FFXIV mount quests are how you trade in your walking boots for a chocobo, a flying steed, and dozens of rarer rides. In Final Fantasy XIV, mounts are not bought from a single shop — they come from your Grand Company, the main story, seal vendors, hard trials, and special unlocks. This guide explains the main ways to earn mounts so you always know where your next one is coming from.
Below we walk through five routes to mounts, from the very first one every new player can grab to the prestige rides that take serious effort. Each section has a quick figure so you can see exactly where to look in-game.
What you need first
Before any mount is available, you have to reach a point in the Main Scenario Quest (MSQ) where you join a Grand Company. This happens early in A Realm Reborn, around level 20, once you have spent some time in your starting city. Joining a Grand Company unlocks the seal currency and the very first mount quest. From there, mounts open up steadily as you level and progress the story.
The main ways to earn FFXIV mounts
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Step 1: Earn your first mount with My Little Chocobo
Your first mount comes from the quest My Little Chocobo, given by your Grand Company once you have joined one of the three — the Order of the Twin Adder (Gridania), the Maelstrom (Limsa Lominsa), or the Immortal Flames (Ul'dah). The quest costs 200 Company Seals, which you earn quickly from FATEs, dungeons, and Grand Company duties. Complete it and you own a personal chocobo mount for life.
My Little Chocobo turns 200 Company Seals into your first mount. -
Step 2: Collect story mounts from the Main Scenario
Many mounts are simply free story rewards. As you push through the MSQ and each expansion, certain milestone quests hand you a unique mount with no seals or gil required — you only need to keep playing. Expansion finales in particular are famous for awarding striking flying mounts, so it always pays to finish the current story arc.
Some of the best mounts cost nothing but story progress. -
Step 3: Buy mounts with Grand Company seals
Once you raise your Grand Company rank to around Second Lieutenant, the Quartermaster NPC sells a mount for a large pile of Company Seals (in the region of 120,000). You climb the ranks by turning in items on the company supply and provisioning missions and by spending seals on the periodic rank-up requirements. Keep banking seals after your first chocobo and a second, fancier mount becomes affordable.
Save Company Seals and rank up to buy a mount from the Quartermaster. -
Step 4: Farm rare mounts from trials and raids
Some of the most coveted mounts are low-chance drops from Extreme Trials, Savage raids, and certain special encounters. There is no quest to hand them over — you queue the fight in the Duty Finder, beat it, and hope for the drop. Because the odds are slim, players often repeat these duties many times. These are true status symbols, which is exactly why people chase them.
Extreme trials and Savage raids reward persistence with rare mounts. -
Step 5: Make your mounts fly with Aether Currents
Owning a mount and flying it are two different things. To take to the skies in any expansion zone, you must collect every Aether Current in that area. Some currents float in the overworld and are attuned by riding up to them; others are tied to side quests. Once you have all of them for a zone, flying unlocks there for every mount you own.
Attune all Aether Currents in a zone to unlock flying.
Tips for collecting mounts faster
- Do your Grand Company turn-ins. Supply and provisioning missions and the Squadron system are steady sources of seals that also push your rank toward the Quartermaster mount.
- Track Aether Currents with the menu. The Aether Currents window lists how many you have found in the current zone, so you can see exactly what is left before you can fly.
- Use the Mount Guide. The in-game Mount Guide (under Character) shows every mount and a hint about how each one is obtained — a great checklist for collectors.
- Grow your mount speed. Attuning Aether Currents also increases your ground mount speed in older zones via the Riding Map, so it is worth doing even if you mostly walk.
Troubleshooting
My Little Chocobo is not showing up
You must join a Grand Company first. Continue the Main Scenario Quest until you are invited to enlist, then visit your company's headquarters and look for the quest near the personnel officer.
I have a mount but cannot fly
Flying is gated per zone by Aether Currents, not by the mount itself. Open the Aether Currents menu, see which currents and quests you are missing in that zone, and finish them all to unlock flight.
The trial mount will not drop
Trial and raid mounts are random drops with low odds, so there is no guaranteed timeline. Keep running the duty — many players need dozens of clears, and the drop can come at any time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first mount you can get in FFXIV?
The first mount most players earn is the company chocobo from the My Little Chocobo quest, available after you join a Grand Company. It costs 200 Company Seals.
Do FFXIV mounts cost real money?
No. The mounts covered here are earned through gameplay — quests, seals, story progress, and duties. There is an optional cosmetic store with extra mounts, but you never need it to ride.
How do I unlock flying mounts in FFXIV?
Flying is unlocked per zone by collecting all of that zone's Aether Currents, which come from the overworld and from side quests. Once a zone is complete, every mount you own can fly there.
Are mounts shared across all my characters?
No. Mounts are unlocked per character, so each character earns its own collection. Within a single character, however, a mount is available account-wide for that character once obtained.
Where can I see all the mounts I own?
Open the Mount Guide from your Character menu. It lists every mount in the game, shows which you have collected, and gives hints on how to earn the ones you are missing.
Final thoughts
FFXIV mount quests reward almost every style of play: a little grinding for your first chocobo, steady story progress for free mounts, patient seal-saving for the Quartermaster ride, and dedicated farming for the rarest trophies. Start with My Little Chocobo, knock out Aether Currents as you explore, and your stable will fill up before you know it. For official details and patch notes, check the Final Fantasy XIV website.
