Top 15 Most Difficult Mounts to Get in FFXIV
One of the biggest draws for the millions ofFinal Fantasy XIVplayers around the world is the avid, never-ending pursuit of mount rewards, which are not just for easier transportation around Eorzea. More than anything, they serve as visual medals of accomplishment or just good ol’ fashioned bragging rights. The game has literally hundreds to collect and choose from, the majority of them locked behind considerable challenges you first have to complete. Some are so difficult to obtain that only a select niche of players are able to flaunt them. If you’re wondering which ones fall into this type of category, here is our hand-picked list of thetop 15 most difficult mounts to get in Final Fantasy XIV.
15 – The Level Checker
The Level Checker is a unique mount that caused quite a stir among players when it first became available during theEndwalker expansion. To obtain it, you have to complete a special FATE called“Omicron Recall: Killing Order”in the always-emotionalUltima Thulearea.
Like other special FATEs that offer tokens to redeem for rewards such as mounts and minions, it requires a massive amount of players to complete. When it was first released, linkshell channels and Party Finder groups amassed to camp its spawn area, sometimes for hours. While numbers certainly help in staying alive, the FATE does have mechanics that can easily wipe out a crowd that isn’t attentive.
If you’ve always wanted to see your character through a screen, this is your perfect opportunity.
14 – Blackjack
The Gold Saucer has long prided itself on offering a variety of unique rewards via MGP, a special currency that can only be spent there. Some of those rewards can go for rather staggering amounts, and the item that currently has the crown for the priciest prize is theBlackjackmount. If you have a spare4,000,000 MGPlying around, you’re able to go claim this ornately decorated blimp mount that seats up to4 players, including yourself. It’s not nearly as flashy as the Sabotender Emperador mount, which costs quite a bit less at 2,000,000 MGP, but it’s got its own regal flair to it.
The sheer amount of time it can take to accrue that amount of MGP (unless you get obnoxiously lucky with big cactpot drawings) makes acquiring this mount a unique and time-consuming challenge.
13 – All Tank Mounts
FFXIV gives players many incentives to try a hand at Tank jobs, which, while a topic of never-ending debate, can ironically be the most challenging role to play in a group. You’re essentially the leader, tasked with keeping major battles under control and the boss’s eyes focused on you. You may not deal a lot of damage or contribute as much support as a healer, but tanking is a careful dance of mitigation and knowing what needs to happen at all times.
Therefore, it’s not too surprising that tanks, in particular, get their very own set of mount rewards as literal participation trophies. you’re able to obtain them by completing a certain number of qualifying duties as a tank. Each tank job has its own specific mount as two versions: an unarmored and an armored version (e.g., the screenshot above features an armored version).Paladinsreceive aWar Lion,Warriorsget aWar Bear,Dark Knightsget aWar Panther, and the newest tankGunbreakergets aWar Tiger(seen above).
To get any of these mounts, you’ll need to complete each tier of the“A Tankless Job”achievements. If you’re a player who’s not predisposed to tanking, it can be a commendable challenge to tank-..err, take on, but it feels well worth it in the end.
12 – Amaro
The Amaro mount was a rather special one first introduced during theShadowbringersexpansion, given its emotional ties to the story lore. They’re a unique, four-winged steed that resides within The First and serve as counterparts to Chocobos that are more commonly found in Eorzea. A niche of them gained sentience, and thus the ability to understand and use human language, from a Ronkan mage’s gift and chose to reside alongside the Fae in Il Mheg.
It thankfully became possible to obtain an Amaro as a mount during the expansion, but it’s no easy feat. To complete the achievement“A Life of Adventure IV”, you need to reachLevel 80inevery single combat class. That means every Disciple of War and Disciple of Magic, so it takes a considerable amount of time to complete and pushes players to challenge themselves with every combat class the game has to offer.
11 – Demi-Ozma
Originally hailing fromFinal Fantasy 9as an optional superboss, Ozma made a glorious appearance in FFXIV’s Heavensward expansion during the Weeping City of Mhach Alliance Raid. It then made a return in Stormblood’s open-world instanceEureka, appearing as the endgame boss of the special dungeon,The Baldesion Arsenal.
Just to get there, you have to make your way through four separate areas of Eureka (Anemos, Pagos, Pyros, and Hydatos), reachLevel 70(via Eureka’s separate leveling system), and complete specific requirements to unlock the dungeon. Baldesion Arsenal itself requiresalmost 60 playersto complete, and it’s a challenge that still holds plenty of popularity today, largely because you get a smaller version of Ozma itself as a mount for completing it. Thankfully, there is a discord server that helps consistently organize runs of the massive dungeon, so it’s not so daunting of a task.
As to what Ozma is exactly, per its original lore, it’s supposedly an eidolon of unknown origin that lost its physical form when its home world of Terra disintegrated. So now it only appears as a swirling orb of various energies. It was also described byTheatrhythm Final Fantasyas a “metaphysical being” that “exists without form and is unknowable, untouchable, and unattainable”. Well, now it is attainable, kind of.
10 – Construct VII Core
Whether or not you’re a fan of FFXIV’s PVP content, it’s undeniable that some very enticing rewards are locked behind it. Mounts, glams, and titles galore await players who choose to get down and gritty in the game’s various PVP modes. To date, one of the most difficult PVP mounts to get is undoubtedly the Construct VII, a unique-looking goblin armor suit with a steampunk jetpack that players wear rather than ride on.
To get it, you have to acquire a total of100 victoriesin theOnsal HakairFrontline map mode to complete the“One Steppe at a Time V”achievement. It may not seem overwhelming at first, but given how PVP gameplay tends to function (or not so much) in FFXIV, getting those 100 wins will take you at least twice as many attempts. It’s a true test of endurance, and with enough luck on your side as well, it can eventually be yours.
Deep Dungeons are considered among the most difficult content to complete in FFXIV, ever since they were first introduced inA Realm Reborn. They challenge a party of 4 players to overcome at least 100 floors full of monsters and traps, which increase in difficulty the higher you get. It becomes a true test of patience, intuition, and sometimes a dash of luck. However, the rewards you can reap from them are just as impressive. Hidden treasure chests found throughout the dungeon yield the widest variety of possible loot in the game. Not only that, simply completing the dungeon itself will reward you handsomely.
One such reward is the regal horse mount named Juedi. Found in theHeaven-on-Highdeep dungeon first introduced in theStormblood expansion, this incredible steed is awarded for clearing all 100 floors of the dungeon not once, but4 times. Each time you clear you receive anEmpyrean Reliquaryitem, and you need to obtain four of those to trade to theConfederate CustodianNPC in theRuby Seafor fourEmpyrean Accessories. One you have those in your inventory, go to theCast-Off ConfederateNPC and he’ll award you theJuedi Hornto summon the mount, as well as the“True Hero”title.
8 – The Magicked Card
If you’re a card-collecting connoisseur, FFXIV has a mount for that.Triple Triad, which is the Gold Saucer’s iconic card game, allows players to participate in high-stakes matches against NPCs (and fellow players if you wish), with the goal of obtaining cards they don’t initially have. In all, there are hundreds of cards to collect, but for this particular mountyou need to obtain every card numbered 1 – 312. Getting every single one of those is no easy task.
Not only does it involve participating in matches and winning, some cards are found locked behind various duty instances, from dungeons, to trials, to raids. Sometimes they’ll appear in the loot drop at the end of an instance, and sometimes they won’t. On top of that, you’ll often have to compete with other players also out to collect them as well. It’s hands down one of the most time-consuming gauntlets to complete, but when you do you’ll get a mount in the shape of an oversized Triple Triad card that you can ride magic carpet-style. Friends of ours have also jokingly called it the “jelly toast” mount, but thankfully it’s not edible.
7 – Rathalos
This mount was a very welcome surprise for fans of Capcom’sMonster Hunterfranchise, who decided to do a collaboration with FFXIV a few years ago. The event invited anyone who felt they had the mettle to take on Rathalos, the iconic wyvern that’s made appearances time and time again in the Monster Hunter games. This time, however, it’s come to wreak havoc in Eorzea, and with enough dedication, you can claim the fearsome beast for yourself as a mount.
It’s no easy task, however, as you’ll need to complete the unique trial calledThe Great Hunt (Extreme). Unlike other traditional extreme primal trials, you have to tackle this fight as a group ofonly four players. Not only that, there are gameplay mechanics unique to the fight, such as Rathalos having no enmity table (i.e., tanking is useless), its attacks being unpredictable and brutal, needing to knock it down to the ground to do legitimate damage, and only being able to heal damage using a limited number of special potions provided to each player. On top of it all, ifat least three deathshappen within the group, youautomatically fail the fight and have to restart. It may seem somewhat unfair, but it’s actually very similar to how gameplay works in Monster Hunter.
You’ll need to collect50 Rathalos Scale+ piecesto trade for the mount and onlyone scale drops per fight, making it quite the gauntlet to claim Rathalos for yourself. The mount can also randomly drop as a loot reward upon victory, but it’s exceptionally rare.
6 – Black Pegasus
Horse mounts are quite traditional in FFXIV, having first made appearances in various forms in A Realm Reborn. The rarest among them still to this day is the fabled Black Pegasus mount. The only way to obtain it is within the darkest depths ofThe Palace of the Dead, the game’s firstdeep dungeonthat boasts a staggering200 floors. To make matters worse, finding the elusive equine is all a matter of luck in there. Starting atFloor 151, you’ll have the slim chance to find theNight Pegasus Hornthat summons the mount inside aGold-trimmed Sack. If you don’t find one, you’ll simply have to go back in and try again, and again.
If you want to take the chance, you can access The Palace of the Dead by going to NPCNojiro MarujiroinNew Gridaniato pick up the quest,“The House That Death Built.”Otherwise, if you have millions of gil to throw around, you may also find the mount available for sale on the Market Board.
5 – Al-iklil
To capitalize on the ongoing popularity of Eureka, another open-world, instanced area calledThe Bozjan Southern Frontwas released during theShadowbringersexpansionthat features a variety of activities for players to partake in, most notably grinding for relic weapons. There are also a few different mounts to obtain, and the most challenging among them by far is the uniquely named Al-iklil.
A two-seater hoverbike that in fact fits two players, it can be obtained by acquiring all50 Field Notesfrom bothBozjaand its follow-up area,Zadnor. These are collected via a variety of challenging FATEs scattered across both areas, as well as in the final dungeon calledDalriada. It’s also a matter of getting lucky with drop rates from all the battles you have to endure, and some Field Notes are far more rare than others. You may very well have to farm certain fights over and over until the universe decides to cut you a break.
Any players of Final Fantasy 12 will likely recognize this mount, as it was used by characters Fran and Balthier during the game’s prologue. Fran also made a hyped appearance during the Ivalice Alliance Raids in FFXIV and served as a prelude to the release of Viera as a playable race in the game.
4 – Victor
Another popular pastime in FFXIV is the seemingly endless pursuit and defeat of special hunt monsters found in each area of an expansion. Not only does it net you some valuable tokens to use towards important items, but there are now severalhunt-related achievementsyou can complete to obtain a variety of unique mounts.
By far, the most challenging and time-consuming of the bunch is theVictormount, a pudgy little pug dog with a face only Hydaelyn could love. To get this little guy, you’ll need two hunt-related achievements:“Take Your A Game Further III”(2,000 A Ranks defeated in Endwalker regions) and“Take Your S Game Further III”(1,000 S Ranks defeated in Endwalker regions).
This may seem like an odd choice, considering previous hunt-related mount rewards require a higher number of killed marks, but this is hands down the most challenging one to get. That’s because the respawn rates of A Ranks in Endwalker, and especially S Ranks, are significantly longer than in previous expansions. It can takedaysfor your next target to make another appearance, which is probably not very motivating for some players.
In fact, the rate of players who have actually acquired this mount near the end of Endwalker’s expansion cycle is among the lowest in the game at avery meager 0.4%. If you decide to go for this ferocious pup, be prepared for some serious blood, sweat, and tears of impatience.
3 – Astrope
Speaking of tests of patience, this mount somehow pushes it even further in that regard. Astrope is perhaps the most regal pegasus mount you’ll find in FFXIV and makes quite the statement in any open-world area. If you have this steed in your sights, there are multiple steps needed to be able to obtain it.
First of all, you need to become aMentor, which grants you a fancy crown icon beside your display name. That requires leveling at least one combat class toLevel 90, obtaining at least300 player commendations, and completing at least1,000 instanced duties. Once you have, you can talk to theHall of the Novice NPCinGridaniato become a Mentor.
After that, you’ll need to unlock theMentor Roulette, which requires you to complete every single type of instanced duty that you may queue via Duty Finder at least once. That means every single dungeon, trial, raid, and guildhest. It can be very easy to miss one or more that you mistakenly forgot to pick up a quest for, so you may have to do some research to fill any gaps.
Once you can queue into Mentor Roulette, you’ll then need to successfully complete2,000 duty instancesto fulfill the“I Hope Mentor Will Notice Me VI”achievement. This will reward you with the Astrope Mount, and it will feel very, very satisfying. That’s because Mentor Roulette is truly a Russian roulette of some very good and very bad times you can experience. You don’t know which duty you’re going to receive and it will always be synced. So if you get thrown into an extreme primal trial with 7 other “sprout” players, it can easily turn into a challenge within a challenge.
2 – Morbol
This particular mount may not be the most flattering to look at, but those who know how it’s obtained will nevertheless marvel at your mettle for doing so. The Morbol mount is the big, special reward for fulfilling the“True Blue”achievement, which requires a full party of Blue Mages to completeseveral different Savage-tier raidsfromA Realm RebornandHeavensward, and theyall must be synced with Echo silenced.
Anyone who is familiar with Savage raids knows how exceptionally difficult they are to complete on regular combat classes. Doing so on a specialized class like Blue Mage ups the ante way further, and requires a very different type of strategy and level of dedication. In fact, it’s one of the greatest challenges you can complete in FFXIV, period. However, in return you’ll receive one of the rarest mounts the game has to offer. If a giant, hulking Morbol mount is what you’ve always wanted, then it’s time to crack open that Blue Mage spellbook.
1 – Pteranodon
The mount at the very top of our list takes the crown as the one we feel is the most challenging and time-consuming one get, bar none. It is an absolute test of a player’s effort and sanity. The Pteranodon is the ultimate crafting-related mount achievement in FFXIV that was first introduced with the Ishgardian Restoration questline in Ishgard, and to dateonly 0.5% of the playerbasehas claimed that achievement.
To get this prehistoric marvel, you need to fulfill all the requirements of the achievement“A Castle in the Sky”. This expects you to acquire a grand total of500,000 Skyward Scoreforevery…single…crafter and gatherer job in the game. You obtain Skyward Score points by gathering materials in the special area calledThe Diadem, then appraising and using them to craftIshgardian Restoration collectibleswhich will give you a set amount of Skyward points. Some collectibles give more points than others, but are far more difficult to craft.
This essentially sets the bar for the ultimate crafting challenge found in the game, and if you’re someone who isn’t already comfortable with the crafting gig, this could very well prove to be an untouchable feat. It pretty much dwarfs the patience required for other achievements in the game combined, and if you feel up to this task, we sincerely wish you the utmost luck.
That concludes our list of thetop 15 most difficult mounts to get in Final Fantasy XIV. We hope you find this helpful in choosing which next great challenge to take on next to claim one of these. Let us know which one was the hardest for you to get.
Be sure to check out all of our other guides for Final Fantasy XIV, such aswhere to turn in all Endwalker trial mounts.
