A Complete Guide to Mounts in Final Fantasy XIV (2026): Unlock, Fly, and Collect
Mounts in Final Fantasy XIV make travel across Eorzea and the expansions easier, while giving you a collection of creatures and vehicles to personalize your character. Your first is the Company Chocobo, earned early through the Main Scenario Quest (MSQ) and a Grand Company. After that, you can earn mounts from quests, duties, achievements, vendors, events, and other activities. Flight is unlocked separately: A Realm Reborn areas use an MSQ milestone, while expansion zones require their Aether Currents and associated quests.
This guide reflects the live game through Patch 7.56, updated September 17, 2026. The official Patch 7.56 notes are a useful reference for changes to current content.
How mounts work in FFXIV
Mounts are summoned from your collection and can be used in many outdoor areas. They do not have a species-based speed stat: picking a chocobo, wolf, or mechanical mount does not by itself make you travel faster. Ground speed is adjusted by area as you progress through the MSQ, and Riding Maps can provide an additional ground-speed increase in eligible areas. Check the Mount Speed interface under Travel to see your progress for a zone. The official Patch 4.0 notes describe the area-based speed system, and the Lodestone database lists examples such as the Urqopacha Riding Map.
Flight is another zone-specific feature, not a bonus tied to collecting a particular mount. A mount must support flight, and the area must have flight unlocked. Some duties, story instances, and restricted areas do not allow mounts at all.
How to unlock your first mount: the Company Chocobo
You do not need to buy a mount with real money to start riding. Follow these steps to claim the early-game Company Chocobo:
- Reach level 20 and advance the MSQ. The quest requires a level 20 class or job, and you must progress the story until you can enlist in a Grand Company.
- Choose a Grand Company. The three options are the Maelstrom in Limsa Lominsa, the Order of the Twin Adder in Gridania, and the Immortal Flames in Ul'dah. Your choice determines which version of the chocobo quest you receive.
- Accept the matching “My Little Chocobo” quest. Speak with your Grand Company commander. The official mount unlock guide walks through the quest and issuance steps.
- Get a Chocobo Issuance. Buy the issuance from your Grand Company quartermaster for 200 Company Seals, then follow the quest instructions to register your chocobo. If the issuance is not available, check your Company Seal balance and Grand Company rank.
- Summon the chocobo. Once the mount is registered, open the Mount Guide and choose Summon. You can also put its icon on a hotbar or cross hotbar for quicker access.
The Company Chocobo mount is separate from using your chocobo as a combat companion. The companion feature has its own quest, so you can ride before you unlock that battle support.
Where to get more mounts
There is no single mount shop or universal collection quest. Each reward has its own requirement, and some mounts are tied to expansion ownership or story progress. These are the main places to look:
| Source | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Main Scenario and side quests | Story milestones and optional quest chains can award mounts or items that summon them. |
| Trials and raids | Some duties have a chance to drop a mount. Check the duty’s reward list and prerequisites; where a token exchange is offered, keep the tokens from repeat clears. |
| Grand Companies and vendors | Quartermasters and other vendors trade mounts for Company Seals, gil, tomestones, reputation, or activity-specific currency. Costs and unlock conditions vary. |
| Achievements and collections | Long-term goals can reward mounts. Review achievement descriptions before choosing a target so you know what progress counts. |
| Events, PvP, and special content | Seasonal events and game modes may offer time-limited or activity-specific rewards. Check current notices and reward windows. |
| Optional purchases and bonuses | The official FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Store sells some optional mounts. Other mounts may come with editions, promotions, or codes. Store mounts are cosmetic and are not required to progress the MSQ. |
Some mount items can be traded, while others are marked untradeable or Market Prohibited. Check the item details before planning to buy a mount from the Market Board. When a reward arrives as an inventory item, use that item to add the mount to your Mount Guide; completing the duty or achievement alone may not summon it automatically.
How to unlock flying in each area
Flight in A Realm Reborn works differently from flight in later expansions. In flyable A Realm Reborn zones, complete the MSQ quest “The Ultimate Weapon.” You do not need to collect Aether Currents in those zones. Square Enix introduced this requirement in its Patch 5.3 notes.
For expansion areas that use the Aether Current system, you must attune to every field current and complete the relevant MSQ or side quests that award the remaining currents. Open Travel > Aether Currents to see what is still missing in the current zone. The original official Aether Current instructions explain that currents can be found in the field or earned from quests. After the last current is attuned, use the jump command while on a flying-capable mount to take off; the default control can be changed in the game settings.
Unlock flight as you move through an expansion rather than saving every current for the end. Field currents are easier to collect while you are already exploring, and quest currents become available as you advance the story. If you finish exploring but still cannot fly, check the Aether Currents window for missing quest rewards.
Summon and organize your mount collection
The Mount Guide shows the mounts registered to your character. Open it from the Character menu, select a mount, and choose Summon. You can assign favorite mounts to hotbar slots if you want quick access. Square Enix’s game manual describes the Mount Guide as the interface for viewing mounts you have acquired.
For a larger collection, set a small goal rather than trying to farm everything at once. You might collect mounts from one expansion’s trials, finish an achievement track, or save a specific currency for a vendor reward. Before repeating a duty, verify that its mount is in the reward pool and whether the duty has an exchange option. Mount descriptions also identify special features such as extra passenger seats, when available.
Common mount problems
The Mount Guide is empty or a mount is missing
Look in your inventory for an unused mount item, horn, whistle, or other summoning item and use it to register the reward. Then reopen the Mount Guide. If the item is missing, check whether the reward went to a delivery moogle or another reward interface.
I cannot summon any mount
Make sure you completed “My Little Chocobo” and registered the Company Chocobo. Then move to an area where mounts are allowed and leave combat. If the Mount Guide is available but the mount action is not, add the mount icon to your hotbar from the guide.
My mount will not fly
First check whether the current area permits flight and whether that mount supports it. In A Realm Reborn, confirm you completed “The Ultimate Weapon.” In expansion zones, open Aether Currents and finish any missing field attunements or quest rewards.
Frequently asked questions
Are mounts in Final Fantasy XIV faster than one another?
No mount species has its own travel-speed advantage. Ground speed can increase by area through story progress and eligible Riding Maps; this affects your travel regardless of which mount you summon.
Do I have to pay real money for mounts?
No. Many mounts are earned through normal gameplay. The Online Store sells optional cosmetic mounts, but they are not required for the story or for unlocking flight.
Can every mount fly everywhere?
No. Flight depends on the area’s unlock requirements, and a mount must support flight. Aether Currents are zone-specific in the expansions that use them; A Realm Reborn flight instead unlocks through “The Ultimate Weapon.”
