baby Dragon.
Familiars - the broader collectible mount system Dragon Riding sits inside.
Continent of Orbis - the open-world map Dragon Riding navigates.
Mount handling has been adjusted twice since release. Patch 1.0.4 fixed fall damage being applied when remounting or boost-jumping after dismounting the Abyssal Direwolf, which pointed at a shared problem in the dismount-to-remount transition. Patch 1.0.7 went further: Familiars and Heroes now hold their dash state through jumps and falls instead of dropping it, and a new setting lets the attack button double as the dismount input.
Traversal was already lighter at launch than in the demo. Familiar stamina was raised, running, swimming, and diving all cost less, and a ground Familiar no longer throws its rider off the moment stamina empties.
