How to get a mount

Getting a mount in Diablo 4 takes a long time, but it's worth it for the extra travel speed alone.

Getting a mount in Diablo 4 takes quite a bit longer than you might expect, even if you purchased the RPG's deluxe edition and unlocked a unique mount from it. It's worth the wait, though. Not only do mounts help you move faster and cut down on battles against enemy mobs. They even come with unique skills as well.

Mounts are locked behind a side quest that's only available near the start of Act 4 – Mount: Donan's Favor. Donan's Favor unlocks during A Master's Touch, which exists in a kind of in-between space at the end of Act 3 (after Prying the Eye) and before Act 4 begins in earnest.

You can't just waltz through Act 3 as soon as it opens and get the quest, either. Master's Touch only unlocks after you complete the entirety of the first three acts.

A Master's Touch sends you back to Kyovashad and the Cathedral of Light. Speak with Donan inside to start the quest. He's marked with a blue Priority Quest marker.

Donan's Quest basically just sends you to collect a free horse from Oskar the stablemaster near Koyvashad's southern gate, where you saw Lorath off in Act 1. Oskar gives you a horse for free, and you can collect your pre-order mount here as well. After you complete Donan's Quest on one character, all your other characters on that realm will have mounts unlocked for them as well, even if they're brand new.

Other horses cost 20,000 gold, though since these additional looks are just cosmetic, you aren't missing out on anything if you stick with the basic horse. Oskar also sells horse armor and other livery for in-game gold, and you may earn some horse cosmetics from the battle pass.

Some cosmetics are only available for purchase with Red Dust. You get Red Dust by forking over Seeds of Hatred at the stablemaster outside any Field of Hatred, which is Diablo-speak for "PvP arena," and you can pick up Seeds of Hatred any time another player dies in a PvP match.

You can hop on your mount by pressing "Z" on keyboard or the right direction pad on a controller. Mounts have three skills, all of which have a cooldown timer: two universal ones and one that's tied to your character's class. The two universal ones do what they say on the box.

Mobs and demons won't attack while you’re mounted, but the class-specific skills give you an extra edge when you do decide to engage enemies in combat.

Our Diablo 4 beginner's guide has some handy tips if you're still working your way through the game's early acts. We've also got some recommendations for the best classes to start with and the best settings to ensure it runs like a dark dream every time.

Josh is a freelance writer and reporter who specializes in guides, reviews, and whatever else he can convince someone to commission. You may have seen him on NPR, IGN, Polygon, or VG 24/7 or on Twitter, shouting about Trails. When he isn't working, you’ll likely find him outside with his Belgian Malinois and Australian Shepherd or curled up with an RPG of some description.

Josh Broadwell posted a new article, How to get a mount - Diablo 4