One of the biggest draws for the millions of Final Fantasy XIV players 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 the top 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 the Endwalker expansion. To obtain it, you have to complete a special FATE called “Omicron Recall: Killing Order” in the always-emotional Ultima Thule area.
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 the Blackjack mount. If you have a spare 4,000,000 MGP lying around, you can go claim this ornately decorated blimp mount that seats up to 4 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 can 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). Paladins receive a War Lion, Warriors get a War Bear, Dark Knights get a War Panther, and the newest tank Gunbreaker gets a War 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 the Shadowbringers expansion, 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 reach Level 80 in every 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 from Final Fantasy 9 as 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 instance Eureka, 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), reach Level 70 (via Eureka’s separate leveling system), and complete specific requirements to unlock the dungeon. Baldesion Arsenal itself requires almost 60 players to 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 by Theatrhythm Final Fantasy as 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 of 100 victories in the Onsal Hakair Frontline 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.
9 – Juedi
Deep Dungeons are considered among the most difficult content to complete in FFXIV, ever since they were first introduced in A 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 the Heaven-on-High deep dungeon first introduced in the Stormblood expansion, this incredible steed is awarded for clearing all 100 floors of the dungeon not once, but 4 times. Each time you clear you receive an Empyrean Reliquary item, and you need to obtain four of those to trade to the Confederate Custodian NPC in the Ruby Sea for four Empyrean Accessories. One you have those in your inventory, go to the Cast-Off Confederate NPC and he’ll award you the Juedi Horn to 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 mount you 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’s Monster Hunter franchise, 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 called The Great Hunt (Extreme). Unlike other traditional extreme primal trials, you have to tackle this fight as a group of only 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, if at least three deaths happen within the group, you automatically 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 collect 50 Rathalos Scale+ pieces to trade for the mount and only one 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 of The Palace of the Dead, the game’s first deep dungeon that boasts a staggering 200 floors. To make matters worse, finding the elusive equine is all a matter of luck in there. Starting at Floor 151, you’ll have the slim chance to find the Night Pegasus Horn that summons the mount inside a Gold-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 NPC Nojiro Marujiro in New Gridania to 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 called The Bozjan Southern Front was released during the Shadowbringers expansion that 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 all 50 Field Notes from both Bozja and 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 called Dalriada. 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 several hunt-related achievements you can complete to obtain a variety of unique mounts.
By far, the most challenging and time-consuming of the bunch is the Victor mount, 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 take days for 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 a very 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 a Mentor, which grants you a fancy crown icon beside your display name. That requires leveling at least one combat class to Level 90, obtaining at least 300 player commendations, and completing at least 1,000 instanced duties. Once you have, you can talk to the Hall of the Novice NPC in Gridania to become a Mentor.
After that, you’ll need to unlock the Mentor Roulette, which requires you to complete every single type of instanced duty that you can 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 complete 2,000 duty instances to 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 complete several different Savage-tier raids from A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, and they all 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 date only 0.5% of the playerbase has 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 of 500,000 Skyward Score for every…single…crafter and gatherer job in the game. You obtain Skyward Score points by gathering materials in the special area called The Diadem, then appraising and using them to craft Ishgardian Restoration collectibles which 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 the top 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 as where to turn in all Endwalker trial mounts.
