Final Fantasy XIV: How to get a mount
How to get a mount in Final Fantasy XIV is something you’ll want to do as soon as possible, but there’s a catch: You can’t. FFXIV makes you get around on foot for the MMO game’s first several hours, until you complete a few quests and make your mark on Eorzea's three big cities. Once you do get your mount, actually using it is a bit of a puzzle unless you know what you're doing.
We explain how to get a mount in FFXIV below and what to do once you’ve got one.
How to get a mount in FFXIV
Some mounts, including the company Chocobo, are free.
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You only unlock mounts after reaching level 20 and completing a few quests. The first is The Company You Keep quest, which is part of the main scenario and unlocks once you defeat Ifrit in Thanalan. After you join your chosen Grand Company, you pick up a company quest that rewards you with company-specific seals – Storm Seals if you joined the Maelstrom, for example.
The next quest that unlocks, regardless of your company, is My Little Chocobo. This one is basically just an introduction to the mount system and sees you exchange your newly-earned seals for a Chocobo Issuance at the company store. Do that, and you finally get your first mount after the quest ends: a company Chocobo that you can name.
Sort of. Technically, you get the whistle to summon your mount, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
You have to do all of this before you can use any mount, so even if you buy one from the Mogstation store, you’ll have to wait until you finish My Little Chocobo to use it.
How to use a mount in FFXIV
"Mount guide" is a roundabout way of saying "this is where your Chocobo lives"
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Using your mount the first time is a fiddly process, one the game buries in several pages of text tutorials. Find the mount whistle in your inventory, and use the item. Then, open the “Character” menu – the actual menu selection, not your character’s gear and overview pane – and select the “Mount” option.
The next pane shows you all the mounts you own and activated. If you don’t see one of your mounts there, check to make sure you’ve actually used the whistle first.
You can call the mount once from here, but the better choice is moving the icon to one of your hotbars for quick access at any time.
What are Gysahl Greens for in FFXIV?
Your company Chocobo will fight alongside you if you feed it the right item.
Square Enix/GLHF
If you’re playing solo, I also recommend buying some Gysahl Greens and adding those to your hotbar. Using one stack of the leafy stuff will summon your company Chocobo and keep them active by your side for 30 minutes of real-world time.
You can ride them, or if you’re in combat, they can fight alongside you. It’s not quite as helpful as having another human companion in your party, but it does make dealing with enemy mobs a little easier if you’re by yourself.
Greens only summon your Chocobo in the field. They won't follow you into a dungeon.
Should I buy a FFXIV mount?
Only if there’s one you really like the look of. Some mounts come with unique music – a track from the original Final Fantasy 7 for the Fenrir bike, for example, or a tinkly little ditty for the Fat Cat – but they all do the same basic thing. You get the option to fly once you make a bit of progress in the Heavensward expansion, so you don’t have to buy a specific mount for that.
