When Do You Get a Mount in FFXIV? First Chocobo Unlock

Quick answer: On a new character, you can unlock your first personal mount at about level 20. Progress the Main Scenario Quest (MSQ) until it lets you join a Grand Company, enlist with one of the three companies, then complete My Little Chocobo. You will exchange 200 Company Seals for a Chocobo Issuance and turn it in to receive your Company Chocobo.

The level is a useful marker, but FFXIV ties the first mount unlock to story progress as well as character level. If you have reached level 20 by doing side content while your MSQ is behind, keep following the story. Conversely, once the story has brought you to the Grand Company choice, the remaining steps are short. The current official FFXIV UI Guide to getting a mount lays out the same sequence.

First mount in FFXIV: the timeline at a glance

Milestone	What to expect
Level marker	Level 20, alongside the MSQ Grand Company introduction
First mount	Your personal Company Chocobo
Quest	My Little Chocobo, with the name matching your chosen Grand Company
Cost	200 Company Seals for a Chocobo Issuance
Flight	A separate unlock; it is not granted just for getting the first mount

How to get your first mount

Follow the MSQ until the Grand Company quests appear

At level 20, the story opens the Grand Company choice through one of three versions of The Company You Keep. The story presents three factions: the Maelstrom, based in Limsa Lominsa; the Order of the Twin Adder, based in Gridania; and the Immortal Flames, based in Ul’dah. Choose one when prompted; all three routes lead to the same first mount. Your combat class can be above level 20 already, but your character still needs the required story progress. The Lodestone Eorzea Database entry for “My Little Chocobo (Twin Adder)” lists the quest at level 20.
Join one of the three Grand Companies

Accept and finish the follow-up enlistment quest for the company you want: Wood’s Will Be Done for the Twin Adder, Till Sea Swallows All for the Maelstrom, or For Coin and Country for the Immortal Flames. Once you have officially joined, speak with your company commander. The commander offers the matching My Little Chocobo quest. All three versions lead to the same first mount, so choose the faction you prefer.
Get a Chocobo Issuance for 200 Company Seals

Visit your Grand Company quartermaster and exchange 200 of that company’s Seals for a Chocobo Issuance. The Grand Company enlistment quest awards Seals, so check your currency before spending time earning more. If you are short, earn the remaining amount through Company Seal activities available to your character and return to the quartermaster. The Lodestone’s Storm Quartermaster database shows the issuance priced at 200 Storm Seals; the other companies use their corresponding Seal currency.
Turn in the issuance and use your whistle

Take the issuance to the Chocobokeep associated with your Grand Company and present it to receive your chocobo. Name the bird, speak with the Chocobokeep again to finish the quest, then use the Chocobo Whistle item you receive. Using the whistle adds the mount to your Mount Guide. Select the Company Chocobo there and choose Summon, or place its icon on a hotbar for quicker access.

Why level 20 does not always mean you can ride yet

“Level 20” refers to the point where the Grand Company story becomes available, not an automatic mount reward that appears as soon as your experience bar reaches 20. FFXIV has separate character-level and MSQ progression. If you have leveled through FATEs, side quests, roulettes, or another class, you may be over level 20 while still needing to finish earlier story quests.

Open the Main Scenario Guide and continue the quest it points to. When the Grand Company branch opens, complete the enlistment quest, then check your company headquarters for the commander and quartermaster. If you already joined a company but do not see My Little Chocobo, talk to the commander and confirm you finished the enlistment step; the mount quest comes after joining.

When can you fly in FFXIV?

Unlocking your Company Chocobo gives you a mount for ground travel, but flight has its own requirements. In A Realm Reborn zones where flying is allowed, you unlock flight by completing the level 50 MSQ quest The Ultimate Weapon. Square Enix added flying to those areas in Patch 5.3 and identifies that quest as the unlock condition in the official Patch 5.3 notes.

In areas from later expansions, you generally need to attune to the zone’s required Aether Currents and advance the MSQ far enough to reach currents locked behind quests. Use the Aether Currents window to check what remains. Once flight is unlocked in an area, ride a mount that supports flying and jump to take off. You unlock flight area by area, so being able to fly in one zone does not automatically unlock it everywhere.

Where later mounts come from

The Company Chocobo unlocks the basic ability to use mounts; it is only the beginning of the collection. As you continue through the game, mounts can come from MSQ and sidequest rewards, vendors, achievements, Gold Saucer prizes, trials, raids, and special events. Some have a straightforward unlock, while others require repeated clears or longer achievement goals. Check the Mount Guide to see which mounts you own, and read an item’s description or quest requirements before starting a collection goal.

You do not need a flying mount as a separate reward to begin traveling on the ground, and you do not need to collect more mounts before continuing the MSQ. Get the Company Chocobo first, then pursue other mounts when their rewards interest you.

Common first-mount problems

I am level 20 or higher, but I cannot get the quest

Continue the MSQ until you reach the Grand Company introduction, complete the enlistment quest, and speak with your company commander. Character level by itself does not skip those story steps.

I joined a Grand Company, but I do not have enough Seals

Check whether you finished the enlistment quest, which awards Company Seals. The Chocobo Issuance costs 200 Seals. If your balance is still below that, earn more through the Seal activities available at your Grand Company, then buy the issuance from its quartermaster.

I received the whistle, but the mount is missing

Use the Chocobo Whistle from your inventory first. The item must be used to register the chocobo in your Mount Guide. After that, summon it from the guide or a hotbar slot.

The summon command does not work where I am standing

Mounts cannot be summoned in every interior, duty, or restricted area. Move to an open area where mounts are allowed and try again.

Frequently asked questions

What level do you get a mount in FFXIV?

The first personal mount becomes available around level 20, when the MSQ introduces Grand Companies. You must join one and complete My Little Chocobo to claim the Company Chocobo.

How long does it take to get the first mount?

There is no fixed number of hours. It depends on how quickly you progress the MSQ and whether you already have the required Company Seals. Follow the story to the Grand Company quests and the unlock is an early-game milestone.

Can you fly as soon as you get the Company Chocobo?

No. Flight unlocks separately. In eligible A Realm Reborn zones, complete The Ultimate Weapon; in later expansion zones, attune to the required Aether Currents and progress the story for that area.