Mounts

0:37 Crimson Desert's mounts run from Kliff's horse to tamed animals (bears, wolves, deer, lions, tigers, Kuku birds and more), wyverns, A.T.A.G. mechs and Blackstar the dragon, and Pearl Abyss has added more in free updates since the game came out on Mar 19, 2026: five summonable mounts in 1.01.00, Special Mounts you tame in 1.06.00, a Wyvern you keep in 1.10.00, and Blackstar for Damiane and Oongka in 1.12.00. By Aug 12, 2026 Pearl Abyss counted "120 new mounts and pets" added since launch. In the launch trailer (Mar 12, 2026) riders gallop across green grassland and a dry plain under snowy peaks, and a steam train crosses a trestle bridge over red desert. Companion animals that follow you rather than carry you are on Pets.

Quick facts

Horses

18:36 Kliff gets his horse right after the prologue, and the horse is the mount you will use most. Digital Foundry's PS5 Pro review (Mar 12, 2026) rides one across open country here: it praises "the interactions with the horse, the way every hoof matches the terrain", leaps from the saddle straight onto scaffolding on a long wall, and calls the horse back, which walks through a gap below. A little later the reviewer finds "horse drifting", spinning the horse sharply in circles, and rams small objects to knock them down.

A horse grows with care: petting it raises its level, according to Game Rant and TheGamer. Horse tack (champron, barding, saddle and stirrups) changes its look and comes from shops and the editions: the Deluxe Pack has the Exclaire Horse Tack Set and the Collector's Edition the Hyperion Horse Tack Set (see Editions and Price). Pearl Abyss's provisions include a "Horse Tonic" and a "Horse Stimulant".

8:27 Most of the open world can be crossed on horseback. In Pearl Abyss's "50 Minutes of Early Gameplay" (Sep 12, 2024, a pre-release build) Kliff crosses a village on foot, then rides a black horse out along dirt tracks, over a wooden bridge, past farms and fences and up a stone lane to a town gate.

Summonable mounts (1.01.00)

Pearl Abyss's first content patch after launch, 1.01.00 on Mar 28, 2026, added five mounts "that can be obtained and summoned after completing certain conditions": the Legendary Animals White Bear, Silver Fang and Snowwhite Deer, and the boss mounts Rock Tusk Warthog and Icicle Edge Alpine Ibex. "The people of Pywel are not afraid of tamed animals, so feel free to travel through towns with these mounts," the notes said.

Special Mounts: taming animals (1.06.00)

Since 1.06.00 (May 11, 2026), "certain animals can now be registered as special mounts after gaining their trust": bears, boars, wolves, deer, mountain goats, Kuku birds, iguanas, raptors, camels, lions and tigers. "Ferocious animals can be tamed by subduing and feeding them, while certain species require unique methods to tame," Pearl Abyss wrote; you can feed a mount while riding it, and the mount quickslot holds one mount and one special mount.

Saddles for special mounts are sold at saddleries in the cities:

Pets can grow into mounts too: since 1.10.00 a Kuku Bird Chick or a Baby Wyvern that is fed and reaches a certain level of growth can be registered as a special mount.

Wyverns

Pearl Abyss promised wyverns before launch: at The Game Awards on Dec 12, 2024 it said players would "command, ride, and control wyverns for exhilarating aerial combat, unleashing fiery attacks on your enemies." In the game, wild wyverns could be ridden for a while after being subdued from 1.08.00 (May 22, 2026), which also added the Baby Wyvern pet, and 1.10.00 (Jun 5, 2026) made the Wyvern a mount of your own with the Wyvern Saddle. Later patches fixed wyverns that could not land, walked into water or could not be summoned in midair.

Blackstar the dragon

1:05 Blackstar is the dragon Kliff rides, the biggest mount in the game. The launch trailer, which Pearl Abyss said shows "dragon-riding combat", ends its run of travel shots with a gleaming golden flying machine over a desert town, the floating stone of the Abyss, and at 1:30 Kliff on the back of a black dragon above a storm at night.

Blackstar joins Kliff late in the story, in Chapter 11 according to guides, after the Golden Star fight (Game Rant's mounts page says the final chapter). It is the mount for the final boss fight against Umbra. Its summons have a cooldown (a 2.00.00 fix stopped it being ridden without one). Free updates have grown it: Blackstar got a ground attack in 1.10.00 (Jun 5, 2026), Damiane and Oongka can ride it since 1.12.00 (Jun 19, 2026), and 2.00.00 (Aug 25, 2026) added "Flying Mount Controls" under Others, Input: "Camera" flies toward where the camera faces, "Manual" lets you climb and dive with other inputs.

1:04 Reviewers singled the dragon out. Digital Foundry's PS5 Pro review, listing what makes the game unusual: "Oh, and there's dragons you can fly around on, and giant bosses like Shadow of the Colossus, and you can swing like Spider-Man".

A.T.A.G. mechs

A.T.A.G. units (Pearl Abyss writes it with periods) are piloted machines from Delesyia's hangars. According to Game Rant, a personal unit unlocks through a questline that starts in Chapter 10's "Hidden Ace". The official patch notes name the High-Mobility A.T.A.G., which fires cannonballs, and fixed it not appearing in the hangar and fall damage when dismounting in midair.

The Cloudcart, wagons, trains and boats

Not every ride is an animal. Game Rant lists the Cloudcart, a hot-air balloon from the House Grace questline, wagons, rideable trains and rowboats. The Greymane Camp can unlock a wagon, a hot-air balloon and a Trade Wagon as it grows (TheGamer), and the trading overhaul of 1.16.00 (Aug 1, 2026) added seven wagon workshops, in Hernand, Demeniss, Delesyia, Pailune, Tommaso, Urdavah and Varnia. Charting the Unknown, the DLC due Oct 29, 2026, adds a ship you command (see Charting the Unknown).

2:17 Mounts are also a showcase for the BlackSpace Engine. In Pearl Abyss's GDC 2025 engine video, under the caption "GPU-based cloth and hair simulation", Kliff rides a horse through lines of hanging laundry, the sheets bending around horse and rider as they pass.

Every mount-related change by version is on Patch Notes.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get the dragon in Crimson Desert? Blackstar, Crimson Desert's dragon mount, joins Kliff through the main story late in the game, in Chapter 11 after the Golden Star fight according to guides; since update 1.12.00 Damiane and Oongka can ride it too.

How do you get a wyvern in Crimson Desert? Subdue a wild wyvern to ride it for a while (since 1.08.00), or register a Wyvern as your own mount with the Wyvern Saddle (since 1.10.00, Jun 5, 2026); a fed Baby Wyvern can also grow into a mount.

Can you tame animals in Crimson Desert? Yes: since update 1.06.00 (May 11, 2026) Crimson Desert lets you tame bears, boars, wolves, deer, mountain goats, Kuku birds, iguanas, raptors, camels, lions and tigers as Special Mounts by subduing and feeding them.

Does Crimson Desert have a mech? Yes: Crimson Desert has piloted A.T.A.G. mechs in Delesyia, and Game Rant says a personal unit unlocks through a questline from Chapter 10.

How do you level up your horse in Crimson Desert? Pet it: petting Kliff's horse raises its level in Crimson Desert, according to Game Rant and TheGamer.

Where do you buy saddles in Crimson Desert? Saddles for special mounts are sold at saddleries in Hernand, Equinsher, Calphade, Demeniss, Pailune, Delesyia, Tommaso and Varnia, each for certain animals (1.06.00 patch notes).

Sources

• Patch Notes Version 1.01.00, Pearl Abyss, Mar 28, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 1.06.00, Pearl Abyss, May 11, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 1.08.00, Pearl Abyss, May 22, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 1.10.00, Pearl Abyss, Jun 5, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 1.12.00, Pearl Abyss, Jun 19, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 1.16.00, Pearl Abyss, Aug 1, 2026
• Update Highlights, Pearl Abyss, Aug 12, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 2.00.00, Pearl Abyss, Aug 25, 2026
• Pre-Purchase Bonus and Game Editions, Pearl Abyss, Sep 25, 2025
• Crimson Desert news and patch notes, Pearl Abyss on Steam
• Crimson Desert Set for Late 2025 Release, Announced at The Game Awards, Pearl Abyss, Dec 12, 2024
• Pearl Abyss Unveils Launch Trailer for Crimson Desert Ahead of March 19 Global Release, Pearl Abyss, Mar 12, 2026
• Crimson Desert: All Mounts and Vehicles, Game Rant (Marc Santos), Apr 15, 2026
• Crimson Desert: How to Get and Repair the A.T.A.G. Mech, Game Rant, 2026
• Crimson Desert: Best Beginner Tips and Hidden Tricks, TheGamer, Apr 2, 2026
• Crimson Desert: Greymane Camp Management Guide, TheGamer, Apr 27, 2026
• Official Launch Trailer, Crimson Desert, Mar 12, 2026 (video)
• Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5 Pro - The Digital Foundry Deep Dive, Digital Foundry, Mar 12, 2026 (video)
• 50 Minutes of Early Gameplay, Crimson Desert, Sep 12, 2024 (video)
• Dev Archives: The Engine Behind Crimson Desert, GDC 2025, Crimson Desert, Mar 28, 2025 (video)