Mounts: A New Way to Explore
Mounts
Expansions give you access to mounts. Start with a raptor, then unlock more as you play. Every character on your account can use the mounts you unlock.
What are mounts?
Each mount has a distinct movement ability that opens up new routes. Raptors leap across canyons, springers jump up cliffs, and skyscales hover and fly.
Unlocked mounts are available to every character on your account. You do not need to earn them again on each character.
The default mount key is X. Press it again to dismount.
Mount items sold in the Gem Store are cosmetic skins. Buying a skin does not unlock the mount itself. Unlock the mount through gameplay, then apply the skin to change its appearance.
Usually, you must be out of combat to mount. PvE warclaws and skimmers allow combat mounting, but repeated use adds 10 seconds to the mounting cooldown. A skyscale can be summoned in combat through the Combat Launch mastery skill from SotO. WvW warclaws cannot be mounted during combat.
What do I need to use mounts?
Buy the relevant expansion for mounts and additional content. For a first purchase, start with the HoT + PoF bundle. We do not recommend the separate Guild Wars 2 Starter Pack: it provides a basic raptor, basic gliding, and convenience items, but no expansion story, maps, or masteries.
Free accounts
- At level 10, you receive a raptor trial lasting 10 hours of logged-in gameplay
- The trial expires and cannot be restarted on the same character
- For a first purchase, compare the HoT + PoF bundle, which includes mounts, gliding, masteries, and expansion content
- Core Tyria was designed for travel without mounts, so you can keep playing without one
Accounts with an expansion
- Own any released expansion and reach level 10 to access a basic raptor
- Other mounts come from their expansion's story, collections, vendor purchases, or other unlock requirements
- Check each mount's requirements below. Some, such as the springer, have routes in several expansions
Unlocks and masteries are different
These are two separate steps.
- Unlock: obtain the mount itself through a story step, collection, purchase, or other requirement
- Mastery-improve the mount, such as extending its movement range or adding abilities
A newly unlocked raptor can perform a basic leap. Training the PoF mastery Canyon Jumping roughly doubles its range.
Training a mastery requires both:
- Experience: fill the selected tier's XP bar through events, kills, and other activities
- Mastery points: once the bar is full, spend the points you have earned to train that tier
Open Masteries in the Hero panel with H, then spend points on the completed tier. Train tiers in order.
Heart of Thorns points cannot train Path of Fire mount masteries.
Which content unlocks each mount?
Raptor, springer, skimmer, jackal, and griffon: all five original mounts
Roller beetle: episode 3. Skyscale: all six episodes
Siege turtle and basic springer. As with other released expansions, access a raptor from level 10. Raptor and springer PoF masteries require their PoF unlock routes
Skyscale: an alternative, shorter unlock route
PvE warclaw unlock and masteries, plus a basic springer from the prologue
Basic springer and skimmer, plus VoE skimmer masteries. Wavehawk is the Castoran name for a skimmer
No. VoE alone provides routes to basic raptors, springers, and skimmers, but jackals, griffons, and PoF mount masteries require Path of Fire.
Mount unlock roadmap
This is the PoF route for unlocking the original mounts and their masteries together. EoD, JW, and VoE offer alternative ways to get a basic springer or skimmer first.
The four basic PoF mounts, in order
Other mounts with separate unlocks
Work on these when you meet their individual requirements.
Complete the PoF story and prepare 250 gold. This is a substantial early expense, so it can wait
Requires PoF and LWS4 episode 3 story progress, followed by three collections. No gold unlock fee, but you need 50 Inscribed Shards
With PoF, enter WvW to obtain a basic warclaw. To ride it in WvW, spend 1 World Ability Point per character. PvE masteries unlock through the JW story
Use the full LWS4 route or SotO's A New Friend. SotO has no stage waits or daily feeding limit, making it a convenient first route
With EoD, obtain a turtle egg and finish three collections. The egg comes from the Dragon's End meta or 200 Writs. A passenger operates the main cannons
Each mount explained
Roles, unlock requirements, and mounted skills.
Raptor: your first mount and long horizontal leaps
- Own any expansion and reach level 10
- Raptor mastery upgrades require Path of Fire and unlocking the corresponding mastery track
- Free accounts: a 10-hour gameplay trial at level 10, which cannot be restarted on that character
Mounted skill bar
Springer: vertical jumps
- PoF route: own Path of Fire. Alternatives for a basic springer include talking to Lieutenant Zhao in EoD or starting the JW or VoE prologue
- To unlock PoF masteries, train Canyon Jumping and follow the steps below
- Complete the Highjump Ranch renown heart in Desert Highlands
- Buy the mount from Stablemaster Unja for 50 Trade Contracts and 1 gold
Mounted skill bar
Skimmer: water travel and hazardous terrain
- PoF route: own Path of Fire. In VoE, progress Solid Ground and complete Wavehawk Fundamentals for a basic skimmer
- The PoF route below requires Canyon Jumping
- Complete the Skimmer Ranch renown heart in Elon Riverlands
- Buy the mount from Skimmer Trainer Ardra for 50 Trade Contracts and 4 gold
Mounted skill bar
Additional mastery skills:
- Dive: unlock underwater travel through PoF's Skimming the Depths or the first VoE skimmer mastery
- Slipstream Boost: increase hover height and movement speed through a VoE mastery
- Water Jets: underwater attacks through a VoE mastery
Other features:
- Cross many environmental hazards safely, including water, quicksand, and sulfurous haze.
- Travel quickly over water
- Mount in combat; repeated use adds 10 seconds of cooldown per stack, up to five stacks
Jackal: blinks and sand portals
- Own Path of Fire
- Train the springer's High Vault or the skimmer's Ride the Wind; either one qualifies
- Complete the Sand Jackal Run renown heart in The Desolation
- Buy from Drojkor for 200 Trade Contracts and 20 gold on the day you complete the heart, or 30 gold 40 silver on another day
Mounted skill bar
Griffon: high-speed diving flight
- Own Path of Fire
- Complete the entire main PoF story
- Talk to the Remains of the Last Spearmarshal in Sunspear Sanctuary to begin Open Skies. Finish the five regional collections, then Sunspear Sanctuary, Sunspear Wisdom, and On Wings and a Prayer
- Gold cost: 250 gold, paid for ten items costing 25 gold each
- Explore all five PoF maps
Mounted skill bar
Roller beetle: fast travel on land
- Own Path of Fire and LWS4 episode 3, Long Live the Lich
- Complete Forearmed Is Forewarned
- During Tactical Triage, speak to Spearmarshal Zaeim, then find Gorrik north of the Allied Encampment to begin the collections
- Finish Beetle Juice, Beetle Saddle, and Beetle Feed
- No gold unlock fee; the collections require 50 Inscribed Shards, and waypoint travel costs are separate
Mounted skill bar
Warclaw: WvW mount with expanded PvE abilities
- Own Path of Fire
- Enter WvW to obtain a basic warclaw, then spend 1 World Ability Point in Warclaw Mastery on each character that will ride it in WvW
- Own Janthir Wilds
- Progress the story chapter Unknown Territory
- Feed the warclaw during the story
WvW and PvE differences:
- WvW: 8,779 health; 450 units per second; no combat mounting; a 5-second remount cooldown
- PvE: 10,972 base health; about 690 units per second; combat mounting allowed, with an extra 10 seconds of cooldown for each repeated use
WvW World Abilities Five ranks, costing 25 World Ability Points in total
PvE mounted skill bar
Skyscale: hovering flight and wall climbing
See “Skyscale unlocks: two routes” below for the full process.
Mounted skill bar
Siege turtle: a two-player combat mount
- Own End of Dragons
- Arrange access to Arborstone so you can speak to Rota
- Obtain a turtle egg by completing The Battle for the Jade Sea meta in Dragon's End or buying it from the Peddler for 200 Writs of Dragon's End
- Speak to Rota in Arborstone for Starting Small, Getting Stronger, and Suiting Up. Deliver some materials to Fidget, then return to Rota at the end to receive the mount
Driver's skill bar
Gunner's skill bar
You can attack alone with Slam and Jump Jets, but a passenger must operate Turtle Siege, the main cannon attack.
Other features:
- Hover with Jump Jets and recover height up to your starting altitude
- Walk along the seabed and use Jump Jets to rise toward the surface
- A passenger travels with you through waypoints and portals
Flying mounts compared: griffon and skyscale
Which flying mount should you get first?
Griffon
- Flight style: airplane-like; start high, dive, and climb
- Altitude: regain height lost through diving. A high starting point helps, and masteries allow updraft use
- Speed: very fast long-distance flight after accelerating with a diving flap
- Wall clinging: no
- Unlock cost: 250 gold
- Handling: takes practice, especially dive and climb timing
- Main use: fast travel across long distances and from high ground
Skyscale
- Flight style: helicopter-like; take off and hover
- Altitude: ascend within the flight meter's range
- Speed: slower than a diving griffon
- Wall clinging: yes, with Wall Cling and Wall Launch
- Fixed gold costs: 41 gold for LWS4 or 15 gold for SotO, plus food, crafted items, and map currencies
- Handling: easier, with hovering and direct steering
- Main use: general exploration, vertical travel, and reaching difficult locations
Skyscale unlocks: two routes
Choose the route that fits the content you own and your goals.
Route 1: Living World Season 4
Complete Newborn, Saving, Raising, Troublesome, and Riding Skyscales. Plan for collections across many maps, two-hour waits between stages, and a daily limit of four feedings.
- Path of Fire and all six LWS4 episodes
- Complete Legacy, chapter 3 of episode 4, A Star to Guide Us, to access Sun's Refuge
- Complete Descent, the final chapter of episode 6, War Eternal
- Speak to Gorrik to begin
The five stages
Base costs: 41 gold, 5,390 karma, 1,700 Volatile Magic, 520 Trade Contracts, 250 of each LWS4 map currency plus 10 additional Mistborn Motes, 12 Pieces of Skyscale Food, and one Grow Lamp. Optional skip treats and travel cost extra.
Waiting requirements: feeding spans at least three daily periods, crossing two daily resets. Stage transitions add four two-hour waits. Actual elapsed time depends on when you start, so this is not a fixed three days and eight hours.
Route 2: Secrets of the Obscure
- Own SotO
- Complete Hell Breaks Loose
- Train Who Rescues Whom?
- Complete A New Friend and its three main subcollections
The process
- Find an egg: after training Who Rescues Whom?, search Abandoned Skyscale Nests in Skywatch Archipelago and Amnytas. The nest containing your egg is random
- Skyscale Egg Infusions: collect 12 elemental infusions, mainly in Core Tyria, including defeating four world bosses
- Skyscale Growing Comforts: provide 12 Pieces of Skyscale Food, eight types of monster drops, and three purchased toys
- Skyscale Saddle Materials: buy ten saddle materials from SotO map vendors
- Train Rising Spirits, then return to Dyanne to finish
Base costs: 15 gold, 12 Pieces of Skyscale Food, 30 Provisioner Tokens, 375 Static Charges, 375 Pinches of Stardust, and 500 Fine Rift Essences. The full Flight Training track also requires 25 SotO mastery points
Time required: no LWS4 stage waits or daily feeding limit. You can buy food on the Trading Post; crafting it yourself involves the daily Charged Quartz Crystal limit. Allow time for events, currencies, and mastery training
Shared mount skills
Train the relevant mastery to add these skills to PvE mount skill bars. These PvE mastery skills are not available in WvW.
Unlocked through LWS4 masteries
Unlocked through LWS4 masteries
Unlocked through LWS4 masteries
Unlocked through Icebrood Saga: Ash Legion Mount Stealth
Frequently asked questions
On most mounts, a large fall can force you to dismount and knock you down. The mounts immune to falling damage are griffon, skyscale, and skimmer. Warclaws become immune after training the PvE mastery Nine Lives. The springer's Masterful Descent mastery also shares reduced falling damage, except with siege turtles. On a turtle, use Jump Jets before landing to slow your fall.
Can I attack while mounted?
Most mounts dismount you when you use their engage attack on skill 1. Some attacks keep you mounted, including the turtle's Slam and the skyscale's Fireball. You use the mount's skill bar instead of your profession skills.
Does my equipment affect mount health and damage?
Improve mount movement mainly through masteries; jade bot modules also improve endurance recovery and certain attacks. Some rune, sigil, and food bonuses can also apply.
How can I improve mount endurance regeneration?
Three options include:
- Well Rested, a PvE warclaw mastery: +20% mount endurance regeneration in PvE
- Jade Bot Mount Energy Booster: +10–30% mount endurance regeneration for the equipped character in the open world
- Bond of Vigor: temporarily improved regeneration
Can I use a siege turtle alone?
You can travel and attack with Slam and Jump Jets. Turtle Siege requires a passenger, so beginners exploring alone should prioritize other travel mounts first.
What if I buy a skin before unlocking its mount?
The skin remains unlocked for use when you obtain the mount. Skins change appearance only and provide no stat advantages.
Can a free account permanently unlock a mount?
Free accounts receive the level-10 raptor trial for 10 hours. If you plan to keep playing, look at HoT + PoF for multiple mounts and mastery upgrades rather than a pack that only unlocks a basic raptor.